سبت لبه من بعد كبرته جمل — Al Shaqroui

سَبَت لُبَّهُ مِن بَعدِ كَبرَتِهِ جُملُ

ففي جَفنِهِ وَبلٌ وفي عَقلِهِ خَبلُ

Juml captivated his mind after he had grown old;

So his eyelid pours rain, and madness fills his mind.

وفِي صَدرِهِ نَارٌ مِنًَ الهَمِّ تَلتَظِى

زَوَافِرُهَا تَعلُو وتَسفُلُ إِن تَعلُ

And in his breast a fire of sorrow blazes,

Its fiery breaths rise and sink whenever they rise.

وقَد طَالَما أورَت تَبَارِيحَ وَجدِهِ

ولم تَمنَحهُ الوَصلَ إِن مُنِحَ الوَصلُ

How often she has kindled the torments of his longing,

Yet granted him no union, even when union was granted.

فَلِلهِ جُملٌ مَا أمَرَّ فِرَاقَهَا

ومَا أَعذبَ المُرَّينِ إِن رَضِيَت جُملُ

Good God, Juml—how bitter her parting!

And how sweet the two bitter things, if Juml is pleased!

كَسَتنِي الهَوَى العُذرِىِّ أيَّامَنَا عَلَى

نَقَى الدِّعمَةِ الغَرَّا إِذِ اجتَمَعَ الأَهلُ

She clothed me in 'Udhri love during our days upon

The sand ridge of radiant al-Di'mah, when the kinfolk gathered;

لَيَالِيَ لاَ أزوَرُّ عَنها لِزَائِرٍ

ولَم يُنِنِي عَنهَأ مَلاَمٌ ولاَ عَذلُ

Nights when I would not turn from her for any visitor,

Nor did blame or reproach deter me from her.

سَبَتني مِنهَا نَظرَةٌ وإشَارَةٌ

بِطَرفٍ كَحِيلٍ مَا أُمِرَّ بِهِ كُحلُ

A glance from her and a gesture captivated me,

From a kohl-dark eye that no kohl had touched,

غَدَاةَ التَقَينَا في ظِلاَلِ بَشَامَةٍ

وحَفَّت بِكل الأحقَافُ والأعيُنُ النَّجلُ

On the morning we met beneath a balsam tree's shade,

And dunes and wide eyes encircled each of us.

وغني غَزَالٌ كالغَزَالَةِ شَادِنٌ

غَدَائِرُهُ قبلٌ وأردَافُهُ رَملُ

And a young gazelle, like the sun, sang;

His tresses are [unclear in the text], and his hips are sand;

وَوَجنَتُهُ صُبحٌ وفي الرِّيقِ خَمرةٌ

وفي طَرفِهِ سِحرٌ وفي لَحظِهِ نَبلُ

And his cheek is dawn, and wine is in his saliva.

Magic is in his eye, and arrows in his glance.

فأَطرَبَنَا حَتَّى اضطَرَبنَا تَوَاجُداً

وَرَقصٌ مَشُوقٍ في تَوَاجُدِهِ سَهلُ

He delighted us until we swayed in ecstasy,

And dancing is easy for a yearning soul in ecstasy.

بِنَفسِى ذَاكَ اليَومُ لَولاَ رِسَالَةٌ

مِنَ البُعدِ وافَتنَا بِها أرسَل البَعلُ

My life for that day! Had it not been for a message

That reached us from afar, sent by the husband,

لَظَلَّت عَلَينا الرُّسلُ تَتَرى ولَم نَكُن

لِنَتَّبَعَ فِيهَا مَا أتَتنَا بِه الرُّسلُ

Messengers would have kept coming to us, and we would not

Have heeded what the messengers brought us concerning it.

أقُولُ لِجُملٍ والأَحِبَّةُ هُجَّعٌ

وقَد فَاتَ جُلُّ اللَّيلِ وانسَدَلَ السَّدلُ

I say to Juml, while the loved ones sleep,

And most of the night has passed and the veil has fallen:

أيَا جُملُ لَو تَدرِينَ مَا بي وَفَيتِ لِى

ولَم يَكُ في وَعدٍ وَعَدتِ بِهِ مَطلُ

O Juml, if you knew what ails me, you would be true to me,

And there would be no delay in the promise you made.

فَقَالَت مَنَحتَ الحُبَّ والوِدَّ غَيرَنَا

ورُمتَ مَحَلاًّ لَم يَكُن حُلَّ مِن قَبلُ

She said: You gave love and affection to others than us,

And sought a place no one had occupied before.

فَقُلتُ لَهَا بو القَلبُ تَغلِي شُجُونُهُ

وبِالحَقِّ في الأَشيَاءِ تُستَوضَحُ السُّبلُ

I said to her, as the heart's sorrows seethed:

Through truth, the paths of things become clear.

لأبنَاءِ بونَنَّ السَّمَاحَةُ والفَضلُ

ومحضُ التَّقوَى والجُودُ والحِلمُ والعَدلُ

Bunanna's sons possess generosity and excellence,

Pure piety, liberality, forbearance, and justice.

وفيِهم مَعَانٍ مِن مَعَانِي جُدُودِهِم

مُشَاهَدَةُ يَسمُو بِهَا القَولُ والفِعلُ

Within them are qualities of their forefathers,

Clearly seen, through which speech and action rise.

فَهُم غُرَرُ الأَندَاءِ في كُلِّ مَشهَدٍ

وغَيرُهُم في المَجدِ فَرعٌ وهُم أَصلُ

They are the shining faces of assemblies in every gathering;

Others are branches of glory, while they are its root.

