حمل الفؤاد على الهوى وتحملا — أبو زيد الفازازي

حمل الفؤاد على الهوى وتحمّلا

فأساء لي من بعد ما قد أجملا

He drove the heart toward passion and took its burden on,

then wronged me after treating me graciously.

واقتاد أهواء النفوس فما ترى

إلاَّ حجا ماض وعشقاً مقبلا

He led the desires of souls, so you see

only reason departing and love approaching,

من كلِّ من يفني الظلام مململا

في حب من يفني النَّهار تدللا

in everyone who spends the darkness restless

for love of one who spends the daylight being coy.

ظبي حكى الآس المنضَّد وفرةً

والورد خدا والأقاح مقبّلا

A gazelle, resembling clustered myrtle in his hair,

roses in his cheek, and daisies in his kissable mouth.

فمتى أراد تنزّها في روضة

وازى المراة بوجهه وتأملا

Whenever he desires a stroll in a garden,

he faces a mirror and gazes at his face.

وإذا بدا خلت الهلال وإن خطا

خلت القضيب وإن رنا خلت الطلا

When he appears, you imagine the crescent moon; when he steps,

you imagine a bough; when he gazes, a gazelle fawn.

في كل عضو منه حسن مفردٌ

ما حلَّ طرف ظرفه فترحَّلا

In every limb of his is a unique beauty;

no gaze settles on his grace and then departs.

يرمي ويصمي حيث شاء كأنه

في كلِّ جارحة يصادف مقتلا

He shoots and strikes dead wherever he wishes, as though

he finds a fatal spot in every limb.

فيرى اللقا وهو الحلال محرما

ويرى الأسى وهو الحرام محللا

He regards meeting, though lawful, as forbidden,

and sorrow, though forbidden, as lawful.

كانت مقاساة الهوى في قربه

شهدا فلما صدَّ عادت حنظلا

Enduring passion, when near him, was

honey; when he turned away, it became bitter colocynth.

ما باله والعدل سيمى قدِّه

يابى وقد حكّمته أن يعدلا

Why does he, whose stature bears the mark of balance,

refuse to act justly, though I made him judge?

يا أيها الواري عليَّ لأنني

أرخصت نفسي في الهوى لما علا

O you who kindle hostility against me because I

cheapened myself for passion when it rose high,

غيرتني طول السُّهاد كأنما

أنسيت من قبلي الصدود الأطولا

long sleeplessness has changed me, as though

I had been made to forget the longer estrangement before me.

أيدت دمعي بالنحول شهادة

لي بالغرام فقال لي لن يقبلا

I reinforced my tears with emaciation as testimony

to my passion; he told me neither would be accepted.

ورأى ادعائي في المحبة دعوة

أنَّى ولي نسب يبكت داغلا

He regarded my claim to love as a false claim of lineage.

How could that be, when my lineage rebukes an impostor?

قل ما تشاء فإنني لك طائع

إنَّ المحبَّ بمن يحب لمبتلي

Say what you wish, for I am obedient to you;

the lover is surely tried by the one he loves.

ما حال من سبك الفؤاد مدامعا

وأماله وجداً عليك وماسلا

What is the state of one who melted his heart into tears

and bent it toward you in yearning, never finding solace?

مرهت جفوني مذ صددت وإنما

كحل الجفون لدائها كحل الجلا

My eyelids have grown sore since you turned away;

their remedy is the kohl of clear sight.

إني وقد افنى اصطباري حبَّه

أفني الزمان بذكره متعللا

His love has exhausted my endurance, yet I

spend time remembering him, seeking solace.

في ذكر من تهوى وفي آثاره

أنسٌ ومن عَدِمَ المثال تمثلا

In remembering one you love, and in his traces,

there is solace; whoever lacks an image conjures one.

وإذا المحب ألمَّ بالدار التي

نزل الحبيب بها أحبَّ المنزلا

When the lover visits the house

where the beloved stayed, he loves that dwelling.

لله أيامُ الوصال فإنما

كان الزمان بها أغرَّ محجَّلا

How wondrous the days of union! For

time in them bore a shining blaze and white feet.

إن نحن لم ينعب غرابٌ بيننا

نقصي الوشاةَ بنا ونعصي العذّل

When we had no raven croaking between us,

we drove away those who informed on us and defied reproachers.

