هل للأحبة دائما عهد — Al Staley

هل للأحبّة دائماً عهدُ

أَم هل لَعمرةَ ناجزاً وَعْدُ

Have loved ones a pledge that lasts forever?

Or is there a promise Amrah fulfills?

أَم لا سبيلَ إلى زيارتها

كَثُرَ الوُشاةُ وأَفرطَ البُعْدُ

Or is there no way to visit her?

Slanderers have multiplied, and separation has grown extreme.

لا غيرَ أَنَّ الشَّوق برَّح بي

في حبّها وتطاولَ الوَجْدُ

Only longing has tormented me

in loving her, and love's anguish has lingered.

فلها بعيني باقياً أَرقٌ

ولها بقلبي وراياً زَنْدُ

For her, sleeplessness lingers in my eyes;

for her, a firestick burns within my heart.

أصبحتُ لا الأجفانُ مانعةٌ

دَراً ولا قلبي صفَاً صَلْدُ

Now neither can my eyelids withhold

their pearls of tears, nor is my heart unyielding rock.

وأَنا المشوقُ فما ادّعيت على

فَقد الأحبّة أننّي جَلْدُ

I am consumed by longing; I have never claimed,

bereft of loved ones, that I am steadfast.

لكنّ عَمرةَ في الوفاء كما

عَهدي بها لم تستَحِلْ بَعْدُ

But Amrah remains as faithful

as I have known her; she has not changed yet.

وعهدذُتها وكأنها غصنٌ

ريّانُ مّما ينبتُ الرّندُ

I knew her as though she were a branch,

lush with sap, of what bay laurel puts forth.

وكأنها أَدمآءُ جازية

تعطو الأراكةَ طالها الَمرْدُ

As though she were a tawny doe, content with herbage,

reaching for an arak tree, its berries high above her.

وكانها في روضة أُنُفٍ

ومن الرّبيع يجودُها العَهْدُ

And as though she were in an untouched meadow,

drenched by spring's returning showers.

برزت يُميس بها معاطفُها

واهتزَ بين مروطها القَدُ

She emerged, her supple curves making her sway,

and her slender figure swayed within her mantles.

ضحك البنفسج والبهار بها

والأقحوانُ الغضُّ والوَردُ

In her, violets and oxeye flowers smiled,

and fresh daisies and roses.

وهي التي كَلفَ الفؤاد بها

والحرُّ في حكم الهوى عَبْدُ

She is the one with whom the heart is enamored;

under love's rule, the freeborn man is a slave.

ما كان أحسن عيشَنا ولنا

ملهىً نروح إِليه أَو نَغدُو

How lovely our life was, when we had

a place of delight to visit at evening or morning.

لو أَنسَ لا أنسَ انتباهَتنا

بعد الكرى واللَّيلُ مُسْوَدُّ

Though I forget, I will not forget our awakening

after sleep, while the night was black;

وعتابَنا وكأنه بَرَدٌ

ومزاحَنا وكأنّها شَهْدُ

and our reproaches, like hail,

and our playful talk, like honey in the comb;

وعناقَنا والساعدان معاً

أَطواقنا والكفُّ والعضدُ

and our embrace, both forearms together

our encircling necklaces, with hand and upper arm;

ولثتما فتنفَّست عجباً

وعناقنا بالضيق مشتَدُّ

and our kisses—she sighed in wonder,

while our embrace grew tighter still.

وتبسّمت بعد الحياءِ لقد

بَرقَ اللَّمى وتورَّدَ الخدُّ

She smiled after her shyness; truly,

her dusky lips gleamed, and her cheek grew rosy.

وأَضاء لي ما بيننا وبدَت

منها محاسنُ لم تكن تبدوُ

The space between us shone for me, and there appeared

beauties of hers that had not shown before.

نعم الضجيعُ ولا شعارَ سوَى

بَشرَاتنا ويضمّنا بُرْدُ

How lovely a bedfellow, with no close-worn garment but

our skins, while a mantle enfolded us.

ومُورَّدٌ من طيبها أَرِجٌ

رَدع العَبير عليه والنَّدُّ

And rose-hued, fragrant with her perfume,

upon it lay the stain of blended scent and incense.

صَدَّت عميرةُ ما تُواصلنا

حذَر الوشاة وما بها ضدُّ

Umayrah turned away and no longer visits us,

fearing slanderers, not from any hostility.

إني وعمرةُ بيننا خلق

مَحض وحبلُ ودادنا حَصْدُ

Between Amrah and me, our feeling is

pure, and the cord of our love is tightly plaited.

فتصدُّ وجهتنا مراقبة

وكلا هوادينا به وُدُّ

So she turns away from facing us, watchful,

yet each of our breasts holds love.

عَبثَ الوشاوةُ بنا علانيةً

وانحلَّ من سبب الهوى عَقْدُ

The slanderers openly played havoc with us,

and a knot in love's cord came undone.

فعليكم مني السّلامُ لقَد

بَعُدَ الهوى وتقادَمَ العَهْدُ

So peace be upon you from me; indeed,

love has grown distant, and our bond has grown old.

والنّاسُ شانهمُ الأذى ولهم

أَبداً على أَهل الحَجى حِقْدُ

People make harm their business, and they harbor

an enduring grudge against people of understanding.

للعيب مبصرةٌ عيونُهمُ

وعن الجميل عيونهم رُمدُ

Their eyes see clearly when it comes to faults,

but are bleary toward all that is good.

عاشَ الجبانُ بحكمه فقَضَوا

أَني بها في الغَيّ مُرْتَدُّ

The coward lived by his own judgment; then they ruled

that through her I had fallen back into error.

