سقى عهد الصبا عهد الولي — Abu Al Maali Al Talawi

سَقى عَهدَ الصِبا عَهدُ الوَليِّ

رَوىً وَحَبا حِماه ذو حَبيِّ

May successive showers water the days of youth,

Abundantly, and may a massing cloud bless its grounds,

وَخَصّ دُوين مَنزِلِهِ مَحَلّاً

حَلَلتُ ذُراهُ في عَيشٍ رَخيِّ

And single out, close beside its dwelling, a place

Whose heights I inhabited in a life of ease.

وَأَلبَسَهُ الزَمانُ قَشيبَ بُردٍ

وَشَته يَدُ الغَمائِمِ سُندُسيِّ

And time clothed it in a fresh mantle,

Of fine silk, embroidered by the hand of clouds.

وَغَرَّدَتِ الحَمائِمُ في رُباهُ

بِلَحنٍ يَبعَثُ الشَكوى شَجيِّ

And doves warbled upon its hills

In a plaintive melody that awakens lament;

وَجُؤذُرَ رَملةٍ يَسبي لِحاظا

لحاظ مَها الصَريم بِحُسنِ زيِّ

And a sand-dune's young oryx, whose glances captivate

The eyes of the dunes' oryx with his fair appearance.

يُجَلّى عَن سَنا قَمرٍ سَنيٍّ

وَيُجلى عَن لَمى خصرٍ شَهيِّ

Unveiled, he shows a brilliant moon's radiance,

And reveals cool, delicious dusky lips.

رَخيمٌ دَلُّهُ خَفرَ المُحيّا

يَروقُ بِحُسنِ مَرآهُ البَهيِّ

Gentle in his coquetry, bashful of face,

He delights with the beauty of his radiant appearance.

تَصولُ صَوارِمُ الأَلحاظ مِنهُ

فَتُصمي مُهجَةَ البَطَلِ الكَمِيّ

The keen swords of his glances charge,

And mortally strike the armored champion's heart.

حَوى في ثَغرِهِ المَعسولِ رَاحاً

لَها فِعلٌ كَفِعلِ البابِلِيِّ

He holds within his honeyed mouth a wine

Whose effect is like the Babylonian's.

حَلَت بِفَمِ المُعَنّى مِثلَ ما قَد

حَلَت حَلَبٌ بِذي قَدرٍ عَليِّ

It tasted sweet in the tormented lover's mouth, just as

Aleppo grew sweet through a man of lofty rank:

إِمامٌ في الفَضائِلِ أَوحَديٍّ

هُمامٌ في المَكارِمِ أَريَحيِّ

A leader unrivaled in virtues,

A magnanimous lord, openhanded in noble deeds,

أَريبٍ ماجِدٍ شَهمٍ أَبيٍّ

مَهيبٍ باسِلٍ قَرمٍ سَرِيِّ

Discerning, glorious, spirited, proud,

Awe-inspiring, valiant, a noble chieftain.

لَهُ مَجدٌ رَفيعُ القَدرِ يَرنو

إِلى الجَوزاءِ وَالفلك القَصيِّ

His is a glory, lofty in rank, that gazes

Toward Orion and the farthest sphere;

وَخُلقٌ مِثلَ زَهرِ الرَوضِ يَزكو

شَذاه عَلى شَذا المِسكِ الذَكيِّ

And a character like garden flowers, surpassing

In fragrance the scent of sweet-smelling musk;

وَكَفٌّ كَالسَحابِ تَجودُ سَحّاً

عَلى العافي بِشُؤبُوبٍ رَويِّ

And a hand like clouds, raining in torrents

Upon the suppliant in a drenching shower.

بَنى لبني الدُنا بُنيان مَجدٍ

أَوَت مِنهُ إِلى رُكنٍ قَويِّ

He built the world's children an edifice of glory;

Within it they found refuge by a mighty pillar.

وَشيّد لِلعُلى أَركانَ فَخرٍ

رَسَت في المَجدِ كَالطَودِ العَليِّ

And for high attainment he raised pillars of pride,

Firm in glory like a towering mountain,

بِعَزمٍ في الأَوامر ماضَويٍّ

وَحَزمٍ طارَ عَن زَندٍ وَريِّ

With resolve decisive in command,

And firm judgment sprung from a spark-giving firestick.

