أبغضته من بعدما بذل الرضا — Abu Bakr Al Suli

أَبَغِضِتَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِمَا بُذِلَ الرِّضَا

هذَا تَجَنٍّ مِنْ حَبِيبٍ يُرتضَى

You hated him after goodwill had been offered;

this is unjust reproach from a beloved held dear.

لاَ تجْزَعَنْ للْبُعْدِ تُوعَدُهُ غَداً

فاللهُ يَصْرِفُهُ بما فيهِ قضَا

Do not grieve over the separation threatened you tomorrow;

for God directs it according to His decree.

ظُلِمَ الحَبِيبُ فَأَظْلَمَ الْبَيْتُ الَّذِي

أَمَّتْ مَطاياهُ بهِ ذات الأَضَا

The beloved was wronged, and dark grew the house which

his mounts sought, bearing him to Dhat al-Ada.

قَدْ قالَ بَشَّارٌ وكانَ مُسَدَّداً

يَحْوِي المعَانِي إنْ رَمَى أَوْ أَنْبَضَا

Bashshar once said—and his aim was true—

encompassing meanings whether he shot or twanged the bow:

قَدْ ذُقْتُ أُلْفَتَهُ وذُقْتُ فِراقَهُ

فَوَجَدْتُ ذَا عَسَلاً وذَا جَمْرَ الغَضا

I tasted his companionship and tasted parting from him;

I found the one honey, the other ghada-wood embers.

خُذْ مِنْ زَمانِكَ ما صَفَا لَكَ قَلَّما

يُغْنِيكَ غُمُّكَ بِالتَّكدُّرِ إِذْ مَضا

Take from your days whatever is clear for you; seldom

does grief over bitterness help you once it has passed.

واصْبِرْ عَلَى غَرَقٍ بِنُعْمى نلْتَهَا

إنَّ الزمانَ لَمُقْضٍ مَا أَقْرَضا

And endure drowning in return for a blessing you attained;

time surely settles what it has lent.

فَهَوَيْتَ فِي لُجٍّ عَلاكَ عُبابُهُ

لا بُدَّ أَنْ تَلْقَى الَّذِي لَكَ قُيِّضَا

Then you fell into deep water, its billows rising over you;

you must encounter what has been allotted you.

إنْ قُمْتَ فِيهِ لَمْ تَطُلْهُ لِغُزْرِهِ

ورَأَيْتَ تَحْتَ الرِّجْلِ مِنْهُ مَدْحضَا

Had you stood in it, you could not overtop it, so deep was it;

and beneath your foot you saw slippery ground.

وَتَسَرَّعَتْ مِنْهُ إلَيْكَ حِجَارَةٌ

تَذَرُ الصَّحِيحَ مِنَ الْعِظَامِ مُرَضَّضَا

Stones rushed toward you from it,

leaving even sound bones crushed.

وَكساكَ مِنء يَدِهِ وَلَمْ تَسْتَكْسِهِ

عُشُراً يُؤلِّفُهُ المُدُودُ وَعِرْمضا

It clothed you by its own hand, though you asked it for no clothing,

in ushar growth gathered by rising waters, and waterweed.

نَجَّاكَ مَنْ نَجَّا بِلُطْفٍ يُونُساً

مِنْهُ وكَانَ لِقَبْضِ رُوحِكَ مَعْرِضا

He who graciously saved Yunus saved you

from it, though it had offered an occasion to seize your soul.

هَذَا وَقَدْ ثَلَمَ الزَّواقِلُ جَانِبِي

فَأَفْضْتُ دَمْعاً عنْدَ ذَاكَ مُغَيَّضَا

All this, while the zawaqil [unclear term] had gouged my side,

so then I poured out tears that had been held back.

