مرحبا بالربيع في ريعانه — Ahmed Shawqi

مَرحَباً بِالرَبيعِ في رَيعانِهِ

وَبِأَنوارِهِ وَطيبِ زَمانِه

Welcome to spring in its prime,

and to its blossoms and the sweetness of its season.

رَفَّتِ الأَرضُ في مَواكِبِ آذا

رَ وَشَبَّ الزَمانُ في مِهرَجانِه

The earth fluttered in March's processions,

and time grew young at its festival.

نَزَلَ السَهلَ ضاحِكَ البِشرِ يَمشي

فيهِ مَشيَ الأَميرِ في بُستانِه

It descended to the plain, smiling brightly, walking

there as a prince walks in his garden.

عادَ حَلياً بِراحَتَيهِ وَوَشياً

طولُ أَنهارِهِ وَعَرضُ جِنانِه

Into jewels in its two palms and brocade were transformed

the length of its rivers and the breadth of its gardens.

لُفَّ في طَيلَسانِهِ طُرَرَ الأَر

ضِ فَطابَ الأَديمُ مِن طَيلَسانِه

The earth's fringes were wrapped in its mantle,

and the earth's skin grew fair from its mantle.

ساحِرٌ فِتنَةَ العُيونِ مُبينٌ

فَصَّلَ الماءَ في الرُبا بِجُمانِه

A magician, its enchantment of the eyes unmistakable,

it studded the waters on the hills with its pearls.

عَبقَرِيُّ الخَيالِ زادَ عَلى الطَي

فِ وَأَربى عَلَيهِ في أَلوانِه

A genius of imagination, it surpassed the spectrum,

and exceeded it in its colors.

صِبغَةُ اللَهِ أَينَ مِنها رَفائي

لُ وَمِنقاشُهُ وَسِحرُ بَنانِه

God's coloring—where beside it are Raphael

and his brush, and the magic of his fingers?

رَنَّمَ الرَوضُ جَدوَلاً وَنَسيماً

وَتَلا طَيرَ أَيكِهِ غُصنُ بانِه

The garden sang through brook and breeze,

and its bān-tree bough echoed its woodland birds.

وَشَدَت في الرُبا الرَياحينُ هَمساً

كَتَغَنّي الطَروبِ في وُجدانِه

The aromatic plants sang in whispers on the hills,

like the joyful one's inward singing.

كُلُّ رَوحانَةٍ بِلَحنٍ كَعُرسٍ

أُلِّفَت لِلغِناءِ شَتّى قِيانِه

Each bower, with its tune, is like a wedding

whose varied songstresses were gathered to sing.

نَغَمٌ في السَماءِ وَالأَرضِ شَتّى

مِن مَعاني الرَبيعِ أَو أَلحانِهِ

Diverse notes in heaven and on earth,

from spring's meanings or its melodies.

أَينَ نورُ الرَبيعِ مِن زَهرِ الشِع

رِ إِذا ما اِستَوى عَلى أَفنانِه

Where is spring's bloom beside the flower of poetry,

when it flourishes upon its branches?

سَرمَدُ الحُسنِ وَالبَشاشَةِ مَهما

تَلتَمِسهُ تَجِدهُ في إِبّانِه

Everlasting in beauty and cheer, whenever

you seek it, you find it in its prime.

حَسَنٌ في أَوانِهِ كُلِّ شَيءٍ

وَجَمالُ القَريضِ بَعدَ أَوانِه

Everything is beautiful in its season,

and verse is beautiful even after its season.

مَلَكٌ ظِلُّهُ عَلى رَبوَةِ الخُل

دِ وَكُرسِيُّهُ عَلى خُلجانِه

An angel, its shadow upon immortality's hill,

and its throne upon its waterways.

أَمَرَ اللَهُ بِالحَقيقَةِ وَالحِك

مَةِ فَاِلتَفَّتا عَلى صَولَجانِه

God commanded truth and wisdom,

and both entwined themselves around its scepter.

لَم تَثُر أُمَّةٌ إِلى الحَقِّ إِلا

بُهُدى الشِعرِ أَو خُطا شَيطانِه

No nation ever rose toward truth except

through poetry's guidance or its demon's footsteps.

لَيسَ عَزفُ النُحاسِ أَوقَعَ مِنهُ

في شُجاعِ الفُؤادِ أَو في جَبانِه

The sounding of brass is no more stirring than it

in a brave heart or a cowardly one.

ظَلَّلَتني عِنايَةٌ مِن فُؤادٍ

ظَلَّلَ اللَهُ عَرشَهُ بِأَمانِه

Care from Fuad sheltered me;

may God shelter his throne with His protection.

