جمال الدين الأفغاني — Jawahiri

هَويِتَ لِنُصرةِ الحقّ السُهادا

فلولا الموتُ لم تُطِقِ الرُّقادا

You loved sleeplessness in the cause of truth.

But for death, you could never have borne sleep.

ولولا الموتُ لم تَتْرُكْ جِهاداً

فَلَلْتَ به الظغاةَ ولا جِلادا

And but for death, you would not have abandoned the struggle

with which you broke the tyrants, nor combat.

ولولا الموتُ لم تُفْرِحْ فُرادى

صعَقْتَهُمُ ، ولم تُحزِنْ سودا

And but for death, you would not have gladdened individuals

whom you struck down, nor saddened multitudes.

ولولا الموتُ لم يَذهبْ حريقٌ

بيانعةٍ وقد بَلَغتْ حَصادا

And but for death, no fire would have swept away

a ripened crop already ready for harvest.

وإنْ كانَ الحدادُ يَرُدُّ مَيتاً

وتَبلُغُ منه ثاكلةٌ مُرادا

And if mourning could bring back the dead,

and through it a bereaved mother attain her wish,

فانَّ الشَّرقَ بينَ غدٍ وأمسٍ

عليكَ بِذِلَّةٍ لبِسَ الحِدادا!

then the East, between tomorrow and yesterday,

has donned mourning for you in humiliation!

ترفَّعْ أيُّها النجم المُسَجَّى

وزِد في دارة الشَّرَفِ اتّقادا

Rise higher, O shrouded star,

and burn more brightly in the halo of honor.

ودُرْ بالفكر في خَلَدِ الليالي

وجُلْ في الكون رأياً مُستعادا

And circle with thought in the memory of the nights,

and roam the universe as an idea recalled.

وكُنْ بالصَّمتِ أبلغَ منك نُطْقاً

وأورى في مُحاجَجةٍ زِنادا

And be more eloquent in silence than you were in speech,

and strike brighter sparks from flint in argument.

فانَّ الموتَ أقصرُ قِيدَ باعٍ

بأنْ يَغتالَ فِكراً واعتقادا

For death is too short of reach

to murder thought and conviction.

جمالَ الدين ، يا رُوحاً عَليّاً

تنزَّلَ بالرسالة ثمَّ عادا

Jamal al-Din, O exalted spirit,

who descended with the message, then returned,

تجشَّمْتَ المهالكَ في عَسوفٍ

تجشَّمَهُ سواك فما استَقادا

you braved mortal perils on a harsh road

which others braved but could not follow:

طَريقِ الخالدينَ ، فمَنْ تَحامى

مصايرَهُمْ تَحاماه وحادا

the road of the immortals; whoever shuns

their destinies, it shuns him and turns away.

كثير الرُعْبِ بالأشلاء ، غطَّتْ

مَغاورَهُ الجماجِمُ والوِهادا

Full of terror amid severed limbs; covered

were its caves and valleys by skulls—

جماجِمُ رائِدي شَرَفٍ وحقٍّ

تهاوَوا في مَجاهلهِ ارتْيادا !

skulls of pioneers of honor and truth

who fell in its uncharted wilds while exploring!

وأشباحُ الضحايا في طواهُ

على السارينَ تحتشِد احتشادا!

And the ghosts of victims within its folds

crowd in throngs upon travelers by night!

وفوقَ طُروسه خُطَّتْ سُطورٌ

دمُ الأحرار كان لها مِدادا

And on its pages lines were inscribed;

the blood of the free was their ink.

شقَقْتَ فِجاجَهُ لم تخْشَ تَيْهاً

ومَذْئَبةً ، وليلاً ، وانُفرادا

You cut through its passes, fearing neither wandering astray

nor wolf-haunted wastes, nor night, nor solitude,

لأِنَّكَ حاملٌ ما لا يُوازي

بقُوَّتهِ : العقيدةَ والفؤادا!

because you bore what could not be equaled

in strength: conviction and the heart!

وتختلِفُ الدُروبُ وسالكوها

وغايتُها ، دُنوّاً وابتعادا

The paths differ, and those who travel them,

and their goal, in nearness and distance.

ويختلفُ البُناةُ ، ورُبَّ بانٍ

بَنى مِن فِكرةٍ صَرْحاً وشادا

The builders differ, and many a builder

built from an idea a lofty edifice and raised it.

وأنت ازْدَدْتَ من سُمٍّ زعافٍ

تَذَوَّقَهُ سَواك فما استزادا!

And you took more of a deadly poison

others tasted and asked for no more:

نضالِ المستبدِّ ، يَرى انكشافاً

عَمايتَه ، وعثرتَه سَدادا

the struggle against a tyrant who mistakes for insight

his blindness, and his stumbling for sound judgment.

إذأ استحلىَ غَوايتَه وأصغى

إلى المتزلّفِينَ له تمادى

When he savors his error and listens

to those who flatter him, he goes further astray.

خَشِيتَ اللهَ عن علمٍ ، وحقٌّ

إذا لم تَخشَ في الحقّ العبادا

You feared God with knowledge—and rightly,

when you feared no mortals in truth's cause.

