قذى بعينك أم بالعين عوار — Al Khansa

قَذىً بِعَينِكِ أَم بِالعَينِ عُوّارُ

أَم ذَرَفَت إِذ خَلَت مِن أَهلِها الدارُ

Is there grit in your eye, or an ailment in the eye?

Or did it shed tears when the house lay empty of its people?

كَأَنَّ عَيني لِذِكراهُ إِذا خَطَرَت

فَيضٌ يَسيلُ عَلى الخَدَّينِ مِدرارُ

It is as though my eye, when his memory stirs,

were a flood pouring abundantly down both cheeks.

تَبكي لِصَخرٍ هِيَ العَبرى وَقَد وَلَهَت

وَدونَهُ مِن جَديدِ التُربِ أَستارُ

It weeps for Sakhr, tearful and distraught,

while veils of fresh earth screen him away.

تَبكي خُناسٌ فَما تَنفَكُّ ما عَمَرَت

لَها عَلَيهِ رَنينٌ وَهيَ مِفتارُ

Khunas weeps, never ceasing as long as she lives;

her wailing for him rings out, even as she falters.

تَبكي خُناسٌ عَلى صَخرٍ وَحُقَّ لَها

إِذ رابَها الدَهرُ إِنَّ الدَهرَ ضَرّارُ

Khunas weeps for Sakhr, and rightly so,

since time has distressed her; time deals grievous harm.

لا بُدَّ مِن ميتَةٍ في صَرفِها عِبَرٌ

وَالدَهرُ في صَرفِهِ حَولٌ وَأَطوارُ

Death is inescapable; its workings hold lessons,

and time, as it turns, brings changes and phases.

قَد كانَ فيكُم أَبو عَمروٍ يَسودُكُمُ

نِعمَ المُعَمَّمُ لِلداعينَ نَصّارُ

Abu Amr was once among you as your chief;

how excellent the turbaned chief, champion of those who called!

صُلبُ النَحيزَةِ وَهّابٌ إِذا مَنَعوا

وَفي الحُروبِ جَريءُ الصَدرِ مِهصارُ

Firm in character, lavish when others withheld,

and in war bold of heart, a mighty crusher.

يا صَخرُ وَرّادَ ماءٍ قَد تَناذَرَهُ

أَهلُ المَوارِدِ ما في وِردِهِ عارُ

O Sakhr, frequent visitor to waters warned against

by those who sought water—no shame lay in his approach.

مَشى السَبَنتى إِلى هَيجاءَ مُعضِلَةٍ

لَهُ سِلاحانِ أَنيابٌ وَأَظفارُ

The fierce lion strode into a grievous battle;

he had two weapons: fangs and claws.

وَما عَجولٌ عَلى بَوٍّ تُطيفُ بِهِ

لَها حَنينانِ إِعلانٌ وَإِسرارُ

And no bereaved she-camel circling a stuffed calf,

with two plaintive calls, one loud and one hushed,

تَرتَعُ ما رَتَعَت حَتّى إِذا اِدَّكَرَت

فَإِنَّما هِيَ إِقبالٌ وَإِدبارُ

grazing as long as she grazes, until she remembers,

then doing nothing but coming and going,

لا تَسمَنُ الدَهرَ في أَرضٍ وَإِن رَتَعَت

فَإِنَّما هِيَ تَحنانٌ وَتَسجارُ

never growing fat anywhere, though she grazes—

for she is all yearning cries and drawn-out moans—

يَوماً بِأَوجَدَ مِنّي يَومَ فارَقَني

صَخرٌ وَلِلدَهرِ إِحلاءٌ وَإِمرارُ

was ever more grief-stricken than I the day he left me—

Sakhr; and time brings sweetness and bitterness.

وَإِنَّ صَخراً لَوالِينا وَسَيِّدُنا

وَإِنَّ صَخراً إِذا نَشتو لَنَحّارُ

And indeed Sakhr was our protector and our lord;

and indeed Sakhr, in our winters, slaughtered camels freely.

وَإِنَّ صَخراً لَمِقدامٌ إِذا رَكِبوا

وَإِنَّ صَخراً إِذا جاعوا لَعَقّارُ

And indeed Sakhr was foremost when they rode out;

and indeed Sakhr, when they hungered, hamstrung camels for food.

وَإِنَّ صَخراً لَتَأتَمَّ الهُداةُ بِهِ

كَأَنَّهُ عَلَمٌ في رَأسِهِ نارُ

And indeed Sakhr was followed even by the guides,

as though he were a mountain with a fire on its summit.

جَلدٌ جَميلُ المُحَيّا كامِلٌ وَرِعٌ

وَلِلحُروبِ غَداةَ الرَوعِ مِسعارُ

Stalwart, handsome of face, accomplished, scrupulous,

and a kindler of wars on the morning of terror.

