وردت بطالع اليمن السعيد — Al Wargi

وَرَدْتَ بِطالِعِ اليُمنِ السَّعِيدِ

عَلَى حَرَمِ الوَليّ أبي سَعِيد

You arrived under the happy ascendant of good fortune,

At the sanctuary of the saint Abu Sa'id,

كَمَا وَرَدَ الكَرِيمُ أبوكَ قَبلاً

عَلَيِهِ وأنتَ فِي طَورِ الوَلِيدِ

As your noble father came before you

To him, while you were still a newborn.

وَأمَّ بِكَ المَشَاهِدَ حِينَ لاَحَتْ

عَلَيِكَ لَهُ أمَارَاتُ السَّعِيدِ

And took you to the shrines when there appeared

Upon you, to his eyes, the signs of a fortunate man.

وَمَا تَُخْطِي الفِرَاسَةُ حيثُ جَاءَتْ

مِنَ المَهديِّ في شِيَمِ الرَّشِيدِ

And intuition does not err when it comes

From al-Mahdi concerning al-Rashid's character.

وَعَادَ كَمَا تَعُودُ وَقَدْ تَنَاهَت

مَطَالِبُهُ بِعَائِدةِ الَوَدُودِ

And he returned, as you return, having fully attained

His desires through the All-Loving's bounty.

ألاَ لِلَّهِ صَبرِي حِينَ سَارَتْ

بِكَ البَيضَاءُ مِنْ تَحتِ البُنُودِ

Ah, to God belongs my patience, when she set out,

The white mare bearing you from beneath the banners,

تُنازِعُكَ الزّمَامَ وَهِيَّ تُومِي

إلَى جَبَلِ المنَارَةِ مِنْ بَعِيدِ

Contesting the rein with you, while gesturing

Toward Jabal al-Manara from afar.

فَتَقْصُرُهَا ولَو تُرِكَتْ لَحَطَّتْ

سَنابِكَهَا عَلَى ذاتِ الوَصِيدِ

You rein her in; had she been left free, she would have set

Her hooves upon Dhat al-Wasid.

وَجَانَبَتِ البُحَيْرَةِ حِينَ مَرَّتْ

وَفِي صَهَواتِهَا بَحرُ المَدِيِدِ

And she skirted the lake as she passed,

While upon her back was a far-stretching sea.

وقَابَلَهَا الظَّرِيفُ على يَفَاعٍ

فَلَمْ تَثْبُتْ عَلَى وَجهِ الصَّعِيدِ

And al-Zarif met her on a rise,

So she did not stand still upon the ground.

وأدْركَهَا المَسَا ولَهَا تَرَاءَتْ

قِبَابُ العَبدْلِيةِ في نُهُودِ

Evening overtook her, and before her appeared

The domes of al-Abdaliyya, rising high.

تُسَابِقُ لِلتَقَرِبِ مِنكَ أخرَى

فَتَقْذِفُهَا بِذي الطَّلعِ النَّضِيد

She races another to draw closer to you,

Then casts her amid palms with tightly layered clusters,

كَغَانيَةٍ رأتْكَ فَلَفَّعَتْهَا

وَلِيدَتُهَا بمنخضر البرُودِ

Like a beauty who saw you and was wrapped

By her maidservant in green striped mantles.

فبتَّ بها وعين الحفظِ ترعى

مقامكَ والحوادثُ في همودِ

So you spent the night there, while the eye of protection guarded

Your lodging, and misfortunes lay still.

وَصَبَّحْتَ الضَّرِيحَ بِمَولَويّ

سَعَى لِلَّهِ في صِفَةِ العَبِيدِ

And at dawn you greeted the tomb as a lordly visitor,

Who strove for God in the guise of a servant.

وَخَفَفْتَ الزّيَارَةَ وَهوَ رَأيٌ

يُصَوبُهُ ذَوُو الرَّأيِ السَّدِيدِ

And you kept the visit brief—a judgment

Approved by those of sound judgment.

وَحُزْتَ بِلَيلَتَينِ عزِيزَ كَنزٍ

تُوَزّعهُ إلى الأبَدِ الأبيِدِ

And in two nights you gained a precious treasure,

Which you will distribute for ever and ever.