أَبْكي كِساءً كانَ أَوْثَقَ عُدَّتِي

إنْ أَخصرَ البَرْدُ العِظامَ ونَقَضَّا

I mourn a cloak that was my surest provision

when cold chilled the bones and made them crack;

وَمِخَدَّةً قَدْ كانَ يَأْلفُ لِينُهَا

خَدِّي فأَضْحى الْجِسْمُ مِنْها مُمْرَضا

and a pillow whose softness was once familiar

to my cheek; now my body is sick for its sake.

وَنَفِيسَ فَرْشٍ كالرِّياضِ نُقُوشُ

ما كان من دُونِ الرِّياشِ مُرَحَّضَا

And precious bedding, with patterns like gardens,

which had not been washed apart from the fine furnishings;

وَمُجَمَّعاً قَدْ كُنْتُ أجْمَعُ آلةً

فِيهِ وكَانَ مِنَ الْبَلاءِ مُفَضَّضَا

and a chest in which I used to gather equipment,

which had been split apart by the disaster.

والصُّفْرَ أَبْكِي كالنُّضارِ وَشَمْعَةً

زانَتْ يَدُ الْمَاشِي بِهَا والْمِقْبَضَا

I mourn brass like pure gold, and a candle

that graced its bearer's hand and the handle.

صَرَّحْتُ بِالشَّكْوَى إليكَ تَأَنُّساً

بِنَدى يَدَيْكَ إذا غَرِيبٌ عَرَّضا

I have voiced my complaint to you, seeking comfort

in your hands' bounty when a stranger hints at need.

فَلأنْتَ أعْلَى فِي المُلُوكِ مَحِلَّةً

وأَجَلُّ من رَاشُ العُبَيْدَ وَأنْهضا

For among kings your station is the highest,

and you are the noblest to provide for humble servants and raise them up.

مِنْ بَعْدِ ما غالَ الْمَشِيبُ شَيْبَتِي

وَنَضا لِباسَ تَجَمُّلِي فِيما نَضا

After old age had ravaged my graying head,

and stripped off the garment of my adornment among all it stripped away,

وَأحارَنِي مَرَضاً وَأَوْهَنَ قُوَّتِي

فَغَدَوْتُ مِنْهُ وَقَدْ صَحِحْتُ مُمَرَّضا

and returned me to sickness and sapped my strength,

I became ailing because of it, even after recovering.

وإذا دَنَتْ سَبْعُونَ مِنء مُتَأَمِّلٍ

دانى وَلَمْ يَرَ فِي اللَّذاذَةِ مَرْكَضا

And when seventy draws near a thoughtful man,

he draws near his end and finds no field for pleasure.

وَجَفاهُ نَوْمٌ كانَ يَأْلَفُ جَفْنَهُ

قِدْماً وَأَضْحى لِلحُتُوفِ مُعَرَّضا

Sleep deserts him, though it once frequented his eyelids

long ago, and he becomes exposed to death.

وإذا بَلَغْتُ إلى الأمامِ مُسَلِّماً

ورَأَيْتُهُ زَالَ التَّخَوُّفُ وانْقَضى

And when I reach the imam, offering greetings,

and see him, fear departs and comes to an end.

وَنَسِيتُ رَوْعَاتِ لإِرْجافٍ فَشا

ما زلْتُ للإِشْفاقِ فِيهِ مُرْمَضا

I forget the terrors of the unsettling rumor that spread,

which kept me burning with apprehension.

ذادَتْ مَوارِدُهُ الكَرى عَنْ مُقْلَتِي

وَأَبَى عَلَيَّ حِذَارَهُ أَنْ أُغْمضا

Its incoming reports drove sleep from my eye,

and fear of it would not let me close my eyes.

فَعَلَيَّ نَذْرٌ إِنْ رَأَيْتُكَ سالماً

صَوْمٌ وعِتْقٌ عاجِلٌ لا يُقْتَضَى

So I am bound by a vow, if I see you safe:

fasting and prompt manumission, needing no demand.

