أبخير عيد أم بخير إمام — Shair Al Hamra

أبِخَيرِ عيدٍ أم بِخيرِ إِمامِ

نَزهو بهذا اليومِ في الأيامِ

Is it through a festival's blessing, or an imam's blessing,

that we glory in this day among all days?

نزهو مدى أيامنا بإمامنا

وبعيدهِ في العامِ بعدَ العامِ

Throughout our days we glory in our imam,

and in his festival, year after year.

هو عيدُه أم عيدُنا في نِسبَةٍ

فالموردُ عذبٌ كثيرُ زِحامِ

Is it reckoned his festival, or ours?

For the watering place is sweet and thronged.

إن قلتَ فيه عيدُنا فَسُرورُهُ

بِسُرورِنا فيه عَظيمٌ نامِ

If you call it our festival, then his joy

in our joy on it is great and growing.

إن قلتَ فيه عيدُه فسرورُنا

بِسُرورهِ فيه أجَلُّ مَرامِ

If you call it his festival, then our joy

in his joy on it is the loftiest aim.

مَلِكٌ له من وجهِ عيدِه طَلعَة

ولِعيدِه منه المَقامُ السَّامي

A king whose festival lends him a radiant countenance,

while his festival gains its lofty station from him.

مَلِكٌ تَبَوَّأ مِن قُلوبِ رَعِيَّةٍ

عَرشاً من الإِجلالِ والإعظامِ

A king who has occupied, within his subjects' hearts,

a throne of reverence and veneration.

أوَ لَيسَ هذا اليومُ ضَنَّ بِمَنحِهِ

تاريخُ أجدادٍ لَدَيهِ عِظامِ

And was this not the day whose bestowal was withheld

by the history of forefathers held great in its eyes?

آلى بأنَّهُ لا يُقلِّدُهُ سوى

كُفءٍ له بِجَدارةٍ كَوِسامِ

It swore it would confer it on none but

one worthy to bear it as a well-earned medal.

حتى رآه فلم يَعُد عُذرٌ لَهُ

إنا له إيَّاهُ دُونَ كلامِ

Until it saw him and had no excuse left;

it granted it to him without a word [apparent reading of unclear text].

له في القُلوبِ ذِمامُ عَهدٍ صادِقٍ

وهىَ القُلوب قيادُها بِذمامِ

In hearts he holds the bond of a true covenant,

and hearts are led by binding pledges.

مَلِكٌ أبانَ إلى الرَّعيةِ سُبلَها

وَمَشَى بِيُمناهُ بهم لأمامِ

A king who showed his subjects their paths,

and led them forward with his right hand.

فبِعَهدِه تلكَ المعاهدُ أشرَقَت

فأَضاءَ نورُ الأُفقِ بعدَ ظَلامِ

So under his reign those institutions shone,

and the horizon's light shone after darkness.

مَلِكٌ تَسربلَ بالفَضيلةِ وارتَدى

وعلى الفَضيلة شَبَّ منذ فِطامِ

A king who clothed and robed himself in virtue,

and grew up in virtue from the time of weaning.

فَلِعيدِه في كُلِّ عامٍ جِدَّةٍ

بل جِدَّةٌ بوُجودِه لِلعامِ

His festival thus has freshness every year;

indeed, his presence gives freshness to the year.

عيدُ تَهلّل فيه بعدَ قُطوبِهِ

وجهُ السَّما وافتَرَّ ثَغرُ غَمامِ

A festival in which, after its frown, there beamed

the face of heaven, and the clouds' mouth smiled.

عيدٌ وما التاريخُ جاء بِمِثلِه

عيداً كواسطَةٍ لِعِقدِ نِظامِ

A festival whose like history has never brought forth,

a festival like the central jewel of a well-strung necklace.

ذا عيدُ تَحريرٍ قُبَيلَه مِثلُ ما

ياتي بُعَيدَه عيدُ مِسكِ خِتامِ

Here is a festival of liberation shortly before it, just as

shortly after it comes a festival—a closing touch of musk.

فَتَرى لِسانَ الكُلِّ فيه مُرَدِّداً

هَبَّت على الدنيا رياحُ سلامِ

You see every tongue on it repeating:

Winds of peace have blown across the world.

