على عذب الجرعاء من أيمن الحمى — Alabywrdy

على عَذَبِ الجَرْعاءِ منْ أيْمَنِ الحِمى

مَرادُ الظِّباءِ الأُدْمِ أو مَلْعَبُ الدُّمى

On al-Jar'a's edge, to the right of the protected pasture,

A haunt of pale gazelles, or a playground of doll-like beauties.

رَعابيبُ يُحمى سِرْبُهُنَّ بغِلْمَةٍ

يَشُمُّ بِهِمْ أنْفُ المُكاشِحِ مَرْغَما

Soft, full-bodied beauties, their flock guarded by youths,

Through whom the enemy's nose sniffs the dust of abasement.

غَيارَى إذا أرْخى الظّلامُ سُدولَهُ

سَرَوْا في ضَميرِ الليلِ سِراً مُكَتَّما

Jealous guardians: when darkness lowers its curtains,

They travel through the heart of night in closely guarded secrecy.

يَبيتونَ أيْقاظاً على حين هَوّمَتْ

كَواكِبُ يَغْشَيْنَ المَغارِبَ نُوَّما

They spend the night awake, while drowsiness overtakes

The stars, entering their western horizons asleep.

طَرَقْتُهُمُ والبيضُ بالسُّمرِ تَحْتَمي

فخُضْتُ إليهنَّ الوَشيجَ المُقَوَّما

I visited them by night, while fair women sheltered behind brown lances,

And waded toward them through the straightened lance-shafts.

وبكادَ يُريني أوّلُ الفجْرِ غُرَّةً

على أخْرَياتِ الليلِ في وَجْهِ أدْهَما

And dawn's beginning almost showed me a white blaze

At night's last reaches, on the face of a black steed.

وكمْ شَنَبٍ في ثغْرِهِ لم أُبَلْ بِهِ

ففي شَفَةِ الظَّلْماءِ منْ دُونِهِ لَمى

How much pearly sheen in its mouth I disregarded,

For dark night's lip, instead, possessed a dusky tint.

فبِتْنَ على ذُعْرٍ يُقَلِّبْنَ في الدُّجى

بِزُجٍّ على دُعْجٍ قِسِيّاً وأسْهُمما

They spent the night in alarm, wielding in the dark

Bows and arrows—arched brows above wide, dark eyes.

وغازَلْتُ إحداهُنَّ حتى بكَتْ دَماً

مَدامِعُنا للصُّبْحِ حينَ تبسَّما

And I wooed one of them, until blood was wept

By our eyes, for the dawn when it smiled.

وضاقَ عِناقٌ يَسْلُبُ الجيدَ عِقْدَهُ

ولم يحْتَضِنْ منّا الوِشاحانِ مأثَما

An embrace tightened, stripping the neck of its necklace,

Yet our two sashes embraced no sin.

فَوا عَجَبا حتى الصّباحُ يَروعُني

لهُ الوَيْلُ كم يَشْجو الفؤادَ المُتَيَّما

What a wonder—even morning terrifies me!

Woe to it! How it grieves the love-enslaved heart.

ولو قابَلَتْهُ بالذّوائِبِ راجَعَتْ

بِها اللّيلَ مُلْتَفَّ الغَدائِرِ أسْحَما

Had she confronted it with her tresses, she would have restored

Through them the night, black, with entwined braids.

وإنْ كُفَّ عنّا ضَوْؤُهُ باتَ حَلْيُها

ينُمُّ علينا جَرْسُهُ إنْ ترنَّما

Even if its light were withheld from us, her jewelry would spend the night

Betraying us by its chime, if it sang.

ولسنا نُبالي الحَلْيَ إنّ فَصيحَهُ

بحيثُ يُرى منْ قِلّةِ النُّطْقِ أعْجَما

Yet we do not fear the jewelry: its eloquent one

Seems mute, so little does it speak.

فما شاعَ بالأسْرارِ منها مُسَوَّرٌ

ولم نتَّهِمْ أيضاً عليها المُخَدَّما

No bracelet-clad wrist of hers spread our secrets,

Nor did we suspect her anklet-clad ankle of revealing them.

