أهلا ببدر دجى يسعى بشمس ضحى — Safi Al Din Al Hilli

أَهلاً بِبَدرِ دُجىً يَسعى بِشَمسِ ضُحىً

بِنَورِهِ صِبغَةَ اللَيلِ البَهيمِ مَحا

Welcome to a full moon of night, bearing a sun of midmorning!

With his light he erased the hue of pitch-black night.

حَيّا بِها وَالدُجى مُرخٍ غَدائِرَهُ

فَخِلتُ أَنَّ جَبينَ الصُبحِ قَد وَضَحا

He greeted us with it while darkness let down its tresses,

and I thought the brow of dawn had already brightened.

راحاً إِذا مَلَأَ الساقي بِها قَدَحاً

ظَنَنتَ جُذوَةَ نارٍ في الدُجى قَدَحا

Wine—when the cupbearer fills a goblet with it,

you take the goblet for a firebrand in the darkness.

لَم يُبقِ طولُ المَدى إِلّا حُشاشَتَها

عَنَّت لَنا فَتَراءَت بَينَنا شَبَحا

Long ages have left only its last vestige;

it appeared to us, a phantom in our midst.

يَسعى بِها ثَمِلُ الأَعطافِ يُرجِعُها

سَكرَى بِأَلفاظِهِ إِن جَدَّ أَو مَزَحا

He bears it, swaying of limb, and returns it

drunk on his words, whether he is earnest or jests.

يَجلو لَنا وَجهُهُ في اللَيلِ مُغتَبِقاً

بِها فَيُحسَبُ بِالآلاءِ مُصطَبِحَا

His face shines before us at night while he takes an evening draught

of it, and through its blessings is taken for a morning drinker.

نادَمتُهُ وَجَناحُ النِسرِ مُنقَبِضٌ

عَنِ المَطارِ وَجِنحُ اللَيلِ قَد جَنَحا

I drank with him while the eagle's wing was folded

away from flight, and night's wing had inclined.

حَتّى اِنثَنى وَالكَرى يَهوي بِجانِبِهِ

إِلى الوِسادِ فَإِن طارَحتَهُ اِنطَرَحا

Until he bent over, sleep bearing his side downward

toward the pillow; if you engaged him in talk, he sprawled.

وَظَلَّ مِن فَرطِ جِرمِ الكَأسِ مُنقَبِضاً

عَنِ المَطارِ وَجِنحُ اللَيلِ قَد جَنَحا

And under the cup's excessive weight he remained huddled,

away from flight, and night's wing had inclined.

يَضُمُّهُ وَالكَرى يُرخي أَنامِلَهُ

فَكُلَّما أَوثَقتَهُ كَفُّهُ سَرَحا

He clasped it while sleep loosened his fingers;

whenever his hand secured it, it slipped free.

حَتّى رَأَيتُ مِياهَ اللَيلِ غائِرَةً

في غَربِها وَغَديرَ الصُبحِ قَد طَفَحا

Until I saw night's waters sinking

in their western reaches, while dawn's pool had overflowed.

وَلِلشُعاعِ عَلى ذَيلِ الظَلامِ دَمٌ

كَأَنَّ طِفلَ الدُجى في حِجرِهِ ذُبِحا

And light had blood upon the hem of darkness,

as though night's child had been slaughtered in its lap.

وَقامَ يَهتِفُ مِن فَوقِ الجِدارِ بِنا

مُتَوَّجَ الرَأسِ بِالظَلماءِ مُتَّشِحا

And he stood atop the wall, calling to us,

crowned of head and cloaked in darkness.

كَأَنَّهُ شامَتٌ بِاللَيلِ عَن خَنَقٍ

فَكُلَّما صَدَعَ الصُبحُ الدُجى صَدَحا

As though gloating over night for its choking grip,

whenever dawn cleft the darkness, he crowed.

نَبَّهتُهُ وَالكَرى يَثني مَعاطِفَهُ

وَنَشوَةُ الراحِ تَلوي جيدَهُ مَرَحا

I roused him while sleep bent his limbs,

and wine's exhilaration playfully twisted his neck.

فَهَبَّ لي وَحُمَيّا النَومِ تَصرَعُهُ

وَالشُكرُ يُطبِقُ مِن جَفنَيهِ ما فَتَحا

He sprang up for me, though sleep's headiness felled him,

and gratitude shut whichever eyelids he had opened.

جَشَّمتُهُ وَهوَ يَثني جيدَهُ مَلَلاً

كَأساً إِذا بَسَمَت في وَجهِهِ كَلَحا

I forced him, as he wearily bent his neck, to endure

a cup: whenever it smiled at him, he scowled.

