ما على الأرض مادح لكم قبلى — Abu Bakr Al Suli

مَا عَلَى الأَرْضِ مَادِحٌ لَكُمُ قَبْ

لِي وَحَقِّي مَا بَيْنَكُمْ مَهْضُومُ

No one on earth praised you before

me; yet my due among you is denied.

أَنَا منْ بَيْنِ ذَا الْوَرَى مَظْلُومُ

وَإِذَا مَا خَصَّمْتُهُمْ مَخْصُومُ

Of all these people, I am wronged,

and whenever I dispute with them, I am defeated.

تَتَخطَّانِيَ الْحُظُوظُ فَاسَى

ومَكَانِي منْ عِلْمِهِمْ مَعْلُومُ

Fortunes pass me by, and I grieve,

though they well know my standing.

كَمْ تُرَى في الزَّمَانِ مِثْلِيَ حَتَّى

لَمْ يَرْمُنِي الْوَزِيرُ فِيمَنْ يَرُومُ

How many like me do you see in this age, that

the minister did not seek me among those he seeks?

قَدْ تَعَدَّانِيَ اخْتِيَارُ كَرِيمٍ

وَهُوَ طَبٌّ بالاخْتِيَارِ عَلَيْمُ

A noble man's choice has passed me by,

though he is expert in choosing and well informed.

وَهُوَ أَعْلَى الْكُفَاةَ مَجْداً وفَضْلاً

إنَّ ذَا ما عَلِمْتُ حَظٌّ جَسِيمُ

He stands above the capable in glory and excellence;

that, as far as I know, is immense good fortune.

لَيْسَ هذا إِلاَّ لتَأْخِيرِ حَظٍّ

حَقُّه حينَ يُنْصَفُ التَّقْدِيمُ

This is only the postponement of a fortune

whose rightful place, when justice is done, is foremost.

لَسْتُ أشْكُو أَبَا الْحُسَيْنِ وَحَاشا

هُ لَهُ دُونَ ذَلِكَ التَّعْظِيمُ

I do not complain of Abu al-Husayn—far be it

from him; reverence for him stands against that.

أَنَا لَوْ لُمْتُهُ وَقَدْ خُصَّ غَيْرِي

بِدُنُوٍّ مِنَ الْوَزِيرِ مُليمُ

If I blamed him, when another had been singled out

for closeness to the minister, I would be blameworthy.

أَتُرَانِي أَخْلَلْتُ بالعِلْمِ حَتَّى

شَدَّ مِنِّي التَّحْلِيلُ وَالتَّحْرِيمُ

Do you think I have fallen short in learning, so that

declaring lawful and unlawful has eluded me?

لَوْ رَمَى بِي الزَّمَانُ عِزَّاً تَلِيداً

لَمْ يَرُضْنِي الذَّكَاءُ وَالتَّعْلِيمُ

Had time cast me into ancestral glory,

intelligence and instruction would not have schooled me.

كَيْفَ نُجْلِي عَلَيْهِ أَبْكَارَ لَفْظٍ

وَلَهُ في الأَنَامِ مِثْلِي ندِيمُ

How shall we unveil before him the virgins of speech,

when among mankind he has a boon companion like me?

أَتَظُنُّ النِّدَامَ تَرْضَى بِهذَا

لاَ ومُحْيِي العِظَامَ وَهِيَ رَمِيمُ

Do you think the boon companions would accept this?

No, by Him who revives bones when they are dust!

أَيْنَ مَنْ جَالَسَ الخَلائِفَ قَبْلِي

وَافِرٌ حينَ تُسْتَخَفُّ الْحُلُومُ

Where is one who sat with caliphs before me,

fully composed when reason is unsettled?

طَائِرِي سَاكنٌ وفكْرِي عَزُوفٌ

عَنْ فُضُولِ الْمُنَى وَلَحْظِي سَلِيمُ

My bird is still, and my thought turns away

from excessive wishes; my gaze is innocent.

وكَلاَمِي قَدْرُ الكِفَايَة إِلاَّ

شَرْحُ علْمٍ وَجَانِبي مُسْتَقِيمُ

My speech is only what suffices, except

when explaining learning; my conduct is upright.

فأَعِينُوا عَلَى الزَّمانِ بِعَدْوِي

إِنَّ ذَنْبَ الزَّمَانِ عِنْدِي عَظِيمُ

So help me against time through a plea for redress;

time's offense against me is great.