وَرَعاني رَعى الإِلَهُ لَهُ الفارو

قَ طِفلاً وَيَومَ مَرجُوِّ شانِه

And he cared for me; may God preserve Faruq for him,

in childhood and when his hoped-for greatness comes.

مَلِكُ النيلِ مِن مَصَبَّيهِ بِالشَط

طِ إِلى مَنبَعَيهِ مِن سودانِه

King of the Nile, from its two mouths by the shore

to its two sources in his Sudan.

هُوَ في المُلكِ بَدرُهُ المُتَجَلّي

حُفَّ بِالهالَتَينِ مِن بَرلُمانِه

In kingship he is its radiant full moon,

ringed by the twin halos of his parliament.

زادَهُ اللَهُ بِالنِيابَةِ عِزّاً

فَوقَ عِزِّ الجَلالِ مِن سُلطانِه

God increased his honor through representation,

above the majestic honor of his sovereignty.

مِنبَرُ الحَقِّ في أَمانَةِ سَعدٍ

وَقِوامُ الأُمورِ في ميزانِه

Truth's pulpit is in Saad's keeping,

and the ordering of affairs is in his scales.

لَم يَرَ الشَرقُ داعِياً مِثلَ سَعدٍ

رَجَّهُ مِن بِطاحِهِ وَرِعانِه

The East has never seen a summoner like Saad,

who shook it through its plains and heights.

ذَكَّرَتهُ عَقيدَةُ الناسِ فيهِ

كَيفَ كانَ الدُخولُ في أَديانِه

The people's faith in him reminded it

how people once entered its religions.

نَهضَةٌ مِن فَتى الشُيوخِ وَروحٌ

سَرَيا كَالشَبابِ في عُنفُوانِه

An awakening from the youth among elders, and a spirit,

both coursed like youth in its prime.

حَرَّكا الشَرقَ مِن سُكونٍ إِلى القَي

دِ وَثارا بِهِ عَلى أَرسانِه

They roused the East from resignation to its chains,

and stirred it to rebel against its halters.

وَإِذ النَفسُ أُنهِضَت مِن مَريضٍ

دَرَجَ البُرءُ في قُوى جُثمانِه

And when a sick person's spirit is roused,

healing advances through the strength of his body.

يا عُكاظاً تَأَلَّفَ الشَرقُ فيهِ

مِن فِلسطينِهِ إِلى بَغدانِه

O Ukaz, where the East came together,

from its Palestine to its Baghdad.

اِفتَقَدنا الحِجازَ فيهِ فَلَم نَع

ثُر عَلى قُسِّهِ وَلا سَحبانِه

We missed the Hijaz there, and did not find

its Quss or its Sahban.

حَمَلَت مِصرُ دونَهُ هَيكَلَ الدي

نِ وَروحَ البَيانِ مِن فُرقانِه

In its stead, Egypt bore the edifice of religion

and the spirit of eloquence from its Furqan.

وُطِّدَت فيكَ مِن دَعائِمِها الفُص

حى وَشُدَّ البَيانُ مِن أَركانِه

In you, eloquent Arabic was secured upon its foundations,

and eloquence was strengthened at its pillars.

إِنَّما أَنتَ حَلبَةٌ لَم يُسَخَّر

مِثلُها لِلكَلامِ يَومَ رِهانِه

You are indeed an arena, whose like was never prepared

for speech upon the day of its contest.

تَتَبارى أَصائِلُ الشامِ فيها

وَالمَذاكِيِ العِتاقُ مِن لُبنانِه

Syria's thoroughbreds compete within it,

and Lebanon's seasoned, noble steeds.

قَلَّدَتني المُلوكُ مِن لُؤلُؤِ البَح

رَينِ آلاءَها وَمِن مَرجانِه

Kings hung upon my neck, from Bahrain's pearls

and its coral, tokens of their favor.

نَخلَةٌ لا تَزالُ في الشَرقِ مَعنىً

مِن بَداواتِهِ وَمِن عُمرانِه

A palm tree, still in the East a symbol

of its nomadic life and its settled civilization.

حَنَّ لِلشامِ حِقبَةً وَإِلَيها

فاتِحُ الغَربِ مِن بَني مَروانِه

For years he yearned for Syria, and for the palm—

the conqueror of the West, from its sons of Marwan.

وَحَبَتني بُمبايُ فيها يَراعاً

أُفرِغَ الودُّ فيهِ مِن عِقيانِه

And Bombay bestowed on me, therein, a pen,

into which affection was cast from its pure gold.

