مملكة مدبره — Ahmed Shawqi

مَملَكَةٌ مُدَبَّرَه

بِاِمرَأَةٍ مُؤَمَّرَه

A kingdom well governed

by a woman placed in command.

تَحمِلُ في العُمّالِ وَالص

صُنّاعِ عِبءَ السَيطَرَه

She bears, among workers and

craftsmen, the burden of control.

فَاِعجَب لِعُمّالٍ يُوَل

لونَ عَلَيهِم قَيصَرَه

Marvel, then, at workers who appoint

an empress over themselves.

تَحكُمُهُم راهِبَةً

ذَكّارَةٌ مُغَبِّرَه

She rules them as a nun,

ever prayerful, stirring up dust,

عاقِدَةٌ زُنّارَها

عَن ساقِها مُشَمِّرَه

her girdle tied,

her robe tucked up above her leg.

تَلَثَّمَت بِالأُرجُوا

نِ وَاِرتَدَتهُ مِئزَرَه

She veiled herself in purple

and wore it as a waistcloth.

وَاِرتَفَعَت كَأَنَّها

شَرارَةٌ مُطَيَّرَه

And she rose as though she were

a spark sent flying,

وَوَقَعَت لَم تَختَلِج

كَأَنَّها مُسَمَّرَه

and alighted without a tremor,

as though nailed in place.

مَخلوقَةٌ ضَعيفَةٌ

مِن خُلُقٍ مُصَوَّرَه

A frail creature,

fashioned out of character.

يا ما أَقَلَّ مُلكَها

وَما أَجَلَّ خَطَرَه

Oh, how small her kingdom,

and how great its importance!

قِف سائِلِ النَحلَ بِهِ

بِأَيِّ عَقلٍ دَبَّرَه

Stop and ask the bees about it:

by what mind have they ordered it?

يُجِبكَ بِالأَخلاقِ وَه

يَ كَالعُقولِ جَوهَرَه

They will answer: 'Through virtues'; and these,

like minds, are a jewel.

تُغني قُوى الأَخلاقِ ما

تُغني القُوى المُفَكِّرَه

The powers of virtue avail as much

as the powers of thought.

وَيَرفَعُ اللَهُ بِها

مَن شاءَ حَتّى الحَشَرَه

And God raises through them

whomever He wills, even an insect.

أَلَيسَ في مَملَكَةِ الن

نَحلِ لِقَومٍ تَبصِرَه

Is there not in the kingdom of

bees a lesson for a people?

مُلكٌ بَناهُ أَهلُهُ

بِهِمَّةٍ وَمَجدَرَه

A kingdom its people built

with resolve and merit.

لَوِ اِلتَمَستَ فيهِ بَط

طالَ اليَدَينِ لَم تَرَه

If you sought there a man

with idle hands, you would not find him.

تُقتَلُ أَو تُنفى الكُسا

لى فيهِ غَيرَ مُنذَرَه

The lazy are killed or banished

there, without warning.

تَحكُمُ فيهِ قَيصَرَه

في قَومِها مُوَقَّرَه

An empress rules there,

honored among her people,

مِنَ الرِجالِ وَقُيو

دِ حُكمِهِم مُحَرَّرَه

from men and the fetters

of their rule set free.

لا تورِثُ القَومَ وَلَو

كانوا البَنينَ البَرَرَه

She does not make the men her heirs, even if

they are dutiful sons.

المُلكُ لِلإِناثِ في الد

دُستورِ لا لِلذُكَرَه

Sovereignty belongs to females under the

constitution, not to males.

نَيِّرَةٌ تَنزِلُ عَن

هالَتِها لِنَيِّرَه

A luminary steps down from

her halo for another luminary.

فَهَل تُرى تَخشى الطَما

عَ في الرِجالِ وَالشَرَه

Does she, I wonder, fear greed

in men, and rapacity?

فَطالَما تَلاعَبوا

بِالهَمَجِ المُصَيَّرَه

For how often they have toyed

with the rabble under their control,

وَعَبَروا غَفلَتَها

إِلى الظُهورِ قَنطَرَه

and crossed its heedlessness

as a bridge to prominence.

وَفي الرِجالِ كَرَمُ الض

ضَعفِ وَلُؤمُ المَقدِرَه

In men are the generosity of

weakness and the baseness of power,

وَفِتنَةُ الرَأيِ وَما

وَراءَها مِن أَثَرَه

and the discord of opinion, and the

self-interest behind it.

أُنثى وَلَكِن في جَنا

حَيها لَباةٌ مُخدِرَه

A female, yet in her two wings

lurks a lioness in her den,

ذائِدَةٌ عَن حَوضِها

طارِدَةٌ مَن كَدَّرَه

defending her pool,

driving off whoever muddies it.

تَقَلَّدَت إِبرَتَها

وَاِدَّرَعَت بِالحَبَرَه

She has girded on her needle

and armored herself in striped cloth.

كَأَنَّها تُركِيَّةٌ

قَد رابَطَت بِأَنقَرَه

As though she were a Turkish woman

who has taken her post at Ankara,

كَأَنَّها جاندَركُ في

كَتيبَةٍ مُعَسكِرَه

as though she were Joan of Arc in

an encamped battalion.

