أطلعن في سدف الفروع شموسا — Ibn Alkhatib

أطْلَعْنَ في سُدُفِ الفُروعِ شُموساً

ضحِكَ الظّلامُ لَها وكانَ عَبوسا

They made suns rise amid the darkness of their tresses.

Darkness smiled at them, though it had been frowning.

وعطَفْنَ قُضْباً للقُدودِ نَواعِماً

بوِّئْنَ أدْواحَ النّعيمِ غُروسا

And they swayed supple boughs as their figures,

set as saplings among the spreading trees of bliss.

وعدَلنَ عنْ جهْرِ السّلامِ مخا

فَةَ الواشي فجِئْنَ بلَفْظِه مهْموسا

They turned from greeting aloud, for fear

of the talebearer, and offered their greeting in whispered words.

وسَفَرْنَ منْ دهَشِ الوَداعِ وقوْمُهُنْ

نَ الى التّرحُّلِ قدْ أناخُوا العِيسا

They unveiled in the bewilderment of farewell, while their people

had knelt the pale camels for departure.

وخلَسْنَ منْ خلَلِ الحِجالِ إشارةً

فترَكْنَ كلّ حِجىً لَها مخْلوسا

Through gaps in the curtained chambers they stole a gesture,

leaving every mind stolen away by it.

لمْ أنْسَها منْ وحْشَةٍ والحيُّ قدْ

زجَرَ الحُمولَ وآثَرَ التّغْليسا

I have not forgotten that desolation, when the tribe had

urged the laden camels onward and chosen a predawn departure.

لا المُلْتَقَى منْ بعْدِها كثِبٌ ولا

عُوجُ الرّكائِبِ تسْأمُ التّخْييسا

After it, no meeting-place is near, nor do

the bent-legged mounts tire of confinement.

فوقَفْتُ وِقْفَةَ هائِمٍ بُرَحاؤهُ

وُقِّفَتْ عليهِ وحُبِّسَتْ تحْبِيسا

So I stood as a distraught lover stands, whose agony

had been fixed upon him and held fast.

ودعَوْتُ عيْني عاتِباً وعُيونُها

بعَصا النّوى قدْ بُجِّسَتْ تَبْجيسا

I called to my eye in reproach, while its springs

had been made to gush by the staff of separation.

نافَسْتِ يا عَيْنَيّ درَّ دُموعِهِمْ

فعرَضْتِ دُرّاً للدّموعِ نَفِيسا

You competed, O my eyes, with the pearls of their tears,

and displayed precious pearls as tears.

ما لِلْحِمى بعْدَ الأحبّةِ مُوحِشاً

ولكَمْ تَراءَى آهِلاً مأنوسا

What ails the sanctuary, desolate after the beloveds,

though so often it appeared inhabited and familiar?

ولسِرْبِه حوْلَ الخَميلَةِ نافِراً

عمّنْ يُحسُّ بهِ وكانَ أنيسا

And its herd, skittish around the thicket,

fleeing whoever senses it, though once it was tame?

ولظِلّهِ المَوْرودِ غَمْرُ قَليبِه

لا يقْتَضي ورْداً ولا تعْريسا

And its frequented shade, with its well brimming,

inviting neither a watering visit nor a night's encampment?

حيّيْتُهُ فأجابَني رجْعُ الصّدى

لا فرْقَ بينَهُما إذا ما قِيسا

I greeted it, and the returning echo answered me;

the two were no different when compared.

ما إنْ يَزيدُ علَى الإعادَةِ صوْتُهُ

حرْفاً فَيَشْفي بالمَزيدِ نَسيسا

Its voice adds beyond repetition not even

a letter that might, with that addition, revive a fading breath.

نضَبَ المَعينُ وقُلِّصَ الظلُّ الذي

ظَلْنا وَقوفاً عندَهُ وجُلوسا

The spring ran dry, and the shade shrank away where

we once lingered, standing and sitting,

نَتواعَدُ الرّجْعَى ونغْتَنِمُ اللِّقَى

ونُديرُ منْ شكْوى الغَرامِ كُؤوسا

promising to return and seizing our meetings,

and passing cups filled with laments of love.

