Chapter XXVI: Appendix: VIII

TWO POEMS OF THE SHEIKH EL BAKÁY, WHEREIN HE SATIRIZES THE FÚLBE OF
MÁSINA.

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الحمد لله وحده وصلى الله على من لا نبى بعده

ولشيخنا وسيدنا احمد البكاى بن شيخنا وسيدنا محمد بن شيخنا وسيدنا المختار يخاطب الجماعة الفلانية الماسنية لما ارادوا ضيفه عبد الكريم بارث الانكليزى النصرانى

قُلْ لِجَيْشِ الفُلَان قُلْتُ شَنِيعا رِمْتُ امْراً امْراً عظيما فظيعـــا

قد طلبتُمْ ضيفى سَتَلْقَوْنَ ضَيْفِى يَوْمَ تلقَوْنَهُ عزيزا منيعـــا

ضيفَ حُرٍّ لحرّة بنتِ حرّ وابوه حرٌّ اجاد الصنيعـــا

لم تَلِدْنى إِماؤٌ ثم ما ربْــــــبَيْنَنِى فى حجورهِنّ رضيعـــا

ما عردنا من سام الّا كريما أَبْيَضَ الوجه سيّدا او قريعـــا

وابى مَنْ عَرَفْتُمُ وابوه ما عردنا مِنْ سامَ الّا رفيعـــا

ليس فى اُمَّهاتهمْ بنتُ عبدٍ تَحْمل الفَحْمَ مِثْلَها أَنْ تَبيعـــا

ابنها ربها ولاكِنْ ابوه ربُّه بَتَّ عتْقَه مُسْتَطيعـــا

لم تلدنى بنتٌ لِحامَ ولا ٱبْنٌ لبنى حامَ الأَلِىِ لَنْ اطيعـــا

لبى حام الالى لا يرون الضْــــــضَيْفَ الّا شهيرةٌ وبديعـــا

انّ ضيفى عِرْضى وما كان عرْضى بمضاعٍ فضيفُه لَنْ يضيعـــا

انّ عبد مناف بن قُصَى بــــــن كِلاب بن مُرّة المستنيعـــا

ولوى بن غالب ونرار بــــــن معدّ أَوْصوُا بِأَنْ لا أَكيعـــا

ونهانى فَهْرُ بنُ مالكِ بْنِ النْــــــنَضْرِ أَنْ أَسْتَرِيبَ او أَسْتَرِيعـــا

عمرَ الشيخ من بنى احمد البكــــــاءِ يَنْمى الوافِىُّ حُرّا نصيعـــا

ونماه الكُنْتِىُّ نجلُ علِىٍّ كان من عُقْبَةَ المجاب صريعـــا

تِلْكَ آبائِىِ الكِرامُ وكانوا ضيفُهُمْ لا يَمُوتُ فى الدَهْرِ ضَيْعـــا

لا يَخافُ السلطانُ أَنَّ حَيْفَ أَوْ أَنَّ بَيْعَ السلطانِ لَيْسَ مَبِيعـــا

منكم لن يراع الا اذا السلــــــطان عبد المجيد من نكمه ريعـــا

دُونَ ما تَطْلبونَ حَرْبٌ وضَرْبٌ وطعانٌ فى الزِنْجِ يُزْجِى النجيعـــا

دون ذاك الفتى وسمر العوالى ومصاعُ السُيُوفِ حَوْلًا كتيعـــا

واحْتِباطُ لأَنْفَاط هنّا وهنّا كَرُعُودٍ قَصَفْنَ ريحًا وريعـــا

تَحْمِلُ الموتَ فيه فِتْيانُ ضَرُّوا تَحْسِبُ الموتَ رَوْضَةً وربيعـــا

مِنْ رَعاريعَ أَوْ غطاريفَ مُرْدٍ وكهولٍ شاختْ فى العزّ جميعـــا

فَوْقَ جُرْدٍ من الجياد عناجيــــــجِ يَعابيِب عُوِّدَتْ انْ تميعـــا

