هل تعرف اليوم من ماوية الطللا — Akhtal

هَل تَعرِفُ اليَومَ مِن ماوِيَّةَ الطَلَلا

تَحَمَّلَت إِنسُهُ عَنهُ وَما اِحتَمَلا

Do you recognize today the traces of Mawiyya’s dwelling?

Its people packed up and left it, while it could not move.

بِبَطنِ خَينَفَ مِن أُمِّ الوَليدِ وَقَد

تامَت فُؤادَكَ أَو كانَت لَهُ خَبَلا

In the hollow of Khaynaf, at Umm al-Walid, and she

Has enthralled your heart, or brought it to ruin.

جَرَّت عَلَيهِ رِياحُ الصَيفِ حاصِبَها

حَتّى تَغَيَّرَ بَعدَ الأُنسِ أَو خَمَلا

The summer winds swept their blowing sand across it

Until it changed after companionship and fell into obscurity.

فَما بِهِ غَيرُ موشِيٍّ أُكارِعُهُ

إِذا أَحَسَّ بِشَخصٍ نابِئٍ مَثَلا

Nothing remains there but a mottled creature whose feet I glimpse

Whenever it senses a figure rising into view.

يَرعى بِخَينَفَ أَحياناً وَتُضمِرُهُ

أَرضٌ خَلاءٌ وَماءٌ سائِلٌ غَلَلا

At times it grazes in Khaynaf, then vanishes into

Empty land, drinking freely from flowing water.

شَهرَي جُمادى فَلَمّا كانَ في رَجَبٍ

أَتَمَّتِ الأَرضُ مِمّا حُمِّلَت حَبَلا

Through the two months of Jumada; then, when Rajab came,

The earth brought to term what it had carried.

كَأَنَّ عَطّارَةً باتَت تَطيفُ بِهِ

حَتّى تَسَربَلَ ماءَ الوَرسِ وَاِنتَعَلا

As though a perfume seller had circled it all night

Until it wore a cloak and sandals of saffron-colored dye,

مِن خَضبِ نورِ خُزامى قَد أَطاعَ لَهُ

أَصابَ بِالقَفرِ مِن وَسمِيِّهِ خَضَلا

Dyed by the blossoms of lavender, which had flourished for it

With the moisture brought to the waste by the early rain.

فَهوَ يَقَرُّ بِها عَيناً لِمَرتَعِهِ

وَالقَلبُ مُستَشعِرٌ مِن خيفَةٍ وَجَلا

Its grazing delights its eyes there,

Yet its heart remains filled with fear.

حَتّى إِذا اللَيلُ كَفَّ الطَرفَ أَلبَسَهُ

غَيثٌ إِذا ما مَرَتهُ ريحُهُ سَحَلا

Then, when night closed its eyes, it was wrapped

In rain that hissed whenever the wind stirred it.

داني الرَبابِ إِذا اِرتَجَّت حَوامِلُهُ

بِالماءِ سَدَّ فُروجَ الأَرضِ وَاِحتَفَلا

Its clouds hung low; when their laden masses shook,

They filled the gaps in the earth with water and poured abundantly.

فَباتَ مُكتَلِئاً لِلبَرقِ يَرقُبُهُ

كَلَيلَةِ الوَصبِ ما أَغفى وَما غَفَلا

It passed the night anxious and watching the lightning,

Like one in a night of illness, neither dozing nor sleeping.

فَباتَ في حِقفِ أَرطاةٍ يَلوذُ بِها

إِذا أَحَسَّ بِسَيلٍ تَحتَهُ اِنتَقَلا

It spent the night sheltering beside a dune’s arta tree;

Whenever it sensed a flood beneath it, it moved.

كَأَنَّهُ ساجِدٌ مِن نَضخِ ديمَتِهِ

مُسَبِّحٌ قامَ بَعضَ اللَيلِ فَاِبتَهَلا

Drenched by the steady rain, it looked like one prostrating,

A worshipper who rose in the night to pray.

يَنفي التُرابَ بِرَوقَيهِ وَكَلكَلِهِ

كَما اِستَمازَ رَئيسُ المِقنَبِ النَفَلا

It pushed the dirt away with its two horns and chest,

As a cavalry leader sorts out the spoils.

كَأَنَّما القَطرُ مَرجانٌ يُساقِطُهُ

إِذا عَلا الرَوقَ وَالمَتنَينِ وَالكَفَلا

The raindrops seemed like coral pearls falling from it

As they struck its horns, back, and hindquarters.

حَتّى إِذا الشَمسُ وافَتهُ بِمَطلَعِها

صَبَّحَهُ ضامِرٌ غَرثانُ قَد نَحَلا

Then, when the sun met it at dawn,

A lean, hungry hunter, wasted with hunger, came upon it.