فإذا سألْتَ فَلا تُسائِلْ مُخْبِراً

وإذا سمِعْتَ فلا تُحِسّ حَسيسا

So if you ask, do not question an informant;

and if you listen, expect not the faintest sound.

عهْدي بهِ والدّهْرُ يُتْحِفُ بالمُنى

وقدِ اقْتَضَتْ نُعْماهُ أن لا بُوسا

I remember it when time bestowed our wishes,

and its blessings required that no misery exist,

والعيشُ غضّ الرّبْعِ والدُنْيا قد

اجْتُليَتْ بمَعْناهُ عليّ عَروسا

when life's dwelling was fresh, and the world had

been unveiled before me, in its essence, as a bride.

أتُرَى يُعيدُ الدّهْرُ عهْداً للصِّبا

درَسَتْ مَغاني الأنْسِ فيه دُروسا

Will time, I wonder, restore an age of youth

whose haunts of fellowship have utterly vanished?

أوْطانُ أوْطارٍ تعوّضَ أفقُها

منْ روْنَقِ البِشْر البَهيّ عَبوسا

Homelands of cherished wishes, whose horizon exchanged

the radiance of splendid joy for a frown.

هيْهاتَ لا تُغْني لعلّ ولا عَسى

في مثلِها إلا لآيةِ عِيسى

Far from it! Neither 'perhaps' nor 'maybe' avails

in such a thing, save through a miracle of Jesus.

والدّهرُ في دسْتِ القَضاءِ مدرِّسٌ

فإذا قضَى يستأنِفُ التّدْريسا

Time is a teacher upon the dais of judgment;

when it has judged, it begins its teaching anew.

تفْتَنُّ في جُمَلِ الوَرى أبْحاثُهُ

لاسيّما في بابِ نِعْمَ وَبِيسا

Its inquiries range through all humankind,

especially in the chapter of 'How excellent!' and 'How evil!'

وسَجيّةِ الإنسانِ ليسَ بناصِلٍ

منْ صِبْغِها حتّى يُرَى مرْموسا

And as for human nature, none can shed

its dye until he is seen buried.

يغْتَرُّ مهْما ساعدَتْ آمالُهُ

فإذا عراهُ الخطْبُ كانَ بَؤوسا

He grows deluded whenever his hopes prosper;

when calamity befalls him, he turns miserable.

فلَوَ انّ نفْساً مُكِّنَتْ من رُشْدِها

يوْماً وقدّسَها الهُدَى تَقْديسا

If only a soul were granted sound judgment

one day, and guidance thoroughly purified it,

لمْ تستَفِزّ رُسوخَها النّعْمى ولا

هلَعَتْ إذا كشَرَتْ إليْها البُوسا

prosperity would not unsettle its steadfastness, nor would it

panic when misery bared its teeth at it.

قُلْ للزّمانِ إليْكَ عنْ متذمِّمٍ

بضَمانِ عِزّ لمْ يكُنْ ليَخِيسا

Say to time: 'Keep away from one sheltered

by a pledge of glory that will never break.'

فإذا استحرَّ جِلادُهُ فأنا الذي

استَغْشَيْتُ منْ سَرْدِ اليَقينِ لَبوسا

When its combat grows fierce, I am the one who

has clad himself in armor woven from certainty.

وإذا طَغَى فِرْعَوْنُهُ فأنا الذي

منْ ضُرِّهِ وأذاهُ عُذْتُ بموسَى

And when its Pharaoh grows tyrannical, I am the one who

has sought refuge with Musa from his harm and torment.

أنا ذا أبو مَثْواهُ مَن يحْمي الحِمَى

لَيْثاً ويُعْلِمُ بالزّئِيرِ الخيسا

Here I am, one whose host guards the sanctuary,

a lion who marks his thicket with his roar.

