أما كفاك تلافي في تلافيكما — Abn Aldhan

أَما كَفاكَ تَلافي في تَلافيكما

وَلَستَ تَنقِمُ إِلّا فَرطَ حُبيكا

Has my ruin in saving you both not sufficed you?

And you resent nothing but the excess of my love for you.

يا مُخجِلَ الغُصنِ ما يَثنيك عَن مَلَلٍ

هَوىً وَكُلُّ هَواءٍ هَبَّ يَثنيكا

O you who shame the bough, you are not turned from weariness

by love, yet every breeze that blows bends you.

أَصبَحتُ لِلقمر المأسور في صَفَدي

أَسرٍ وَللرَشاءِ المَملوك مَملوكا

I have come to belong to the moon held captive in the two fetters

of bondage, a slave to the fawn that is itself enslaved.

أَبيتُ أَغبِطُ فاهُ طيبَ ريقته

لَيلاً وَأَحسُدُ في الصُبحِ المساويكا

I lie envying his mouth for the sweetness of his saliva

at night, and at dawn I envy the toothsticks.

يا حامِلَ الراحِ في فيهِ وَراحَتِهِ

دَع ما بِكَفّك روحُ العَيشِ في فيكا

O bearer of wine in his mouth and in his palm,

leave what is in your hand: life's spirit is in your mouth.

أَلَيسَ سِرُّكَ مَستوراً عَلى كَلَفي

فَما يَضرُّكَ أَن أَصبَحتَ مَهتوكا

Is your secret not concealed despite my infatuation?

Then what harm is it to you that you have become exposed?

وَفيم تغضب إِن قالَ الوُشاة سَلا

وَأَنتَ تَعلَمُ أَنّي لَستُ أَسلوكا

And why grow angry if the talebearers say, 'He has forgotten'?

When you know that I do not forget you?

لا نِلتُ وَصلك إِن كانَ الَّذي زَعَموا

وَلا سَقى ظَمأي جودُ ابنِ رُزّيكا

May I never attain union with you if what they claimed is true,

nor may Ibn Ruzzik's bounty quench my thirst.

هادي الدعاة ابي الغاراتِ خير فَتىً

أَدنى عَطيّاتِه أَقصى أَمانيكا

Guide of the preachers, Abu al-Gharat, the finest of men,

his least gifts are your utmost hopes.

القاتِل الألف يَلقاهُم فَيغلِبُهم

وَالواهبِ الأَلف تَلقاه فَيُغنيكا

Slayer of a thousand—he meets them and overcomes them,

and giver of a thousand—you meet him, and he enriches you.

يا كاشِفَ الغُمّةِ الكبرى وَقَد نَزَلَت

بشعب شَمل العلا لَولا تلافيكا

O dispeller of the great calamity when it descended—

it would have sundered glory's unity, but for your intervention.

بَرّزتَ سَبقاً فَما داناك في أَمَدٍ

خَلقٌ قَديماً وَلا خَلقٌ يُدانيكا

You raced far ahead; none matched you over any course,

no mortal of old, nor does any mortal approach you now.

أَرت مَساعيك سُبلَ المَجدِ جاهِلَها

فَلَو سَعى كانَ أَيضاً مِن مَساعيكا

Your deeds showed the paths of glory to one who knew them not;

and if he strove, that too would count among your deeds.

يَخافُكَ المَلِكُ ناءٍ عَنك مَنزِلَهُ

وَيُقتِرُ المَرءُ عَن بُعدٍ فَيَرجوكا

The king fears you though his dwelling is far from you,

and a man falls into poverty far away, and so hopes in you.

يَشكو إِلَيكَ بَنو الآمال فَقرُهُمُ

فَينثَنون وَبَيتُ المالِ يَشكوكا

The sons of hope complain to you of their poverty;

so they depart, while the treasury complains of you.

وَفَيلَقٍ يَملأُ الأَقطار ذي لَجَبٍ

يُضحي له ثابِتُ الأَطوادِ مَدكوكا

And a clamorous host filling the lands,

before which steadfast mountains are crushed flat,

مَن كُلَّ أَغلب تَلىُ عِرضَه حَرَماً

موفَّراً وَتُلاقي المالَ مَنهوكا

made up of every lionlike warrior whose honor [you find] a sanctuary,

kept inviolate, while you find his wealth depleted.

