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O killer of scribes

يا قاتل الله كتاب الدواوين

1. O killer of scribes
Who gain nothing from breaking pens

١. يَا قَاتَل اللَّهُ كُتَّابَ الدَّوَاوِيْنِ
مَا يَسْتَجِيْزُونَ مِنْ كَسْرِ السَّكَاكِيْنِ

2. One of them has wronged me, a wily one
With a sharp tongue like a sharpened sword

٢. لَقَدْ دَهَانِي لَطِيْفٌ مِنْهُمُ خَتِلٌ
فِي ذَاتِ حَدٍّ كَحَدِّ السَّيْفِ مَسْنُونِ

3. He took me unawares though I felt nothing
I'd not feel cheated, though suspicions rose

٣. فَابَتَزَّنِيْهَا وَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ بِهِ عَبَثَاً
وَلَسْتُ لَوْ سَاءَنِي ظَنٌّ بِمَغْبُونِ

4. After its heyday, the place lies deserted
Home of a lad bound fast to his books

٤. وَأَقْفَرَتْ بَعْدَ عُمْرَانٍ بِمَوْقِعِهَا
مِنْهَا دَوَاةُ فَتًى بِالْكُتْبِ مَقْتُونِ

5. Who weeps for a city time has destroyed
That once controlled wayward fortunes

٥. يَبْكِي عَلَى مُدْيَةٍ أَوْدَى الزَّمَانُ بِهَا
كَانَتْ عَلَى جَائِرِ الأَيَّامِ تُعْدِيْنِي

6. It set my pens straight and carved them
Well, rejecting the flawed, pleasing me

٦. كَانَتْ تُقَوِّمث أَقْلاَمِي وَتَنْحِتُهَا
بَرْيَاً وَتُسْخِطُهَا قَطَّاً فَتُرْضِيْنِي

7. I made parchment and paper laugh through fine garments
That delighted the eye like garden blooms

٧. وَأُضْحِكُ الطِّرْسَ وَالقِرْطَاسَ عَنء حُلَلٍ
تَنُوبُ لِلْعَيْنِ عَنْ نَوْرِ البَسَاتِيْنِ

8. And if I scraped the dark from my pages
They returned like some gazelles' dark eyes

٨. وَإِنْ قَشَرْتُ بِهَا سَوْدَاءَ مِنْ صُحُفِي
عَادَتْ كَبَعْضِ خُدُودِ الخُرَّدِ العِيْنِ

9. Coffers of provisions are delicate things
Beauties with all kinds of ornaments

٩. جَزْعُ النَّصَابِ لَطِيْفَاتٌ شَعَائِرُهَا
مُحَسَّنَاتٌ بِأَصْنَافِ التَّحَاسِيْنِ

10. Slender, fair, gilded
God said "Be!" and it was

١٠. هَيْفَاءُ مُرْهَفَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ مُذْهَبَةٌ
قَالَ الإِلهُ لَهَا سُبْحَانَهُ كُونِي

11. Her cinched waist relates in its cinching
The waist of creativity—creative in its slenderiness

١١. مَخْطُوفَةُ الخَصْرِ تَحْكِي فِي تَخَصُّرِهَا
خَصْرَ البَدِيْعِ بَدِيْعٌ فِي الخَفَاتِيْنِ

12. It's as if, when passion seizes me, she remembers
In my heart and penetrates my deepest places

١٢. كَأَنَّهَا حِيْنَ يَشْجِيْنِي تَذَكُرُهَا
فِي القَلْبِ مِنِّي وَفِي الأَحْشَاءِ تَفْرِيْنِي

13. But my critic has become gloating and craven
And felt only humility and abasement from her

١٣. لَكِنَّ مِقَطِّي أَمْسَى شَامِتَاً جَذِلاً
وَكَانَ فِي ذِلَّةٍ مِنْهَا وَفِي هُونِ

14. Guard her so your guarding rivals
My zeal to protect her from those who envy me

١٤. فَصِيْنَ حَتَّى يُضَاهِي فِي صَيَانَتِهِ
جَاهِي لِصَوْنِيْهِ عَمَّنْ لاَ يُدَانِيْنِي

15. I cannot forget her, alive,
Or find a substitute to console me

١٥. فَلَسْتُ عَنْهَا بِسَالٍ مَا حَيِيْتُ وَلاَ
بِوَاجِدٍ عِوَضَاً مِنْهَا يُسَلِّيْنِي

16. If a ransom could redeem my grief for her
We'd ransom her with world and religion.

١٦. فَلَو يَرُدُّ فِدَاءٌ مَا فُجِعْتُ بِهِ
مِنْهَا فَدَيْنَاهُ بِالدُّنْيَا وَبِالدِّيْنِ

17. I have awoken from everything that pleased me
Listening to lovers' tales

١٧. صحوت عن كل شيء كان يعجبني
الاستماع أحاديث المحبينا

18. When one complained of loneliness, I wept for him
If he prayed I sincerely said "Amen"

١٨. إذا شكا بعضهم وحداً بكيت له
وإن دعا قلت بالاخلاص أمينا

19. That is only because I, like them,
Have suffered what they suffered once

١٩. مَا ذَاكَ إِلاَّ لأَنِّي قَدْ لَقِيْتُ كَمَا
لاَقُوْا وَكَابَدْتُ مَا قَدْ كَابَدُوا حِيْنَا

20. But there was no one to help me
While I give aid to those in sadness

٢٠. لَكِنَّنِي لَمْ يَكُنْ لِي مَنْ يَسَاعِدُنِي
وَهَا أَنَا مُسْعِدٌ مَنْ كَانَ مَحْزُونَا