بحِمَى أبي حَمّو حطَطْتُ رَكائِبي

لمّا اختَبرْتُ اللّيْثَ والعِرّيسا

In Abu Hammu's sanctuary I set down my mounts,

after testing both the lion and his lair.

أسَدُ الهَياجِ إذا خَطا قُدُماً سَطا

فيُخلِّفُ الأسَدَ الهِزَبْرَ فَريسا

A lion of battle: when he strides forward, he pounces,

leaving the mighty lion itself as prey.

بدْرُ الهُدَى يأبَى الضّلالَ ضياؤُهُ

أبداً فيَجْلو الظّلْمَةَ الحِنْديسا

A full moon of guidance, whose light refuses error

forever, and dispels the pitch-black darkness.

جبَلُ الوَقارِ رَسا وأشْرَقَ واعْتَلَى

وسَما فطأطأتِ الجِبالُ رُؤوسا

A mountain of dignity, firm, radiant, and lofty,

rising until the mountains bowed their heads.

غيْثُ النّوالِ إذا الغَمامُ حَلوبَةٌ

مثَلَتْ بأيْدي الحالِبينَ بَسوسا

A downpour of bounty when the clouds are a milch camel,

standing in the milkers' hands, needing coaxing.

تَلْقاهُ يومَ الأنْسِ رَوْضاً ناعِماً

وتَراهُ بأساً في الهِياجِ بَئِيسا

You meet him on a day of fellowship as a luxuriant garden,

and see him in battle as formidable might.

كمْ غَمْرَةٍ جلَّى وكمْ خطْبٍ كَفَى

إنْ أوْطَأ الجُرْدَ العِتاقَ وَطيسا

How many a crisis he dispelled, how many a calamity he averted,

when he made sleek, noble horses tread the furnace of battle!

كم حِكْمَةٍ أبْدَى وكمْ قَصْدٍ هَدَى

للسّالِكينَ أبانَ منْهُ دَريسا

How much wisdom he disclosed, how many a course he guided,

making its worn traces clear to those who travel!

أعْلَى بَني زيّانَ والفَذُّ الذي

لبِسَ الكَمالَ فزيّنَ المَلبوسا

The loftiest of the Banu Zayyan, the peerless one who

donned perfection and adorned the garment itself.

جمَعَ النّدى والبأسَ والشّيمَ العُلا

والسّؤدَدَ المُتواتِرَ القُدْموسا

He united generosity, valor, and noble qualities,

with ancient lordship inherited in unbroken succession.

والحِلْمُ ليسَ يُبايِنُ الخُلُقَ الرِّضَى

والعِلْمُ ليسَ يُعارضُ النّاموسا

His forbearance does not depart from gracious character,

nor does his knowledge oppose divine law.

والسّعْدُ يُغْني حُكمُهُ عن نصْبَةٍ

تسْتَخْبِرُ التّرْبيعَ والتّسْديسا

Good fortune's decree dispenses with a chart

that queries the square and sextile.

كمْ راضَ صعْباً لا يُراضُ مُعاصِياً

كمْ خاضَ حرْباً لا تُخاضُ ضَروسا

How many a recalcitrant, untamable difficulty he subdued!

How many a biting war, impossible to brave, he braved!

بلغَ التي لا فوْقها مُتمَهِّلاً

وعَلا السُّها واسْتَسْفَلَ البَرْجيسا

He reached, unhurried, the height above which nothing stands,

surpassed Suha, and deemed Jupiter low.

يا خيْرَ منْ خفَقَتْ علَيْهِ سَحابةً

للنّصْرِ تُمْطِرُهُ أجشَّ بَجيسا

O best of those above whom a cloud has fluttered,

a cloud of victory, pouring upon him with roaring torrents!

