حسر اللثام عن المحيا الأزهر — Shehab Al Din Al Khalouf

حَسَرَ اللِّثَامَ عَنِ المُحَيَّا الأزْهَرِ

فَأبَانَ عَنْ فَلَقِ الصَّبَاحِ المُسْفِرِ

He drew the veil aside from his radiant face,

And revealed the break of brightening morning.

وَرَنَا بِأحورِ لَحظِه لَمَّا انْثَنَى

فَرَأيْتُ أبْيَضَ يُنْتَضَى مِنْ أسْمَرِ

And he gazed with his dark-eyed glance as he turned,

Then I saw a white blade unsheathed from a dusky spear.

وَاخْضَرَّ آسُ عذَارِ وَرْدَةِ خَدّهِ

فَحَمَاهُ سَالفُهُ بِعَقْرَبِ عَنْبَرِ

And the myrtle of down on his cheek's rose grew green;

His sidelock guarded it with a scorpion of ambergris.

وَرَوَى مُبَرَّدُ رِيقِ مَبْسَمِهِ لَنَا

عقدَ الجوَاهرِ عن صحَاحِ الجَوْهَرِي

And the Mubarrad of his smiling mouth's cool saliva recounted to us

A necklace of jewels, on the authority of al-Jawhari's Sihah.

قمرٌ أبَانَت وجْنَتَاهُ شَقَائِقاً

نُعْمَانُهَا بِالمَنْعِ أصْبَحَ مُنْذِرِي

A moon whose two cheeks revealed anemones,

Their Nu'man became my Mundhir, warning me away.

أصْلُ المِلاَحَةِ فِيهِ فَرْعٌ أسْحَمٌ

قَامَتْ أدلَّتُهُ بِفَرْقٍ نَيِّرِ

The root of beauty in him is a jet-black branch of hair;

Its proofs are established by a radiant parting.

يَهْتَز مِنْ مَرَحِ الشَّبَابِ قَوَامُهُ

كَالغصْنِ صُوفِحَ بالنسيمِ السَّحَرِي

His stature sways with youth's exuberance,

Like a branch clasped by the predawn breeze.

فِي أفْقِ وجنَتِهِ المُنيرة كوْكَبٌ

نَادى بِهَا العشاقَ يا للمُشْتَرِي

On the horizon of his radiant cheek is a star,

Calling the lovers there: 'O for a buyer!'

وَبِثغرِهِ شهدٌ يُنَادِي عَوْفُهُ

يَا أيُّهَا الحَلَوِي يَا ابْنَ السّكَّرِي

And at his lips is honey, whose 'Awf cries:

'O you Halawi! O son of al-Sukkari!'

مَا زِلْتُ أطْلبُ قُرْبَهُ حَتَّى دَنَا

والصد مِنْ شِيَمِ الظِّبَاءِ النُّفَّرِ

I kept seeking his nearness until he drew near,

Though shunning is the way of skittish gazelles.

فَحَلَلْتُ جَنَّةَ وَصْلِهِ فَأبَاحَنِي

رِضْوَانُ مبسمهِ شَرَابَ الكَوْثَرِ

Then I entered the paradise of union with him, and was granted

By the Ridwan of his smiling mouth a draught of Kawthar.

ورشفتُ رِيقتَهُ فَشَبَّ بِمُهْجَتِي

لَهَبُ الجَوَى من رَشْفِ ماءِ السكَّرِ

And I sipped his saliva, and within my heart blazed

The flame of longing, from sipping sugar-water.

حَيْثُ الصَّبَاحُ أبَانَ صَارمَ نُورِهِ

فَمَحَا بِهِ آيَ الظَّلاَمِ الأعْكَرِ

Where morning revealed the sharp sword of its light,

And with it erased the signs of murky darkness.

وَامْتَدَّ مِضْمَارُ الربَى لما انْبَرَتْ

تَجْرِي بِهَا خَيْلُ النسيم الاعطرِ

And the hills' racecourse stretched out when forth sprang

The steeds of the most fragrant breeze, racing over them.

وَشَدَتْ عَلَى العيدَانِ وَرْقَاءُ الحِمَى

بِلُحُونِ مَعْبَدَ من حصار العكبرِي

And the sanctuary's gray dove sang upon the boughs,

In Ma'bad's melodies, from Hisar al-'Ukbari.

وَافترَّ ثغرُ الأقحوَانةِ ضَاحِكاً

لَمَّا بَكَى جَفْنُ الغمَام المُمْطِرِ

And the daisy's mouth opened in a laughing smile,

When the rain-laden cloud's eyelid wept.

