سما الملك مختالا بما أنت فاعل — Mahmoud Samial Baroudi

سَمَا الْمُلْكُ مُخْتَالاً بِمَا أَنْتَ فَاعِلُ

وَعَادَتْ بِكَ الأَيَّامُ وَهْيَ أَصَائِلُ

Sovereignty rose, proud of what you do,

And through you the days have become late afternoons.

رَبَأْتَ مِنَ الْعَلْيَاءِ قُنَّةَ سُودَدٍ

يُقَصِّرُ عَنْهَا صَاغِراً مَنْ يُطَاوِلُ

You scaled a summit of lordship among the heights,

Of which every aspiring rival falls short, humbled.

وَأَدْرَكْتَ فِي عَصْرِ الشَّبِيبَةِ غَايَةً

مِنَ الْفَضْلِ لَمْ يَبْلُغْ مَدَاهَا الأَفَاضِلُ

And in the years of youth you attained a pinnacle

Of excellence whose reach the eminent never attained.

فَخَيْرُكَ مَأْمُولٌ وَفَضْلُكَ وَاسِعٌ

وَظِلُّكَ مَمْدُودٌ وَعَدْلُكَ شَامِلُ

So your goodness is hoped for, and your bounty is vast,

And your shade stretches far, and your justice embraces all.

مَسَاعٍ جَلاهَا الرَّأْيُ فَهيَ كَوَاكِبٌ

لَهَا بَيْنَ أَفْلاكِ الْقُلُوبِ مَنَازِلُ

Deeds that judgment has burnished—they are stars,

With stations among the orbits of hearts.

يُقَصِّرُ قَابُ الْفِكْرِ عَنْهَا وَيَنْتَهِي

أَخُو الْجِدِّ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِهَا وَهْوَ ذَاهِلُ

Thought's reach falls short of them, and comes to a halt

The earnest striver, bewildered, before grasping them.

وَكَيْفَ يَنَالُ الْفَهْمُ مِنْهَا نَصِيبَهُ

وَأَقْرَبُهَا لِلنَّيِّرَاتِ حَبَائِلُ

And how can understanding gain its share of them,

When even the nearest are snares for the shining stars?

إِلَيْكَ تَنَاهَى الْمَجْدُ حَتَّى لَوَ انَّهُ

أَرَادَ مَزِيداً لَمْ يَجِدْ مَا يُحَاوِلُ

Glory reached its utmost in you, so that, were it

To seek more, it would find nothing to pursue.

فَمُرْ بِالَّذِي تَهْوَاهُ فَالسَّعْدُ قَائِمٌ

بِمَا تَشْتَهِي وَاللَّهُ بِالنَّصْرِ كَافِلُ

So command what you desire: good fortune stands ready

For what you wish, and God guarantees victory.

فَقَدْ تَصْدُقُ الآمالُ وَالْحَزْمُ رائِدٌ

وَتَقْتَرِبُ الْغَايَاتُ وَالْجِدُّ عَامِلُ

For hopes come true, with resolve as guide,

And goals draw near when diligence is at work.

وَأَيُّ صَنِيعٍ بَعْدَ فَضْلِكَ يُرْتَجَى

وَأَنْتَ مَلِيكٌ فِي الْبَرِيَّةِ عَادِلُ

And what favor can be hoped for beyond your bounty,

When you are a just sovereign among mankind?

يَعُمُّ الرِّضَا مَا قَامَ بِالْحَقِّ صَادِعٌ

وَتَبْقَى الْعُلا مَا دَامَ لِلسَّيْفِ حَامِلُ

Contentment spreads as long as someone stands proclaiming the truth,

And glory endures as long as someone bears the sword.

فَيَا طَالِباً مَسْعَاتَهُ لِيَنَالَهَا

رُوَيْدَكَ إِنَّ الْحِرْصَ لِلنَّفْسِ خَاذِلُ

So, O seeker of his achievement, wishing to attain it,

Take your time: over-eagerness fails the soul.