وجَدْتَ اللذَّةَ الكُبرى فكانت

طريفَ الفِكرِ والهِمَمِ التِلادا

You found the greatest pleasure, and it was

fresh thought and long-inherited resolve,

وأعصاباً تَشُدُّ على الرَّزايا

إذا طاشَتْ وتَغلِبُها اتئادا

and nerves that braced against calamities

when they raged, and calmly overcame them.

ولمَّا كنتَ كالفجر انبلاجاً

" وكالعنقاء تكْبُرُ أنْ تُصادا"

And since you were like dawn in breaking forth,

and like the phoenix, too great to be caught,

مَشَيْتَ بقلبِ ذي لبَدٍ هَصورٍ

" تُعانِدُ من تُريدُ له العِنادا"

you walked with the heart of a fierce, maned lion,

defying whomever you wished to defy.

صليبَ العُودِ ، لم يَغمزْكَ خَوفٌ

ولم تَسهُلْ على التَرفِ انعقادا

Stout of fiber, you were never weakened by fear,

nor did your firmness yield easily to luxury.

ولم تَنزِلْ على أهواء طاغٍ

ولا عمَّا تُريدُ لمِا أرادا

You did not bow to a tyrant's whims,

nor forsake what you wanted for what he wanted.

ولم أرَ في الرجالِ كمُستَمِدٍّ

من الحقِّ اعتزازاً واعتدادا

Among men I have seen none like one who draws

pride and self-assurance from truth.

وكان مُعسكرانِ : الظُلمُ يَطغى

ومظلومٌ ، فلم تَقفِ الحيِادا

And there were two camps: rampant oppression

and the oppressed; you took no neutral stand.

ولم تحتجَّ أنَّ البَغْيَ جيشٌ

وأنَّ الزاحفينَ له فُرادي

You did not plead that tyranny was an army,

while those advancing against it were scattered individuals,

ولا أنَّ اللياليَ مُحرِجاتٌ

وأنَّ الدَّهَر خصمٌ لا يُعادى

nor that the nights were fraught with hardship,

and time an enemy no one could oppose,

و أنَّ الأمرَ مرهونٌ بوقتٍ

ينادي حينَ يأْزَفُ لا يُنادى

and that affairs were bound to a time

that calls when it draws near, but cannot be summoned.

مَعاذيرٌ بها ادَّرَعَتْ نُفوسٌ

ضعافٌ تَرهبُ الكُرَبَ الشِّدادا

Excuses with which souls armored themselves,

weak and afraid of grievous hardships,

تُريدُ المجدَ مُرتميا عليها

جَنىً غَضّاً تَلَقَّفُهُ ازدِرادا!

wanting glory to fling itself upon them,

as tender fruit to snatch and gulp down!

جمالَ الدينِ كنتَ وكانَ شَرقٌ

وكانتْ شِرعةٌ تَهَبُ الجْهادا

Jamal al-Din, you lived, and there was an East,

and a sacred law that bestowed holy struggle;

وكانت جَنَّةٌ في ظِلِّ سيفٍ

حَمَى الفَردُ الذِمارَ به وذادا

and Paradise lay in the shade of a sword,

with which a man guarded his honor and defended it;

وإيِمانٌ يقودُ الناسَ طَوعاً

إلى الغَمَراتِ فَتوىً واجتهادا

and faith that led the people with their willing consent

into perils, through religious rulings and independent judgment;

وناسٌ لا الحضارةُ دنَّسَتْهُمْ

ولا طالُوا مع الطَمَعِ امتِدادا

and people whom civilization had not sullied,

nor whose reach had lengthened with greed.

وكانت " عُروةٌ وُثْقَى " تُزَجَّى

لمنقَسِمينَ حُبّاً واتحادا

And a 'most steadfast bond' was offered

to divided people as love and unity.

ونيَّةُ ساسةٍ بَسُطَتْ فبانت

ووجْهُ سياسةٍ جلَّى وكادا

And politicians' intentions were laid bare and plain,

and policy's face stood revealed and schemed;

وحُكْمٌ كالدَّجى عُريانُ صافٍ

فلم يُنْكِرْ ، إذا انتَسبَ ، السَّوادا

and rule was naked and unmixed as darkness,

denying no blackness when it named its lineage.

ولم يُدخِلْ من الألوانِ ظّلاً

يلوذُ به انتقاصاً وازْديادا

It mixed in no shade from other colors

to hide behind as it lessened or increased.

دَجَا قَسْراً وسادَ ، وكان شَهماً

صريحاً أنَّه بالرُّغمِ سادا

It darkened by force and ruled, yet was gallant,

declaring frankly that it ruled through coercion.

وجِئتَ ورُفقة لك كالدَّراري

لِضُلاَّلٍ بغَيْهَبِه ، رشادا

And you came, with companions of yours like brilliant stars,

as guidance for the lost within its gloom.

