ما نام بعد البين يستحلي الكرى — Abn Aldhan

ما نامَ بعدَ البين يَستَحلي الكرى

إِلّا ليطرُقَه الخَيالُ إِذا سَرى

He never slept after parting, savoring slumber,

save that the phantom might visit him when it roamed by night.

كَلِفٌ بِقُربكَمُ فَلمّا عاقَهُ

بُعدُ المَدى سَلَك الطَريقَ الأَخصَرا

Enamored of nearness to you, when he was hindered

by the distance, he took the shorter road.

وَإِذا تَصوَّرَ أَن يُصورك الكَرى

فَمِن الظَلالِ لمقلَةٍ أَن تَسهَرا

And if he imagines that slumber can picture you,

then it is folly for an eye to stay awake.

كَم نافِرٍ لا يُستَطاعُ كَلامُه

داريتَه بكرىً فَزارَ وَما دَرى

How many an aloof one, impossible to address,

you coaxed through sleep, so he visited without knowing!

وَمُهَفهِفٍ ثِمِل القَوامِ وَحَقُّ مَن

حَملَ المُدامَةَ دائماً أَن يَسكَرا

And a slender-waisted one, his figure drunken—it is fitting for one

who always carries wine to become drunk.

رَيّانَ أَورقَ بالظَلامِ قَضيبُهُ

حُسناً فأزهر بِالصَباحِ وَنَورا

Lush, his branch put forth leaves in the darkness

with beauty, then blossomed with morning and flowered.

عَنفَ العَذولُ وَما رآهُ جَهالَةً

وَأَغارُ وَجداً أَن يَراهُ فَيُعذَرا

The reproacher rebuked me harshly, never having seen him, out of ignorance;

and in passionate jealousy I begrudge his seeing him and being excused.

وَأَطالَ عَتبي لاحياً وَلَو أَنَّهُ

عَرفَ الَّذي يُلحي عَليهِ لأقصرا

He prolonged his rebukes, blaming me; yet, had he

known whom he was blaming me for, he would have stopped.

فارَقته وَعدمتُ صَبري بَعدَهُ

فَفَقَدتُهُ وَفَقدتُ أَن أَتَصَبَّرا

I parted from him and lost my patience after him;

I lost him, and lost the power to endure.

لا تَنكرن فيضَ الدُموعِ فمنكَرٌ

أَن لا يَكونَ نَواهُ نَوءاً مُمطِرا

Do not deny the flood of tears; the strange thing would be

that his departure should not be a rain-bearing star.

أَبكي لِذِكرِ العيشِ عِزَّ طِلابِهِ

وَالعَيشُ ما أَبكاكَ أَن يُتَذَكَرّا

I weep at the memory of life, now so hard to attain;

true life is what makes you weep when remembered.

يا طالِباً بالبين قَتلي عامِداً

أَحسَبتَني أَبقى عَلى أَن تَهجُرا

O you who deliberately seek my death through separation,

did you think I could survive despite your desertion?

وَموَدُعٍ أَم التفرّقُ دمعَهُ

وَنَهَتهُ رِقبَةُ كاشِحٍ فَتَحيَّرا

And one taking leave, whose tears separation sought,

and a spiteful foe's watchfulness forbade him, leaving him perplexed.

يَبدو هِلالٌ مِن خِلالِ سُجوفِه

لَو مُراقبةُ العُيونِ لأَبدَرا

A crescent appears through the folds of his curtains;

but for watching eyes, he would become a full moon.

حَذر العُيونِ فَلَيسَ يُلقى سافِراً

مِن حُسنِ وَجهٍ لَيسَ يَفتأ مُسفِرا

Wary of eyes, he is never met unveiled,

because of the beauty of a face that never ceases to shine.

مَنَعَت مُحاذَرةُ الوِشاةِ ظُهورَهُ

فَأَبى خَفيُّ الوَجدِ أَن لا يَظهَرا

Fear of informers kept him from appearing,

but hidden passion refused to remain unseen.

وَرَمى فَأنفذ في الحَديدِ مُسرّداً

سَهماً وَما نَفَذ الحَريرَ مُسَتَرا

He shot, sending through iron woven into mail

an arrow—yet it did not pierce the screening silk.