وأجَلّ مَنْ حملَتْهُ صهْوَةُ سابِحٍ

إنْ كرّ ضعْضَعَ كرُّهُ الكُرْدوسا

And noblest of those borne on the back of a swift steed,

whose charge, when he attacks, shatters the massed battalion!

قَسَماً بمَنْ رفَعَ السّماءَ بغيْرِ ما

عمَدٍ ورفّعَ فوقَها إدْريسا

I swear by Him who raised heaven without

pillars, and raised Idris above it,

ودَحا البَسيطَةَ فوْقَ لُجٍّ مُزْبِدٍ

ما إنْ يَزالُ علَى القَرارِ حَبيسا

and spread the earth above a foaming sea

that remains confined upon its bed,

حتّى يُهيبَ بأهْلِهِ الوعْدُ الذي

حشَرَ الرّئيسَ إليْهِ والمرؤوسا

until that promised summons calls its inhabitants,

gathering ruler and ruled before it:

ما أنْتَ إلا ذُخْرُ دهْرِكَ دُمْتَ في الصْ

صَوْنِ الحَريزِ ممَنَّعاً محْروسا

You are nothing less than the treasure of your age; may you remain in

secure protection, invulnerable and guarded.

لوْ ساوَمَتْهُ الأرضُ فيكَ بِما حوَتْ

لرآكَ مُسْتاماً بِها مبْخوسا

If the earth bargained with your age for you, offering all it contained,

it would find you, priced at the whole earth, undervalued.

حلَفَ البَرورُ بِها الِيَّةَ صادِقٍ

ويَمينُ مَنْ عقَدَ اليَمينَ غَموسا

A righteous man swore it with a truthful oath,

yet the oath of one who swears is a sin-plunging oath.

مَنْ قاسَ ذاتَكِ بالذّواتِ فإنّهُ

جهِلَ الوِزانَ وأخْطأ التّقْييسا

Whoever compares your person with other persons

knows nothing of weighing and errs in comparison.

لا تسْتَوي الأعْيانُ فضْلَ مزيّةٍ

وطَبيعةً فطرَ الإلاهُ وَسُوسا

Individuals are not equal in surpassing merit,

nor in their God-fashioned nature and native disposition.

لعِنايَةِ التّخْصيصِ سرٌّ غامضٌ

منْ قبْلِ ذَرْءِ الخَلْقِ خصَّ نُفوسا

The care that singles out has a hidden secret,

choosing souls before creation was brought forth.

مَنْ أنْكَرَ الفَضْلَ الذي أوتيتَهُ

جحَدَ العِيانَ وأنْكَرَ المحبوسا

Whoever denies the excellence bestowed upon you

rejects what is plainly seen and denies what is confined.

مَنْ دانَ بالإخْلاصِ فيكَ فعَقْدُهُ

لا يَقْبَلُ التّمويهَ والتّلْبيسا

Whoever professes sincere loyalty to you has a bond

that admits neither disguise nor deception.

والمُنْتَمَى العلَويُّ عيصُكَ لم تكُنْ

لتُرَى دَخيلاً في بَنيهِ دَسيسا

Your stock is of Alawi descent; you could not

be seen among its sons as an alien slipped in.

بيْتُ البَتولِ ومُنْتَمى الشّرَفِ الذي

تَحْمي الملائِكُ دوْحَهُ المَغْروسا

The house of al-Batul, the lineage of honor whose

planted tree the angels guard.

أمّا سياستُكَ التي أحْكَمْتَها

فرمَيْتَ بالتّقْصيرِ أسْطالِيسا

As for the statecraft you perfected,

you accused Aristotle of falling short.

فلَو أنّ كسْرَى الفُرْسِ أبصرَ بعْضَها

ما كان يطْمَعُ أن يُعَدَّ سَؤوسا

Had Khosrow of Persia seen even part of it,

he would not have hoped to be counted a skilled ruler.

