Sol 6.1

  1. برقٌ بِهِ أفقُ الرجاءِ أنارا

    فَهَدى أماني يَعتِسفن حيارى

    A lightning flash made hope's horizon shine,

    and guided wishes wandering blindly, bewildered.

  2. أَورى لِيروي كلّ صادٍ ودقهُ

    جوداً ويثلجُ غلّةً وأوارا

    It flared so its rain might quench every thirsty soul,

    generously, and cool burning thirst and scorching heat.

  3. أَكرم به برقاً كست أنوارهُ

    نورَ المنى غبّ الذويِّ نضارا

    How noble that lightning! Its lights clothed

    hope's blossoms in freshness after their withering.

  4. ما اِرتدّ طَرفي عن مخيلةِ ومضهِ

    حتّى تدفّق صوبه مِدرارا

    My gaze had not turned from the rain-cloud of its flash

    before its rain streamed down in torrents.

  5. فَاليومَ أكرعُ مِن غيوضِ حياضهِ

    وَأُديرُ كاساتِ الرجاء كبارا

    Today I drink deep from the waters of his pools,

    and pass round great goblets of hope.

  6. يا أيّها المرتادُ مثلي مخفقاً

    لم يقضِ مِن أوطانهِ الأوطارا

    O seeker, unsuccessful like me,

    who has not gained his wishes from his own lands,

  7. خَبّر بَني الآمال عنّي أنّني

    أَصبحتُ مِن جورِ الزمان مجارا

    tell the children of hope on my behalf that I

    have found protection from the tyranny of time.

  8. يمّمتُ أعذبَ مورد ينفي الظما

    وَأعزّ ملجا لائذاً أنصارا

    I made for the sweetest watering place, which banishes thirst,

    and, seeking shelter, the refuge with the strongest defenders.

  9. أَنزلت آمالي بهِ فتطاوَلَت

    تيهاً وَكانت قبل ذاك قصارا

    I lodged my hopes with him, and they rose high

    in pride, though before that they had been low.

  10. فليزوِ هذا الدهرُ عنّي صرفه

    فَلَكم سُقيتُ بِه المرار مرارا

    Let this age turn its vicissitudes away from me,

    for how often through it I have been made to drink bitterness!

  11. أَيقنتُ أنّي مُدركٌ أملي وإن

    عهدَ الورى جرح الزمان جبارا

    I became certain I would attain my hope, although

    people have known time's wound to go uncompensated.

  12. وَخبَرت منكرَ هزّتي طرباً ولم

    أَظفر بِقولي كلّ آتٍ صارا

    I encountered one who denied my joyous stirring, and did not

    prevail with my saying, 'Whatever is coming has come.'

  13. إِن يغدُ وَعدٌ مِن كريم خلّبا

    لَم يعدُ برقُ أبي الفدا إمطارا

    Should a generous man's promise prove rainless lightning,

    Abu al-Fida's lightning has never failed to bring rain.

  14. أَثنى الإله على النبيّ سميّه

    بِالصدقِ في وعدٍ ثنى معطارا

    God praised the prophet who is his namesake

    for truthfulness in promise, with fragrant praise.

  15. فَلهُ من الإسم المبارك حلية

    تَكسوهُ مِن ذاكَ الثناء شعارا

    From the blessed name he has an adornment

    that clothes him in a mantle of that praise.

  16. ما مِثلُ إِسماعيل إلّا سيّدٌ

    يَهبُ الجزيلَ ويدفع الآصارا

    Only a lord can equal Isma'il,

    one who bestows lavish gifts and lifts burdens,

  17. المُكتَسي بردَ الثناءِ مسهّماً

    بِحلاهُ مجرورَ الذيولِ فَخارا

    clad in praise's cloak, arrow-patterned

    with his adornments, its hems trailing in pride,

  18. وَالمُرتقي أوجَ السيادةِ ناشئاً

    وَالمسترقُّ بِفضلهِ الأحرارا

    who reached the summit of lordship while young

    and through his bounty enslaves free men.

  19. للّه في خضراءِ تونس دولةٌ

    رَفَعت بِمولانا المشير منارا

    What a realm God has in verdant Tunis,

    which raised a beacon through our lord the marshal!

  20. مهما أجلتَ الطرفَ في أركانِها

    عايَنتَ أَطواداً رَسَت وبحارا

    Wherever you turn your gaze among its pillars,

    you behold firmly rooted mountains and seas,

  21. مِن كلّ أَروعَ تَمتلي الأسماع وال

    أَلحاظُ منهُ حكمة ووقارا

    each imposing man filling the ears and

    eyes with wisdom and dignity.

  22. هَذا وزيرُ الختمِ مِنهم قد غدا

    عُنوانها وَأمينها المُختارا

    This minister of the seal, one of them, has become

    its emblem and its chosen trustee.

  23. يمّمهُ وَاِجهد في يمينكَ مُقسِماً

    أَن سَوف تمتلئُ اليمين يسارا

    Make for him, and swear a solemn oath

    that your right hand shall be filled with riches.

