أعلمت بعدك وقفتي بالأجرع — Abn Aldhan

أَعَلِمتَ بَعدَكَ وَقفَتي بالأَجرَعِ

وَرِضى طلولِكَ عَن دُموعي الهُمَّعِ

Did you know, after your departure, of my vigil at al-Ajra‘,

and of your ruins' contentment with my streaming tears?

مَطَرت غَضاً في منزليكَ فَذاوياً

في أَربُعٍ وَمؤَجَّجاً في أَضلعِ

They rained on fresh growth at your two dwellings, then on withered growth

in the dwelling-sites, and on a blaze within my ribs.

لَم يَثنِ غَربَ الدَمعِ ليلة غَرَّبَت

وَلَعُ العَذولِ بفرطِ عَذلِ المولَع

The flood of tears, the night she went west, was not checked

by the reproacher's obsession with excessive blame of the lovesick.

يَلحى الجُفونَ عَلى الدُموعِ لبينهم

وَالعَذلُ كلُّ العَذل ان لَم تَدمَع

He reproaches my eyelids for tears at their departure,

yet all blame is due if they do not weep.

دَعني وَما شاءَ اللَدودُ لبينهم

واِقصد بِلَومِكَ مِن يطيعُكَ أَو يَعي

Leave me to whatever the relentless foe wills at their parting,

and direct your blame at one who obeys you or understands.

لا قَلبَ لي فأَعي المَلامَ فانَّني

أَودَعته بالأَمسِ عند مودِّعي

I have no heart with which to heed reproach, for I

entrusted it yesterday to the one who bade me farewell.

هَل يَعلَمُ المتحَمِّلونَ لنجعَةٍ

انّ المنازلَ أخصبت من أَدمعي

Do those departing in search of pasture know

that the dwellings grew fertile from my tears?

كَم غادَروا حَرَضاً وَكَم لِوَداعِهم

بَينَ الجَوانحِ مِن غَرامٍ مودَعِ

How many they left wasted, and how much, through their farewell,

passion lies stored between the ribs!

أمَروا الضُحى أَن يَستَحيل لأَنَّهم

قالوا لشمسِ خُدورِهم لا تطلعي

They commanded the morning light to change, for they

told the sun of their secluded chambers, 'Do not rise.'

تَحمي قبابَهم ظُبىً في كِلَّةٍ

وَتَذودُ عنهم أسهُمٌ في بُرقُع

Sword-points behind a gauze curtain guard their pavilions,

and arrows behind a face-veil defend them.

قُل لِلبَخيلَة بالسَلام تورّعاً

كَيفَ اِستَبحتِ دَمي وَلَم تَتَورّعي

Say to her who withholds a greeting out of scruple:

'How did you deem my blood lawful and feel no scruple?'

وَبَديعَة الحُسنِ الَّتي في وَجهِها

دونَ الوجوه عِنايَةٌ لِلمُبدِع

And the woman of wondrous beauty, whose face,

unlike other faces, bears the Creator's special care:

بَيضاءُ يُدنيها النَوى وَيُحلّها

اعراضُها في القَلبِ أَكرمَ مَوضِع

fair-skinned, drawn near by distance, and placed

by her aversion in the heart's most honored place.

ما بالُ مُعتَمِرٍ بربعِكِ دائماً

يَقضي زِيارَتَه بِغَيرِ تمتُّع

Why does one who is always a pilgrim at your dwelling

complete his visit without delight?

كَم قَد هَجَرتِ إِذ التَواصلُ مُكسِب

وَضَررتِ قادِرَةً عَلى أَن تنفَعي

How often you have shunned me when union would bring gain,

and harmed me while able to benefit me!

ما كانَ ضركِ لَو غَمزتِ بِحاجِبِ

عِندَ التَفَرُّقِ أَو أَشَرتِ باصبَع

What harm would it have done you to signal with an eyebrow

at parting, or gesture with a finger?

وَوَعدتِني ان عُدت عَودَ وِصالِنا

هَيهات ما أَبقى إِلى أَن تَرجِعي

And you promised me, if you returned, the return of our union;

far from it! I shall not survive until you return.

هَل تَسمَحين بِبَذلِ أَيسر نائِلٍ

أَن أَشتَكي وَجدي اليك وَتَسمَعي

Will you grant the simplest favor:

that I lament my passion to you, and you listen?

أَو شاهِدي جَسَدي تَري أَثَرَ الضَنى

أَو فاسألي ان شئتِ شاهِد أَدمعي

Or look upon my body: you will see the marks of wasting;

or, if you wish, question the witness of my tears.