فَمَا كُلُّ مَنْ رَاضَ الْبَدِيهَةَ عَاقِلٌ

وَلا كُلُّ مَنْ خَاضَ الْكَرِيهَةَ بَاسِلُ

For not everyone who has schooled his ready wit is wise,

Nor is everyone who has plunged into battle brave.

وَلَوْلا اخْتِلافُ النَّاسِ فِي دَرَجَاتِهِمْ

لَعَادَلَ قُسّاً فِي الْفَصَاحَةِ بَاقِلُ

And were it not for people's differing ranks,

Baqil would have equaled Quss in eloquence.

هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْمَكْفُولُ بِالنَّصْرِ جُنْدُهُ

إِذَا احْمَرَّ بَأْسٌ أَوْ تَنَمَّرَ بَاطِلُ

He is the king whose army is assured of victory,

When battle reddens or falsehood rages like a tiger.

لَهُ بَدَهَاتٌ لا تَغبُّ وَعَزْمَةٌ

مُؤَيَّدَةٌ تَعْنُو إِلَيْهَا الْجَحَافِلُ

He has sudden insights that never lapse, and a resolve

Strengthened, before which mighty armies bow.

فَآرَاؤُهُ فِي الْمُشْكِلاتِ كَوَاكِبٌ

وَهِمَّاتُهُ فِي الْمُعْضِلاتِ مَنَاصِلُ

So his counsels in perplexing matters are stars,

And his high aspirations amid difficulties are sword blades.

تَدُلُّ مَسَاعِيهِ عَلَى فَضْلِ نَفْسِهِ

وَلِلشَّمْسِ مِنْ نُورٍ عَلَيْهَا دَلائِلُ

His endeavors show the excellence of his soul,

And the sun has signs in its light that testify to it.

فَيَا مَلِكاً عَمَّتْ أَيَادِيهِ وَالْتَقَتْ

بِهِ فِرَقُ الآمَالِ وَهْيَ جَوَافِلُ

So, O king whose favors reach all, and around whom have gathered

The bands of hopes, though they were fleeing.

بِكَ اخْضَرَّتِ الآمَالُ بَعْدَ ذُبُولِهَا

وَحَقَّتْ وُعُودُ الظَّنِّ وَهْيَ مَخَايِلُ

Through you hopes grew green after withering,

And expectation's promises came true, though they were mere hints.

بَسَطْتَ يَدَاً بِالْخَيْرِ فِينَا كَرِيمَةً

هِيَ الْغَيْثُ أَوْ فِي الْغَيْثِ مِنْهَا شَمَائِلُ

You stretched a generous hand among us with goodness:

It is life-giving rain—or rain bears traits of it.

وَأَيْقَظْتَ أَلْبَابَ الرِّجَالِ فَسَارَعُوا

إِلَى الْجِدِّ حَتَّى لَيْسَ فِي النَّاسِ خَامِلُ

And you awakened men's minds, so they hastened

To earnest work, until no one among the people was idle.

وَمَا مِصْرُ إِلا جَنَّةٌ بِكَ أَصْبَحَتْ

مُنَوِّرَةً أَفْنَانُهَا وَالْخَمَائِلُ

And Egypt is nothing but a garden, which through you has become

Blooming in its boughs and groves.

طَلَعْتَ عَلَيْهَا طَلْعَةَ الْبَدْرِ أَشْرَقَتْ

بِلأْلائِهِ الآفَاقُ وَاللَّيْلُ لائِلُ

You rose over it like the full moon; radiant grew

The horizons in its gleam, while night was pitch-dark.

وَأَجْرَيْتَ مَاءَ الْعَدْلِ فِيهَا فَأَصْبَحَتْ

وَسَاحَاتُهَا لِلْوَارِدِينَ مَنَاهِلُ

And you made justice's water flow through it, so now

Its squares are watering places for those who come.

