The Poet's Revenge | انْتِقامُ الشَّاعِرِ
"A scorned poet uses his verses to bring down a corrupt wali who wronged his family"
انْتِقامُ الشَّاعِرِ
The Poet's Revenge
الفصلُ الأَوَّلُ: الظُّلْمُ الفادِحُ
Chapter One: The Grievous Injustice
فِي عَهْدٍ قَدِيمٍ، حَكَمَ والٍ ظالِمٌ يُدْعَى مَنْصُورًا إِحْدَى مُدُنِ عُمانَ. كانَ يَأْخُذُ أَمْوالَ النَّاسِ بِالباطِلِ، وَيُعاقِبُ مَنْ يَعْتَرِضُ.
In ancient times, a tyrannical wali named Mansour ruled one of Oman's cities. He would take people's money unjustly and punish those who objected.
ذاتَ يَوْمٍ، طَمِعَ فِي مَزْرَعَةِ عائِلَةٍ فَقِيرَةٍ. أَرْسَلَ جُنُودَهُ فَقَتَلُوا الأَبَ وَطَرَدُوا الأُمَّ وَالأَطْفالَ.
One day, he coveted the farm of a poor family. He sent his soldiers who killed the father and expelled the mother and children.
كانَ ابْنُ تِلْكَ العائِلَةِ شابًّا يُدْعَى نَصْرًا، شاعِرًا مَوْهُوبًا لَكِنَّهُ فَقِيرٌ. أَقْسَمَ عَلى قَبْرِ أَبِيهِ: «سَأَنْتَقِمُ لَكَ يا أَبِي، لَكِنْ بِسِلاحٍ أَقْوَى مِنَ السَّيْفِ!»
The son of that family was a youth named Nasr, a talented poet but poor. He swore at his father's grave: "I shall avenge you, O Father, but with a weapon mightier than the sword!"
الفصلُ الثَّانِي: القَصائِدُ القاتِلَةُ
Chapter Two: The Deadly Poems
بَدَأَ نَصْرٌ يَنْظِمُ قَصائِدَ هِجائِيَّةً عَنِ الوالِي. كانَتْ أَبْياتُهُ حادَّةً كَالسِّكِّينِ، تَفْضَحُ ظُلْمَهُ وَفَسادَهُ وَجُبْنَهُ.
Nasr began to compose satirical poems about the wali. His verses were sharp as a knife, exposing his tyranny, corruption, and cowardice.
انْتَشَرَتِ القَصائِدُ كَالنَّارِ فِي الهَشِيمِ. كانَ النَّاسُ يَحْفَظُونَها وَيُرَدِّدُونَها فِي الأَسْواقِ. حَتَّى الأَطْفالُ صارُوا يُغَنُّونَها.
The poems spread like wildfire. People memorized them and recited them in the markets. Even children began to sing them.
غَضِبَ الوالِي وَأَمَرَ بِالبَحْثِ عَنِ الشَّاعِرِ. لَكِنَّ نَصْرًا كانَ يَخْتَفِي كَالظِّلِّ، يَكْتُبُ قَصائِدَهُ وَيُلْصِقُها عَلى الجُدْرانِ فِي اللَّيْلِ.
The wali was furious and ordered a search for the poet. But Nasr would disappear like a shadow, writing his poems and posting them on walls at night.
الفصلُ الثَّالِثُ: سُقُوطُ الطَّاغِيَةِ
Chapter Three: The Fall of the Tyrant
وَصَلَتِ القَصائِدُ إِلى مَسامِعِ الإِمامِ فِي نِزْوَى. قَرَأَها فَعَرَفَ حَقِيقَةَ واليهِ. أَرْسَلَ مَبْعُوثِينَ لِلتَّحْقِيقِ، فَوَجَدُوا كُلَّ ما ذَكَرَهُ الشَّاعِرُ صَحِيحًا.
The poems reached the ears of the Imam in Nizwa. He read them and learned the truth about his wali. He sent envoys to investigate, and they found everything the poet mentioned to be true.
عُزِلَ الوالِي وَسُجِنَ، وَأُعِيدَتِ الأَراضِي المَسْلُوبَةُ إِلى أَصْحابِها.
The wali was removed and imprisoned, and the stolen lands were returned to their owners.
طَلَبَ الإِمامُ مُقابَلَةَ الشَّاعِرِ. جاءَهُ نَصْرٌ فَقالَ لَهُ الإِمامُ: «لَقَدِ انْتَقَمْتَ بِالكَلِمَةِ، وَهَذا أَشْرَفُ مِنَ الانْتِقامِ بِالدَّمِ. صِرْتَ مِنَ اليَوْمِ شاعِرَ البَلاطِ.»
The Imam requested to meet the poet. Nasr came to him, and the Imam said: "You have avenged with the word, and this is more honorable than revenge with blood. From today, you are the court poet."
وَصارَ نَصْرٌ صَوْتَ المَظْلُومِينَ، يَحْمِي بِقَصائِدِهِ مَنْ لا حامِيَ لَهُمْ.
And Nasr became the voice of the oppressed, protecting with his poems those who had no protector.
تَمَّتِ القِصَّةُ | The End