دعوه فخير الرأي أن لا يعنفا — Abn Almqrb Alaaona

دَعُوهُ فَخَيرُ الرَأيِ أَن لا يُعَنَّفا

فَلو كانَ يَشفِي داءَهُ اللَوم لاِشتَفى

Leave him be: the wisest course is not to rebuke him.

For if reproach could heal his ailment, he would have recovered.

وَرِفقاً بِهِ يا عاذِليهِ فَإِنَّهُ

شَجِيٌّ وَقد قاسى مِنَ اللَومِ ما كَفى

Be gentle with him, you who reproach him, for he is

sorrow-stricken and has suffered reproach enough.

فَلولا هَوىً لا يَملكُ العَزمَ عِندَهُ

لَكانَ حِمِيَّ الأَنفِ أَن يَتَعَطَّفا

Were it not for a love against which his resolve is powerless,

he would be too proud to soften.

وَلَكِنَّ مَن يَعشِق وَلَو كانَ ذا عُلىً

فَلا بُدَّ أَن يَعنُو وَأَن يَتَلَطَّفا

But whoever loves, even though exalted,

must submit and show gentleness.

خَلِيلَيَّ قُوما فَاِسقِياني رُعِيتُما

سُلافَةَ خَمرٍ مُرَّةَ الطَعمِ قَرقَفا

My two friends, rise and give me drink—may you both be protected—

the choicest wine, bitter to the taste and shiver-inducing.

بِكَفِّ نَديمٍ أَو تَراءَى بِحُسنِهِ

لِيَعقُوبَ لَم يَأسَف لِفُقدانِ يُوسُفا

From a drinking companion's hand—or, had he appeared in his beauty

to Jacob, he would not have grieved over Joseph's loss.

وَلَو أَنَّهُ لِلبَدرِ لَيلَةَ تِمِّهِ

تَجَلّى لأَبدى غِيرَةً مِنهُ وَاِختَفى

And had he, before the full moon on its fullest night,

revealed himself, it would have envied him and hidden away.

نَظَلُّ بِعَينَيهِ نَشاوى وَثَغرِهِ

فَما نَتَحَسّى الكَأسَ إِلّا تَرَشُّفا

We remain drunk on his eyes and his mouth,

so we drink the cup only in little sips.

وَلا بَأَسَ لَو غَنَّيتُماني فَقُلتُما

رَعى اللَهُ بِالجَرعاءِ حَيّاً وَمَألَفا

There is no harm if you two sing to me, saying:

'May God protect a clan and a familiar haunt at al-Jar'a.'

بِخَفقِ المَثاني في ظِلالِ حَدائِقٍ

تَظَلُّ عَلى أَغصانِها الطَيرُ عُكَّفا

To the throbbing of paired strings, in the shade of gardens

where birds remain perched upon their branches.

دُجَيلِيَّةٌ لَو حَطَّ غَيلانُ رَحلَهُ

بِها ساعَةً أَنسَتهُ حُزوى وَمُشرِفا

Gardens by Dujayl—had Ghaylan set down his saddle

there for an hour, they would have made him forget Huzwa and Mushrif.

كَنِسيانيَ الأَوطانَ في ظِلِّ سَيِّدٍ

جَلى الغَمَّ عَن سَوداءِ قَلبي وَكَشَّفا

Just as I forgot my homelands in the shelter of a lord

who cleared and dispelled grief from the core of my heart.

دَعانِيَ إِذ لَم آتِهِ مُتَعَرِّضاً

لِنَيلٍ وَأَدنى مِن مَكاني وَشَرَّفا

He summoned me, though I had not approached him seeking

a gift; he drew me nearer from my place and honored me.

وَضاعَفَ إِكرامي وَبِرّي بَداهَةً

فَنَفسي فِداهُ ما أَبَرَّ وَأَلطَفا

He spontaneously doubled the honor and kindness he showed me;

may my soul ransom him—how kind and gentle he is!

وَما ضَرَّني مَع قُربِهِ أَنَّ مَنزِلي

وَقَومي بِأَكنافِ المُشَقَّرِ وَالصَفا

Being near him, it did not trouble me that my home

and my people lay around al-Mushaqqar and al-Safa.

