اليوم حلي عاطل العلياء — Al Jazzar Ibn Al Saraqu…

اليَوم حُلّيَ عاطل العَلياء

اليَوم جرَّ الدَهر ذَيل بَهاء

Today, unadorned high glory is decked with jewels.

Today, Time trails a train of splendor.

اليَوم تَوجت العُلا وَتَبَرَجت

عِندَ المُنى في حُلة السَراءِ

Today, high glory has been crowned and shown her beauty

in the presence of wishes, in a robe of joy.

أَوفى الزَمان بِعَهدِهِ لِزَفافه

خَير النِساء لِسَيد الخُلَفاء

Time has kept its pledge by wedding

the finest of women to the lord of caliphs.

لَم تَسمَع الآذان قَبل هِدائها

بِحَمامة زُفت إِلى فَتخاء

Before her bridal procession, ears had never heard

of a dove being wedded to a broad-winged eagle.

أَمثال حَدٍ ما تَرى أَم أَيكم

قَد بُشِرَت بِتآلف الأَهواء

Is what you see a likeness of a boundary [wording unclear], or which of you

has been given glad tidings of desires in harmony?

ما إِنَّها لِسماتُ سَعدٍ بَشَرت

أَطيارُها بِسَعادة وَنَماء

No—these are signs of good fortune; glad tidings have come

from their birds, of happiness and increase.

زُفت إِلى بَدر العُلا شَمس الضُحى

فَتَوَسَطا فَلَكي سَناً وَسَناء

The sun of morning was wedded to glory's full moon,

and the two stood at the centers of twin spheres of radiance and eminence.

كِفآ عُلا وَسِيادة قَد أُلِّفا

وَمِن السُعود تَألف الأَكفاء

Two equals in eminence and lordship have been united;

and the union of equals is a mark of good fortune.

وَتَطابَقا روحاهما فَتمازَجا

مثلَ اِمتِزاج الماء بِالصَهباء

Their souls matched, and the two mingled

as water mingles with tawny wine.

بِاليُمن وَالاقبال وَالسَراء

وَسَعادَةٍ مَوصولَةٍ بِنَماء

With good fortune, prosperity, and joy,

and happiness joined to increase,

طَلَعت بِأَفلاك السُعود نجومَها

فانجاب لَيل الحُزن وَالغماء

its stars rose in the spheres of good fortune,

and the night of sorrow and gloom was dispelled.

لِلّهِ عرساً يا خَليفَةُ إِنَّها

لَمسيرة بِمآتم الأَعداء

By God, what a wedding, O caliph! It is

indeed a procession amid the enemies' mourning.

صُنعٌ خَلَعتَ بِهِ عَلى الوَرى

حُللاً مِن السَراء وَالنَعماء

A deed through which you bestowed on mankind

robes of joy and bounty.

لَبست بِهِ الأَيام بُردَ جَمالها

وَتَبَرَجَت في حُلة الخُيَلاء

Through it the days donned the mantle of their beauty

and flaunted themselves in a robe of pride.

لَما رَفعتَ مُوججاً نار القِرى

فيهِ لدانٍ وَافد وَلناء

When you raised, kindling it, the fire of hospitality

there, for guests arriving from near and far,

لباك منثالين في عدد الدَبى

زُمر يَضيق بِهُنَ كُلُ فَضاء

they answered your call, pouring in as countless as young locusts:

throngs for whom every open space grew narrow.

تَسعى بِهُم قَدمُ المُنى وَتَحثهم

حثَّ الظماء إِلى ورود الماء

Hope's foot bears them onward and urges them

as the thirsty are urged toward water.

حَتّى إِذا حَلّوا النَدى وَأَينَعَت

لَهُمُ رِياض البَشر وَالادناء

Until, when they alighted at bounty and there ripened

for them the gardens of cheerful welcome and closeness,

كَرعوا لِحَوض المُكرَمات كَأَنَّما

فازوا بَعدنٍ قَبل وَقت جَزاء

they drank deep at the pool of noble gifts, as though

they had won Eden before the time of recompense.

إِن يَكثروا عَدَداً فَقَد أَوسَعتَهُم

صَدراً تَضيقُ لَهُ فَلا البَيداء

Though they be many in number, you have welcomed them

with a heart beside which the desert's expanses are narrow.

صَيرتَ عاصية المُنى منطاعَةً

تَلقاكَ بِالاذعان وَالاغضاء

You made rebellious wishes obedient,

meeting you with submission and lowered eyes.