وَلَمْ يَأْتِ مِنْ أَوْطَانِهِ النِّيلُ سَائِحاً

إِلَى مِصْرَ إِلا وَهْوَ حَرَّانُ سَائِلُ

Nor did the Nile come wandering from its homelands

To Egypt except as a thirsty suppliant.

فَيَا أَيُّهَا الصَّادِي إِلَى الْعَدْلِ وَالْنَّدَى

هَلُمَّ فَذَا بَحْرٌ لَهُ الْبَحْرُ سَاحِلُ

So, O you who thirst for justice and generosity,

Come: here is an ocean, to which the sea is but a shore.

مَلِيكٌ أَقَرَّ الأَمْنَ وَالْخَوْفُ شَامِلٌ

وَأَحْيَا رَمِيمَ الْعَدْلِ وَالْجَوْرُ قَاتِلُ

A sovereign who established safety while fear embraced all,

And revived justice's crumbling remains while injustice dealt death.

فَسَلْهُ الرِّضَا وَانْزِلْ بِسَاحَةِ مُلْكِهِ

فَثَمَّ الأَمَانِي وَالْعُلا وَالْفَوَاضِلُ

So ask his favor, and lodge in the precincts of his realm:

For there are wishes, glory, and bounties.

رَعَى اللَّهُ يَوْماً قَرَّبَتْنِي سُعُودُهُ

إِلَى سُدَّةٍ تَأْوِي إِلَيْهَا الأَمَاثِلُ

May God bless the day whose good fortune brought me near

To a threshold where the noblest find refuge.

لَثَمْتُ بِهَا كَفّاً هِيَ الْبَحْرُ فِي النَّدَى

تَفِيضُ سَمَاحاً وَالْبَنَانُ جَدَاوِلُ

There I kissed a hand that is an ocean of generosity,

It overflows with bounty, and its fingers are streams.

نَطَقْتُ بِفَضْلٍ مِنْكَ لَوْلاهُ لَمْ يَدُرْ

لِسَانِي وَلَمْ يَحْفِلْ بِقَوْلِيَ فَاضِلُ

I spoke through your favor; without it, silent would have stayed

My tongue, nor would any worthy man have heeded my words.

وَلا أَدَّعِي أَنِّي بَلَغْتُ بِمِدْحَتِي

عُلاكَ وَلَكِنْ جُهْدُ مَا أَنَا قَائِلُ

And I do not claim that with my praise I have attained

Your heights; what I say is only my utmost effort.

وَكَيْفَ أُوَفِّي مَنْطِقَ الشُّكْرِ حَقَّهُ

وَدُونَ ثَنَائِي مِنْ عُلاكَ مَرَاحِلُ

And how can I give words of gratitude their due,

When my praise lies stages below your heights?

وَحَسْبِيَ عُذْرَاً أَنَّكَ الشَّمْسُ رِفْعَةً

وَكَيْفَ يَنَالُ الْكَوْكَبَ الْمُتَنَاوِلُ

And excuse enough for me is that in loftiness you are the sun,

And how can one reaching out grasp the star?

لِتَهْنَ بِكَ الدُّنْيَا فَأَنْتَ جَمَالُهَا

فَلَوْلاكَ أَمْسَى جِيدُهَا وَهْوَ عَاطِلُ

May the world rejoice in you, for you are her beauty;

For without you her neck would be unadorned.

وَدُمْ لِلْعُلا مَا ذَرَّ بِالأُفْقِ شَارِقٌ

وَمَا حَنَّ مِنْ شَوْقٍ عَلَى الأَيْكِ هَادِلُ

And endure for glory as long as a light rises on the horizon,

And as long as a cooing dove cries with longing in the groves.

وَلا زَالَتِ الأَيَّامُ تَتْلُو مَدَائِحِي

عَلَيْكَ وَيُمْلِيهَا الضُّحَى وَالأَصَائِلُ

And may the days never cease reciting my praises

To you, with morning light and late afternoons dictating them.