لَيسَ تَلقى يَراعَها الهِندُ إِلّا

في ذَرا الخُلقِ أَو وَراءَ ضَمانِه

India finds its pen only

on virtue's heights, or backed by its guarantee.

أَنتَضيهِ اِنتِضاءَ موسى عَصاهُ

يَفرَقُ المُستَبِدُّ مِن ثُعبانِه

I draw it forth as Moses drew his staff;

the tyrant trembles before its serpent.

يَلتَقي الوَحيَ مِن عَقيدَةِ حُرٍّ

كَالحَوارِيِّ في مَدى إيمانِه

It receives revelation from a free man's conviction,

like an apostle within the compass of his faith.

غَيرَ باغٍ إِذا تَطَلَّبَ حَقّاً

أَو لَئيمِ اللَجاجِ في عُدوانِه

Not aggressive when it seeks a right,

nor meanly obstinate in its hostility.

موكِبُ الشِعرِ حَرَّكَ المُتَنَبّي

في ثَراهُ وَهَزَّ مِن حَسّانِه

The procession of poetry stirred al-Mutanabbi

in his grave, and roused its Hassan.

شَرُفَت مِصرُ بِالشُموسِ مِنَ الشَر

قِ نُجومِ البَيانِ مِن أَعيانِه

Egypt was honored by the suns of the East,

the stars of eloquence among its eminent men.

قَد عَرَفنا بِنَجمِهِ كُلَّ أُفقٍ

وَاِستَبَنّا الكِتابَ مِن عُنوانِه

Indeed, by its star we recognized every horizon,

and discerned the book from its title.

لَستُ أَنسى يَداً لِإِخوانِ صِدقٍ

مَنَحوني جَزاءَ مالَم أُعانِه

I do not forget the kindness of true brothers,

who rewarded me for what I had not endured.

رُبَّ سامي البَيانِ نَبَّهَ شَأني

أَنا أَسمو إِلى نَباهَةِ شانِه

Many a master of lofty eloquence raised my standing;

I aspire to the eminence of his standing.

كانَ بِالسَبقِ وَالمَيادينِ أَولى

لَو جَرى الحَظُّ في سَواءِ عَنانِه

He was more entitled to precedence and the racing grounds,

had fortune run level with his rein.

إِنَّما أَظهَروا يَدَ اللَهِ عِندي

وَأَذاعوا الجَميلَ مِن إِحسانِه

They merely revealed God's hand in me,

and proclaimed the beauty of His beneficence.

ما الرَحيقُ الَّذي يَذوقونَ مِن كَر

مي وَإِن عِشتُ طائِفاً بِدِنانِه

The nectar they taste is not from my vineyard,

though I have lived circling its wine jars.

وَهَبوني الحَمامَ لَذَّةَ سَجعٍ

أَينَ فَضلُ الحَمامِ في تَحنانِه

And suppose me a dove, for the delight of cooing:

what credit has the dove for its plaintive song?

وَتَرٌ في اللَهاةِ ما لِلمُغَنّي

مِن يَدٍ في صَفائِهِ وَلِيانِه

A string in the throat—the singer has no

hand in its clarity and suppleness.

رُبَّ جارٍ تَلَفَّتَت مِصرُ تولي

هِ سُؤالَ الكَريمِ عَن جيرانِه

To many a neighbor Egypt turned, offering

him a noble man's concern for his neighbors.

بَعَثتَني مُعَزِّياً بِمآقي

وَطَني أَو مُهَنِّئاً بِلِسانِه

You sent me to console, with the eyes

of my homeland, or to congratulate, with its tongue.

كانَ شِعري الغِناءَ في فَرَحِ الشَر

قِ وَكانَ العَزاءُ في أَحزانِه

My poetry was song in the East's rejoicing,

and consolation in its sorrows.

قَد قَضى اللَهُ أَن يُؤَلِّفَنا الجُر

حُ وَأَن نَلتَقي عَلى أَشجانِه

God has decreed that the wound unite us,

and that we meet over its griefs.

كُلَما أَنَّ بِالعِراقِ جَريحٌ

لَمَسَ الشَرقُ جَنبَهُ في عُمانِه

Whenever a wounded man groaned in Iraq,

the East touched its side in Oman.

وَعَلَينا كَما عَلَيكُم حَديدٌ

تَتَنَزّى اللُيوثُ في قُضبانِه

We, like you, are bound in iron,

within whose bars the lions leap.

نَحنُ في الفِقهِ بِالدِيارِ سَواءٌ

كُلُّنا مُشفِقُ عَلى أَوطانِه

We are alike in our understanding of our lands;

each of us is anxious for his homelands.