بِمُحَمَّدٍ رَضِيَ الإلهُ خَلِيفَةً

فِي الأَرْضِ فَهُو بِذاكَ راضٍ مُرْتَضَى

God approved Muhammad as caliph

upon the earth; he is content with that, and approved.

جاءَتْهُ طَوْعاً لَمْ يُسَيِّرْ لَفْظَهُ

فِيهَا ولاَ أَضْحى لَهَا مُتَعَرِّضا

It came to him freely; he had not sent forth his words

to seek it, nor made himself a claimant to it.

فَهُوَ الْحَقِيقُ بِهَا الْمَعانُ بِقُوَّةٍ

فِيهَا بِحُكْمٍ فَاصِلٍ لَنْ يُدْحَضا

He is its rightful holder, aided by strength

therein, through a decisive judgment that will not be overturned.

أَللهُ أَقْبَلَ لشي بِوَجْهِ نَوالِهِ

فَرَفَضْتُ وَجْهَ الدَّهْرِ لَمَّا اَعْرَضا

God turned toward me [reading uncertain] with the face of His bounty,

so I rejected the face of time when it turned away.

بَدْرٌ يُضِيءُ دُجى الظَّلامِ وَلَمْ يَزَلْ

لِسَوادِ ما تَجْني الخُطُوبُ مُبَيِّضا

A full moon lighting the depths of darkness, he has never ceased

to whiten the blackness of what calamities inflict.

بِكْرُ الزَّمانِ فَلَيْسَ يُنْتَجُ مِثْلُهُ

أَبداً وَلاَ يُلْفَى بِهِ مُتَمَخِّضا

Time's firstborn: no equal of his is born

ever, nor is time found in labor with one like him.

عَالِي الْمَحلِّ بنَى لَهُ آباؤُهُ

شَرَفاً أَبَتْ أَرْكَانُهُ أَنْ يُنْقَضا

Lofty in station, his fathers built for him

an honor whose pillars refuse to be torn down.

مَنْ شَامَ عِزَكَ ذَلَّ دُونَ منَالِهِ

أَوْ رامَ ما رَفَّعْتَ مِنْهُ تَخفضا

Whoever beheld your glory was humbled short of attaining it,

or sought the heights you raised, and sank low.

أَحْسَنْتَ حَتَّى مَا نَرَى مُتَسَخِّطَا

يَشْكُو الزَّمَانَ وَلاَ نرَى لَكَ مُبْغضا

You have done good until we see no discontented man

complaining of time, and none who hates you.

كَمْ مُبْغِضٍ حُطَّتْ إلَيْكَ ركَابُهُ

نالَ الغنيّ عَجِلاً فَأَغْنَى المُبْغِضَا

How many a hater halted his mounts before you,

gained wealth at once [reading uncertain], and thus was made rich.

بِعُلُوِّ فَخْرِكَ فِي الْمَفَاخِرِ يُعْتَلَى

وَبِنُورِ هَدْيِكَ في الدِّيانَة يُسْتضَا

Through your lofty glory, men rise among glories,

and by your guidance's light they are illumined in faith.

وَجليلِ خُطْبٍ عَابَ مِنْكَ عَزِيمَةً

فَأَتَى إليَكَ بِمَا هَوِيتَ مُفَوِّضا

And a mighty crisis found fault with your resolve,

then came to you with what you desired, yielding control.

وَمَضَتْ بُرُوقٌ في العِراقِ فَأَخْلَبَتْ

وَرَأَيْتُ بُرْقَكَ صَادقاً إذْ أَوْمَضَا

Lightnings flashed in Iraq, but proved rainless;

I saw your lightning prove true when it flashed.

قَزَعٌ أَرَذّ فَما غَذَتْ أَخْلافُهُ

غَرْساً وَلا هُوَ بالْجَمائلِ رُوِّضَا

Scattered cloud drizzled, but its udders nourished no

planting, nor was it schooled in gracious deeds.

