هل أنت بطولك مسعده — Alarjani

هل أنتَ بطُولِكَ مُسعِدُهُ

يا لَيْلُ فَصُبْحُكَ مَوعِدُهُ

Will you, by your length, come to his aid,

O night? For your dawn is his appointed time.

أَسْرَى لِيُصبِّحنَهُ بنَوىً

فلعلّ ظلامَكَ يُنجِده

He traveled by night, for them to greet him at dawn with parting;

perhaps your darkness will rescue him.

طُلْ يا لَيْلي فلقد عَزموا

سَيراً وصباحُك مَوعِده

Lengthen, O my night, for they have resolved

to journey, and your morning is its appointed time.

لا كان قَصيراً لَيلُ فتىً

مِيعادُ مَنِيّتهِ غَده

May the night never be short for a youth

whose appointed death is tomorrow.

لِيَنزُلْ إن كان كذلك من

بَصَري لا أُفْقِيَ أَسْوده

If that is so, let there descend from

my sight, not my horizon, its blackness,

كي لا يَحتلَّ فِراقُهمُ

ويكونَ بعَيْنِيَ مَشْهَده

so that their parting may not settle in

and become a spectacle before my eyes.

لا دامَ لدَهْرٍ فَرَّقَنا

إن صَحّ نوىً يَتَرصّده

May there not endure for a Time that parted us—

if the separation it awaits comes true—

في طَرْفِ اللّيلِ تَكَحُّلُه

ولخَدِّ الفَجْرِ تَوُّرده

its kohl upon the eye of night

and its rosy glow upon the cheek of dawn.

في صَدْرِيَ من كَلَفٍ بكمُ

جُنْدٌ للشّوقِ يُجَنّدُه

In my breast, from infatuation with you,

is an army for longing to muster.

وفؤادي الخافِقُ يَقْدُمُه

فكأنّ فُؤاديَ مِطْرَده

My throbbing heart leads it,

as though my heart were its standard-bearing spear.

أَعَليلَ اللّحظِ وعِلَّتُه

منها المُتألِّمُ عُوَّده

O you of a languid glance, whose ailment

has those suffering from it as its sickbed visitors!

عيناكَ بسَفْكِ دَمِي جَنَتا

فالصُّدْغُ علامَ تَجعُّده

Your two eyes are guilty of shedding my blood;

why, then, does the temple-lock curl?

ودَمي لا يَحسُنُ مَحْمَلُه

في النّاسِ فلِمْ تَتقلَّده

My blood is no seemly burden

among people; why, then, wear it around your neck?

ما ألَهبَ خَدَّك نارُ صِباً

قُدِحَتْ في الوجنةِ أَزْنُده

What set your cheek ablaze is a fire of passion,

whose fire-sticks were struck upon the cheek.

أضحَى مُتتابِعُ نائلهِ

كالقَطْرِ فليس نُعَدِّده

The succession of his gifts has become

like rain, so we do not count it.

وغدا مُتموِّجُ خاطِرِه

كالبحرِ يُهابُ تَورُّده

And the surging of his mind has become

like the sea, whose approach is feared.

فغنِيً للبائسِ مَسكنُه

ورديً للقامِسِ مُزْبِده

His dwelling is riches for the destitute,

and his foaming surge is death for the diver.

سامٍ في النّاسِ بمَحْتِدِه

وبهِ يتَسامَى مَحْتِده

He stands lofty among people through his lineage,

and through him his lineage rises higher.

نصْرُ الإسلامِ حكَى غَرضاً

من بُعْدِ مدىً يَتَعمّده

The victory of Islam resembles a target

that he aims at from a distant range.

للهِ بكَفِّ خليفتهِ

سَهْمٌ وإليه تَسَدُّده

In His caliph's hand, God has

an arrow, whose aim is toward that target.

بسديدِ الدّولةِ مُرسلِه

يَرْجو أن يَقْرُبَ أَبعَده

Through Sadid al-Dawla, its sender

hopes to bring its farthest goal near.

مَنْ عَرْضُ الأرضِ لعَزْمتِه

كالغَلْوةِ حين تُحَدِّده

He for whose resolve the breadth of the earth

is but a bowshot when it measures it.