سَرَاةُ حُمَاةٌ لا يَمَلُّ جَلِيسُهُم

ولَم يَخشَ أن تَزِلَّ بِو النَّعل

Noble chiefs and protectors, whose companion never tires,

Nor fears his sandal slipping beneath him.

ولا عيبَ فِيهِم غَيرَ أنَّ نَوَالَهُم

عَلَى الجَارِ جَارٍ لَيسَ يَنقُصُهُ المَحلُ

They have no fault except that their bounty

Flows to their neighbor, undiminished by drought.

وفي بُعدِهِم بُعد مِنَ الخَيرِ والتُّقَى

وفي قُربِهِم وَصلٌ وفي حُبِّهِم فَضلُ

Distance from them is distance from goodness and piety,

Nearness to them is union, and loving them is a virtue.

وَرِيقَتُهُم رُقيَا وَزورَتُهُم غِنى

وأَخلاقُهم رَاحٌ وَرَاحاتُهُم وَبلُ

Their saliva is a healing charm, and a visit to them is wealth;

Their manners are wine, and their palms a downpour.

فَكُلُّهُمُ في البَذلِ حَاتِمُ طَيِّءٍ

وكُلُهُمُ بَدرٌ وكُلُهُمُ عَدلُ

Each of them, in giving, is a Hatim of Tayy;

Each is a full moon, and each is justice itself.

فَإِن لُويِنُوا لاَنُوا لِكُلِّ مُلايِنٍ

وَلذَّت سَجايَاهُم وَطابَ لَهُ البَذلُ

If treated gently, they are gentle with everyone who treats them gently;

Their dispositions delight him, and their giving pleases him.

وهُم لِمَنَاوِيهِم عُصَارَةُ حَنظَلٍ

وَداهِيَةٌ دَهيَاءُ أَنيَابُهَا عُصلُ

But to their foe they are colocynth's bitter juice,

And a dire calamity whose fangs are crooked.

وقَد سَلَكُوا في المَجدِ شَأوَ أَبِيهِمُ

ولا عَجَبٌ إِن يُشبِهِ الأَسدَ الشِّبلُ

In glory they have followed their father's course,

And it is no wonder if the cub resembles the lion.

ولَيسَ لَهُم يَومَ الكِفَاحِ مُكَافِحٌ

ولَيسَ لَهُم فِي كُلِّ مَحمَدَةٍ مِثلُ

On the day of combat they have no opponent,

And in every praiseworthy quality they have no equal.

أحادِيثُهُم تَشفى منَ الداءِ كُلِّهِ

وتُنسِيكَ مَا مَجَّت بِأَجبَاحِهَا النَّحلُ

Their conversation cures every illness,

And makes you forget what bees disgorge in their hives.

فَقَالَت دَعِ التَّصرِيحَ فِيمَا تَقُولُهُ

فَقُلتُ دِعِيني الحَقُّ صَاحِبُهُ يَعلُو

She said: Leave off speaking so explicitly.

I said: Let me be; the champion of truth rises high.

فَقَالَت أمَا تَخشَى مِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّهُم

لَهُم غَيرَةٌ مِنهَا الأَجِلاَّءُ مَا تَخلُو

She said: Do you not fear people? They

Have a jealousy from which even the eminent are not free.

فَقُلتُ أَأَخشَى النَّاسَ بَالحَقِّ بَعدَمَا

تَمَكَّنَ مِن حَيزُومِ نَاقَتِىَ الرَّحلُ

I said: Should I fear people for speaking truth, now that

The saddle has gained a firm hold on my she-camel's breast,

وأُحكِمَ تَجرِيبي وشَابَت مَفَارِقِى

وخَامَرني الإِيمانُ والعَقلُ والنَّقلُ

My experience has been honed and my hair's partings have grayed,

And faith, reason, and transmitted tradition have permeated me?

أُلاَكَ أَخِلاَّئِى الذينَ جِوَارُهُم

بِهِ المَرءُ عَن أهلٍ وَعَن وَطَنٍ يَسلُو

Those are my friends, whose company

Lets a man cease to pine for family and homeland.

مُعَارِضُهُم في المَجدِ بَاقٍ مُخَلَّفٌ

عَلَى صَيرِ أمرٍ مَايَمَرُّ ومَا يَحلُو

Their rival in glory remains left behind,

At an affair's outcome, neither bitter nor sweet.

تُقَلِّبُه الأَحوالُ يَنشُدُ حَالُهُ

لَقَد كَانَ في بَعض المُعَارَضَةِ الجَهلُ

Circumstances toss him about, while his plight recites:

Indeed, there was ignorance in some such rivalry.

فَلَيسَ كَمِثلِ الشَّمس في صَحوِهَا السُّهَا

ولَيسَ كَمِثلِ الطِّرفِ في الغلوَة البَغلُ

For Suha is not like the sun in a cloudless sky,

Nor, over a bowshot's distance, is a mule like a noble steed.

وهَل يُنبِتُ الخِطِىًّ إِلاَّ وَشِيجُهُ

وتُغرَسُ ِإلاَّ في مَنَابِتِهَا النَّخلُ

And what produces Khatti spears but their own reeds?

And are palms planted anywhere but in their own growing places?

فَلا زَالَ شَملُ الجُودِ مُنتَظِماً بِهِم

وهُم في إنتِظَامِ الشَّملِ إِن شُتِّتَ الشَّملُ

May generosity's fellowship always remain united through them,

And may they maintain unity whenever the fellowship is scattered,

بِجَاهِ إِمَامِ الرُّسلِ جَدِّهِمُ الذي

تَنَاهَى إِليهِ المَجدُ والجُودُ والفَضلُ

By the honor of the messengers' leader, their forefather, to whom

Glory, generosity, and excellence came in their fullest measure.