أبان لنا من دره يوم ودعا — Al Tohami

أَبانَ لَنا من درِّهِ يَومَ وَدَّعا

عُقوداً وَأَلفاظاً وَثغراً وَأَدمُعا

On the day he bade farewell, he revealed to us, from his pearls,

necklaces, words, a mouth, and tears.

وَأبدى لنا من دَلِّه وَجَبينِهِ

وَمَنطَقِهِ مَلهىً وَمرأىً وَمَسمَعا

And through his coyness and his brow he displayed to us,

and through his speech, a diversion, a sight, and a sound.

فَقُلتُ أَوجه لاح من تحت بُرقُعٍ

أَم البَدرُ بِالغَيمش الرَقيقِ تَبَرقَعا

So I said, “Is it a face shining beneath a veil,

or the full moon veiling itself in a thin cloud?”

أَصَم منادي بينَهُم حينَ أَسمَعا

وَرَوَّعَ قَلباً بِالفِراقِ مُروَّعا

A crier among them deafened ears when he called aloud,

and terrified a heart already terrified by separation:

شجاع إِذا لاقى كَميّاً مجرَّدا

جَبانٌ إِذا لاقى غَزالاً مُقَنَّعا

brave when meeting an armored warrior with sword drawn,

timid when meeting a veiled gazelle.

رَعى اللَهَ قَلباً بِالحِجازِ عَهِدتُهُ

وَإِن كُنتُ لا أَلقاهُ إِلّا مُودِّعا

May God preserve a heart I once knew in the Hijaz,

though I meet it only when bidding farewell.

أُحِبُّ النَوى لا عَن قِلىً غَيرَ أَنَّني

أَرى أُم عمروٍ وَالنَوى أَبَداً مَعا

I love separation, not from aversion, but because I

always see Umm ‘Amr and separation together.

يُوفّي هَواها حَقَّهُ فَيَصونَهُ

وَلَيسَ يَطيب الحُبُّ إِلّا مُمَنَّعا

It gives love for her its due, and thus safeguards it;

love is sweet only when kept beyond reach.

وَفيها وَفي أَترابِها ليَ مَنظَرٌ

هُوَ العَيشُ لَو صادفت في الرَوضِ مَربعا

In her and in her companions I have a sight

that is life itself, if I find a springtime abode in the garden.

حُجبنَ فَما يُبدين إِلّا لِنيَّة

بِنَفسي شُموس تَجعَل الغَرب مَطلعا

They are veiled and appear only for departure;

my life be their ransom—suns that make the west a place of rising.

وَلَمّا أَتَينَ الرَوض يَنشُرُ بَزَّهُ

تَضَوَّعن مِسكاً خالِصاً وَتَضَوَّعا

When they came to the garden as it spread its finery,

they breathed pure musk, and it too breathed fragrance.

وقدَّت كمام الزَهر عنه فخلته

عُيوناً وخلت الطَل مِنهُنَّ أَدمعا

The flowers’ sheaths were split away, and I thought the flowers

eyes, and thought the dew from them tears.

لَقَد خلقت عَيناه لِلسَّحرِ مَعدِناً

كَما خُلق الطَيموم للجودِ مَنبَعا

His eyes were indeed fashioned as a mine of enchantment,

just as al-Taymum was fashioned a wellspring of generosity.

وَما أَبدَع الشَمل المُشَتَّت بَينَنا

وَلَو جمع الشَمل الشَتيت لأَبدَعا

He did nothing new in scattering our fellowship;

had he reunited that scattered fellowship, he would have done something new.

سَأَقلَع غَرسَ الحُبِّ قَبلَ عُسوِّهِ

فأعجله من قبل أَن يَتَفرَّعا

I shall uproot love’s planting before it hardens,

hastening its end before it sends out branches.

وَأَورِد أَمالي الصَواديَ مِن يَدي

أَبي غانِمٍ بَحراً مِنَ الجودِ مُترعا

And I shall bring my thirsty hopes to water, from the hands

of Abu Ghanim—a sea brimful of generosity:

سَحاباً إِذا استَسقيت جاد إِجابة

وَإِن لم تَرِد سُقياهُ جاد تَبَرُّعا

a cloud that pours in answer when you seek rain,

and pours unasked even when you do not seek its watering;

وَبَحراً إِذا ما غُصتَ لقّاك دُرَّهُ

وَإِن لَم تغص أَلقى لك الدُرَّ مُسرِعا

and a sea that offers you its pearls when you dive,

and when you do not dive, swiftly casts its pearls to you.

نَدى الوجه من فرط الصَرامَة كُلَّما

جَرى الماءُ في صِمصامَةٍ كانَ أَقطعا

Dewy of face from the intensity of his resolve: whenever

water runs through a keen sword, it cuts more sharply.

وَلَولا العَطايا أَنَّها سُنَّة لَهُ

لما قال لِلدُنيا إِذا عثرت لَعا

Were gifts not his accustomed practice,

he would not tell the world, when it stumbled, “Rise again!”