وَأُبْتَ وَلَمْ تَغِبْ ما غِبتَ عَنِّي

وَلَكِنْ فاَتَنِي سِرُّ الشُّهُودِ

And you returned; while absent from me, you were never truly absent,

But the mystery of beholding you eluded me.

وكَمْ قَلَّبْتُ إثْرَكَ طَرفَ رَاجٍ

بُرُوقَ الوَصلِ مِن رَعْدِ الصدُودِ

And how often I turned after you the gaze of one hoping for

Lightning-flashes of reunion from the thunder of estrangement.

فَلَمْ أُسعَفْ وَلَو أومَضْتَ شيئاً

سَبَقْتُ إلَيكَ رُكبَانَ البَرِيدِ

Yet I was not granted my wish; had you flashed the slightest signal,

I would have reached you before the post riders.

وَمِنْ تَعَبِ الحَيَاةِ لِمُبتَغيهَا

مُبَاعَدَةُ المُرَادِ مِنَ المُرِيدِ

And among life's hardships for those who seek it

Is the sundering of the desired from the desirer.

ومَا في صُحْبَتِي لَو شِئْتَ بَأسٌ

وَهَلْ رَحْبٌ كَذَرعِكَ لِلوُفُودِ

There is no harm in my company, if you wish;

And is any welcome as wide as your embrace of delegations?

وإنَّ مؤَمَّلاً يَلْقَاكَ يَوماً

وَيَسلُو بَعدَ ذَاكَ لَفِي جُمُودِ

Indeed, a hopeful man who meets you one day

And forgets you afterward is surely cold of heart.

وَمَا يُسلِيهِ عَنكَ وَلَيسَ يُلْفِي

عَلَى الحَالاَتِ مِثلَكَ في الوُجُودِ

What could make him forget you, when he finds no

One like you in existence, whatever the circumstances?

سَلاَمَةُ خَاطِرِ وَسَمَاحُ وَجْهٍ

وَقِلَّةُ كُلْفَةٍ وَكَمَالُ جُودِ

Soundness of heart and a welcoming face,

Little formality and perfect generosity.

ومَا في ذا العِتابِ لَدَيَّ قَصدٌ

وَلَكِنْ جَرَّهُ سَوقُ النَّشِيدِ

I have no intention in this reproach,

But the flow of the poem drew it forth.

وَلَكِنْ فَالمَقَامُ أجَلُّ من أنْ

أضِيقَ بِهِ إلى إذْنٍ جَدِيدِ

Yet the station is too exalted for me

To be constrained by it to seek fresh permission.

عَلَى أنّي دَفَعْتُ بِهِ دَعَاوِي

تُصَوّرُهَا خَيَالاتُ الحَسُودِ

Still, with it I have refuted claims

Conjured by the imaginings of the envious.

فَإنَّ ظُهُورَ شَمسِكَ وانحِجابِي

بِهَا عِندِي مِنَ الأمْرِ الزَّهِيدِ

For your sun's appearing, and my being eclipsed

By it, are of little consequence to me.

فَمَا أجْرَاهُ أن ما ظَنَّ هّذا

وقَلْبُكَ في القَضِيَّةِ مِن شُهُودي

How brazen of him not to have considered this,

While your heart is among my witnesses in the case.

وَعِندَ نُزُولِكَ المَرسَى ذَكَرْنَا

نُزُولَكَ قَبلَهَا جَبَل الجُلُودِ

And when you arrived at al-Marsa, we recalled

Your earlier arrival at Jabal al-Julud.

فَقُلنَا عِندَ فَتْحِ الله فَتحٌ

وَقُلنَا السَّعْدُ عِندَ أبي سَعِيدِ

So we said, 'At Fath Allah there is victory,'

And said, 'Good fortune is with Abu Sa'id.'

فَطَارَ مِنَ العِيافَةِ طَيْرُ فَألٍ

يُصَحِّحُ أنَّ عَزْمَكَ في مَزِيدِ

Then out of bird-divination flew a bird of good omen,

Confirming that your resolve is ever growing.

