ألا من لصب قريح الفؤاد — Al Staley

ألا من لصَبٍ قريح الفُؤاد

كثير الهمُوم قليل الرُّقادِ

Ah, who will help a lovesick man with a wounded heart,

Burdened with cares and finding little sleep?

حمته الدّموعُ لذيذَ الهُجوع

طوى في الضلوع كنارِ الزَّنادِ

His tears have denied him sweet slumber;

Hunger within his ribs is like a firestick's flame.

وحَثُّ النياق لوشك الفراق

وسير السّباقِ ببيضٍ خِرادِ

And the urging of she-camels as parting drew near,

And the swift mounts' journey bearing fair, shy maidens;

عشيةَ صاحوا لبينٍ فراحوا

حِثاثا وناحُوا بذكر البعادِ

On the evening they cried out for departure and set off

In haste, lamenting at the mention of separation.

وسارت ركاب وولت صحابٌ

وصاح غرابٌ وغرّد حادي

And the riding-camels departed, and the companions turned away;

And a raven cried, and a camel-driver sang.

وبثت شجونٌ وفاضت جفونٌ

وساءت ظنونٌ لأهل الودادِ

Sorrows were poured out, and eyes overflowed,

And dark misgivings beset those bound by affection.

سقى الغيثُ جرعا عهدنا مَريعاً

أَلفناهُ مرعىً سجالِ الغوادي

May rain water the sandy tract we knew as lush,

We knew it as a pasture for the torrents of morning clouds.

محلُّ رِزانٍ جيادٍ حسانٍ

كحور جنانٍ ملاح التهادي

An abode of dignified, fine, beautiful women,

Like houris of paradise, lovely in their swaying gait;

كمثل البدور لطاف الخصُورِ

حسان النُّحورِ ملاح الهَوادي

Like full moons, slender of waist,

Beautiful of bosom, lovely of neck;

ظباء قواضٍ بعينٍ مراضٍ

ونور بياضٍ بدا في سوادِ

Gazelles that slay with languid eyes,

And a light of whiteness that shone amid blackness;

وطُول جُيودٍ ولين قدودٍ

وصفوِ حدود رقاقِ وِرادِ

And long necks and supple figures,

And clear, delicate, rose-hued contours.

ذواتُ حجالٍ بفرط جمالٍ

وغنج دلالٍ ملكن قيادي

Women of curtained chambers, through surpassing beauty

And coquettish coyness, have seized my reins.

لئن طالَ بعدٌ وَبرَّح وجدٌ

ففي الكأس بَردٌ لحرّ الفؤآدِ

Though separation lasts and longing torments,

Yet in the cup lies coolness for the heart's heat.

فقمْ يا غلام أُمِط بالمدام

غليلَ الأوم فأنَّيَ صادِي

Rise, then, boy, and with wine dispel

The burning thirst, for I am parched.

أَدرها جهاراً شَمولاً عُقارا

تلوح اصفراراً كلون الجسادِ

Pass it round openly—wine, potent wine—

Gleaming yellow like the color of saffron.

لها في الزجاج لقرع المزاجِ

كضوء السّراج سَما باتقادِ

In the glass, when the mixing water strikes it, its glow

Is like lamplight, rising in a blaze.

فبردُ النّسيم وبردُ النّديمِ

وشَرْخُ النَّعيم من المُستفادِ

So the breeze's coolness and the drinking companion's comfort,

And bliss in its prime, are among the gains to be had.

وأطيبُ طيبٍ نُزوحُ رقيبٍ

ولثُم حبيبٍ فُويقَ الوَسادِ

And the sweetest delight is the watcher's departure,

And kissing a beloved just above the pillow.

وخيرُ النظام كدرّ الكلام

مديح الهُمام سبخت الجوادِ

And the finest verse—speech like pearls—

Is praise of the magnanimous, generous Sabakht:

ضياء الرشّادِ وليثَ الجلادِ

وَغوثُ العبادِ وشمسُ البلاد

The light of right guidance and the lion of combat,

The people's succor and the sun of the land;

عزيزُ الفناءِ شريفُ السنَّاءِ

رفيعُ الثناءِ طويلُ العمادِ

His courtyard inviolable, his splendor noble,

His praise exalted, his tent-poles lofty;

جريءُ القتالِ غداةَ النزالِ

ببيض النّصالِ وسُمْر الصِّعاد

Bold in battle on the morning of the clash,

With bright blades and brown spear-shafts;

شديدُ الثّبات على النائباتِ

جزيل الهباتِ كصَوبِ الغوادِي

Firmly steadfast against calamities,

Lavish in gifts, like the downpour of morning clouds;

هِزبرُ الغريفِ ومأوَى اللَّهيفِ

ومعطي الطَّريفِ مَعاً والتلاد

A lion of the thicket and a refuge for the distressed,

And a giver of both newly acquired and inherited wealth.

إذا أَنت أبصَرت في الدَّست سبخَّت

كالشمس أنكرتَ خلق العبادِ

When you behold Sabakht in the seat of honor,

Like the sun, you no longer recognize other men's forms.

مجيد يمانٍ لعلياه بانٍ

بسمرٍ لدانٍ وبيضٍ حدادِ

A glorious Yemeni who builds his eminence

With supple brown spears and sharp, bright swords.

سَمَا بمعالٍ وفضلِ كمالٍ

وحسن فعال وصفو اعتقادِ

He rose through lofty merits and surpassing perfection,

And fine deeds and purity of belief.

متى ما نزلت لديه اشتَملَتَ

غنىً وحلَلْتَ بأخصب وادي

Whenever you alight with him, you wrap yourself in

Wealth, and settle in the most fertile valley.

أيا با الفتوح مُنى المُستْبيحِ

وأَسي الجريحِ بعزّ الأيادي

O Abu al-Futuh, the hope of the seeker of bounty,

And healer of the wounded through mighty benefactions;

ويا ابن عليّ جمالِ نّدي

وعزّ وليّ وحتف معادي

And O son of Ali, adornment of the assembly,

An ally's strength and an enemy's doom;

وجدتك بحراً من الجود غمراً

كفاني دهَراً ورُود الثّماد

I found you a deep ocean of generosity

That spared me, for a lifetime, from seeking scant pools.

أياديكَ عندي مدى الدَّهر تبدي

لحسناك حمدي لدى كل بادي

Your favors to me, throughout all time, proclaim

My praise for your kindness before all who appear.

فها أنا ماضٍ ببِّرك راضٍ

وللحجاج قاضٍ بلغتُ مُرادي

So here I am, departing, content with your kindness,

And settling the dispute, I have attained my desire.

فداوي ارتياعي بوشك وداعي

بحسْن اصطناعي بأفضل زاد

So soothe my alarm at my imminent farewell

By graciously favoring me with the finest provisions.

ودُمْ في علاءٍ وطول بقاءٍ

وحُسنِ رجاءِ وكَبْتِ اعادي

And may you endure in eminence and long life,

And fair hopes and the abasement of enemies,

وعَيش رغيد وجَدّ سعيد

ومُلكٍ عتيدٍ بغير نفادٍ

And easy living and happy fortune,

And established dominion, without end.