كفى به جائرا في الحكم ما عدلا — أبو المعالي الطالوي

كَفى بِهِ جائِراً في الحُكمِ ما عَدلا

لَو كانَ يَسمَع في أَحبابِهِ عَذلا

Unjust enough would he be in judgment, never fair,

if he listened to reproach concerning his beloveds,

أَو راحَ يُضمِرُ سُلواناً بِخاطِرِهِ

عَن مائِساتِ قُدودٍ تُخجِلُ الأَسَلا

or began to harbor forgetfulness in his mind

of swaying figures that put spear-shafts to shame.

بَل كَيفَ يَصحُو غَراماً أَو يُفيق هَوىً

مَن باتَ بِالأَحورِ العَينينِ مُشتَغِلا

Indeed, how can he sober from passion or recover from love,

one who spends the night absorbed in the dark-eyed beloved?

فَما الهَوى غَيرُ أَجفانٍ مُسَهَّدَةٍ

تَهمي وَقَلبٌ بِنيران الأَسى شُعِلا

For love is nothing but sleepless eyelids

streaming tears, and a heart kindled by sorrow's fires.

وَلا الغَرامُ سِوى وَجدٍ نُكابِدُهُ

إِلى الحِمى يا سَقى اللَه الحِمى نَهَلا

Nor is passion anything but longing we endure

for the sanctuary—oh, may God give it a first draught!

حِمى دِمَشق سَقاها غَيرَ مُفسِدِها

صَوبُ الغَمامِ وَروّى أَرضَها عَلَلا

Damascus's sanctuary—may it be watered without harm

by the clouds' downpour, and may its earth drink again,

حَتّى تَظَلُّ بِها الأَرجاءُ باسِمَةً

وَيَضحَكُ النَورُ في أَكمامِهِ جَذِلا

until all its reaches remain smiling,

and blossoms laugh joyfully within their calyces.

وَخَصَّ بِالجانِب الغَربيِّ مَنزِلَةً

لَبِستُ فيها الشَبابَ الرَوقَ مُقتَبِلا

And may it favor a dwelling on the western side,

where I wore unclouded youth in its first bloom:

مَغنى الهَوى وَمَغاني اللَهوِ حَيثُ بِهِ

مَهاً إِذا طَلعت بَدرُ السَما أَفَلا

love's abode and pleasure's haunts, where there are

oryx-eyed beauties whose rising makes heaven's full moon set.

تِلكَ المَنازِلُ لا شَرقِيِّ كاظِمَةٍ

وَلا العَقيقُ وَلا شِعبُ الغُوير وَلا

Those are the abodes—not eastern Kazimah,

nor al-Aqiq, nor the ravine of al-Ghuwayr, nor

دِيارُ كُلِّ مَهاةٍ كَم أَقولُ لَها

وَالصَبرُ يَنحَلُ في جِسمي كَما نَحَلا

the homes of every oryx-eyed beauty. How often I say to her,

while patience wastes within my body, as my body has wasted:

بِما بِعينيكِ مِن سِحرٍ صلى دَنفاً

يَهوى الحَياةَ وَأَمّا إِن صَدَدتِ فَلا

'By the magic in your eyes, grant union to a lovesick man

who loves life—but not if you turn away.'

اللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنّي بَعدَ فُرقَتِها

فارَقتُ شَرخَ الصِبا وَاللَهو وَالغَزَلا

God knows that, after parting from her,

I left behind youth's prime, pleasure, and flirtation.

ما كُنتُ لَولا طِلاب المَجدِ أَهجرُها

هَجرَ اِمرئٍ مُغرَمٍ بِالراح كاس طِلا

But for my pursuit of glory, I would no more leave her

than a wine-besotted man would leave a cup of wine.

وَلا تَخيَّرتُ أَرضَ الرُومِ لِي سَكَناً

وَلا تَعوّضتُ عَنها بِالصِبا بَدَلا

Nor would I have chosen the land of Rum as my home,

nor taken youth as a substitute for her,

وَلا اِمتَطَيتُ عِتاقَ الخَيلِ رامِيَةً

بِيَ المَوامي تَجوبُ السَهلَ وَالجَبَلا

nor mounted noble-bred horses that hurled

me through deserts, crossing plain and mountain:

مِن كُلِّ طِرفٍ تَفوقُ الطَرفَ سُرعَتُهُ

وَسابِحٍ مِثلَ سِيدِ الرَملِ ما عَسَلا

each a noble steed whose speed outstrips a glance,

and a swimmer like a wolf of the sands when it lopes.