ونديرها حمراء ياقوتية

لم تُبقِ إلاًَّ وصفَها أيدي البل

We passed it round, red and ruby-bright,

of which the hands of decay had left only the description.

رقَّت لطول العهد حتى خِلتَهَا

دمعاً وخلت الدَّن جفناً أكحلا

It grew so delicate with age that you imagined it

tears, and imagined the wine jar a kohl-darkened eyelid.

ما إن رأيت ولا سمعتُ لمثلها

جسماً يعود وجوده متخيلا

I have neither seen nor heard of anything like it:

a body whose very existence becomes imaginary.

فَضَّ الختام فقلت صفحٌ مُذهَبُ

خَطَّ الحبابُ عليه خطا مُشكِلا

He broke the seal; I said, “A gilded page!”

The bubbles had inscribed upon it a finely marked script.

أهدت لنا طرَفُ الربيع بدائعا

أضحى لها وجه الثرى متهلِّلا

Spring's rare gifts brought us wonders,

at which the face of the earth began to beam.

قد أنبتت في كلِّ سهل روضةً

مذ أنبطت في كلِّ حزن جدولا

They made a garden grow in every plain,

having brought forth a stream in every rugged upland.

كست الفجاج غلائلاً من سندس

تلقى بها الريح البليل تبدلا

They clothed the broad paths in tunics of fine silk,

where the moist breeze finds a change of attire.

والنُّور بين مدنَّرٍ ومدرهم

حيث التفتّ رأيته ملء الملا

The blossoms, some like dinars, some like dirhams,

wherever you turned, filled the open expanse.

والريح تلعب بالغصون كأنها

أيد تقلّب في طراد ذُلَّلا

The wind plays with the branches, like

hands twirling pliant lances.

والغيم قد حجب السماء بمطرف

نسجته كفُّ الريح نسجاً هلهلا

The clouds have veiled the sky with a striped mantle,

loosely woven by the wind's hand.

وافي يجر ذيوله متبخترا

فعل الهَدِيِّ يَسِيرُ سَيراً مثقلاً

They arrived, trailing their skirts with a swagger,

like a sacrificial beast walking heavily laden.

خاف النسيم على تألف شمله

فاستل من برق عليه منصلا

They feared the breeze would scatter their gathered mass,

so drew against it a blade of lightning.

فكأنه والبرق يخفق فوقه

كفٌ تُصَرِّفُ في حساب أنملا

With lightning flashing above, they seemed

a hand moving its fingers in reckoning.

حتى إذا استوفى تَكَونّ درّه

ألقاه في حجر الفلا ثم انجلا

Until, when their pearls had fully formed,

they cast them into the wilderness's lap, then cleared away.

فتخاله من رعده في برقه

متبسماً حيناً وحيناً معولا

In their thunder and lightning, you imagine them

smiling at one moment, wailing at another.

ينحى على صدأ الهباء كأنه

فيما انتحى للأرض أصبح صيقل

The rain attacks the rust of dust, as though

in tending to the earth it had become a burnisher.

وكأنه أثرا حبيبٌ خاطب

وكانه زهراً عروسٌ تجتلي

In its effect, it is like a beloved suitor,

and in its blossoms, a bride unveiled for admiration.

نطقت بشكر الغيث فيما أودعت

نشر النّسيم وما تحرك مقولا

The earth spoke its thanks for rain through what it entrusted

to the breeze's fragrance, without moving a tongue.

والقضبُ في الوشي المنمق تنثني

تيهاً محلاة المفارق والطلا

The twigs bend in their decorated brocade,

proudly, their partings and necks adorned.

نظمت حبابَ الطَلِّ في نورانها

فكأن إكليل اللُّجين مكلَّلا

They strung the beads of dew among their blossoms,

as though garlanded with a crown of silver.

قامت بها سوق المجون وقلَّما

ألفيتني إلاَّ لها متأثلا

The market of revelry arose there, and seldom

did you find me except firmly settled in it.

فترى الغمام مساقيا وترى الحما

م مغنيا وترى النسيم مولولا

You see the clouds serving drinks, and the doves

singing, and the breeze wailing.

