سمعاوطوعا للإمام — Maawali Omani

سمعاًوطوعاً للإما

مِ اليعربى المقتدرْ

Hearing and obedience to the Imam,

the mighty Yaʿrubi,

سيف بن سلطان بن

سيفٍ ذِى المعالِى والقُدَرْ

Sayf, son of Sultan, son of

Sayf, possessor of lofty honors and power.

فهُوَ الإمام ابن الإما

م ابن الهمامِ المنتصِرْ

For he is the Imam, son of the Imam,

son of the victorious noble hero,

وابنُ الجحاجحةِ الذ

ين وجوههم مثلُ الغررْ

and son of the great chiefs whose

faces are like white forehead-blazes;

أهلُ الفضائل والوسا

ئل والرسائل والسيَرْ

men of virtues and means,

of letters and histories;

وذوُو الموائد والفوا

ئد والفرائد والبِدَرْ

and possessors of banquets and benefits,

of rare gems and purses of money.

وهمُ الغطارفةُ الأُلى

سادُوا بِسَيْبٍ مُنهمرْ

They are the noble lords who

ruled through overflowing generosity.

هذا الإمامُ إمامُ عد

ل بالمآثر يشتهرْ

This Imam is an Imam of justice,

renowned for glorious deeds.

لا يستبدُّ برأْيه

فهو الحليمُ أخو بَصرْ

He does not insist on his own opinion;

for he is forbearing, a man of insight.

وإذا أرادَ إرادةً

في الخلق شاورَ من حضَرْ

And when he forms an intention

concerning the people, he consults those present.

قد بثَّ عدلَ اللَّهِ في

الآفاقِ طرَّا فاشتهرْ

He has spread God's justice throughout

all the horizons, and become renowned.

عمَّ البسيطةَ عدلُه

كالشمس نوراً والقسرْ

His justice has embraced the whole earth,

like the sun in radiance and force.

كمْ قد عفا عمّن جنَى

الذنبَ العظيمَ وكم غفرْ

How often he has pardoned one who committed

a grievous sin; how often he has forgiven!

يا أيُّها الرجلُ ابتدِرْ

واسمعْ نصيحةَ معْتبرْ

O man, hasten,

and hear the counsel of one who takes heed.

أوصيكمُ لا تركبُوا

عصيانَ سيدِنا الأبرُّ

I counsel you: do not embark upon

disobedience to our most righteous lord.

منُ كان يعقلُ فليُصِخْ

لنصيحتى كىْ يَعْتبرْ

Whoever has reason, let him listen

to my counsel, that he may take heed,

ويَعُدُّ عصيانَ الإمامِ

البرّ من إحْدى الكبرْ

and count disobedience to the Imam—

the righteous—as one of the gravest sins.

ذاك ابنُ سلطان بن سيف

من عصاهُ لقد كَفَرْ

That is the son of Sultan ibn Sayf;

whoever disobeys him has indeed disbelieved.

إن الذي يعصى الإما

م فقد أتى شيئا نُكُرْ

Indeed, whoever disobeys the Imam

has committed a monstrous thing.

هذا الذى قد غرَّه

من دَهْرِه ما قد غبرْ

This is the man deceived

by what has passed of his lifetime.

فليعتبرْ مَن كان ذَا

عقلٍ يقيسُ وذَا بصرْ

Let anyone take heed who possesses

a reasoning mind and insight.

كن عاقلا ومميزاً

ذَا فطنةٍ وأخَا فِكَرْ

Be rational and discerning,

possessed of acumen and reflection.

والعقلُ يردعُ أهلَه

وذوُو الجنون على خَطرْ

And reason restrains its possessors,

while the mad are in danger.

هذا الإمامُ لكمْ نَذ

يرٌ مِن عذابٍ مستعِرْ

This Imam is a warner to you

against blazing torment.

فارجُوه واستمِعُوا له

فيما نَهاكُمْ أو أمرْ

So place your hopes in him and listen to him

in what he has forbidden you or commanded.

فهو النذيرُ لكمْ فَعُوا

وأظنها تغنى النذرْ

He is your warner, so understand;

and I think it renders warnings unnecessary.

أو لم يروهم يَجْمعُو

ن مِن البوادِى والحضَرْ

And have they not seen them gathering

from the deserts and the towns?

حضرُوا جميعاً في ذُرَى

نَزْوى وكلٌّ مُنتِظر

They all assembled upon the heights of

Nizwa, each one waiting,

في مَوقف ضنكِ المسالِك

عبرةٌ للمزْدَجَر

in a place with constricted paths—

a lesson for one who takes warning.

فتحيَّروا طرّاً إلى

أَنْ قيل كَلاَّ لاَ وَزَرْ

They were all bewildered until

it was said, 'No indeed! There is no refuge.'

وتراهُمُ في جَمعهم

مثلَ الجرادِ المُنتِشرْ

And you see them in their gathering

like scattered locusts.

هُمْ مُهْطِعُونَ إلى المليكِ

السيد البطل الأبرّْ

They hasten toward the king,

the lord, the hero, the most righteous.

يتخافتُون كأنهم

يتسابقُون إلى الصدَرْ

They whisper among themselves, as though

racing to the forefront.