يَقُولُونَ ماتَ الأَكرَمونَ وَأَصبَحَت

بِحارُ النَدى قاعاً مِنَ الخَيرِ صَفصَفا

They say, 'The most generous have died, and

the seas of bounty have become a level plain, bare of goodness.

وَلَم يَبقَ في هَذا البَريَّةِ ماجِدٌ

يُلاذُ بِهِ إِن رَيبُ دَهرٍ تَعَجرَفا

No noble man remains in this world

with whom to seek refuge when a misfortune of Time turns savage.'

فَقلتُ لَهُم أَخطَأتُمُ إِنَّ لِلنَدى

وَلِلجُودِ بَحراً يَقذِفُ الدُرَّ مُردفا

I said to them, 'You are mistaken: bounty

and generosity have a sea that casts forth pearls in succession.

فَما دامَ فَخرُ الدينِ يَبقى وَنَسلُهُ

فَلا تَسأَلوا عَمَّن مَضى أَو تَخَلَّفا

As long as Fakhr al-Din and his offspring remain,

do not ask about those who have passed away or stayed behind.

فَإِن غالَهُم رَيبُ المَنونِ كَغَيرِهِم

فَقَولُوا عَلى الدُنيا وَأَبنائِها العَفا

But if death's calamity carries them off like others,

then say: May dust cover the world and its children!'

وَمَن يَلقَ فَخرَ الدينِ يَلقَ اِبنَ تارحٍ

جَلالاً وَإِنسانِيَّةَ وَتَحَنُّفا

Whoever meets Fakhr al-Din meets the son of Tarah

in majesty, humanity, and pure monotheism.

هُوَ الطاهِرُ الأَخلاقِ لا دِينُهُ رِيا

وَلا مَجدُهُ دَعوى وَلا جُودُه لَفا

He is pure in character: his religion is no ostentation,

his glory no mere claim, nor his generosity meager.

سَليلُ مُلوكٍ لا تَرى في قَدِيمِهِ

لَئِيماً وَلا مُستَحدَثَ البَيتِ مُقرِفا

A scion of kings: among his forebears you see

no base man, no upstart of tainted lineage.

أَتى بَعدَهُم وَالدَهرُ قَد سَلَّ سَيفَهُ

عَلى الناسِ وَاِستَشرى بِحَدٍّ وَأَوجَفا

He came after them when Time had drawn its sword

against mankind, grown savage with its edge, and charged.

فَلَم يَثنِ مِنهُ ذاكَ باعاً وَلا يَداً

وَلا عَزمَةً لا بَل لآبائِهِ اِقتَفى

Yet none of that held back his reach or his hand,

or his resolve—no, he followed in his fathers' footsteps.

لَعَمري لَقَد أَحيا النَدى بَعدَ مَوتِهِ

وَجَدَّدَ رَبعاً لِلعُلى كانَ قَد عَفى

By my life, he revived bounty after its death

and renewed an abode of greatness that had been effaced.

وَأَضحى بِهِ المَعروفُ غَضّاً وَأَصبَحَت

حِياضُ النَدى مِن فَيضِ كَفَّيهِ وُكَّفا

Through him, kindness became fresh again, and

the pools of bounty streamed from the overflow of his hands.

وَرَدَّ إِلى الآمالِ رُوحاً غَدَت بِها

تَنُوءُ وَكانَت مِن هَلاكٍ عَلى شَفا

He restored to hopes a spirit through which they began

to rise, though they had been on destruction's brink.

تَرى الجُودَ وَالإِحسانَ فيهِ غَريزَةً

وَطَبعاً بِهِ سادَ الوَرى لا تَكَلُّفا

You see generosity and kindness as instinct in him,

a nature by which he led mankind, not an affectation.

وَما ذاكَ إِلّا أَنَّهُ هانَ مالُهُ

عَلَيهِ فَأَعطى بِاِبتِسامٍ وَأَضعَفا

That is only because his wealth is of little account

to him: he gives with a smile and doubles his gifts.

