لو أفادتنا العزائم حالا — Safi Al Din Al Hilli

لَو أَفادَتنا العَزائِمُ حالا

لَم نَجِد حُسنَ العَزاءِ مَحالا

If firm resolve could improve our state,

We would not find gracious consolation impossible.

كَيفَ يولي العَزمُ صَبراً جَميلاً

حينَ وارى التُربُ ذاكَ الجَمالا

How can resolve bestow beautiful patience

When earth has buried that beauty?

ما ظَنَنّا أَنَّ ريحَ المَنايا

تَنسِفُ الطودَ وَتُردي الجِبالا

We never thought the wind of death

Would scatter the mighty peak and topple mountains.

جارَ صَرفُ الدَهرِ فينا بِعَدلٍ

لَم نَجِد لِلقَولِ فيهِ مُؤالا

Time's vicissitudes wronged us by taking a just man;

We found no refuge in words concerning it.

أَفَما تَنفَكُّ أَيدي المَنايا

تَسلُبُ المالَ وَتُفني الرِجالا

Will the hands of death, then, never cease

To plunder wealth and destroy men?

فَإِذا أَبدى لَها المَرءُ سِلماً

جَرَّدَت عَضباً وَراشَت نِبالا

Whenever a man offers death peace,

It unsheathes a sharp sword and fletches arrows.

كُلَّما رُمنا نُمُوّ هِلالٍ

غَيَّبَت بَدراً أَصابَ الكَمالا

Whenever we seek a crescent's growth,

It hides a full moon that has reached perfection.

فَإِذا ما قُلتُ قَد زالَ حُزنٌ

أَبدَلَت أَحداثُها اللامَ دالا

And whenever I say, 'A sorrow has passed,'

Its calamities change lām to dāl: 'passed' becomes 'increased.'

كَيفَ دَكَّت طودَ حِلمٍ نَداهُ

سَبَقَ الوَعدَ وَأَفنى السُؤالا

How could it crush a mountain of forbearance, whose bounty

Preceded promises and left no need to ask?

كَيفَ كَفَّ الدَهرُ كَفّاً كَريماً

لِيَمينِ الدَهرِ كانَت شِمالا

How did time restrain a generous hand

That had been the left hand to time's right?

ثَمِلٌ مِن نَشوَةِ الجودِ أَضحى

لِليَتامى وَالأَيامى ثِمالا

Drunk with the rapture of generosity, he became

A refuge for orphans and widows.

نِعَمٌ لِسائِليهِ جَوابٌ

لَم يَصِل يَوماً إِلى لَن وَلا لا

Favors were his answer to his petitioners,

Never once reaching 'never' or 'no.'

دَوحَةٌ مِن عِرقِ آلِ وِشاحٍ

قَد دَنَت لِلطالِبينَ مَنالا

A great tree from the stock of the house of Wishah,

Its bounty lay within the seekers' reach.

قَد رَسَت أَصلاً وَطابَت ثِماراً

وَزَكَت فَرعاً وَمَدَّت ظِلالا

It stood firm at the root and bore sweet fruit,

Its branches flourished, and it spread its shade.

أَزعَجَ النادي بِنَجواهُ ناعٍ

كَم نُفوسٍ في دُموعٍ أَسالا

A death-crier startled the gathering with his whisper;

How many souls he poured forth in tears!

فَسَمِعنا مِنهُ نَدباً لِنَدبٍ

أَبعَدَ الصَبرَ وَأَدنى الخَيالا

Then we heard his lament for a noble man,

Driving patience away and drawing his image near.

باتَ يُهدِ لِلقُلوبِ اِشتِغالا

وَلِنيرانِ الهُمومِ اِشتِعالا

All night he brought preoccupation to hearts,

And kindling to the fires of sorrow.

قَد مَرَرنا في مَغانيهِ رَكباً

وَغَوادي الدَمعِ تَجري اِنهِمالا

We passed through his dwellings as a company of riders,

While morning showers of tears streamed in torrents.

وَسَأَلنا النارَ عَنهُ فَقالَت

كانَ تاجُ الدينِ رُكناً فَزالا

We asked the fire about him, and it said:

'Taj al-Din was a pillar, and is gone.'

كانَ وَبلاً لِلعُفاةِ هَتوناً

وَلِأَحزابِ العُداةِ وَبالا

He was a downpour, falling steadily for petitioners,

And ruin for the factions of his foes.

كانَ تاجُ الدينِ لِلدَهرِ تاجاً

زادَ هامُ الدَهرِ مِنهُ جَمالا

Taj al-Din was a crown upon time;

Through him, time's head gained beauty.

كانَ زِلزالاً لِباغٍ عَصاهُ

وَلِباغِ الرِفدِ مِنهُ زُلالا

He was an earthquake to a rebel who defied him,

And limpid water to whoever sought his bounty.

كانَ لِلأَعداءِ ذُلّاً وَبُؤساً

وَلِراجِ الجودِ عِزّاً وَمالا

He was humiliation and misery to enemies,

And honor and wealth to those who hoped for generosity.

كانَ لِلناسِ جَميعاً كَفيلاً

فَكَأَنَّ الخَلقَ كانوا عِيالا

He was a guardian to all people,

As though all creation were his dependents.

