ألم خاليها بعد الهجوع — Al Tohami

أَلَمَّ خاليَها بَعد الهُجوعِ

فَعادَت إِذ رأَت سيفي ضَجيعي

Her phantom came by after sleep,

Then turned back when she saw my sword as my bedfellow.

وَهاجَت لي بِزَورتها زَفيراً

يَكادُ يُقيم مُعوَجَّ الضُلوعِ

And her visit stirred in me a deep sigh

That almost straightens the curve of the ribs.

فَباتَت بَينَ أَعناق المَطايا

تَردَّدُ في المَجيء وَفي الرُجوعِ

So she spent the night between the mounts' necks,

Wavering between coming and returning.

فَقُمتُ مُنادياً فَإِذا سُهَيل

مِنَ الخفقان كالقَلب المَروعِ

I rose and called out; and there was Suhayl,

Flickering like a frightened heart.

كَأَنَّ نُجوم لَيلك حينَ أَلقى

مَراسيَهُ مَسامير الدُروعِ

As though the stars of your night, when it cast

Its anchors, were rivets in coats of mail.

وَفي الحَيِّ الحِجازيين سِربٌ

كَأَنَّ وجوههم زهر لرَبيعِ

And in the Hijazis' camp is a flock,

Whose faces seem like spring flowers.

يَحُفُّ بأشنب الأَنياب أَحوى

كَأَنَّ رُضابَهُ ذوبُ الصَقيعِ

It surrounds a dark-lipped one with gleaming canine teeth,

Whose saliva seems like melted frost.

يَنوبُ بِوَجهِهِ عَن كُلِّ شَمسٍ

يَغيب من الغُروبِ إِلى الطُلوعِ

His face stands in for every sun;

He disappears from sunset until sunrise.

شَفعتُ إِلَيهِ في نَومي فأعيا

فَجاءَ بِهِ المَنامُ بِلا شَفيعِ

I pleaded with him for my sleep, but in vain;

Then a dream brought him without an intercessor.

وَلا أَنسى بروضِ الحُزنِ ريماً

يَبُثُّ الوَجدَ عَن قَلبٍ وَجيعِ

Nor shall I forget a white gazelle in sorrow's meadow,

Pouring out longing from an aching heart.

وَأَحداقُ الحدائِقِ ناظِراتٌ

إِليَّ بأعيُنِ الزَهرِ البَديعِ

And the gardens' eyes were gazing

At me through the eyes of wondrous flowers.

تَرَقرَقَ لؤلؤ الأَنداء فيها

كَما امتلأت عُيونُ من دُموعِ

Pearls of dew shimmered within them,

Just as eyes filled with tears.

وَلست بِواثِق بِجُفون عيني

وَقَد أَظهرن ما أَخفت ضُلوعي

And I do not trust the lids of my eye,

For they have revealed what my ribs concealed.

وَمن يستكتم الأَجفان حُباً

فَقَد أَظهرن ما أَخفَت ضُلوعي

And who would ask the eyelids to keep love secret?

They have already revealed what my ribs concealed.

سَقى اللَهُ الحيا نَجداً فَإِنّي

لذو قَلبٍ إِلى نجد نَزوعِ

May God water Najd with life-giving rain, for I

Truly have a heart that yearns toward Najd.

سَقاه وابِلٌ غَدقٌ ملتُّ

لَهُ جود كَجودِ أَبي المَنيعِ

May a copious, unceasing downpour water it,

With a bounty like the bounty of Abu al-Maniʿ.

وَلَو يَحكي أَنامله سَحابٌ

لَكانَ الدَهرُ منهُ في رَبيعِ

And were a cloud to imitate his fingertips,

All time would be spring because of it.

نَزَلتُ بِهِ فَقابَلَني بِوَجهٍ

أَغَرَّ كَغُرَّةِ الفَجرِ الصَديعِ

I lodged with him, and he met me with a face

Radiant as the first gleam of breaking dawn,

وَماءٍ من بشاشته زُلالٍ

وروض من مَكارِمِهِ مُريعِ

And pure, cool water from his smiling welcome,

And a lush meadow of his noble qualities.