حَمّالُ أَلوِيَةٍ هَبّاطُ أَودِيَةٍ

شَهّادُ أَندِيَةٍ لِلجَيشِ جَرّارُ

Bearer of banners, descender into valleys,

constant in councils, a leader of armies;

نَحّارُ راغِيَةٍ مِلجاءُ طاغِيَةٍ

فَكّاكُ عانِيَةٍ لِلعَظمِ جَبّارُ

slaughterer of bellowing camels, a refuge in calamity,

freer of captive women, setter of broken bones.

فَقُلتُ لَمّا رَأَيتُ الدَهرَ لَيسَ لَهُ

مُعاتِبٌ وَحدَهُ يُسدي وَنَيّارُ

So I said, when I saw that time had

none to reproach it, alone laying the warp and weaving:

لَقَد نَعى اِبنُ نَهيكٍ لي أَخا ثِقَةٍ

كانَت تُرَجَّمُ عَنهُ قَبلُ أَخبارُ

Ibn Nahik has indeed brought me news of a trusted brother's death,

about whom reports had earlier circulated as conjecture.

فَبِتُّ ساهِرَةً لِلنَجمِ أَرقُبُهُ

حَتّى أَتى دونَ غَورِ النَجمِ أَستارُ

So I spent the night awake, keeping watch on the star,

until veils intervened before the star's setting.

لَم تَرَهُ جارَةٌ يَمشي بِساحَتِها

لِريبَةٍ حينَ يُخلي بَيتَهُ الجارُ

No neighboring woman saw him walking through her courtyard

with suspicious intent when the neighbor left his house.

وَلا تَراهُ وَما في البَيتِ يَأكُلُهُ

لَكِنَّهُ بارِزٌ بِالصَحنِ مِهمارُ

Nor would you see him eating the food in his house;

rather, he was out in the courtyard, pouring forth bounty.

وَمُطعِمُ القَومِ شَحماً عِندَ مَسغَبِهِم

وَفي الجُدوبِ كَريمُ الجَدِّ ميسارُ

And he fed the people fat in their hunger,

and in drought, noble in fortune and open-handed.

قَد كانَ خالِصَتي مِن كُلِّ ذي نَسَبٍ

فَقَد أُصيبَ فَما لِلعَيشِ أَوطارُ

He was my dearest among all my kin;

now he is struck down, and life holds no more desires.

مِثلَ الرُدَينِيِّ لَم تَنفَذ شَبيبَتُهُ

كَأَنَّهُ تَحتَ طَيِّ البُردِ أُسوارُ

Like a Rudayni spear, his youthful vigor still unspent,

as though beneath his mantle's folds he were a mounted archer.

جَهمُ المُحَيّا تُضيءُ اللَيلَ صورَتُهُ

آباؤُهُ مِن طِوالِ السَمكِ أَحرارُ

Stern of countenance, his face lit up the night;

his forefathers were freeborn men of towering stature.

مُوَرَّثُ المَجدِ مَيمونٌ نَقيبَتُهُ

ضَخمُ الدَسيعَةِ في العَزّاءِ مِغوارُ

Heir to glory, blessed in his disposition,

great in bounty, a fearless raider in hardship.

فَرعٌ لِفَرعٍ كَريمٍ غَيرِ مُؤتَشَبٍ

جَلدُ المَريرَةِ عِندَ الجَمعِ فَخّارُ

A branch of a noble branch, of unmixed lineage,

firm of resolve, proud before the gathered people.

في جَوفِ لَحدٍ مُقيمٌ قَد تَضَمَّنَهُ

في رَمسِهِ مُقمَطِرّاتٌ وَأَحجارُ

He abides within a burial hollow that has enfolded him;

in his tomb lie hardened clods and stones.

طَلقُ اليَدَينِ لِفِعلِ الخَيرِ ذو فَجرٍ

ضَخمُ الدَسيعَةِ بِالخَيراتِ أَمّارُ

Open-handed in doing good, overflowing with bounty,

great in generosity, ever urging good deeds.

لَيَبكِهِ مُقتِرٌ أَفنى حَريبَتَهُ

دَهرٌ وَحالَفَهُ بُؤسٌ وَإِقتارُ

Let the needy man weep for him, whose wealth was consumed

by time, with misery and poverty his sworn companions;

وَرِفقَةٌ حارَ حاديهِم بِمُهلِكَةٍ

كَأَنَّ ظُلمَتَها في الطِخيَةِ القارُ

and a company whose camel-driver lost his way in a deadly waste,

as though its darkness in the night's gloom were pitch.

أَلا يَمنَعُ القَومَ إِن سالوهُ خُلعَتَهُ

وَلا يُجاوِزُهُ بِاللَيلِ مُرّارُ

He would not deny the people his robe if they asked him,

nor would travelers pass him by at night.