تَتهادى الدّهر ركائبَه

أغوارُ السَّيرِ وأنجُده

His riding-beasts are handed on, age after age,

by the journey's lowlands and uplands,

لإمامٍ يُحْيِي مَوعِدُه

ويُميتُ القِرْنَ تَوعُّده

for an imam whose promise gives life

and whose threat kills the opponent.

مَن لم يَسجُدْ لأوامرِه

فالسَّيفُ الصّارم يُسجِده

Whoever does not bow to his commands,

the sharp sword makes him bow.

أو قامَ لنَصْرِ مُخالِفه

فالجَدُّ الخاذِلُ يُقْعِده

Or whoever rises to support his opponent,

forsaking fortune brings him down.

أضحَى لخلافتِه عَضُداً

يُعْنَى بالحَقِّ ويَعْضُده

He has become a supporting arm to his caliphate,

devoted to truth and supporting it.

إن مَدَّ الكَفَّ لها طلَباً

للنّجمِ فما تَستَبْعِده

If he stretches out his hand for it, seeking

a star, it does not deem the star distant.

تاجٌ يا دهْرٌ فضائلُه

من فَوقِ جَبينِك تَعْقِده

His virtues, O Time, are a crown

that you bind above your brow.

وهوىً للجودِ تَملَّكَهُ

فإلامَ يُطيلُ مُفَنّدِه

A passion for generosity has possessed him;

how long, then, will his reprover go on?

من قَبلِ خُلُوّ الجَوِّ له

قد ساد وسُلِّمَ سُؤْدَده

Even before the sky lay open to him,

he had led, and his lordship was acknowledged.

فالْلَيثُ غدا يَستأمِنُه

والغَيثُ غدا يَستَرفِده

The lion now seeks his protection,

and the rain now seeks his bounty.

وتُديرُ أنامِلُه قَلَماً

كَلِفاً بالمُلْكِ يُؤَطّدِه

His fingertips wield a pen

enamored of sovereignty, which it strengthens.

يَقتًصُّ وقد حصَدوه له

من هامِ عِداهُ فيَحْصُده

It exacts vengeance: they had harvested it for him

from his enemies' heads, and it harvests those heads.

ويَزيدُ مَضاءُ مَضاربِه

فَيُقصِّرُ عنه مُهَنَّده

The sharpness of its striking edges increases,

so his Indian-forged sword falls short of it.

سَيْفٌ للدِيّنِ ونُصْرتِه

في يُمْنَى المُلْكِ مُجَرَّده

A sword for religion and its support,

drawn in the right hand of sovereignty.

والغِمدُ الدِّرْعُ فواعجَباً

من سَيفٍ يَقتُلُ مُغْمَده

Its sheath is armor—how wondrous

a sword that kills its own sheath!

ونِجادُ كتابتِه أبداً

بالدُّرِّ تُرصِّعُه يَده

And the sword-belt of his writing, always,

his hand studs with pearls,

ليكونَ غداةَ الفَخْرِ به

لإمامِ العَصرِ يُقلِّده

so that, on the day of glorying in it,

he may gird the imam of the age with it.

بتَوسُّلِه وتَرسُّلِه

في الأُمّةِ شاعَ تَفرُّده

Through his mediation and his letter-writing,

his uniqueness has become known throughout the community.

شَرَفانِ اثنانِ له جُمِعا

بهما في الدّهرِ تَوحٌّده

Two distinctions have been united in him,

through which he is unique in all Time:

نَفَسٌ للدّينِ يعيشُ به

ولذاك يدومُ تَردُّده

a breath for religion, by which it lives,

and therefore its recurrence never ceases;

ورسولُ أجَلِّ إمامِ هُدىً

في رُكْنٍ منهُ يُشَيِّده

and the envoy of the most august imam of guidance,

building up one of its pillars.

واللهُ قضَى بالرُّشْدِ له

فَتخَيَّرَه مُستَرشِده

And God decreed right guidance for him,

so his Mustarshid chose him.

أمّا الأقوامُ فقد عَلِموا

والدّهرُ بأنّك أوْحَده

As for the peoples, they have learned—

and Time too—that you are its peerless one.

