هو ذاك ربع المالكية فاربع — Abn Hius

هُوَ ذاكَ رَبعُ المالِكِيَّةِ فَاِربَعِ

وَاِسأَل مَصيفاً عافِياً عَن مَربَعِ

There it is, al-Malikiyya's dwelling; halt.

And ask the faded summer camp about the springtime camp.

وَاِستَسقِ لِلدِمَنِ الخَوالي بِالحِمى

غُرَّ السَحائِبِ وَاِعتَذِر عَن أَدمُعي

And seek rain for the abandoned traces in the preserve

from the bright clouds, and excuse my tears.

فَلَقَد فَنينَ أَمامَ دانٍ هاجِرٍ

في قُربِهِ وَوَراءَ ناءٍ مُزمِعِ

For they were spent before one near who shunned me

despite his nearness, and behind one far away, resolved to leave.

لَو يُخبِرُ الرُكبانُ عَنّي حَدَّثوا

عَن مُقلَةٍ عَبرى وَقَلبٍ موجَعِ

If the riders were to speak of me, they would tell

of a tearful eye and an aching heart.

رُدّي لَنا زَمَنَ الكَثيبِ فَإِنَّهُ

زَمَنٌ مَتى يَرجِع وَفاؤُكِ يَرجِعِ

Give us back the time at the sand dune, for it is

a time that returns whenever your fidelity returns.

لَو كُنتِ عالِمَةً بِأَدنى لَوعَتي

لَرَدَدتِ أَقصى نَيلِكِ المُستَرجِعِ

If you knew the least of my anguish,

you would restore the utmost of your withdrawn favor.

بَل لَو قَنِعتِ مِنَ الغَرامِ بِمُظهَرٍ

عَن مُضمَرٍ بَينَ الحَشا وَالأَضلُعِ

Nay, if you were content with passion's outward signs

revealing what lies hidden within the breast and ribs,

أَعتَبتِ إِثرَ تَعَتُّبٍ وَوَصَلتِ غِب

بَ تَجَنُّبٍ وَبَذَلتِ بَعدَ تَمَنُّعِ

you would make amends after reproach, and rejoin me after

estrangement, and give after withholding.

وَلَوَ اِنَّني أَنصَفتُ نَفسي صُنتُها

عَن أَن أَكونَ كَطالِبٍ لَم يَنجَعِ

Had I done my own soul justice, I would have spared it

from being like a seeker whose search proved fruitless.

وَلَقَد بَغَيتُ العِزَّ مِن أَوطانِهِ

وَتَرَكتُ أَهلَ الشامِ تَركَ مُوَدِّعِ

I have sought honor in its own homelands,

and left the people of al-Sham as one bidding farewell,

بِالمُقرَباتِ مُقَرِّباتٍ ما نَأى

لَم يُعيِها بَلَدٌ بَعيدُ المَنزِعِ

on prized steeds, bringing near what was far;

no land, however distant its reach, exhausted them.

مَرَّت تُجاذِبُنا الأَعِنَّةَ بَعدَ أَن

مَرَتِ البِلادَ بِكُلِّ مَرتٍ بَلقَعِ

They sped on, tugging against us at the reins, after

traversing the lands through every barren, desolate waste,

شَوقاً إِلى المَجدِ الَّذي لا يُرتَقى

في مَنصِبِ الشَرَفِ الأَعَزِّ الأَمنَعِ

yearning for the glory that none can scale,

in honor's mightiest, most impregnable station.

وَمَحَلُّ فَخرِ الدَولَةِ السامي الذُرى

أَمنُ المَخوفِ وَمَفزَعُ المُستَفزِعِ

And the lofty-peaked seat of Fakhr al-Dawla

is safety from what is feared, and refuge for those seeking refuge.

سَبَقَ السُؤالَ نَدىً وَعَفَّ سَريرَةً

فَظَفِرتُ بِالمُتَبَرِّعِ المُتَوَرِّعِ

His bounty preceded asking, and his inner nature was pure,

so I found one freely giving and scrupulously devout.

فَرعٌ نَمى بَينَ النَبِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ

خَيرِ البَرِيَّةِ وَالبَطينِ الأَنزَعِ

A branch that grew between the Prophet Muhammad,

best of creation, and the large-bellied, receding-haired one.

وَمُهَذَّبُ الأَتباعِ مَمنوعُ الحِمى

صافي أَديمِ العِرضِ ضافي التُبَعِ

His followers are refined; his preserve is inviolable,

the skin of his honor spotless, his following ample.

فَالمَنُّ غَيرُ مُكَدَّرٍ وَالشِربُ غَي

رُ مُصَرَّدٍ وَالسِربُ غَيرُ مَرَوَّعِ

His bounty is unspoiled, his draught is never

stinted, and his flock is unalarmed.

عَلَتِ الدُسوتُ بِهِ وَقِدماً شُرِّفَت

مِنهُ المَنابِرُ بِالخَطيبِ المِصقَعِ

Thrones rose high through him, and long ago were honored

the pulpits by him, the eloquent preacher.