سَحَرت وَقَد قَتَلت لِحاظ جُفونُه

أَوَما كَفاها القَتل حَتّى تَسحَرا

The glances of his eyelids bewitched after they had slain;

was killing not enough for them, that they must bewitch?

فَحَذارِ أُسدَ الغابِ رَبربَ عالِجٍ

وَحَذارِ ثُمَّ حَذارِ ذاكَ الجؤذَرا

Beware, lions of the thicket, the wild-cattle herd of Alij,

and beware, then beware again, that wild-cow calf!

وَيلاهُ مِن واهي القُوى ذي رِقَّةٍ

قَويت عِلاقَةُ حُبّه فَتَحَيَّرا

Alas for me, because of one so frail and tender!

The bond of love for him grew strong—so marvel!

فسأغتدي مِن يُوسُفيٍ مُقتَدٍ

بِعَزيز مصرٍ يوسُفٍ مستَنصرا

So I shall set out in the morning from a Joseph-like beloved, following

Egypt's mighty lord, Yusuf, seeking his aid.

مَلِكٌ اذا أَبصرتَه فَلَقيتَهُ

أَبصرتَ بِشراً بالنَجاحِ مُبشِّرا

A king: when you behold him and meet him,

you see gladness heralding success.

ردفُ الأَكارِم في مَدى بَذلِ النَدى

وَجَزى فَكانَ السابِقَ المُتأخِّرا

Successor to the noble in the field of generous giving,

he rewarded, becoming the foremost though he came later.

وَفَتىً اذا عَدوا السِنينَ فانَّهُم

عدوا السنى فَكانَ الأَكبَرا

And a young man: when they counted his years, they

counted radiance, and he proved the greatest.

كسبَ الَكارِمَ فاكتَساها لابِساً

مُلكاً وَكانَت تُستَعارُ وَتُشتَرى

He earned noble virtues and clothed himself in them, wearing

them as his own possession, where they had been borrowed and bought.

في وَجهِهِ اِجتَمَعَ الجَمالُ وَسَيفُهُ

حَتفٌ وَكَفُّهُ غَيث الوَرى

In his face all beauty gathered; his sword

is death, and his palm the rain of mankind.

ما حَلَّ رَبعَ المحلِ أَغبرَ قاتِماً

إِلّا وَأَصبَحَ مِن نَداهُ أَخضَرا

Never did he alight in a drought-stricken dwelling, dusty and gloomy,

without it turning green with his bounty.

أَو سَلَّ يَومَ الرَوع أَبيضَ صارِماً

إِلّا وَعادَ مِن الأَعادي أَحمَرا

Nor draw, on a day of terror, a white, cutting blade

without it returning red from the enemies.

أَو هَزَّ في الهَيجاءِ أَسمَرَ ذابِلاً

إِلّا وَآلَ بِرأسِ طاغٍ مُثمِرا

Nor brandish in battle a brown, slender spear

without it becoming fruitful with a tyrant's head.

تُردي الكَتائِبَ كُتبُه فاذا مَضَت

لم نَدرِ أَنَفَذ أَسطُراً أَم عسكرا

His letters bring down battalions; when they go forth,

we cannot tell whether he dispatched written lines or an army.

لَم يحسُنِ الأَترابُ فَوقَ سُطورِها

إِلّا لأَنَّ الجَيش يَعقُد عِثيرا

Dusting their written lines was fitting

only because an army raises clouds of dust.

يا شاري المَدحِ الثَمين مُغالِياً

لَولاكَ أَصبحَ كاسِداً لا يُشتَرى

O buyer of precious praise, paying lavishly,

but for you it would become unsalable, finding no buyer.

أَفنيت مالك واِقتنيتَ مَحامِداً

تَبقى مَدى الدُنيا وَتُفني الأَعصُرا

You exhausted your wealth and acquired praiseworthy deeds

that endure as long as the world, outlasting the ages.

فسموتَ مُنتعِل السِماك وَتارِكاً

تَحتَ الثَرى مَن ماله تَحتَ السَرى

You rose high, wearing al-Simak as sandals, leaving

beneath the earth those whose wealth lies buried [reading uncertain].