  24. وَاِشهد بمرأى منكَ فيه مخابراً

    كانَت بِصحبكِ للألى أَخبارا

    And witness with your own eyes his inner qualities,

    which your companions had known only as reports of earlier men.

  25. تَجدُ اِمرءاً للّه يخلص سعيهُ

    وَاللّه يَرغبُ جهرةً وسِرارا

    You will find a man who devotes his efforts to God

    and seeks God openly and in secret.

  26. قَد ملأ الإيمانُ نوراً صدرهُ

    فَرأى الوجودَ وما حواه معارا

    Faith has filled his breast with light,

    so he saw existence and all it holds as a loan.

  27. فَتراهُ لا يَلوي إِلى غيرِ التقى

    وَالجدّ عطفَي أَصغَريه نفارا

    You see him turn toward nothing but piety

    and diligence, his heart and tongue recoiling from all else.

  28. خارَ التواضع والتجمّل حلّةً

    وَاللينَ برداً والعَفاف إزارا

    He chose humility and graciousness as a robe,

    gentleness as a cloak, and chastity as a waistcloth,

  29. وَالحقّ نهجاً وَالشريعةَ هادياً

    وَالحزمَ عضباً وَالحجى خطّارا

    truth as a path, the sacred law as a guide,

    resolve as a sharp sword, and reason as a quivering spear.

  30. أَلِفَ المروءة ناشئاً فَحَرٍ بهِ

    أَن يحمدَ الإيراد وَالإصدارا

    He embraced chivalry in youth, and so deserves

    to have his undertakings and their completion praised.

  31. مُستبضعاً نصحَ المشيرِ تجارةً

    عندَ المهيمنِ لا تُسام بَوارا

    Investing loyal counsel to the marshal as merchandise

    with the All-Protecting One, never exposed to ruin.

  32. فهيَ الّتي أَضحت لصادقِ جدّهِ

    قطباً وللتأميلِ منه مدارا

    That has become, for his sincere striving,

    the axis, and the orbit of hopes placed in him.

  33. لَم يثنِ عنها للتكاثرِ عزمهُ

    يَوماً وَلَم يَستوطئ الأعذارا

    He never diverted his resolve from it for worldly increase,

    even for a day, nor made excuses an easy path.

  34. أَعظِم به دونَ الخليفةِ باذلاً

    نَفسَ الغيورِ غدا يحوطُ ذِمارا

    How great he is, offering in defense of the caliph

    a zealous soul, guarding what must be defended,

  35. عَضباً جميلَ الصفحِ ما لا ينتهي

    فَإِذا اِغتررت به اِستشاك غرارا

    a keen sword, gracious of face while one does not press too far;

    but if you are misled by him, its edge becomes thorn-sharp.

  36. أَأَبا الفدا لَقد حَباك مُشيرنا

    بِأواصر للودّ لا تَتوارى

    O Abu al-Fida, our marshal has indeed bestowed on you

    bonds of affection that never fade.

  37. لا غروَ أن أصبحتَ صاحبَ ختمهِ

    وَغدا بصدرك يودعُ الأسرارا

    No wonder you have become keeper of his seal,

    and he now entrusts his secrets to your breast.

  38. فَلَقد نَصحتَ وكنتَ قدماً عنده

    أَغنى الكفاةِ رويّة وبِدارا

    You have given loyal counsel, and long ago were, in his eyes,

    the most resourceful of capable men, in reflection and prompt action.

  39. فَاِهنَأ بما أوليتَ غيرَ مُدافع

    وَاِنهض بما اِستكفيتَ غيرَ ممارى

    Enjoy what you have been granted, with none to contest you,

    and undertake what you were entrusted to handle, with none to dispute you.

  40. وَاِهنأ هناءً لا يحاطُ بكنههِ

    بأهلّةٍ عَشِقوا الكمال صغارا

    And rejoice with a joy whose depths cannot be grasped

    in crescent moons who loved perfection as children.

  41. طَلعوا بأفقِ الختنِ حتّى يأمنوا

    كَلفاً إِذا ما أَبدروا وسرارا

    They rose upon circumcision's horizon so they might escape

    blemishes when they become full moons, and moonless darkness.

  42. طَهروا به مِن لمّة الشيطانِ في

    بضعٍ كَما طابوا ثنىً ونجارا

    Through it they were cleansed of Satan's touch in

    their private parts, as they were noble in repute and lineage:

  43. أَنجال صنوكَ مفخرِ الوزراء والص

    صدر الّذي في المجدِ ليس يجارى

    the sons of your peer, pride of the ministers, and the

    chief whom none can rival in glory,

  44. المُصطفى في كلّ عصرٍ من غدا

    سَلمانُ آلِ مشيرنا إكبارا

    al-Mustafa, who in every age has become

    the Salman of our marshal's house in esteem.

  45. وَاِهنَأ هناءً فوقَ ذلك كلّه

    بِهنائهِ وَسنائِهِ مقدارا

    And rejoice with a joy greater than all that,

    in his happiness and the measure of his radiance.

