أخذن زمام الدمع خوف انسجامه — Al Tohami

أَخذن زِمام الدَمع خَوف اِنسِجامِهِ

فَلَمّا اِستَقَلوا حَلَّ عقد ذِمامِهِ

They seized the reins of tears, fearing their outpouring;

but when the travelers departed, the knot restraining them came undone.

غَدوا بِلالٍ مِن هلال ابنِ عامِرٍ

مَرامُ هِلال الأُفُقِ دونَ مَرامِهِ

They departed with a jewel from Hilal ibn ‘Amir;

the horizon’s crescent falls short of his reach.

تَرَدَّدَ فيهِ الحُسن من عَن يَمينه

وَيُسرتِهِ وَخَلفِهِ وَأَمامِهِ

Beauty ranged about him, on his right,

and his left, behind him and before him.

جلت لَكَ وَجهاً من بَراقعه كَما

جَلا الوَردَ أَنفاسُ الصَبا مِن كَمامِهِ

She unveiled for you a face from its veils, as

the east wind’s breaths uncover the rose from its calyx.

يَشُفُّ سَناهُ مِن وَراءِ سُتورِهِ

كَما شَفَّ ضَوء البَدرِ تَحتَ جَهامِهِ

Its radiance shines from behind its curtains,

as the full moon’s light shines beneath its rainless cloud.

وَما زَوَّدَت نيلاً بلى إِنَّ جفنها

أَعار فُؤادي شُعبة مِن سِقامِهِ

She gave me no favor for the road—yet her eyelid

lent my heart a portion of its languor.

فَظَلَّت مَتى تَنزح من العين عَبرةً

تَجُمُّ بِملءِ العَينِ أَو بِجامِهِ

So it continued: whenever you draw a tear from the eye,

it wells afresh, an eyeful—or a cupful.

هيَ البَدرُ لَولا كلفةً في أَديمه

هيَ الظَبي لَولا دقَّة في عِظامِهِ

She is the full moon—except for the dark mark on its face;

she is the gazelle—except for the slenderness of its bones.

هيَ البَدرُ لكن تستسرُّ زَمانها

وَهَل يَستَسرُّ البَدرُ عِندَ تَمامِهِ

She is the full moon, yet keeps herself concealed through her days;

and does the full moon hide when it is full?

لَقَد صَدع البين المشتَّتُ شملَنا

كَصدع الصَفا لا مَطمَعٌ في التِئامِهِ

Scattering separation has indeed sundered our union,

as hard rock splits, with no hope of its mending.

فَإِن يك شَخصي بِالثُغور فَمُهجَتي

بِنَجدٍ سَقاهُ المزنُ صوب غِمامِهِ

If my person is at the frontiers, my heart

is in Najd—may the rainclouds water it with their downpour.

فَهَل تَرَينَ عَينايَ بيض دخورِهِ

مُجاورةً بِالدَوِّ بيض نَعامِهِ

Will my eyes ever see the fair women of its chambers,

dwelling in the wilderness beside its ostriches’ eggs?

فأَشتمُّ من حُوذانِهِ وَعَرارِهِ

وَحُنوَتِهِ وَشيحه وَبشامِهِ

And breathe the scent of its buttercups and oxeye daisies,

its chamomile, wormwood, and balsam?

وَإِنّي لَنِعمَ المَرءُ خامَره الهَوى

فَما خامَرَ الفَحشاء حوبَ لِثامِهِ

I am indeed a worthy man, possessed by love;

yet lewdness has never touched the opening of his veil.

إِذا ما أَرادَ الطَيفُ في النَوم لثمه

غَطا فمه عَنه بِثنيِ لِثامِهِ

If the dream-phantom seeks to kiss him in his sleep,

he shields his mouth from it with a fold of his veil.

فَكَيفَ يُرَجّى منه حال اِنتباهِهِ

صِبوٌ وَهَذا فعله في مَنامِهِ

How then could one hope, when he is awake,

for dalliance from him, when this is his conduct asleep?

إِذا ما دَعا لِلهَجرِ خِلٌّ فَلبّه

إِلَيهِ وَلوَ كانَ الرَدى في ضِرامِهِ

If a dear friend calls for estrangement, answer him

in that, even if death lies within its blaze.

