عرجا بين رسوم المغاني — Al Staley

عرّجا بين رسوم المغاني

وسلاها يا أيها الرجلانِ

Turn aside, you two, among the traces of the dwellings,

and question them, O you two men.

يا دياراً بالغوير قفاراً

وعمارا كنتِ مَغْنى الغواني

O dwellings at al-Ghuwayr, now desolate,

and once thriving, you were the abode of fair women.

كيف عدنا عودةً فقعدنا

من عهدنا فيك منذ زمانِ

How have we returned once more and sat down,

after our days in you so long ago?

حين همّوا بالفراق أَتموا

ثم زمّوا كلَّ صعبٍ هِجانِ

When they resolved to part, they carried it through,

then bridled every unruly, purebred camel.

واستقلّوا للنّوى ثم حلّوا

حين كلّوا منزلاً غير داني

And they departed for distant lands, then alighted,

when weary, at a dwelling far away,

في جوار نازَح عن مزار

لجوار حسنات البنانِ

in a remote neighborhood, far from the visiting-place

of maidens with lovely fingertips,

شكلاتٍ بالصّبا كحلات

رتلات كل خَوْدٍ حَصانِ

coquettish in youth, naturally dark-eyed,

with finely set teeth—each a tender, chaste maiden.

ذاتِ وجهٍ لا يقاس بشبهٍ

هو مُلهٍ لك عن كل شانِ

Possessed of a face beyond all comparison,

it distracts you from every other concern,

وبَصْلتٍ هو في كل وقتٍ

بدرُ ستٍّ بعدهُن ثمانِ

and a radiant brow that, at every moment,

is a full moon—six nights followed by eight;

وبخدّ مسّه رَدْعُ نَدّ

وبقدٍّ مخجل الغُصن بانِ

and a cheek touched by a tint of blended perfume,

and a figure that shames the bān tree's branch;

وبثغرٍ ذي عوارض غُرٍّ

مثل دُرٍّ هنَّ أو أقحوانِ

and a mouth with rows of gleaming teeth,

like pearls they are, or daisy blossoms;

واسيلٍ ورقيق صقيل

وطويل فيه عقد جُمانِ

and smooth, delicate, lustrous features,

and a long neck bearing a necklace of pearls.

من لصبٍّ شفَّه طيف حبٍّ

حشو قلبٍ دائم الخفقانِ

Who will help a lover wasted by a beloved's phantom,

lodged in a heart forever throbbing?

مُستهام ذي جوىً وغرامٍ

وسقام في يد الحبّ عاني

Love-bewildered, possessed of heartache and passion,

and sickness, a captive in love's hand;

رهنُ بعدٍ يتعتريه بوَجدٍ

ريحُ نجد أو وميض اليماني

a hostage to separation, stirred to yearning by

the wind of Najd or a flash of Yemeni lightning.

ما احتمالي للأذى من شمالي

حيث مالي بالهموم يدانِ

How can I bear the hurt of my north wind,

when my two hands cannot withstand these sorrows?

صاح إني محسنٌ بك ظّني

فانفِ عني حَزَناً قد عراني

Friend, indeed I think well of you,

so drive away the grief that has overtaken me.

أولياني نشوةً تسقياني

واسقياني من نجيع الدّنانِ

Grant me rapture, you two, as you give me drink,

and let me drink the blood of the wine jars,

باجتماعٍ من نَدامى سراعٍ

واستماعٍ لطريف الأغاني

amid a gathering of hastening drinking companions,

and listening to fresh, delightful songs;

وندامٍ همُ ظرافٌ كرامٌ

ومدام واصطفاق قِيانِ

and drinking companions, witty and noble,

and wine and the clapping of singing girls;

وارتشافٍ لِمجاجَةِ صافِ

من سُلاف هي كالأقحوانِ

and sipping a clear draught

of choice wine, like daisy blossoms.

صَفَّقوها ثم إذا رَوَّقوها

رَقْرَقوها فصفت في القناني

They decanted it; then, when they had clarified it,

they poured it gently, and it grew clear in the bottles,

كصفاءٍ شأنه بوفاءِ

في إخاءِ ذانك السّيدانِ

like the purity whose character is faithfulness

in the brotherhood of those two lords.

حين شادا شرف الأزد سادَا

ثم زادا فهما علمانِ

When they raised the honor of the Azd, they attained lordship,

then rose higher still: they are two beacons.

ذاك ذهلٌ بالمواهب سَهلٌ

وهو أهلٌ للسجايا الحسانِ

That one is Dhuhl, generous with gifts,

and he is worthy of the finest virtues.

وأيادي يعربٍ كالغوادي

ما لوادي جوده الغمر ثاني

And Ya'rub's favors are like morning rains;

the overflowing valley of his bounty has no equal.

من فُتُوّ شُرِّفوا بعُلوٍّ

وسَمَوهُ للنّدى والطّعانِ

They are among young men ennobled by high rank,

and who attained it through generosity and spearplay;

وإناسٍ أهل جودٍ وباسٍ

والتماسٍ للعلى وامْتنانِ

and people possessed of bounty and valor,

who strive for greatness and bestow favors,

حيث ضاقت لَزْبة ثم تاقت

وتلاقت حَلقاتُ البِطانِ

when hardship pressed hard and longing followed,

and the rings of the saddle-girth met.

وتراهمْ يُنزِلون ذَراهم

من عَراهم من لهيف وجاني

And you see them give shelter upon their heights

to all who seek them, the distressed and the guilty.

والسّجايا صافياتْ العطايا

للبرايا مَن نأى والاداني

And their natures are pure in their giving

to all people, the distant and the near.

كلُّ ندبٍ فارجٍ كل كربٍ

يومَ حرب لعلى المجد باني

Each is a gallant man, dispelling every distress,

on a day of war, building glory's heights

بجياد وسيوفٍ حدادٍ

وصعادٍ مشرعاتٍ لِدانِ

with steeds and sharp swords,

and supple lances leveled for combat;

ومِلدٍّ ذي مضاءٍ وجدّ

مسعدٍ لي أورع غير واني

and a tenacious disputant, possessed of resolve and earnestness,

helpful to me, most devout, never flagging,

ذي جبين مشرقٍ ويمين

كلّ حين جمّة الهطلانِ

with a radiant brow and a right hand

ever abundant in its downpour.

فهو عارٍ من أثام وعَار

ذو شعار من تقىٍ وصيانِ

He is bare of sin and shame,

wearing a garment of piety and self-restraint.

فابقيا في نعمةٍ لا توافي

بالقوافي أو بدفع المعاني

So may you both remain in bliss that cannot be matched

by rhymes or the outpouring of meanings.

حُسنُ نظمي من جواهر علمي

صَوغ فهمي وانتقاد بياني

The beauty of my verse comes from the jewels of my knowledge,

the craft of my understanding and the discerning choice of my eloquence.

أين مثلي حين يُظهر فضلي

حسنُ عقلي وبيانُ لساني

Where is my equal, when my excellence is revealed

by the beauty of my intellect and the eloquence of my tongue?

فبقيتم للعلى ورقيتم

ووقيتم صولةَ الحدَنان

So may you endure for greatness and rise ever higher,

and be shielded from the onslaught of time's vicissitudes [probable reading].