وَجعلتَ للآدابِ رَبعاً آهلاً

بنَدى يَدَيكَ وَكانَ رسماً مقفِرا

You made for letters an inhabited dwelling

through your hands' bounty, when it had been desolate ruins.

بَهَرَت صِفاتُكَ مادِحيك وَطالَما

وَقَد جاوَزَ الاحصاءَ أَن لا يبهرا

Your qualities dazzled your praisers, time and again;

surpassing all reckoning, how could they fail to dazzle?

فَأَتاكَ مُقلا واِنثَنى المُشنى

المبرز قاصِراً لا مُقصِرا

So he came to you offering little, and the panegyrist turned back—

even the outstanding one—falling short, not through negligence.

وَالشامُ قَد أَضحى حِمىً بِكَ بَعدَما

أَشفى وَأَمّلت العِدى أَن تَظفِرا

Al-Sham has become a protected domain through you, after

it neared ruin and the enemies hoped to prevail.

أَمسى لِنورِ الدينِ لَيلاً مُظلِماً

حَتّى أَتيتَ فَكانَ صُبحاً نَيّرا

For Nur al-Din it had become a dark night,

until you came, and it became a radiant dawn.

فَكأَنَّهُ داعٍ أُجيبَ دُعاؤُهُ

أَو كانَ خُيِّرَ في الوَرى فَتَخيّرا

As though he were a supplicant whose prayer was answered,

or had been given his choice of mankind, and chosen.

وَأَتاكَ منشورُ الخَلافَةِ شاكِراً

لَكَ أَن أَعدتَ الحَقَّ حَيّاً منشرا

The caliphate's decree came to you in thanks

for restoring right, alive and resurrected.

لما أعدتَ الحقَّ في أَربابِهِ

وَرددتَ لِلمستَوجبيهِ المِنبَرا

When you restored right to its rightful holders,

and returned the pulpit to those entitled to it,

بَعث الامامُ لكَ الشعارَ مُصوِّراً

لِلناسِ أَنَّكَ في الضَميرش مُصورا

the Imam sent you the insignia, showing

the people that you are pictured in his inmost heart.

وَأَراهُم أَنَّ الخِلافَةَ مُقلَةٌ

أَصبحتَ أَنتَ سَوادَها وَالمحجَرا

He showed them that the caliphate is an eye,

whose pupil and socket you yourself have become.

فاِفخر بِما فَعَل الامامٌ عَلى الوَرى

وَكَفى بِما فَعَلَ الخَليفَةُ مفخرا

So glory over mankind in what the Imam has done;

what the caliph has done is glory enough.

خِلَعٌ أَتَتكَ وَللعُلى في طَيِّها

نَشرٌ وَطَيّ عِداك في أَن تنشرا

Robes of honor came to you; within their folds, glory

is unfolded, and your foes are folded away as they unfold.

وَأَحَقُّ مَن خَلعت عَلَيهِ مؤيد

خِلَعَ الَّذين بَغَوا عليهم أَعصُرا

Most deserving of those you robe is a champion

who deposed those who oppressed them for ages.

أَضحى بَنو العَبّاسِ يَضحك مُلكُهُم

أَمناً وَأَنتَ سَدادُهُ أَن يُثغَرا

The sons of al-Abbas now have a kingdom that laughs

in safety; you safeguard it against any breach.

ما زَفَّ في عَصرٍ لِلَلِكٍ مثلَما

زَفَّ الحِسانُ إِلَيك بِكراً مُعصِرا

Never in any age was a king presented with the like

of the fair verses brought to you—a virgin newly mature.

عِقدٌ ثَمين أَنتَ عارِفُ قَدرِهِ

وَلَدَيكَ قَومٌ يَعرِفونَ الجَوهَرا

A precious necklace, whose worth you know;

with you are people who recognize the jewel.

ما مَن يَرى ضدَّ الَّذي قَد قالَه

مِثلَ الَّذي ما قالَ إِلّا ما سَرى

One who sees the opposite of what he has said is not

like one who says only what has become widely known.

مِدح المُلوكِ فِرىً وَيوسفُ يوسِفٌ

ما مَدحُهُ الوافي حَديثاً يفترى

Praise of kings is fabrication, but Yusuf is Yusuf;

full praise of him is no invented tale.