يُلقي سَناها عَلى تَقطيبِ حاجِبِهِ

أَشِعَّةً فَيُرينا قَوسَهُ قُزَحا

Its radiance cast upon his knitted brow

rays, making his brow's bow appear a rainbow.

فَظَلَّ يَنزو وَريحَ الراحِ مُمتَعِضاً

وَيَستَشيطُ إِذا عاطَيتَهُ قَدَحا

He kept recoiling, vexed by the scent of wine,

and flared in anger whenever you offered him a goblet.

حَتّى إِذا حَلَّتِ الكَأسُ النَشاطَ لَهُ

أَتبَعتُهُ بِثَلاثٍ تَبعَثُ الفَرَحا

Until, when the cup released his vigor,

I followed it with three more that stirred delight.

وَنِلتُ مِن فَضلِها ما كانَ أَسأَرَهُ

بِقَعرِها مِن رُضابٍ نَشرُهُ نَفَحا

And from its remainder I obtained what he had left

at its bottom: sweet saliva whose fragrance wafted.

ريقاً لَوِ اِستاقَهُ الصاحي لَمالَ بِهِ

سُكراً وَلَو رَشَفَ السَكرانُ مِنهُ صَحا

Saliva that, were a sober man to draw it in, would make him sway

with drunkenness; yet a drunkard sipping it would grow sober.

فَقالَ لي وَغَوادي الدَمَعِ تَسبُقُني

مِنَ السُرورِ وَقَد يَبكي إِذا طَفَحا

He said to me, as morning showers of tears ran ahead of me

from joy—for one may weep when it overflows—

قَد كُنتَ تَشكو فَسادَ العَيشِ مُعتَدِياً

أَنّي وَقَد طابَ بِاللَذّاتِ وَاِنفَسَحا

“You used to complain unjustly of life's corruption;

how so, when pleasures have made it sweet and spacious?”

فَقُلتُ قَد كانَ صَرفُ الدَهرِ أَفسَدَهُ

لَكِنَّهُ بِالمَليكِ الصالِحِ اِنصَلَحا

I said, “Time's vicissitudes had spoiled it,

but through King al-Salih it was set right.”

مَلِكٌ إِذا ظَلَّ فِكرِيَ في مَدائِحِهِ

أَمسَت تُعَلِّمُنا أَوصافُهُ المِدَحا

A king: whenever my mind dwells on his praises,

his qualities themselves teach us how to praise.

فَضلٌ يَكادُ يُعيدُ الحُرسَ ناطَقَةً

تَتلو الثَناءَ وَلَفظٌ يُخرِسُ الفُصَحا

An excellence that almost makes the guards speak,

reciting praise, and speech that silences the eloquent.

وَطَلعَةٌ كَجَبينِ الشَمسِ لَو لَمَعَت

يَوماً لِمُغتَبِقٍ بِالراحِ لَاِصطَبَحا

And a countenance like the sun's brow: were it to shine

one day upon an evening wine-drinker, he would drink at dawn.

وُجودُها كَهِلالِ الفِطرِ مُلتَمَحاً

وَجودُها كَاِنهِلالِ القَطرِ مُنفَسِحا

Its presence is like the crescent of Eid al-Fitr when glimpsed,

and its bounty like rain pouring far and wide.

يُخفي مَكارِمَهُ وَالجودُ يُظهِرُها

وَكَيفَ يَخفى أَريجُ المِسكِ إِذ نَفَحا

He hides his noble deeds, but generosity reveals them;

how can musk's fragrance stay hidden when it wafts?

يَكادُ يَعقُمُ فِكري إِذ أُفارِقُهُ

عَنِ المَديحِ وَإِن وافَيتُهُ لَقِحا

My mind almost grows barren when I leave him,

barren of praise; yet when I come to him, it conceives.

فَما أَرَتنا اللَيالِيَ دونَهُ مِحَناً

إِلّا سَخا فَأَرَتنا كَفُّهُ مِنَحا

Whenever nights show us ordeals away from him,

he gives freely, and his hand shows us gifts.

ثَبتُ الجَنانِ مَريرُ الرَأيِ صائِبُهُ

إِذا تَقاعَسَ صَرفُ الدَهرِ أَو جَمَحا

Steadfast of heart, firm and unerring in judgment,

whether time's vicissitudes hang back or run wild.

لا يَستَشيرُ سِوى نَفسٍ مُؤَيَّدَةٍ

مَن أَخطَأَ الرَأيَ لا يَستَذنِبُ النُصَحا

He consults only his own strengthened soul;

whoever errs in judgment does not blame counselors.

