يفندون وهم أدنى إلى الفند — Albohtry

يُفَنِّدونَ وَهُم أَدنى إِلى الفَنَدِ

وَيُرشِدونَ وَما التَعذالُ مِن رَشَدي

They call me foolish, though they are closer to folly.

And they counsel me, though reproach does not guide me aright.

وَكَيفَ يُصغي إِلَيهِم أَو يُصيخُ لَهُم

مُستَغلِقُ القَلبِ فيهِم راهِنُ الكَبِدِ

And how can he listen to them or lend them an ear—

One whose heart is captive to them, whose liver is held in pledge?

هَل أَنتَ مِن حُبِّ لَيلى آخِذٌ بِيَدي

أَو ناصِرٌ لي عَلى التَعذيبِ وَالسُهُدِ

Will you take my hand to free me from love for Layla,

Or help me against torment and sleeplessness?

وَهَل دُموعٌ أَفاضَ النَهيُ رَيِّقَها

تُدني مِنَ البُعدِ أَو تَشفي مِنَ الكَمَدِ

And can tears, whose first drops admonition made flow,

Bring the distant near, or cure anguish?

فَما يَزالُ جَوىً في الصَدرِ يُضرِمُهُ

وَشكُ النَوى وَصُدودُ الأُنَّسِ الخُرُدِ

For anguish still burns in the breast, inflamed by

Imminent separation and the aversion of gentle, bashful maidens.

قَد باتَ مُستَعبِراً مَن كانَ مُصطَبِراً

وَعادَ ذا جَزَعٍ مَن كانَ ذا جَلَدِ

He who once endured patiently has spent the night weeping,

And he who once had fortitude has become distraught.

إِن أَسخَطِ الهَجرَ لا أَرجِع إِلى بَدَلٍ

مِنهُ وَإِن أَطلُبِ السُلوانَ لا أَجِدِ

If I resent estrangement, I turn to no substitute

For it; and if I seek consolation, I find none.

وَقَد تَجاذَبَني شَوقانِ عَن عَرَضٍ

مِن بَينِ مُطَّرَفٍ عِندي وَمُتَّلَدِ

And two yearnings have unexpectedly pulled me in opposite directions,

One newly acquired by me, the other long possessed.

لا عَيشُ وَجرَةَ يُنسي عَيشَ ذي سَلَمِ

وَلا هَوى القُربِ يُسلي عَن هَوى البُعُدِ

Life at Wajra does not make me forget life at Dhu Salam,

Nor does love close at hand console me for love far away.

تَنَصَّبَ البَرقُ مُختالاً فَقُلتُ لَهُ

لَو جُدتَ جودَ بَني يَزدادَ لَم تَزِدِ

The lightning rose up, swaggering, and I said to it:

Were you to give as the sons of Yazdad give, you could give no more.

الجاعِلينَ عَلى عِلّاتِ دَهرِهِمُ

كَرائِمَ المالِ في الإِنعامِ وَالصَفَدِ

Those who, despite the afflictions of their age, devote

The choicest wealth to benefactions and gifts.

فَلَستَ تَنفَكُّ مِن شُكرٍ وَمِن أَمَلٍ

مُكَرَّرَينِ بِيَومٍ مِنهُمُ وَغَدِ

So you never cease to feel gratitude and hope,

Both renewed by them, today and tomorrow.

تَيَمَّموا الخُطَّةَ المُثلى عَلى سَنَنٍ

لَم يَظلِموهُ وَباعوا الغَيَّ بِالرَشَدِ

They sought the best course along a straight path

From which they never strayed, and traded error for right guidance.

بَنو أَغَرَّ مِنَ الأَقوامِ شادَ لَهُم

مَجدَ الحَياةِ وَأَقناهُم عَلى الأَبَدِ

Sons of an illustrious man among the peoples, who built for them

The glory of life and endowed them with it forever.

يَقفونَ مِنهُ خِلالاً كُلُّها حَسَنٌ

إِن عُدِّدَت غادَرَت فَضلاً عَلى العَدَدِ

They follow his example in qualities that are all good,

Which, if counted, leave still more beyond the count.

وَما تَزالُ أَواخي المُلكِ ثابِتَةً

مِنهُم بِكُلِّ رَحيبِ الباعِ وَالبَلَدِ

And the tethering stakes of kingship remain firm,

Through each man among them, broad of reach and breast,

بِنُصحِ مُجتَهِدٍ صَحَّت عَزيمَتُهُ

أَو عَزمِ مُنجَرِدٍ أَو حَزمِ مُتَّئِدِ

Through the sincere counsel of a diligent man whose resolve is sound,

Or the resolve of one swift to act, or the prudence of one deliberate.