فيا لِلّهِ كَم جادَت يَداهُ

عَلى راجي نَداه بِصَوبِ ريِّ

O God, how often his hands have poured

Thirst-quenching rain on those who hope for his bounty!

تَصَدّرَ لِلنَدى بِحراً وَمَن ذا

رَأى بَحراً تَصَدّرَ في نَديِّ

An ocean, he presided over bounty—and who

Has seen an ocean preside in an assembly?

وَنَوّل مِن عُلوم العَقل ما لَم

يَنَلهُ سِواهُ بِالفكرِ الجَلِيِّ

And from the sciences of reason he bestowed what

No other attained through lucid thought.

وَأَحيا مِن عُلومِ الدينِ ما قَد

أَماتَ الجَهلُ في الزَمَنِ الخَليِّ

And from the religious sciences he revived what

Ignorance had killed in times gone by.

فَيا مَولىً لَهُ رُتَبٌ تَسامَت

عَلى الشِعرى بِسُؤددها السَنيِّ

So, O patron, whose ranks have risen

Above Sirius in their radiant eminence,

وَيا حَرَم النَدى يا رُكنَ فَضلٍ

وَيا قَمرَ النَدامى وَالنَديِّ

And O sanctuary of bounty, O pillar of excellence,

And O moon of boon companions and the assembly,

وَيا خَيرَ امرِئٍ أَمَّت إِلَيهِ

مَطايا العَزمِ مِن بِلَدٍ قَصِيِّ

And O best of men, toward whom have journeyed

The mounts of resolve from a distant land:

إِلى عُليا حِماكَ الرَحبِ وافَت

مُهَنِّئَةً بِمَنصِبكَ الهَنِيِّ

To the heights of your spacious sanctuary they have come,

Congratulating you on your happy appointment.

وَدُونَكَ قَد تَبَدّت فَاِجتَليها

عَروسُ حُلىً تَهادى بِالحُليِّ

And here she is before you, revealed—behold her:

A jeweled bride, swaying in her ornaments.

وَمُوشي بُردها الفَضفاضِ يُنمي

إِلى كَرَمِ النجارِ الطالَوِيِّ

And the embroiderer of her ample mantle comes

Of noble stock: al-Talawi,

فَتى الآدابِ مِن زَمَنِ التَصابي

يُعانيها بِفَهمٍ أَحوَذِيِّ

A man of letters who, since his days of youthful play,

Has pursued them with masterful understanding.

غَريبٌ في دِيارِ الرُومِ أَمسى

يُعاني سَورة الزَمَن الأَبيِّ

A stranger in the lands of Rum, he has come

To endure the fury of unyielding time.

يَحِنُّ إِلى دِمَشقَ وَساكِنيها

حَنينَ حَمامَةٍ بِفَنا أُشَيِّ

He yearns for Damascus and its dwellers

With a dove's yearning in the grounds of Ushayy.

إِذا ناحَت عَلى إِلفٍ تَراهُ

يُساجِلُها بِمَدمَعِهِ السَخيِّ

When she mourns a mate, you see him

Matching her with his freely flowing tears.

وَقَد وافى جَنابَك يا إِماماً

وَلَم يَعدِل عَنِ النَهجِ السَويِّ

And he has come into your presence, O imam,

And has not strayed from the upright path.

فَهَل لَكَ يا عَليَّ القَدرِ يَوماً

لِمَن وَالاكَ مِن عَهدٍ وَفيِّ

Will you then, O man of lofty rank, one day

Offer a faithful pledge to one devoted to you?

بَقيتَ بِنِعمَةٍ تَنمى وَعَيشٍ

ثَوَت بِظِلالِهِ النُعمى هَنيِّ

May you endure in growing blessings and a life

Of ease, beneath whose shades felicity dwells.

وَلا تُغبب لَكَ الأَنواءُ رَبعاً

رَواءً بِالغَداة وَبِالعَشِيِّ

And may the rain-bearing stars never miss a day at your dwelling,

Drenching it at morning and evening,

مَدى الأَيّامِ ما حنَّ اِشتِياقاً

غَريب إِلى الوَطَنِ الرّخِيِّ

Through all the days, so long as there yearns in longing

An exile for his pleasant homeland,

وَزَمزَمتِ الحُداة بِذكرِ سَلمى

وَغَنّت في الحِمى شَوقاً لِمَيِّ

And camel-drivers hum the name of Salma,

And sing in the sanctuary, longing for Mayy.