فَالغَيْمُ بَيْنَ تَقَشُّعٍ وَتَرَاكُمٍ

وَالشَّمْس بَيْنَ تَبَرج وَتَسَتُّرِ

The clouds now disperse, now gather;

And the sun, now unveiled, now veiled;

وَالروض بَيْنَ مُعَصْفَرٍ وَمُوَرَّدِ

والافق بَيْنَ مُمَسَّكٍ وَمُعَنْبَرِ

And the meadow, now safflower-dyed, now rose-tinted;

And the horizon, now musk-scented, now ambergris-scented;

وَالدوح بَيْنَ مُتْوَّجٍ وَمُشَنَّفٍ

وَالغصن بَيْنَ مُوَشَّحٍ وَمُؤَزَّرِ

And the great trees, now crowned, now adorned with earrings;

And the bough, now sashed, now girdled;

والنَّهْرُ بَيْنَ مُزَرَّدٍ وَمُدَرّعٍ

وَالزَّهْرُ بَيْنَ مُدَرْهَمٍ وَمُدَنَّرِ

And the river, now clad in chain mail, now in armor;

And the flowers, now silver dirhams, now gold dinars.

فِي رَوْضَةٍ لَوْلاَ شذا أنْوَارِهَا

قُلْنَا لآلٍ في بسَاط أخْضَر

In a garden where, but for its blossoms' fragrance,

We would have said: 'Pearls upon a green carpet.'

حصَباؤُهَا مِنْ جَوْهَرٍ ونَسِيمُهَا

مِنْ عَنْبَرٍ وميَاهُهَا من سُكَّرِ

Its pebbles are jewels, and its breeze

Is ambergris, and its waters sugar.

وَطُيورهَا مَدتْ أكُفَّ دُعَائِهَا

بِبقَا أبي عمرِو المليكِ الأكبَرِ

And its birds stretched out their palms in prayer

For the enduring life of Abu 'Amr, the greatest king,

مَوْلاي عثمَان الَّذِي إنْعَامُهُ

أزْرَى بِسيلِ الشَّاهق المُتَحَدّرِ

My lord 'Uthman, whose bounty

Puts to shame the torrent pouring from a lofty peak.

ملكٌ لَهُ هِمَمٌ تَرَفَّعَ قدرُهَا

عَنْ هِمَّةِ النعمانِ والإسكندرِ

A king whose aspirations have risen in rank

Above the ambition of al-Nu'man and Alexander.

مُسْتَظْهِرٌ بِظَهِيرَةٍ مِنْ فِكْرَةٍ

تُمْضِي الأمُورَ بِمُظْهَرٍ وَبِمُضْمَرِ

Strengthened by the support of thought

That carries affairs through, openly and in secret.

فَإذَا اسْتَنَارَ بِرَأيِهِ مُتَحَيِّرٌ

أهْدَاهُ لِلإرْشَادِ بَعْدَ تَحَيُّرِ

When a bewildered man seeks light in his judgment,

He leads him to right guidance after confusion.

فَهْمٌ أدّق مِنَ النَّسِيمِ وفظنةٌ

رَدَّتْ أقَاصِي الغَيْبِ رَدَّ المُبْصِرِ

An understanding finer than the breeze, and a discernment

That reports the remotest unseen as an eyewitness would.

مُسْتَكْثِرٌ فِي كُلّ يَوْمٍ سُؤْدَدا

وَمُشَارِفُ الإقْلاَلِ مَنْ لَمْ يُكْثِرِ

Daily he adds to his lordly glory;

And whoever adds nothing stands on the verge of poverty.

سفرَتْ لَنَا آثَارُ دَوْلَةِ مُلْكِهِ

عَنْ وَجْهِ بدرٍ بِالكمَال مُنَوَّرِ

The achievements of his sovereign reign unveiled to us

The face of a full moon, radiant in perfection.

ذُو هِمَّةٍ رُفِعَتْ بِإسْمٍ ظَاهِرٍ

نُصِبَتْ لَهَا العَلْيَا بِفِعْلٍ مُضْمَرِ

His is an ambition raised by an overt name;

For it, the heights are set by an implicit act.

غَيْثٌ نُرَجِّيهِ وَيُرْهَبُ بأسُهُ

وَلَرُبَّ غَيْثٍ بِالصّوَاعِقِ مُمْطِرِ

A rain-cloud we hope for, whose might is feared;

And many a rain-cloud rains down thunderbolts.

فَإذَا العَدُو طَغَى سَقَاهُ عَلْقَماً

وَإذَا الوَلِي دَعَا حَبَاهُ بِسُكَّرِ

When the enemy oversteps, he gives him colocynth to drink;

And when a friend appeals, he bestows sugar upon him.

يَا مَنْ يُقَصّرُ إذْ يَرومُ لَحَاقَهُ

هَلْ نِسْبَةُ الأعْرَاضِ مِثْل الجَوْهَرِ

O you who fall short when seeking to catch him,

Are accidents comparable in standing to substance?

مَنْ ذَا يُضَاهِي البَدْرَ حَالَ تَمَامِهِ

أوْ مَنْ يَقُولُ الذّئْبُ مِثْلُ القَسْوَرِ

Who can rival the moon when it is full,

Or who would call the wolf the lion's equal?

شَرُفَتْ مَعَانِيهِ فَلَيْس لِوَصْفِهَا

حد فَيُعْرِبَهُ لِسَانُ المُخْبِرِ

His qualities are exalted; their description admits

No bound that a narrator's tongue could express.

