لك الله من عان بشكر منمم — Shakib Arslan

لَكَ اللَهُ مِن عانٍ بِشُكرٍ مُنَمَمٍ

لِتَقديرٍ حَقَّ مَن عَلاكَ مَحتَمِ

God bless you—a man devoted to finely fashioned thanks

for acknowledging a right made binding by your lofty worth,

وَشَهمٍ أَبِيِّ النَفسِ أَضحى يَرى يَداً

تَذَكَّرَ فَضلٌ أَو جَميلٌ لِمُنعَمِ

and a proud-spirited nobleman who counts as a favor

the recollection of a benefactor's merit or kindness.

رَأى كَرَماً مِنّي تَذَكَّرَ قَولَهُ

فَدَلَّ عَلى أَعلى خَلالاً وَأَكرَمِ

He deemed my recalling his verse an act of generosity,

thereby revealing the loftiest and noblest character.

وَلَو كانَ يَدري فاضل قَدر نَفسِهِ

رأى ذِكرهُ فَرضاً عَلى كُلِّ مُسلِمِ

And if a man of merit knew his own worth,

he would deem his praise a duty for every Muslim.

أَيَعجَبُ مَن تَنويهِ مِثلي بِمِثلِهِ

لَعَمري الَّذي قَد شَقَّ في شِعرِهِ فَمي

Does he marvel that one like me should extol one like him?

By my life, it was he who opened my mouth through his poetry.

وَمَهما يَكُن مِن أَعجَمِ فَبِفَضلِهِ

يَرى ثَقَفِيّاً في الوَرى كُلَّ أَعجَمِ

And however inarticulate a man may be, through his excellence,

every tongue-tied man appears a Thaqafi among humankind.

إِذا مَطَرَ الغَيثُ الرِياضَ بِوابِلٍ

فَأَيُّ يَدٍ لِلطائِرِ المُتَرَنِّمِ

When rain showers the gardens with a downpour,

then what credit belongs to the warbling bird?

إِذا ما تَصَبَّت بِالعَميدِ صَباحَةً

بِوَجهٍ فَما فَضلُ العَميدِ المُتَيَّمِ

When beauty plays the coquette with a lovesick man

through a face, what credit has that man, enslaved by love?

وَهَل يُنكِرُ الإِحسانَ إِلّا لِئامَةً

وَيُنكِرُ حُسناً غَيرَ مِن طَرفِهِ عَمي

And who denies kindness except out of baseness,

or denies beauty unless his eyes are blind?

وَهَل في شُهودِ الشَمسِ أَدنى مُزيَةٍ

وَقَد جاءَ ضوءُ الشَمسِلَم يَتَكَتَّمِ

And is there the least distinction in beholding the sun,

when its light has appeared without concealment?

رُوَيدَكَ لا تُكثِرُ لِدَهرِكَ تُهمَةً

وَلا تَيأسَن مِن أَهلِهِ بِالتَوَهُّمِ

Gently now: do not heap accusations upon your age,

nor despair of its people on mere suspicion.

فَما زالَ مَن يَدري الجَميلَ وَلَم يَكُن

لِتَأخُذَهُ في الحَقِّ لَومَةَ لُوَّمِ

For there are still those who recognize kindness and would not

be deterred in truth by the blame of faultfinders.

وَأَنتَ الَّذي لَو أَنصَفَ الدَهرَ لَم يَكُن

لِغَيرِكَ في العَلياءِ صَدرَ التَقَدُّمِ

And you—were time just, there would be

no one but you in the foremost seat of eminence.

جَمَعتَ العُلى مِن تِلدِها وَطَريفِها

فَجاءَت كَعُقدٍ في ثَناكَ مُنَظَّمِ

You gathered glory, both inherited and newly won,

so it became a well-strung necklace in your praise.

غَدَت خَطَّتي إِمّا يَراعٍ وَمِخذَمِ

وَإِنَّكَ تَطِبُ في يَراعٍ وَمَخذَمِ

My course has become a choice between reed pen and keen-edged sword,

and you are skilled with reed pen and keen-edged sword.

وَلَم أَرَ كَفّاً مِثلَ كَفِّكَ أَحسَنتَ

إِلى المَجدِ إِرعافُ المَدادِ مَعَ الدَمِ

I have seen no hand like yours that has served

glory so well, making ink flow alongside blood.

جَمَعَتهُما جَمعَ القَديرِ بِكَفِّهِ

إِلى مُحتَدٍ سامَ إِلى المَجدِ يَنتَمي

You united them both with a master's hand,

alongside a lofty lineage that traces its descent to glory.

وَلَو كانَ يُرقى المَرءَ ما يَستَحِقُّهُ

إِذاً لَبَلَغت النيراتِ بِسَلمِ

And if a man's deserts could raise him,

then you would surely have reached the shining stars by a ladder.

وَأَنتَ الَّذي يا اِبنَ الكِرامِ أَعدَتها

لَأَفصَحَ مِن عَهدِ النَواسي وَمَسلَمِ

And you, son of noble men, have restored it

to greater eloquence than in the age of al-Nuwasi and Muslim.

وَأَنشَرَت مَيتَ الشِعرِ بَعدَ مَصيرِهِ

لِأَعظَمَ نَثراً مِن رُفاتٍ وَأَعظَمِ

And you revived dead poetry after it had come

to lie more scattered than crumbled remains and bones.