لِيَ عِدَاتٌ طَيْرُ التَّقَاضِي عَلَيْهَا

طَلَباً لِلنَّجَاحِ مِنْكُمْ تَحُومُ

I have promises over which the birds of demanding payment

circle, seeking fulfillment from you.

وَالْوَزِيرُ الصَّغِيرُ فِيَهَا زَعِيمٌ

بالَّذِي أَرْتَجِي وَنعْمَ الزَّعِيمُ

The younger minister stands surety for them,

for what I hope for—an excellent guarantor!

هِيَ دَيْنٌ عَلَيه وَهُوَ مَلِيءٌ

مُنْصِفٌ مِنَ العِدَى وَدَهْرِي ظَلُومُ

They are a debt upon him, and he is solvent,

granting redress against foes, while my age is oppressive.

لِعَليٍّ عَلَى الأنَامِ اعتِلاَءٌ

حَادِثٌ مِنْ جَلاَلِهِ وَقدِيمٌ

'Ali holds ascendancy over mankind,

both newly attained through his majesty and ancient.

وَرَثَ الْمَجْدَ مِنْ غَطَارِفَ شُمٍّ

غُرَرٍ لاَ يُعَدُّ فِيهِمْ بَهِيمُ

He inherited glory from lofty noble lords,

radiant men, among whom none is dark.

فَهُوَ يَنْحُو الْوَزِيرَ فِي كُلِّ فَضْلٍ

لَيْسَ يَنْحُو الكَرِيمَ إِلاَّ كَرِيمُ

He follows the minister in every excellence;

only a noble man follows a noble man.

أَنْفُسٌ تَعْشِقُ الْمَكَارِمَ وَقفاً

فَرَّقَتْهَا عَلَى ائْتِلافِ جُسُومُ

Souls wholly devoted to loving noble deeds,

divided by bodies despite their harmony.

فعَلَيٌّ مُحَمَّدُ بنُ عَليٍّ

طَابَ فَرْعَاهُمَا وَطَابَ الأُرُومُ

Thus 'Ali is Muhammad son of 'Ali;

their two branches are good, and their roots are good.

ذَاكَ بَدْرٌ لَنَا وَهَذا هِلاَلٌ

ذَا هَوَاءٌ لَنَا وَهذَا نَسِيمُ

That one is our full moon, and this one a crescent;

that one is our air, and this one a breeze.

لَمْ تَلِدْ مِثْلَهُ الْمُلُوكُ كَمَالاً

فَهُوَ ثَأْرٌ مِنَ الْعَدُوّ مُنِيمُ

Kings have never borne his equal in perfection;

he is vengeance upon the enemy, putting them to sleep.

مَنْطِقً يَشْغَلُ اللِّحَاظَ بِحُسْنٍ

فَهُوَ ثَاوٍ عَلَيْهِ لَيْسَ يَرِيمُ

Speech that captivates the gaze with beauty,

so the gaze stays upon it, never departing.

تَسْتَرِدُّ الْعُيُونُ حُسْناً إليهِ

مِثْلَ مَا يَسْتَرِدُّ دَيْناً غَرِيمُ

The eyes return to him to reclaim beauty,

as a creditor reclaims a debt.

وَنَفَاذٌ يَقْرِي الْوَلِيَّ سُرُوراً

وَيَرُدُّ الْعَدُوَّ وَهُوَ كَظِيمُ

And a decisiveness that offers the friend a feast of joy,

and sends the enemy away choking with grief.

لَوْ تَمَنَّاُه وَالدٌ مَا عَدَاهُ

وَإِلَيْهِ فِي أَمْرِهِ التَّحْكِيمُ

Were a father to wish for him, he would seek none beyond him,

if the decision in that matter were his.

لَمْ يُمَحِّضْ بِمِثْلِهِ مُقْرَبُ الدَّهْ

رِ وَلاَ اسْتَامَ شِبْهَهُ مَنْ يَسُومُ

Time's near-term breeding stock has never yielded his like,

nor has any bidder sought to buy his equal.

لَوْ يُحَابَى النُّجُومُ فِي طَالِعِ الْمَجْ

دِ لَقُلْنَا حَابَتْهُ فِيهِ النُّجُومُ

Were the stars to show favor at glory's ascendant,

we would say the stars had favored him there.