فإِن يَلبِس الدُنيا فَلِلجودِ لا لَها

وَإِن هَجَرَ الدُنيا فَعَنها ترفُّعا

If he wears the world, it is for generosity, not for its sake;

and if he forsakes the world, it is in rising above it.

يقطِّع آناء النَهارِ عَلى الطَوى

صِياماً وآناء الظَلام تَضَرُّعا

He passes the hours of daylight in hunger,

fasting, and the hours of darkness in supplication.

يُراقِبُ إِحياء المَسا لِورودِهِ

إِذا راقَبَ المَرءُ المَساءَ ليَهجَعا

He watches to enliven the evening when it arrives,

while another man watches for evening so he may sleep.

إِذا كانَ حِفظُ الدينِ ما أَنتَ صانِع

فَلست تَرى في الناسِ إِلّا مضيعا

If safeguarding religion is what you do,

then among people you see only those who neglect it.

وَكَم قائِل لي كَيف مدحك هَكَذا

فَقُلتُ صِفوه إِنَّ لِلحَقِّ مُقنِعا

Many have asked me, “Why is your praise like this?”

So I said, “Describe him yourselves: truth is enough to persuade.”

إِذا ما مدحت ابن الحسين بِوَصفِهِ

أَو البعض منه جِئتُ بِالمَدح أَجمعا

When I praise the son of al-Husayn by describing him,

or even some of his qualities, I bring all praise together.

كَريم إِذا عاداكَ لَم تَر مغنماً

مِنَ الذَمِ إِلّا أَن تَقول وَيَسمعا

Generous: if he becomes your enemy, you gain nothing

from disparagement beyond speaking it and his hearing it.

تُتَبِّعُ نعماه بروق ابتسامِهِ

كَما أَتبع الغيث البروق تتبُّعا

The lightning flashes of his smile bring his bounty after them,

as lightning brings the rain following close behind.

وَتُمطِرُ لِلعافينَ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ

برويتهم يَسقي الرَحيق المُشَعشِعا

And they shower those seeking gifts, until it seems he

at the sight of them serves bright, diluted wine.

وَلَو أَنَّ إِنساناً لعظمِ مَحلِّهِ

ترفَّع عَن قدر الثَناءِ تَرَفَّعا

And if a man, through the greatness of his standing,

could rise beyond the measure of praise, he would rise beyond it.

فَتىً ماله لِلوافِدين وَإِنَّما

يُضاف إِلَيهِ في الكَلامِ توسّعا

A youth whose wealth belongs to visitors; it is only

attributed to him in speech through latitude in expression.

وَلَيسَ يُعَدُّ الجود جوداً لأَنَّهُ

يَرى ما أَتاهُ واجِباً لا تَبرُّعا

His generosity is not counted generosity, for he

regards what he gives as a duty, not a voluntary gift.

إِذا شرعت أَقلامه في كِتابَةٍ

رأَيت العَوالي في الكَتائِبِ شُرَّعا

When his pens embark upon writing,

you see lances leveled in the battalions.

وَإِن صدعت أَنيابهن بِمُديةٍ

رَأَيتُ لَها شمل الحَديد مصدَّعا

And if their teeth are cleft with a knife,

I see iron’s united mass shattered before them.

تَخِرُّ غداة الرَوعِ في الطِرسِ سُجَّدا

فَبيضٌ كَبيضِ الهِندِ في الهامِ رُكَّعا

They fall prostrate on the page on the morning of terror:

bright blades, like India’s blades bowing amid skulls.

تظلُّ سُيوف الهِندِ عِندَ صَريرِها

يُتَبِّعها فيما أَرادَ تَتَبُّعا

At their scratching, the swords of India remain

following closely whatever he directs them to do.

وَلَو مَسَّ أَنبوب اليَراعِ رأَيته

يُلَبي أَنابيبَ الرِماحِ إِذا دَعى

And if he touched the shaft of a reed-pen, you would see it

answering the shafts of spears whenever he called.

وَما أَحَدٌ في كتَبةٍ أَو كَتيبَةٍ

بأَسجَعَ مِنهُ في الكِتابِ وَأَشجَعا

No one among scribes or in a battalion

is more skilled than he in rhymed writing, or braver.

فَصيح إِذا ما جال لَم ير مغنماً

مِنَ العَيشِ إِلّا أَن يَقول وَيَسمعها

Eloquent: whenever he ranges forth, he sees no gain

in life beyond speaking and hearing it.

سَعى لِلعلى حَتّى إِذا ما أَصابَها

أَتَتهُ العُلى تَسعى إِلَيهِ بِما سَعى

He strove for glory until, when he attained it,

glory came striving toward him in return for his striving.

وتحرز ما تغنى بِهِ فَكَأَنَّما

تخال الفَتى مثل الغناء مُرجَّعا

And it guards what it sings of in him, so that

you might imagine the youth like a repeated song.

وترقص أَطراف القَنا عن جبينه

إِذا ما اعتَرى يَومَ الهياجِ أَو ادَّعى

And the tips of lances dance away from his brow

when he comes forth on battle day or declares himself.

إِذا ما دَعى الداعوَ حيَّ عَلى النَدى

وَحيَّ عَلى الهيجاء أَقبل مسرعا

When the caller calls, “Come to generosity!”

and “Come to battle!” he hastens forward.

