لقد أوسع الله الفتوح بعامنا — Abdelmoneim Al Jilani

لَقَد أَوسَعَ اللَهُ الفُتوحَ بِعامِنا

وَخَيَّسَ مِنها المُصعَبَ المُتَأَبَّدا

God has indeed made conquests abundant in our year,

and subdued the stubborn and untamed among them.

أُمورٌ نَبِت عَنها العُقولُ وَأَذعَنَت

بَأَنَّ اِختَصاصَ الحَظِّ لِلَهِ موجِدا

Deeds beyond the grasp of minds, which bowed

to the truth that God, the Creator, alone allots fortune.

تَحَرَّكَ شَخصاً حَرَّكَ الأَرضَ جائِلاً

وَهَزَّ مِنَ الشُهُبِ الذَوائِبَ مُصعِدا

He moved in person, stirring the earth as he roamed,

and, ascending, shook the tresses of the shooting stars.

وَلَقَبَّهُ بِالناصِرِ المَلِكِ يوسُفَ

وَنَقَّبَهُ نورُ المَهابَةِ سَيِّدا

He titled King Yusuf al-Nasir,

and the radiance of awe invested him as lord.

وَأَلهَمَهُ حُسنى الشَمائِلِ مُجمَلاً

وَفَهَّمَهُ أَسنى الفَضائِلِ مُحمَدا

And He inspired him with the fairest traits, adorning him,

and taught him the loftiest virtues, making him praiseworthy.

يَزيدُ عَلى عُظمِ المَرامِ تَواضُعاً

وَيَدنو عَلى بُعدِ المَقامِ تَوَدَّدوا

For all the grandeur of his aims, he grows in humility,

and draws near in affection, despite his lofty station.

أَتَتهُ وُفودُ الخافِقينَ فَعايَنوا

حُلى مالِكَ قَد أَطلَعَ البَدرَ فَرقَدا

Delegations from both horizons came to him and beheld

the splendors of a king who made the full moon seem Farqad.

يُنَوِّعُ أَثناءَ النَهارِ سِياسَةً

وَيَقطَعُ آناءَ الدُجى مُتَهَجِّدا

He varies his governance through the daylight hours,

and passes the hours of darkness keeping vigil in prayer.

وَيَرمُقُ أَحوالَ المَدائِنِ حافِظا

وَيُنفِقُ أَموالَ الخَزائِنَ مُنفِدا

He watches over the cities' affairs, guarding them,

and spends the treasuries' wealth until it is exhausted.

أَحادَ بِمُلكِ الأَرضِ خُبَراً وَقُوَّةً

وَحاطَ ضَروبَ الخَلقِ خَيراً وَمَرفَدا

He masters earthly rule through knowledge and strength,

and enfolds all kinds of people in goodness and bounty.

فَوَفّى بِفَضلٍ مِن قَضاياهُ مُتَرعا

وَأَصفى لِكُلٍ مِن عَطاياهُ مَورِدا

So he gives full measure, overflowing with bounty in his judgments,

and makes a clear watering place of his gifts for everyone.

وَأَروتُ نُفوسَ السائِلينَ بَنانُهُ

فَلَم أَدرِ بَحراً مُدَّ لِلناسِ أَم يَدا

And his fingertips quenched the souls of petitioners,

so I could not tell: was a sea stretched out to people, or a hand?

سَقا بِحُسامٍ وَاِستَرَقَّ بِأَنعُمٍ

وَما المَجدُ إِلّا في الشَجاعَةِ وَالنَدى

He gave drink with a keen sword and enslaved through favors;

glory lies only in courage and generosity.

فَنَمدَحُهُ حُبّاً وَيُعطي تَبَرُّعاً

فَيُعجِزُنا شُكراً وَيَشأى مُحَمَّدا

We praise him out of love, and he gives freely;

he leaves us unable to thank him and outstrips every man acclaimed.

رَأَيتُ عُلاهُ مالَها حَليُ مِثلِها

بَدائَعُ نَظمٍ وَاِمتِداحاً مُخَلَّدا

I saw his high deeds lacked adornments worthy of them:

marvels of verse and everlasting praise.

فَقَلَدَّتُهُ سِلكاً عَزيزاً وُجودُهُ

كَما لَم نَجِد مَليكاً يُضاهي المُقَلَّدا

So I hung about his neck a strand rare to find,

just as we found no king to rival its wearer.

لِذا فَليَكُن صَوغُ القَريضِ مُسَمَّطا

تَفاصيلَ إِعجازٍ وَوَشِيّاً مُنجِدا

Thus let the crafting of verse be jewel-strung:

details of wondrous art, and embroidery raised high;

وَلَفظاً كَما تُجلى الداررِيُّ تَحتَهُ

مَعانٍ كَما تَرمي الأَشِعَّةُ أَنجُدا

and words unveiled like radiant stars, beneath which lie

meanings like rays striking the highlands;

قَرائِنَ أَحوالٍ وَمَعلَمَ سيرَةً

وَحِكمَةً أَمثالٍ وَعِلماً مُنَضَّدا

signs of circumstance, and a guide to conduct,

proverbial wisdom, and knowledge well arrayed.

إِذا الشِعرُ لَم يَحكِ العُلومَ فَقَد

حَكى جَعاجِعَ أَصواتٍ وَلَغواً مُفَنَّدا

If poetry does not reflect learning, it has only

echoed a clatter of sounds and senseless babble.

وَلَولا اِصطِناعُ الحُلمُ لِم يَكُ باقِلٌ

لِيُحضِرَ في مَيدانَ سُبحانَ مُنشِدا

But for the patronage of forbearance, Baqil would never

enter Subhan's arena reciting verse.