وَلا يُقَلِّدُ إِلّا ما تَقَلَّدَهُ

مِن حَدِّ عَضبٍ إِذا شاوَرتَهُ نَصَحا

He delegates only to what he has girded on:

the edge of a keen sword, which counsels truly if consulted.

وَلا يُذيلُ عَليهِ غَيرَ سابِغَةٍ

كَأَنَّما البَرقُ مِن ضَحضاحِها لُمِحا

He lets no garment trail upon him but ample mail,

as though lightning had been glimpsed in its shallows.

مَسرودَةٍ مِثلِ جِلدِ الصِلِّ لَو نُصِبَت

قامَت وَلو صُبَّ فيها الماءُ ما نَضَحا

Interlinked like a viper's skin; if set upright,

it would stand, and water poured into it would not seep out.

غَصَّت عُيونُ الرَدى وَالسَوءُ عَن مَلِكٍ

طَرفُ الزَمانِ إِلى عَليائِهِ طَمَحا

The eyes of death and evil are choked back from a king

toward whose heights time raised its aspiring gaze.

ما ضَرَّ مَن ظَلَّ في أَفناءِ مَنزِلِهِ

إِن أَغلَقَ الدَهرُ بابَ الرِزقِ أَو فَتَحا

Whoever stays within his dwelling's precincts is not harmed

whether time closes the door of livelihood or opens it.

يَوَدُّ باغي النَدى لَو نالَ بُلغَتَهُ

حَتّى إِذا حَلَّ في أَفنائِهِ اِقتَرَحا

The seeker of bounty wishes only for enough to live on,

but once settled in his precincts, he asks whatever he pleases.

لَمّا رَأى المالَ لا تَلوي عَلَيهِ يَدي

أَولانِيَ الوُدَّ إِذ أَولَيتُهُ المِدَحا

When he saw that my hand did not cling to wealth,

he bestowed affection on me when I bestowed praises on him.

يا أَيُّها المَلِكُ المَحسودُ آمِلُهُ

وَالمُجتَدى جودُ عافيهِ لِما مُنِحا

O king, whose hopeful petitioner is envied,

and whose petitioner's bounty is sought for what he was granted!

لَوِ اِدَّعَت جودَكَ الأَفواهُ لَاِتُّهِمَت

وَلَو تَعاطاهُ لُجُّ البَحرِ لَاِفتَضَحا

Were mouths to claim your generosity, they would be mistrusted;

were the sea's depths to attempt it, they would be shamed.

حُزتَ العُلى فَدَعاكَ الناسُ سَيِّدَهُمُ

وَالكَأسُ لَولا الحُمَيّا سُمِّيَت قَدَحا

You attained the heights, so people called you their lord;

without its headiness, a wine-cup would be called a goblet.

في وَصفِنا لَكَ بِالإِنعامِ سَوءُ ثَناً

وَالغَيثُ يُنقِصُهُ إِن قيلَ قَد سَمَحا

Describing you as bestowing favors is poor praise;

rain is belittled if one says it has given generously.

يا باذِلاً مِن كُنوزِ المالِ ما ذَخَروا

وَقابِضاً مِن صُيودِ الشُكرِ ما سَنَحا

O giver of the treasures of wealth that others hoarded,

and captor of whatever prey of gratitude comes within reach,

وَمُلبِسي النَعَمَ اللاتي يُباعِدُني

عَنها الحَياءُ فَلا أَنفَكُّ مُنتَزِحا

and you who clothe me in blessings, from which I am kept distant

by shyness, so I remain ever withdrawn:

لَئِن خَصَصتُكَ في عيدٍ بِتَهنِئَةٍ

فَما أَجَدتُ وَلا عُذري بِهِ وَضَحا

if I single you out at a feast with congratulations,

I have not done well, nor is my excuse for it clear.

العيدُ نَذكُرُهُ في العامِ واحِدَةً

وَجودُ كَفِّكَ عيدٌ قَطَّ ما بَرِحا

We observe the feast once a year,

but your hand's bounty is a feast that has never ceased.

لَكِن أُهِنّي بِكَ الدينَ الحَنيفَ فَقَد

أَتَيتَ لِلدينِ مَخلوقاً كَما اِقتَرَحا

Rather, I congratulate the upright faith on having you, for

you came into being for the faith, just as it wished.

فَاِسلَم فَما ضَرَّني ما دامَ جودُكَ لي

سِواكَ إِن مَنَعَ الإِحسانَ أَو مَنَحا

So may you remain safe! While your bounty is mine, I care not

whether anyone but you withholds kindness or bestows it.