  46. فَلأنتَ منهُ مكانةً وجلالةً

    عَينٌ تؤازرُ أُختها إبصارا

    For in rank and majesty you are to him

    an eye that helps its sister eye to see.

  47. هَذا هناؤُكَ قَد وفيتَ بوعدهِ

    لكنّني لم أبلغِ المِعشارا

    This is your congratulation; you have fulfilled its promise,

    yet I have not attained a tenth of what is due.

  48. إنّي رَأيت مجالَ وصفك واسعاً

    أَخشى كلالاً دونه وَعِثارا

    I saw the field of describing you stretch so wide

    that I feared exhaustion and stumbling before its end.

  49. حَسبي بَداهة خاطر في مثلهِ

    حتّى أعوّد طرفيَ الإحضارا

    An impromptu thought suffices me for such a task,

    until I accustom my steed to full gallop.

  50. إنّ الّذي أَجرى بمدحكَ سابقٌ

    لكنّه قَد أنسيَ المضمارا

    The steed I run in your praise is a front-runner,

    but it has been made to forget the racecourse.

  51. دهمُ الحوادثِ أقطفت مِن ذرعهِ

    وَاِستبدلت بنشاطِه إِقصارا

    Dark calamities made its stride sluggish

    and replaced its vigor with slackening.

  52. لمّا رأيتُ جنابَ فضلكَ مربعاً

    نظّمتُ مِن أزهارهِ الأشعارا

    When I saw the precinct of your bounty as a spring meadow,

    I strung poems from its flowers

  53. وَزَففتها لحماكَ ألطفَ تُحفةٍ

    وَالطيبُ ليسَ يردّ مهما زارا

    and bore them in bridal procession to your sanctuary, a most delicate gift;

    and perfume is never turned away, whenever it comes.

  54. فَاِقبلهُ مِن روضِ الثنا باكورةً

    وَلتُحضهِ ليبادرَ الأثمارا

    So accept it as first fruit from praise's garden,

    and favor it, so it may hasten to bear fruit.

  55. وَأَعِد طِباعاً قَد ذَوى خضراً ولا

    تَمنعهُ مِن ماءِ الحياةِ قُطارا

    Restore a withered talent to greenness, and do not

    deny it drops of the water of life,

  56. لأراه قَد قتلَ اِهتماماً مرهفاً

    وَأَقام من كنزِ العلومِ جِدارا

    so I may see it slay a keen-edged anguish

    and build a wall from the treasure of knowledge.

  57. وَغَدَت فَضائلهُ وَما من حاسدٍ

    بِالمستطيعِ لِصُبحها إِنكارا

    And its virtues dawn, with no envious man

    able to deny their morning light.

  58. مِثلي إِذا لَم يُعنَ مِثلكمُ بهِ

    تَذوى نتائجُ فِكره أَبكارا

    If one like you does not care for one like me,

    the virgin fruits of his thought wither.

  59. وَأَخو الفضيلةِ إِن تقاصرَ جدّهُ

    جَدّ الحسودُ إِلى حماهُ ضرارا

    And if a man of virtue's fortune falters,

    the envious man hastens toward his sanctuary to harm him.

  60. أَقسمتُ أنّك فاعلٌ كلّ الّذي

    أَمّلتهُ باللّه لا أَتمارى

    I have sworn that you will do all that

    I have hoped for—by God, I have no doubt.

  61. وَكأنّني بكَ قد بَرَرت أليّتي

    وَكَفيتني الإعدامَ والإقتارا

    I seem already to see you fulfilling my oath,

    and sparing me destitution and want,

  62. وَشَببت في أحشاء حسّادي لظى

    لا يطعمونَ بها المنام غرارا

    and kindling in my enviers' entrails a blaze

    that lets them taste not even a snatch of sleep,

  63. وَحفظتَ فيّ ذمامَ سالفِ صحبة

    لا تستجيزُ لِعهدها إِخفارا

    and preserving for me the obligation of old companionship,

    never permitting a breach of its covenant,

  64. وَعطفتَ مِن شمسِ المُشيرِ لِمعدني

    لحظاً يرفّ الماس أنّى دارا

    and turning toward my mine, from the marshal's sun,

    a glance: diamonds glitter wherever it turns.

  65. لا زالَ سيّدنا المشيرُ محمّدٌ

    شَمساً بِهذا القطرِ لا تَتوارى

    May our lord, Marshal Muhammad, never cease to be

    a sun in this land that never sets;

  66. وَبقيتَ يا نعمَ الوزير وَمن سما

    أوج الوزارةِ حوله أقمارا

    and may you endure, O excellent minister, with those who climbed

    the summit of ministry, as moons around him.

  67. تزهى بِكم خضراءُ تونسَ بهجةً

    وَيفوقُ عَصركمُ بِها الأعصارا

    Verdant Tunis glories in you with delight,

    and your age there surpasses all ages.