يا زمان اتئد إلى كم ترزي — Abou Al Hassan Al Housri

يا زَمان اِتّئد إِلى كَم تُرَزّي

جَدَّ وَجدي وَأَنتَ بي مُتَهَزّي

O Time, go gently—how long will you keep bereaving me?

My grief has grown grave, while you mock me.

وَيلَتا مِنكَ ما أَرى من يُهَنّي

بِحَبيبٍ حَتّى أَرى مَن يُعَزّي

Woe to me because of you! I scarcely see someone congratulate me

on a loved one before I see someone offering condolences.

أَنا جزآنُ آنِفاً جُزء فا

نٍ وَجُزء باقٍ وَأَنتَ المُجَزّي

I am now two parts: one part perishing,

and one part enduring—and you are the divider.

خُنتَني في اِبني الَّذي هُوَ بَعضي

بَل وَفى اللَهُ فَاِبتَلى وَسَيَجزي

You betrayed me in my son, who is a part of me.

Rather, God kept faith: He tested me and will recompense me.

نَزعَة المُشتَكي إِذا ضاقَ ذَرعاً

بِالمَقاديرِ نَزعَة المُستَفِزِّ

The impulse of one who complains when he cannot bear

fate is the impulse of one stirred to frenzy.

أَنا راضٍ بِما قَضى اللَهُ عَدلاً

لَستَ مِمّا يَشاءُ بِالمُشمَئِزِّ

I am content with what God has justly decreed;

I do not recoil from what He wills.

وَكَذاكَ الحَليمُ يثبتُ في الجل

لَى إِذا زَلَّ الجاهِلُ المُتَنَزِّ

Thus the forbearing man stands firm in great calamity,

when the impetuous fool loses his footing.

ما لِغُصنِ النَعيمِ أَصبَحَ لَدناً

لَيسَ يَهتَزُّ وَهو لَدنُ المهزِّ

What ails the branch of bliss, now grown supple,

that it does not sway, though so pliant when stirred?

أَخلَقَ السَقمُ مِنهُ ديباج حُسنٍ

كانَ يَزهى عَلى الرَبيعِ بِطَرزِ

Sickness wore out the brocade of his beauty,

which once outshone spring with its embroidered patterns.

كانَ عَبدُ الغنيّ رَوضاً مِنَ الحُس

نِ مُحَلّىً بِعَسجَدٍ وَفلزِّ

Abd al-Ghani was a garden of beauty,

adorned with gold and metalwork.

كانَ إِن بارَزَ الرِجالَ غُلاماً

رَدَّ في الحَربِ بَيدَقاً كُلَّ فَرزِ

Though a boy, whenever he challenged men,

he reduced every chess vizier to a pawn in battle.

كانَ كَالحَمدِ أَجزَأت من سَواها

في صَلاةٍ وَغَيرها لَيسَ يُجزي

He was like al-Hamd, sufficient in place of other surahs

in prayer, while no other suffices in its place.

فَلَئِن حَلَّتِ الرزِيَّةُ في اِبني

وَاِشتَفى بي عَدُوّي المُتَخَزّي

Even if calamity has befallen my son,

and my disgraced enemy has slaked his spite at my expense,

فَوَرَبّي لَيَشرَبَنَّ بِكَأسٍ

شربَ اِبني بِها وَعقباكَ تَجزي

by my Lord, he will surely drink from a cup

from which my son drank; your own end will requite you.

أَينَ فِرعَون وَالألى أغرقوا مِن

بَعدِ آيٍ مُفصّلاتٍ وَرِجزِ

Where are Pharaoh and those who were drowned

after clearly detailed signs and a scourge?

أَينَ كِسرى إِن كُنتَ مُبصِر آيٍ

مِنهُ أقوت فَلَستَ سامِع رِكزِ

Where is Kisra? If you see traces

of him, now deserted, you hear not even a murmur.

أَينَ مُلكُ العَزيزِ قدماً وَإِن تَذ

كُر قَريباً فَأَينَ ملكُ المعزِّ

Where is al-Aziz's kingdom of old? And if you recall

recent times, where is al-Muizz's kingdom?

وَاِبنُ هودٍ وَلا تَرى كَاِبنِ هود

كانَ لَيثَ الثُغورِ يَغزو وَيُغزي

And Ibn Hud—you will see none like Ibn Hud—

was the lion of the frontiers, campaigning and sending others to campaign.

حَفَزتهُم مُطالباتُ اللَيالي

وَكَذا أَنتَ في طِلابٍ وَحَفزِ

The nights' demands drove them away;

and you too are pursued and driven on.

قَدكَ يَلقى شعوب كُلِّ شُجاعٍ

وَجبانٍ وَكُلُّ سَمح وَلِحزِ

Enough! Every brave man meets Sha'ub, Death,

and every coward, every generous man and every miser.

أَيُّها القَبرُ ما صَنَعتَ بِجِسمٍ

يَتَأَذّى مِنَ البُرودِ بِدَرزِ

O grave, what have you done to a body

hurt by a mere seam in striped garments,

وَلِسان لَم يَنصلِت بِسبابٍ

وَجُفونٌ لَم يَلتَفِتنَ لِغَمزِ

and a tongue never unsheathed in abuse,

and eyelids never turned toward a wink,

وَيَدٍ لَم تخطّ إِلّا كِتابَ ال

لَهِ ذَنباً وَلَم تُمَدَّ لِوَكزِ

and a hand that wrote nothing but the Book of

God—its only 'sin'—and never stretched out to strike?

