شأوت مطايا الصبا مطلبا — Abn Khafajah

شَأَوتُ مَطايا الصِبا مَطلَبا

وَطُلتُ ثَنايا العُلى مَرقَبا

I outpaced youth's mounts in my quest,

and rose above glory's passes to a lookout.

وَأَقبَلتُ صَدرَ الدُجى عَزمَةً

تُوَطِّئُ ظَهرَ السُرى مَركَبا

I faced the breast of darkness with a resolve

that made night travel's back a smooth mount.

فَجُبتُ إِلى سُدفَةٍ سُدفَةً

وَخُضتُ إِلى سَبسَبٍ سَبسَبا

So I crossed one darkness into another,

and waded through one wasteland into another.

وَقُلتُ وَقَد شاقَني مُلتَقى

شَميمِ العَرارِ وَبَردُ الصَبا

And I spoke, stirred to longing by the meeting

of arar's fragrance and the cool east wind:

خَليلَيَّ مِن حِميَرٍ حَدِّثا

أَخا شَيبَةٍ عَن لَيالي الصِبا

My two dear friends of Himyar, tell

a gray-haired man of the nights of youth.

وَبُلّا بِذِكرِ الهَوى غُلَّةً

بِصَدرِ كَريمٍ صَبا ما صَبا

And quench, by recalling love, a burning thirst

in the breast of a noble man who yearned as long as he yearned.

وَلا غامَ ما غامَ حَتّى اِنجَلى

فَأَضحى وَلا اِنقادَ حَتّى أَبى

He never grew clouded without clearing again,

to shine anew, nor yielded without refusing.

وَحَنَّ هَديلٌ عَلى بانَةٍ

تَصَدّى خَطيباً بِها أَخطَبا

And a dove cooed plaintively upon a ban tree,

stepping forth upon it as an eloquent, dusky-plumed orator.

فَأَذكَرَنا لَيلَةً بِاللِوى

وَعَهداً بِعَصرِ الصِبا أَطرَبا

It reminded us of a night at al-Liwa,

and a delightful season in the age of youth,

وَماءً بِوادي الغَضا سَلسَلاً

وَمُرتَبَعاً بِالحِمى مُعشِبا

and sweet-flowing water in Wadi al-Ghada,

and a grassy spring encampment in al-Hima:

لَيالِيَ عَهدي بِنا فِتيَةً

وَعَهدي بِأَحبابِنا رَبرَبا

nights when I knew us as youths,

and knew our beloveds as a herd of gazelles.

وَما كانَ أَعطَرَ تِلكَ الصَبا

وَأَندى مَعاطِفَ تِلكَ الرُبى

And how fragrant that east wind was,

and how dewy the slopes of those hills!

وَأَطيَبَ ذاكَ الجَنى رَوضَةً

وَرَشفَةَ ذاكَ اللِمى مَشرَبا

And how sweet that garden's fruit,

and a sip from those dusky lips as a drink!

فَحَرَّكَ مِن ساكِنٍ كامِنٌ

تَعاطي حَديثٍ يَحُلُّ الحُبى

Then something hidden stirred that still heart:

the exchange of talk that loosened knee-bindings.

وَلَم يَكُ يَعرِفُني أَمرَداً

طَريراً وَيَنكُرُني أَشيَبا

It had not known me as a beardless youth,

fresh-faced, nor did it disown me gray-haired.

فَكِدتُ وَدونَ الصِبا شَيبَةٌ

أَجُرُّ هُنالِكَ ما أَذهَبا

So I almost, though gray hair barred me from youth,

dragged back there what had been carried away.

وَقُلتُ وَحُبُّ الدُمى ذَنبُهُ

أَلا غَفَرَ اللَهُ ما أَذنَبا

And I said—its sin was love of statue-like beauties—

'May God forgive whatever sins it committed!'

وَصَعَّدتُ عَن حُبِّهِ زَفرَةً

يَكادُ لَها الصَدرُ أَن يَلهَبا

And from love of it I sent up a sigh

at which my breast almost burst into flame.

وَأَغرَبَ مِن لَوعَةٍ مَدمَعٌ

إِذا لَجلَجَت لَوعَةٌ أَعرَبا

And a tear wrought a marvel from anguish:

when anguish stammered, it spoke plainly.

وَرَدعُ أَصيلٍ لَوى مَعطِفي

فَفَضَّضتُ بِالدَمعِ ما ذَهَّبا

And evening's saffron stain enfolded my side;

with tears I silvered what it had gilded.

وَشَعشَعتُ مِنهُ بِظَهرِ النَقا

شَراباً أُرَقرِقُهُ أَصهَبا

And with some of it, on the dune's back, I diluted

a tawny wine that I made shimmer.

وَأَعوَلتُ أَندُبُ عَصراً خَلا

وَقَصرُ اِبنِ سِتّينَ أَن يَندُبا

And I wailed, lamenting an age now gone;

a man of sixty can do no more than lament.

وَشَبَّبتُ أَطرَبُ لا عَن هَوىً

وَهَل يَطرَبُ المَرءُ إِن شَبَّبا

I sang of love for delight, not out of passion;

and does a man feel delight if he sings of love?

لَكَ الخَيرُ شِختُ سِوى مِقوَلٍ

نَبيلٍ يُذَهِّبُ ماهَذَّبا

Blessings on you! I have aged, except for a tongue

of nobility, gilding what it refines.