طاوٍ أَزَلُّ كَسِرحانِ الفَلاةِ إِذا

لَم تُؤنِسِ الوَحشُ مِنهُ نَبأَةً خَتَلا

Gaunt and slender as a desert wolf, he crept up

Whenever the wild creature heard no sound from him.

يُشلي سَلوقِيَّةً غُضفاً إِذا اِندَفَعَت

خافَت جَديلَةَ في الآثارِ أَو ثُعَلا

He urged on droop-eared Saluki hounds; as they rushed forward,

They feared Jadila or Thuʿal along the tracks.

مُكَلَّبينَ إِذا اِصطادوا كَأَنَّهُمُ

يَسقونَها بِدِماءِ الأُبَّدِ العَسَلا

Their handlers trained them for the hunt, as though

They fed them honey made of wild animals’ blood.

فَاِنصاعَ كَالكَوكَبِ الدُرِيِّ جَرَّدَهُ

غَيثٌ تَقَشَّعَ عَنهُ طالَما هَطَلا

The creature darted off like a brilliant star laid bare

By rain clouds that cleared after a long downpour.

حَتّى إِذا قُلتُ نالَتهُ سَوابِقُها

كَرَّ عَلَيها وَقَد أَمهَلنَهُ مَهَلا

Whenever I thought the fastest hounds had caught it,

It wheeled on them after they had given it a little room.

فَظَلَّ يَطعُنُها شَزراً بِمِغوَلِهِ

إِذا أَصابَ بِرَوقٍ ضارِياً قَتَلا

It kept stabbing at them sideways with its pointed horn;

When its horn struck a fierce one, it killed.

كَأَنَّهُنَّ وَقَد سُربِلنَ مِن عَلَقٍ

يَغشَينَ موقَدَ نارٍ تَقذِفُ الشُعَلا

They seemed, covered in blood,

To be approaching a blazing fire that threw off flames.

إِذا أَتاهُنَّ مَكلومٌ عَكَفنَ لَهُ

عَكفَ الفَوارِسِ هابوا الدارِعَ البَطَلا

When a wounded hound came to them, they gathered around it

As horsemen gather, wary of an armored champion.

حَتّى تَناهَينَ عَنهُ سامِياً حَرِجاً

وَما هَدى هَديَ مَهزومٍ وَما نَكَلا

At last they drew back from it; it stood tall and hard pressed,

But showed no sign of defeat and did not retreat.

وَقَد تَبيتُ هُمومُ النَفسِ تَبعَثُني

مِنها نَوافِذُ حَتّى أُعمِلَ الجَمَلا

Troubling thoughts can keep me awake and drive me on;

Sharp pangs among them make me put the camel to work.

إِذ لا تَجَهَّمُني أَرضُ العَدُوِّ وَلا

عَسفُ البِلادِ إِذا حِرباؤُها جَذَلا

Neither enemy territory daunts me,

Nor the harsh land where its chameleon basks in the sun.

يَظَلُّ مُرتَبِئاً لِلشَمسِ تَصهَرُهُ

إِذا رَأى الشَمسَ مالَت جانِباً عَدَلا

It stays watching for the sun as the heat scorches it;

When it sees the sun slope away, it turns aside.

كَأَنَّهُ حينَ يَمتَدُّ النَهارُ لَهُ

إِذا اِستَقَلَّ يَمانٍ يَقرَءُ الطولا

As the day stretches on, it seems

Like a Yemeni who stands and recites long passages.

وَقَد لَبِستُ لِهَذا الدَهرِ أَعصُرَهُ

حَتّى تَجَلَّلَ رَأسي الشَيبُ وَاِشتَعَلا

I have lived through the ages of this time

Until gray hair has covered my head and blazed white.

مِن كُلِّ مُضلِعَةٍ لَولا أَخو ثِقَةٍ

ما أَصبَحَت أَمَماً عِندي وَلا جَلَلا

Through every crushing hardship, were it not for a trusted friend,

It would have seemed neither slight nor bearable to me.

وَقَد أَكونُ عَميدَ الشَربِ تُسمِعُنا

بَحّاءُ تَسمَعُ في تَرجيعِها صَحَلا

I have led the drinking company while a singer entertained us,

Her husky voice rough in its repeated notes.

مِنَ القِيانِ هَتوفٌ طالَما رَكَدَت

لِفِتيَةٍ يَشتَهونَ اللَهوَ وَالغَزَلا

A loud-voiced singing woman who often lingered

Among young men eager for amusement and flirtation.

فَبانَ مِنّي شَبابي بَعدَ لَذَّتِهِ

كَأَنَّما كانَ ضَيفاً نازِلاً رَحَلا

My youth departed after all its pleasures,

As though it had been a guest who stayed, then left.

إِذ لا أُطاوِعُ أَمرَ العاذِلاتِ وَلا

أُبقي عَلى المالِ إِن ذو حاجَةٍ سَأَلا

In those days I did not obey the reproachful women,

Nor hold on to money when someone in need asked.

