سمعا وطوعا للإمام — Mohamed Almawali

سمعاًوطوعاً للإما

مِ اليعربى المقتدرْ

Hearing and obedience to the imam,

the mighty Ya'rubi,

سيف بن سلطان بن

سيفٍ ذِى المعالِى والقُدَرْ

Sayf ibn Sultan ibn

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 hero,

وابنُ الجحاجحةِ الذ

ين وجوههم مثلُ الغررْ

and son of the great chiefs whose

faces are like bright forehead blazes:

أهلُ الفضائل والوسا

ئل والرسائل والسيَرْ

men of virtues and means,

of epistles and chronicles,

وذوُو الموائد والفوا

ئد والفرائد والبِدَرْ

and possessors of banquets and benefits,

rare jewels and money-purses.

وهمُ الغطارفةُ الأُلى

سادُوا بِسَيْبٍ مُنهمرْ

And they are the highborn chiefs who

won eminence through outpouring bounty.

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 impose his own opinion,

for he is forbearing and discerning.

وإذا أرادَ إرادةً

في الخلق شاورَ من حضَرْ

And when he intends a course

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 covered the earth,

like the sun in radiance and coercive force.

كمْ قد عفا عمّن جنَى

الذنبَ العظيمَ وكم غفرْ

How often he pardoned one who committed

a grievous sin, and how often he forgave!

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 undertake

disobedience to our most righteous lord.

منُ كان يعقلُ فليُصِخْ

لنصيحتى كىْ يَعْتبرْ

Whoever has sense, 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 one—as one of the gravest offenses.

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 done 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 him take heed who possesses

a mind that reasons and discerning sight.

كن عاقلا ومميزاً

ذَا فطنةٍ وأخَا فِكَرْ

Be rational and discriminating,

possessed of insight and reflection.

والعقلُ يردعُ أهلَه

وذوُو الجنون على خَطرْ

Reason restrains those who possess it,

while those possessed of madness are in danger.

هذا الإمامُ لكمْ نَذ

يرٌ مِن عذابٍ مستعِرْ

This imam is a warner to you

against a blazing torment.

فارجُوه واستمِعُوا له

فيما نَهاكُمْ أو أمرْ

So place your hope in him and listen to him

in what he forbids you or commands.

فهو النذيرُ لكمْ فَعُوا

وأظنها تغنى النذرْ

For he is your warner: take heed.

And I think these warnings suffice.

أو لم يروهم يَجْمعُو

ن مِن البوادِى والحضَرْ

Or have they not seen them gathering

from the deserts and the towns?

حضرُوا جميعاً في ذُرَى

نَزْوى وكلٌّ مُنتِظر

They all came to the heights

of Nizwa, each one waiting,

في مَوقف ضنكِ المسالِك

عبرةٌ للمزْدَجَر

in a place with cramped approaches:

a lesson for whoever 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, eyes fixed, toward the sovereign,

the lord, the hero, the most righteous.

يتخافتُون كأنهم

يتسابقُون إلى الصدَرْ

They whisper to one another, as though

racing toward the forefront.

ويقولُ أَوْسطهم مَتى

يقضَى لنا هذا الوَطَر

And the most judicious among them says, “When

will this wish be fulfilled for us?”

يَدْعون ربهمُ كثيراً

بالأصائِل والبُكَر

They call upon their Lord often,

in the afternoons and early mornings.

فكأنهم يوم القيا

مةِ لا نجاةَ ولا مفَرّْ

They seem to be on the Day of Resurrection—

no deliverance and no escape.

كلٌّ يرَى أن ليس يس

تبقَى وينتظرُ الخبَر

Each thinks 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, when an affair grows dire.

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 people of reason, do not

disobey him in what he has commanded.

ومن النصيحةِ أخلِصُوا

نِيَّاتكم فيما جَبَرْ

And, as part of sincere counsel, purify

your intentions in what he has compelled.

وتغَيرتْ خُلق الرجا

لِ وكلُّ خلق قد أُمِرْ

And men's dispositions changed,

and every creature had been commanded.

وتلوَّنتْ ألوانهم

وَأُرٍيق في الصفْوِ الكدَر

And their colors shifted,

and murk was poured into clarity.

واشتدّ ظُلم الظالمينَ

على البريّةِ واشْتهر

The oppression of the wrongdoers grew harsh

upon mankind, and became notorious.

فتدارَك الخلقَ الإما

مُ بعون رب مُقْتَدِر

Then the imam came to the people's rescue,

with the help of an all-powerful Lord.

نَجَّاهُم من وَرْطَةٍ

وَوَقاهُمُ مِن كلِّ شرّ

He saved them from a predicament

and shielded them from every evil.

تَاهَتْ عمانُ به فعدْ

لُ اللَّهِ في الأرض انتشَر

Oman gloried in him, for the justice

of God spread throughout the earth.

فهو الحسام المُعتضَى

وهو الشجاع المُبتدَر

For he is the drawn, cutting sword,

and he is the valiant one whom others hasten toward.

مثل الشهاب إذا انْبرَى

أو كالحريق المستعِر

Like a meteor 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, cutting sword?

أو مَن يعيبُ بجهله

سلطان عدل إن قَهرْ

Or who, in his ignorance, faults

a just sovereign if he subdues,

إلا قليل العقل مِن

هذى الخلائق والبشَر

except someone of little sense among

these creatures and mankind?

فافتحْ جُفونَك يا فتًى

وَدَع الحماقة واعْتبرْ

So open your eyelids, young man,

leave foolishness behind, and take heed.

ستراهُمُ عما قليلٍ

في المضيق المُحتقَر

Soon you will see them

in the narrow, 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 shines with necklaces,

pearls, and choice pearls.

مدحُ الإمام شفاعةٌ

تُرْجَى ليومٍ لا مَفر

Praising the imam is an intercession

hoped for on a day with no escape.

قال النبىّ تعلّموا

الشعرَ السنىَّ المُزدَهِر

The Prophet said, “Learn

lofty, 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, imam of the Muslims,

blessed with success throughout your life,

ما لاحَ برقٌ أَوْ هَمَى

وَدْقُ السحائبِ وانهمَر

as long as lightning flashes, or falls

the clouds' rain in a downpour;

أو حنَّ مُشتاقٌ إلى

الأوطانِ مِن طول السفر

or a longing soul yearns for

homelands after a long journey;

أو لاعبتْ ريحُ الصَّبَا

غصن النقَا وقْتَ السحر

or the east wind plays with

a sand dune's bough in the predawn hour;

أو ناحَ طيرٌ بالضحى

مِن فوق أغصانِ الشجرْ

or a bird laments in the forenoon

above the branches of trees;

أو تمَّ بدرٌ بالدجَى

أو لاحَ صبحٌ وانفْجَر

or a moon waxes full in the darkness,

or morning appears and breaks.

هذا من العَبْدِ الذي

بمديحِه كى يَفْتخر

This is from the servant who

would glory in praising him,

ما لاحَ برقٌ بالدجى

أو نَاحَ طيرٌ بالشجر

as long as lightning flashes in the darkness

or a bird laments among the trees.