أَتراهُ يَراكَ إِلّا عِظاماً

يَتَعَزّى بِذِكرِها المُتَعَزّي

Do you think it sees you as anything but bones,

whose memory consoles the mourner?

أَينَ تَرتيلهُ الكِتابَ وَمَغدا

هُ إِلَيهِ بِعَزمَةٍ لا بِعَجزِ

Where are his measured recitation of the Book and his morning journey

to it, with resolve, not weakness?

أَينَ تَرقيقهُ وَتَفخيمُهُ الرا

ءَ وَتَحقيقهُ لِمَدٍّ وَهَمزِ

Where are his light and emphatic pronunciations of the letter

ra, and his exact rendering of vowel length and glottal stops?

أَينَ إِطراقُهُ حَياء فَمَن كَل

لَمَهُ لَم يُجِبهُ إِلّا بِرَمزِ

Where is his modestly lowered gaze? Whoever spoke

to him received no answer but a gesture.

قُل لِفهرٍ هاضَ الزَمان قَناةً

قَوَّمَتها العُلا لِطَعنٍ وَرَكزِ

Tell Fihr: Time has snapped a spearshaft

that nobility straightened for thrusting and planting upright.

فَهوَ أَدّى مُضَمَّراتِكِ حُزّي

وَنَواصي مُخَدَّراتِكِ جُزّي

So he has done his part: slit your trained steeds,

and shear the forelocks of your secluded women.

عَزَّني في الأَعَزِّ عِندي عَنيدٌ

لَم أطِقهُ فَبَزَّني أَيَّ بَزِّ

A stubborn foe overpowered me over what I held dearest;

I could not withstand him, and he despoiled me utterly.

نَفَثَت فِيَّ سُمَّها كُلُّ أَفعى

يَومَ أَودى وَإِنَّما كانَ حِرزي

Every viper spat its venom into me

the day he perished; he had been my sole safeguard.

لَمحَةٌ مِن سَناهُ مِصباحُ لَيلي

وَدُعاء مِن فيهِ مِفتاحُ كنزي

A glimpse of his radiance was the lamp of my night,

and a prayer from his mouth was the key to my treasure.

أَفرَدَت مِن فَريدَتي وَفَريدي

فَتَشَبَّثتُ في لَهاهُ الأَضَزِّ

I was left alone, bereft of my precious jewel and my peerless one,

so I clung to his tightly closed mouth.

بَدَّلَتني الأَيّامُ بُؤسي بِنُعمى

يَومَ فارَقتُهُ وَذُلّاً بِعِزِّ

The days gave me misery in place of bliss

when I parted from him, and humiliation in place of honor.

أُمُّ دُرزٍ إِلَيَّ فيهِ أَساءَت

وَمَتى قَطّ أَحسَنتُ أُمُّ دُرزِ

Umm Durz wronged me through him;

and when has Umm Durz ever done good?

خَزِيَ الخزُّ وَاِستَشانَ بِقَومٍ

وَبِكَ اِزدانَ كُلُّ وَشيٍ وَخَزِّ

Silk was shamed and marred on some people,

but on you every embroidered cloth and silk grew splendid.

يا اِبنَ شاكي السِلاح ضَرَّ بِضَرب

في قُلوبِ العِدا وَأَخزى بِوَخزِ

O son of the fully armed man, who hurt with blows

in enemies' hearts and disgraced them with thrusts!

لا هَناني دَرُّ الحَلوبَةِ مِن بَع

دِكَ يَوماً وَلا ضَرامُ المجَزِّ

May the milk of a milch animal never gladden me after

you, even one day, nor the blaze of the shearing-place.

كُنتُ بَينَ القُرومَ حَتّى تَوَلَّي

ت فَأَصبَحتُ بَينَ شاءٍ وَمَعزِ

I was among mighty camel sires until you departed;

then I found myself among sheep and goats,

في أَهاوٍ مِنَ الهَوانِ وَقَد كُن

ت مِنَ العِزِّ في غزار ونَشزِ

in abysses of humiliation, though I had been

in honor's abundance and on its heights.

وَكَأَنّي عُلِّلتُ مِن نَشواتي

دونَ مَزٍّ مِنَ النَدامى بِمَزِّ

It is as though, after my intoxicated joys, I was given another draught,

tart wine by boon companions instead of choice wine.

كُنتُ في راحَةٍ إِذا لَعِبَ الطّف

لُ بِجَريٍ يَومَ الخَميسِ وَقَفزِ

I was at peace when the children played,

running and jumping on Thursday,

أَنتَ في عِصمَةِ الهُدى وَشَياطي

نُ صِباهُم تَؤُزُّهُم أَيّ أَزِّ

you sheltered by guidance, while the devils

of their youth spurred them on fiercely.

وَإِذا ما تَنابَزَ الناسُ بِالأَل

قابِ لَم تَرضَ مِن تُقاكَ بِنَبزِ

And whenever people taunted one another with

nicknames, out of piety you would not consent to a taunt.

ساءَني يا بُنَيَّ حَجزُكَ عَنّي

سرّكَ اللَهُ هَل يَسوءُكَ حَجزي

Your separation from me grieved me, my little son;

may God gladden you—does my absence grieve you?