تَلقى المُغيرَ بِالجُنو

دِ الخُشُنِ المُنَمِّرَه

She meets the raider with troops—

rugged and mottled,

السابِغينَ شِكَّةً

البالِغينَ جَسَرَه

fully clad in arms,

supreme in daring.

قَد نَثَرَتهُم جُعبَةٌ

وَنَفَضَتهُم مِئبَرَه

A quiver has scattered them,

and a needle case has shaken them out.

مَن يَبنِ مُلكاً أَو يَذُد

فَبِالقَنا المُجَرَّرَه

Whoever builds a kingdom or defends it

does so with trailing spears.

إِنَّ الأُمورَ هِمَّةٌ

لَيسَ الأُمورُ ثَرثَرَه

Affairs demand resolve;

affairs are not chatter.

ما المُلكُ إِلّا في ذُرى ال

أَلوِيَةِ المُنَشَّرَه

Sovereignty lies only at the crests of

unfurled banners.

عَرينُهُ مُذ كانَ لا

يَحميهِ إِلّا قَسوَرَه

Its lair, ever since it existed,

has been guarded only by a lion,

رَبُّ النُيوبِ الزُرقِ وَال

مَخالِبِ المُذَكَّرَه

lord of blue fangs and

powerful claws.

مالِكَةٌ عامِلَةٌ

مُصلِحَةٌ مُعَمِّرَه

A sovereign who works,

reforms and builds.

المالُ في أَتباعِها

لا تَستَبينُ أَثَرَه

Money among her followers—

you can discern no trace of it.

لا يَعرِفونَ بَينَهُم

أَصلاً لَهُ مِن ثَمَرَه

They recognize among themselves

no root of it in any fruit.

لَو عَرَفوهُ عَرَفوا

مِنَ البَلاءِ أَكثَرَه

If they knew it, they would know

most of affliction,

وَاِتَّخَذوا نَقابَةً

لِأَمرِهِم مُسَيَّرَه

and would establish a union

to direct their affairs.

سُبحانَ مَن نَزَّهَ عَن

هُ مُلكُهُم وَطَهَّرَه

Glory to Him who cleansed

their kingdom of it, and purified it,

وَساسَهُ بِحُرَّةٍ

عامِلَةٍ مُسَخَّرَه

and governed it through a free woman,

working, bound to service,

صاعِدَةٍ في مَعمَلٍ

مِن مَعمَلٍ مُنحَدِرَه

ascending in a workshop,

descending from a workshop,

وارِدَةٍ دَسكَرَةً

صادِرَةٍ عَن دَسكَرَه

entering a settlement,

leaving a settlement,

باكِرَةٍ تَستَنهِضُ ال

عَصائِبَ المُبَكِّرَه

up early, rousing the

early-rising bands,

السامِعينَ الطائِعي

نَ المُحسِنينَ المَهَرَه

attentive and obedient,

excellent and skilled,

مِن كُلِّ مَن خَطَّ البِنا

ءَ أَو أَقامَ أَسطُرَه

each one who laid out the building

or set up its rows,

أَو شَدَّ أَصلَ عَقدِهِ

أَو سَدَّهُ أَو قَوَّرَه

or strengthened the base of its vault,

or sealed it or hollowed it out,

أَو طافَ بِالماءِ عَلى

جُدرانِهِ المُجَدَّرَه

or went round with water along

its pitted walls.

وَتَذهَبُ النَحلُ خِفا

فاً وَتَجيءُ مُوقَرَه

The bees go out light

and return laden,

جَوالِبَ الشَمعِ مِنَ ال

خَمائِلِ المُنَوَّرَه

bringing wax from the

flowering thickets,

حَوالِبُ الماذِيِّ مِن

زَهرِ الرِياضِ الشَيِّرَه

milking white honey from

the flowers of leafy gardens.

مَشدودَةٌ جُيوبُها

عَلى الجَنى مُزَرَّرَه

Their pouches are tied tight,

buttoned over the harvest.

وَكُلُّ خُرطومٍ أَدا

ةُ العَسَلِ المُقَطِّرَه

And every proboscis is a

honey-distilling instrument,

وَكُلُّ أَنفٍ قانِئٍ

فيهِ مِنَ الشُهدِ بُرَه

and every crimson nose

has a ring of honey within it.

حَتّى إِذا جاءَت بِهِ

جاسَت خِلالَ الأَدوِرَه

At last, when they bring it in,

they range through the dwellings,

وَغَيَّبَتهُ كَالسُلا

فِ في الدِنانِ المُحضَرَه

and stow it away like choice wine

in the prepared casks.

فَهَل رَأَيتَ النَحلَ عَن

أَمانَةٍ مُقَصِّرَه

Have you, then, seen the bees fail

in a trust?

ما اِقتَرَضَت مِن بَقلَةٍ

أَوِ اِستَعارَت زَهَرَه

Whatever they borrowed from an herb,

or any blossom taken on loan,

أَدَّت إِلى الناسِ بِهِ

سُكَّرَةً بِسُكَّرَه

they repaid to humankind for it:

a lump of sugar for a lump of sugar.