سرت نسمات القدس من أطيب الإض — Nicolaos al Sayegh

سَرَت نَسَماتُ القُدسِ من أطيبِ الإِضِّ

فضَوَّعَتِ الآفاقَ بالطُولِ والغرضِ

Breezes of holiness wafted from the sweetest source,

and perfumed the horizons throughout their length and breadth.

ولاحَ سَنى ومَضِ الطَهارةِ مُشرِقاً

فضاءَ جميعُ الكونِ من ذلكَ الوَمضِ

The radiance of purity's flash appeared, shining,

and all the universe shone from that flash.

ونَمَّ شَذا عَرفِ البَتُوليَّةِ التي

نَشِقنا بها يوماً شَذا الزنبقِ الغَضِ

And the fragrance of virginity's perfume spread,

through which we once inhaled the scent of the fresh lily.

فيا نَفَحاتٍ اهدت القلبَ بَهجةً

رَوَت عن عَفافِ البَرِّ والماجد المحضِ

O fragrant breaths that brought the heart delight,

and told of the chastity of the righteous, purely noble man:

خطيبِ البتولِ البِكرِ يُوسفَ مَن لهُ

من الطُهر ثوبٌ بالنَقا غير مرفضِ

Joseph, betrothed to the virgin maiden, who possesses

a robe of purity, immaculate and never rent.

فهذي العروسة والعروسُ كِلاهُما

لهُ ختمُ طُهرٍ قد تنزَّه عن فَضِ

This bride and bridegroom, each of them,

bears a seal of purity untouched by breaking.

اقاما مَعاً دهرَ الحيوةِ بِعفَّةٍ

فسِيّانِ جاءَ البعضُ أَشبَه بالبعضِ

They lived together in chastity throughout their lives,

alike in this: each resembled the other.

فليسَ لها كُفؤٌ سِواهُ ولا لهُ

سِواها مثيلٌ بالعَفافِ كَما يُرضى

For she has no worthy match but him, nor does he

have an equal but her in chastity, as is fitting.

فهذا اجتباه اللَهُ زوجاً مقدَّساً

لمريمَ مُنذُ البدءِ عن أمرهِ المُمضِي

God chose this man as a holy husband

for Mary from the beginning, by His binding command.

فيا أوحدَ الأَطهارِ في الخَلق والذي

تناهى بفضل الخَلق والخُلُق المُرضي

O peerless one among creation's pure, and you who

attained the height of excellence in form and pleasing character!

ويا أمجدَ الاَبكار في سِدرةِ العُلى

تذيلُ بثوبٍ بالبَكارةِ مبيضِ

And O most glorious of virgins at the lote-tree of the heights,

you trail a robe whitened by virginity.

لقد قامَ من فِرعَونَ يوسُفُ حاكماً

بِمصرَ طليقَ الكفِّ بالبسطِ والقبضِ

Indeed, Joseph rose to rule under Pharaoh,

in Egypt, with a free hand to grant and withhold.

وحكَّمَهُ في امرهِ وقضائِهِ

فليس لامر كانَ يبنيهِ من نقضِ

He gave him authority over his affairs and judgments,

so no decree he established could be overturned.

وانتَ وكيلَ اللَهِ قمتَ لبيتهِ

اميناً طليقَ الحُكمِ فيهِ بما تقضي

And you, God's steward, stood over His household

as a trustee, free to rule there as you judged.

وصِرتَ لربِّ الناسِ ربّاً مربّياً

فتَقضِي على ربِّ القَضاءِ وتستقضي

You became a master and nurturer to the Lord of mankind,

passing judgment upon the Lord of judgment and seeking His judgment.

تحكَّمتَ عن امر الالهِ بآلهِ

فجازَ على كلّ الوَرى حُكمُكَ المُمضي

By God's command you ruled His household,

so your binding authority extended over all humankind.

غدوتَ نظيرَ الآبِ إذ صِرتَ لابنهِ

اباً ولكَ الأمرُ المُطاعُ بلا دحضِ

You became the Father's counterpart when, to His Son, you became

a father, with commands obeyed without challenge.

فانتَ الأَبُ الشرعيُّ مَن لابنِ مريمٍ

كذا زوجُها الشرعيُّ يا طاهرَ العِرضِ

You are the lawful father of Mary's son,

and likewise her lawful husband, O man of spotless honor.

تسلمتها بِكراً وجوهرُ طُهرِهال

بعِفَّتها الفُضلى مَصُونٌ عن الفضِّ

You received her as a virgin, and the jewel of her purity,

through her supreme chastity, remained safe from violation.

واكَّدتَ في نَذرِ الطَهارةِ عندَها

بأَنَّ اليها في حياتكَ لن تُفضِي

You affirmed before her, in your vow of purity,

that you would never lie with her throughout your life.

ولكنَّهُ اذ بانَ يوماً لناظرٍ

بها الحَبَلُ القُدسيُّ أُلتَ الى النقضِ

But when one day it became plain to an observer

that she bore a holy pregnancy, you turned toward annulment,

ومِلتَ الى تركِ البتولةِ عَنوةً

فاوحى اليك اللَه في سِنَة الغُمضِ

and felt compelled to leave the Virgin.

Then God revealed to you in a drowsy sleep:

أَلا لا تَخَف من اخذِك البِكَر مريماً

لك امرأَةً واحذَر من الشَكِّ والنغصِ

Take heed: do not fear taking the virgin Mary

as your wife, and beware of doubt and distress.