إِذا تَطَلَّع مِن لُجِّ السَرابِ يُرى

بَدراً غَدا بِهِلال الأُفقِ مُنتَعِلا

When it emerges from the depths of the mirage, it appears

a full moon, now shod with the horizon's crescent.

مَهما اِعتَسفت بِهِ أَقطار طامِسَةٍ

لِلجنِّ تَسمَعُ في أرجائِها زَجَلا

Whenever I venture with it through trackless regions,

in whose reaches you hear the clamor of the jinn,

يَجتابُها كَالرِياح الهُوجِ عاصِفَةً

وَيَنثَني وَخِضابُ اللَيلِ ما نَصَلا

it traverses them like wild winds blowing in a storm,

and turns back before night's dye has faded.

هَذا وَكَم مَنهَلٍ عَذبٍ مَوارِده

وَردتُهُ وَالقَطا الكُدريِّ ما نَهَلا

This—and how many a watering place with sweet sources

I have reached before the dusky sandgrouse drank,

وَاللَيلُ مُلقٍ عَلى المُوماتِ كَلكَلُهُ

كَأَنَّهُ راهِبٌ في مسحِهِ اِشتَمَلا

while night laid its breast upon the wastelands,

like a monk wrapped in his haircloth.

وَالنَجمُ مُلقىً عَلى الآفاقِ تَحسَبُهُ

حَيرانَ مِثلَ السُرى لا يَهتَدي سُبُلا

And the star lies cast across the horizons; you would think it

bewildered, like a night traveler, unable to find a path.

كَلفتُهُ طامِياً زرقُ الحَمامِ بِهِ

فَصَدّ مُستَنفِراً عَنهُ صُدودَ قِلى

I urged it toward brimful water, with blue-gray doves upon it,

so it shied away in alarm, with a recoil of loathing,

وَمَرَّ كَالكَوكَبِ الدُرّيّ جَرّدَهُ

غَيمٌ تَقَشَّع عَنهُ بَعدَما هَطَلا

and sped on like a brilliant star laid bare

by a cloud that cleared away after pouring rain,

حَتّى أَتى بِهِ أَرضَ الرومِ مُنتَجِعاً

رَوضاً أَريضاً وَماءً بارِداً وَكَلا

until it brought him to the land of Rum, seeking

a luxuriant meadow, cold water, and pasture.

وَقالَ بُشراكَ رَوضُ الفَضلِ قُلتُ لَهُ

رَوضُ اِبنِ بُستانٍ وَمَولانا فَقالَ بَلى

It said, 'Good tidings! The meadow of bounty!' I said to it,

'The meadow of Ibn Bustan, our lord?' It answered, 'Yes.'

هُوَ الجَواد الَّذي سارَت مَواهِبُهُ

تَدعو العُفاةَ إِلى نُعمائِها الجَفَلى

He is the generous one whose gifts have traveled far,

inviting all seekers of bounty to their blessings.

وَالبَحرُ لَو فاضَ يَوماً فَضل نائِله

عَلى جَميع البَرايا عَنهُمُ فَضَلا

And a sea—if the abundance of his bounty overflowed one day

upon all creatures, there would still be more to spare.

وَالبَدرُ أَشرَقَت الدُنيا بِطَلعَتِهِ

في طالِعٍ حَسَنٍ بِالسَعدِ قَد كُمُلا

And the full moon—the world has shone with his rising,

under a fair ascendant perfected by good fortune.

وَالدَهرُ حِصنُ أَمانٍ مِن نَوائِبِهِ

فَلُذ بِأَعتابِهِ ما حادثٌ نَزَلا

And Time—a fortress of safety from its calamities;

so seek refuge at his thresholds whenever disaster descends.