وَتَداءَبتْ بِذَوِي الضَّلالةِ هِبْوةٌ

أَبْقَتْ لَهُمْ أَسَفاً وَخَوْفاً مُمْرِضا

And a dust-cloud persisted among the people of error,

leaving them sorrow and a sickening fear.

وَسَيكْشِفُ الْهَبَواتِ ربُّكَ نِقْمَةً

تَدَعُ البِناءَ مِن الضَّلالِ مُقَوَّضا

And your Lord will dispel the dust-clouds through a vengeance

that leaves the edifice of error demolished.

سَتَرى الْقِيامَ به قُعُوداً عاجِلاً

فَزِعاً وَيَرْجِعُ ساكناً مَنْ حَرَّضا

Soon you will see those standing for it sitting down,

in panic, while whoever incited it returns subdued.

وَيَصِحُّ مِنْ غَمَراته مَنْ لَمْ يَزَلْ

فِيما قَضَيْتَ مِنَ الأُمورِ مُمَرَّضا

And from its engulfing turmoil will recover whoever has always

been ailing over the matters you decided.

وَيَعُودُ ساعٍ في الْجَهالةَ عاثِراً

لا يَسْتَطِيعُ من النَّدامَةِ مَنْهَضا

And one striving in folly will return stumbling,

unable, from remorse, to rise.

وَيَرَى غَوِيٌّ رُشْدَهُ فَيُشِيمُ ما

قَدْ كانَ مِنْ نَعَمِ الضَّلالةِ رَبَّضا

And an erring man will see his right course, and put away what

he had made lie down among the cattle of error.

وَيَفُلُّ غَرْبَ جُمُوعِهِمْ لَكَ حاسِمٌ

مِنْ جَيْشِ رَأْيكَ كَالسِّهامِ المُنْتَضى

And a decisive fighter will blunt their hosts' edge for you,

from the army of your counsel, drawn forth like arrows.

ويُذِيقُهُمْ جُرَعَ المَنايا بجَكَمٌ

وَكَذاكَ عادَةُ بَجْكَمٍ فِيما مَضَى

And Bajkam will make them taste draughts of death;

such has been Bajkam's custom in times past.

سَيْفُ الخِلافَةِ والْمُبِيرُ عَدُوَّها

بِسَدِيدِ عَزْمٍ صائِبٍ إِنْ أَعْرَضَا

The sword of the caliphate, destroyer of its enemy,

with sure resolve, striking true whenever an enemy appears.

أَنْحى عَلَيْهِمْ بِالسُّيُوفِ فَخِلْتَهُمْ

لِتَناثُرِ الأعْضَاءِ حَصْباءَ الْفَضَا

He bore down on them with swords, till you would think them,

from their scattered limbs, pebbles of the open plain.

دَلَفَ الرِّجالُ إِلَيْهِمْ فَكَأَنَّما

كانُوا نِساً حِينَ دُمُّوا حَُّضا

The men advanced against them, and it was as though

they were menstruating women when smeared with blood [reading uncertain].

فَعَفَوْتَ عَنْ طَلَبٍ لَهُمْ فَتَبَسَّطُوا

ثِقَةً وَكانَ نَجاؤُهُمْ مُتَقَيَّضَا

Yet you waived the pursuit of them, and they relaxed

in confidence, their escape having been allotted.

كيْفَ التَّورُّط فِي ظَلمِ ضَلالةٍ

والصُّبْحُ فِي سُبْل الهِدايَةِ قَدْ أَضا

How can one plunge into the darkness of error,

when dawn has shone upon the paths of guidance?

يا واحِدَ الْكَرَمِ الَّذِي نَلْقَى بِهِ

وَجْهَ الزَّمانِ إذا تَسَوَّدَ أَبْيَضَا

O peerless one in generosity, through whom we meet

the face of time as white whenever it blackens.

خُذْها إلَيْكَ قَوافِياً قَدْ لُبّسَتْ

رَقْماً أَبى تَحْسِينُهُ أَنْ يُرْفَضَا

Take these rhymes to yourself, clothed

in embroidery whose adornment refuses to be cast aside.

