أَأَنتَ أَم أَنا أَم ما نِلتَ مِن رُتَب
أَولى بِنَيل التَهاني يا اِبنَ خَير أَبِ
Are you or am I more deserving of congratulations, O son of the best father,
For the ranks you have attained?
لَم أَدرِ مَن ذا أُهنّي فَالهَناءُ لَهُ
من نَفسِهِ بِكَ ما بِالمَجد مِنهُ وَبي
I know not whom to congratulate, so congratulations to him!
He has congratulated himself through you and through the glory associated with you.
أَنا المُهَنّا بِما أُوليتَ مِن منحٍ
بِنَيل أَضعاف ما قَد نِلت مِن أَرَبِ
I am the one congratulating you for the gifts you have received,
For attaining a multiple of what you have already attained in nobility.
يا واحِداً ما ثَناهُ عَن مَقاصِدهِ
ثانٍ وَلا عاقَهُ المَقدور عَن طَلَبِ
O peerless one, nothing has distracted you
From your purposes—no second opinion and no inability.
بِرَغمِ كُلّ حَسودٍ ما حُبيتَ بِهِ
مِن المَناقب وَالعَلياء وَالرُتَبِ
Despite every envious person, you have been granted
Eminence, sublimity, and rank.
إِن لَم تَكُن لِلعُلى أَهلاً فَلَيسَ لَها
في الناس أَهلٌ وَلا في السَبعة الشُهبِ
If the eminent were not worthy of it, there would be
No people worthy of it on earth or in the seven orbits.
أَنتَ اِبن مَن لَو رَأتهُ الشَمس لاِحتجبت
مِنَ الجَلال عَن الأَعيان في حجبِ
You are the son of one at whose sight the sun would veil itself
In awe before all creatures from his tremendousness.
مِن خَير بَيتٍ سَما عِزُّ الأَنامِ بِهم
مُنذُ اِصطَفى مِنهُمُ الرَحمَن خَير نَبي
You are from the best house whose honor
Elevated all people since the Merciful chose the best prophet from them.
بَنو لُؤَيٍّ لِواء الفَخر قَد نَشَروا
عَلى الخَلائق مِن عُجمٍ وَمِن عربِ
The tribe of Lu’ayy spread the banner of pride
Over non-Arabs and Arabs alike.
إِن كانَ فَخر بَني العَلياء في نَسَب
فَنَحنُ مَفخَر ذاكَ الفَخر وَالنَسَبِ
If ancestral glory lies in lineage,
We pride ourselves in that pride and lineage.
مَنِ المفاخرُ أَبناءَ الرَسول وَقَد
جاءَت مَحامِدهم في منزلِ الكُتُبِ
Who would not boast of being descendants of the Messenger when
Their praises have been recorded in scriptures?
كُنّا وَكانَت يَد الأَقدار تَمنَعُنا
حَظّاً بِمَجدين مَوروث وَمُكتَسَبِ
We were deprived by the hand of fate
Of our inherited and earned glory.
حَتّى قَضى اللَه أَن نَبني الَّذي دَرَست
مِن مجدِنا عَثَرات الدَهر وَالنوبِ
Until God decreed that we rebuild
What misfortunes in time had destroyed of our glory.
سُدنا فَشدنا بِحَمد اللَهِ بَيت تقىً
تَسمو بِهِ لبناتُ العِزِّ لا الذَهبِ
We have, praise God, rebuilt a house of piety
In which the bricks are cemented by morality, not gold.
بَيت سِوى الفَضل لَم يَرفَعهُ مِن عمدٍ
وَلَم يُثبّتهُ غَير البرّ مِن طنبِ
A house raised by merit alone,
Supported by righteousness alone, not columns.
لِلّهِ درُّ اللَيالي في تَقَلُّبِها
كَم فَرَّجت عَن ذَوي الأَخطار مِن كربِ
Bless the nights in their alternations!
How often they relieve those beset with perils and sorrows!