فالسقمُ آيةُ ما أُجنّ مِن الهَوى

وَالدَمعُ بَيّنةٌ عَلى ما أَدّعي

For illness is a sign of the love I conceal,

and tears are evidence of what I claim.

وَتيقَّني أَنّي بحبّكِ مُغرَمٌ

ثُمَّ اِصنَعي ما شِئتِ بي أَن تَصنَعي

And be certain that I am enthralled by love for you;

then do to me whatever you wish to do.

يا صاحِ هَل أَبصرتَ بَرقاً خافياً

كالسَيفِ سُلَّ عَلى أَبارقِ لَعلَع

Friend, have you seen gleaming lightning,

like a sword drawn over the stony ridges of La‘la‘?

بَرقٌ إِذا لَمَعَ اِستطار فُؤادُهُ

وَيَبيتُ ذا قَلَقٍ إِذا لَم يَلمَعِ

Lightning: when it flashes, his heart takes flight;

and he spends the night restless when it does not flash.

فَسَقى الرَبيعُ الجَونُ رَبعاً طالَما

أَبصرتُ فيهِ البَدرَ لَيلَةَ أَربَعِ

So may the dark spring cloud water a dwelling where so often

I saw the full moon on the fourth night.

وَعلامَ أَستَسقي لَهُ سَيلَ الحَيا

يَكفيهِ ما نَسقيهِ فَيضَ الأَدمُعِ

And why should I seek a torrent of rain for it?

The flood of tears with which we water it suffices.

وَلَو اِستَطعت سَقيته سَيلَ الحِبا

مِن كَفِّ يُوسُف بالأدر الأَنفعِ

And if I could, I would water it with a torrent of gifts

from Yusuf's hand, in a more copious, more beneficial flow,

بندى فَتىً لَو أَنَّ جودَ يَمينه

لِلغَيثِ لَم يَكُ مُمسِكاً عَن مَوضِع

with the bounty of a youth: were his right hand's generosity

the rain's, it would withhold itself from no place.

صَبُّ بأَسباب المَعالي مُغرَمٌ

كَلِف بأَبكار المَكارِم مولَعِ

A lover of the paths to greatness, enthralled,

enamored of virgin noble deeds, passionately devoted.

لِلمُعتفين رَخاءُ ريحٍ سَجَسجٍ

وَالمُعتَدين عجاج ريحٍ زَعزَعِ

For bounty-seekers, the gentleness of a temperate breeze;

and for aggressors, the dust-storm of a raging wind.

رَبُّ المَكارمِ وُضَّحاً لَم تَستَقِر

بِدَنيَّةٍ يَوماً وَلَم تَتَمَنَّعِ

Master of shining noble deeds, which never lodged

in baseness for a day, nor ever proved inaccessible.

وَمُديم بذل النَفسِ غَيرُ مُفَرِّطٍ

وَكَثيرُ بَذلِ المالِ غَيرُ مُضَيِّعِ

Ever giving of himself, yet never heedless,

and lavish in giving wealth, yet never wasteful.

فَإِذا تَبسَّم قالَ لِلجود اِندَفِق

فَيضاً وَيا سُحُبَ النَدى لا تَقلَعي

So when he smiles, he tells generosity, 'Pour forth

in a flood! And, clouds of bounty, do not cease!'

وَإِذا تنمَّر قالَ للأرضِ ارجَفي

بالصاهِلات وَلِلجبالِ تَزعزعي

And when he grows tiger-fierce, he tells the earth, 'Quake

with neighing steeds!' and the mountains, 'Tremble!'

واذاً عَلا في المجدَ أَعلا غايَةٍ

قالَت لَهُ الهِمَمُ الجِسامُ تَرَفَّعِ

And when he reaches the utmost height of glory,

mighty ambitions tell him, 'Rise higher!'

ثَبتُ الجَنّانِ اذا القُلوب تَطايَرَت

في الرَوعِ يَعدِل أَلف أَلفَ مُدرّع

Steadfast of heart when hearts fly apart

in terror, he equals a thousand thousand armored warriors.

فَضَلَ الوَرى بِفَضائِلٍ لَم تَتَّفِق

في غَيرِهِ مَلِكاً وَلَم تَتَجمعِ

He surpassed mankind through virtues that never coincided

in any other king, nor ever came together.

ما رامَ صَعبَ المُرتَقى مُتَباعِداً

الّا وَكانَ عليه سَهلَ المطلعِ

No remote height, hard to climb, did he seek

but its ascent was easy for him.