يُهيلُ عَلى سُوّالِهِ مِن نَوالِهِ

إِذا ما الجوادُ الغَمرُ كالَ وَطفَّفا

He heaps his bounty upon those who ask him,

when the lavish giver measures out and gives short.

ضَحُوكٌ إِذا ما العامُ قَطَّبَ وَجهَهُ

عُبُوساً وَخَوّى كُلّ نَجمٍ وَأَخلَفا

He is all smiles when the year knits its brow,

frowning, and every star sets rainless and breaks its promise.

عَلى أَنَّهُ البَكّاءُ في حِندِسِ الدُجى

خُشوعاً وَلَم يَصدِف عَن الرُشدِ مَصدَفا

Yet he weeps abundantly in the blackness of night,

in reverence, never turning aside from right guidance.

بَلاهُ الإِمامُ البَرُّ حِيناً وَغَيرهُ

فَلَم يَرَ أَزكى مِنهُ نَفساً وَأَشرَفا

The righteous imam tested him for a time, and others as well,

and found none purer in soul or nobler than he.

وَوَلّاهُ أَمرَ المُسلمينَ فَلَم يَرُع

تَقِيّاً وَلا راعى لِدُنياهُ مُسرِفا

He entrusted him with the Muslims' affairs, and he did not frighten

a pious man, nor favor a profligate for worldly gain.

وَلا خانَ بَيتَ المالِ جَهراً ولا خَفا

وَلا زاغَ عَن نَهجِ الإِمامِ وَلا هَفا

He did not betray the treasury, openly or secretly,

nor stray from the imam's path, nor stumble.

وَجَدنا الإِمامَ الناصِرَ المُهتَدى بِهِ

أَبَرَّ إِمامٍ بِالرَعايا وَأَرأَفا

We found Imam al-Nasir, followed for guidance,

the kindest imam to his subjects, and the most compassionate.

فَلا عَدِمَ الإِسلامُ أَيّامَهُ الَّتي

أَقامَت بِدارِ المُشرِكينَ التَلَهُّفا

May Islam never be deprived of his days, which

have established anguish in the abode of the polytheists.

وَعاشَ الدَواميّونَ في ظِلِّ عِزِّهِ

يُصافُونَ مَن صافي وَيجفونَ مَن جَفا

May the Dawamis live in the shelter of his might,

befriending those who befriend them and shunning those who shun them.

فَإِنَّهُمُ زَينُ العِراقِ وَأَهلُهُ

وَسادَاتُ مَن وافى مِنىً وَالمُعرَّفا

For they are Iraq's adornment and its people,

and the lords of all who come to Mina and al-Mu'arraf.

أُجِلُّهُمُ عَن حاتِمٍ وَاِبنِ مامَةٍ

وَأَوسُ إِذا هَبَّت مِنَ الرِيحِ حَرجَفا

I rank them above Hatim and Ibn Mama,

and Aws, when a fierce, cold wind blows.

فَيا تارِكاً نَقلَ الأَحادِيثِ عَنهُمُ

وَيَنقُلُ أَخبارَ الأَوالي تَعَسُّفا

O you who leave off recounting their stories,

yet laboriously recount the tales of the ancients:

فِعالُهُمُ شَيءٌ تَراهُ حَقيقَةً

فَحَدِّث بِهِ وَاِلغِ الحَديث المُزَخرَفا

their deeds are something you can see in truth,

so tell of them, and discard embellished tales.

لِكُلِّ اِمرِئٍ مِمَّن لَهُ الفَضلُ خُلَّةٌ

بِها قَومُهُ صارُوا رُؤوساً وَآنفا

Each man among those endowed with excellence has a virtue

by which his people became chiefs—heads and noses.

فَكَعبٌ جَوادٌ وَالزبيديُّ فارِسٌ

وَقَيسٌ حَليمٌ وَالسَمَوأَلُ ذُو وَفا

Ka'b is generous, and al-Zubaydi a horseman;

Qays is forbearing, and al-Samaw'al is loyal.

وَتِلكَ خِلالٌ فيهمُ قَد تَجَمَّعَت

فَكُلُّ فَتىً مِنهُم بِها قَد تَعَطَّفا

Those virtues have all gathered in them,

and every young man among them has cloaked himself in them.