تُبين لِلعَين ما في الناس مِن خدعٍ
حَتّى تَرى عَجَباً يَبدو مِنَ العَجَبِ
They show clearly the deceits that people harbor
Until wonders unfold from wonders.
سوءُ السَريرة لَم يَترك لِصاحبه
ستراً فَيا شَرَّ مَصحوب وَمُصطَحبِ
Vicious natures leave their owners no veil,
So evil the company they keep!
بَليّتي وَالعَنا مِن مَعشَرٍ سمجٍ
كَأَنّ أَنبلهم ثَورٌ بِلا ذَنبِ
Woe to me from a rabble, base and boorish,
Whose best is but an ox with no crime!
كَأَنّ بزَّة كُلٍّ فَوقَ جثّته
غمد نضار عَلى نَصلٍ مِن الخشبِ
The cloak of each rests atop his frame
Like a scabbard on a blade of wood.
هوان كُلّ كَليم بَينَهُم لسن
هَوان كُلّ كَليم القَلب مُغتَربِ
Mean is each stingy soul among them,
Wretched each heart in exile.
يا عُصبة لَيسَ فيهم مَن وَفيت لَهُ
بِخالص الودِّ إِلّا راح يَغدر بي
O band in whom I trusted to find
A true friend—all betrayed me!
كُلُّ اِمرئٍ بِالأَذى مِنهُم أَبو لَهَبٍ
وَكُلُّ أُنثى بِهم حمّالة الحَطَبِ
Each is a father of flames in his malevolence,
And every female shoulders the firewood.
إِنّي لأَرحم إِخوان الزَمان بِما
بِهِ اِبتلوا مِن قَبيح الزور وَالكَذِبِ
I pity the people of my time for the ugly lies and fraud
They suffer—no consent made them acquire such traits.
لا عَن رضىً قامَ فيهم ما بِهِ اِتَّصَفوا
وَإِنَّما داؤُهُم ضَرب مِن الوَصَبِ
Rather, their ailment is a kind of delirium.
My soul, emulate the prophets! Arm yourself with patience,
يا نَفس لي أسوة بِالرُسل فاِدّرعي
بِالصَبر وَاِعتَصِمي بِاللَهِ وَاِحتَسِبي
Seek help from God, persevere—
Soon my people will know the one they ignored is their jewel.
لَسَوفَ يَعلم قَومي أَنّ مَن جَهلوا
مِقداره هُوَ فيهم دُرّة اليلبِ
When one has nothing but wealth his pedigree,
The fragrance of my mention is enough lineage for me.
مَن كانَ لَيسَ لَهُ إِلّا الغِنى حَسبا
فَإِنّ عاطر ذِكري بِالثَنا حَسبي
O you who presumed of me what faults you saw!
I am the sun—look to your own shadows in me.
يا ذا الَّذي ظَنَّ بي ما فيهِ مِن عوج
إِنّي أَنا الشَمس فاِنظر ظلَّ نَفسك بي
I am he whose origin and pride is that
My mother is virtuous and my father valorous,
أَنا الَّذي ساد أَصلاه وَمفتخري
أَنّ اليَراعَةَ أُمِّي وَالحُسام أَبي
And that the best youth among his people in nature
Is my brother, of purest morals, above any doubt—
وَأَنّ خَير فَتىً في قَومِهِ شيماً
أَخي وأنزه أَخلاقاً عَن الرِيَبِ
One whose lofty title “His Excellency” captures his nobility
And refuses any title lacking the merits that it implies.
من لَقّبتهُ المَعالي رفعة وَأَبَت
تَلقيبه بِسوى ما فيهِ مِن نسَبِ
Muhammad! If praise were to find him,4 I would say
O best endowed with the best name and title!
مُحمّدٌ لَو وَفاه الحَمد قُلت لَهُ
يا خَير مَن حازَ خَير الإِسمِ وَاللَقَبِ
O you whose thirsty sword flows from its scabbard
And whose prolific lance gushes from its case!
