وَلَمّا تَبَرَّجَ خُضرُ البِطاحِ
تَوَهَّمتُها جُهِّزَت حَجَّلا
And when the verdure of the lowlands unveiled itself,
I fancied it bridal chambers being arrayed.
وَهَزَّ الرِياحُ مِنَ القُضُبِ فيهِ
قَناً لَم يُثَقَّف وَلا نُصِّلا
And there among the branches shook the winds
spear-shafts neither straightened nor fitted with blades.
وَلَولا دَليلٌ مِنَ الرِيِّ لَم
أُمَيِّز مِنَ الصارِمِ الجَدوَلا
Had not the wind supplied the proof, I could not
have distinguished the flowing stream from the keen-edged sword.
وَقَد سَقَطَ النورُ فَوقَ الغَديرِ
فَأَثبَتَت في دِرعِهِ أَنصُلا
Blossoms had already fallen upon the pool
and planted blades within its coat of mail.
وَقابَلَتِ الكاسُ وَجهَ الرَبيعِ
وَسَجعَ الحَمامِ فَما أَجمَلا
The winecup met the face of spring,
and the doves cooed—how beautiful it was!
كَما قابَلَ العيدُ وَجهَ الوَزيرِ
وَسَجعَ ثَناءٍ لَهُ رُتِّلا
Just as the feast met the vizier’s face,
and praise of him rang out in measured cadence.
مَضى رَمَضانُ كَثيرَ الثَناءِ
عَلَيكَ وَوَدَّعَ لا عَن قِلى
Ramadan passed, lavish in praise
of you, and bade farewell without aversion.
فَلَو كانَ يَنطِقُ شَهرُ الصِيامِ
لَقامَ بِشُكرِكَ بَينَ المَلا
Had the month of fasting been able to speak,
it would have risen to thank you before the assembly.
وَلَو صافَحَ العيدُ شَخصاً إِذَن
لَصافَحَكَ العيدُ إِذ أَقبَلا
And if the feast could clasp a person’s hand,
it would clasp yours upon arriving.
أَسَلتَ الدُموعَ بِهِ خاشِعاً
وَصَوبَ اللُهى مُنعِماً مُفضِلا
In Ramadan you made tears flow in humility,
and poured forth delight, bestowing bounty and favor.
هُما لِلهُدى وَالتُقى ديمَتانِ
فَغَرسُ الفَضائِلِ لَن يَذبُلا
Those two are enduring rainclouds of guidance and piety,
so the virtues they sow will never wither.
وَأَحيا قِيامُكَ لَيلَ التَمامِ
وَأَحيا نَداكَ الثَرى المُمحَلا
Your night vigil revived the full-moon night,
and your liberality revived the drought-stricken earth.
عَلى الحَسَنِ بنِ خَلاصٍ جَلَت
مَعاني الكَمالِ الَّذي أَشكَلا
Al-Hasan ibn Khalas rose high, and manifest became
the meanings of perfection that he embodied.
تَسَمّى مُدِلّاً بِأَفعالِهِ
وَساعَدَهُ الجَدُّ فَاِستَرسَلا
His deeds bore witness to the name he earned,
and good fortune aided him, giving him free rein.
وَحَتمٌ مُضاءُ ظُبى ذي الفَقارِ
فَكَيفَ إِذا وافَقَ المُنصُلا
The keenness of Dhu’l-Fiqar’s blades is certain—
how much keener when they meet a drawn sword!
تَرى بِشرَهُ في أَوانِ اللِقا
جَميلاً وَما بَعدَهُ أَجمَلا
You see his cheerful countenance at battle-time,
beautiful—and what follows is more beautiful still.
وَتُبصِرُ أَرماحَهُ في الوَغى
أَطوَلا وَأَسعُدَهُ أَتوَلا
You see his spears amid the fray,
the longest, while his good fortune lasts still longer.
يُمَيِّلُ مِنهُ اِرتِياحُ النَدى
مَعاطِفَ ما مَيَّلَتها الطَلا
Generous ardor sways within him,
in shoulders that wine has never made sway.
فَما يَتَّقي الدينُ أَن يَعتَدي
وَما يَتَّقي المالُ أَن يَعدِلا
Faith need never fear that he will transgress,
nor wealth hope that he will show restraint.
سَبيلُ الوَرى وَسَبيلُ الوَزيرِ
أَن يَسأَلوهُ وَأَن يَبذُلا
The way of mankind and the way of the vizier
is that they ask him, and he bestows.
وَما يَمنَعُ الغَيثُ مِن أَن يَجودَ
وَلا يَأنَفُ الرَوضُ أَن يُسأَلا
What prevents the raincloud from pouring generously
when the meadow does not disdain to ask?
لَهُ هِمَمٌ فُتنَ عِزَّ النُجومِ
وَمالٌ عَلى الذُلِّ قَد عَوَّلا
His aspirations have put the pride of the stars to the test,
and his wealth has resolved to be brought low.
يَقولُ نَعَم وَهيَ دَأبٌ لَهُ
فَيُثمِرُ أَسرَعَ مِن لا وَلا
He says “Yes”—it is his constant habit—
and it bears fruit faster than “no” or “never.”
وَيا رُبَّ نارٍ مِنَ الحادِثاتِ
أَطفا وَنارِ قِرىً أَشعَلا
How many a fire of calamity
has he quenched, while kindling hospitality’s fire!
هُمامٌ مَحاريبُهُ وَالحُروبُ
تُسقى المُفَصِّلَ وَالفَيصَلا
A valiant man—his prayer niches and his wars
give drink to the Mufassal and the decisive blade.