لوْ سارَ عدْلُك في السّنين لما اشْتَكَتْ

بَخْساً ولمْ يكُ بعضُهُنّ كَبيسا

Had your justice passed among the years, they would not have complained

of deficiency, nor would any of them have been intercalary.

ولَوِ الجواري الخُنّسُ انْتسَبَتْ الى

أقْوامِ عزْمِكَ ما خَنَسْنَ خُنوسا

Had the moving stars that retreat claimed affiliation with

the hosts of your resolve, they would never have retreated.

قُدْتَ الصِّعابَ فكُلُّ صعْبٍ سامِحٌ

لكَ بالقِيادِ وكان قبْلُ شَموسا

You led the unruly; every difficult one yields

its reins to you, though once it shied away.

تَلْقَى اللّيوثَ وللقَتامِ غَمامةً

قدَحَ الصّفيحُ وميضَها المَقْبوسا

You face lions, while the dust has a cloud

whose kindled flashes the broad blades strike.

وكأنّها تحْتَ الذّروعِ أراقِمٌ

ينْظُرْنَ منْ خلَلِ المَغافِرِ شُوسا

As though beneath their armor they were speckled serpents,

glaring fiercely through gaps in their helmets.

ما لابْنِ مامَةَ في القَديمِ وحاتِمٍ

ضرَبَ الزّمانُ بجودِهِمْ ناقُوسا

What claim have Ibn Mama of old and Hatim,

whose generosity time heralded with a bell?

مَنْ جاءَ منْهُمْ مثْلَ جودِكَ كلّما

حسَبوا المَكارِمَ كُسْوَةً أوْ كِيسا

Which of them brought generosity like yours, when all

they reckoned as noble gifts was a garment or a purse?

أنتَ الذي افْتَكّ السّفينَ وأهْلَه

إذْ أوسِعَتْ سُبُلُ الخَلاصِ طُموسا

You are the one who redeemed the ship and its people

when every way of escape had been utterly obscured.

أنتَ الذي أمْدَدْتَ ثغْرَ اللهِ باصْ

صَدَقاتِ تُبْلِسُ كَرّةً إبْليسا

You are the one who reinforced God's frontier with

alms that once again drive Iblis to despair.

وأعَنْتَ أنْدَلُساً بكلِّ سَبيكةٍ

موسومَةٍ لا تعرِفُ التّدْليسا

And you aided al-Andalus with every ingot,

stamped and knowing no adulteration.

وشحَنتَهُ بالبُرِّ في سُبُلِ الرِّضا

والبِرُّ قارَبَ قاعُها القامُوسا

And you loaded it with wheat along the paths of divine favor,

and, through benevolence, its hull nearly reached the ocean's depths.

إنْ لم تجرَّ بِها الخَميسَ فطالَما

جهّزْتَ فيها للنّوالِ خَميسا

Though you did not bring an army aboard it, how often

you equipped within it an army of bounty!

وملأتَ أيْديها وقدْ كادَتْ علَى

حُكْمِ القَضاءِ تُشافِهُ التّفْليسا

And you filled its hands, when it had nearly, by

fate's decree, come face to face with bankruptcy.

صدّقْتَ للآمالِ صَنْعَةَ جابِرٍ

وكفَيْتَها التّشْميعَ والتّشْميسا

You made Jabir's art come true for hopes,

sparing them waxing and exposure to the sun,

والحَلَّ والتّقْطيرَ والتّصْعيدَ والتْ

تَخْميرَ والتّصْويلَ والتّكليسا

dissolution, distillation, sublimation, and

fermentation, levigation, and calcination.

فسَكَبْتَ منْ آمالِها مالاً ومنْ

أوْراقِها ورَقاً وكُنّ طُروسا

You poured wealth from their hopes, and from

their papers, silver—though they had been mere sheets.

بُهِتوا فلمّا استُنْجِزوا لمْ يُنْكِروا

وزْناً ولا لوْناً ولا مَلْموسا

They were astonished; when asked to deliver, they found no fault

in weight, color, or feel.

