تصدت لوشك البين من جفوة الصد — Ibn Darray Alqastalli

تَصَدَّتْ لِوَشْكِ البَيْنِ من جَفْوَةِ الصَدِّ

وحَلَّتْ قناعَ الصَبْر عن زفرة الوجْدِ

She came forth from rejection's coldness as parting drew near,

And loosened patience's veil from a sigh of longing.

وألقتْ إلى حُكمِ الأَسى عِزَّةَ الأُسا

فَنَمَّ بما تُخْفي تُبارِيحُ مَا تُبْدِي

And yielded the strength of solace to sorrow's rule;

So the agonies she showed betrayed what she concealed.

وأسْفَرَ رَيْبُ السُّخْطِ عن صادِقِ الرِّضا

ولاح هِلالُ الوصلِ من مَغْربِ الصَّدِّ

And doubtful displeasure revealed sincere acceptance,

And union's crescent gleamed from rejection's sunset.

فوشكانَ مَا لَفَّتْ قضيباً بقاضِبٍ

وأدْنَتْ نِجادَ السَّيْفِ من مَسْلَكِ العِقْدِ

How swiftly she entwined a bough with a cutting blade,

And brought the sword's baldric close to the necklace's strand.

وَهبَّ غليلُ الشَّجْوِ فِي غَلَلِ اللَّمىَ

وسالَ جُمانُ الخَدِّ فِي يانِعِ الوَرْدِ

And sorrow's burning thirst stirred in the stream of dusky lips,

And the cheek's pearls flowed amid roses in full bloom.

فَجَرَّعتُ حَرَّ الشَوْقِ من بَرَدِ الحَيا

وزَوَّدْتُ مُرّ الصَّابِ من ذائِبِ الشَهْدِ

So I gave her longing's heat to drink from rain's hail,

And provisioned her with bitter spurge from molten honey.

وقالتْ وتَوْديعُ التَفَرُّقِ قَدْ هَفا

بِصَدرٍ إلى صدرٍ وخَدٍّ إلى خَدِّ

And she said, as parting's farewell drew

Breast to breast and cheek to cheek:

عَسى قُرْبُ مَا بَيْنَ الجوانِحِ فَأْلَنا

لِمَجنى ثِمارِ القُرْبِ من شَجَرِ البُعْدِ

May the nearness of what lies within our ribs be our omen

For harvesting the fruits of nearness from the trees of distance.

فسَبْقاً إلى ذي السَّابِقاتِ برِحْلَةٍ

تَلُوحُ بنَجمِ العِلْمِ فِي مَطْلَعِ السَّعْدِ

So hasten on a journey to the lord of foremost deeds,

Shining with knowledge's star where good fortune rises.

إلى الحِمْيَريِّ العامريِّ الَّذي بِهِ

غَدَتْ حُرْمَةُ التَأميلِ وارِيَةَ الزَّنْدِ

To al-Himyari, al-Amiri, through whom

Hope's sacred claim came to strike sparks from its fire-stick.

إلى مَلِكٍ مِلْءِ الرَغائِبِ والمُنى

وملْءِ نِجادِ السّيْفِ والدِّرْعِ والبُرْدِ

To a king who fills desires and wishes,

And fills the sword's baldric, the armor, and the mantle;

ومِلْءِ مَكَرِّ الخيلِ فِي حَوْمَةٍ الوغى

وملْءِ رداءِ الحِلمِ فِي مَشْهَدِ الحمدِ

And fills the horses' charging-ground in the heart of battle,

And fills forbearance's robe in the assembly of praise;

وَ مُؤْتمَنٍ للهِ مُسْتَحْفَظٍ لَهُ

لما ضاعَ من حقٍّ وَمَا خاسَ من عَهْدِ

And a trustee for God, charged to safeguard for Him

Whatever right was lost and whatever covenant was broken.

تَجَلَّى لَنا فِي مَطْلعِ المُلكِ فَانْجَلَتْ

بِهِ ظُلُماتُ الغَيِّ فِي سُبُلِ الرُّشْدِ

He shone upon us at kingship's dawn; thus were dispelled

Through him the darkness of error on the paths of right guidance.

فأعْلقَ سيفَ النصر فِي عاتِقِ العُلاَ

وأثْبَتَ تاجَ المُلْكِ فِي مَفْرِقِ المجدِ

So he hung victory's sword upon eminence's shoulder,

And fixed kingship's crown upon glory's head.

وأشْرَقَ فِي جَوٍّ من العِزِّ مُعْتَلٍ

وأغْدَقَ من ظِلٍّ عَلَى الأرضِ مُمتَدِّ

And shone in the lofty firmament of might,

And poured abundance from a shade spread across the earth.

ولاقى وْجوهَ الراغبينَ كأنَّما

أمانِيُّهُم يُصْبِحَنَ مْنهُ عَلَى وعْدِ

And met the faces of petitioners as though

Their wishes awoke to a promise from him.

ونادَى خُطوبَ الدَّهْرِ بَرَّحْتِ فَاقْصِري

وثَوَّبَ بالآمالِ أبْرَحتِ فامْتَدِّي

And called to time's calamities: You have tormented; desist!

And cried to hopes: You have done wonders; reach onward!

إلى رَوْحِ إنعامٍ يُراحُ إلى المُنى

ولُجَّةِ معروفٍ تُهِلُّ إلى الوِرْدِ

Toward bounty's refreshment, where one is borne toward wishes,

And a deep sea of kindness beckoning one to drink.

تُرَاثُكَ عن جَدٍّ وجَدٍّ بِهَدْيِهِمْ

تَناهى بِكَ الدُّنْيا إِلَى أَسْعَدِ الجَدِّ

Your inheritance from grandsire after grandsire; by their guidance

The world has reached through you the happiest fortune.