فَليَهنِ آمالَ الخَلائِقِ أَنَّها

عَلِقَت بِأَروَعَ بِالمَكارِمِ مولَعِ

Let mankind's hopes rejoice, for they

have fastened on a splendid man enamored of noble deeds.

يُعطي وَلَو وَهَبَ الشَبيبَةَ في اللُهى

وَحَبا الحَياةَ مَعَ الغِنى لَم يَقنَعِ

He gives; and even if he gave youth among his gifts

and bestowed life together with wealth, he would not be content.

يَفديكَ صاحِبُ ثَروَةٍ لَكِنَّهُ

بِجَزيلِ ما يَحويهِ غَيرُ مُمَتَّعِ

May a wealthy man be your ransom, though he

has no enjoyment of the great wealth he possesses;

وَمُؤَمَّلٌ سَبَقَ المَديحُ نَوالَهُ

فَكَأَنَّهُ ما جَدَّ لَو لَم يُخدَعِ

and one looked to for gifts, whose bounty praise preceded,

as though he would not bestir himself unless deceived.

جاراكَ مَغرورٌ فَخانَتهُ المُنى

هَل يَلحَقُ المَسؤولُ بِالمُتَبَرِّعِ

A deluded man tried to match you, but his hopes betrayed him;

can one who gives when asked catch up with one who gives unasked?

وَلَقَد سَلَكتَ وَما اِتَّخَذتَ مُرافِقاً

نَهجاً إِلى العَلياءِ لَيسَ بِمَهيَعِ

You have traveled, taking no companion,

a path to the heights that is no well-trodden road.

عادَ الوَرى مِنهُ حِذاراً مِثلَما

عادَ الدَليلُ عَنِ الطَريقِ المُسبِعِ

People turned back from it in fear, just as

a guide turns back from a lion-haunted road.

ما إِن تَزاحَمُ في اِقتِناءِ فَضيلَةٍ

ذَهَبَ الصَناعُ بِبُغيَةِ المُتَصَنِّعِ

No one rivals you in acquiring a virtue:

the master craftsman has carried off the pretender's prize.

وَإِذا مُحِقُّ القَومِ أَوضَحَ حَقَّهُ

فَوُضوحُهُ بُطلانُ قَولِ المُدَّعي

When the people's rightful claimant makes his right clear,

its clarity refutes the pretender's claim.

وَالهِمَّةُ البِكرُ الَّتي لَم تُفتَرَع

خَصَّتكَ بِالشَرَفِ الَّذي لَم يُفرَعِ

And the virgin resolve that has never been deflowered

has singled you out for honor never surmounted.

وَالمَجدُ كُلٌّ يَدَّعي ما لَم يَنَل

مِنهُ وَأَنتَ تَحوزُ ما لا تَدَّعي

As for glory, all claim what they have not attained

of it, while you possess what you do not claim.

لَكُمُ الصَوارِمُ لَم تَزَل آثارُها

يَومَ الكَريهَةِ دُرَّعاً في الأَدرُعِ

Yours are the keen swords whose marks have ever been,

on battle's day, mail-clad within coats of mail.

بِوَغىً إِذا ضاقَت مَسالِكُكُم بِها

قُلتُم لِأَطرافِ الأَسِنَّةِ وَسِّعي

In battle, when your pathways there grew narrow,

you told the spearpoints, 'Make room!'

وَسَوابِقٌ يَأبى لَها طَلَبُ العِدى

في كُلِّ أَرضٍ أَن تَقِرَّ بِمَوضِعِ

And yours are fleet steeds whose pursuit of enemies

in every land forbids them to settle in one place.

وَسَوائِمٌ وَلِيَت ظُباكُم نَحرَها

عِندَ الرَواحِ وَمَنعَها في المَرتَعِ

And grazing herds—your blades attend to their slaughter

at evening's return, and to their defense in the pasture.

وَلَكُم غَداً في الحَشرِ كُلُّ مُؤَمَّلٍ

تُرجى النَجاةُ بِهِ وَكُلُّ مُشَفَّعِ

And yours tomorrow at the Gathering is each one looked to

for salvation, and every intercessor whose plea is accepted.

هَذي مَناقِبُكُم فَهَل مِن طامِعٍ

وَصِفاتُ مَجدِكُم فَهَل مِن مَطمَعِ

These are your virtues: is there anyone who aspires?

And your glory's qualities: is there any hope of attaining them?

إِنّي دَعَوتُ نَدى الكِرامَ فَلَم يُجِب

فَلَأَشكُرَنَّ نَدىً أَجابَ وَما دُعي

I called upon the generosity of noble men, but it did not answer;

so I shall surely thank a generosity that answered unbidden.