فا أَمر بِما تَهوى تُطعك فَإِنَّهُ

كادَ العَروسُ يَعد في الأمراء

So command what you desire: it will obey you, for

the bridegroom is almost counted among princes.

فَرقتَ شَمل المال مُغتَبِطاً بِما

جَمَعتَ مِن مَجدٍ وَمِن عَلياء

You scattered wealth's hoard, rejoicing in what

you gathered of glory and eminence.

وَرَفَعتَ سَمك المُكرَمات بِهمةٍ

جَرَت مَطارِفها عَلى الجَوزاء

You raised the height of noble deeds through an ambition

whose silken cloaks trailed over al-Jawza.

عظمت فَلم تَحفل بِغَير عَظيمَةٍ

إِن العَظائم مِن حِلى العُظَماء

You grew great and cared for nothing but great deeds;

for great deeds are the ornaments of the great.

هَل يَستَطيع جُحود فَضلك حاسِدٌ

وَعلاكَ أَشهر مِن ضِياء ذُكاء

Can any envier deny your excellence,

when your eminence is clearer than the light of Dhuka, the sun?

شَهد النَدى وَالبَأس أَنك واحِدٌ

في المَجد دونَ مَساجل وَكِفاء

Generosity and valor bear witness that you stand alone

in glory, without a rival or an equal.

فَاِسحَب ذُيولَ المُكرَمات سَوابِقاً

وَانعم وَحيدَ الفَضل وَالآلاء

So trail the trains of noble deeds, leading the way,

and live in bliss, unequaled in excellence and favors.

وَاشكر صَنيع المُستَعين المُرتَضى

ملك المُلوك وَسَيدِ الرُؤَساء

And thank the favor of al-Musta'in, the well-approved,

king of kings and lord of leaders.

لَقَد اِنتَقاكَ لِسره وَلِجَهره

وَحَباكَ ممتناً بِخَير حِباء

He chose you for his private counsels and public affairs,

and graciously bestowed on you the finest gift.

غَرَسَ المَكارم مِنكَ في أَرض زَكَت

غَرساً فَأَثمر غَرسَهُ بِوَفاء

He planted noble qualities in you, in fertile ground;

his was a planting that bore the fruit of loyalty.

فَلَئن نَضاكَ مهنداً لِأُمورهِ

فَلَقَد نَضا ذا هَبَّةٍ وَمَضاء

If he unsheathed you as an Indian-steel sword for his affairs,

he indeed unsheathed one full of vigor and sharpness.

وَلَئن صَفَوت لَهُ فَما أَولى وَما

أَرضاه مِن كُل الوَرى بِصَفاء

And if you have been sincere to him, how deserving he is, and how

pleased with sincerity, beyond all mankind!

أَعلاكَ قَدراً وَاِصطَفاكَ مَكارِماً

حَتّى كَأَنك واحِدُ الأَبناء

He raised your rank and singled you out for honors,

until you seemed one of his sons.

وَكَفاكَ تَشريفاً وَفَخراً أن تُرى

ب الجَعفري مُؤهلاً لِبِناء

It is honor and pride enough for you to be seen

at al-Ja'fari, made ready for marriage.

قَصرٌ غَدا فيهِ السُرور مُعرسا

يَغشى العُيون بِساطع اللألاء

A palace where joy has made its bridal home,

dazzling the eyes with brilliant radiance.

تَطأ الدمقسَ بِأَرضِهِ أَقدامُنا

عَوضاً مِن الآجر وَالبوغاء

Our feet tread fine silk upon its floor,

instead of baked bricks and fine dust.

وَنَرى نَمارق صورة مَصفوفة

مَوشيةَ الأَقطار وَالأَرجاء

And we see figured cushions ranged in rows,

embroidered at their edges and corners,

مِن أَبيض في أَحمَر قَد أَشبَها

صَلفَ الغواة وَخَجلة العَذراء

of white amid red—the two resembling

the insolence of libertines and a maiden's blush.

أَرض دَحاها حُسنَها مِن سُندس

مُتَهللٍ كَالرَوضة الغَناء

A floor whose beauty spread it out in fine silk,

radiant as a luxuriant garden.

بُنيت عَلى أَرض الدمقسِ ستوره

في خالص العقيان خَيرَ سَماء

Its curtains were raised above the silken floor,

in pure gold, the finest of skies.