في ذِمَّةِ التاريخِ ما ذاقَ الوَرى

في بحرِ تلكَ الخَمسةِ الأَعوامِ

In history's keeping lies what humankind tasted

in the sea of those five years.

فالخَلقُ بين مُضَرَّجٍ بِدِمائِهِ

مُتبعثرِ الأشلاءِ فوقَ رَغامِ

People were divided: one drenched in his own blood,

his limbs scattered over the dust;

أو أبتَرٍ قد بانَ عنه بَعضُه

فَغَدا بِلا أيدٍ ولا أقدامِ

or one maimed, with part of him severed,

left without hands or feet;

أو نائحٍ يَبكي أَخَاهُ أوِ ابنَهُ

من مُنتَمٍ لِقَرابَةِ الأَرحامِ

or a mourner weeping for his brother or his son,

someone bound to him by ties of blood;

وعلى فراشِ سَقامِه مُتَمَلمِلاً

بِجُروحِه يشكو منَ الآلامِ

and one tossing restlessly upon his sickbed,

complaining of the pain of his wounds;

في الأسرِ مفقودٌ عَن أهلٍ نازحٌ

وبِفَقدِهِ فَقَدو لذيذ مَنامِ

a captive missing, far from his family,

and in losing him they lost sweet sleep.

زَمنٌ كريهٌ لم نُشاهِد مِثلَهُ

في سالِفِ الأحقابِ والأَعوامِ

A hateful time, the like of which we never witnessed

in ages and years gone by.

لكنَّ مغرَبنا أَخَفُّ تَضَرُّراً

من غيرِه في العالمِ الإسلامي

Yet our Morocco suffered less harm

than others in the Islamic world,

بِوُجودِ مولانا المُسَدَّدِ رَأيُهُ

والمُلهَمُ التوفيقَ طولَ دَوامِ

thanks to the presence of our lord, rightly guided in judgment,

and inspired with success for all his days.

أللهُ أعطاهُ نَفَاذَ بصيرَةٍ

وسدادَ رأيٍ في بديعِ نِظامِ

God gave him penetrating insight

and sound judgment in wondrous harmony,

وأَمَدَّهُ بِلُيونَةٍ في طَبعهِ

وصرامَةٍ في النقضِ والإبرامِ

and endowed him with gentleness of nature

and firmness in revoking and confirming.

فَمَضَاءُ عَزمِهِ في لُيونَةِ خُلقهِِ

كَرُواءِ إِفرندٍ وحِدِّ حُسامِ

The keenness of his resolve within his gentle character

is like the sheen of watered steel and a keen sword's edge.

مازالَ يًبذُلُ جُهدَه بِكياسَةٍ

وسياسةٍ جَلَّت عنِ الأفهامِ

He kept exerting himself with shrewdness

and statesmanship beyond understanding,

حتى تَوفَّقَ والتوفُّقُ شَأنُه

لتآلُفٍ وتحالُفٍ ووئامِ

until he succeeded—and success is his way—

in bringing fellowship, alliance, and concord.

بين التخَالُفِ والتحالُفِ هَضبَةٌ

لاَ يَمتطيها غيرُ ذِي الإلهَامِ

Between discord and alliance stands a hill

that none but one inspired can mount.

فأتى لِشَعبِه بالهناءِ مُذَلَّلا

بعدَ الجُموعِ يَقودُه بِزمامِ

So he brought his people happiness, tamed,

after the throngs, leading it by a rein,

وخَطابِه نحو النَّجاةِ مِنَ الرَّدى

وبِساحلٍ منها رَسَا بِسَلامِ

and by his address, toward deliverance from destruction;

and on its shore he anchored safely.

اللهُ يَجزيهِ بمَا هو أهلُهُ

من فائِقِ الإِحسانِ والإنعامِ

May God reward him with what he deserves

of surpassing kindness and bounty,

ويًريهِ في أقمارِه كلَّ المُنى

وهلِ الهُمامِ سِوى سليلِ هُمامِ

and show him in his moons all he desires.

And is a noble hero anything but a noble hero's scion?

ويُديمُني في كلِّ عامٍ مُنشِداً

أبِخَيرِ عيدٍ أم بخيرِ إمامِ

And may He keep me, every year, reciting:

Is it through a festival's blessing, or an imam's blessing?