وتُديرُ منْ قلْبِ السّطورِ سَبائِكاً

منْها ومِنْ طبْعِ الحُروفِ فُلوسا

And you produce ingots from the heart of written lines,

and coins from them and from the stamping of letters.

ونَحَوْتَ نحْوَ الفضْلِ تعْضِدُ منْ

هُ بالمَسْموعِ ما ألفَيْتَ منْهُ مَقيسا

And you followed excellence's course, reinforcing in

it, with attested usage, what you found established by analogy.

وجبَرْتَ بعْدَ الكَسْرِ قومَكَ جاهِداً

تُغْني العَديمَ وتطْلِقُ المَحْبوسا

And after their breaking, you diligently restored your people,

enriching the destitute and freeing the imprisoned.

ونشَرْتَ رايَةَ عزِّهم منْ بعْدِما

دالَ الزّمانُ فسامَها تنْكيسا

And you unfurled the banner of their glory after

time had turned against it and forced it downward.

أحْكَمْتَ حِيلَةَ بُرْئِهِمْ بلَطافَةٍ

قدْ أعْجَزَتْ في الطِّبِّ جالِينوسا

You perfected the means of healing them with a subtlety

that baffled Galen in medicine.

وفَلَلْتَ منْ حدِّ الزّمانِ وإنّهُ

أوْحى وأمْضى منْ غِرارِ المُوسَى

And you blunted time's edge, though it is

swifter and sharper than a razor's blade.

وشحَذْتَ حدّاً كان قبْلُ مثَلّماً

ونعَشْتَ جَدّاً كانَ قبْلُ تعيسا

And you sharpened an edge that had once been notched,

and revived a fortune that had once been wretched.

لمْ ترْجُ إلا اللهَ جلّ جَلالُهُ

في شِدّةٍ تُكْفَى وجُرْحٍ يوسَى

You hoped for none but God—exalted be His majesty—

in distress to be averted and a wound to be treated.

قدّمْتَ صُبْحاً فاسْتضأتَ بنورِهِ

ووجَدْتَ عنْدَ الشِّدّةِ التّنْفيسا

You sent a dawn ahead, then took light from its radiance,

and found relief in the hour of hardship.

ما أنتَ إلا فاتحٌ مُتيقِّنٌ

بالنّجْحِ تَعْمرُ مُمْرِعاً ويَبيسا

You are nothing less than a conqueror certain

of success, making fertile ground and dry land flourish.

ومُناجِزٌ جعلَ الأريكةَ صهْوَةً

عرَبيّةً والمُتّكا القَرْبوسا

And a warrior who made his couch the back

of an Arabian steed, and his cushion the saddle-bow.

ما إنْ تُبايِعُ أو تُشارِي واثِقاً

بالرّبْحِ إلا المالِكَ القُدّوسا

You neither sell nor buy, trusting

in profit, with anyone but the Sovereign, the All-Holy.

والعَزْمُ يفْترعُ النّجومَ بناؤهُ

مهْما أقامَ علَى التُّقى تأسيسا

Resolve's building rises above the stars

whenever it lays its foundation upon piety.

ومَقامُ صبرِكَ واتّكالِكَ مُذْكِرٌ

بحَديثِهِ الشَّبْليَّ أو طاوُوسا

Your station of patience and reliance recalls,

in its account, al-Shibli or Tawus.

ومنِ ارْتَضاهُ اللهُ وفّقَ سعْيَهُ

فرأى العظيمَ منَ الحُظوظِ خَسيسا

Whomever God approves, He grants success in striving,

so that he deems the greatest fortunes paltry.

ما ازْدَدْتَ بالتّمْحيصِ إلا جدّةً

ونضَوْتَ منْ خِلَعِ الزّمانِ لَبيسا

Through testing, you gained nothing but renewal,

and shed a worn garment from time's robes.