فَاللَهُ يَكلَأُ عَبدَ اللَهِ إِنَّ لَهُ

مَكارِماً مَن يُخَوَّل بَعضَها يَسُدِ

May God guard Abd Allah, for he possesses

Noble qualities: whoever is granted some of them becomes a lord.

بَحرٌ مَتى تُستَمَح أَمواجُ جَمَّتِهِ

تَفِض وَغَيثٌ مَتى ما يُستَجَد يَجُدِ

A sea: whenever the waves of its abundant waters are asked for bounty,

They overflow; and rain that gives whenever its bounty is sought.

تَفَرَّجَت حَلبَةُ الكُتّابِ حينَ جَرَوا

عَن سابِقٍ بِخِصالِ السَبقِ مُنفَرِدِ

The field of scribes parted as they raced,

To reveal a front-runner unrivaled in the qualities of victory.

إِن يُعمِلوا الجَورَ يَقصِد في تَصَرُّفِهِ

أَو يُسرِفوا في فُنونِ الأَمرِ يَقتَصِدِ

If they practice injustice, he acts equitably in his dealings;

Or if they go to excess in diverse affairs, he remains moderate.

أَدّى الأَمانَةَ لَم تَعجَز كِفايَتُهُ

عَنها وَلَم يَستَنِم فيها إِلى أَحَدِ

He fulfilled the trust; his competence never fell short

Of it, nor did he rely on anyone in its discharge.

مُشارِفاً لِأَقاصي الأَمرِ يَكلَأُها

بِرَأيِ مُحتَفِلٍ لِلأَمرِ مُحتَشِدِ

Surveying the farthest reaches of affairs, he guards them

With the judgment of one attentive to affairs, mustering all his powers.

إِنَّ السِياسَةَ قَد آلَت إِلى يَقِظٍ

مُوَفَّقٍ لِسَبيلِ الحَقِّ مُعتَمَدِ

Governance has indeed passed to a vigilant man,

Rightly guided to the path of truth and worthy of trust.

لَم يَرجُها بِأَكاذيبِ الظُنونِ وَلَم

يَمتُت إِلى نَيلِها إِذ مُتَّ مِن بُعُدِ

He did not hope for it through lying conjectures, nor

Did he plead ties to attain it when ties were pleaded from afar.

أَلفى أَباهُ عَلى نَهجٍ فَطاوَلَهُ

عَلى السَواءِ وَجاراهُ إِلى الأَمَدِ

He found his father on a path and rivaled him,

On equal terms, keeping pace with him to the finish.

بِمَذهَبٍ غَيرِ مَدخولٍ وَلا طَبِعٍ

وَنائِلٍ غَيرِ مَنزورٍ وَلا ثَمَدِ

With conduct neither flawed nor sullied,

And bounty neither scant nor a shallow pool.

تِلكَ الخِلافَةُ قَد دارَت عَلى قُطُبٍ

مِن رَأيِهِ الثَبتِ وَاِستَذرَت إِلى سَنَدِ

That caliphate has turned upon a pivot

Of his steadfast judgment, and sought the shelter of a buttress.

تُهابُ عَدوَتُهُ مِن دونِ حَوزَتِها

كَما تُهابُ وَتُخشى عَدوَةُ الأَسَدِ

His onslaught is feared before its precincts,

As the lion's onslaught is dreaded and feared.

يَرُدُّ أَيَّ يَدٍ مُدَّت لِتَنقُصَها

مَجذوذَةَ الزَندِ أَو مَهذوذَةَ العَضُدِ

He sends back any hand extended to diminish it,

Severed at the wrist or hewn off at the upper arm.

إِسلَم أَبا صالِحٍ لِلمَكرُماتِ فَقَد

أَحيَيتَها وَهيَ مِن مَوتٍ عَلى صَدَدِ

Live in safety, Abu Salih, for noble deeds; for

You revived them as they stood on the verge of death.

عَمَّت صَنائِعُكَ الراجينَ وَاِبتَعَثَت

آمالَ مَن لَم يَرُم سَعياً وَلَم يُرِدِ

Your benefactions have reached all who hope, and awakened

The hopes of those who had neither sought to strive nor wished to.

وَرَدَّ تَدبيرُكَ الدُنيا وَقَد صَلُحَت

عَفواً وَلَولاكَ لَم تَصلُح وَلَم تَكَدِ

And your governance restored the world, now set right,

Effortlessly; without you it would not have mended, nor come close.

ما في الخِلافَةِ مِن وَهيٍ فَيُجبِرَهُ

آسٍ وَلا في قَناةِ المُلكِ مِن أَوَدِ

There is no weakness in the caliphate to be mended

By a healer, nor any crookedness in the spear-shaft of kingship.

وَلا الكَواكِبُ في لَيلِ الرَبيعِ تَلَت

غَيثاً بِأَبهَجَ مِن أَيّامِكَ الجُدُدِ

Nor are the stars on a spring night, following

Rain, more delightful than your new days.