يَشُلُّ الكَتائِبَ عِندَ النِزالِ
وَيَتلو الكِتابَ كَما نُزِّلِا
He scatters battalions when combat begins,
and recites the Book just as it was revealed.
لَهُ دَعوَةُ الأَمرِ في حَفلِهِ
وَأُخرى إِلى اللَهِ مَهما خَلا
He has one commanding summons in his assembly,
and another addressed to God whenever he is alone.
يَصولُ بِهَذي لِكَي تُقتَفى
وَيَخضَعُ في ذي لِكَي تُقبَلا
With the former he advances, that others may follow;
with the latter he bows, that it may be accepted.
فَهَذي تُفَتِّحُ بابَ السَما
وَذي تَفتَحُ البَلَدَ المُقفَلا
The latter opens the gate of heaven,
and the former opens the locked city.
لَكَ اللَهُ فَاِنهَض بِجَيشِ القَضا
وَحارِب عِداكَ بِهِ أَعزَلا
God be with you—rise with the army of destiny,
and fight your enemies with it, though unarmed.
إِذا خَرَجَت عَن يَدَيكَ السِهامُ
غَدا كُلُّ عُضوٍ لَها مَقتَلا
Once the arrows have left your hands,
every limb becomes a place of death for them.
تَدارَكتَ سَبتَةَ مِن بَعدِ ما
وَأَحيَيتَها حينَ أَشفَت عَلى
You came to Ceuta’s rescue after it
had nearly perished, and revived it at the brink.
وَلَحتَ وَمَغرِبُنا مُدبِرٌ
فَصارَ بِكَ المَشرِقَ المُقبِلا
You appeared while our West was fading;
through you it became the radiant, rising East.
وَلِم لا وَحِكمَةُ لُقمانَ فيكَ
وَهَيبَةُ كِسرى قَدِ اِستُكمِلا
Why not, when your wisdom has a Luqman within you,
and your majesty has attained a Khosrow’s perfection?
فَلَو أَنَّ بَطشَكَ يَومَ الهِياجِ
لَدى النارِ ما سَكَنَت جَندَلا
Had fire possessed your fury on the day of battle,
it would never have lain dormant in flint.
وَلَو أَنَّ نَيلَكَ عِندَ الصَبا
لَما هَزَّتِ الغُصُنَ المُخضَلا
And had the east wind possessed your bounty,
it would not merely have shaken the rain-drenched bough.
وَلَو دَبَّ ريقُكَ في حَيَّةٍ
لَعادَ بِهِ سَمُّها سَلسَلا
Were your saliva to course through a serpent,
its venom would become smooth and sweet.
تَكادُ تُرَغِّبُ بِالعَفوِ في الذُ
نوبِ وَحاشاكَ أَن تَفعَلا
Through your pardon you almost make sin alluring—
though far be it from you to commit such a thing.
فَأَيُّ اِمرِىءٍ لَم يَذُق شيمَتَيكَ
لَم يَعرِفِ الشَهدَ وَالحَنظَلا
No man who has not tasted your two dispositions
can know either honey or bitter colocynth.
جَرَت مِن بَنانِكَ لي بِالغِنى
بُحورٌ يُسَمّونَها أَنمُلا
From your fingertips there flowed to me, laden with riches,
oceans that people call fingers.
فَلَو أَدرَكَ المُزنُ تِلكَ البَنانِ
لَقَبَّلَها مَعَ مَن قَبَّلا
Had the raincloud overtaken those fingers,
it would have kissed them all, face-to-face.
دَعوا حِمصَ تَفعَلُ أَفعالَها
فَقَلبي بِسَبتَةَ عَنها سَلا
Let Homs perform whatever deeds it will;
my heart, in Ceuta, has forgotten it.
نَسيتُ بِمَوطِنِ عِزّي الأَخيرِ
مَوطِنَ نَشأَتِيَ الأَوَّلا
In this latter homeland of my glory I forgot
the homelands of my earliest upbringing—
كَما يَألَفُ السَيفُ كَفَّ الكَمِيِّ
وَيَطَّرِحُ القينَ وَالصَيقَلا
as a sword grows accustomed to the valiant warrior’s palm
and casts aside the smith and the polisher.
وَقَد يَهجُرُ الطَيرُ أَوكارَهُ
إِذا وَجَدَ الأَمنَ وَالسُنبُلا
A bird, too, may forsake its nests
when it finds safety and grain.
كَأَنِّيَ جَمَّعتُ مِن خاطِري
وَمِن ذِكرِكَ النارَ وَالمَندَلا
It is as though I gathered from my thoughts
and from remembrance of you both fire and fragrant aloeswood.
فَقَد سارَ صيتُكَ سَيرَ الصَباحِ
يَجِدُّ مَعَ المُعَلِّمِ المُجهَلا
Your renown has traveled as morning travels,
reaching the ignorant together with the learned.
وَعَمَّ جَداكَ عُمومَ السَحابِ
يَسقي البِلادَ وَيَسقي الفَلا
Your beneficence has spread as universally as clouds,
watering the towns and watering the open wilds.
تَفَصَّلَ وَصفُ العُلا في الكِرامِ
وَجِئتَ بِتَفصيلِهِ مُجمَلا
The attributes of high glory are apportioned among the noble,
but in you their every detail is gathered whole.
فَكُن مَعَ أَعمَرِهِم آخِراً
وَكُن في مَراتِبِهِم أَوَّلا
So among the longest-lived, be the last to depart,
and among their ranks be first.
أَلا هَكَذا تُذكَرُ الصالِحاتُ
وَتُبنى المَعالي وَإِلّا فَلا
Behold—thus are righteous deeds remembered,
and lofty glories are built—or else not at all.
Sol 5.6