فَحَوَيتُ ما لَم يَجرِ في خَلَدِ المُنى

مِن سَيبِهِ وَحَصَدتُ ما لَم أَزرَعِ

Thus I gained what never crossed the mind of hope

from his bounty, and reaped what I had never sown.

مِنَنٌ وَصَلنَ عَلى التَداني وَالنَوى

فَجَمَعنَ شَملَ رَجائِيَ المُتَوَزِّعِ

Favors reached me in nearness and in distance,

and gathered together my scattered hopes.

إِن أَقتَرِب فَنَوَلُ كَفِّكَ مَوطِني

أَو أَغتَرِب فَإِلى جَميلِكَ مَرجِعي

If I draw near, the bounty of your hand is my homeland;

or if I roam abroad, my return is to your kindness.

مَعَ أَنَّ جودَكَ لا يُراقِبُ مَقدَمي

إِن سِرتُ عَنهُ بَل يَسيرُ مُتَبِّعي

Yet your generosity does not await my coming

if I travel away from it; instead, it travels, following me,

بِمَواهِبٍ لَولا اِتِّصالُ دَوامِها

لَظَنَنتُها بَعضَ الغُيوثِ الهُمَّعِ

with gifts which, were it not for their unbroken continuance,

I would take for some of the pouring rains.

تَخفى أَحاديثُ الكِرامِ بِها كَما

تَخفى الوَقائِعُ في السُيولِ الدُفَّعِ

Before them, tales of the generous fade, just as

rock pools disappear beneath the surging floods.

شَغَلَت لَعَمري خاطِري وَتَعاظَمَت

في ناظِري وَتَكَرَّرَت في مَسمَعي

By my life, they have occupied my thoughts and grown immense

before my eyes, and echoed time and again in my hearing.

تَعتادُني طولَ النَهارِ مُغِذَّةً

فَإِذا اِدلَهَمَّ اللَيلُ زارَت مَضجَعي

They revisit me throughout the day, hastening,

and when night grows pitch-black, they visit my bed.

وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ وَالعَجائِبُ جَمَّةٌ

شُكرٌ بَطيءٌ عَن نَدىً مُتَسَرِّعِ

And among wonders—and wonders are many—

is thanks that lags behind a bounty swift to come.

إِنّي وَقَفتُ وُقوفَ مَن قَصَرَ الخُطى

عَن حَيرَةٍ لا وَقفَةَ المُتَمَنِّعِ

I have stood like one who shortened his steps

from bewilderment, not with the stance of one holding back.

أَذهَلتَني عَن أَن أَقولَ وَإِنَّما

نابَت هِباتُكَ عَن لِساني فَاِسمَعِ

You have left me too astonished to speak; instead,

your gifts have taken my tongue's place, so listen.

عُرفٌ وَثِقتَ بِصَمتِهِ فَكَتَمتَهُ

كَرَماً فَفاهَ بِعَرفِهِ المُتَضَوِّعِ

A kindness whose silence you trusted, so you concealed it

out of generosity; yet it spoke through its wafting fragrance.

سَبَقَت مَوارِنُنا إِلى عِرفانِهِ

أَسماعَنا فَوَعاهُ مَن لَم يَسمَعِ

Our nose-tips recognized it before

our ears; thus those who had not heard perceived it.

قُل لِلُّهى كُفّي فَآثارُ الحَيا

لَيسَت بِظاهِرَةٍ إِذا لَم تُقلِعي

Tell your gifts, 'Cease, for rain's effects

will not appear unless you stop.'

يا مَن تَفَرَّدَ بِالعُلى فَصِفاتُهُ

لا تُدَّعى وَصَفاتُهُ لَم تُقرَعِ

O you who stand alone in loftiness, whose qualities

none can claim, whose hard rock has never been struck!

أَنا قائِلٌ بِفَناءِ عِزِّكَ قائِلٌ

لِلنائِباتِ خُذي بِحُكمِكَ أَو دَعي

I rest at noon in the courtyard of your might, saying

to calamities, 'Take as you decree, or leave.'

مَن كانَ جارَكَ لا يَخافُ إِذا عَدَت

مِن واقِعٍ مِنها وَلا مُتَوَقَّعِ

Your neighbor, when calamities assail, has no fear

of any that has struck, nor of any still expected.

فَليَدرِ قَومي أَنَّني في ذا الحِمى

أَلقى الخُطوبَ بِمارِنٍ لَم يُجدَعِ

Let my people know that in this sanctuary

I face calamities with a nose-tip never cut off.

لي عَنكَ إِن شَطَّ المَزارُ غَداً غِنىً

إِن كانَ يُغني مُمعِرٌ عَن مُمرِعِ

I could do without you if your dwelling lay far away tomorrow—

if barren ground could make up for fertile pasture.

فَاِسلَم وَلا بَرِحَ الحَسودُ بِغَيظِهِ

حَتّى يَموتَ بِغُلَّةٍ لَم تُنقَعِ

So remain safe, and may the envious man stay in his rage

until he dies of a burning thirst unquenched.