سقى الله بالكفر الأباظي مضجعا — Ahmed Shawqi

سَقى اللَهُ بِالكَفرِ الإِباضِيِّ مَضجَعاً

تَضَوَّعَ كافوراً مِنَ الخُلدِ سارِيا

May God water a resting place at Kafr al-Ibadi,

Exhaling camphor wafted from Paradise.

يَطيبُ ثَرى بُردَينِ مِن نَفحِ طيبِهِ

كَأَنَّ ثَرى بُردَينِ مَسَّ الغَوالِيا

Burdayn's soil grows fragrant from the waft of his perfume,

As though Burdayn's soil had touched precious perfumes.

فَيا لَك غِمداً مِن صَفيحٍ وَجَندَلٍ

حَوى السَيفَ مَصقولَ الغِرارِ يَمانِيا

Oh, what a sheath you are, of stone slabs and rock,

Holding a Yemeni sword with a polished edge.

وَكُنّا اِستَلَلنا في النَوائِبِ غَربَهُ

فَلَم يُلفَ هَيّاباً وَلَم نُلفَ نابِيا

And in calamities we had drawn its keen edge,

And it was never found timid, nor did we find it blunt.

إِذا اِهتَزَّ دونَ الحَقِّ يَحمي حِياضَهُ

تَأَخَّرَ عَنها باطِلُ القَومِ ظامِيا

Whenever it quivered in defense of right, guarding its pools,

The people's falsehood drew back from them, thirsty.

طَوَتهُ يَدٌ لِلمَوتِ لا الجاهُ عاصِماً

إِذا بَطَشَت يَوماً وَلا المالُ فادِيا

Death's hand enfolded him; no rank can shield

When it strikes one day, nor can wealth ransom him.

تَنالُ صِبا الأَعمارِ عِندَ رَفيفِهِ

وَعِندَ جُفوفِ العودِ في السِنِّ ذاوِيا

It claims young lives in their fresh bloom,

And the stem when it dries, withering in old age.

وَبَعضُ المَنايا تُنزِلُ الشَهدَ في الثَرى

وَيَحطُطنَ في التُربِ الجِبالَ الرَواسِيا

And some deaths lay honey in the soil,

And bring firmly rooted mountains down into the dust.

يَقولونَ يَرثي الراحِلينَ فَوَيحَهُم

أَأَمَّلتُ عِندَ الراحِلينَ الجَوازِيا

They say, 'He elegizes the departed'—woe to them!

Did I expect rewards from the departed?

أَبَوا حَسَداً أَن أَجعَلَ الحَيَّ أُسوَةً

لَهُم وَمِثالاً قَد يُصادِفُ حاذِيا

Out of envy, they refused to let me make a living man a model

For them, an example that might find someone to follow it.

فَلَمّا رَثَيتُ المَيتَ أَقضي حُقوقَهُ

وَجَدتُ حَسوداً لِلرُفاتِ وَشانِيا

Then, when I mourned the dead, discharging his dues,

I found one envious of his remains and hostile.

إِذا أَنَت لَم تَرعَ العُهودَ لِهالِكٍ

فَلَستَ لِحَيٍّ حافِظَ العَهدِ راعِيا

If you do not honor your pledges to one who has died,

Then you are no faithful keeper of pledges to the living.

فَلا يَطوينَ المَوتُ عَهدَكَ مِن أَخٍ

وَهَبهُ بِوادٍ غَيرِ واديكَ نائِيا

So let death not fold away your pledge to a brother;

And suppose him far away, in a valley other than yours.

أَقامَ بِأَرضٍ أَنتَ لاقيهِ عِندَها

وَإِن بِتُّما تَستَبعِدانِ التَلاقيِا

He has settled in a land where you will meet him,

Even if you both have come to think your meeting far off.

رَثَيتُ حَياةً بِالثَناءِ خَليقَةً

وَحَلَّيتُ عَهداً بِالمَفاخِرِ حالِيا

I mourned a life deserving praise,

And adorned an era already adorned with glories.

وَعَزَّيتُ بَيتاً قَد تَبارَت سَماؤُهُ

مَشايِخَ أَقماراً وَمُرداً دَرارِيا

And consoled a household whose heaven shone in rivalry,

With elders like moons and beardless youths like brilliant stars.

إِلى اللَهِ إِسماعيلُ وَاِنزِل بِساحَةٍ

أَظَلَّ النَدى أَقطارَها وَالنَواجِيا

To God, Ismail! Alight in a court

Whose reaches and far corners bounty has shaded.

تَرى الرَحمَةَ الكُبرى وَراءَ سَمائِها

تَلُفُّ التُقى في سَيبِها وَالمَعاصِيا

Beyond its heaven you see the supreme mercy,

Enfolding piety and sins alike in its bounty.

لَدى مَلِكٍ لا يَمنَعُ الظِلَّ لائِذاً

وَلا الصَفحَ تَوّاباً وَلا العَفوَ راجِيا

With a King who denies no refuge-seeker His shade,

Nor pardon to the repentant, nor forgiveness to those who hope.

وَأُقسِمُ كُنتَ المَرءَ لَم يَنسَ دينَهُ

وَلَم تُلهِهِ دُنياؤُهُ وَهيَ ماهِيا

And I swear: you were a man who never forgot his faith,

Nor did his worldly life distract him, for all that it was.