إذا ما سَرَتْ لمْ يُمكِن القُلْبَ مَنطِقٌ

ولا حاوَلَ الخَلْخالُ أنْ يتكلَّما

Whenever she traveled by night, speech was impossible for her bracelet,

Nor did the anklet attempt to speak.

ولكنْ وَشى بي نَشْرُها إذْ توَشَّحَتْ

لديَّ جُمانَ الرَّشْحِ فذّاً وتَوْأَما

But her fragrance betrayed me, as she draped herself

Beside me in pearls of sweat, singly and in pairs.

لئِنْ كَثُرَ الواشُونَ فالوُدُّ بَينَنا

على عُقَبِ الأيامِ لن يتصرَّما

Though the tale-bearers multiply, the love between us

Will never be severed through the turns of days.

وأبْرَحُ ما ألْقاهُ في الحُبِّ رائِعٌ

منَ الشّيبِ بالفَوْدَيْنِ منّي تضرّما

The cruelest thing I encounter in love is a terrifying sight:

Gray hair that has flared up at both my temples.

أقَبْلَ بلوغِ الأرْبعينَ تَسومُني

صُروفُ الليالي أن أشيبَ وأهْرَما

Before I reach forty, must I be compelled

By the vicissitudes of nights to turn gray and grow decrepit?

وتُسْحِبُني ذَيلَ الخَصاصةِ والعُلا

تُحَمِّلُني عِبْءَ السّيادةِ مُعْدِما

They make me trail poverty's hem, while lofty honor

Loads me, penniless, with the burden of leadership.

وأهتَزُّ عندَ المَكْرُماتِ فَشيمَةٌ

لنا ساعَةَ الضّرّاءِ أن تتكرَّما

I thrill at noble deeds; it is a trait

Of ours to be generous in the hour of hardship.

وأرْضى بحَظٍّ في الثّراءِ مؤَخَّرٍ

إذا كانَ بَيتي في العَلاءِ مُقَدَّما

I am content with a lesser place in wealth,

If my house is foremost in high honor.

وتألَفُ نَفسي عِزَّها وهْيَ حُرَّةٌ

تَرى الكِبْرَ غُنْماً والضّراعَةَ مَغْرَما

My soul cherishes its dignity, being freeborn,

Seeing pride as gain and abasement as loss.

وقد لامَني مَنْ لو تأمَّلْتُ قَوْلَهُ

علمتُ يَقيناً أنهُ كان ألْوَما

Someone has reproached me; were I to weigh his words,

I would know for certain that he was more blameworthy.

يُعَيِّرني أني صَدَدْتُ عنِ الوَرى

ولمْ أمْتَدِحْ منهمْ لَئيماً مُذَمَّما

He taunts me for turning away from mankind

And not praising any vile, blameworthy man among them.

روَيْدَكَ إنّي أبْتَغي إرْثَ مَعْشَري

وهَمُّكَ أنْ تُعْطَى لَبوساً ومَطعَما

Easy now! I seek the inheritance of my people,

While your concern is to be given clothes and food.

فَواللهِ لا عَتَّبْتُ بابَكَ أخْمَصي

فذَرْني وجُرَّ الأتْحَمِيَّ المُسَهَّما

By God, I shall not set my foot's arch on your threshold;

So leave me, and trail your arrow-patterned Athami robe.

أأنْحو طَريقاً للطّماعَةِ مَجْهَلاً

وأتْرُكُ نَهْجاً للقَناعَةِ مَعْلَما

Should I follow an unmarked road of greed

And abandon a well-marked path of contentment?

وقد شبّهَتْني إذ وُلِدْتُ قَوابِلي

منَ الأُسْدِ مَجْدولَ الذِّراعَيْنِ ضَيْغَما

My midwives, when I was born, likened me

To a fierce lion among lions, with corded forelegs.

ولو شِئْتُ إدراكَ الغِنى بالْتِماسِهِ

زَجَرْتُ على الأيْنِ المَطِيِّ المُخَرَّما

Had I wished to reach riches by seeking them,

I would have goaded the nose-pierced riding camel on despite fatigue.

