إلى ما فؤادي يذوب زفيرا — Abn Zakur

إِلَى مَا فُؤَادِي يَذُوبُ زَفِيرًا

لَقَدْ كِدْتُ أُقْضِي مُعَنّىً حَسِيرَا

How long will my heart melt away in sighs?

I have nearly perished, tormented and exhausted.

عَرَانِي مِنَ الْوَجْدِ مَا قَدْ نَفَى

كَرايَ وَأَذْكى حَشايَ سَعِيرَا

Such passion assailed me that it banished

my sleep and kindled a blaze within my breast.

فَمِنْ رِقَّةٍ قَدْ حَكَيْتُ نَسِيماً

وَمِنْ دَنَفٍ قَدْ حَكَيْتُ نَضِيرَا

In delicacy I have come to resemble a breeze,

and through wasting sickness I have come to resemble gold.

وَشَيَّبَنِي وَالشَّبَابُ نَضِيرٌ

صُدودُ الأُلَى أَوْدَعونِي زَفِيرَا

I was turned gray, while youth was still fresh,

by the rejection of those who left me sighing.

وَمَنْ لَسَعَتْهُ أَفَاعِي الصُّدُودِ

فَأَجْدِرْ بِهِ أَنْ يَشِيبَ صَغِيرَا

Whoever is stung by the vipers of rejection—

how fitting that he should turn gray while young!

فَمَاذَا عَلى وُدِّهِمْ لَوْ دَنَا

وَمَا ضَرَّ لَوْ نَعَشُونِي يَسِيرَا

What harm if their affection drew near?

And what harm if they revived me a little?

وَمَاذَا عَلى عَاذِلِي لَوْ غَدَا

عَذِيراً لِمَنْ كانَ مِثْلِي أَسِيرَا

And what would it cost my reproacher to become

an advocate for one held captive like me?

فََيَا عَاذِلِي لاَ تَكُنْ عَاذِرِي

وَلَسْتُ أُؤَمِّلُ مِنْكَ عَذِيرَا

So, my reproacher, do not excuse me;

nor do I hope for an advocate from you.

وَيَا هَاجِرِي لاَ تَكُنْ وَاصِلِي

إِلَى أَنْ تُوَازِي الْحَصَاةُ ثَبِيرَا

And you who forsake me, do not rejoin me

until a pebble equals Mount Thabir.

فَمُذْ شِمْتُ بَرْقَ الْعُلاَ وَالْهُدَى

لَدى بَرَكاتِ الْعُلاَ مُسْتَطِيرَا

For since I glimpsed the lightning of eminence and guidance

flashing far and wide in exalted Barakat's presence,

سَلَوْتُكَ فَانْجَابَ لَيْلُ الأَسَى

وَأَسْفَرَ صُبْحُ السُّرُورِ بَشِيرَا

I forgot you, and the night of sorrow lifted,

and joy's dawn broke with glad tidings.

فَلاَ مُقْلَتِي تَسْتَهِلُّ دَماً

وَلاَ كَبِدِي تَتَدَاعَى فُطُورَا

My eye no longer rains blood,

nor does my liver split and fall apart.

وَمَنْ شَامَ بَرْقَ الْعُلاَ مُسْتَطِيرًا

فَلاَ يَعْدَمَنَّ دَداً وَحُبُورَا

Whoever sees the lightning of eminence flashing wide

will surely lack neither mirth nor joy.

وَهَانَ عَلَيَّ الذِي قَدْ لَقِي

تُ لَمَّا سَقَانِي نَدَاهُ نَمِيرَا

And what I had suffered grew light to me

when his bounty gave me sweet, pure water to drink.

وَأَنْقَذَنِي مِنْ ظَلاَمِ الْهَوَى

وَكَانَ لِقَلْبِي الْمُعَنَّى مُجِيرَا

He rescued me from the darkness of passion

and sheltered my tormented heart.

إِمامٌ تَسَرْبَلَ بِالْمَكْرُمَاتِ

وَأَرْخَى إِزارَ الْعَفافِ كَبيرَا

An imam who clothed himself in noble deeds

and let fall chastity's ample mantle,

وَطاوَلَ بَدْرَ السَّماءِ مُنِيراً

وَسَاجَلَ قَطْرَ الْغَمَامِ غَزِيرَا

who rivaled the full moon of heaven in radiance

and vied with the clouds' rain in abundance.

وَأَضْحَى لِكَأْسِ الْمَعَانِي مُدِيراً

وَأَمْسَى لِرَوْضِ الْعُلُومِ سَمِيرَا

By day he passed round the cup of meanings,

and by night kept company with the garden of learning.

تَوَاضَعَ حِلْماً فَزَادَ ارْتِقَاءً

وَرَامَ خَفَاءً فَزَادَ ظُهُورَا

He humbled himself in forbearance and rose still higher;

he sought obscurity and became more renowned.

وَمَنْ رَامَ إِخْفَاءَ بَدْرِ الدَّيَاجِي

بِجُنْحِ دُجىً زَادَ نُوراً كَثِيرَا

Whoever seeks to hide the full moon of dark nights

beneath night's wing only adds greatly to its light.

