أرتها المآقي ما تكن الجوانح — Abn Almqrb Alaaona

أَرَتها المَآقي ما تُكِنُّ الجَوانِحُ

فَبُح فالمُعَنّى بِالصَّبابَةِ بائِحُ

The eye-corners showed her what the ribs conceal.

So confess: one tormented by passionate longing confesses.

وَخُذ حَظَّكَ الأَوفى مِن اللَهوِ وَالصِّبا

وَغصنُكَ رَيّانٌ وَطَرفُكَ جامِحُ

Take your fullest share of diversion and youthful passion,

while your bough is lush and your gaze unbridled.

وَبادِر إِلى اللَّذّاتِ مِن قَبلِ حِليَةٍ

تَصُدُّ لَها عَنكَ العُيونُ اللَوامِحُ

Hasten to pleasures before an adornment comes

for which glancing eyes turn away from you.

أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ المُهرَ زَينٌ عُرامُهُ

وَيَسمُجُ مِنهُ ذاكُمُ وَهوَ قارِحُ

Have you not seen how a colt's unruliness adorns it,

yet becomes unseemly when it is fully grown?

فَكَم تَستُرُ الشَوقَ الَّذي خامَرَ الحَشا

وَدَمعُ المَآقي لِلمُحِبِّينَ فاضِحُ

How long will you conceal the longing that has entered your breast,

when tears from the eye-corners betray lovers?

فَيا عَرَصاتِ الدارِ مِن حَيثُ تَلتَقي

شَقائِقُ أَجزاعِ اللِّوى وَالأَباطِحُ

O courtyards of the dwelling, where there meet

the sandy stretches of al-Liwa's valley bends and the gravel flats!

سَقاكُنَّ مِن نَوءِ السِّماكَينِ عارِضٌ

مِنَ المُزنِ مَحلولُ النِطاقَينِ دالحٌ

May a rain-cloud from the season of the two Simak stars water you,

a heavy cloudbank with both its girdles unbound,

مُلِثٌّ يَظَلُّ الجَأبُ في عُنفُوانِهِ

عَلى النَّشزِ وَهوَ السَّحسَحُ المُتَمايِحُ

unceasing, in whose full fury the sturdy wild ass remains

upon a rise, tall and swaying,

كَمُستَرعِفٍ أَحذى وَدَنَّحَ بَعدَما

غَدا طَلقاً وَاِستَبدَهَتهُ المَطاوِحُ

like a nosebleeding man who crouched and bowed his head, after

setting out freely at dawn and being surprised by the perilous wastes.

وَتُمسي الرِّعانُ القُودُ فيهِ كَأَنَّها

يَعاليلُ في آذيِّ بَحرٍ طَوافِحُ

The long mountain-spurs become within it as though

they were bubbles floating in a sea's swelling waves.

لِتَروي مَغانيكَ الَّتي لَم تَزَل بِها

عَلَينا مِن النَعماءِ غادٍ وَرائِحُ

May it water your dwellings, where there have always been

blessings visiting us morning and evening.

وَقائِلَةٍ شِبهَ المَلامِ وَراعَها

بَياضُ مَشيبٍ جَلَّلتهُ المَسائِحُ

And a woman spoke in something like reproach, startled by

the whiteness of gray hair overlaid by flowing locks:

أَبَعدَ اِشتِعالِ الرَّأسِ شَيباً تَعَرُّضٌ

لِوَصلِ الحِسانِ البيضِ أَم أَنتَ مازِحُ

"After your head has blazed with gray, do you still seek

union with fair beauties, or are you joking?"

فَقُلتُ أَلَيسَ الصُبحُ أَحسَنَ مَنظَراً

وَأَبهى مِن الظَلماءِ وَاللَيلُ جانِحُ

I said, "Is not morning a lovelier sight,

and more radiant than darkness when night falls?"

فَمالَت لِهَزلِ القَولِ ثُمَّ تَضاحَكَت

وَقالَت لِهَذا فَلتَنُحكَ النَوائِحُ

She took the words in jest, then laughed,

and said, "For this, let the mourning women wail for you!

إِذا كانَ شَيبُ الرَأسِ مِمّا يَزينُهُ

فَيا حُسنَ ثَغرٍ سَوَّدَتهُ القَوادِحُ

If gray hair is something that adorns the head,

then how lovely a mouth blackened by tooth-decay!"

وَما شِبتُ مِن سِنٍّ مَضَت بَل أَشابَني

صُروفُ اللَيالي وَالخُطوبُ الفَوادِحُ

I did not turn gray from years gone by; rather, what grayed me were

the vicissitudes of nights and crushing calamities.

