بما لدى موقف التوديع قد كانا — أبو المعالي الطالوي

بِما لَدى مَوقف التَوديع قَد كانا

يا دارُ إِلّا أَبنتِ القَولَ تبيانا

By what came to pass at the place of farewell,

O dwelling, will you not make your tale clear?

ما غالَها الفِكرُ حَتّى صرتِ مَألفةً

لِلرامسات تُعَفّي مِنكِ أَركانا

Thought did not ravage her until you became a haunt

For the effacing winds, which erase your corners.

فَأَينَ عَهدُ الحِمى كُنّا نَلوذ بِهِ

مِمَن عَهدتُ وَأَينَ الحَيُّ مُذ بانا

Where are the old days of the sanctuary in which we sought refuge,

Among those I knew—and where is the tribe, now departed?

حَيثُ المَعالِمُ وَالأَطلالُ مُشرِقَةٌ

لا تَرتَضي أَنجمَ الجَوزاءِ سُكّانا

Where the landmarks and ruined dwellings shone,

Deigning not to take Orion's stars as dwellers.

أَيّام أَهصِرُ غُصنَ القَدِّ فَينانا

وَأَجتني مِن ثِمارِ الوَصلِ أَلوانا

In days when I bent the luxuriant bough of a graceful form,

And gathered many kinds of fruit from union.

يا مَنزِلاً بِجَنوب الغُوطَتينِ غَدا

يَهيجُ للصَبِّ بِالتِذكارِ أَشجانا

O dwelling south of the two Ghutas, which came

To stir a lover's sorrows through remembrance.

هَل راجعٌ ليَ ماضٍ مِن جَديد هَوىً

أَبليتُهُ في رُبى مَغناك رَيعانا

Will bygone days of once-fresh love return to me,

Whose bloom I wore away upon your dwelling's hills?

إِن أَخلَفت مِنكَ أَخلافُ السَحابِ رُبىً

فلي دُموعٌ تُروّي رَسمَك الآنا

If the clouds' udders have failed the hills around you,

I have tears that water your traces now.

كَأَنَّها في عِراصِ الدارِ هامِيَةٌ

نَوءَ السِماكَينِ تَسقي الرَبعَ تَهتانا

As though, pouring through the dwelling's courtyards,

They watered the abode in torrents at the two Simaks' rain-season.

وَيا شَباباً كَطيفٍ زارَني وَمَضى

هَل كُنتُ إِلّا لِعَينِ اللَهوِ إِنسانا

And O youth, like a phantom that visited me and passed,

Was I not the pupil of pleasure's eye?

عَهدي بربعك حُسّانُ المَرابع مِن

حُسّانَةِ الجيدِ تُولي الحُسنَ إِحسانا

I recall in your abode the beauties of its haunts, among them

A lovely-necked maiden, bestowing grace on beauty.

ساجِيَّةُ الطَرف مِن أَتراب غافِلَةٍ

تَرنو إِلَيكَ بِلَحظ الرِيم وَسنانا

Soft-eyed, among carefree companions of her age,

She gazes at you with a gazelle's drowsy glance.

هَيفاءُ صَبَّ الصِبا ماءَ الشَباب عَلى

أَعطافها وَكَساها الحُسنُ فَتّانا

Slender-waisted, early youth poured youth's fresh water over

Her flanks, and beauty clothed her in enchantment.

رُعبُوبةٌ ذاتُ فَرقٍ لَو يُقابِلهُ

بَدرُ الدُجى لاختفى في الأُفق خَجلانا

A tender maiden, whose hair-parting, if confronted by

Night's full moon, would make it hide on the horizon, ashamed.

تَفتَرُّ عَن ذي لَمىً أَشهى إِلى كَبدي

مِن الزُلال وَقَد وافيتُ ظَمآنا

Her smile reveals a dusky-lipped mouth, sweeter to my liver

Than limpid water when I have arrived thirsty.

لَم أَنسَها إِذ خَطَت نَحوي تُعانِقُني

وَالبينُ يَبعثُ في الأَحشاءِ نيرانا

I have not forgotten her as she stepped toward me to embrace me,

While separation kindled fires in the entrails.

أَهوَت بِقامَتِها عِندَ الوَداع إِلى

صَبٍّ غَدا لِفراقِ الإِلف حيرانا

At farewell she bent her figure toward

A lover left bewildered by parting from his beloved.

وَقَد تَساقط دُرُّ الدَمعِ مُنتَثِراً

بَينا يُرى لُؤلؤاً إِذ صارَ مرجانا

And the pearls of tears fell, scattered;

While they seemed pearls, suddenly they turned to coral.

