الحمد لله أَتم الحمد — Omar Onsi

الحَمد لِلّه أَتمّ الحَمد

عَلى اِتِّصال حَبل هَذا الودِّ

Praise be to God, the fullest praise,

for the unbroken cord of this affection.

ثُمّ صَلاة اللَه بِالتَسليم

لِمَن رَقى أَسمى سَما التَعظيمِ

Then God's blessings, with peace,

upon him who ascended the loftiest heaven of exaltation:

مَحمّد خَير الوَرى المُختار

وَآله وَصَحبه الأَخيارِ

Muhammad, the chosen one, the best of humankind,

and his family and his virtuous companions,

الحافِظين حُرمة الوِدادِ

وَالواصِلين ذمّة العِبادِ

who guard the sanctity of affection

and uphold the covenant of God's servants.

دامَت عَلَيهم سُحب الرضوان

تهمي بِمنهلِّ الحَيا الهتّانِ

May clouds of divine favor endure above them,

pouring down torrents of steady rain,

ما رنّحت نَسائم الأَشواق

غُصن فُؤاد العاشق المُشتاقِ

as long as breezes of longing sway

the branch of the yearning lover's heart,

أَو صَدحت حَمائم الأَشجان

في رَوض قَلب المُدنف الوَلهانِ

or the doves of sorrow sing

in the garden of the lovesick, distraught one's heart.

وَبَعد فَالوَسيلة السَنيّه

وَالباعث المبلّغ الأُمنيّه

And now, the noble means,

and the motive that fulfills the wish,

لَنا بِنَظم هَذِهِ العجاله

في سلك طرس هَذِهِ الرِساله

for our versifying this hasty piece

on the thread of this letter's page,

أَنّي اِنتَشَقت نَسمة التَحيّة

مِن الصَديق خالص الطَويّه

were that I inhaled a breeze of greeting

from a friend of pure inward intent,

بَدر التُقى وَكَوكَب الأَصحاب

وَنجم أُفق السادة الأَنجابِ

full moon of piety and star of companions,

and star on the horizon of noble, distinguished men:

مُحمّد اِبن الذئب ذي الأَفضال

مَن حازَ أَبهى شَرَف الخِصالِ

Muhammad ibn al-Dhi'b, a man of many virtues,

who attained the most splendid nobility of character.

لَمّا أَتى كِتابه النَفيسُ

بِما بِهِ تَبتَهج النُفوسُ

When his precious letter arrived,

bearing what gladdens souls,

لِلشَهم إِبراهيم ذي الآدابِ

خُلاصة الإِخوان وَالأَصحابِ

for noble Ibrahim, a man of refinement,

the choicest of brothers and companions,

مَن اِرتَدى بحلل الكَمالِ

حَتّى غَدَت تَسمو بِهِ المَعالي

who donned the robes of perfection

until high honors themselves were exalted through him,

رَضيع ثَدي الفَضل وَالعرفان

دام بِحفظ الواحد المَنّانِ

nursed at the breast of excellence and knowledge—

may he endure under the protection of the One, the Bestower.

وَعِندَما تَلاه لي ذا المَولى

وَجرَّ مِن إِحسانِهِ لي ذَيلا

And when this master read it to me,

and drew toward me a trailing hem of his kindness,

أذكرني رَسائل البَديع

إِذ أَسفَرَت عَن وَجهِها البَديعِ

it reminded me of the epistles of al-Badi‘,

as they unveiled their wondrous face.

فَطالَما شَنّف سَمع العاني

بَديعه بدرر المَعاني

For many a time the captive's ear was adorned

by his artistry with pearls of meaning.

وَحينَما عايَنت طرس الحُبِّ

حَيّا فَأَحيا قَلب هَذا الصَبِّ

And when I beheld the page of affection,

it greeted me, and so revived this ardent lover's heart.

وَاِنتَظَمت فَرائد الجَواب

في سلك عقد جيد ذا الكِتابِ

And I strung the choice pearls of the reply

on the thread of a necklace for this letter's neck.

أَودَعتهُ قَلائد التَحايا

إِلى الصَديق طاهر السَجايا

I placed in it necklaces of greetings

to the friend of pure disposition,

وَمِثلها إِلى الإمام الأَوحَد

القادري الزغبيّ بَدر السُؤددِ

and others like them to the peerless imam,

al-Qadiri al-Zughbi, full moon of eminence.

أَعني بِهِ أُستاذَنا العَلّامة

مَن شيّد الفَضل بِهِ أَعلامه

By him I mean our teacher, the great scholar,

through whom excellence raised its banners:

بَدر الهُدى شَمس سَما التَحقيق

دُرّة تيجان ذَوي التَدقيقِ

full moon of guidance, sun in the heaven of rigorous inquiry,

the pearl in the crowns of meticulous scholars,

نَجيب أَهل الفَضل وَالعرفانِ

مَن حازَ سَبق قصب الرِهانِ

a distinguished one among men of excellence and knowledge,

who won the reed of victory in the race.

دامَت بِهِ أَيّامُنا تباهى

كُلّ زَمان برَفيع الجاهِ

May our days ever take pride in him,

in every age, in his lofty standing.

كَذا إِلى حامي حِمى الشريعة

وَمَن بِهِ قَد أَصبَحَت مَنيعَه

Likewise, to the guardian of the sanctuary of sacred law,

and to him through whom it has become impregnable,

بَدر سَماء العلما الأَعلام

وَمُقتدي الحكّام بِالأحكامِ

full moon in the sky of illustrious scholars,

and the judges' exemplar in legal rulings,

مَن لا أَفوه باِسمه الكَريم

لِأَنَّهُ قَد خُصَّ بِالتَكريمِ

whose honored name I do not utter,

because he has been singled out for honor.

لا سيما المَولى الكَريم الأَصل

العالم العامل بَدر الفَضلِ

Especially the master of noble lineage,

the scholar who practices what he knows, full moon of excellence,

مَلاذُنا عَبد الغَنيِّ الرافعي

العمريّ ذُو المَقال البارعِ

our refuge, ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Rafi‘i,

al-‘Umari, whose discourse is masterful;

وَهَكذا وَحيد هَذا العَصر

الشَهم عبَد اللَه أَعني النَصري

and likewise the peerless man of this age,

noble ‘Abd Allah—I mean al-Nasri;

وَلِلصَديق الأَكرَم الأَجلِّ

بَدر التُقى عُمر أَفندي التلّي

and to the most generous, most revered friend,

full moon of piety, ‘Umar Effendi al-Talli;

وَالشَيخ عَبد القادر الحُسيني

وَالتَدمُريِّ ذي العُلا حسينِ

and Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni,

and Husayn al-Tadmuri, a man of eminence,

وَصنوه سَميّ هَذا الداعي

وَكُلّ مَن يَعشَق بِالسَماعِ

and his brother, this supplicant's namesake,

and everyone who falls in love through hearing,

وَكُل مَن يَسأل عَن أَحوالي

أَو مَن يَلوذ بِالجَناب العالي

and everyone who asks how I am,

or whoever seeks refuge in the exalted presence.

وَأَرتَجي الإغضاء عَن قُصوري

لا زِلت مِن عزّك في قُصورِ

And I hope you will overlook my shortcomings—

may you ever dwell in palaces through your glory—

لِأَنَّهُ سُطِّر بِاِستعجال

في بُرهة تَقصر عَن مَجالِ

for it was written in haste,

in a span too brief to offer scope.

فَلا بَرحتم في صَفاء أُنسي

ما فاحَ مسك خَتم هذا الطرسِ

So may you ever remain in the serenity of my companionship,

as long as the musk of this page's seal wafts its scent.