لِعِشرينَ لاحَ الشَّيبُ فِيَّ وَأَوجَفَت

عَلَيَّ خُيولُ المُرزِئاتِ الضَوابِحُ

At twenty, gray appeared in me, and there galloped

against me the snorting steeds of calamity.

وَلاقَيتُ في أَبناءِ عَمّي وَمعشري

ذآليلَ لا يَرقى إِلَيها المُجالِحُ

Among my cousins and my people I encountered

calamities no dogged fighter can surmount.

وَكَم صاحِبٍ وارَيتُ في الكَشحِ وُدَّهُ

تَبَيَّنَ لي مِنهُ عَدُوٌّ مُكاشِحُ

How many a companion whose affection I cherished within my breast

proved to me a bitter, hostile enemy!

جَزى اللَّهُ إِخوانَ اللَّيالي مَلامَةً

وَحاسَبَها حُسبانَ مَن لا يُسامِحُ

May God requite the companions of the nights with blame,

and reckon with those nights as one who grants no pardon,

وَعاقبَ دَهراً كُلَّما قُلتُ يَرعَوِي

نَزى وَرمَتني مِنهُ رُوقٌ نَواطِحُ

and punish time, which, whenever I say it will desist,

leaps up and assails me with goring horns.

خَليلَيَّ ما آضَ اِعتِزامي وَلا نضا

غَرامي وَلا ضاقَت عَلَيَّ المَنادِحُ

My two friends, my resolve has not changed, nor faded

my ardor, nor have the ways of escape narrowed for me.

وَلا فَلَّ صَبري ما لَقيتُ وَإِنَّني

لَأَلوي عَلى اللّأواءِ جَلدٌ مُكافِحُ

What I have met has not blunted my patience; indeed, I

stand firm against adversity, hardy and fighting back.

وَلَكِنَّ إِنفاقي عَلى الصَبرِ ما بَقي

مِنَ العُمرِ خُسرانٌ بِهِ الغبنُ لائِحُ

Yet spending in patience what remains

of life is a loss whose unfairness is plain.

فَقوما ففي عُرضِ البَسيطَةِ مُنتَأىً

ومُتَّدَعٌ عَن مَوضِعِ الذُلِّ نازِحُ

So rise, you two: in the earth's expanse there is a distant refuge,

and a resting place far from the seat of humiliation.

فَللحُرِّ عَن دارِ الهَوانِ مَراغِمٌ

وَذو سَفهٍ إِن شُجَّ بِالدارِ آنِحُ

The free man has ways of escape from the abode of abasement;

a fool, when wounded at home, merely groans.

وَما كُلُّ دارٍ شِمتُها دارُ شِقوَةٍ

يباكِرُ مَن فيها الأَذى وَيُراوِحُ

Not every dwelling I have looked toward is an abode of misery,

where harm visits its people morning and evening.

وَفي تَعَبِ الأَعضاءِ لِلقلبِ راحَةٌ

وَلا تَصلُحُ الأَعضاءُ وَالقَلبُ رازِحُ

In the limbs' weariness the heart finds rest;

the limbs cannot thrive while the heart is weighed down.

فَإِن غاضَ في أَرضي الوَفاءُ وَقُطِّعَت

أَواصِرُ ذي القُربى وَعزَّ المُناصِحُ

If loyalty has dried up in my land, and severed are

the ties of kinship, and sincere advisers have grown rare,

فَفي شاطِئِ الزَوراءِ نُصحٌ يَمُدُّهُ

وَفاءٌ تَهاداهُ العُقودُ الصَحائِحُ

on the bank of al-Zawra' there is sincere counsel, sustained by

loyalty handed onward through sound covenants,

وَعَدلٌ تَساوى فيهِ سامٌ وَيافِثٌ

يَقومُ بِهِ نُورٌ مِنَ الحَقِّ واضِحُ

and justice in which Shem and Japheth are equal,

upheld by a clear light of truth:

إِمامُ هُدىً بَطحاءُ مَكَّةَ مَولِدٌ

لآبائِهِ الشُمِّ الذُرى لا البَطائِحُ

an imam of guidance; Mecca's broad valley is the birthplace

of his lofty-crested forefathers—not the marshlands.

فَتىً حَلَّ مِن عَليا لُؤَيِّ بن غالِبٍ

مَحلّاً بِهِ لا يَعلَقُ الطَرف لامِحُ

A youth who attained, among the heights of Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib,

a station where no glancing eye can alight,

مِنَ النَفَرِ الغُرِّ الأُلى عُرِفَت لَهُم

خِفافُ المَذاكي وَالحُلومُ الرَواجِحُ

from the noble company known for

swift seasoned steeds and weighty judgment.