يا مورِداً سَيفَهُ الظَمآن مِن عَلَق
وَمصدراً رُمحَه الرَيّان مِن لببِ
O you who stood alone in his tremendousness
Before a large assembled host or a looming army—
وَقائِماً وَهوَ فَرد مِن جَلالته
في مَحفَلٍ حاشِدٍ أَو جَحفل لَجِبِ
Extending a generous hand, some of whose fingers
Take the place of clouds and rainfalls.
وَباسِطاً يَدَ جودٍ بَعض أُنمُلَةٍ
مِنها يَنوبُ عَن الأَنواءِ وَالسُحُبِ
O you who freely risked his precious soul, self-sacrificing,
Called to safeguard the sanctity of the sublime.
وَباذِلاً نَفسَ حرٍّ باسِلٍ أَنفٍ
نَدبٍ لِصَون حِمى العَلياء مُنتَدبِ
A stalwart—when the neighing of steeds thunders in his ears,
Ecstasy makes his body quiver.
فَتىً إِذا ما صَهيل الخَيل طَنَّ عَلى
آذانِهِ رَنَّحَتهُ هَزَّةُ الطَرَبِ
He who does not dread death—if his sharp sword were unleashed
The world would be too narrow for death to escape.
لا يرهبُ المَوتَ مَن لو سلَّ صارمهُ
لِلمَوت ضاقَت بِهِ الدُنيا عَن الهَرَبِ
He who does not fear devastation—if devastation took form to face him,
It would cry out in misery and war.
وَلا يَهاب الرَدى مَن لَو تمثّل لِلر
رَدى لِنادى بِهِ بِالوَيل وَالحَربِ
A bold horseman—when the arrow of his ideas takes flight
In the battleground of opinions, it does not go astray or miss.
شَهمٌ إِذا طاشَ سَهم الفكر في مَلأ
آراؤُهُ لَم تَطِش سَهماً وَلَم تَخِبِ
The pride of warriors and protectors are because of him—
The Samhari steeds, the Indians, and the sturdy Kataib horses.6
فَخر السراة وَعزُّ الصافِنات بِهِ
وَالسَمهَريّة وَالهنديّة القضبِ
The full moon of glory among his kin appears,
Eclipsing any other unveiled moon.
يَسري وَبَدر المَعالي مِن أسرَّتهِ
يَبدو فَيحجب بَدراً غَير مُحتجبِ
He reins in steeds galloping with brave regiments
Of noble Salab and refined Mahri steeds—
وَيَزجر الخَيل تَعدو بِالكَتائِبِ مِن
جُردِ السَلاهب وَالمهريّة النجُبِ
All gray-coated, marked beasts
Who charge valiantly but do not approach traps;
من كُلِّ وَجناء غَرّاءٍ مُسوَّمةٍ
تَعدو فَتَقوى فَلا تَدنو مِن النَصبِ
Lofty, tall, very swift,
Short-bodied, muscular, and supple.
طَويلَة الباع وَالأَعناق في سَعَةٍ
قَصيرةِ الصُلبِ وَالمَصفود وَالعسبِ
They carry the brave whose equals they are—
Unwavering and unterrified.
من الجِياد عَلَيها كُلُّ مُعتَقل
بِمثلِهِ غَير مِذهالٍ وَلا وَعِبِ
Of every gelding keeping away from wildness
And every stallion drawing near to passion.
مِن كُلِّ قِرنٍ عَن الفَحشاء مُبتعدٍ
وَكُلِّ قرمٍ إِلى الهيجاءِ مقتربِ
Their hooves make plains weep whenever he smiles
With his palm, and good tidings shine through his anger.
يُبكي المَواضي نَجيعاً كُلَّما اِبتَسَمَت
بِكَفِّهِ فَيَلوح البشرُ في الغَضَبِ
When armies meet on the battlefield,
His prowess makes double-edged swords redundant.
بَأسٌ إِذا ما اِلتَقى الجَمعان في رَهجٍ
أَغناهُ عَن مُرهَف الحَدَّين ذي شطَبِ
God bless the market of war where our heroes played
Games unlike child’s play!