كانَتْ مُجَمَّعَةَ الظُّهُور نَوافِراً

فَأَتَتْكَ لَيِّنَةَ المَقادَةِ رُيَّضَا

Their backs were hunched, and they shied away;

then they came to you, gentle to the reins and well-trained.

لَفْظاً أَلِيفاً للْقُلُوب مُحَبَّباً

لَمْ يُلْفِ وَقْراً فِي المَسامِعِ مُبْغَضا

Words familiar to hearts and beloved,

never a hateful burden to the ears,

مِنْ شِعْرِ مَقْصُورِ الْمَدَى مُتَكَلَّفٍ

إنْ رَامَ نَهْجاً في طَرِيقٍ أُدْحِضَا

as is the verse of a strained poet of limited reach,

who slips if he seeks a clear course upon a path.

وكَأَنَّهُ ثِقْلاً فِرَاقُ أَحِبَّةٍ

نَادى به داعِي الشّتاتِ وحَضَّضَا

Its heaviness is like parting from beloved friends,

proclaimed and urged by the summoner of separation.

بَلْ مُرْسَلاً طَبْعاً فَسِيحاً ذَرْعُهُ

قَدْ شَفَّ ذَا الباعِ القَصِيرِ وَأَرْمَضَا

Rather, this verse flows freely by nature, broad in its reach;

it has worn down and scorched the short-armed one.

وإذَا أَمالَ إليْهِ سَمْعاً صاعَدَتْ

أَنْفَاسُهُ أَسَفاً عَلَيْهِ واَبْغَضَا

And when he inclines his ear toward it, up rise

his sighs in grief over it, and he hates it.

أَحْذاكَهُ مَنْ لاَ يَزالُ ضَمِيرُهُ

عَمَّا كَرهْتَ مِنَ الْمَذَاهِبِ مُعْرضا

It was given to you by one whose conscience never ceases

to turn away from the ways you dislike.

أَفْنَى الزَّمانَ بِخدْمَةٍ لَكَ آمِلاً

ما نلْتَهُ فَأَنْلُه غاياتِ الرِّضَا

He spent his lifetime serving you, hoping for

what you have attained; grant him the utmost favor.

وَمَدائِحٍ سَبَقَتْ إلَيْكَ بأَسْرهَا

يَأْتِيكَ قَائِلُهَا بِهَا مُتَعَرِّضَا

And praises that reached you beforehand, all of them—

their speaker comes to you with them, seeking favor.

مَا شَرَّفَتْهُ خِدْمَةٌ لَكَ قَبْلَهَا

حَتَّى مَلَكْتَ فَدَسَّهُنَّ مُعَرِّضَا

No service to you had honored him before those praises,

until you came to rule; then he slipped them in, making hints.

وَأَصَابَ مَرْعىً في فنَائِكَ مُمْرِعاً

فَأَخَلَّ فيهِ بالْحُظُوظِ وَأحْمَضَا

And he found a lush pasture in your courtyard,

then neglected his good fortune there and turned to sour grazing.

إذْ سَيْفُ عَزْمِكَ كَامِنٌ في جَفْنهِ

أَرْجُو انْتضاكَ لَهُ وَلَمَّا يُنْتَضى

While the sword of your resolve is hidden in its sheath,

I hope you will draw it; it has not yet been drawn.

هَذي سَوَابِقُ لا يمُتُّ بِمثْلَهَا

مَنْ قَدْ أَتَى خَلْفَ السُّكَيْت مُرْكضا

These are prior merits; their like cannot be claimed

by one who comes galloping behind the last horse.

فَأَفدْ وَعَوِّضْ مَادِحاً لَكَ رَاجِياً

فَلأَنْتَ أَكْرَمُ مَنْ أَقَالَ وَعَوَّضَا

So give bounty and compensate a praiser who hopes in you;

for you are the noblest of those who lift the fallen and recompense.