أكَلِّفُهُ الإسْآدَ حتى يَمَلَّهُ

ويَرْعُفُ في المَسْرى سَناماً ومَنْسِما

Forcing it to march by night until it tired of it,

And bled along the night road from hump and padded foot.

فلا عاشَ مَنْ يَرْضى بأسْآرِ عِيشَةٍ

تَبرَّضَها إلا ذَليلاً مُهَضَّما

May none who accept life's leavings live,

Sipping it drop by drop, save abased and oppressed.

ولِي نَظْرَةٌ شَطْرَ المَعالِي وهِمَّةٌ

أبَتْ أن تَزورَ الجانِبَ المُتَجهِّما

I have a gaze toward lofty attainments, and an ambition

That refuses to visit a frowning quarter.

وأقرَعُ أبوابَ الملُوكِ بوالِدٍ

حَوى بأبي سُفْيانَ أشْرَفَ مُنْتَمى

I knock at kings' doors on the strength of a father

Who, through Abu Sufyan, possessed the noblest lineage.

ولولا ابنُ مَنصورٍ لما شِمْتُ بارِقاً

لجَدْوى ولم أفْتَحْ بمَسْأَلةٍ فَما

But for Ibn Mansur, I would not have watched a lightning flash

For bounty, nor opened my mouth with a request.

يَعُدُّ إِلى دودانَ بِيضاً غَطارِفاً

تَفرَّعَ رَوْقَيْ عِيصِهِمْ وتَسَنَّما

He counts, back to Dudan, fair-faced noble chiefs,

He climbed the twin boughs of their ancestral thicket and reached its summit.

وفي مَزْيَدٍ منْ بَعْدِ رَيّانَ مَفْخَرٌ

لَوى عَنْ مَداهُ ساعِدَ النّجْمِ أجْذَما

In Mazyad, after Rayyan, there is glory

That twisted the star's forearm away from its reach, leaving it maimed.

فأكْرِمْ بآباءٍ هُمُ في اشْتِهارِهمْ

بُدورٌ وأبناءٍ يُعالُونَ أنْجُما

How noble are fathers who, in their renown,

Are full moons, and sons who soar above the stars!

وأنتَ ابْنُهُمْ والفَرْعُ يُشْبِهُ أصْلَهُ

تُحامي وَراءَ المَجْدِ أن يُتَقَسَّما

You are their son, and the branch resembles its root;

You stand guard behind glory, lest it be divided.

تَروضُ مَصاعيبَ الأمورِ وتَمْتَطي

غَوارِبَ منْ دَهْرٍ أبى أن يُخَطّما

You tame intractable affairs, and mount

The shoulders of an age that refuses a nose-rein.

وتَسْمو إِلى شأوٍ ثَنى كُلَّ طالِبٍ

على ظَلَعٍ يَمْشي وقد كان مِرْجَما

You rise to a goal that turned every seeker back

To walk limping, though once he was a swift runner.

وتَنْهَلُّ منْ كِلْتا يَدَيْكَ غَمائِمٌ

يظَلُّ عليْهِنَّ الأمانيُّ حُوَّما

Clouds pour forth from both your hands,

With hopes forever hovering above them.

فَجارُكَ لا يَخشى الأذى وتَخالُهُ

منَ الأمْنِ في أنْضادِ يَذْبُلَ أعْصَما

Your neighbor fears no harm, and you would think him

So safe, a white-legged ibex among Yadhbul's tiered crags.

وعافِيكَ في رَوْضٍ توسَّد زَهْرَهُ

يُناجي غَديراً في حواشيهِ مُفْعَما

Your seeker of bounty lies in a meadow, pillowed on its flowers,

Whispering to a pool brimming within its banks.

ويَمْتارُ نُعْمى لا تُغِبُّ ويجْتَلي

مُحيّا يَروقُ النّاظِرَ المتَوَسِّما

He gathers blessings that never cease, and beholds

A face that delights the discerning onlooker.