إنَّ اتباعَ الظَّنّ مَهْلكَةٌ

والحقٌ في أَهل الهوى فَرْدُ

Following conjecture surely leads to ruin,

and truth stands alone among lovers.

فلتَبعثنَّ وتسألنَّ غدا

ولتعملنْ من عندَه الرُّشدُ

You shall surely be raised and questioned tomorrow,

and you shall surely know who has right guidance.

والنّاس مشتبهٌ مقالتهم

وفعالهم كلٌّ له قَصْدُ

People's words are ambiguous,

and so are their deeds; each has an aim.

أَما أَبو عبد الإله فما

في كل مكرمة لهُ ندُّ

As for Abu Abd al-Ilah, there is

no rival to him in any noble deed.

بمحمد بن معمَّر عَمرت

طرُق الهدى واستوسق المجدُ

Through Muhammad ibn Muʿammar have flourished

the paths of guidance, and glory has reached its fullness.

تسمو به أَخوالهُ مضرٌ

وُتعِزّهُ أَعَمامهُ الأزْدُ

His maternal kin, Mudar, raise him high,

and his paternal kin, the Azd, lend him might.

ولدوه والعلياءُ قابلة

والجودُ ثدْي والحجى مَهْدُ

They begot him, high honor acting as midwife,

generosity a nursing breast, and understanding a cradle.

ضاحي الجبين أَغرُّ مُنصلتٌ

كالسّيف زايلَ صفحَهُ الغِمدُ

Radiant of brow, bright-faced, slender and erect,

like a sword whose blade has left its sheath.

وله فناءٌ في جوانبهِ

تقف العُفَاة وينزل الوفدُ

He has a courtyard, around whose sides

petitioners stand and delegations alight.

تروى مطالبنا سحائِبهُ

بالوَدق لا برق ولا رَعّدُ

His clouds water our aspirations

with rain, not lightning or thunder.

وبنى أَبو عمر له شرفاً

مع ما بناه أَبوه والَجدُّ

Abu Umar built honor for himself,

beside what his father and grandfather built.

إِن الملوكَ السّابقين هُمُ

آل العتيك الشِّيْبُ والُمرْدُ

Indeed, the foremost kings are

the house of al-Atik, gray-haired and beardless alike.

المنعمونَ الوافدون إذا

ما عزَّ عند الكربة الرِّفدُ

The benefactors, who come forward when

assistance is scarce in times of distress;

والواردونَ مغالبون إِذا

عَظُمَ الصَّدى وتضايق الوِرْدُ

who reach the water, contending, when

thirst grows fierce and the watering place is crowded;

والشاهدونَ الحربَ تحْملُهم

تحت العجاج الضّمَّرُ الُجرْدُ

who attend battle, borne

beneath the dust by lean, sleek horses.

والخيلُ بالفرسان عاديةٌ

مثل الأجادل فوقْها الأسْدُ

The horses charge with their riders,

like falcons with lions on their backs.

وعلَيهم الماذيُّ أَحكمه

للتبّعي النسجُ والسَّرْدُ

Over them is fine mail, made firm

for the Tubbaʿite by weaving and interlinking.

والسُّمر اثبتها الوشيجُ لُهم

والبيضُ مما يطبعُ الهندُ

And brown spears, made sturdy for them by clustered cane,

and bright swords of Indian forging.

عَزّْوا بها وحموا ذمارَهم

حتى استقامَ السّهل والنَّجدُ

Through these they gained might and defended their honor,

until lowland and highland submitted.

بمحمّدِ بنِ معمرٍ بهمُ

حَسبٌ ومفتخر إذا عُدُّوا

With Muhammad ibn Muʿammar among them,

they have nobility and a source of pride when they are reckoned.

وهمُ به يسمون إن ذُكرت

افعاُله وَيُسْدً ما سَدّوا

Through him they rise high whenever

his deeds are recalled; he fills the role they filled.

عزّوا البسالةُ والمضاءُ لهُ

والعَزم والأقدامُ والجِدُ

They grew mighty; valor and decisiveness are his,

and determination, boldness, and earnestness.

يردُ الكريهةَ يوم عادية

والَخيل في رهج الوغى تعْدُّو

He enters battle on a day of assault,

while horses gallop through the dust of war.

تَهوي به جَرداءُ سابحةٌ

أَو سابحُ عبل الشَّوىَ نَهْدُ

A sleek mare flies with him, swimming in her stride,

or a swimming-gaited stallion, stout-limbed and powerfully built.

إيثاره في بذل مهجته

أَو مالهِ ومُرادُهُ الحَمْدُ

His preference is to offer his lifeblood

or his wealth, and his aim is praise.

لا يعجبن النّاسُ منه فما

خطأ سماحُ يديه بل عَمْدُ

Let people not be amazed at him, for

his hands' generosity is no accident, but deliberate.

سيّان عند قضا مآربِه

معَه وُجودُ المال والفَقْدُ

When fulfilling his purposes, it is all the same

to him whether wealth is at hand or lacking.

اسلمْ أَبا عبد الإله لنا

في طول عمر عيشه رغد

Remain safe for us, Abu Abd al-Ilah,

through a long life of ease and plenty.

وبقيت محروسَ الحياة لها

في كل يوم طالعٌ سَعدُ

And may you endure, your life guarded; may it have

an auspicious ascendant every day.

واليكها غراءَ مخْترعاً

فيها العَويصُ كأنَّها العِقْدُ

Here it is for you, radiant, with newly devised

intricacies within it, as though it were a necklace.

فلها بمهجة كاشحٌ حُرَقٌ

وبقلب كل مشاغبٍ وَقْدُ

It brings burning pangs to a spiteful foe's heart,

and a blaze to the heart of every troublemaker.