تَقول وَالبَينُ قَد زُمّت رَكائِبُهُ

وَالدَمعُ يَجري عَلى الخَدَّينِ طُوفانا

She says, while departure's camels have been bridled,

And tears run over both cheeks in a flood:

بِما لَدَى مَوقف التَوديع قَد كانا

إِلّا عَمرتَ برُجعى مِنكَ أَوطانا

'By what came to pass at the place of farewell,

Will you not, by returning, bring our homelands back to life?'

فَقُلتُ لا وَالَّذي سَوّاكَ إِنسانا

أَو تلجئ لِحِمى ظِلِّ اِبنِ بُستانا

I said, 'No, by Him who fashioned you as a human,

Unless you seek refuge beneath Ibn Bustan's protecting shade.'

قاضي قُضاة دمشق الشام سَيّدُنا

كنزُ الهُدى عَلَمُ الإِفضالِ مَولانا

Our master, chief judge of Damascus in al-Sham,

Treasure of guidance, standard of beneficence, our lord.

وافى حمى رَوضها الزاهي فحلَّ بِها

أَمنٌ وَيُمنٌ حِمى سُكّانَها صانا

He came to the sanctuary of its radiant garden, and there settled

Safety and good fortune; he safeguarded its dwellers' sanctuary.

وَغَرَّد الطَيرُ في أَرجائِها سَحَراً

بِرَوضةٍ أَنبَتَت وَرداً وَرَيحانا

And the birds sang through its quarters before dawn,

In a garden that brought forth roses and basil.

فَأَصبَحَت مِن جِنان الخُلدِ جادَ بِها

رَضوانُ يَبغي مِن الرَحمَنَ رِضوانا

Thus it became one of eternity's gardens, freely bestowed by

Ridwan, seeking the All-Merciful's good pleasure.

لَما رَسا طودُ عِلمٍ في مَعالِمِها

أَقَرَّ كُلٌّ لَهُ بِالفَضلِ إِذعانا

When a mountain of learning settled in its precincts,

Everyone conceded his excellence in submission.

بِحَبوتيهِ يَبيتُ الحِلم مُعتَصِماً

إِذا أَطارَت رِياحُ الطَيشِ ثَهلانا

Within his two knee-wraps, forbearance spends the night secure,

When winds of rashness blow Thahlan away.

لا تَزدَهيهِ مِنَ الدُنيا مَطامِعُها

وَلا يُرى بِسِوى الإِحسان جَذلانا

The world's enticements do not beguile him,

Nor is he seen rejoicing in anything but doing good.

يَجُرُّ ذَيلَ فَخارٍ ما تعلَّقَهُ

سِوى العَفاف بِرَأيٍ لُبُّهُ صانا

He trails a hem of glory to which nothing clings

But chastity, with judgment safeguarded by his intellect.

بِهمّةٍ في سَماءِ المَجدِ سامِيَةٍ

لا تَرتَضي أَنجُم الأَفلاكِ أَخدانا

With an aspiration rising in the heaven of glory,

That will not accept the stars of the spheres as companions.

وَطَلعةٍ زانَها الباري بِقُدرَتِهِ

فَخَطَّها لِكِتابِ الحُسنِ عُنوانا

And a countenance the Creator adorned by His power,

Making it the heading of the book of beauty.

وَراحَة كَالسَحابِ الغُرِّ وَقع نَدىً

لَو لَم يَكُن خُلَّب الأَنواءِ خَوّانا

And a palm like radiant clouds in its shower of bounty—

Were the rain-stars' barren lightning not treacherous.

وَحُسنِ خُلقٍ كَزَهرِ الرَوضِ مُزدانا

لَو كانَ حُلو الجَنا بِالبِشرِ مَلآنا

And fine character, adorned like the garden's blossoms,

Were they sweet in fruit and filled with cheer.

وَخاطِرٍ لَو سَرى في لَيل غامِضَةٍ

أَعيَت مِنَ القَومِ أَلباباً وَآذانا

And a mind which, were it to travel through the night of an obscure question

That had exhausted people's minds and ears,

أَضحت تُجَلّى لَدى الأَفهامِ مُسفِرَةً

عَن وَجهِ أَوطَف ساجي الطَرفَ نَعسانا

Would leave it unveiled before their understanding, revealing

A long-lashed face, soft-eyed and sleepy.

وَمَنطِقٍ لَو وَعى سَحبانُ مَنطِقَه

يَوماً لأَسحَب ذَيلَ العِيِّ سحبانا

And speech which, if Sahban grasped it

One day, would make Sahban trail the hem of speechlessness.

حَلّالُ مُشكلةٍ فَتّاحُ مُقفَلةٍ

كَشّافُ مُعضِلَةِ الأَفهامِ عِرفانا

Solver of difficulties, opener of locked matters,

Unraveler, through knowledge, of what perplexes minds.