فحسبُكَ من نفسٍ وكافِيكَ من أبٍ

وشَرْعُكَ من عَمٍّ وناهِيكَ من جَدِّ

You yourself suffice, and your father is sufficient,

Your uncle is ample, and your grandsire more than enough.

بِهِمْ مُدَّ بَحْرُ الدِّينِ فِي كُلِّ بلدةٍ

وهُمْ تركوا بَحْرَ الأعادي بلا مَدِّ

Through them religion's sea swelled in every town,

And they left the enemies' sea without a tide.

وهُمْ عَمَرُوا الأيَّامَ من ساكِنِ الهُدى

وأخْلَوا غِياضَ الشِّركِ من ساكِنِ الأُسْدِ

And they peopled the days with dwellers in guidance,

And emptied polytheism's thickets of their resident lions.

وهُمْ جَرَّدُوا أسياف دِينِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وخَلَّوا سيوفَ النَاكِثينَ بلا حَدِّ

And they unsheathed the swords of Muhammad's faith,

And left the oath-breakers' swords without an edge.

وهُمْ سَلبُوا كِسْرى وقَيْصَراً

وحَلَّوْكَ تاجَ المُلكِ فَرْداً بلا نِدِّ

And they despoiled Kisra and Caesar,

And adorned you with kingship's crown, unique and without a peer.

دعائِمُ سُلْطَانٍ وأرْكانُ عِزَّةٍ

بِهَا وَشَجَتْ قُربى تميمٍ من الأزدِ

Pillars of sovereignty and cornerstones of might,

Through them Tamim's kinship intertwined with al-Azd.

وما حَفِظُوا أعلامها ونِظامَها

بِمِثْلِكَ من مولىً ومِثلِيَ من عَبْدِ

And they have upheld its banners and order with none

Like you as master, or me as servant,

بما شدْتَ فِيهَا من سَناءٍ ومِنْ سَناً

ورَاقَ عليها من ثَنائي ومِنْ حَمدي

Through the eminence and radiance you have raised within it,

And the praise and thanks of mine that shone upon it.

فما جَلَتِ الدنيا عَروسَ رِياسَةٍ

لِمُلْكِهِمُ إلّا وَفِي صَدْرِها عِقدي

So never has the world unveiled a bride of leadership

For their kingship without my necklace upon her breast.

ولا جاشَتِ الآفاقُ من طِيبِ ذِكرِهِمْ

بِجَيشِ ثناً إلّا وَفِي وسْطِهُ بَندي

Nor have the horizons surged, from their sweet renown,

With an army of praise without my banner in its midst.

بما بَسَطوا لي أيْدِياً مَلَّكَتْ يَدِي

أعِنَّةَ أعنْاقِ المُسَوَّمَةِ الجُرْدِ

For the hands they extended to me, placing in my hand

The reins of the necks of marked, sleek steeds;

وما مَهَّدُوا لي من فِراشِ كَرَامَةٍ

وَمَا أتْبعُوني من لِواءٍ ومن جُنْدِ

And the bed of honor they prepared for me,

And the banner and troops they assigned to follow me.

وكم جَلّلُوني نِعْمَةً قَدْ جَلَوْتُها

عَلَى غابِرِ الأزمانِ فِي حُلَّةِ الخُلدِ

And how many a favor they clothed me in, which I have displayed

Across the ages to come, in immortality's robe.

فإنْ تَمْتَثِلْها مِنْهُمُ فيَّ فَذَّةً

فَكَمْ حُزْتُها مِنْهُمْ عِدَاءً بلا عَدِّ

So if you emulate one of their favors toward me,

How often I have won such favors from them, in succession beyond count!

وإن تَحْبُنيها عَنْ تَناهِيكَ فِي النُّهى

فقِدْماً حَبانِيها أبوكَ مِنَ المَهْدِ

And if you grant it to me from your utmost wisdom,

Long ago your father granted it to me, from the cradle.

وإن عَمَّ أهْلَ الأرضِ فَيْضُ نَدَاكُمُ

فإنِّيَ قَدْ بَرَّزْتُ فِي شُكْرِكُمْ وَحْدِي

And if your bounty's flood embraces the people of earth,

Then I alone have excelled in giving you thanks.

بَدائِعُ أضْحَتْ فِيكُمُ آلَ يَعرُبٍ

أوَائِلَ مَا قَبْلي وآخِرَ مَا بَعْدِي

Wondrous verses about you, O House of Ya'rub, have become

The first of all before me, and the last of all after me.

وما بُعْدُ عهدي عَنَكَ يُنسِي عُهُودَهُمُ

إليكَ بحقِّي من وفائِكَ بالعَهدِ

Nor does my long absence from you erase their charges

To you concerning my due, because you keep faith with the pledge.

ولا نأيُ دارِي عَنْكَ يُبْلي وَسائِلاً

جَلِيٌّ بِهَا قُرْبي وَفيٌّ بِهَا بُعْدِي

Nor does my home's distance from you wear out the bonds

Through which my nearness is plain and my remoteness faithful.

فَلا أخْطأت أسْيافُكُمْ سَيْفَ مُعْتَدٍ

ولا خَذَلَتْ أيْدِيكُمُ ظَنَّ مُعْتَدِّ

So may your swords never miss an aggressor's sword,

Nor may your hands betray the hopes of one who trusts in you.

ولا زَالَتِ الأيامُ تُشْرِقُ مِنْكُمُ

كَمَا أشْرَقَ الإحسانُ من عِنْدِكُم عِنْدِي

And may the days never cease to shine from you,

Just as kindness from you has shone upon me.