بشرى بوعد لنصر الدين مرقوب — Ibn Farkoun

بُشْرى بوعْدٍ لنصْرِ الدين مرقوبِ

أتى به مُلْكُ يَعقوبَ بْنِ يعقوبِ

Glad tidings of an awaited promise of victory for the faith,

Brought by the kingship of Yaqub son of Yaqub.

ولّيْتَهُ المُلْكَ والأعْداءُ راغِمَةٌ

ومُلْكُها بين مغْلوبٍ ومَسْلوبِ

You vested him with kingship while the enemies were humbled;

And their dominion lies between defeat and dispossession.

وهَبْتَهُ العزَّ فارْتاعَتْ لمَقْدَمِهِ

فمُلْكُهُ بينَ موْهوبٍ ومرْهوبِ

You bestowed glory on him, and they trembled at his arrival;

Thus his kingship is both bestowed and feared.

أنَلْتَهُ من نَدى كفّيْكَ صيّبةً

تَجودُهُ بينَ تشْريقٍ وتغْريبِ

You granted him a downpour from the bounty of your hands,

Showering him on journeys east and west.

كثّرتَ سائِلَهُ إذ جُدتَ ماحِلَهُ

فروْضُهُ بين مَطْلولٍ ومطْلوبِ

You swelled his streams when you watered his parched ground;

So his garden is both dew-moistened and sought after.

شرعْتَ بابَ النّدى للقاصدينِ فكمْ

من مُوردٍ بيْنَ مشْروعٍ ومشْروبِ

You opened generosity's gate to seekers—how many

A watering place is opened, its waters drunk!

مَكارِمٌ ردّدَ الرُكْبانُ حيثُ سَرَوْا

حديثَها بينَ إدْلاجٍ وتأويبِ

Noble deeds—the riders, wherever they traveled by night, repeated

Their tale, through journeys by night and by day.

يتلونَ من حمدِها ذِكْراً مُردَّدُهُ

راقَ النُهى بين ترتيلٍ وترْتيبِ

They recite, in their praise, a tribute whose refrain

Delights discerning minds with measured recitation and ordered phrasing.

كم ألسُنٍ ردّدَتْ من قبْلِ وجْهَتِهِ

حديثَهُ بينَ ترْغيبٍ وترْهيبِ

How many tongues repeated, before his departure,

His tale, between encouragement and intimidation.

تومي وتُفْصِحُ بالأمْرِ الذي اعتقدَتْ

والسّرُّ ما بينَ مكْتومٍ ومكْتوبِ

They hint and speak plainly of what they believed,

While the secret lies between concealment and writing.

فتهْتَدي منهُمْ الأفكارُ نازعةً

لقَصْدِها بينَ تحقيقٍ وتغْليبِ

So thoughts take guidance from them, striving

Toward their aim, between verification and judgments of likelihood.

حتى أزَلْتَ وللأبْصارِ تبْصِرَةٌ

بمخبَر الصّدقِ أخْبارَ الأكاذيبِ

Until you dispelled—giving eyes clearer vision—

Through truth made manifest, the reports of lies.

أرْسَلتَ سابقَ حزمٍ غيرَ متّئِدٍ

هزَزْتَ صارِمَ عزْمٍ غيرَ مقْروبِ

You loosed a swift steed of prudence, not slow-paced;

You brandished a keen sword of resolve, unsheathed.

فلا يَروعُ حُسامٌ غيرُ مُنصَلتٍ

ولا يَروقُ سِنانٌ غيرُ مَخْضوبِ

For no sword strikes terror unless drawn,

Nor does a spearhead delight unless blood-stained.

هَذي مَرينٌ وأشْياخُ القبائِلِ قدْ

شكَتْ بما نالَها من طولِ تَثْريبِ

Here are Marin and the elders of the tribes; they have

Complained of what befell them through prolonged reproach.

أهْدَتْ لبابِكَ من أبْنائِها زُمَراً

قُلوبُها هدأتْ من بعدِ تَقْليبِ

They sent groups of their sons as gifts to your gate;

Their hearts grew calm after turmoil.

أفعالُ موْلىً غَدا كِسْرى بمَن لهُمُ

قدِ انتَمى بين مَغْلولٍ ومغْلوبِ

A lord's deeds: Kisra has become, with those to whom

He traced his lineage, either fettered or defeated.

مَنْ لم يقِسْ ببني نصرٍ مُلوكَ هُدىً

ما نورُ شمْسِ الحِجى عنهُ بمحْجوبِ

Whoever does not compare rightly guided kings with the Banu Nasr,

From him the light of reason's sun is not veiled.

كم دافعَ الخطْبَ منهُم من وَليِّ ندىً

طلقِ المحيّا إلى العَلْياءِ مخْطوبِ

How many a patron of bounty among them has warded off calamity,

Cheerful of countenance, courted for the heights of glory.

إن استقلّتْ ببذْلِ الجودِ راحَتُهُ

للقاصدينَ استقلتْ كُلَّ موْهوبِ

If his palm undertakes to bestow bounty,

On those who seek him, it deems every gift too small.

حَمى الحقيقةَ منهُ أرْوَعٌ بطَلٌ

راعَ العِدى فحِماهُ غيرُ مَقْروبِ

A splendid hero in him defended honor;

He terrified the foes; his protected domain is unapproachable.

كمْ معْتدٍ بعْدَ نصْرِ الأولياءِ غَدا

خِيامُهُ بيْنَ تقْويضٍ وتطْنيبِ

How many an aggressor, after the allies' victory, found

His tents now struck, now pitched.