وَكُنتَ إِذا الحاجاتُ عَزَّ قَضائُها

لِحاجِ اليَتامى وَالأَرامِلِ قاضِيا

And when needs were hard to fulfill, you were

One who met the needs of orphans and widows.

وَكُنتَ تُصَلّي بِالمُلوكِ جَماعَةً

وَكُنتَ تَقومُ اللَيلَ بِالنَفسِ خالِيا

And you led kings in congregational prayer,

And you kept night vigil, alone with yourself.

وَمَن يُعطَ مِن جاهِ المُلوكِ وَسيلَةً

فَلا يَصنَعُ الخَيراتِ لَم يُعطَ غالِيا

And whoever is granted access through the standing of kings,

Yet does no good, has received nothing precious.

وَكُنتَ الجَريءَ النَدبَ في كُلِّ مَوقِفٍ

تَلَفتَ فيهِ الحَقُّ لَم يَلقَ حامِيا

And you were the bold, ready champion in every situation

Where right looked about and found no defender.

بَصُرتُ بِأَخلاقِ الرِجالِ فَلَم أَجِد

وَإِن جَلَتِ الأَخلاقُ لِلعَزمِ ثانِيا

I studied the qualities of men, yet found none,

However noble those qualities, to rival resolve.

مِنَ العَزمِ ما يُحيِ فُحولاً كَثيرَةً

وَقَدَّمَ كافورَ الخَصِيِّ الطَواشِيا

There is resolve that gives life to many mighty men,

And brought Kafur, the castrated eunuch, to the fore;

وَما حَطَّ مِن رَبِّ القَصائِدِ مادِحاً

وَأَنزَلَهُ عَن رُتبَةِ الشِعرِ هاجِيا

And there is that which debased the master of odes as a panegyrist,

And lowered him from poetry's rank as a satirist.

فَلَيسَ البَيانُ الهَجوَ إِن كُنتَ ساخِطاً

وَلا هُوَ زورُ المَدحِ إِن كُنتَ راضِيا

For eloquence is not invective when you are angry,

Nor is it false praise when you are pleased;

وَلَكِن هُدى اللَهِ الكَريمِ وَوَحيُهُ

حَمَلتَ بِهِ المِصباحَ في الناسِ هادِيا

But rather the guidance of God the Generous, and His inspiration,

Through which you carried a lamp among people, as a guide.

تُفيضُ عَلى الأَحياءِ نوراً وَتارَةً

تُضيءُ عَلى المَوتى الرَجامَ الدَواجِيا

You pour light upon the living, and at times

Illuminate the dark grave cairns over the dead.

هَياكِلُ تَفنى وَالبَيانُ مُخَلَّدٌ

أَلا إِنَّ عِتقَ الخَمرِ يُنسي الأَوانِيا

Bodies perish, but eloquence is immortal;

Indeed, aged wine makes one forget the vessels.

ذَهَبتَ أَبا عَبدِ الحَميدِ مُبَرَّءاً

مِنَ الذامِ مَحمودَ الجَوانِبِ زاكِيا

You departed, Abu Abd al-Hamid, cleared

Of blame, praised in every aspect, and pure;

قَليلَ المَساوي في زَمانٍ يَرى العُلا

ذُنوباً وَناسٍ يَخلُقونَ المَساوِيا

With few faults, in an age that sees high deeds

As sins, and among people who invent faults.

طَوَيناكَ كَالماضي تَلَقّاهُ غِمدُهُ

فَلَم تَستَرِح حَتّى نَشَرناكَ ماضِيا

We folded you away like a keen blade received by its sheath,

Yet you had not rested before we drew you forth, still keen.

فَكُنتَ عَلى الأَفواهِ سيرَةَ مُجمِلِ

وَكُنتَ حَديثاً في المَسامِعِ عالِيا

So on people's lips you were the story of a benefactor,

And in their ears you were an exalted tale.

وَفَيتَ لِمَن أَدناكَ في المُلكِ حِقبَةً

فَكانَ عَجيباً أَن يَرى الناسُ وافِيا

You kept faith for an age with the one who brought you close to the throne,

And it seemed wondrous for people to see a loyal man.

أَثاروا عَلى آثارِ مَوتِكَ ضَجَّةً

وَهاجوا لَنا الذِكرى وَرَدّوا اللَيالِيا

They raised an uproar in the wake of your death,

And stirred our memories and brought those nights back.

وَمَن سابَقَ التاريخَ لَم يَأمَنِ الهَوى

مُلِجّاً وَلَم يَسلَم مِنَ الحِقدِ نازِيا

And whoever outpaces history is not safe from partiality

When it persists, nor can he escape rancor as it flares up.

إِذا وَضَعَ الأَحياءُ تاريخَ جيلِهِم

عَرَفتَ المُلاحي مِنهُمو وَالمُحابِيا

When the living write the history of their own generation,

You see who quarrels among them, and who shows favoritism.

إِذا سَلِمَ الدُستورُ هانَ الَّذي مَضى

وَهانَ مِنَ الأَحداثِ ما كانَ آتِيا

If the constitution is secure, what is past weighs little,

And whatever events lie ahead weigh little too.

أَلا كُلُّ ذَنبٍ لِلَّيالي لِأَجلِهِ

سَدَلنا عَلَيهِ صَفحَنا وَالتَناسِيا

Indeed, every offense of the nights, for its sake,

We have veiled with our pardon and deliberate forgetting.