لَيْسَ يَأْتِي بِمِثْلِهِ الدَّهْرُ فَضْلاً

هُوَ عَنْ ذَاكَ غَيْرَ شَكٍّ عَقِيمُ

Time never produces his equal in excellence;

beyond doubt, it is barren of such.

كُلُّ رَهْنٍ فِي سُؤْدَدٍ أَغْلَقُوهُ

فَلَهُ السَّبْقُ فِيهِ وَالتَّسْلِيمُ

Every stake others have forfeited in lordship—

his is the lead in it, and the acknowledged victory.

أَنْتُمُ يَا بَنِي عَلِيٍّ نُجُومٌ

لِلْوَرَى فِي الضِّياء لَيْسَتْ تَغِيمُ

You, sons of 'Ali, are stars

whose light for mankind is never clouded.

خَيَّمَتْ فِيكُمُ مَحَاسِنُ حَظٍّ

لاَحَ مِنْهَا لِلنَّاسِ دُرٌّ عَظِيمُ

The beauties of fortune have pitched their tents among you;

from them a mighty pearl has shone for mankind.

قَلَمٌ جَامِعُ بَيَاناً وَحُسْناً

مَا حَوَى فِيهِ مِثْلَكُمْ إِقْلِيمُ

A pen combining eloquence and beauty—

no land has held your equals in wielding it.

تَتَباهَى بِهِ القَرَاطِيسُ حُسْناً

مِثْلَ وَشْيٍ تَرُوقُ مِنْهُ الرُّقُومُ

The sheets of paper vaunt their beauty through it,

like brocade whose patterns delight the eye.

وكَلامٌ كَأَنَّهُ زَهَرُ الرَّوْ

ضِ بَدَتْ لِلنُّجُومِ مِنْهُ نُجُومُ

And speech like the flowers of a garden,

from which stars have appeared before the stars.

قَدْ أَحَاطَتْ بِهِ عُيُونُ المَعَانِي

وأضَاءَتْ في جَانِبَيْهِ الظُّلُومُ

The choicest meanings have surrounded it,

and darkness has grown bright on either side.

لَكُم إِنْ تَسْقِهِ الْجُودَ جَوْدٌ

وَاقِعٌ دُرَاهُ وَخِصْبٌ مُلِيمُ

Yours, if you water it with generosity, is a downpour

whose drops fall, and fertility that invites blame.

وَسَحابٌ مِنَ النَوالِ وِسَاعٌ

ضَاقَ عَنْهُ سَحابُهُ المَرْكُومُ

And broad clouds of bounty,

beside which its piled-up clouds fall short.

مَدْحُكُمْ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيَّ كَفَرْضٍ

لَيْسَ فِيهِ لَغْوٌ وَلاَ تَأْثِيمُ

Praising you is incumbent upon me, like a prescribed duty,

with neither idle speech nor sin in it.

لَيْسَ لِي في تأَخُّرِي عَنْكُمُ ذَنْ

بٌ مِنْ أَجْلِهِ مَهْمُومُ

I bear no guilt in my delay in coming to you,

no fault for which I should be troubled.

كُلَّمَا جئْتُ حَالَ دُونِي حِجَابٌ

وَتَعالَتْ لَهُ عَلَيَّ الْهُمُمُ

Whenever I came, a barrier stood before me,

and worries mounted over me because of it.

كُسِرَتْ دُنِيَ الْحَوَاجِبُ غَمْزاً

وَبَدَا للْعُيُونِ لَمْحٌ ذَمِيمُ

Eyebrows contracted near me in mocking signals,

and an ugly glance appeared to the eyes.

لَمَعتْ لِي بِخُلَّبِ الْوَمْضِ مِنْها

بِنَوَاحِيَّ بِهِ لِحَاظٌ سَقِيمُ

From them flashed at me deceptive gleams,

sickly glances all around me bearing that glitter.

فَكَأَنِّي لَدَيْهِمُ شَخْصُ بَوٍّ

لَمْ تُعَطَّفُ عَلَيْهِ ظِئْرٌ رَءومُ

As though I were, to them, a stuffed camel-calf,

toward which no tender foster-mother inclines.

طَبْعُهُم ظَاهِرُ القَساوَةِ فَظٌّ

لَيْسَ فِيهِمْ مَعَ الْبَلاءِ رَحِيمُ

Their nature is plainly hard and harsh;

not one of them is merciful amid affliction.