لِلّهِ يَوم بِسوق الحَرب إِذ لَعِبَت
أَبطالُنا بِمَجالٍ لَيسَ بِاللَعبِ
A day in which calamities stand in shock
And the sun runs recklessly astray;
يَومٌ بِهِ تَقِفُ النَكباءُ مِن دَهش
وَالشَمس تَجري فَتَعيا فيهِ مِن لَغبِ
Horses stumble upon bodies as if they are
Palm trees felled in eras past.
وَالخَيل تَعثر بِالقَتلى كَأَنَّهُمُ
أَعجاز نَخل خَوَت في سالف الحقبِ
Each carcass atop a horse just like it,
Clad in coats of mail the steeds can barely escape with.
مِن كُلِّ علج عَلَيهِ مِثل جثَّتِهِ
سَوابِغٌ حَملها أَعياهُ عَن هَرَبِ
Whenever the fires of war blaze,
The iron melts onto bodies out of fear.
منَ الحَديد مَتى نار الوَغى اِضطَرَمَت
كادَت تَذوب عَلى الأَجساد مِن رَهبِ
Still he thrusts them forward with his truncheon
As the Sharifi leads them from one post to the next—
ما زالَ يَطعَن بِالأَعقابِ عامله
وَالمشرفيُّ يَذكّيهم عَلى النُصُبِ
Every dark-skinned hero with shapely figure,
Every fair and ruddy cheek adorned;
من كُلِّ أَسمر زاهي القَدِّ مُعتَدلٍ
وَكُلِّ أَبيضَ باهي الخَدّ مُختضبِ
An orator whose eloquence on the pulpits
Utters the most moving speeches.
قاضٍ عَلى مِنبرِ الهاماتِ في يَدِهِ
بِالخَطبِ نَسمَع مِنهُ أَبلَغ الخُطَبِ
Until he left no shelter for fugitives
Among the fighters or onlookers;
حَتّى إِذا لَم يَدَع عَوناً لِمُلتَجئٍ
مِن الكماةِ وَلا عَيناً لِمُرتَقِبِ
He drew his sword and satisfied the birds’ every pecking
And the beasts’ every ferocious bite.
سَطا فَأَشبَع ما في الطَير مِن خمصٍ
مِنهُم وَأنقع ما في الوَحش مِن سَغبِ
Say to my critic: Cease your ignorant claim!
Does any fool butt horns with the sun?
قُل لِلمُناظِرِ دَع ما تَدّعي سَفهاً
فَهَل يُناطح قرن الشَمس غَير غَبي
Suppose you both gained fine fruits;
Far apart are date syrup and fresh dates!
هَب أَنَّ ما حزتما صنوان مِن ثَمَرٍ
شَتّانَ ما بَينَ بُسرِ النَخل وَالرطبِ
O blossom of the vine, you have babbled nonsense
And are not made for sorrel or grapes.
يا زَهرة الكَرم قَد ذَبَّبتَ عَن حَمق
وَلَست مِن حصرمٍ يَوماً وَلا عنبِ
The fool aspires, hoping to attain tranquility,
Though his peace is filled with toil.
يَسعى الجهولُ فَيَرجو نَيل راحَتِهِ
وَقَد مَلا راحَتيهِ الجَهل بِالتَعَبِ
How often the fool’s hopes lead him
To where safety is impossible!
وَطالَما طمعُ المُغتَرِّ أَوردهُ
مِمّا السَلامَةُ فيهِ مورد العطبِ
Like children wistfully dreaming of water
While thirsty in Aleppo and water lies in Egypt.
كَالآلِ يَجهدُ ظَمآناً يُيمّمهُ
وَالماءُ في مِصرَ وَالظَمآن في حَلَبِ
Like lightning tempting every fanciful soul
With its water, immune from anything but flames.
وَخُلَّبُ البَرق يُغري كُلَّ ذي هَوَسٍ
بِمائِهِ وَهوَ عافٍ مِن سِوى اللَهبِ
Like clouds sailing angrily as they say:
Not every udder holds milk for the milkmaid!