وَجَيشٍ كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ قَد لَبِسَت بِهِ

مِنَ النَقعِ وَالطَيرِ الحَوائِمِ بُرقُعا

And an army in which the sun seemed to have put on

a veil of dust and circling birds:

شققت إِلى أَبطالِهِ الصَفَّ مِثلَما

شققت بِنصفين الرِداء الموشَّعا

you split the ranks toward its champions, just as

you split an embroidered cloak into two halves,

بِأَبيَض يفري كل درعٍ وَجِنَّة

فَلَيسَ يُحاشي حاسِراً أَو مدرعا

with a gleaming sword that tears through every coat of mail and shield,

sparing neither the unarmored nor the armored.

وَلَم أَرَ كالطَيمومِ إِلّا أَبا النَدى

كريمين مِن أَصلٍ كَريم تفرَّعا

I have seen none like al-Taymum except Abu al-Nada,

two generous men branching from a noble root.

لِكُلِّ بهاءٌ مِنكُما غير أَنَّني

رأَيتكُما أَبهى إِذا كُنتُما معا

Each of you has splendor, yet I

find you more splendid when you are together.

لَو أَنَّكُما بَعد التَأزُرِ مُتما

تضعضع رضوى أَو شرورى تضعضعا

If, after joining forces, you both were to die,

Radwa or Sharawra would crumble utterly.

مَعاً أَنتُما كالنَيِّرينِ مَحلة

وَنوراً ومثل الفرقدين تجمعا

Together you are like the two luminaries in station

and radiance, and like the two Farqad stars in conjunction.

أَبا حسن أَحيَيتَ بِالجودِ حاتِماً

وَبالحُلُمِ لُقماناً وَبِالمُلكِ تُبَّعا

Abu Hasan, through generosity you have brought Hatim to life,

and Luqman through forbearance, and Tubba‘ through kingship.

فُطرتَ عَلى دينِ النَدى فاكتسبته

فَحُزتَ المَعالي فِطرَةً وَتَصَنُّعا

You were born to generosity’s creed and made it your own,

thus winning noble heights both by nature and by cultivation.

ورتَّبته فَوقَ السَموات رُتبَةً

فَلَم يَبقَ في جودٍ لغيركَ مَطمَعا

You placed it in rank above the heavens,

leaving no hope in generosity for anyone else.

لَقَد سُدتَ أَهل الأَرضِ مُجتمع القوى

وَقَد سُدتَّهم من قبل ذَلِك مُرضعا

You surpassed the people of the earth in the fullness of your strength,

and had surpassed them even before that, as a nursing infant.

إِذا أَول الخُطيِّ أَخطاك طعنه

فَلا ترج في أَخراهُ لِلضَّيمِ مدفعا

If the point of a Khatti spear misses you with its thrust,

do not expect its other end to defend against oppression.

إِذا ما طَريق المَدحِ ضاق عَلى امرىءٍ

رأَيتُ طَريق المَدحِ نَحوَكَ مهيعا

When the road of praise narrows for a man,

I find the road of praise toward you wide open.

فَإِن قُلتَ لَيثاً كُنتَ أَشجَع مَدفَعا

وَإِن كُنتَ غيثاً كُنتَ أَنفَع موقعا

If you say “a lion,” you are braver in defense;

and if you are rain, you do more good where you fall;

وَإِن قلت بَحراً كُنتَ أَعذَب مورداً

وَإِن قُلتُ بَدراً كُنتَ أَبعَد مطلعا

and if you say “a sea,” you are sweeter at the watering place;

and if I say “a full moon,” you rise farther aloft.

فَهُنِّيتَ ذا العيد الَّذي هوَ حاضِرٌ

وَهُنيتَ أَلفاً مثله مُتَوَقَّعا

May you be blessed in this feast now here,

and blessed with a thousand like it still to come.

زَمانكَ أَعياد وَهُنِّيت مثلها

ولست أَخُصُّ اليَومَ إِلّا لأَجمَعا

Your days are feasts; may you be blessed with more like them.

I single out today only to encompass them all.

كرهتَ جوار المالِ من كَرَمٍ فَما

يَرى مالُك الخَزّانِ إِلّا مودِّعا

Your generosity makes you dislike wealth’s company, so

your wealth sees the treasurers only when bidding farewell.

تَواضَعَ من فَرطِ الرَجاحَةِ أَنَّهُ

إِذا وزن الشَيء الرَفيع ترفَّعا

He bows low through his great weight of worth, for

when a lofty thing is weighed against him, it rises.

لَقَد أَلبَسَ اللَهَ البِلادَ وَأَهلَها

بِشخصلك تاجاً بِالمَعالي مرصَّعا

God has indeed clothed the lands and their people,

through your person, in a crown studded with noble honors.

بَقيتَ بَقاء الدَهرِ تُرجى وَتُتَّقى

فَما العَيشُ إِلّا أَن تَضُرَّ وَتَنفَعا

May you endure as long as time, hoped for and feared,

for life is nothing but having power to harm and benefit.