ما حُسن ذاك الفصل إلا أنه

بالقائد الأعلى يروم تمثلا

That season's beauty lies only in its wish

to imitate the supreme commander,

بالأوحد الفذّ الذي وسع الورى

بأساً وجوداً هيبة وتطولا

the unique, peerless one, who embraces humankind

with valor and generosity, awe and beneficence.

سيف الإمام ورمحه ومحبه

والحربُ نار غير أن لا تصطلي

The imam's sword, his spear, and his devoted friend—

and war is a fire, but not one to warm yourself by.

الرئاسة وهي ما هي خطة

قطب الجزيرة وهي ما هي منزلا

Leadership—how great an office it is!

The island's axis—how great a station it is!

ظمنت له الذِّكرَ الجميلا معجلا

جدواهُ والأجر الجزيلَ مؤجلا

Fair remembrance was assured him at once

by his bounty, and abundant reward in time to come.

نِيطَت به عُظمَى الأمور فلم يدع

فيها بحمدالله أمراً مغفلا

The greatest affairs were entrusted to him; he left

not one matter neglected in them, praise be to God.

وشفى النفوس من العدا في مأزق

يقتات أرواح الكماة تآكلا

He healed hearts of their enemies in a narrow battle-struggle

that ravenously fed upon the souls of armored champions.

مستوجبٌ شيم العلاء وغَيرُهُ

يغدو على أوصافها متطفِّلا

He rightfully owns the qualities of greatness; another

comes only as an intruder to their attributes.

راموا اللحاق به فجاءوا آخرا

شدُّوا وأقبل سابقاً متهللا

They sought to catch him, but came in last;

they raced, while he arrived ahead, beaming.

وإذا كبا في محفل وإذا احتبى

أبصرته كاليم جاوز يذبلا

When he stumbles in an assembly, or sits with knees drawn up,

you see him like a sea that has overtopped Yadhbul.

ولرب يوم للمنية فوقه

سحب مكفكفة دعافاً مسبلا

Many a day, above which Death had

gathered clouds pouring down deadly venom:

طير تحوم على الرؤوس يحثُّها

موتٌ يروم إلى النفوس توصلا

birds circling over heads, driven on

by Death, seeking access to souls,

يَذَرُ الكميّ معفراً والسمهر

ي مقصفاً والمشرفي مفلّلا

leaving the armored warrior dust-strewn, the slender spear

splintered, and the Mashrafi sword notched.

جلَّى به الغمرات ليثٌ محدر

يحذي رؤوس الدارعين الأرجلا

A stout-bodied lion dispelled its terrors,

shoeing feet with the heads of armored men.

ومثلثٌ شام الحسام بكفِّه

والموت يمسح جانبيه فهللا

A Trinitarian, his sword drawn in his hand,

with Death brushing both his flanks, proclaimed God's oneness.

أمسى ولم تطرقه خيلك ملحداً

جهلاً وأصبح مسلماً متبتلا

Before your cavalry reached him, he ended the evening an unbeliever

in ignorance, and rose a devout Muslim,

في موقف أما أسنته فمف

طرة وأما أعوجيته فلا

in a stand where his spearheads were breaking

their fast, but his Aʿwaji horses were not.

جمع البسالة والندى فقد اغتدى

ناراً مضرّمة وماء سلسلاً

He joined bravery with generosity, becoming

a blazing fire and smoothly flowing water.

فإذا احتمى كان الغضنفر صولة

وإذا انتمى كان المعمّ المخولا

When roused, he is a lion in onslaught,

and in lineage, noble in his paternal and maternal uncles.

أدى فرائض جوده مبرورة

ثم استدام أداءه متنفلا

He fulfilled the obligations of his generosity righteously,

then continued fulfilling them in voluntary devotion.

يلقي الكمي إذا تقدم رامحاً

ويحيد عنه إذا تأخر أعزلا

He meets the armored warrior when he advances lance in hand,

and turns away from him when he retreats unarmed.

متصرف في الحرب كيف تصرفت

متنقل بالجود حيث تنقلا

Versatile in war, however it changes,

he moves with generosity wherever he goes.

سل عنه عُبَّاد الصليب تسل به

غرض المذلة موثقا ومجدلا

Ask the worshippers of the cross about him: you will be asking

a target of humiliation, bound and felled.