تَجِدهُ طَودَ عُلومٍ لَو يُوازِنُهُ

هِضابُ سَلمى لَخَفّت عَنهُ إِذ ثَقُلا

You will find him a mountain of learning; if weighed against him,

Salma's heights would prove light beside his weight.

لا تَزدَهيهِ مِنَ الدُنيا مَطامِعُها

وَلا يُرى بِسِوى إِعطائِها جَذِلا

The world's enticements do not dazzle him,

nor is he seen rejoicing in anything but giving it away.

مِن سادَةٍ وَرِثوا العَلياءَ وَاِقتَسَموا

مَآثر المَجدِ مِنها سُؤدُداً وَعُلا

He is of lords who inherited eminence and shared

glory's noble deeds, taking lordship and exalted rank from them.

أَغَرّ طَلق المُحَيّا زانَهُ خُلُقٌ

كَالرَوضِ أَزهَرَ أَحوى يانِعا خَضِلا

Radiant, open of countenance, adorned by a character

like a meadow in bloom, dark-green, flourishing, and dewy.

ذُو مَنطِقٍ لَو دَعى قُسٌّ فَصاحَتُهُ

ما قام وَسطَ عُكاظ قَطُّ مُرتَجِلا

He has eloquent speech: were his fluency to challenge Quss,

Quss would never stand amid Ukaz speaking extempore.

وَفِكرَةً ما سَرَت في لَيلِ غامِضَةٍ

إِلّا تَجَلّت لِأَفهام الوَرى بِجَلا

And thought that never journeys through an obscure matter's night

without bringing clarity to human understanding.

وَشيمَةٌ عَذبَةٌ لَو مازَجَت كَرَماً

خُلُقَ الزَّمانِ المُجافي لانَ وَاِعتَدَلا

And a sweet disposition that, if it mingled generously with

the harsh temper of Time, would soften it and set it right.

لَمّا أَتيتُ حِماهُ الرَحبَ أَنزَلَني

مِنهُ وَأَكرَمني في ظِلّه نُزلا

When I came to his spacious sanctuary, he lodged me

there, honoring me with hospitality beneath his shade.

وَمدّ نَحوي يَداً بَيضاءَ ذاتَ نَدىً

لا تَعرِفُ المَطلَ وَالإِعسار وَالبَخَلا

And he stretched toward me a white hand, full of bounty,

that knows no delay, hardship, or stinginess.

فَراحَ يَغبطني كُلُّ الأَنامِ عَلى

مُنىً بلَغتُ بِها من دَهرِيَ الأَمَلا

So all mankind began to envy me for

wishes through which I attained the hope I sought from my days.

وَالحَمدُ لِلَهِ هَذا الغَيثُ أَوّلُهُ

قَطرٌ وَآخِرُهُ تَلقاهُ مُنهَمِلا

And praise be to God: this rain begins

with a drop, but in the end you find it pouring down.

وَهاكِها مِن بَناتِ الفِكرِ غانِيَةً

شامِية الأَصلِ مَهما سائِلٌ سَأَلا

Here, take her: a beauty from among thought's daughters,

Syrian in origin, whenever any questioner asks,

غَريبَةً في بلاد الرومِ لَيسَ لَها

كُفؤاً سِواكَ فَأَنفذ مَهرها عَجِلا

a stranger in the lands of Rum, with no

worthy match but you—so send her dowry swiftly.

فَغَيرُ حرٍّ كَما قَد قيلَ من مَطَلا

يا من إِذا وَهبَ الدُنيا فَقَد بَخِلا

For whoever delays payment is no noble man, as has been said,

O you who, even if you gave away the world, would still be stingy!

لا زِلتَ في نِعمَتي عِيدٍ وَعائِدَةٍ

كَما تَشَأ وَبَنُوكَ السادَةُ الفُضَلا

May you ever enjoy the two blessings of festivity and bounty,

as you wish—and your sons, the noble, virtuous lords—

ما شامَ بالرومِ بَرقُ الشامِ ذُو شَجَنٍ

يَصبُو إِلى وَطَنٍ ما عَنهُ قَطّ سَلا

as long as a sorrowful man in Rum watches Syria's lightning,

yearning for a homeland he has never once forgotten.