وحديثُك كُلُّ بني زمَني

عَلّموك إلى مَن تُسْنِده

And your account—all the sons of my age

have taught it to you: to whom do you trace it?

فأخو تَصْديقِك مُؤمِنُه

وأخو تَكْذيبِك مُلْحِده

Whoever affirms you is its believer,

and whoever denies you is its atheist.

يا مَنْ في الدّهرِ على نَظَري

لا شَيءَ سواهُ يَحمَده

O you whom, throughout Time, my gaze

praises to the exclusion of all else!

كَرمُ الأخلاقِ إذا ذُكِرتْ

كالشّرعِ وأنتَ مُحمّده

When noble character is spoken of,

it is like the sacred law, and you are its Muhammad.

فلْيَهْنِك شَهْرٌ مُشتَهِرٌ

قد أمَّ جنابَك يَقْصِده

May a renowned month bring you joy,

which has come seeking your presence.

قد كان حميداً مَصدُرُه

إذ كان حميداً مَورِده

Its departure was praiseworthy,

since its arrival was praiseworthy.

شَهْرٌ طَرفاهُ بك التقَيا

شَرفاً لِعُلاك تَمَهُّده

A month whose two ends met in you,

honored in laying itself beneath your exalted rank.

بولائك يُؤْجَرُ صائِمهُ

وبرِفْدِك سُرَّ مُعَيَده

Through loyalty to you, its fasting observer is rewarded,

and through your bounty, its festival celebrant rejoices.

قد أقبل يَطلُبُ قادِمُه

عَهْداً بنَداكَ يُجَدَده

Its arrival came seeking

a covenant with your generosity to renew;

وأظَلَّ اليومَ مُودِّعُه

للِقاءٍ منك يُزوَّده

and today its departing part has drawn near,

to be furnished with a meeting with you,

ولوعْدٍ منك بعَوْدتِه

في عِز يَخلُدُ سَرْمَده

and a promise from you of its return

in glory whose eternity endures.

ولِيشْهَدَ عندَ اللهِ غداً

وسَيصْدُقُ إذْ يَستَشْهِده

And to bear witness before God tomorrow—

and it will speak truth when He calls it to testify—

بصَلاتِك أو بصِلاتك فيه

فكُلُّ عنّ تَمَدُّده

to your prayers or your gifts during it,

for the continuance of each is plain.

يا مَن في اليوم يَظَلُّ له

مِما للجود تَعَوّده

O you who keep, throughout the day,

as is your custom in generosity,

إرسالُ يَدٍ ما يُمسِكُها

إلاّ باللّيلِ تَهَجّده

an outstretched hand that nothing restrains

except, at night, your vigil in prayer!

شيطانُ قَريضيَ يَحسَبُه

أمسى والصّومُ يُصفِّده

My verse's demon thinks itself

come to evening, with fasting shackling it.

فجرى خبَباً يَعثّرُ بي

في شَوْطِ القولِ مُقَّيده

So it ran at a trot, tripping me

on the course of verse with its hobble.

وعلى إيقاعِ حوافرِه

في الرَّكْضِ أتَى ما أُنشِده

And to the rhythm of its hooves

in the gallop came what I recite:

شِعْرٌ كالرّوضِ فَغائرُه

يَرْويهِ الدّهرَ ومُنْجِده

poetry like a meadow: the lowlander

recites it for all time, and the highlander too.

قد شَرد عن جَفْني غُمضى

حتّى ائتلفَتْ لِيَ شُرَّده

Sleep had fled my eyelids

until its scattered verses came together for me.

يا مَن ما زال تَكرُّمه

يتَملّكُني وتَودُّده

O you whose generosity has never ceased

to possess me, as does your affection!

كم في قُرْبٍ أو في بُعُدٍ

لك من حُرٍّ تَستَعْبِده

How many, whether near or far,

are the free men you enslave!

لا زال كذِكْرِك عُمْرُك لي

يَبْقَى في الدّهْرِ مُخلَّده

May your life, like your renown, never cease for me,

but remain immortal through Time,

في العزِّ يُظلِّك شامِخُه

والعَيشِ يَخُصُّك أرْغَده

with the loftiest glory shading you,

and the most carefree life reserved for you.