وإنْ ألقَتِ الحَرْبُ العَوانُ قِناعَها

وطارَتْ فِراخٌ كُنَّ في الهامِ جُثَّما

And if seasoned war casts off its veil,

And fledglings fly that once lay huddled in skulls,

بيَوْمٍ مَريضِ الشّمسِ جَوْنٍ إهابُهُ

تظنُّ الضُّحى لَيْلاً منَ النّقْعِ أقْتَما

On a day whose sun is sickly and whose hide is black,

You think the forenoon a dust-darkened night,

ضَرَبْتَ بسَيْفٍ لم يَخُنْكَ غِرارُهُ

يَرُدُّ شَباهُ جانِبَ القِرْنِ أثْلَما

You strike with a sword whose edge does not betray you,

Its sharp edge leaving the adversary's flank notched;

ورأيٍ كَفاكَ المَشْرَفيَّ وسَلَّهُ

وسُمْرَ العَوالي والخَميسَ العَرَمْرَما

And with judgment that spares you the Mashrafi sword and drawing it,

The brown, tall lances, and the mighty host.

بَلَغْتَ المَدى فارْفُقْ بنَفْسِكَ تَسْتَرِحْ

فليس عَليها بَعْدَهُ أن تُجَشَّما

You have reached the utmost; be gentle with yourself and rest,

For beyond that, no further burden need be laid on you.

وحَسْبُ الفَتى أن فاقَ في الجودِ حاتِماً

وفي بأسِهِ عَمْراً وفي الرّأيِ أكْثَما

It is enough for a man to have surpassed Hatim in generosity,

Amr in his valor, and Aktham in judgment.

فهُنِّئَتِ الأيامُ منكَ بِماجِدٍ

أضاءَ بهِ الدّهْرُ الذي كان مُظلِما

So let the days be congratulated on the noble man they have in you,

Through whom the age, once dark, has shone.

لهُ هَيْبَةٌ فيها التّواضُعُ كامِنٌ

وعِزٌّ بذَيْلِ الكِبْرِياءِ تَلَثّما

He has an awe-inspiring presence, with humility hidden within,

And dignity veiled in the hem of grandeur.

وزارَكَ عِيدٌ ناشَ ذيلَكَ سَعْدُهُ

وألْقَى عَصاهُ في ذَراكَ وخَيّما

A feast-day has visited you, its good fortune lifting your hem,

And laid down its staff in your shelter and pitched camp.

فصَيِّرْ أعادِيكَ الأضاحِيَّ إذ لَوَوْا

طُلىً يَسْتَزِرْنَ المَشْرَفيَّ المُصَمِّما

So make your enemies the sacrificial victims, since they have twisted

Necks that invite the bone-cleaving Mashrafi sword.

وسَقِّ الثّرى للنُّسْكِ منْ نَعَمٍ دَماً

ورَوِّ الظُّبا للمُلْكِ منْ بُهَمٍ دَما

For the rite, water the earth with blood from livestock,

And for kingship, slake the blades with fearless warriors' blood.

ولا تَصْطَنِعْ إلا الكِرامَ فإنّهُمْ

يُجازونَ بالنَّعْماءِ مَنْ كان مُنْعِما

Bestow favors only on the noble, for they

Repay with favors whoever has shown them generosity.

ومَنْ يتّخِذْ عندَ اللئامِ صَنيعَةً

تَجدْهُ على آثارِها مُتَنَدِّما

Whoever does a favor for the base—

You will find him regretting it afterward.

وأيُّ فَتىً من عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ غَمَرْتَهُ

بِسَيْبٍ كَشُؤْبوبِ الغَمامِ إذا هَمى

And what a youth of Abd Shams you have flooded

With bounty like a raincloud's downpour when it pours,

فأهْدى إليكَ الشِّعْرَ حُلْواً مَذاقُهُ

تَضُمُّ قوافِيهِ الجُمانَ المُنَظَّما

So he offered you verse, sweet to taste,

Its rhymes enfolding pearls neatly strung!

ومَنْ يترقَّبْ في رَجائِكَ ثَرْوَةً

فإني لمْ أخْدِمْكَ إلا لأُخْدَما

And whoever expects wealth from hope in you—

For my part, I have served you only that I might be served.