وَقَد صَدَقَ الحَديِثُ فَقَدْ أنَاخَتْ

بِبَابِكَ عَاجِلاً زُمَرَ الوُفُودِ

And the saying proved true: there have encamped

At your gate, without delay, throngs of delegations,

تُؤمِلُ مِن رِضَاكَ جَمِيلَ عَودٍ

وَتَطلُبُ مِنكَ تَجدِيدَ الْعُهُودِ

Hoping for a gracious return from your favor,

And asking you to renew the covenants.

وَأهْدَتْ عِندَ مَقدَمِهَا نَفِيساً

وَأنْفَسُهُ أسِيلاتُ الخُدودِ

And at their arrival they offered something precious,

Most precious of all were smooth-cheeked women.

فَهِيَّ الخَيِرُ قَدْ قَدِمَتْ بِصُلحٍ

وَهُوَ الخَيرُ في الذّكرِ المَجِيدِ

Thus it is goodness, come bearing reconciliation,

And reconciliation is good in the glorious Scripture.

ومَا في جَمعِ شَملِ الدّينِ وَصْمٌ

ولاَعَنْ قَصدِ رَبْعِكَ مِنْ مَحِيدِ

There is no blemish in uniting the community of faith,

Nor any turning aside from seeking your abode.

لأنَّكَ في الملوك عرِيق بَيِتٍ

وفي أخلاَقِهِم بَيتُ القَصِيدِ

For among kings you come from an ancient house,

And in their virtues you are the poem's finest verse.

فَلا زَالَتْ حَيَاتكَ فِي امْتِدادٍ

وَلاَ زَالَتْ سُعُودُكَ فِي صُعُودِ

May your life never cease to stretch onward,

And your good fortunes never cease to rise.

سَلامٌ كما دَامَ الحَبِيبُ على العَهدِ

وَإلاَّ كَمَا غَنَّى الحَمَامُ على الرَّندِ

Peace, as long as the beloved keeps the pledge,

Or else, as long as doves sing upon the laurel,

وَإلاَّ كَمَا هَبَّ النَّسِيمُ عَشِيةً

على ناعِمٍ غضّ النَّبات من الوَردِ

Or else, as long as the breeze blows at evening

Over tender roses, fresh in growth,

عَلَى طَيبةٍ تِلكَ التي طَابَ ذِكرُهَا

كَمَا طابَ منْ أثْوَابِهَا عاطرُ النَدّ

Upon that good lady whose remembrance is sweet,

As sweet as the fragrance of incense from her garments.

عَزِيزَةُ ملكٍ لَمْ تَزَلْ بينَ صَونة

وَإكْرامَةٍ مَقبُولَةٍ الأخْذِ والرَّدِ

A king's cherished one, ever held in protection

And honor, esteemed in every give-and-take,

بِعَقلٍ رَصِينٍ في المُهِمَّاتِ نَافَذٍ

وَعَرضٍ نَقِيّ في نَظَافَتِهِ فَرْدِ

With a steadfast mind, penetrating in grave affairs,

And spotless honor, peerless in its purity,

إلى حَسَبٍ مَا لَم تَنَلهُ كَرِيمَةٌ

سِواهَا ولَمْ يَظفَرْ به الناسُ من بعدِ

And a nobility attained by no noble woman

Save her, nor won by anyone afterward,

وَجَودَةِ طَبعٍ زيَّنَتهَا نَزَاهَةٌ

عن الهُجرِ في الأقَوال والفعْلِ وَالقصدِ

And excellence of nature, adorned by abstention

From indecency in speech, deed, and intent.

فَمَنْ لِلمَسَاكِينِ المَحاويِجِ مِثلُها

ومنْ مِثلُهَا يَحمي من الزَّمَنِ النَّكدِ

Who is like her for the needy poor?

And who like her protects against harsh times?

على أصلهَا جاءتْ سَقَتْ كلُّ رَحمَةٍ

ترى أصْلها المَبرُور في جَنَّةِ الخُلدِ

She came true to her stock; may every mercy water

Her blessed forebear, whom you see in the Garden of Eternity.

وطَوَّلَ في أمْنٍ ويُمْنٍ حَيَاتَهَا

وَقَامَ بِما تَبغِي لَهَا قَائِمُ السَّعدِ

And may her life be prolonged in safety and good fortune,

And may the upholder of fortune fulfill for her what she seeks.