وَالسحبُ تَجري جهاماً وَهيَ قائِلَة
ما كُلُّ ضرعٍ بِهِ دَرٌّ لِمحتلبِ
Vain hopes are like wishful dreams,
Deluding souls with the deceptions of vanity.
هِيَ الأَمانيُّ كَالأَحلام تخدعُ بِال
أَوهام آمالَ نَفسِ الخادع الوَربِ
O Master, O He in Whose days we delight,
Ever unchanging in His best transformations!
مَولايَ يا مَن نَرى أَيّامنا سَعُدت
بِهِ فَلا اِنقَلَبت عَن خَير مُنقلبِ
O gem of Beirut, the equal of which is needed
To counterbalance the glory of other frontiers.
يا جَوهَراً ثَغر بَيروت يُزانُ بِهِ
كَما تُزانُ ثُغورُ الغيدِ بِالشنَبِ
You have exposed and removed dishonor,
Donned the jewelry of refinement and literary eloquence.
عرت خلالكَ عَن عارٍ فَأَلبَسَها ال
باري حُلى الأَشرَفين الحلم وَالأَدَبِ
You ascended to the throne of virtues
Through good conduct, not wealth or rank,
حَتّى اِستَوَيتَ عَلى عَرش الفَضائِلِ في
حُسنِ الشَمائل لا بِالمال وَالنشبِ
Becoming the best youth for that lofty position,
Attuned to glory, harvesting praise.
فَكُنت لِلرُتبةِ الغَرّاءِ خَير فَتىً
لِلمَجد مُنتَبِهٍ لِلحَمد مُنتَهبِ
To you the choicest fruits of thought were presented
When she drew aside her most delightful veils.
إِلَيكها مِن بَناتِ الفكر قَد بَرَزَت
مِن سِجفِها وَأَماطَت أَلطَف النُقبِ
A father who makes the Arabized Arabs seem lowly
Compared to the true Arab stock—every lineage.
خودٌ مِن العرب المستعربين أَباً
يَسمو مِن العربِ العرباءِ كُلّ أَبِ
A chaste woman proud of her descent
Which she sees rooted in mighty ancestors.
عَذراءُ تَفخر في أحسابها وَتَرى
أَنسابها مُنتمى عِزٍّ لِمُنتَسبِ
She guarded the sanctuary of your Qurayshi lineage;
No pretender star has risen except her own.
أَمّت حمى قُرشيٍّ شَمسُ غُرَّتهِ
ما أَدرَكَت نجم مُغترٍّ فَلَم يَغبِ
She was free with you, bestowing upon you
The finest encomiums for the finest chosen one—
رَقَّت فَكانَت لَديهِ حرَّة فَأَتَت
بِكُلِّ مُنتَخَبٍ في مَدحِ مُنتَخبِ
Every refined concept, humanly attained,
And every expression, safe from barbarity.
مِن كُلِّ مَعنىً مِن الإنسيِّ مُجتَلَبٍ
وَكُلِّ لَفظ عَن الوَحشيِّ مُجتَنَبِ
She gave herself to you, including the train
Of the proudest one, brighter than Suhban to Jarir.
جَرَت إِلَيكَ وَجَرَّت ذَيل مُفتَخرٍ
أَبهى جَرير عَلى سحبانَ منسحبِ
Bless the most high in every generous deed!
Its cosmos revolves around your celestial pole.
لِلّهِ درّ العُلى في كُلِّ مكرمَةٍ
أَفلاكها مِنكَ قَد دارَت عَلى قُطبِ
Look—the age obeys your command!
See how excellent its obedience is.
فَأمر زَمانك وَاِنظُر حُسن طاعَتِهِ
وَاِزجره يَخضَع وَقُل يَسمَع وَسَل يُجبِ
Chastise it, make it bow low, say “It hears,” order “It answers.”
Surrender to the undying sun of glory—it never sets!
وَاِسلم وَدُم شَمسَ عِزٍّ لا مَغيبَ لَها
يا مَن مَتى تَلقه شَمسُ الضُحى تَغبِ
O heir to one the morning sun itself dims before.