لِأَوجُهِ أَربابِ السَماحِ طَلاوَةً

تُعَلِّمُ طُلّابَ النَجاحِ التَرَدُّدا

The faces of generous lords have a charm

that teaches seekers of success to return again and again.

وَقيمَةُ قَدرِ الشَيءِ قيمَةُ ذِكرِهِ

كَما راقَ وَصفاً لي وَصيتاً مُنَدَّد

The measure of a thing's worth is the worth of its remembrance,

as its description and far-spread renown delight me.

وَهَذا مَليكٌ أَمرُهُ غَيثُ عَصرِهِ

فَسيرَتُهُ تَبقى حَيّاً مُتَوَرِّدا

And this is a king whose command is the rain of his age;

his story endures as life-giving rain, ever sought for refreshment.

فَيُسقى بِها الظَمآنُ لِلعِلمِ مُسنِتاً

وَيَرقى لَها الدِيّانُ في الحُكمِ مُسنِدا

Through it the drought-stricken man thirsting for knowledge is watered,

and through it the judge rises, drawing on it in his rulings.

يَنالُ الفَتى بِالصَبرِ مَقسومَ حَظِّهِ

وَكَم جاهِدٍ في الحِصِ ما نالَ مَقصَدا

A man gains his allotted fortune through patience,

while many an eager striver never reaches his goal.

عَجِبتُ مِنَ الأَيّامِ تَطمي كَمائِناً

إِذا اِنتَثَرَت أَعيَتَ نَجيباً وَمُنجِدا

I marvel at the days, surging with hidden snares:

when they burst forth, they confound the noble and the valiant.

وَكُنتُ أَرى ذا الفَتحِ مِن قَسَمِ يوسُفَ

فَلِلَّهِ ذاكَ القَسَمُ ما كانَ أَسعَدا

I had thought this conquest part of Yusuf's allotted portion;

God be praised for that portion—how fortunate it was!

وَلِلَّهِ يَومٌ هَلَّ فيهِ وِلادَةٌ

لَقَد طابَ مَولوداً وَبورِكَ مَولودا

And God be praised for the day when his birth dawned!

He was indeed goodly as a newborn, and blessed at his birth.

كَفى مَطهَراً مَن طَهَّرَ القُدسَ وَاِحتَوى

بَني أَصفَرٍ سَبياً وَقَتيلاً تَعَمُّدا

Sufficient as a purifier is he who cleansed Jerusalem and took

the Banu Asfar, some captive and some slain, by deliberate intent.

هُوَ المَسجِدُ الأَقصى وَهُم شَوكَةُ الوَغى

فَما كانَ لَولا اللَهَ يَخلَصُ مَعبَدا

It is the al-Aqsa Mosque, and they the thorn of war;

but for God, it would never have been freed as a place of worship.

هَنيئاً لِبَيتِ القُدسِ الآنَ طُهرُهُ

وَلِلناصِرِ المَنصورِ غَبطَتُهُ غَدا

Joy to Jerusalem for its purification now,

and to victorious al-Nasir for his happiness tomorrow!

فَيا خَيرَ مَمَدوحٍ وَأَطهَرَ مُجتَبي

وَأَسعَدَ مَمَنوحٍ وَأَبهَرَ مُجتَدى

O best of those praised, purest of the chosen,

most fortunate of those favored, most dazzling of those sought for gifts,

مَديحِكَ أَحلى في فَمي مِن جَنا المُنى

وَمِن طَعمِ بَردِ الماءِ عَذباً عَلى الصَدى

praise of you is sweeter in my mouth than the harvest of wishes,

and than the taste of cool, sweet water to the thirsty;

وَأَشهى سَماعاً مِن حَديثِ حَبائِبٍ

يَذكُرُها عَهدُ الصَبا مُتَجَدِّدا

and sweeter to hear than the talk of beloveds

whom youth's returning days bring back to mind.

أُسامِرُ فيكَ الشِعرَ مُستَمتِعاً بِهِ

فَأَبسَطُهُ بَسطَ الخَميلَةِ في النَدى

I converse by night with poetry about you, delighting in it,

and spread it out as a lush meadow spreads in dew.

أَوَدُّ لَو أَنَّ البَيتَ أَلفُ قَصيدَةٍ

وَكُلَّ قَصيدٍ أَلفُ حِزبٍ تَرَدَّدا

I wish each verse were a thousand poems,

and each poem a thousand sections, repeated again and again.

وَكَيفَ اِقتِصادٌ في مَدائِحَ يوسُفَ

وَقَد بَذَّ غاياتُ السَوابِقِ في المَدى

How could one be sparing in Yusuf's praises,

when he has outstripped the furthest reach of the foremost steeds?

سَرى وَهوَ نورٌ قاهِرٌ بِلَطافَةٍ

وَحَلَّ بِنا صَوتُ العُلى فَتَجَسَّدا

He traveled by night, a light conquering through gentleness,

and the voice of loftiness came among us and took bodily form.

وَلَو لَم يَلُح لِلناسِ ما عَلِموا فَتى

سَما كُلَّ عالٍ وَهوَ يَرتادُ مُصعِدا

Had he not shone forth to people, they would not have known a young man

who surpassed every lofty one, while still seeking higher ascents.

فَكُلُّ اِبتِداءً في مَعاليهِ مُنتهى

وَكُلُّ اِنتِهاءً في مَعاليهِ مُبتَدا

Every beginning in his lofty achievements is a culmination,

and every ending in his lofty achievements a beginning.