هُمُ الناسُ لا مُستَنبِطُ الخَيرِ خاسِرٌ

لَدَيهِم وَلا مُستَنبِطُ الشَرِّ رابِحُ

They are the true men: no seeker after good loses

with them, and no seeker after evil wins.

بِتَقديمهِم جاءَ الكِتابُ وَلَم يَكُن

يِجيءُ بِما لا تَقتَضيهِ المَصالِحُ

The Book proclaimed their precedence, and it would never

bring what the common good does not require.

وَحَسبُكَ عِلمُ اللَّهِ فيهم فَإِنَّهُ

دَليلٌ على ما يَدَّعي الخَصمُ واضِحُ

God's knowledge of them is enough for you, for it is

clear proof concerning what the adversary claims.

أَبوهم بِهِ اِستَسقَت قُرَيشٌ فَجادَها

حَياً فَهَفَت بِالسَيلِ مِنهُ الأباطِحُ

Through their father Quraysh sought rain, and was showered with

life-giving rain; the gravel flats surged with its torrents.

وَيَومَ حُنَينٍ أَسلَمَتهُ وَأَمعَنَت

فِراراً عَنِ المُختارِ وَالمَوتُ كالِحُ

On the day of Hunayn it deserted him and pressed onward,

fleeing from the Chosen One while death scowled.

فَطاعَنَ بِالخَطّيِّ إِذ لا مُطاعِنٌ

وَكافحَ بِالهِندِيِّ إِذ لا مُكافِحُ

He thrust with the Khatt spear when no other spearman fought,

and fought with the Indian sword when no other fighter stood.

وَمَن يَكُنِ العَبّاسُ أَصلاً لِفَرعِهِ

فَما فَرعُهُ غشٌّ وَلا الظِلُّ ماصِحُ

Whoever has al-Abbas as the root of his branch,

his branch is not unsound, nor his shade receding.

لَنا فيهِ شِركٌ يا رَبيعَةُ وافِرٌ

بِضَحيانِنا نَسمُو بِهِ وَنُناضِحُ

We have an abundant share in him, O Rabi'a;

through our Dahyan we rise by him and contend.

وَما عامِرُ الضَحيانُ حينَ تَعُدُّهُ

رَبيعَةُ إِلّا كَبشُها إِذ تُناطِحُ

'Amir al-Dahyan, when he is counted by

Rabi'a, is none but its ram when it locks horns.

يَقولونَ لي هَلّا اِمتَدَحتَ مَعاشِراً

لَهُم أَوجُهٌ غُرٌّ وَأَيدٍ مَوائِحُ

They say to me, "Why have you not praised companies

with radiant faces and lavishly giving hands?"

فَقُلتُ وَقَد فاضَت مِنَ العَينِ عَبرَتي

ذَروني فَلي طَرفٌ عَنِ الناسِ طامِحُ

I said, while my tears flowed from my eyes,

"Leave me: my gaze aspires beyond men.

فَلولا أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ وَذِكرُهُ

لَما قَطَعَت بي البِيدَ هُوجٌ مَشانِحُ

Were it not for the Commander of the Faithful and his renown,

headlong, long-striding camels would never have carried me across the wastes,

وَلا خُضتُ أَمواجَ البِحارِ كَأَنَّها

جِبالٌ تَرامى بِي جَنوبٌ وَبارِحُ

nor would I have ventured through sea-waves like

mountains, with south winds and scorching north winds tossing me.

هُوَ البَحرُ وَالنّاسُ الَّذينَ تَرونَهُم

سَواقٍ طَمَت مِن فَيضِهِ وَهوَ طافِحُ

He is the sea; the people whom you see

are channels overflowing from his flood, while he brims over.

يَجودُ ذوو الإِفضالِ مِن فَيضِ جُودِهِ

فَيَعلو لَهُم شَأنٌ وَيَكثُرُ مادِحُ

Men of beneficence give from the overflow of his generosity,

and thus their stature rises and their praisers multiply.

أَأَترُكُ مَدَّ النِّيلِ فاضَ وَأَبتَغي

فَراشاً تُعَفّي ماءَهُنَّ البَوارِحُ

Shall I leave the Nile's overflowing flood and seek

shallow pools whose waters the scorching winds erase?

وَإِنَّ اِمرءاً شَطُّ الفُراتِ تِجاهَهُ

وَيَطلُبُ أَمواهَ الرَكايا لَقامِحُ

A man with the Euphrates' bank before him,

yet seeking water from wells, is surely spurning drink.