فمونودها من روح قُدسٍ وإِنَّها

ستولدهُ من غيرِ طَلقٍ ولا مَضِّ

For her child is of the Holy Spirit, and she

will bear Him without labor pains or suffering.

فجاءَت بهِ طِفلاً رضيعاً وإِنَّهُ

الهٌ لهُ الكونانِ في كفهِ القبضِ

She brought Him forth as a nursing infant, though He

is God, with both worlds held in the grasp of His hand.

عَنَا لَكَ وَهوَ اللَهُ مُنذُ كفلَتهُ

كأَنَّ الذي تعنيهِ فرضٌ بلا رفضِ

He submitted to you, though He is God, ever since you took Him into your care,

as though what you wished were a duty admitting no refusal.

فطُوبى لأَعضادٍ رفعتَ عليهما

لمن رفعُهُ في المُلك جلَّ عن الخفضِ

Blessed, then, are the arms upon which you raised

Him whose exaltation in sovereignty is beyond all abasement.

وطُوبى لأَبصارٍ لحظتَ بها الذي

اذا ما بدا الاملاكُ عن رَهَبٍ تُغضِي

And blessed are the eyes with which you beheld Him

at whose appearance the angels lower their eyes in dread.

وطُوبى لأَيدٍ مَستَ يوماً بها الذي

يداهُ بَرَت كونَ السماواتِ والأرض

And blessed are the hands with which you once touched Him

whose hands fashioned the universe of the heavens and the earth.

ورعياً لآذانٍ رَعَت منكَ مسمعاً

لمن صوتُهُ أَشهى من العَلَل البَرضِ

And may your ears be cherished, which lent a hearing

to Him whose voice is sweeter than a scant second draught.

ففي العالمِ الأَعلى عُلُوُّكَ باذخٌ

وقَدرُكَ يعلو الكلَّ في العالم الأرضي

In the world above, your eminence towers,

and your rank surpasses all in the earthly world.

تساميت بالآي العِظامِ وبالأَلى

فتَمنَحُ من يرجو بذاكَ بلا حضِّ

You rose high through mighty signs and blessings,

and grant gifts to those who hope in them, without prompting.

فيا مَورِدَ الوُرَّادِ يا مَن لهُ نَدى

بهِ يعتفي العافي عن الحضِّ والعَرضِ

O watering place for all who come to drink, O possessor of bounty,

through which the seeker finds gifts without pressing or pleading.

تَرفَّق بخاطٍ قد اتاكَ ودمُعُهُ

يَسُحُّ كماءِ المُزنِ نَضّاً على نَضِّ

Be gentle with a sinner who has come to you, whose tears

pour like raincloud water, flow upon flow.

فان كُنتَ يا مولايَ تَرحَضُ إِثمَهُ

بعفوِكَ اغناهُ سَماحُكَ عن رحضِ

If you, my lord, wash away his sin

with your pardon, your clemency makes further cleansing needless.

أَسِفتُ على دهري الذي مرَّ بِئسَما

فمن أَسَفي أَفري الأنامل بالعَضّ

I grieved for my lifetime, which passed so wretchedly;

in grief I tear my fingertips by biting.

لقد فَسُدَت صَهباءُ بِرّي ولم يَعُد

صَلاحٌ لها كالخمرِ حالَ عن الحَمض

The ruddy wine of my righteousness has spoiled, and no longer

is there a cure for it—as with wine that has turned sour.

وَهي جَلَدي حتّى غدوت من الخَطا

حليفَ ضَنىً لا استطيعُ على النهض

My endurance weakened, until through sin I became

a companion of wasting sickness, unable to rise.

فلي كَبِدٌ من سهمِ وزري جريحةٌ

تُقابِلُها الآثامُ بالصَدعِ والرضِّ

My liver is wounded by the arrow of my guilt,

and sins assail it, splitting and crushing it.

بزاني الأَسى مما جنيتُ من الأَسى

لأَن قيلَ ما هذا العريُّ من النَحضِ

Sorrow has wasted me for the sorrow I have wrought,

for it was said: 'What is this bareness of flesh?'

عليكَ سلامُ اللَهِ ما هامَ مادحٌ

بمدحكَ يا من قد غدا مدحُهُ فرضي

God's peace be upon you so long as a praiser is enraptured

with praising you, O you whose praise has become my duty.

نضيتُ ظُبى عزمٍ نضا صِبغَ مأثمي

وسرتُ ونِضوَ القول في مدحكم انضي

I drew the blades of a resolve that stripped away the stain of my sin,

and journeyed, wearing out speech's lean mount in praising you.

ولم أرَ كفاً عن مديحكَ إِنَّهُ

علا عن وضيعِ الخبنِ والكفِّ والقبضِ

I found no restraint in praising you; such praise

rises above lowly metrical elision, truncation, and contraction.

فان لم تُلاحِظني بعينٍ بها الرِضى

فمَن ذا يَراني أو إلى من تُرى أَمضِي

If you do not look upon me with an approving eye,

then who will see me—or to whom, I wonder, shall I go?

ايا يوسُفُ الصِدِّيقُ يا خيرَ شافعٍ

تَشفَّع بنا يومَ القيامةِ والعَرضِ

O Joseph the Righteous, O best of intercessors,

intercede for us on the Day of Resurrection and presentation for judgment.

وهَبني ايا ختمَ الطَهارةِ مَخلَصاً

بحُسنِ خِتامٍ ختمهُ غيرُ منفضِّ

Grant me, O seal of purity, deliverance,

through a good ending whose seal remains unbroken.