لَولا تَناهي حُسنَه لَم نَختَلف

أَنا حَللنا مِنهُ في صَنعاء

Were it not for its surpassing beauty, we would all agree

that here within it we had alighted in San'a.

قُلدت أَعباء الفَضائل وَالعُلا

فَاِنهَض بِما قُلدتَ مِن أَعباء

You have been charged with the burdens of virtue and eminence;

so shoulder the burdens entrusted to you.

وَتَعَلَقت بِكَ غَبطَةً أَسبابُها

كَتَعلق الأَفعال بِالأَسماء

Their bonds have clung to you in delight,

as verbs are attached to nouns.

أَنتَ الَّذي سستَ الأُمور بِفطنَةٍ

نَظَرت بِعَيني حنكة وَدَهاء

You are the one who governed affairs with discernment

that looked through the twin eyes of experience and shrewdness.

طَوراً تُرى ليناً وَطَوراً قَسوة

كَالدَهر يمزجُ شَدَةً بِرَخاء

At times you appear gentle, at times severe,

like Time, which mingles hardship with ease.

فَكَأَنَّما الرَحمَنُ صاغَكَ خالِصاً

مِن ماء أَحكامٍ وَنار ذَكاء

It is as though the All-Merciful fashioned you pure

from the water of sound judgment and the fire of intelligence.

كَم لَيلِ خَطبٍ قَد جَلَوت ظَلامه

بِسِهام فهمٍ ساطع الآراء

How many a night of calamity have you cleared of darkness

with arrows of understanding, radiant in its judgments!

لَكَ راحة خُلِقَت لَضَبط أَعنة

وَلِهَز مرهفةٍ وِبَذل حِباء

You have a palm created to hold reins,

to brandish a keen blade and bestow gifts.

لَو لامَسَ الحَجَرُ الأَصَمَّ بنانها

لِأَذابَ قَلب الصَخرة الصَماء

Were unyielding stone to touch its fingertips,

the touch would melt the heart of the solid rock.

زَهرت بِوَجهِ زُهيرٍ الدُنيا كَما

راقَت بِحِليٍ لَبةُ الحَسناء

The world has bloomed with Zuhayr's face, just as

a beautiful woman's throat grows lovely with jewels.

ما الدَهرُ إِلّا أَدهَمٌ أَفعالَهُ

بجبينه كَالغُرَّة الغَرّاء

Time is but a black steed; his deeds

are on its brow like a brilliant white blaze.

تَندى أَسرةُ وَجهِهِ وَيَمينه

في حالة السَراء وَالضَراء

The lineaments of his face and his right hand are dewy

in times of happiness and hardship;

وَيَجولُ في سَطحيهِما للمُرتَجي

ماءان ماء نَدىً وَماء حَياء

and across their two surfaces, for the hopeful, flow

two waters: the water of bounty and the water of modesty.

يا بَهجَةَ الدُنيا وَزَهرَة أَهلِها

وَسَواد مُقلَةِ عَينِها الحَوراء

O joy of the world and flower of its people,

and dark pupil of its lovely, lustrous eye!

إِن القِيادة خُطَةٌ قَد قَلَدَت

بعلاك عِقدي سُؤددٍ وَبَهاء

Leadership is an office that has been adorned,

through your eminence, with twin necklaces of lordship and splendor.

فَاِسَحب ذُيولَ قِيادة وَسِيادَةٍ

كسياك بُردي هَيبَةٍ وَعلاء

So trail the trains of leadership and lordship,

which have clothed you in twin mantles of awe and eminence.

أَنتَ الَّذي أَنعثتني بِمَكارمٍ

جَلَت فَواضلها عَن الأحصاء

You are the one who revived me [reading uncertain] with noble gifts

whose abundant bounties are beyond counting.

وَكَسَوتَني حُلَلَ المبرة عِندَما

كَشَفتَني الدُنيا فَكُنتُ غِطائي

And you clothed me in robes of kindness when

the world stripped me bare, and you became my covering.

فَلأكسوَنَّكَ مِن بَدائع مَنطِقي

حُلَلاً مُطَرَزَةً بتبر ثَناء

So I shall surely clothe you, from the wonders of my speech,

in robes embroidered with the gold of praise.

وَلأَشكرنَّكَ ما تَراخَت مُدَتي

شُكر الرِياض لِواكف الأَنواء

And I shall surely thank you as long as my life endures,

as gardens thank the pouring showers of the rain-stars.