بركبك تعتز القرى والمدائن — أحمد الكاشف

Villages and cities take pride in your cavalcade,

And hopes and blessings race ahead along the roads.

A spring whom springtime welcomed with blessings,

Accompanying him joyfully and keeping him company.

You traveled, awaited in hope, and shone forth bestowing favors;

Your banner flutters, and your days are tranquil.

Displays of devotion, proofs of obedience,

You witness them unveiled and see them firsthand.

And the sons of the two Niles have no sovereign but you,

And the protected domain of the two lands has no guardian but you.

And no one can override a decree you enact,

And no tempter can sway an obedient man whom you enrich.

You grew angry with one who lorded it in the days of favor,

And in Egypt he had fangs and claws.

And you dealt sternly, with resolve, after he had been claiming

Your throne in his office—he whom you treated gently.

And changed a state of affairs the realm had tired of, just as

Souls loathe water when the water is stagnant.

And devised measure after measure, putting them to the test:

May virtues replace faults today.

Gone is an age when whim issued a decree,

And a singer presented it, and a young gazelle ratified it.

And heavily armed troops oppressed free men,

And a spiteful informer toyed with the righteous.

Friends grew estranged, and neighbor feared neighbor,

And a truthful man was called a liar, and a man at peace was terrified.

And the whisperer feared for his secret, as though

Over every beating heart stood a watcher and a keeper.

Offices came to them haphazardly, and were denied

Their due honors by those men's lineage and stock.

If a man's honor is held cheap in the pursuit of wealth,

Then every precious thing squandered for it is held cheap.

Is it not harm that they abandon a volunteer,

If it is injustice to force a servant into service?

They were safe from my harm; had I wished, I would have had

Battlegrounds on their trail, and grinding mills.

Does one whom you fed and raised defy you—

One who grew stout despite all his flaws—

And refuse the benefits you approve for me,

Though his outward bearing is frail, his manly virtue weak,

And deprive me of the shade of what I planted,

And deny me the sight of what I adorn?

And dismissal was the penalty for the man who withheld good,

And I seek no healing in what is happening.

And my enemies never wronged me as much as did

My times, my loved ones, and these places.

I sell them precious pearls for a glance;

The cheated one forgave, yet the cheat remained unsatisfied.

And my blood flows as poetry before their eyes,

Yet neither the blood grieves them nor the poetry stirs sorrow.

And I shrink from claiming my due from them, though often

A creditor has demanded spurious debts from them.

And many a man passed me at the torrent's confluence, turning away,

And there is no abasement in me—I merely keep the peace.

And among the miseries of the days is that I lament heartache,

Only for an adversary or a shameless libertine to judge.

And my entrails and my composure are devoured in vain,

While the deluded are honored and the disgraceful rewarded.

How, then, can resolve roam when it is bound,

And hopes seek pasture when they are hostages?

A wronged man's complaint; every court intimate

Is a traitor if he fails to convey it, looking to you in hope.

Then command your white hand: they will become gardens,

Radiant and verdant—one like me and hidden recesses.

If the provinces have taken their share from you,

Then in the port the ships hope for their share.

They bear you, praiseworthy in your means and ends,

To a land where the caliph dwells.

You confide to him what gladdens his heart,

And openly uphold his rule and lend aid.

The lofty fortresses salute your approaching cavalcade,

And the minarets raise prayers that are accepted.

I offer a farewell greeting until tomorrow,

And stay behind, while my heart journeys wherever you go.

And I have no means of reaching you but myself,

And no guarantor before you but sincerity.