ولَطالَما طرَقَ الخُسوفُ أهِلّةً

ولَطالَما اعْترَضَ الكُسوفُ شُموسا

How often lunar eclipses have visited crescents,

and solar eclipses have intercepted suns!

ثُمَّ انجَلَت قَسَماتها عن مَشرِقٍ

للسّعْدِ ليْسَ يُحاذِرُ التتْعِيسا

Then their faces cleared, revealing a dawning

of good fortune that fears no misfortune.

خُذْها إليْكَ علَى النّوى سينيّةً

تُرْضي الطِّباقَ وتشْكرُ التّجْنيسا

Take it from afar: a poem rhymed in sin,

delighting in antithesis and grateful for wordplay.

إنْ طووِلَتْ بالدُرِّ منْ حوْلِ الطُلا

يوْماً تشكّتْ حظَّها المَوْكوسا

If it were compared with pearls around necks

one day, it would lament its undervalued share.

لوْلاكَ ما أصْغَتْ لخِطْبَةِ خاطِبٍ

ولَعُنِّسَتْ في بيْتِها تعْنيسا

Were it not for you, it would not have listened to a suitor's proposal,

and would have remained an old maid in its house.

قصَدَتْ سُلَيْمانَ الزّمانِ وقارَبَتْ

في الخَطْوِ تحْسِبُ نفْسَها بِلْقيسا

It sought the Solomon of the age, and shortened

its steps, imagining itself Bilqis.

لي فِيكَ ودٌّ لمْ أكُنْ منْ بعْدِ ما

أعطَيْتُ صفْقَةَ عهْدِهِ لأخيسا

I bear you an affection that I would never, after

pledging its covenant with a handclasp, betray.

كمْ لي بصحّةِ عقْدِهِ منْ شاهِدٍ

لا يحْذَرُ التّجْريحَ والتّدْليسا

How many witnesses I have to the soundness of its bond,

fearing neither discredit nor concealment!

يقْفو الشّادةَ باليَمينِ وإنّهُ

لمؤمَّنٌ منْ أنْ يُعَدَّ فَسيسا

It follows the testimony with an oath, and it

is assured against being deemed weak.

لا يسْتقِرُّ قَرارُ أفْكاري إلى

أنْ أستَقِرَّ لَدى عُلاكَ جَليسا

My thoughts find no settled rest until

I settle beside your eminence as a companion.

وأرى تُجاهَكَ مُستَقيمَ السّير للْ

قَصْدِ الذي أعْمَلْتُه معْكوسا

And I see a straight course toward you, against the

aim I had pursued, as a reversal.

هيَ دَيْنُ أيّامي فإنْ سمَحَتْ به

لمْ يبْقَ منْ شيءٍ عليْهِ يوسَى

It is a debt my days owe me; if they grant it,

nothing will remain to be lamented.

لازالَ صُنْعُ اللهِ مجْنوباً الى

مثْواكَ يُهْدي البِشْرَ والتّأنِيسا

May God's beneficence ever be led toward

your abode, bringing joy and reassurance,

مُتَتابِعاً كتَتابُعِ الأيّامِ لا

يَذَرُ التّعاقُبَ جُمْعَةً وخَميسا

unceasing, like the succession of days, never

forsaking its alternation of Friday and Thursday.

فلوِ انْصَفَتْكَ إيالَةُ المُلْكِ الذي

رُضْتَ الزّمانَ لَها وكان شَريسا

If the realm you govern dealt fairly with you—the kingdom for which

you tamed time when it was fierce—

قُرِنَتْ بذِكْرِكَ والدُعاءُ لكَ الذي

تَخْتارُهُ التّسبيحَ والتّقْديسا

your remembrance, and the prayer for you which

you choose, would be joined to glorification and sanctification.

القَلْبُ أنتَ لَها رئيسُ حَياتِها

لم تُعْتَبَرْ مهْما صلَحْتَ رَئيسا

You are its heart, the sovereign of its life;

yet while you remain sound, you are not counted a chief.