وَأشهَدَ ما في الناسِ مِن مُتَأَخِّرٍ

يُدانيكَ فيهِ لا وَلا مُتَقَدِّمِ

And I bear witness: no one among the later generations

approaches you in it—no, nor anyone of earlier times.

وَلَو شُعَراءِ الدَهرِ تَعَرَّضَ جُملَةً

بِمُنجِدِهِم مِن كُلِّ حَيٍّ وَمُتَّهَمِ

And were all the poets of all time to present themselves together,

from every tribe, whether dwelling in Najd or Tihama,

لَأَبصَرتَ شَخصُ البُحتِرِيِّ مِنكَ بُحتُرا

وَخَلقُ أَبي تَمّامٍ غَيرَ مُتَمِّمِ

you would see al-Buhturi's figure dwarfed beside yours,

and Abu Tammam's form incomplete.

لَكَ الآبِداتُ الآنِساتُ الَّتي نَأَت

وَأَنسَت عُكاظَ الشِعرِ بَل كُلُّ مَوسِمِ

Yours are the deathless, delightful verses that have traveled afar,

and made poetry's 'Ukaz forgotten—indeed, every festival.

لَكُم أَسَهَرتَ جَفنَ الرُواةِ وَخالَفتَ

حُظوظَكَ مِنها شُرَّدٌ غَيرَ نُوَّمِ

How often you have kept the reciters' eyelids awake, while

your far-roaming, sleepless verses ran counter to your fortunes.

شَغَفتَ بِها طِفلاً فَأَروى بَديعاً

وَلَم أَروِ مِن وَجدي بِها نارُ مُضرِمِ

With them you enthralled me as a child; so I recite wonders,

yet I have not quenched the kindled fire of my passion for them.

وَلا عَجَبَ أَنّي أَحِنُّ صَبابَةً

فَيَسري الهَوى بِالقَولِ لِلمُتَكَلِّمِ

And no wonder that I yearn with passionate longing,

for love travels through words to their speaker.

أَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ فيكَ وَجدٌ كَأَنَّهُ

طَوى جانِحاً مِنّي عَلى نارِ مَيسِمِ

Is there each day such longing for you, as though it

folded a rib of mine over a branding iron's fire?

أُحَمِّلُ ريحَ الهِندِ كُلَّ تَحِيَّةٍ

فَكَم مِن صَباً مِنها عَلَيها مُسَلَّمِ

I charge the wind of India with every greeting,

for many an east wind from there has greetings bestowed upon it.

وَقَد طالَما حَدَثَت نَفسي وَعاقَني

تَرَدُّدُها ما بَينَ أَقدِم وَأَحجِمِ

And often I have spoken to my soul, but was held back

by its wavering between 'Advance!' and 'Hold back!'

حَلَفتُ بِما بَينَ الحَطيمِ وَزَمزَمِ

وَبِالرَوضِ الزَهرا أَلِيَّةَ مُقسِمِ

I swore by what lies between al-Hatim and Zamzam,

and by the radiant garden, with a swearer's oath:

لِأَلفَيتُ عِندي دَوسُ مُشتَجَرِ القَنا

وَخَوضى في حَوضٍ مِنَ الطَعنِ مُفعَمش

I have indeed found that treading through tangled spears

and my plunging into a pool brimming with spear-thrusts

أَقَلَّ بِقَلبي في المَواقِفِ هَيبَةً

وَأَهوَنَ مِن ذاكَ المَقامُ المُعَظَّمِ

are less fearsome to my heart in battle,

and easier than that exalted presence.

وَهَب أَنَّني بازٍ قَد اِنقَضَّ أَشهُبٌ

فَهَل يَطَمعُ البازي بِلُقيانِ ضَيغَمِ

And grant that I am a gray falcon that has swooped down:

would a falcon aspire to encounter a lion?

وَلَكِنَّ لي مِن عَفوِ مَولايَ ساتِراً

فَهاءَنَذا مِنهُ بِهِ بِتُّ أَحتَمي

Yet in my lord's indulgence I have a covering,

so here I am, passing the night sheltered in him from him.

أَمَحمودُ سامي إِن يَكُ الدَهرُ خائِناً

وَطالَ عَلَيكَ الزَجرَ طائِرَ أَشأَمِ

O Mahmoud Sami, if time be treacherous,

and an ill-omened bird's augury has long weighed upon you,

فَما زالَتِ الأَيّامُ بُؤساً وَأَنعُما

وَحَظُّ الشَقا بِالمَكثِ حَظُّ التَنَعُّمِ

for the days have ever brought both hardship and blessings,

and misery's allotted stay is the same as pleasure's.

وَلَولا الصَدى ما طابَ وَردٌ وَلا حَلا

لَكَ الشَهدُ إِلّا مِن مَرارَةِ عَلقَمِ

And were it not for thirst, no drink would delight, nor would

honey taste sweet to you but for colocynth's bitterness.

عَسى تُعتِبُ الأَقدارَ وَالهَمُّ يَنجَلي

وَيَنصاحُ صُبحُ السَعدِ في ذَيلِ مُظلِمِ

May the fates make amends, and sorrow clear away,

and good fortune's dawn break at a dark night's trailing hem,

وَأُهديكَ في ذاكَ المَقامُ تَهانِئاً

حَبيرَةَ مَسدٍ في ثَناكَ وَمَلحَمِ

and may I offer you, on that occasion, congratulations:

a brocade with warp and weft woven in your praise.