وَإِنّيَ إِن أَسدَيتُ مَدحاً لِغَيرِهِ

جَديرٌ بِأَن تَنسَدَّ عَنّي المَناجِحُ

If I bestow praise on someone other than him,

I deserve to have the ways of success closed to me.

هُوَ الناصِرُ بنُ المُستَضيء وَقِدحُهُ ال

مُعَلّى وَما في عُودِهِ الصُلبِ قادِحُ

He is al-Nasir, son of al-Mustadi', and his lot-arrow is the

highest-winning one; no borer mars his solid wood.

سَمِيُّ النَبيِّ المُصطَفى وَاِبنُ عَمِّهِ

وَأَكرَمُ مَن ضَمَّت مِنىً وَالأَباطِحُ

The chosen Prophet's namesake and paternal cousin,

the noblest of those whom Mina and the gravel flats encompass.

مُحَيّاهُ صُبحٌ لِلهُدى وَبَنانُهُ

بِحارٌ غِزارٌ للِنّدى لا ضَخاضخُ

His face is dawn for guidance, and his fingertips

are copious seas of generosity, not shallow puddles.

إِذا الشَتوَةُ الشَهباءُ هَبَّت رياحُها

بِلَيلٍ وَلَذَّت بِالأَكُفِّ الوَحاوِحُ

When ashen winter's winds blow

by night, and warm breaths blown into palms are welcome,

وَأَلقَت عَقامٌ بَركَها وَتَتابَعَت

حُسوماً عَلى المالِ السِّنونُ الجَوائِحُ

and dire calamity lays down its breast, and there follow one another

devastating years, relentlessly consuming wealth,

وَأَضحى بِها المَجدوحُ قوتاً وَأَصبَحَت

سَواءً عَلى الضَيفِ القِرى والقَوارِحُ

and a stirred blood-mixture serves as food, and there is

no difference for a guest between hospitality and harsh rebukes,

وَلَم يَبقَ يَلقَ الطارِقينَ بِوَجهِهِ

مِنَ الضُرِّ إِلّا مُقدَحرٌّ مُكاوِحُ

and no one remains to face the nighttime callers

amid such hardship but a stalwart, steadfast fighter:

فَثَمَّ لِمُمتاحي النَّدى بِفنائِهِ

مَراحٌ إِلى آمالِهِم وَمَسارِحُ

then, for those who draw generosity in his courtyard,

there is rest on the way to their hopes, and open pastures.

صَفوحٌ عَن الجاني فَإِن لَجَّ لَم يَكُن

بِأَسرَعَ مِمّا تَعتَليهِ الصَفائِحُ

He pardons the wrongdoer; but if he persists, he cannot

be swifter than the sword-blades striking him from above.

إِمامَتهُ الحَقُّ اليَقينُ وَغَيرُها

إِذا ما اِستُبينَت تُرَّهاتٌ صَحاصِحُ

His imamate is certain truth; all others,

when examined, are empty tales and barren wastes.

خَليفَةُ صِدقٍ مِن سُلالَةِ مَعشَرٍ

نَجا بِهِمُ نوحٌ وَهودٌ وَصالِحُ

A true caliph, descended from a people

through whom Noah, Hud, and Salih were saved.

تُرى زُمَرُ الأَملاكِ وَسطَ بُيوتِهِم

تُحيّيهمُ حيناً وَحيناً تُصافِحُ

Bands of angels are seen amid their houses,

sometimes greeting them, sometimes shaking their hands.

وَمَهبِطُ وَحيِ اللَهِ فيهم وَرُسلُهُ

غَوادٍ عَلَيهم ما بَقوا وَرَوائِحُ

Among them is the landing place of God's revelation, and His messengers

visit them morning and evening as long as they live.

إِلَيكَ رَمت بي عَزمَةٌ لَم أَجد لَها

سِواكَ وَهَمٌّ لَم تَسَعهُ الجَوانِحُ

To you I was cast by a resolve for which I found

none but you, and by a care my ribs could not contain.

وَمَن كُنتَ يا اِبنَ المُستَضِيءِ مآلَهُ

رَجاهُ وَحاشاهُ مُحِبٌّ وَكاشِحُ

Whoever has you, O son of al-Mustadi', as his final resort,

a friend hopes in him, and an enemy keeps clear of him.

فَعِش وَاِبقَ لِلإِسلامِ ما ذَرَّ شارِقٌ

وَما سَجَعَت بِالبانِ وُرقٌ صَوادِحُ

So live and endure for Islam as long as a rising sun appears,

and as long as gray doves sing amid the ban trees.