فَصارَ يُذَكِّرُني ما يَسُرُّ

كَلامٌ إِذا ما طَرى طَرَّبا

So it came to remind me of what delights:

speech that brings rapture whenever it is fresh,

كَلامٌ يَجِدُّ بِلُبِّ الفُتى

ذَهاباً إِذا شاءَ أَن يَلعَبا

speech that deals earnestly with a young man's heart,

carrying it off whenever it chooses to play.

تَحَمَّلَ ماشاءَ مِن رِقَّةٍ

فَحَيّا عَنِ المَشرِقِ المَغرِبا

It bore whatever tenderness it wished,

and greeted the West on behalf of the East.

وَكادَ بِما فيهِ مِن بَلَّةٍ

يَسومُ الصَحيفَةَ أَن تُعشِبا

And with the moisture it contained, it almost

bade the page sprout grass.

فَلِلَّهِ قَولِيَ ما أَهذَبا

وَلِلَّهِ لَفظِيَ ما أَعذَبا

God be praised for my speech—how refined!

And God be praised for my diction—how sweet!

وَلِلَّهِ دَرُّ أَخي سودَدٍ

رَسا هَضبَةً وَسَرى كَوكَبا

And God bless the man of nobility,

rooted as a hill, roaming by night as a star.

تَصوبُ السَماءُ إِذا ماحَبا

وَيَمثُلُ رَضوى إِذا ما اِحتَبى

The sky pours rain whenever he gives,

and Radwa looms when he sits clasping his knees.

وَتَعشو الضُيوفُ إِلى نارِهِ

فَتَلقى هُناكَ أَلا مَرحَبا

And guests seek his fire by night,

and find there, 'Ah, welcome!'

وَتَمضي بِهِ في الوَغى نَجدَةٌ

مَضى السَيفُ في كَفِّهِ أَو نَبا

And courage carries him onward into battle,

whether the sword in his hand cuts through or glances off.

فَتَرضى الصَوارِمُ عَنهُ أَخاً

وَتَشكُرُ مِنهُ المَعالي أَبا

So keen swords are pleased with him as a brother,

and high honors thank him as a father.

وَقَد لَثَمَ النَقعُ أُسدَ الشَرى

وَكَرَّت بِها الخَيلُ تَعدو تُبا

While dust kissed the lions of al-Shara,

and horses charged again with them, galloping in troops,

فَلَم تَرَ إِلّا نَجيعاً جَرى

وَرُمحاً تَشَظّى وَطِرفاً كَبا

you saw nothing but streaming blood,

a splintered spear and a fallen steed.

لَقَد عَرَفَت قَدرَهُ دَولَةٌ

تُفَدّي بِهِ الأَكرَمَ الأَنجَبا

A state has indeed recognized his worth,

ransoming through him the noblest, most distinguished.

وَتَعتَدَّهُ المُنتَقى المُتَّقى

عَلى الخَيرِ وَالحُوَّلِ القُلَّبا

And it counts him the chosen, the one held in awe,

for goodness, resourceful and versatile.

تَقِلُّ الوِزارَةُ في حَقِّهِ

وَتَنزِلُ عَن قَدرِهِ مَنصِبا

The vizierate is paltry beside his due,

and, as an office, falls below his worth.

تَطولُ السَماءُ بِآبائِهِ

وَتُحصي بِهِم كَوكَباً كَوكَبا

The sky towers higher through his forefathers,

and counts them as stars, one by one.

وَتَنقادُ غُرُّ المَعالي لَهُ

فَيَقتادُها مِقنَباً مِقنَبا

The radiant heights of honor submit to him,

and he leads them troop by troop.

وَيَلأَمُ شَتّى العُلى وَالحِلى

عَلى حينَ أَصبَحنَ أَيدي سَبا

And he gathers the scattered heights and adornments,

when they had become as scattered as Saba's hands.

وَحَسبُ المُنى أَن سَرى مَوعِدٌ

كَفيلٌ بِنَيلِ المُنى مَطلَبا

And enough for hopes is a promise that came by night,

guaranteeing attainment of their desired goal.

تَوالَت رِقاعُكَ تَترى بِهِ

وَشُكري لَها مَوكِباً مَوكِبا

Your letters came one after another bearing it,

and my thanks for them, procession after procession.

وَغَيرِيَ مَن غَرَّهُ مَوعِدٌ

يَشيمُ بِهِ بارِقاً خُلَّبا

Another, not I, is one whom a promise deceives,

watching in it for lightning that brings no rain.

فَخُذها إِلَيكَ تَهُزُّ الفَتى

وَمِن شيمَةِ الراحِ أَن تُطرِبا

So receive it: it stirs a young man,

and wine's nature is to bring delight.

خَصَصتُ الأَخَصَّ بِها أَثرَةً

وَحَيَّيتُ بِالأَطيَبِ الأَطيَبا

I favored the closest with it as a mark of preference,

and greeted the finest with the finest.

وَسُمتُ البَراعَةَ أَن تَنكَفي

وَذُلقَ اليَراعَةِ أَن تَكتُبا

And I bade eloquence pour forth,

and the reed-pen's keen tip write.

وَأَجرَيتُ مِن مُدَّةٍ أَدهَماً

وَوَقَّرتُ مِن مُهرَقٍ أَشهَبا

I set a black steed of ink running,

and loaded a gray steed of paper.

تَرَكتُ القُلوبَ لَهُ مَربَطاً

وَصَدرَ النَدِيِّ بِهِ مَلعَبا

I left hearts as its tethering-ground,

and, through it, the assembly's forefront a field of play.