لَهُ يَدُ مُحسِنٍ وَحياء جانٍ

وجود مبَذِّرٍ وَعُلى جُموعِ

His is a benefactor's hand and an offender's modesty,

A spendthrift's bounty and the eminence of multitudes,

وَرأي مجرِّبٍ وقتال غِرٍ

وَذمَّةُ حافِظٍ وَنَدى مُضيعِ

A veteran's judgment and a novice's fighting,

A pledge-keeper's fidelity and a squanderer's largesse.

إِذا ذُكِرَ النَوال اهتَزَّ شَوقاً

إِلَيهِ كَهِزَّة السَيفِ الصَنيعِ

When bounty is mentioned, he quivers with longing

For it, like the quiver of a well-forged sword.

يحنُّ إِلى العَطاء حنين قَيسٍ

إِلى لَيلى لعرفان الرُبوعِ

He yearns to give as Qays yearns

For Layla on recognizing the encampments.

فَلا تَحمده في بَذلِ العَطايا

فَلَيسَ لِغَيرِ ذاكَ بِمُستَطيعِ

So do not praise him for bestowing gifts:

He is incapable of doing otherwise.

فَمِقبَضُ سَيفه مَجرى العَطايا

ومضربُ سيفهِ مَجرى النَجيعِ

The grip of his sword is a channel for gifts,

And its striking edge a channel for fresh blood.

مُنىً وَمَنيَّةٍ كالصِلِ يَطوي

عَلى الدِرياقِ وَالسُمِّ النَقيعِ

Wishes and death, like a viper that coils

Around an antidote and potent venom.

وَلَو بارى بِجودِ يَدَيهِ بَحراً

لآل البَحرُ كالآلِ المروعِ

Were he to rival a sea in the bounty of his hands,

The sea would become like a frightened mirage.

إِذا وازَنتُهُ بِالناسِ طُراً

رأَيت البَعض يَعدل بِالجَميعِ

When I weigh him against all mankind,

I see one part equal to the whole.

يُناطُ بِالرّأي منه بأَلمعيٍّ

يَرى الحِدثانِ من قبل الوقوعِ

For counsel, trust is placed in him, a keen-sighted man

Who sees misfortunes before they occur;

بِذي حُلُمٍ أَصَمُّ عَن الدَنايا

وَذي جودٍ لسائِلِهِ سَميعِ

A man of forbearance, deaf to base deeds,

And of generosity, attentive to his petitioner;

مفيدٍ متلفٍ حُلو مُمِرٍّ

عَلى العالّات ضَرّارٍ نَفوعِ

A giver and destroyer, sweet and bitter,

In every circumstance, harmful and helpful;

بِصَدرٍ مثل ساحتِهِ رَحيبٍ

وَبَذلٍ مثل نائِله سَريعِ

With a breast as spacious as his courtyard,

And giving as swift as his bounty.

إِذا لاحَت بَنوه لنا شهدنا

لِطيب الأَصل مِن طيبِ الفُروعِ

When his sons appear before us, we testify

To the goodness of the root through the goodness of the branches.

نُجومٌ سَبعة عدد الثُريّا

وَموضعُها من الحَسَبِ الرَفيعِ

Seven stars, matching the Pleiades in number,

And their station is in exalted nobility.

فَلا زالوا كأَنجُمها إِئتِلافاً

مِنَ الحِدثانِ في حِصنٍ مَنيعِ

May they ever remain united, like its stars,

In an impregnable fortress against misfortunes.

تَراهُ وَحَولَهُ مِنهُمُ لُيوثٌ

إِذا نهل القَنا في كُلِّ رَوعِ

You see him, surrounded by lions of their number,

When spears drink deeply in every terror of battle.

حَكوهُ شَمائِلاً وَعُلىً وَجوداً

وَبأَساً عِندَ مُعترِك الجُموعِ

They resemble him in character, eminence, and bounty,

And in might where the hosts clash.

تَراهُمُ مِثلَما اطَّردَت كعوب

وَراء سنانها الماضي الرَفيع

You see them like shaft-joints ranged in succession

Behind their keen, lofty spearhead.

يَهُزُّ أَبو المَنيع بهم سُيوفاً

لِتَقويم المُخالِفِ وَالمُضيع

Abu al-Maniʿ brandishes them as swords

To straighten the defiant and the negligent.

فَدامَ لهم بِهِ وَلَهُ سُرورٌ

بِهِم حَتّى المَماتِ بِلا فَجيعِ

May their joy in him endure, and his

In them, until death, without bereavement.