وَكاشِحٍ مُعرِضٍ عَنّي غَفَرتُ لَهُ

وَقَد أُبَيِّنُ مِنهُ الضِغنَ وَالمَيَلا

I forgave one who bore me ill will and turned away from me,

Though I could see his spite and hostility.

وَلَو أُواجِهُهُ مِنّي بِقارِعَةٍ

ما كانَ كَالذِئبِ مَغبوطاً بِما أَكَلا

Had I confronted him with a blow of my own,

He would not have been like a wolf content with what it ate.

وَموجَعٍ كانَ ذا قُربى فُجِعتُ بِهِ

يَوماً وَأَصبَحتُ أَرجو بَعدَهُ الأَمَلا

A painful loss befell me: someone close to me died,

Yet afterward I came to hope again.

وَلا أَرى المَوتَ يَأتي مَن يُحَمُّ لَهُ

إِلّا كَفاهُ وَلاقى عِندَهُ شُغُلا

I see that death comes to the one for whom it is decreed,

And that death suffices him and gives him plenty to face.

وَبَينَما المَرءُ مَغبوطٌ بِمَأمَنِهِ

إِذ خانَهُ الدَهرُ عَمّا كانَ فَاِنتَقَلا

While a person is envied for being safe,

Time betrays him, and he passes from his former state.

دَعِ المُغَمَّرَ لا تَسأَل بِمَصرَعِهِ

وَاِسأَل بِمَصقَلَةَ البَكرِيِّ ما فَعَلا

Leave aside the obscure man; do not ask how he fell.

Ask instead what Misqala al-Bakri has done:

بِمُتلِفٍ وَمُفيدٍ لا يَمُنُّ وَلا

تُهلِكُهُ النَفسُ فيما فاتَهُ عَذَلا

One who spends and gives, never reproaching others,

And whose soul does not torment him over what has passed.

جَزلُ العَطاءِ وَأَقوامٌ إِذا سُئِلوا

يُعطونَ نَزراً كَما تَستَوكِفُ الوَشَلا

His gifts are generous; other people, when asked,

Give a pittance, like water coaxed from a trickling spring.

وَفارِسٍ غَيرِ وَقّافٍ بِرايَتِهِ

يَومَ الكَريهَةِ حَتّى يُعمِلَ الأَسَلا

And ask of a horseman who does not halt beneath his banner

On the day of battle until he puts his spears to use.

ضَخمٌ تُعَلَّقُ أَشناقُ الدِياتِ بِهِ

إِذا المِئُونَ أُمِرَّت فَوقَهُ حَمَلا

A mighty man on whom the obligations of blood money rest;

When hundreds of camels are laid upon him, he bears the burden.

وَلَو تَكَلَّفَها رِخوٌ مَفاصِلُهُ

أَو ضَيِّقُ الباعِ عَن أَمثالِها سَعَلا

If a man with weak limbs took it on,

Or one too limited for such burdens, he would falter.

وَقَد فَكَكتَ عَنِ الأَسرى وِثاقَهُمُ

وَلَيسَ يَرجونَ تَلجاءً وَلا دَخَلا

You have loosened the captives’ bonds,

When they expected neither refuge nor a way in.

وَقَد تَنَقَّذتَهُم مِن قَعرِ مُظلِمَةٍ

إِذا الجَبانُ رَأى أَمثالَها زَحَلا

You rescued them from the depths of a dark plight

At the sight of which a coward would shrink away.

فَهُم فِداؤُكَ إِذ يَبكونَ كُلُّهُمُ

وَلا يَرَونَ لَهُم جاهاً وَلا ثِقَلا

They would give their lives for you, though all of them weep

And see themselves as having neither rank nor weight.

ما في مَعَدٍّ فَتىً يُغني رَباعَتَهُ

إِذا يَهُمُّ بِأَمرٍ صالِحٍ عَمِلا

Among Maʿadd, no young man serves his people so well:

When he resolves on a worthy deed, he does it.

الواهِبُ الماءَةَ الجُرجورَ سائِقُها

تَنزو يَرابيعُ مَتنَيهِ إِذا اِنتَقَلا

He gives a hundred loudly bellowing camels; as they are driven,

The muscles along their backs leap when they move.

إِنَّ رَبيعَةَ لَن تَنفَكَّ صالِحَةً

ما أَخَّرَ اللَهُ عَن حَوبائِكَ الأَجَلا

Rabiʿa will remain in good fortune

So long as God keeps death away from your life.

أَغَرُّ لا يَحسِبُ الدُنيا تُخَلِّدُهُ

وَلا يَقولُ لِشَيءٍ فاتَ ما فَعَلا

A radiant man, he does not think the world will preserve him forever,

And he does not ask of something lost, ‘What has it done?’