سَنَّ الحَديدَ عَليَّ كالماءِ شَيَّعَهُ

مِثلُ الحديدِ بَراهُ اللَهُ فتيكا

He poured iron upon me like water; accompanying him was

one like iron, whom God fashioned deadly.

صُمٌّ عَن الذامِ لا يأتون داعيَهُ

فان دَعَوتَ إِلى حَربٍ أَجابوكا

Deaf to dishonor, they never heed its summoner;

but if you call them to war, they answer you.

بَعثتَهم نَحوَ جَيش الشِرك فاِنبَعَثوا

يَرَونَ أَكبرَ غُنمٍ أَن أَطاعوكا

You sent them toward the army of polytheism, and they set forth,

deeming obedience to you the greatest gain.

ساروا إِلى المَوتِ قُدماً ما كأَنَّهُم

رأوا طَريقَ فرارٍ قَطُّ مَسلوكا

They marched boldly toward death, as though they had not

ever seen a path of flight being taken.

فأَوردوا السُمرَ شُرباً مِن نُحورهم

وَأَوطَؤوا الهامَ بالقاعِ السَنابيكا

So they led the brown spears to drink from their foes' throats,

and made the hooves trample heads upon the plain,

ضَرباً وَطَعناً يَقُدُّ البيضَ مُحكمةً

وَيَخرُقُ الزَرَدَ الماذيَّ مَحبوكا

with blows and thrusts that cleave firmly forged helmets

and pierce tightly woven mail of fine steel.

وَباتَ في كُلِّ صُقعٍ مِن دِيارِهُمُ

نَوحٌ عَلى بَطَلٍ لَولاكَ ماشيكا

And in every quarter of their lands, night brought

mourning for a champion who, but for you, would never have been pierced.

أَمسوا مُلوكاً ذَوي أَسرٍ فَصبَّحَهُم

أُسدٌ أَتَوك بهم أَسرى مَماليكا

At dusk they were kings of might; at dawn they were assailed

by lions who brought them to you as captive slaves.

وَلَم يَفتهم سِوى مَن كانَ مَعقِلُهُ

مُطهماً حَثّهُ رَكضاً وَتَحريكا

None escaped them except one whose stronghold

was a well-built steed that he spurred and urged onward.

يا كَعبَة الجودِ أَنَّ الفَقر أَقعَدَني

وَرِقّةُ الحال عَن مَفروضِ حَجّيكا

O Kaaba of generosity, I have been held back by poverty

and straitened means from my bounden pilgrimage to you.

قَد جادَ غاديك لي جَوداً وَأَطمعني

سَماحَةٌ فيك في اِستِسقاء ساريكا

Your morning cloud has rained abundantly for me, and I am encouraged

by the generosity in you to seek rain from your night cloud.

مَن أَرتَجي يا كَريمَ الدَهر تَنعَشُني

جَدواه إِن خابَ سَعيي في رَجائيكا

Whom can I look to, O generous one of the age, to revive me

with his bounty, if my striving in hope of you should fail?

أَأَمدَحُ التُركَ أَبغي الفَضلَ عِندَهُمُ

وَالشِعرُ ما زالَ عند التُرك مَتروكا

Shall I praise the Turks, seeking bounty among them,

while poetry has remained neglected among the Turks?

أَم أَمدَحُ السوقَة النَوكى لرِفدِهمُ

وَأضيعتا ان تَخطَّتني أَياديكا

Or praise foolish commoners for their largesse?

And alas for my ruin if your favors pass me by!

لا تتركنّي وَما أَمَلَّتُ في سَفَري

سِواكَ أُقفِلُ نَحوَ الأَهل صُعلوكا

Do not leave me—having hoped for none on my journey

but you—to return to my family a pauper.

أَرى السِباخَ لَها ريٌّ وَقَد رَضيَت

مِنكَ الرِياضُ مُساواةً وَتَشريكا

I see the salt flats have their fill of water; content

with equal treatment and a shared portion from you are the gardens.