من سِبَطْرٍ نُمْرٍ رباع شناحٍ كان غُرْبًا سكْبا ذريعا سريعـــا

ونشاصيةٍ مطهّمةٍ سلــــــهبةٍ أَوْ ثَقَتْ قَرًى ودسيعـــا

من عِرابٍ للْحوض او لثكانَتْ او كِدالٍ تُسْقُوا الحَليبَ النقيعـــا

شَحْمتى فى قَلَعَتِى مَنْ تصدّى لِشِقاقى اضْحى قميعا قليعـــا

حَسَبى الله ربُّ موسى وعيسى والنبيين أَنْ ارانى كنيعـــا

آيَدَ الواحدَ الفريدَ بنصرٍ فاظلّ الجموع منه الجميعـــا

إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ كان أَغْوَى وأَقْوَى ضَلَّ فى اليمّ والجموع صريعـــا

ماسِنَى عَقِّلوا اخاكم يكُنْ لى مِثْلَ بَلِّ ٱلإِمامِ خِلًّا تَبِيعـــا

او يكُنْ لى كما مضى ابواه إِنْ هُما لَمْ يُصابِرا لَمْ يليعـــا

أَوْ يَدَعْنِى مِنْ شَرِّهِ وَأَدَعْهُ إِنَّ خيرا فى الشرّ أَنْ لا يشيعـــا

إِنَّ الاعْلامَ اهل الاحْلامِ مِنْكُمْ آلُ فُودِىَّ ما تَبَنُّوا رفيعـــا

ماتبنّوا الَّا فَتًى أَحْوَذِيًا فى طريقِ العلِى بصيرا سميعـــا

يُكْرِمون الكِرامَ إِذْ مِنْهُمُ هُمْ ثم لا يصحبون خلقا خليعـــا

ثم لا يصحبون الّا ولِيًّا عالمًا شارعاً تقيًا وريعـــا

احْنوا مِنْ جوارنا ما أساتُمْ فلَدَيْنا الوِدادَ أَبْقوا وديعـــا

ولَدَيْنا الثناءَ أَبْقوا ربيطا ولدينا الإخاءَ أَبْقوا وضيعـــا

لَوْ تَشاعونَ مِثْلَهُمْ فيه كُنْتُمْ فَأَجَرْتُمْ رايًا مَعًا وصنيعـــا

لا كِنِ ٱلطَّبْعَ مالِكٌ فَلَوَ ٱسْطَا ع جبنُ الوَرَى لأَضْحَى شجيعـــا

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وله ايضا يخاطب الفلان فى شان ضيفه

أَحَقًّا اتى مِنْ عِنْدَ أَحْمَدَ احمد محمّد سِيد العَبْد والعبد اسْوَد

يُسَايِلُ عن ضيفى لِيَرْجعَ ضيفَه فَيَسْلبه من ماله ويُقَيَّدُ

ويجعله ضيفًا لِكاوُورِ عنْدَه وصن شِرْفُ ما ضَيْفِى لِهَذَا مُعَوَّدُ

أَيقطانُ قال القول ام هم حالم بلى حالمٌ والله احمد احمد

ومن دون ضيفى عاقِلٌ ويَلَمْلمٌ وَرِضْوَى وهَمْلانٌ وقُدْسُ وذُرْوَدُ

اياخذه من قَبْلَ أَنْ تاخُذَ الفَنَى على راسِه والمَشْرَفِىُّ المُهَنَّدُ

اياخذه والسيف والرمح نائمٌ على سَرَقٍ إِنَّ الوشيجَ مُقَصَّدُ

اياخذه أَيْنَ التوارقُ كلُّها ومِنْ عَرَبٍ شيخٌ وكَهْلٌ وأَمْرَدُ

بنو الشيخِ عُثْمانَ بْنِ فُودِىَّ جُنْدُنا ومِنْ جُنْدِنا موسى بنُ بوضالَ يَشْهَدُ

وتَرْغَيْتَمُوتُ الُاسْدُ يَقْدُمُ حَيَّهُمْ لِكاوَى بن ام القُطْبى يُبْرِقُ يُرْعِدُ

