ألم بمضجعي بعد الكلال — Al Tohami

أَلَم بِمَضجَعي بعد الكَلالِ

خَيالٌ من هِلالِ بَني هِلالِ

After weariness, there came to my bed

a phantom from the crescent moon of Banu Hilal.

بِمُنطَمسِ الصوى لَو حارَ طَيفٌ

لحار بِجَوِّهِ طيف الخَيالِ

In a place of effaced waymarks—if a phantom lost its way,

the phantom of imagination would be lost in its expanse.

فَأَحيا ذكر وَجدٍ وَهوَ مَيت

وَجَدَّدَ رسمَ شوق وَهوَ بالي

So it revived the memory of passion, though it was dead,

and renewed longing's trace, though it was worn away.

فَتاة ما تُنال وكل شيء

نَفيسُ القَدرِ مُمتَنِعُ المَنالِ

A maiden unattainable; and everything

of precious worth is beyond reach.

وَما تندى لِسائِلها بِوَصلٍ

وَقَد يندى البَخيل عَلى السُؤالِ

And she bestows no dew of union on her suitor,

though a miser may grow generous when entreated.

وَيَحجُبُ بَينَها أَبَداً وَبَيني

ظَلام النَد أَو غيم الحِجالِ

And always a veil comes between her and me:

the darkness of incense or the cloud of bridal canopies.

بِمُقلَتِها لعمر أَبيك سِحرٌ

بِهِ تَصطادُ أَفئدة الرِجالِ

In her eye, by your father's life, there is magic

with which she hunts the hearts of men.

سَمِعنا بِالعُجابِ وَما سَمِعنا

بِأَنَّ اللَيثَ مِن قَنصِ الغَزالِ

We have heard of marvels, but never heard

that the lion is among the gazelle's quarry.

لَقَد بَذَلَ الفراق لنا رَخيصاً

لِقاء العامِريَّة وَهوَ غالي

Parting has indeed offered us, cheaply,

a meeting with the Amiriyya, though it is dear.

وَأَبدى من محيّاها نَهاراً

يُجاوِر من ذَوائبها لَيالي

And it revealed daylight in her face,

bordering the nights of her tresses.

أَحن إِلى الفِراقِ لِكَي أَراها

وَإِن كانَ الفِراق عَليَّ لا لي

I yearn for parting so that I may see her,

though parting works against me, not for me.

أَشارَت بِالوَداعِ وَقَد تَلاقَت

عُقودُ الثَغر وَالدَمعِ المُسالِ

She gestured in farewell, as there came together

the necklaces of her teeth and her flowing tears.

وَأَبكاني الفِراقُ لَها فَقالَت

بكاءُ مُتيَّمٍ وَرَحيل قالي

And parting made me weep for her, so she said:

A lover's tears, and a hater's departure!

فَقُلتُ لَها أُوَدِّع منك شَمساً

إِلى شمس الهُدى شمس المَعالي

So I told her: I bid farewell to the sun that is you,

bound for the sun of guidance, the sun of noble heights—

فَتىً عَمَّ المُلوكَ فمن سواهِم

نَوالاً مِنهُ منسكِبُ العزالي

a youth who has encompassed kings and those besides them

with bounty from him, its waterskin spouts streaming.

كَذاك الغيث إِن أَرسى بِأَرضٍ

تجلَّلَ كُل مُنخَفِضٍ وَعالي

So too the rain, when it settles over a land,

envelops every low and lofty place.

تَرى في سرجِهِ لَيثاً وَغَيثاً

وعند الغَيثِ صاعِقَة تُلالي

In his saddle you see a lion and rain,

and beside the rain, a flashing thunderbolt.

مَلىءٌ بِالعَطايا وَالرَزايا

وَبِالنِعم السَوابِغِ وَالنِكالِ

He is full of gifts and calamities,

and of ample blessings and punishment.

تبوا الجودُ يُمناهُ محلاً

فَلَيسَ يَهُمُّ عَنها بارتَحالِ

Generosity has made his right hand its dwelling,

so it has no thought of departing from it.

