ودادي غير منتقل — Ahmad Alkiwani

وِدادي غَير مُنتَقل

وَوَجدي غَير مُفتَعل

My affection does not shift,

and my passion is not feigned.

وَقَلبي كَالسَمندَل في

تَقَلُبِهِ عَلى الشعل

And my heart is like the salamander in

its tossing upon the flames.

وَكادَ يَروح مِن هَمي

بِلا يَأس وَلا أَمَل

And it nearly departs because of my sorrow,

without despair or hope.

فَلا تَعتب عَلى صاح

فَقيد حاضر ثَمل

So do not reproach a sober man,

lost, present, intoxicated.

بَعَثتُ بِهِ إِلى سَكَني

فَلَم يَرجَع وَلَم يَصل

I sent it to my beloved,

yet it neither returned nor arrived.

فَلا تَعجَب لَما صَنَعت

بِقَلبي أَسهُم المُقَل

So do not marvel at what was wrought

in my heart by the eyes' arrows.

وَلا تَذكُر بَني ثَعل

وَعَن هاروت لا تَسَل

And do not mention Banu Tha‘l,

nor ask about Harut.

فَما السحر المُبين سِوى

رُموز الأَعيُن النَجل

For manifest magic is nothing but

the signals of wide eyes.

تورّد أَدمُعي كَلفاً

بِرَونَق وَردة الخَجَل

My tears turn rosy with passion,

with the luster of the rose of bashfulness.

وَمرّ اللَوم لا يَحلو

وَصبغ الخَدّ لَم يَحل

And bitter reproach does not grow sweet,

and the cheek's tint has not faded.

فَدَع لَومي وَكُن رَجُلاً

فُضولياً بِلا عَذل

So leave off blaming me, and be a man

meddlesome, but without reproach.

وَقَد أَكثَرت مِن لَومي

فَلَم أَقصر فَلا تَطَل

And you have indeed heaped blame upon me,

yet I have not desisted; so do not prolong it.

أَما حَصَلت مِن وَرَع

سِوى عَذل عَلى غَزَل

Have you attained no piety

save reproaching love poetry?

وَبَعد فَلست أَقبل ما

تَلفقُهُ مِن الجَدَل

And further, I do not accept what

you cobble together out of argument.

وَلا أُصغي إِلى لاح

فُؤادي عَنهُ في شُغل

Nor do I listen to a reproacher;

my heart is too occupied to heed him.

أَهمّ إِلَيَّ مِن هَذا

وَأَجدر بي وَأَنفَع لي

More important to me than this,

and more fitting for me, and more useful to me,

مَدائح ماجد خُلِقَت

خَلائِقُهُ بَلا خَلَل

are praises of a noble man whose

traits were fashioned without flaw,

وَوَصف مَفاخر أَربت

عَلى التَفصيل وَالجُمَل

and descriptions of glories that surpass

detailed accounts and summaries.

لَقَد سَلمت عَزائمهُ

مِن التَسويف وَالفَشَل

His resolves have indeed been free

from procrastination and failure.

وَلَيسَ سِوى مَعاليهِ

معوَّل ضارب المَثَل

And nothing but his lofty attainments

is the recourse of one who cites an example.

غَدا بِالمَجد مُشتَغِلاً

بِلا مَلل وَلا كَسَل

He has become engrossed in glory,

without tedium or sloth,

عَلى نَهج مِن الآبا

ءِ وَالأَجداد مُتَصل

along a path from his fathers

and forefathers, unbroken.

وَلَيسَ عَلى مَآثرهم

وَإِن جَلَت بِمتكل

Nor, on their glorious deeds,

great though they are, does he rely.

وَلَكن زادَ ما شادوا

بِعَون القادر الاَزَلي

But he has added to what they built,

with the help of the Eternal, All-Powerful.

وَزين فَضلَهُ أَدَب

وَحُسن الطَرف بِالكحل

And refinement adorns his excellence,

and the eye's beauty is enhanced by kohl.

وَأَيَّ خَصلة مِنهُ

إِلَيها القَلب لَم يَمل

And which quality of his

has the heart not inclined toward?

وِداد غَير مُنقَطع

وَبَشر غَير مُعتَمل

Unbroken affection,

and uncontrived cheerfulness,

وَراحَة مانح عَرفَت

لِبَذل المال وَالقُبَل

and a giver's palm, renowned

for bestowing wealth and kisses.

وَلما اِزدادَ تَشريفاً

بِخدمة أَشرف الملل

And when he grew more honored

through service to the noblest of faiths,

وَقامَ بِواجب الفَتوى

بِلا زيغ وَلا زَلَل

and fulfilled the duty of giving fatwas,

without deviation or misstep,

بِآراء موكلة

بِكَشف المعضل الجَلل

with opinions charged

with resolving the grave difficulty,

وَنَقل صَحَّ مَأخَذَهُ

وَتَعليل بِلا عِلل

and transmitted authority of sound provenance,

and reasoning without defects,

وَأَلفاظ مُهَذبة

بِلا خَطَأ وَلا خَطل

and polished expressions,

without error or nonsense,

أَتى تاريخُهُ بَيتاً

كَرَقم الوَشي للحلل

his chronogram came as a verse,

like brocade's embroidery upon robes:

رَأَينا مَجلس الفِتيا

يَزيد علوَّهُ بِعلي

"We saw the council of legal rulings

increase in eminence through Ali."

وَلَو أَبصَرَت المامي

بِنادي فَضلِهِ الخَضل

And if you saw my visit

to the gathering-place of his lush bounty,

عِجِبتَ مِن السُهى أَنّي

يَزور الشَمس في الحَمل

you would marvel at al-Suha—how

it visits the sun in Aries.

أَزور جَنابَهُ السامي

عَلى خَجَل وَفي وَجَل

I visit his exalted presence,

with bashfulness and fear,

وَقَد فاضَت مَكارِمُهُ

كَصَوب العارض الهَطل

while his generous deeds have overflowed

like the downpour of a streaming raincloud.

فَأذكُر بَيتَ مَن قَد قا

ل ما خَوفي مِن البَلل

So I recall the verse of one who said:

"My fear is not of getting wet."

وَلَكني اِستَرَقتَني

مَودَتَهُ مَع الخَول

But I have been enslaved

by his affection, along with the servants.

وَما بِيَدي مُكافأة

عَلى صاب وَلا عَسَل

And I have no recompense at hand

for bitter sap or honey,

سِوى صَوغ الثَناء لَهُ

وَبَسطي كَف مُبتَهل

save fashioning praise for him

and stretching out my palm as a suppliant.

وَلَيسَ أَداء خدمَتِهِ

بِغَير دُعاء مُحتَفَل

And service to him cannot be rendered

without a prayer offered with care,

وَمَدح غَير مُبتَذَل

بِشعر غَير مُنتَحل

and praise that is not trite,

in verse that is not plagiarized.

وَذَلِكَ جُهد أَمثالي

وَلَيسَ الحَظ مِن قَبلي

And that is the effort of those like me;

and good fortune does not come from me.

فَلا زالَت مَحامِدُهُ

لَها عُمر بِلا أَجَل

So may his praiseworthy deeds endure,

with a lifespan that has no appointed end,

وَدامَ علاهُ مُحتَرَماً

بِحُرمة خاتم الرُسل

and may his eminence remain revered,

by the sanctity of the Seal of the Messengers.