وإِخْبِى بْنُ سالَمْ حَوْلَمُ إِيݤَوَدَّرَنْ ولِلْوَغْدُ أَݤَّ الحِنَّ جيشٌ محشّد

وفى تِنْݤِرِيݤِيفٍ رِجالٌ أَعِزّةٌ بنو حَمَّلاسِ القومُ فيها تَسَوَّدُ

وتَنْصُرُ ضيفى مِنْ كَلَسّوقِ فِتْيَةٌ لهم أَسَدٌ فى النايِباتِ وأَسْوَدُ

هُمُ القوم فى الإسلام لا يَخْذَلُونَنىِ وهم اخوتى اجدى الىّ وانجد

ولى من بنى الفلان الارض عصبة الى نصْرِ دينِ الله تَسْعى وتحفد

أَحَبُّ اليهم مِنْ بَيْتِهم واهْلهم وأَنْفُسِهِمْ دينُ ٱلْإِلَهِ يُؤَيَّدُ

اذاما راوا كفرا وعصْيانَ ربّهم ابوا ونبوا من كلّ مَنْ هو هومُفْسِدُ

ولى من رجال الله فى الا رض ثم مِنْ ملائكةٍ نصرٌ وجيش مشرّد

وحَسْبى فَحَسْبى اللهُ جلّ جلالُه فما النصر الّا مِنْه والله أَمْجَدُ

فما النصر الّا منه لا من مَلايِكٍ وإِنْ كَثَرُوا جِدًّا وعَزُّوا وحُمِّدُ (او)

هو الله جلّ الله عَوَّدَ نصْرَه على كلِ جبارٍ يَضُرُّ ويَعْنَدُ

وانّى لَتَكْفِينِى مِنْ احمدَ دَعْوَةٌ إِلى الله فى جَوْفٍ مِنَ اليل تَصْعَدُ

ٱسَدِدُها سَهْمًا اليه بِسُحْرَةٍ فَيُصْبِحُ منها وَهْوَ بِالْمَوْتِ مقْصد

فإِنْ تابَ يومًا فَهْو خير له وان ابى لم يَتِبْ فَٱلأَمْرُلِلّه مَسَنَّدُ

فمن قبله فرعونُ نمرودُ قبله وعاد وشدادُ بْن عاد تَمَرَّدُ او

فكلٌّ عليه قَدْ دعى انْبِيَاءُهُمْ ففادوا وبادوا كلّهم وتَفَرَّدُ او

دعى ربَّه موسى وعيسى وصالح وهود وابراهيم ثم محمد

فَمَدْعُوُنا سُبْحَانَهُ واحدٌ كَمَا اجيبوا يُجِيبُ المومنين وينجد

فيا ربِّ اُنْصُرْنِى كَمَا قَد نَصَرْتَهُمْ فإِنَّك لا حجرٌ عليك ولا يَدُ

وصَلِ عليهم ثم سَلِّمْ مُبارِكًا فما مِنْهُمُ الا حمِيدُ وأَحْمَدُ

TRANSLATION OF THE TWO POEMS OF ÁHMED EL BAKÁY.

BY DR. JOHN NICHOLSON, PENRITH.

“IN the name of GOD,” &c.

“And our Sheikh and Lord, Áhmed el Bakáy, the son of our Sheikh and Lord Mohammed, the son of our Sheikh and Lord El Mukhtár, said, addressing the assembly of the Fulán of Másina, when they attacked his guest, ʿAbd el Kerím Barth, the Englishman, the Christian. (The metre is khafíf.)