مِنْ معشرٍ كَرُمَتْ عشَائِرُهُمْ لِذَا

حَازُوا العُلا أكْرِمْ بِهِمْ مِنْ مَعْشَرِ

He is of a people whose clans are noble; therefore

They have won eminence—how noble a people they are!

كَرُمَتْ أصُولُ فَخَارِهِمْ شَرَفاً وَقَدْ

طَابَتْ فُرُوعُهُم لِطِيبِ العُنْصُرِ

The roots of their glory are noble in honor, and indeed

Their branches are good because their stock is good.

عَزَمَاتُهُمْ بِيضُ الصَوَارِمِ إنْ دَجَا

خَطْبٌ وَأيْدِيهِمْ غِمَارُ الأبْحُرِ

Their resolves are gleaming swords when darkness descends

In calamity; their hands are the depths of seas.

قَدْ صَحَّحُوا فِي الحربِ سُمْرَ رماحهم

فَإذَا انْبَرَتْ لِلْحَرْبِ لَمْ تَتَكَسَّرِ

In war they have made their brown spear-shafts sound,

So when they spring to battle they do not break.

الطَّاعِنِينَ النَّحْرَ وَهْوَ مُمَنَّعٌ

وَالضّارِبِينَ الهَامَ تَحْتَ العثْيَرِ

They pierce the throat though it is well defended,

And strike heads beneath the battle-dust.

وَالسَّائِسِينَ الملكَ لاَ آرَاؤُهُمْ

تُخْطِي وَلاَ مَيْسُورُهُمْ بِمُعَسَّرِ

And govern the kingdom: their counsels never

Err, nor is their bounty difficult to obtain.

لَوْ لَمْ يَخَافُوا تِيهَ سَارٍ نَحْوَهُمْ

وَهَبُوا النُّجُومَ مَعَ الصبَاحِ النَّيِّرِ

Had they not feared a night-traveler seeking them would stray,

They would have given away the stars and radiant morning.

فَبِأيّ جُودٍ لَمْ تَفِضْ أيْديِهم

أمْ أي جَبَّارٍ بِهِمْ لَمْ يُقْهَرِ

With what generosity have their hands not overflowed?

Or what tyrant has not been subdued by them?

حُزْتُمْ بَنِي الفَارُوقِ فِي عليائكم

شِيَماً كَرُمْنَ وَأنْعُماً لَمْ تُكْفَرِ

You, sons of al-Faruq, have won in your eminence

Noble virtues and favors never met with ingratitude.

فَلْيَهْنَكُمْ فِي الدَّهْرِ أن جيَادكم

سَبَقَتْ إلَى أمَدِ العُلَى وَالمَفْخَرِ

May it bring you lasting joy that your steeds

Have raced ahead to the goal of eminence and glory.

وَلْيَكْفِكُمْ مَجْداً بأن لِبَيْتِكُمْ

شَرَفاً يَفُوقُ سنَاه نُورَ النَّيِّرِ

And let this suffice you for glory: your house possesses

An honor whose brilliance surpasses the radiant sun.

يَا بْنَ المُلُوكِ الشَّائِدِينَ حِمَى الهُدَى

بذَوَابِلٍ سُمْرٍ وَبِيضٍ بُتَّرِ

O son of kings who built up the sanctuary of guidance

With slender brown lances and white, keen-cutting blades,

قَدْ أعْطِيتْ تَرْشِيشُ مِنْكَ نهايةَ ال

لحظّ المقَوَّمِ وَالنصيب الأوْفَرِ

Tarshish has been granted by you the utmost

Of well-directed regard, and the fullest share.

وَأعَدْتَ فِينَا سيرَةً عُمَرِيَّةً

أضْحَتْ تَتِيهُ عَلَى جَمِيعِ الأعصُرِ

And you restored among us an 'Umar-like way of rule

That now proudly surpasses every age.

عَلِقَ الرَّجَا بِحِبَالِ جُودِكَ إذ غدا

كَهْفَ المُقِلَ وَعُدَّةَ المُتَحَيِّرِ

Hope clung to the ropes of your generosity when it became

The poor man's refuge and the bewildered man's resource.

مَا بَعْدَ دِيمَتِكَ الرَّوِيَّةِ دِيمَةٌ

بَشْكُو لَهَا ظَمَأ لِسَانُ المُقْتِرِ

Beyond your thirst-quenching steady rain there is no rain

To which the needy man's tongue might complain of thirst.

لِلَّهِ كَمْ لَكَ مِنْ يَدٍ مَأثُورَةٍ

عِنْدِي وَكَم لَكَ مِنْ نَدىً مُسْتَغْزَرِ

By God, how many renowned favors you have bestowed

On me, and how copious the bounty sought from you!

فأسلمْ أمِيرَ المُؤْمِنِينَ مُسَرْبَلاً

سربَالَ مَنْصُورِ اليَدَيْنِ مُظَفَّرِ

So remain safe, Commander of the Faithful, clothed

In the robe of one whose two hands are victorious, triumphant.