جَمعَ الجيوش فَشَتَّ شَمل عِداتِه

ما فَرَّقَ الأَعداءَ مِثلَ تجمُّعِ

He gathered armies and scattered the ranks of his enemies;

nothing divides foes like such a gathering.

لَم يَثنهِ عَن نَصرِهِ خُلفاءَهُ

عِظَمُ العَدوِّ وَلا بَعادُ الموضِعِ

He was not deterred from aiding his caliphs

by the enemy's might or the remoteness of the place,

بِجَحافِلٍ مثلِ السُيولِ تَدافَعَت

وَإِذا السيولُ تَدافَعت لَم تُدفَعِ

with vast armies surging like torrents;

and when torrents surge, they cannot be repelled.

من تُبَّع فلكم له مِن تابِع

أَوفى وأَوفَر عِزّةً مِن تُبَّعِ

Who is Tubba‘? How many a follower he has

more loyal and greater in might than Tubba‘!

مِن دَوحَةٍ شاذيّةٍ أَرجت لَها الد

نيا لِطيبِ شَذى لَها مُتَضوّع

From a Shadhi tree, for which the world grew fragrant

with the sweetness of its wafting scent,

المُعرِضينَ إِذا تَعرَّضَ مَطمَعٌ

وَالمُقبلينَ إِذا دَعوا في مَفزَع

those who turn away when tempting gain presents itself,

and come forward when summoned in a crisis,

وَالناثِرينَ الهامَ يَبرقُ بَيضُه

وَالخارِقين مُضاعفاتِ الأَدرُعِ

and scatter heads whose helmets gleam,

and pierce doubled coats of armor.

قَومٌ إِذا يَقَعُ الصَريخُ تَبادَروا

نَحوَ الحِمامِ بِكُلِّ أَبلج أَروَع

A people who, when the cry for help arises, hasten

toward death with every bright-browed, awe-inspiring warrior.

لا يَغزونَ الرومَ بُعدُ دِيارِهِم

انَّ الخَليجَ لَدَيكَ أَقرَبُ مشرَع

They do not raid the Byzantines, their lands being far away;

surely the gulf, to you, is the nearest watering-place.

لَو أَنَّ مِثلَ البَحر سَبعَةُ أَبحُرٍ

مِن دونِهِم وأَزدتَهم لَم تَمنَع

If seven seas like the sea

lay before them, and you added more, they would not bar you.

كَم وَقفَةٍ لَك في الوَغى مَحمودَةٍ

أَبَداً وَكَم جودٍ حَميد المَوقِعِ

How many a stand of yours in battle is praised

forever, and how many a gift is worthy in its bestowal!

وَالطَيرُ مِن ثِقَةٍ بأكلٍ مُشبِعٍ

تَبِعَت جُيوشَكَ فَوقَ غابٍ مُسبع

And birds, confident of a filling meal,

followed your armies above a forest teeming with lions.

وَالناسُ بَعدكَ في المَكارِم وَالعُلى

رَجُلانِ امّا سارِقٌ أَو مُدّعي

And after you, in noble deeds and high glory, people

are of two kinds: either a thief or a pretender.

يا غَيثُ لا تَسجم وَما حمل مربعي

بنَداكِ الّا ذو غَدير مُترَعِ

O rain, do not pour: none has supplied my spring dwelling

with your dew except one whose pool is brimming.

راجَعتُ فيكَ الشِعرَ بعد طَلاقِه

طَمَعاً بِجودِك أَيّ مَوقعِ مَطمَعِ

For your sake I took poetry back after divorcing it,

hoping for your bounty—what a place to set one's hopes!

فَسؤالُ جودِكَ عِزَّةٌ للمجتدي

وَنَداكَ تَشريفٌ وَعِزَّةُ موضِع

Thus asking for your bounty is honor for the suppliant,

and your generosity is distinction and elevation of rank.

فاذا بَقيتَ فَلَستُ أَحفَلُ مِن مَضى

وَإِذا حَييتَ فَلا أُباليَ مِن نُعي

So if you remain, I care not who has passed away;

and if you live, I care not whose death is announced.

لَولاكَ لَم أَرضَ القَنوعَ وَذِلَّتي

مِن بَعدِ طولِ تَعزُّزٍ وَتَقنُّعِ

But for you, I would not accept begging and my abasement

after long proud reserve and veiling myself.

فاِسلم عَلى مَرِّ الزَمانِ مُمتَّعاً

بِعَظيمٍ مُلكِك وَالمحلِّ الأَرفعِ

So remain safe throughout the passage of time, enjoying

your mighty dominion and loftiest station.