“TELL the host of the Fulán,—I say, shameful! I am attacked in a great and weighty matter. Ye have sought my guest: you will find him, when you do find him, mighty, protected, the free guest of a free man, who is the son of a free woman who was daughter of a freeman, and whose father was a freeman, who lavished benefits. No slave bore me, nor did such foster me in their bosoms as a suckling; and my father is he whom you know, and his father. We have not descended from Sém, except as noble, as munificent, as white of face, as lords or chieftains. Among their mothers there is no daughter of a slave who bears coals, like herself, that she may sell them; whose son is her master, whereas his father is his master; who effected his manumission, as being obedient. No daughter nor son of Hám was my parent, nor will I obey the sons of the lazy Hám. Among the sons of the lazy Hám none but fat women and corpulent men see guests [?]. My guest is my honour, and my honour never was in jeopardy; therefore its guest shall never be imperilled. ʿAbd Menáf ben Kosay ben Kiláb ben Morra, my ancestor, and Luway ben Gháleb, and Nizár ben Mʿadd, admonish me not to fear; and Fehr ben Málik ben El Nadhr[159] forbids me to entertain alarm or suspicion. El Wáfi increases ʿOmár, the Sheikh of the sons of Áhmed el Bakáy, by the addition of a fair, freeborn man; and El Kuntí increased him—the progeny of ʿAlí—who sprang from ʿUkbå the Accepted, who perished heroically. Such were my ancestors, noblemen, and their guest never died in agony.

“The Sultan is not alarmed that the homage and allegiance of the Sultan will not be duly paid.[160] He will not be afraid of you, until the Sultan ʿAbd el Mejíd is afraid of Nukmah.[161] War and blows are to be found elsewhere than where ye seek; and wounds among the Zinj drive forth the flowing blood,— without molesting this man,—and long spears and cuts of swords round about on all sides, and the explosion of cannons hither and thither, like thunders which crash in blasts and reverberations. They consider the death in which men are destroyed,—they count it a garden and a vernal season of noble youths and gallant lads, and mature men who have grown old together in dignity, mounted on sleek, swift horses, steeds, coursers, trained to run, tall piebalds, five- year-olds, tall, fleet, wide-stepping, rapid, apple-rumped, plump, long- boned, strong in back and neck, Arabian blood-horses of El Hódh, or Tagánet, or Kidál[162], that are fed upon cooling milk.

“I am secure in my position.[163] He who attempts to contend with me will be cut off, overwhelmed. I rely on ALLAH, the Lord of Moses, and Jesus, and the Prophets, that I may see myself contented. HE aids the solitary and deserted with His help, so that He overwhelms the multitude altogether. Lo! Pharaoh was very wicked and very mighty: he lost his way in the sea, and the host were laid low.

“Oh, Másina! reprove your brother, that he may become a submissive friend to me, like the Imám Bello; or that he may be to me as both his parents were before: if they did not suffer, they did not fear. Or, let him leave me alone with his evil, and I will leave him alone. The best of evil is that it should not manifest itself.

“Behold! the learned and the humane among you, the Ál Fódiye[164]; they do not adopt a chief; they do not adopt any but one who is wise about the way of the Most High, and who sees and hears. They respect the honourable, because they are themselves such. They do not associate with the ignoble: they only consort with those that are saints, learned, poets, pious, abstemious. Repair the evil ye have done our neighbour; and preserve affection for us, preserve for us unfailing gratitude and inviolate brotherhood. If ye were willing, like them, ye should be in it, and would earn both fame and benefits. But nature is queen. If cowards only could, they certainly would be brave.”

“And he said again,—addressing the Fullán on the subject of his guest. (The metre is Tawíl.)

“DID Mohammed Síd, the slave, and that slave a black one, really come from Áhmed [ben] Áhmed, to inquire about my guest, in order to make him return as [become] his guest, that he might plunder him, and fetter him, and make him a guest of Kaúri with him, and with San-Shirfu?[165] My guest is not accustomed to this! Or did Yaktán say the speech? Is he not a dreamer? Yes, a dreamer, by ALLAH! Áhmed, Áhmed! And, besides my guest, there is ʿAákil, and Yalamlam, and Ridhwa, and Hamlán, and Kudsu, and Dhurwad.[166] Will he take him before death and the Indian scimitars seize on his own head? Will he take him while the sword and the spear are asleep, by stealth? Lo, the lances do not miss their aim! Will he take him where all the Tawárek are, and of the Arabs, a Sheikh, and a mature man, and a lad?