وَلَم أَلتَمِس بِالعَتبِ إِصلاحَ قَلبه

وَهَل يُشتَرى قَلب امرىءٍ بِخِصامِهِ

I have not sought through reproach to mend his heart;

can a man’s heart be bought by quarreling with him?

يَضُرُّ مَقام الأَكرَمَينَ بِهِم كَما

يَضُرُّ بِماء المزن طول مُقامِهِ

Remaining in place harms the noblest men, just as

long stagnation harms the water of rainclouds.

فَلا تعتقن مِن محمل السَيف عاتِقاً

وَلا فرساً من سَرجِهِ وَلِجامِهِ

Never free a shoulder from the burden of the sword,

nor a horse from its saddle and bridle.

فَموت الفَتى في العِزِّ مثل حَياتِهِ

وَعيشته في الذُلِّ مِثلَ حِمامِهِ

A man’s death in honor is like his life,

and his life in humiliation is like his death.

وَمَن فاتَهُ نَيلُ العُلى بِعُلومِهِ

وَأَقلامِهِ فَلَيبغِها بِحُسامِهِ

Whoever fails to attain the heights through his learning

and his pens should seek them with his keen sword.

صَريرُ شَبا الأَقلام عِندَ كَلامِها

فِداء صَليلِ السَيفِ عِندَ كَلامِهِ

The scratching of pen-points when they speak

is ransom for the sword’s ringing when it speaks.

وَرأيكَ في الرُمحِ المقوَّم إِنَّما

قَوم العُلى مستودع في قَوامِهِ

And consider the straightened spear: indeed,

the support of glory is lodged within its upright shaft.

وَجُردٍ جَعَلنا أَمَداً أَمَداً لَها

بِبَيداء يَوم المَرء فيها كَعامِهِ

And lean steeds for which we made Amid the destination,

through a wilderness where a man’s day seems a year.

يَلوكُ بَهيم الخَيل فيها لِجامه

إِلى أَن تَراهُ أَرثماً بِلغامِهِ

The black steed there chews its bridle

until you see it white-muzzled with its foam.

يَذرن جِمام الماءِ مِن كُلِّ مَنهَلٍ

ليكرعن من شُربِ العُلى في جمامِهِ

They leave the brimming waters of every watering place

to drink deeply of glory from its brimming pool.

وَما عَدِمَت في الدَهر خَيلي أَكارِماً

وَلَكِنَّها تَبغي كَريمَ كِرامِهِ

My horses have never lacked noble men in this age,

but they seek the noblest of its noble men:

أَبا طاهِرٍ مُحيي النَدى بَعدَ مَوتِهِ

نداه وَباني المَجد بعد اِنهِدامِهِ

Abu Tahir, who revives generosity after its death

with his bounty, and rebuilds glory after its ruin.

كَريم المحيّا يألَف الجودُ كَفّه

كَما يألَف الآجال صَدر حُسامِهِ

Noble of countenance: generosity frequents his palm,

as death’s appointed hours frequent the forepart of his sword.

تَظَلُّ المَنايا تَقتَدي بِسِنانِهِ

كَما يَقتَدي كل امرىءٍ بإِمامِهِ

Death’s dooms keep following his spearhead,

as every man follows his leader.

أَلائمه في الجودِ لا تَعذُلَنَّه

فَطَبعُ الفَتى أَولى بِهِ مِن مَلامِهِ

You who blame him for generosity, do not reproach him;

a man’s nature has a stronger claim on him than reproach.

رُوَيداً فَإن الجود مِثلَ رَضاعِهِ

لَدَيهِ وَترك الجودِ مثل فِطامِهِ

Gently! Generosity is like suckling

to him, and abandoning generosity is like being weaned.

هوَ البَحرُ لا تَطلب بِعذلِكَ رَدّه

ومن ذا يَرُدُّ البحر عند التِطامِهِ

He is the sea; do not seek to turn him back by blame.

And who can turn the sea back when its waves clash?

هَنيُّ النَدى يَفتضُّ ختم نَواله

وَوجهك نضر ماؤُهُ بِخِتامِهِ

Pleasant in bounty, he breaks the seal upon his gifts,

while your face’s fresh luster remains beneath its seal.

غَدا سَعيهُ وَاللَهُ يَشكره لَهُ

سَناماً لهَذا المَجد فَوقَ سَنامِهِ

His striving—God rewarding him for it—has become

a hump for this glory, higher than its hump.