راعَ أَحزابَ العِدى بِيَراعٍ

طالَما أَنشى السَحابَ الثِقالا

He terrified the hosts of his foes with a reed pen

That so often brought forth heavy-laden clouds.

ناحِلِ الجِسمِ قَصيرٍ دَقيقٍ

دَقَّ في الحَربِ الرِماحَ الطِوالا

Slender in body, short and fine,

It shattered long spears in war.

يَجعَلُ النَومَ عَلَيهِم حَراماً

كُلَّما أَبرَزَ سِحراً حَلالا

It makes sleep unlawful for them

Whenever it brings forth lawful magic.

فَإِذاما خَطَّ أَسوَدَ نَقشٍ

خِلتَهُ في وَجنَةِ الدَهرِ خالا

Whenever it traced a black inscription,

You would take it for a mole on time's cheek.

يا كَريماً طابَ أَصلاً وَفَرعاً

وَسَما أُمّاً وَعَمّاً وَخالا

O generous man, noble in root and branch,

And exalted in mother, paternal uncle, and maternal uncle;

وَخَليلاً مُذ شَرِبتُ وَفاهُ

لَم أَرِد نَبعاً بِهِ أَو خِلالا

And friend—since I drank his loyalty,

With him I sought no other spring or fellowship.

وَإِذا ما فُهتُ بِاِسمِ أَبيهِ

كانَ لِلميثاقِ وِالعَهدِ فالا

And whenever I uttered his father's name,

It augured well for covenant and pledge.

إِن أَسَأنا لَم يَرُعنا بِلَومٍ

وَإِذا لُمناهُ أَبدى اِحتِمالا

If we did wrong, he never frightened us with blame;

And when we blamed him, he showed forbearance.

كانَ عَصرُ الأُنسِ مِنكَ رُقاداً

وَلَذيذُ العَيشِ فيهِ خَيالا

The season of companionship with you was a slumber,

And life's sweetness in it a dream.

مَن لَدَستِ الحُكمِ بَعدَكَ قاضٍ

لَم يَمِل يَوماً إِذا الدَهرُ مالا

Who, after you, will be a judge upon judgment's seat,

Never once swerving when time swerves?

مَن لِإِصلاحِ الرَعايا إِذا ما

أَفسَدَت مِنها يَدُ الدَهرِ حالا

Who will set the subjects' affairs right when

The hand of time has spoiled their condition?

مَن لِإِطفاءِ الحُروبِ إِذا ما

صارَ آلُ المَرءِ بِالكَرِّ آلا

Who will quench the wars when

A man's household becomes a mirage under the charge?

وَإِذا صارَ الجِدالُ جِلاداً

أَخمَدَ الحَربَ وَأَفنى الجِدالا

And when argument became combat,

He quenched the war and put an end to argument.

رُبَّ يَومٍ مَعرَكُ الحَربِ فيهِ

حَطَّمَ السَمرَ وَفَلَّ النِصالا

Many a day, the clash of war

Shattered tawny spears and blunted blades.

ذَكَرَ الأَحقادَ فيهِ رِجالٌ

حَبَّبَ الطَعنُ إِلَيها النِزالا

Men recalled their grudges there,

Men to whom spear-thrusts had made combat dear,

في مَكَرٍّ واسِعِ الهَولِ ضَنكٍ

لا يُطيقُ الطِرفُ فيهِ مَجالا

On a charging-ground, vast in terror yet constricted,

Where the steed could find no room to wheel.

أَلبَسَ الجَوَّ العَجاجُ لِثاماً

وَكَسا الخَيلَ الغُبارُ جِلالا

Swirling dust clothed the air in a veil,

And dust clothed the horses in caparisons.

شِمتُ في إِصلاحِهِم غَضبَ عَزمٍ

زادَهُ حَزمُ الأُمورِ صِقالا

I glimpsed in their reconciliation a wrathful resolve,

Further burnished by prudence in affairs.

بِكَ كَفَّ اللَهُ كَفَّ الرَزايا

وَكَفى اللَهُ الأَنامَ القِتالا

Through you, God stayed the hand of calamities,

And God spared mankind the fighting.

فَلَئِن وارَتكَ أَرضٌ فَها قَد

سارَ مِنكَ الذِكرُ فيها وَجالا

And though earth has hidden you, behold:

Your renown has traveled through it, ranging far and wide.

لَم يَمُت مَن طابَ ذِكراً وَأَبقى

بَعدَهُ شِبهاً لَهُ أَو مِثالا

He has not died whose remembrance is sweet, who leaves

Behind him a likeness or an image of himself.

أَسَدٌ خَلَّفَ شِبلَي عَرينٍ

شَيَّدا مَجداً لَهُ لَن يُنالا

A lion who left two cubs of his den:

They raised for him a glory none can attain.

ظَلَّ زَينُ الدينِ لِلدَهرِ زَيناً

وَجَمالُ الدينِ فيهِ جَمالا

Zayn al-Din has remained time's adornment,

And Jamal al-Din its beauty.

فَأَرانا اللَهُ أَقصى الأَماني

فيهِما إِن جارَ دَهرٌ وَمالا

May God show us the utmost of our hopes

In them both, if time should wrong us and swerve.

وَحَباكَ اللَهُ في الخُلدِ رَوحاً

وَنَعيماً خالِداً لَن يُزالا

And may God grant you repose in everlasting life,

And eternal bliss that will never be taken away.