تَصُدُّ عُبابَهُ وجهاً لوجهٍ

وتَزْحَمُهُ انْعكاساً وَاطَّرادا

You checked its surging tide face to face,

and pressed it hard, in retreat and advance.

جمالَ الدينِ كنتَ وكانَ عهدٌ

سُقيتَ لما صمَدْتَ له العِهادا

Jamal al-Din, you lived, and there was an era:

you were drenched with downpours when you stood against it.

نَما واشتطَّ واشتدَّتْ عُراه

وزادَ الصامدونَ لهُ اشتدادا

It grew, went to extremes, and its bonds grew tight,

while those resisting it grew more resolute.

مشَتْ خمسونَ بعدَك مرْخياتٍ

أعِنَّتَها ، هِجاناً لا جِياداً

Fifty years passed after you, slackening

their reins—white camels, not swift steeds—

محَّملةً وسُوقاً من فُجورٍ

وشامخةً كَمُحصَنةٍ تهادى

laden with loads of debauchery,

yet haughty, swaying like a chaste woman.

تحوَّرَتِ السياسةُ عن مَداها

إلى أنأى مدىً وأقلَّ زادا

Politics veered away from its course

to a farther reach, with less provision.

وباتَ الشرق ليلَتَه سَليماً

على حالينِ ما اختَلَفا مُفادا

And the East spent its night snake-bitten,

in two states that did not differ in outcome,

على حُكْمين من شَفعٍ وَوتْرٍ

عُصارةُ كلّ ذلك أن ْ يُسادا

under two forms of rule, paired and single;

the essence of all this was that it be ruled.

ولُطِّفَتِ الابادةُ ، فهو حُرٌّ

بأيِّ يَدٍ يُفَضِّلُ أنْ يُبادا!

And extermination was softened: it is free

to choose the hand by which it prefers to be exterminated!

ومُدَّتْ إصْبَعٌ لذويهِ فيهِ

فعاثَتْ فوقَ ما عاثُوا فَسادا!

And a finger of its own kin was stretched into it,

wreaking corruption beyond what they had wrought!

فكَمْ في الشَّرقِ من بَلدٍ جريحٍ

تشَكِّى لا الجروحَ بَلِ الضِّمادا!

How many a wounded country in the East

complained not of its wounds, but of its bandages!

تشَكَّى بَغيَ مُقتادٍ بغيضٍ

تأبَّى أنْ يُطاوعَه انقيادا

It complained of a loathsome driver's tyranny,

refusing to obey him submissively.

فكانتْ حِيَلةٌ أنْ يَمْتَطيهِ

رضيعُ لِبانه فبغى وزادا

So the trick was to have it mounted

by one suckled on its own milk, who tyrannized still more—

صَدىً للأجنبيّ ، ورُبَّ قَفْرٍ

أعادَ صدىً فَسُرَّ بما أعادا

an echo of the foreigner; many a wasteland

returned an echo, delighted by what it returned.

وكان أجلَّ من زُمَرٍ إذا ما

تجَّنى المُستَبيحُ ، بها تفادى

And it was nobler than cliques whom, whenever

the plunderer committed wrong, he used to shield himself.

فكانوا منه في العَوْراتِ سِتراً

وكانوا فوق جمرتهِ رمادا

They became a covering for his exposed places,

and ash above his glowing coal.

تروَّى من مطامعهِ وأبقى

لهم من سُؤر ما وَرَدَ ، الثمادا

He drank his fill of what he coveted, and left

them scant water from the remnants of his drinking.

وكان إذا تهضَّمهُ غريبٌ

أقامَ له القيامةَ والمعادا

And whenever a foreigner wronged it,

it raised Judgment Day and Resurrection against him.

فأسلَمَهُ الغريبُ إلى قَريبٌ

يسّخِرُهُ كما شاءَ اضطهادا

So the foreigner handed it over to a kinsman,

who pressed it into service as he pleased, oppressively.

وكان الأجنبيُّ وقد تَولَّى

زمام الأمرِ واغتَصَبَ البلادا

And the foreigner, having taken

the reins of power and usurped the land,

يرى أدنى الحُقوقِ لهمْ عليه

مُساغَ النقد والكلِم المُعادا

deemed the least of their rights against him

permission for criticism and repeated words.

فأضحوا يحسبونَ النقد فتحاً

لو اسطاعُوا لِما يَصِمُ انتِقادا

They came to count criticism a triumph,

if only they could criticize what brings disgrace.

فبئسَ مُنىً لمصفودٍ ذليلٍ

لَوَ انَّ يَديه لم تضَعا الصِفادا

Wretched are the wishes of an abject man in chains—

if only his own hands had not put on the fetters!

وبئسْ مَصيرُ مُفَترشينَ جمراً

تَمّنْيهم لو افترَشوا القَتادا!

And wretched is the fate of those bedded on live coals:

wishing they could lie upon thornbushes!

وكانوا كالزُّروعِ شََتْ مُحُولاً

فلمَّا استمْطرتْ مُطِرَتْ جرادا!

They were like crops lamenting droughts,

that begged for rain and were rained upon with locusts!