فَلَو مَلَكَ الآفاق دَع عَنكَ آمداً

غُلامٌ لَهُ ما اِستُكثِرَت لِغُلامِهِ

Were all horizons possessed—let alone Amid—

by a servant of his, they would not be deemed too much for his servant.

وَلَم يَنَلِ العَلياء بِالجَدِّ وَحدَهُ

وَلَكِن بعالي جِدِّهِ وَاِعتِزامِهِ

He did not reach the heights through good fortune alone,

but through his lofty effort and firm resolve,

وطعن كأَنَّ الجَيش في الرَوع جَوهر

وَرمح عبيد اللَهِ سلك نظامِهِ

and spear-thrusts, as though the army in battle’s terror were pearls,

and ‘Ubayd Allah’s spear the thread that strings them;

وَضرب يَظل السَيف في الهامِ خاطِباً

بِهِ وَصَليلُ السَيفِ مِثلُ كَلامِهِ

and blows: the sword remains an orator among skulls

through them, its ringing the likeness of speech.

تَمُجُّ دروع القَوم منهم دِماءَهم

كَما مَجَّ فيض الخمر نسج فَدامِهِ

The warriors’ coats of mail spew their blood,

as a straining cloth’s weave spews the flood of wine.

يَطول بِكَفَّيهِ القَصير من القَنا

وَيفري بِيمناه غرار كُهامِهِ

In his two hands, even a short spear grows long,

and in his right, the edge of his blunt blade cuts through,

كَما أَنَّ ظُفرَ اللَيث يَفري بِكَفِّهِ

وَيَنبو بِكَفّي غيره عَن مَرامِهِ

just as the lion’s claw cuts in its paw,

yet in another’s hands falls short of his target.

وَقور فَما أَن يقلق الخَطب حَزمه

وَلا جِسمُهُ في السَرج فَقَد حِزامِهِ

Steadfast: no calamity unsettles his resolve,

nor does losing the girth unsettle his body in the saddle.

تخال عَلى الجَرداء بَعضُ عِظامِها

فروسيَّة أَو تلك بعض عِظامِهِ

On the sleek mare, you would think him part of her bones,

through horsemanship—or that she is part of his bones.

كَريمٌ يَسوس الحاسِدينَ بِعَفوه

فَإِن كفروه ساسَهم باِنتِقامِهِ

Generous, he governs the envious with pardon;

if they show him ingratitude, he governs them with vengeance.

فَلا يغرر الأَعداء منه اِبتِسامَة

فَإِن قطوب السَيف عند اِبتِسامِهِ

Let no smile of his deceive his enemies,

for a sword frowns just when it smiles.

إِذا ما رَماهُ المَرءُ عَن قَوسِ بُغضِهِ

أَصَبنَ المَنايا قَلبَهُ بِسِهامِهِ

When a man shoots at him from the bow of his hatred,

death’s dooms strike that man’s heart with his own arrows.

وَكَم غادِرٍ قَد شَبَّ نارَ عَداوَةٍ

لَهُ فدحاه كَيدَهُ في ضِرامِهِ

How many a traitor has kindled a fire of enmity

against him, only for his own plotting to hurl him into its blaze!

فَصفحاً فَما زالَ الزَمان كَما تَرى

أَكارِمه مَرميَّة بِلئامِهِ

So pardon: throughout time, as you see,

its noble men have always been assailed by its base.

واِصلح بِبعض القَومِ بَعضاً فَإِنَّهُ

يُداوي بلحم الصِل شر سِمامِهِ

Set some people right by means of others; indeed,

one treats the worst of a viper’s venom with its flesh.

لكل امرىءٍ منهم دواء فَدَاوِهِ

بِذاكَ وَقِد كل امرىءٍ بِزِمامِهِ

Each man among them has his remedy, so treat him

with that, and lead each man by his own rein.

رَعاكَ الَّذي اِستَرعاك أَمر عِبادِهِ

وَحيّاك مَن أَحياكَ غَوث أَنامِهِ

May He who entrusted you with His servants’ affairs protect you,

and may He who gave you life as His creatures’ succor bless you.

وَدم يدم المَعروف في الناس إِنَّما

دَوامك هَذا عِلَّة لِدَوامِهِ

Live on, and kindness among people will live on; indeed,

your endurance is the cause of its endurance.