لا يرفعون إلى منادٍ ناظرا

ذُلاً ولا يلفون خوفاً معقلا

They do not lift an eye toward anyone calling,

in abasement, nor in fear find a refuge.

ما أسلموا أوطانهم حتى رأوا

ضرب الطُّلي عطفاً على طعن الكلي

They did not surrender their homelands until they saw

blows to necks added to spear-thrusts in kidneys.

خضعوا له فاسترجعوا أرماقهم

منه ومن وجد القبول تنصَّلا

They submitted to him and recovered their remaining breaths

from him; whoever found acceptance made his excuses.

يا ابن الصناديد الذين عليهم

وقفت نهايات النهي وحلا العلا

O son of the champions, in whom

the utmost limits of reason and the ornaments of greatness culminated,

من كلِّ وضاح الجبين تخاله

في هفوة الهيجاء عصباً مفصلا

each bright of brow, whom you would imagine

amid battle's turmoil, a finely jointed sinew.

لك يا أبا عبدالإله مناقبٌ

تُرضي إلاهك والنبي المرسلا

Yours, O Abu Abd al-Ilah, are virtues

that please your God and the prophet sent as messenger.

وكُلت بالأعداء قلباً لم يزل

مستسلماً في أمره متوكلا

You set against your enemies a heart that has remained

submissive and trusting in its affairs.

فتركتَ مجهل كلَّ فضل معلماً

وتركت معلم كل جهل مجهلا

You made the unknown terrain of every virtue a landmark,

and made every landmark of ignorance an unknown waste.

فشجاعةٌ كانت وراءك معقلا

ومهابةٌ صارت وراءك جحفلاً

Courage was a fortress behind you,

and awe became an army at your back.

يا قائد الأُسدِ الغضاب وشبَّهت

بالأُسد لمّا كنت فيه الأولا

O leader of wrathful lions—they were likened

to lions because you were the foremost among them.

يهنيك إن لم تبق روعاً في حشى

يُعزَى إليك ولا محلا ممحلا

May you rejoice that you left no fear in a breast

ascribed to you, nor any place barren.

بهرت معاليك العراق ففارساًُ

فالشام فالفسطاط ثم الموصلا

Your high deeds dazzled Iraq, then Persia,

then al-Sham, then al-Fustat, then Mosul.

قل للذي الحديث عن الن

دي رفقاً فلستُ أرى الحديث المرسلا

Tell the one speaking of

generosity: gently! I do not accept unsupported reports.

هاك السّماح عن العيان وخلِّ ما

نسب السَّماعُ بذكره فيما خلا

Here is generosity seen firsthand; leave aside what

hearsay related about it in times gone by.

وإليكها يا ابن الكرام لوافد

لم يرض غيرك للوفادة منزلا

Here it is for you, son of the noble, from a visitor

who would choose no host for his visit but you.

يثني بما آليت قبلُ بمقول

أرويته براً لصاغ قرنفلا

He praises what you pledged before, with a tongue

you drenched with kindness—one that would fashion cloves.

حيَّا على شحط المزار وليته

كان القصيد فنال ما قد أمَّلا

He saluted you despite the distant journey; would that he

were the poem, and so attained what he hoped for.

حسب المخيّم في ذُرَاك فضيلةً

وكفاه فخراً مجتلى تلك الحلى

For one who camps beneath your shelter, it is merit enough,

and glory enough, to behold those ornaments.

أعيت حبيباً والوليد وقبله

أعيت جريراً والبعيث وجندلا

They baffled Habib and al-Walid, and before him

baffled Jarir, al-Baʿith, and Jandal.

أمَّلت بسطاً في الثناءِ وغايتي

أن أنثر الأمداح نثراً مجملا

I hoped to expand my praise, but my utmost reach

is to scatter praises in a concise summation.

لا زلتَ في برٍّ وقَدرٍ معتل

متملئاً سعداً وجداًّ مقبلا

May you ever remain in goodness and exalted rank,

filled with happiness and advancing good fortune,

ما أمَّ أرضك رائحاً ومبكراً

متقلل فرجعته متمولا

so long as your land is sought, evening and morning,

by one with little whom you send back wealthy.

ونقلت فضلك حيث يخلد نقله

بالوعي فاتصل الحديث مسلسلا

And I have conveyed your merit where its telling will endure,

in memory, its account joined in an unbroken chain.