ويقولُ أَوْسطهم مَتى

يقضَى لنا هذا الوَطَر

The most moderate of them says, 'When

will this wish of ours be fulfilled?'

يَدْعون ربهمُ كثيراً

بالأصائِل والبُكَر

They call upon their Lord often,

in the late afternoons and early mornings.

فكأنهم يوم القيا

مةِ لا نجاةَ ولا مفَرّْ

It is as though they were on the Day of Resurrection,

with neither salvation nor escape.

كلٌّ يرَى أن ليس يس

تبقَى وينتظرُ الخبَر

Each thinks that he will not

be spared, and awaits the news.

لَنْ يدفعُوا عن بعِضهم

شيئاً إذا أمرٌ عسَرْ

They will not ward off from one another

anything, if a matter becomes difficult.

لا تنكرُوا منه إذا

جمع الخلائق وانتظَرْ

Do not disapprove of him when

he gathers the people and waits.

يا أيُّها العقلاءُ لاَ

تَعْصُوه فيما قد أمَر

O rational men, do not

disobey him in what he has commanded.

ومن النصيحةِ أخلِصُوا

نِيَّاتكم فيما جَبَرْ

And as a matter of sincere counsel, purify

your intentions concerning what he has imposed.

وتغَيرتْ خُلق الرجا

لِ وكلُّ خلق قد أُمِرْ

And the dispositions of men have changed,

and every creature has been commanded.

وتلوَّنتْ ألوانهم

وَأُرٍيق في الصفْوِ الكدَر

Their colors have shifted,

and murk has been poured into clarity.

واشتدّ ظُلم الظالمينَ

على البريّةِ واشْتهر

The oppressors' oppression grew severe

against the people, and became notorious.

فتدارَك الخلقَ الإما

مُ بعون رب مُقْتَدِر

Then the Imam came to the people's aid,

with help from an almighty Lord.

نَجَّاهُم من وَرْطَةٍ

وَوَقاهُمُ مِن كلِّ شرّ

He saved them from a predicament

and protected them from every evil.

تَاهَتْ عمانُ به فعدْ

لُ اللَّهِ في الأرض انتشَر

Oman gloried in him; thus the justice

of God spread across the earth.

فهو الحسام المُعتضَى

وهو الشجاع المُبتدَر

For he is the unsheathed cutting sword,

and he is the valiant one they rush to confront,

مثل الشهاب إذا انْبرَى

أو كالحريق المستعِر

like a shooting star when he springs forth,

or like a blazing fire.

كيف الخلاصُ إذا بَدا

أو هزّ صارِمَه الذَّكَر

How can one escape when he appears,

or brandishes his hard-tempered blade?

أو مَن يعيبُ بجهله

سلطان عدل إن قَهرْ

Or who, in his ignorance, faults

a ruler of justice when he subdues,

إلا قليل العقل مِن

هذى الخلائق والبشَر

except one of little reason among

these created beings and humankind?

فافتحْ جُفونَك يا فتًى

وَدَع الحماقة واعْتبرْ

So open your eyelids, young man,

leave folly behind, and take heed.

ستراهُمُ عما قليلٍ

في المضيق المُحتقَر

Before long you will see them

in a cramped, despised place.

دَعْنى أطيلُ مَدائحى

فيه وصوبٌ مَنْ عَذَر

Let me prolong my praises

of him; whoever excuses me is right.

فالجيدُ يَزْهُو بالقلا

ئِد واللآلى والدرَر

For the neck is splendid with necklaces,

pearls, and precious pearls.

مدحُ الإمام شفاعةٌ

تُرْجَى ليومٍ لا مَفر

Praise of the Imam is an intercession

hoped for on a day with no escape.

قال النبىّ تعلّموا

الشعرَ السنىَّ المُزدَهِر

The Prophet said, 'Learn

splendid, flourishing poetry.'

فالشعرُ فيه حكمةٌ

وفصاحةٌ لِمن اعتبرْ

For poetry contains wisdom

and eloquence for whoever takes heed.

دُمْ يا إمامَ المسلمينَ

موفقاً طول العُمُر

Remain, O Imam of the Muslims,

granted success throughout your life,

ما لاحَ برقٌ أَوْ هَمَى

وَدْقُ السحائبِ وانهمَر

as long as lightning flashes, or down pours

the rain of clouds in torrents;

أو حنَّ مُشتاقٌ إلى

الأوطانِ مِن طول السفر

or one who yearns pines for

homelands after long travel;

أو لاعبتْ ريحُ الصَّبَا

غصن النقَا وقْتَ السحر

or the east wind plays with

a branch on the sand dune in the predawn hour;

أو ناحَ طيرٌ بالضحى

مِن فوق أغصانِ الشجرْ

or a bird laments in the forenoon

from above the branches of the trees;

أو تمَّ بدرٌ بالدجَى

أو لاحَ صبحٌ وانفْجَر

or a moon grows full in the darkness,

or dawn appears and breaks.

هذا من العَبْدِ الذي

بمديحِه كى يَفْتخر

This is from the servant who

through praising him, seeks to take pride,

ما لاحَ برقٌ بالدجى

أو نَاحَ طيرٌ بالشجر

as long as lightning flashes in the darkness

or a bird laments among the trees.