لَيْسَ لِي فِي الْوُصُولِ وَقْتُ اخْتِصَاصٍ

وكَذَا فِي الْعُمُومِ مَالِي عُمُومُ

I have no allotted time for a private audience,

nor do I have a place at the public one.

فَأُسِيمُ الْكُرُوبَ فِي مَسْرَحِ الْقَلْ

بِ وَمَرْعَى الْحِجَابِ مَرْعَى وَخِيمُ

So I let my sorrows graze in the pasture of my heart,

and the pasture of exclusion is an unwholesome pasture.

مَالَهَا مَشْرَبٌ عَلَيْهِ مَعَ الظِّمْ

ءِ وَوِرْدِ الإِخْمَاسِ إلاَّ الْحَمِيمُ

They have no drink there, despite their thirst

and five-day waits for water, except scalding water.

وَالَّذِِي يُوجِبُ الْمَدِيحَ لِشَرْحِي

جَمُّهُ الْفَاءُ وَالنَّبَاتُ الْجَمِيمُ

What calls for praise in my description

is its abundant shade and luxuriant growth.

لاَ تَكُرُّوا عَلَيَّ فِيهِمْ مَلاَماً

فَعَذَابُ الْحِجَابِ عِنْدِي أَلِيمُ

Do not heap blame upon me concerning them;

the torment of exclusion is painful to me.

وكَذَا جَاءَ في التَّلاوَةِ نَصَّاً

لَيْسَ بَعْدَ الْحِجَابِ إلاَّ الجَحِيمُ

Thus too it came expressly in the recitation:

beyond the barrier there is only Hell.

كُلُّهُمْ فِي أَوَانِ إِذْنِ عَدُوٌّ

وَصَدِيقٌ فِي غَيْرِ إِذْنٍ حَمِيمُ

At the time of granting permission, every one of them is an enemy,

but outside that time, a close friend.

وَنِيَامٌ عَنْهُمْ كَنَوْمةَ أَهْلِ ال

كَهْفِ لَوْلاَ وَصِيدُهُمْ وَالرَّقِيمُ

They sleep heedless of them, like the People of the

Cave, but for their threshold and al-Raqim.

لَمْ يَلْدْهُمْ جِوَارُ سَعْدٍ كَمَا قَا

لَ جَرِيرٌ وكُلُّهْمُ مَرْكُومُ

Sa'd's neighborhood did not beget them, as

Jarir said; all of them are heaped together.

مَا أُعَلِّي عَلَيْهِمُ اللَّوْمَ لكِنْ

مُلْزِمِي فِيهِمُ المَلاَمَ ذَمِيمُ

I do not pile reproach upon them, but

whoever forces me to blame them is blameworthy.

وَعَطَايَاكَ إِنَّهَا فَيْضُ بَحْرٍ

إنَّ شَيْطَانَ مَنْعِهِمْ لَرَجِيمُ

Your gifts are indeed the overflow of a sea;

the devil of their withholding is surely accursed.

أَمِنَ الحَقِّ أَنْ يَجِفَّ ثَرَى رَبْ

عِي مِنْكُم وغَيْثُهُمْ مَسْجُومُ

Is it right that the soil of my dwelling should dry

for lack of your gifts, while their rain pours down?

لِيَ مِنْ غَيْثِهِ رَذَاذٌ وَطَلٌ

وَلِغَيْرِي الأَجَشُّ مِنْهُ الْهَزِيمُ

Mine from his rain are drizzle and dew,

while others get its deep, thunderous downpour.

نَامَ حَظِّي فَأَيْقَظُوهُ بِجُودٍ

إِنَّهُ بَعْدَ بَدْئِكُمْ تَتْمِيمُ

My fortune has slept; awaken it with generosity.

After your beginning, this would be completion.

قَدْ تَشَكَّيْتُ مَا أُلاَقِي إِلَيْكُمْ

مِثْلَ مَا يَشْتَكِي الْوَصِيَّ يَتِيمُ

I have complained to you of what I endure,

as an orphan complains of his guardian.

كُلُّ مَنْ أَخْطَأْتْهُ رَحْمَةُ عَطْفٍ

مِنْ نَدَاكُمْ وَأُنْسكُمْ مَزْحُومُ

Everyone whom the mercy of tenderness misses

from your bounty and companionship is pushed aside.

فِي زَمَانٍ طَرَّزْتُمُوهُ بِجُودٍ

وَهُوَ لَوْلاَكُمُ زَمَانٌ لَئِيمُ

In an age you have embroidered with generosity,

which, without you, would be a vile age.