كمْ فَعْلةٍ آثروها قبْلَ أن نطَقوا

وموْعِدٍ أنْجَزوهُ غيْر مَضْروبِ

How many a deed they chose to do before they spoke,

And a promise they fulfilled without a date being fixed.

لا كالذي لمْ يَفُهْ يوماً بمكْرُمةٍ

ولم يعِدْ قطُّ إلا وعْدَ عُرْقوبِ

Not like one who never spoke of a noble deed,

And never made a promise except the promise of Urqub.

ولا كيعْقوبَ إذ طالتْ خِلافَتُهُ

بما استحقّتْهُ من فرْضٍ وتعْصيبِ

Nor like Yaqub, when his caliphate lasted long,

Through its rightful fixed share and agnatic inheritance.

أنهَجْتَهُ سُبْلَ آباءٍ لهُ درَجوا

حتّى استقلّ بأمْرٍ غيرِ مغْصوبِ

You guided him along the paths of his departed forefathers,

Until he took sole charge of a rule not usurped.

هل في مُلوكِ الوَرى أسْمى وأشْرَفُ منْ

ملْكٍ لما نالَ منْ نعْماكَ مَنْسوبِ

Among the world's kings, is any loftier or nobler than

A king linked to the blessings he received from you?

وهذه نسبةٌ أغْنَتْهُ رِفْعَتُها

عن شُهْرةِ اسْمٍ وإفصاحٍ بتلقيبِ

And this affiliation's loftiness has freed him

From needing a famous name or an expressly proclaimed title.

أرْكَبتَهُ البحْرَ قصْداً أن تُبلِّغَهُ

من صهْوةِ المُلْكِ أسْنى كلّ مرْكوبِ

You made him embark upon the sea, intending to bring him

To kingship's saddle—the loftiest mount of all.

والريحُ بالسُفْنِ قد جدّتْ كما لعِبَتْ

أيْدي السُرى وسَطَ البيداءِ بالنّيبِ

And the wind drove the ships swiftly onward, just as

Night travel's hands toyed with aged she-camels amid the desert.

تعْلو وتنحَطّ حيثُ الهوجُ تمنحُها

قصْدَ الصّوابِ لتصْعيدٍ وتصويبِ

They rise and fall as the violent winds grant them

The right course through ascent and descent.

كأنّها الجُرْدُ لا تلوي أعنَّتها

إلا إلى خبَبٍ في إثْرِ تقْريبِ

They seem like sleek steeds, never turning their reins

Except to a trot in the wake of a canter.

في السِّلْمِ تختالُ كالخيْلِ العِرابِ وفي

حرْبِ الأعاجِمِ تأتي بالأعاجيبِ

In peace they prance like purebred Arab horses, and in

War against non-Arabs they bring marvels.

كأنّ خافقَةَ الأعلامِ ما رُفِعَتْ

إلا على علَمٍ في البحرِ منصوبِ

As though the fluttering banners had never been raised

Except upon a mountain planted in the sea.

وكم جيادٍ إذا جالتْ نَمَيْتَ إلى

جمْرٍ أمامَ هُبوبِ الريحِ مشْبوبِ

And how many fine steeds, when they wheeled, you likened to

Embers kindled before the blowing wind.

جلَبْنَ كُلّ كميٍّ للجِهادِ وقدْ

أحْرَزْنَ حُسْنَ شِياتٍ غيْرَ مَجْلوبِ

They brought every armored warrior to holy war, and

Possessed beautiful markings, not brought from elsewhere.

هذا وقد جاءَ عيدُ الفِطْرِ يشكُرُ ما

أوْلَيْتَ وافِدَهُ من فضلِ موْهوبِ

All this, and Eid al-Fitr has come, giving thanks for what

You bestowed upon its envoy from freely granted bounty.

وكان من قبْلُ شهْرُ الصّومِ مُلتمساً

لديْكَ رتْبةَ تقْريظٍ وتقريبِ

And before it, the month of fasting had sought

With you a rank of praise and favor.

كم صُمْتَ واليومُ قد شُبّتْ هواجِرُهُ

وقُمْتَ والليلُ مسْدولُ الجَلابيبِ

How often you fasted while the day's midday heats blazed,

And stood in prayer while night had drawn down its robes.

واللهُ قد ضاعفَ الأجْرَ الجزيلَ بما

ألمّ من ألَمٍ في اللّوحِ مكْتوبِ

And God has multiplied the abundant reward for what

Befell you of pain, inscribed upon the Tablet.

خُذْها مجدّدةً عهْدَ الشّبابِ وقدْ

أغْنى مديحُكَ عنْ وصفٍ وتَشْبيبِ

Take it, renewing the days of youth, for

Praise of you has made description and love verse needless.

فمَدْحُ موْلايَ قد راقَ النّظامُ بما

إحْسانُهُ زادهُ من حُسْنِ تهْذيبِ

Thus, in my lord's praise, the verse has grown lovely through what

His beneficence has added to it of graceful refinement.

كذلك الرّوضُ إن مرّ النسيمُ به

زَها بما نالَهُ من نفحةِ الطّيبِ

So too the garden, when the breeze passes through it,

Grows radiant with the breath of perfume that reaches it.

لازلْتَ تستقبلُ العُمْرَ الجَديدَ وما

يمرُّ منهُ عَطاءٌ غيرُ محْسوبِ

May you ever greet life anew, and whatever

Passes of it be a gift beyond reckoning.