هل من رسول مخبر — Bashar Ibn Burd

هَل مِن رَسولٍ مُخبِرٍ

عَنّي جَميعَ العَرَبِ

Is there a messenger to tell

all the Arabs on my behalf,

مَن كانَ حَيّاً مِنهُمُ

وَمَن ثَوى في التُرُبِ

those among them who are living

and those who lie in the dust,

بِأَنَّني ذو حَسَبٍ

عالٍ عَلى ذي الحَسَبِ

that I am of noble lineage,

exalted above the noble-born?

جَدّي الَّذي أَسمو بِهِ

كِسرى وَساسانُ أَبي

My forefather, through whom I rise,

is Khosrow, and Sasan is my father;

وَقَيصَرٌ خالي إِذا

عَدَدتُ يَوماً نَسَبي

and Caesar is my maternal uncle when

one day I reckon my lineage.

كَم لي وَكَم لي مِن أَبٍ

بِتاجِهِ مُعتَصِبِ

How many, how many forefathers I have,

each with his crown bound about his head,

أَشوَسَ في مَجلِسِهِ

يُجثى لَهُ بِالرُكَبِ

fierce-eyed in his court,

before whom knees are bent.

يَغدو إِلى مَجلِسِهِ

في الجَوهَرِ المُلتَهِبِ

He goes forth to his court

in blazing jewels,

مُستَفضِلٌ في فَنَكٍ

وَقائِمٌ في الحُجُبِ

loosely robed in fannak fur,

and standing behind the curtains.

يَسعى الهَبانيقُ لَهُ

بِآنِياتِ الذَهَبِ

The servants hurry for him

with vessels of gold.

لَم يُسقَ أَقطابَ سِقىً

يَشرَبُها في العُلَبِ

He was not served mixed milk from waterskins

to drink from wooden bowls.

وَلا حَدا قَطُّ أَبي

خَلفَ بَعيرٍ جَرِبِ

Nor did my father ever sing to drive camels

behind a mangy camel;

وَلا أَتى حَنظَلَةً

يَثقُبُها مِن سَغَبِ

nor did he go to a colocynth,

piercing it out of hunger;

وَلا أَتى عُرفُطَةً

يَخبِطُها بِالخَشَبِ

nor did he go to a gum-acacia tree,

beating it with sticks;

وَلا شَوَينا وَرَلاً

مُنَضنِضاً بِالذَنَبِ

nor did we roast a monitor lizard

with its tail twitching.

وَلا تَقَصَّعتُ وَلا

أَكَلتُ ضَبَّ الحِزَبِ

Nor have I dug into burrows, nor

eaten the spiny-tailed lizard of rugged ground.

وَلا اِصطَلى قَطُّ أَبي

مُفَحِّجاً لِلَّهَبِ

Nor did my father ever warm himself

with legs spread toward the flames.

وَلَم بايدَ نَسِياً

وَلا هَوى لِلنُصُبِ

Nor did he barter on credit (uncertain reading),

or bow before idols.

كَلّا وَلا كانَ أَبي

يَركَبُ شَرجَي قَتَبِ

No indeed; nor was my father one to

ride astride a camel's pack-saddle.

إِنّا مُلوكٌ لَم نَزَل

في سالِفاتِ الحِقَبِ

We are kings, and have remained so

through the ages long past.

نَحنُ جَلَبنا الخَيلَ مِن

بَلخٍ بِغَيرِ الكَذِبِ

We brought the horses from

Balkh—without a lie—

حَتّى سَقَيناها وَما

نَبدَهُ نَهرَي حَلَبِ

until we watered them, without

taking Aleppo's two rivers by surprise.

حَتّى إِذا ما دَوَّخَت

بِالشامِ أَرضَ الصُلُبِ

Until, when they had subdued

in Syria the land of crosses,

سِرنا إِلى مِصرَ بِها

في جَحفَلٍ ذي لَجَبِ

we marched to Egypt with them

in a great, clamorous army,

حَتّى اِستَلَبنا مُلكَها

بِمُلكِنا المُستَلَبِ

until we seized its kingdom

in return for our own stolen kingdom.

وَجادَت الخَيلُ بِنا

طَنجَةَ ذاتَ العَجَبِ

And the horses sped with us to

Tangier, full of wonders,

حَتّى رَدَدنا المُلكَ في

أَهلِ النَبِيِّ العَرَبي

until we restored sovereignty to

the family of the Arabian Prophet,

يَهزَ أَبا الفَضلِ بِها

أَولى قُرَيشٍ بِالنَبي

rousing Abu al-Fadl thereby,

the closest of Quraysh to the Prophet.

مَن ذا الَّذي عادى الهُدى

وَالدينَ لَم يُستَلَبِ

Who is it that opposed guidance

and religion, yet was not despoiled?

وَمَن وَمَن عانَدَهُ

أَو جارَ لَم يُنتَهَبِ

And who—and who—defied him

or acted unjustly, yet was not plundered?

نَغضَبُ لِلَّهِ وَلِل

إِسلامِ أَسرى الغَضَبِ

We grow angry for God and for

Islam, captives of anger.

أَنا اِبنُ فَرعَي فارِسٍ

عَنها المُحامي العَصِبِ

I am the son of Persia's two branches,

her stalwart defender.

نَحنُ ذَوو التيجانِ وَال

مُلكِ الأَشَمِّ الأَغلَبِ

We possess crowns and

lofty, all-conquering dominion.