“The descendants of the Sheikh ʿOthmán ben Fódiye are our army; and of our army Músa ben Bodhál is a witness; and Targaitamútu, the lions, whose tribe Likáway[167], the nephew of Alkúttabu, leads, who lightens, thunders; and Ákhbi ben Sálem, round whom are the Igwádaren, and Woghdu Agga ’l Henne has a gathered host. And among the Tinkiríkíf there are noble men, the Benu Hammalása, whose troop shows valour; and young men from the Kél e’ Súk, who are lions in calamities, and who are brave, assist my guest. These are the people in El Islám: they do not disappoint me, and they are my brothers, and very useful and helpful to me. I have among the tribe of the Fullán a body of men in the land who run and hasten to defend the religion of ALLAH. Dearer to them than their house and family and souls is the religion of ALLAH, who is mighty! Whenever they see infidelity and rebellion against their Lord, they resist, and go aside from every impious person. And I have some of the men of ALLAH in the land, and also of the angels, as an auxiliary and a scattering host. And my trust—my trust is in ALLAH, whose majesty is great! and there is no help except from Him; and ALLAH is most mighty! So there is no help except from Him; not even from the angels, though they be mighty and worthy of praise. He is GOD, who is great! He redoubles His aid against every oppressor who is violent and exorbitant. As for me, it is sufficient protection against Áhmed that I should pray to ALLAH in the belly[168] of this night that approaches. I will aim my prayer at Him, at the dawn, like an arrow. He shall find himself, when he sees to-morrow, smitten with death. But if he repents one day, that will be best for him. But if he refuse,—will not repent,—then the matter is referred to ALLAH. Before him, Pharaoh, and Nimród, and ʿAád, and Sheddád ben ʿAád rebelled: but all those on whom their prophets invoked vengeance perished, and disappeared, and were desolated. Moses, and Jesus, and Sálih, and Húd, and Abraham, and subsequently Mohammed, called on their Lord. He alone then—glory to his name!—is the One we invoke. Just as they obey, so will He answer and help the faithful. Then, help me, O LORD, in the same way as Thou didst help them: for there is no defence and no help above Thee. And bless and prosper them with benedictions; for there are not any among them but those that deserve praise and honour.

“Finished with the help of GOD,” &c. &c.

[Footnote 159: All the preceding names are those of well-known ancestors of Mohammed, the prophet: those that follow are the poet’s own.]

[Footnote 160: I cannot approve this translation of Dr. Nicholson. I read صببعا and translate—“The sultan is not afraid, lest he may not be feared, or obedience not be paid him. The Sultan (ʿAbd el Mejíd) is not a young lad.” El Bakay, I think, opposes here the Sultan ʿAbd el Mejíd to the young chief Áhmedu ben Áhmedu, who was quite a young man. Dr. Nicholson observes that there is a great fault in the metre of the first hemistich; but that the consonants of the text are strictly those of the MS.—H. B.]

[Footnote 161: This place, Nukmah, or Núgguma, is probably the small place of that name in Másina, and not the village called also “Ksar el Mʿallemín,” mentioned above, p. 250. But I am not quite certain about it.—H. B.]

[Footnote 162: Three districts celebrated for their breed of horses. Kidál lies between Mabrúk and the country of the Awelímmiden.—H. B.]

[Footnote 163: Literally, “My fat is in my wallet.” Freitag, “Arab. Prov.” i. p. 664.]

[Footnote 164: The poet here exhibits to the hostile ruler of Másina the docile behaviour of his friends, the rulers of Sókoto, the successors of the Sheikh Fódiye.—H. B.]

[Footnote 165: San-Shirfu is the name of one of the two kádhis of Timbúktu. Kaúri is the name of the emír.—H. B.]

[Footnote 166: This passage about Yaktán neither I nor Dr. Nicholson are able to clear up fully.—H. B.]

[Footnote 167: See what is said about this man, whose name is generally pronounced Elágwi, in the Appendix III. to Vol. V. p. 553. Ákhbi, Woghdu, and the other people are mentioned repeatedly by me.—H. B.]

[Footnote 168: _i.e._ The latter third.]