بالسعد لاح المشترى — Salah Magdy — Saqi

بِالسَعد لاحَ المُشترى
بِالعُرب أَفضَل معشر
Jupiter shone auspiciously
among the Arabs, the finest people.
وَعَساكر المَريخ قَد
فَتَكَت بِباغٍ مُفتَري
And the armies of Mars indeed
struck down a slanderous aggressor.
وَالشَمس في الحَمل اِزدَهَت
تيهاً بِأَبهَج مَنظَر
And the sun in Aries grew resplendent,
proud in the loveliest guise.
وَالزَهرة الحَسنا بِها
قَد هامَ كُلُّ غَضنَفر
And fair Venus—with her
every lion fell in love.
وَعَطارد بَثَّ الفنو
ن بِمصر فاحمد واشكر
And Mercury spread the arts
in Egypt—so praise and give thanks.
وَالبَدر في كَبد السَما
باهَى بِوَجه أَنور
And the full moon, in the heart of the sky,
boasted of a more radiant face.
وَطَوالع الأَعداء في
زحل بعصر أَزهَر
And the enemies' ascendants lay in
Saturn, in a radiant age.
وَالحَق حصحص وَالمحق
قُ حظِي بحظ أَوفر
And truth became manifest, and the verifier
was favored with a greater share.
وَالدَهر مِن سكرٍ صَحا
وَأَناب بَعدَ تَفكر
And Time sobered from drunkenness
and repented after reflection,
حَيث اِهتَدى مِن غَيِّه
وَقَد اِنتَهى عَن مُنكر
as it found its way out of its error
and ceased from wrongdoing;
وَصَفا بِمصر لِمَن غَدا
إِقليد تِلكَ الأَعصر
and in Egypt it grew serene for him who became
the key to those ages:
تاج الإِمارة مَظهر
بَحر العُلوم الأَكبر
the crown of command, Mazhar,
the greatest ocean of knowledge.
كَم بِالمَعارف قَد رَوى
حَزْناً بِحُسن تَصوّر
How often, with learning, he watered
rugged ground through sound design!
كَم بِالسُهول لَه يَد
جادَت بِرَوض مزهر
How often, on the plains, his hand
bestowed a flowering garden!
كَم لِلقَناطر حكمة
في النيل خَير الأَنهر
How much wisdom lies in the barrages
on the Nile, the finest of rivers!
وَهُوَ الَّذي قَد شاَد مُع
ظمَها بكل تبصر
And he is the one who built most
of them with full discernment.
فَكَأَنَّما أَبراجها
كَقصور نَهر الكوثر
So it is as though their towers
were palaces by the river al-Kawthar.
وَلَكَم لِهَذا الشَهم مِن
رَأي سَديد حَيدري
And how much this gallant man has
of sound, Haydar-like counsel!
وَلَقد عَلا بِمَناقب
لَم تَنحصر في دَفتر
And indeed he rose through merits
that no book could encompass.
بُشرى لمرتبة اللوا
شرفت بِهَذا القسور
Glad tidings to the rank of major general:
it was honored by this lion.
وَالآن أَلسنةُ النهى
قَد أَفصحت عَن مضمر
And now the tongues of reason
have disclosed what lay concealed,
وَترنمت في مَدحه
بِصحاح درّ الجَوهر
and sung his praise
with flawless pearls, precious jewels.
وَأَتَت بِكُل فَريدة
تُزري بِنظم البحتري
And they brought forth every matchless pearl
that puts al-Buhturi's verse to shame.
وَزَها وَقالَ مؤرّخاً
لُب اللواء لمظهر
And he exulted and said, composing a chronogram:
"The essence of major-generalship belongs to Mazhar."