وَزادُوا خِلالاً لَو عَدَدتُ عَشيرَها

لَدَوَّنتُ فيها مُصحَفاً ثُمَّ مُصحَفا

They have added virtues: were I to count a tenth of them,

I would fill a volume with them, then another.

فَيا قاصِدَ البَحرَينِ يُزجي شِمِلَّةً

كَأَنَّ عَلى أَشداقِها الهُدلِ كرسُفا

O traveler bound for Bahrain, driving a swift she-camel,

as though cotton lay upon her drooping jowls:

إِذا أَنتَ لاقَيتَ المُلوكَ بَني أَبي

أَريبَهُمُ وَالأَبلَخَ المُتَغَطرِفا

when you meet the kings, the sons of my father—

their discerning one and their proud, swaggering one—

فَحَيِّهِمُ مِنّي تَحِيَّةَ وامِقٍ

عَطُوفٍ عَلى اِبنِ العَمِّ لَو عَقَّ أَو جَفا

give them from me the greeting of one who loves,

kind to his cousin, even if he severs kinship or turns away.

وَقُل لَهُمُ لا تُغفِلُوا شُكرَ سَيِّدٍ

تَوَخّى أَخاكُم بِالكَرامَةِ وَاِصطَفى

Tell them: Do not neglect gratitude to a lord

who sought your brother out with honor and chose him.

وَمَن لَم يُوَفِّ اِبنَ الدَواميّ حَقَّهُ

عَلى مُوجِباتِ الشُكرِ مِنكُم فَما وَفى

Whoever fails to render Ibn al-Dawami his due,

for what demands your thanks, has not fulfilled his duty.

فَقَد أَلبَسَ النَّعماءَ حَيّي رَبيعَةٍ

كَما أَلبَسَ النَعماءَ مِن قَبلُ خِندِفا

For he has clothed Rabi'a's two clans in blessings,

as he clothed Khindif in blessings before them.

وَهَل يَكفُر الإِحسانَ إِلّا اِبنُ غيَّةٍ

يُقَلِّبُ قَلباً بَينَ جَنَبَيهِ أَغلَفا

Who denies kindness but a child of illicit birth,

who turns a sheathed heart between his ribs?

وَيأَبى لِيَ الكُفرانَ أَنّي اِبنُ حُرَّةٍ

كَريمٌ مَتى صَرَّفتُ عَزمي تَصَرَّفا

Being a free woman's son forbids me ingratitude,

a noble man: whenever I direct my resolve, it responds.

وَإِنّي وَإِن كُنتُ الرَفيعَ عِمادهُ

لَأُثني عَلَيهِ بِالَّذي كانَ أَسلَفا

And I, though the tent-pole of my house stands high,

surely praise him for what he has already bestowed.

وَلا يَمنَعَنّي ذاكَ بَيتٌ بِناؤُهُ

أَنافَ عَلى هادي الثُرَيّا وَأَشرَفا

Nor am I barred from this by a house whose structure

rises above the leading star of the Pleiades and towers high.

فَقَدتَ الرَدى يا با عَلِيٍّ إِلى العِدى

وَجُزتَ المَدى تُرجى وَتُخشى وَتُعتَفى

May death leave you, Abu Ali, and go to your foes,

and may you surpass all bounds, a source of hope and fear, sought for bounty.

وَمُتِّعتَ بِالأَمجادِ أَبنائِكَ الأُلى

بِهم يُكتَفى في كُلِّ خَطبٍ وَيُشتَفى

May you enjoy your illustrious sons, who

are sufficient for every crisis and bring healing.

وَلا بَرِحَت تَسطُو الخِلافَةُ مِنهُمُ

بِأَبيضَ تَدعُوهُ مُفيداً وَمُتلِفا

May the caliphate never cease to strike with one of them,

a radiant nobleman it calls bestower and destroyer.

وَعاشَ مُعادِي مَجدِهِم وَحَسُودُهُم

يُكابِدُ غَمّاً لا يَرى عَنهُ مَصرفا

May the enemies of their glory and those who envy them live

enduring grief from which they see no escape.