تَنَاهَتْ مَذَاهِبُهُ فِي الْعُلاَ

فَلَيْسَ يُرَى لِسِوَاهَا ظَهِيرَا

His paths have reached the utmost heights,

so he is never seen championing anything else.

فَطَوْراً تَرَاهُ لِقَوْمٍ بَشِيراً

وَطَوْراً تَرَاهُ لِقَوْمٍ نَذِيرَا

At times you see him bringing a people glad tidings,

and at times you see him warning a people.

وَكَايِنْتَرَاهُ يَفُكُّ الْمُعَمَّى

وَيُوضِحُ مَا كَانَ صَعْباً عَسِيرَا

And how often you see him unravel the enigma

and clarify what was hard and difficult.

إِلَى رِقَّةٍ لَوْ حَوَاهَا النَّسِيمُ

لَمَا قََصَفَ الدَّهْرُ غُصْناً نَضِيرَا

Along with a gentleness that, if the breeze possessed it,

time would never have snapped a verdant bough.

وَنَظْمٍ يُنْسِيكَ شِعْرَ جَرِيرٍ

إِذَا أَنْتَ عَايَنْتَ مِنْهُ سُطُورَا

And verse that makes you forget Jarir's poetry

when you have seen a few lines of it.

وَوَجْهٍ جَلاَ الْبِشْرُ عَنْهُ الْوُجُومَ

فَلَيْسَ يُرَى أَبَداً قَمْطَرِيرَا

And a face from which cheerfulness has swept gloom away,

so it is never seen grim.

تُضِيءُ الدَّيَاجِيرَ غُرَّتُهُ

فَتَحْسِبُهَا قَبَساً مُسْتَنِيرَا

His radiant brow lights the deepest darkness,

so you take it for a shining flame.

أَلاَ هَلْ أَتَى مَعْشَرِي أَنَّنِي

عَلِقْتُ بِتِطْوَانَ عِلْقاً خَطِيرَا

Has word reached my people that I

have grown attached in Tetouan to a treasure of great worth,

وَآوَيْتُ مِنْهَا إِلَى جَنَّةٍ

فَلاَ شَمْسَ فِيها وَلاَ زَمْهَريرَا

and found refuge there in a garden

with neither sun nor bitter cold?

لَدى عَالِمٍ قَدْ حَوَى عَالَماً

وَحَبْراً تَضَمَّنَ خَلْقاً كَثِيرَا

With a scholar who has encompassed a world,

and a sage who embodies a multitude of people.

وَأَلْحَفَهَا مِنْ مَحاسِنِهِ

بُرُوداً حَكَتْ سُنْدُساً وَحَرِيرَا

He cloaked it with his virtues—

robes resembling fine brocade and silk.

وَأَسْرَجَهَا بِسِرَاجِ الْهُدَى

وَكَمْ مَكَثَتْ قَبْلُ تَحْكِي قُبُورَا

And he lit it with the lamp of guidance—

how long before that it had resembled graves!

فَلاَ نَجْدَ إِلاَّ اسْتَطَارَ سَناً

وَلاَ غَرْوَ إِلاَّ تَلَأْلَأَ نُورَا

No upland failed to blaze with radiance,

nor any marvel to glitter with light;

وَلاَ غُصْنَ إِلاَّ تَثَنَّى ارْتِيَاحاً

وَلاَ طَيْرَ إِلاَّ تََغَنَّى سُرُورَا

no bough failed to sway in delight,

nor any bird to sing for joy.

أَضَاءَ سَنَاهَا وَضَاعَ شَذَاهَا

فَشِمْتُ سَنىً وَشَمِمْتُ عَبِيرَا

Its radiance shone and its fragrance spread,

so I beheld a gleam and breathed perfume.

إِمَامَ الْوَرَى بِشَفِيعِ الْوَرَى

أَصِخْ لِنِظَامِي وَكُنْ لِي عَذِيرَا

O imam of humankind, by humankind's Intercessor,

listen to my verse and make allowance for me.

وَأَسْبِلْ عَلَيْهِ بُرُودَ الْقَبُولِ

فَلَسْتُ حَبِيباًوَلَسْتُ جَرِيرَا

Drape it in the robes of acceptance,

for I am no Habib, nor am I Jarir.

وَهَبْنِي كَذَاكَ فَمَنْ لِي بِمَا

أُحَلِّي بِهِ مَجْدَكَ الْمُسْتَنِيرَا

And even supposing I were such, who could give me something

with which to adorn your radiant glory?

وَمَنْ أَرْهَقَتْهُ خُطُوبُ الدُّنَا

فَكَيْفَ يُحُوكُ الْقَرِيضَ النَّضِيرَا

And one whom the world's calamities have exhausted—

how can he weave fresh and lovely verse?

فَعُذْراً لِمَنْ خَانَهُ دَهْرُهُ

وَأَخْنَى الزَّمانُ علَيْهِ مُغِيرَا

So pardon one whose fortune has betrayed him,

and whom time has ravaged in its raids.

وَدُونَكَ مِنِّي سَلاَماً كَرِيمًا

يُفَاوِحُ عَرْفُهُ رَوْضاً مَطِيرَا

Accept from me a noble greeting,

whose fragrance vies with a rain-soaked garden.