لِي بِكُمْ حُرْمَةٌ ثَلاثِينَ عَاماً

غَيْرَ أَنِّي مُبَاعَدٌ مَرْجُومُ

For thirty years I have had a claim to your regard,

yet I am kept far away and pelted with stones.

لَيْسَ لِي مِنْكُمُ اخْتِصَاصٌ بِأُنْسٍ

بَلْ أُرَى ظَاعِناً وَغَيْرِي مُقِيمُ

I have no special share in your companionship;

rather, I am seen departing while others remain.

مَا عَلَى الأَرْضِ مَادِحٌ لَكُمُ قَبْ

لِي وَحَقِّي ما بَيْنَكُمْ مَهْضُومُ

No one on earth praised you before

me; yet my due among you is denied.

حينَ سَيْفُ الْمَدِيح مُدَرَّعُ الْغِمْ

دِ لَدَيْكُم مَا سَلَّهُ التّصْمِيمُ

When the sword of praise was armored in its sheath

among you, and determination had not drawn it.

لِيَ مِنْهُ وَخْدُ الْمَسِيرِ وَنَصٌّ

وَلَغِيرِي خِنَافُهُ وَالرَّسِيم

Mine in it is the brisk stride of travel and the fastest pace,

while others have its rolling gait and its trot.

وَعُيُونُ الآمالِ تُطْرَفُ عَنْكُمْ

مَالَهَا نَحْوَكُمْ لِحَاظٌ تَدُومُ

The eyes of hope are turned away from you;

they have no glances toward you that endure.

مِدَحِي سَبَّقٌ وإِذْني سُكَيْتٌ

مَا قَضَى مِثْلَ ذَا الْقَضَاءِ سَذُومُ

My praises race first, but my admission trails last;

Sadhum never delivered a judgment like this.

مِدَحٌ مُلَّكْت رِقَابَ الْمَعَانِي

عُطِّلَتْ مِنْ حَلْيِهِنَّ الرُّسُومُ

Praises given mastery over the necks of meanings—

the ruins were left bare of their ornaments.

شَغَلَتْها عُلاَكُمُ مِنْ مَغانٍ

سَئِمَتْ مَرَّها عَلَيْها السَّمُومُ

Your eminence distracted them from dwelling-places

that even the scorching wind grew weary of passing over.

فَهُوَ زَيْنٌ لِمُرْتَجِيكُمْ وَعِزٌّ

وَنُجُومٌ عَلَى عِدَاكُمْ رُجُومَ

It is adornment and honor for those who hope in you,

and stars hurled against your foes;

وَلآلٍ لَكُمْ يُضِيءُ سَنَاها

وَنُحُوسٌ لشانئيكُمْ حُسُوم

and pearls for you whose radiance shines,

and annihilating ill omens for those who hate you.

حَرَّمَ اللهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ جِنابِي

مُجْدِباً مِنْ نَدَاكُمُ وَالْحَرِيمُ

God forbid that my precinct should be

barren of your bounty, and my sanctuary likewise.

ضَامَنِي الدَّهْرُ باجْتنَابِكُمُ قُرْ

بِي وَمَنْ ضَامَهُ الزَّمَانُ مُضِيمُ

Time has wronged me through your avoiding closeness

to me; whoever time wrongs is oppressed.

أَنْصفُونِي فِي نَظْمِ مَا قُلْتُ فِيكُمْ

هَلْ يُدَانِيهِ لُؤْلُؤٌ مَنْظُومُ

Judge me fairly in the verse I have composed about you:

can strung pearls come close to it?

هُوَ لَفْظٌ تَحَكَّمَ الطَّبعُ فِيهِ

مِثْلُهُ لا عَدِمْتُكُمْ مَعْدُومٌ

It is speech over which natural talent holds sway;

its like—may I never lose you—does not exist.

وَتَخَطَّى عِرَاصَكُمْ بُؤْسُ دهْرٍ

وَثَوَتْهَا مَسِرَّةٌ وَنَعِيمُ

May the misery of time pass beyond your courtyards,

and joy and bliss settle within them.

كُلُّكُمْ فِي مُعَجَّلِ الدَّهْرِ والآ

جِلِ جَمُّ الْعُلَى مُعَافىً سَلِيمُ

May all of you, in time's present and its

future, be rich in eminence, healthy and sound.