يا أَيُّها الفاضل المُعيي بِمَنطِقه

مَصاقعَ العُربِ عَدناناً وَقَحطانا

O accomplished one, whose speech leaves helpless

The Arabs' mighty orators, of Adnan and Qahtan.

لَكَ اليَراعُ الَّذي يَحكي تسارعُه

وَقَد مَشى فَوقَ مَتنِ الطرس ثُعبانا

Yours is the reed pen whose swift movement mimics,

As it moves across the page's surface, a serpent.

طَوراً نَراهُ عَلى الأَرواح مُحتَكِماً

وَتارَةً يَهَبُ الأَرواحَ منّانا

At times we see it passing judgment on souls,

At others, generously granting lives.

مَولاي يا كَعبة الفَضلِ الَّذي وَقفت

بِبابِها نُجُب الآمالِ رُكبانا

My lord, O Kaaba of excellence, at whose

Door hope's noble camels halt, bearing riders.

وَخَير مُنتَجع أَمَّت نَداهُ عَلى

نَأي الدِيار مَطايا العَزمِ أَظعانا

And finest place to seek bounty, toward whose generosity

The mounts of resolve travel in caravans, despite distant homes.

ما البَحرُ مُلتَطِماً وَالدَهرُ معوانا

وَالليث مُنتَقِماً وَالغَيثُ هتّانا

Neither the surging sea, nor time lending aid,

Nor the avenging lion, nor rain pouring down,

أَندى يَداً مِنكَ أَولى مِنكَ عارِفَةً

أَمضى شَباةً أَدنى مِنكَ إِحسانا

Is more generous-handed than you, or more lavish in favor,

Sharper of edge, or nearer than you in kindness.

وَهاكها غادةً صِغر الوشاح خَطَت

إِلى حِمى عالِمٍ لَم يَرضَ أَقرانا

And take her: a slender-waisted maiden who has stepped

Into the sanctuary of a scholar who accepts no equals.

حِمَىً غَدا مَعقل الأَهواء متّشحاً

بِالبيضِ وَالسُمرِ أَسيافاً وَمُرّانا

A sanctuary become the stronghold of desires, girded

With the white and the brown: swords and ashwood spears.

ذُخرٌ لِقاصِدِهِ رَوضٌ لِرائِده

بَحرٌ لِوارده وافاه عَطشانا

A treasure for its seeker, a garden for its scout,

A sea for one who comes to it thirsty.

مَأوىً لِعارفةٍ مَثوىً لِعاطفةٍ

مَغنىً لِسالفَةٍ عَيشي بِها لانا

A refuge for kindness, a dwelling for compassion,

An abode of a bygone time in which my life grew gentle.

خَوطيّة ما اِنثَنى خَطِّيُّ قامَتها

إِلّا وَأَخجَل وَسط الرَوضِ قُضبانا

Bough-slender, the Khatti spear of her stature never bends

Without shaming branches in the garden's midst.

تَبغى قَبَولا وَتَرجُو مِنكَ عاطِفَةً

نَحو اِمرئٍ وُدُّه بِالمَذق ما شانا

She seeks acceptance and hopes for compassion from you

Toward a man who has not tainted his affection with insincerity.

عُبَيدُ بابك نجلُ الطالويِّ فَقَد

أَخنَت عَلَيهِ يَدُ الدَهرِ الَّذي خانا

The humble servant at your door, the son of al-Talawi, for

The hand of faithless time has ravaged him.

وَلَيسَ شَكواي إِلّا مِن بَنيه وَإِن

كَنَّيتُ عَنهُم بِهِ فَاِفطَن لَما كانا

And my complaint is only against its sons, though

I have alluded to them through it—discern what befell.

وَمَن سِواكَ لِهَذا الأَمرِ يا أَمَلي

فَاِمنُن وَكُن لي عَلى الأَحداثِ مِعوانا

Who but you can meet this need, O my hope?

So grant me favor, and be my helper against calamities.

وَالأَب لَما أَثأَتِ الأَيّام مِن دَنفٍ

لا زِلتَ تَرفعُ لِلمَعروفِ بُنيانا

And mend what the days have marred through illness;

May you never cease raising an edifice to goodness.

وَاِسلَم وَدُم ما سَرى نَجمٌ وَما طَلَعَت

شَمسٌ وَهَزَّ نَسيمُ الرَوضِ أَغصانا

Remain safe and endure, as long as a star travels and

A sun rises, and the garden's breeze stirs branches,

وَناحَ بَينَ رِياضِ الغُوطَتَينِ ضُحىً

قَمريُّ مُقرىً لِإِلفٍ وَاِمتَطى بانا

And among the gardens of the two Ghutas, at midmorning, laments

A turtledove of Muqra for its mate, mounted on a ban tree.