كَأَنَّ الجود بعض الكفِّ منه

فَما لِلبَعضِ عَنها من زَوالِ

As though generosity were a part of his palm,

so that part can never depart from it.

يُصافِحُ مِنهُ كَفّاً من عَطايا

تَحفُّ بِها بَنانٌ من نَوالِ

One shakes his hand, a palm made of gifts,

ringed by fingers made of bounty.

وَلَم أَرَ قَبلَهُ أَسَداً يُلَبّي

إِلى الهَيجاءِ إِن دعيت نَزالِ

Before him I had never seen a lion answering

the summons to battle when 'Come fight!' was called.

أظافره من البيضِ المَواضي

ولبدَته مِن الزَردِ المذالِ

His claws are made of keen white swords,

and his mane of trailing chain mail.

تَراهُ إِذا تَشاجَرَت العَوالي

يفرُّ من الفرارِ إِلى القِتالِ

You see him, when the tall lances clash,

fleeing from flight into battle.

وَكَم كسبته جُرد الخَيلِ مَجداً

وَلَيسَ لَهُنَّ مِنهُ سِوى الكَلالِ

And how often sleek horses have won him glory,

yet from him they have nothing but weariness.

توسَّطها الوَشيجُ وَفي كِلاها

أَنابيب مِنَ الأُسُلِ الطِوالِ

Spearshafts have entered their midst, and in their kidneys

lie shafts of long lances.

يُتابِعُ جوده وَيظن بُخلاً

وَفوق الجودِ أَمراسُ الفِعالِ

He gives his bounty in succession, yet thinks it stinginess,

and above generosity rise the cords of his deeds.

كأَنَّ صِلاتَهُ لَهُمُ صَلاة

فَلَيسَ تَتِمُّ إِلّا أَن يوالي

As though his gifts to them were a prayer,

not complete unless he gives without a break.

مَكارِمُ ما أَلَمَّ بِها كَريم

سِواه ولا خَطَرنَ لَهُ بِبالِ

Noble deeds no generous man has come near

except him, nor have they crossed another's mind.

ورثت الفَضلَ عَن جِدٍ فَجدٍ

إِلى هود النَبيِّ عَلى التَوالي

You inherited excellence from grandfather after grandfather,

back to Hud the Prophet, in unbroken succession.

ثأرت بقاتلي عمرو بن هِندٍ

وَما أَنساكَهُ طولُ اللَيالي

You took vengeance upon the killers of Amr ibn Hind,

and the long nights did not make you forget him.

صَفوتَ خَلائِقاً وَندىً وَأَصلاً

فَقَد أَزريتَ بِالماءِ الزُلالِ

You are pure in character, bounty, and lineage,

so indeed you have put limpid water to shame.

وَلَو يَحلو كَماء المزنِ خَلقٌ

لما شَرَقَ امرؤ فيهِ بِحالِ

And if a character were sweet as water from rainclouds,

no man would ever choke on it in any circumstance.

أَرجّي في ظِلالِكَ أَن أُرَجّى

وَيجني العزَّ قَوم في ظِلالي

I hope beneath your shade to become a source of hope,

and that a people may reap honor beneath my shade.

فَفَضلك قَد غَدا لِلفَضلِ جيداً

وَهَذا المَدح عقدٌ مِن لآلي

So your excellence has become a neck for excellence,

and this praise a necklace of pearls.

وَقَد يسبيك جيد الخودِ عطلاً

وَنَسَبي ضعف ذَلِك وَهوَ حالي

And a maiden's neck may captivate you unadorned,

and my love verse is doubly so, adorned as it is.

رأَيت العَرضَ يحسُنُ بِالقَوافي

كَما حَسُنَ المُهَنَّد بِالصِقالِ

I have seen honor grow beautiful through rhymes,

as the Indian sword grows beautiful through polishing.

بِغَير مفرج تَبغي كَريماً

لَقَد حدَّثت نفسك بِالمُحالِ

You seek a generous man other than Mufarrij—

you have indeed entertained the impossible.

أَقول إِذا ملأت العَينَ مِنهُ

وَقاكَ اللَهَ مِن عَينِ الكَمالِ

I say, when I have filled my eye with the sight of him:

May God guard you from perfection's evil eye.