بدا والثريا في مغاربها قرط — Alabywrdy

بَدا والثُّريّا في مَغارِبِها قُرْطُ

بُرَيْقٌ شَجاني والدُّجى لِمَمٌ شُمْطُ

There appeared, with the Pleiades an earring in their western sky,

a little flash that stirred my longing, while darkness was gray-streaked locks.

كأنَّ خِلالَ الغَيْمِ مِن لَمَعانِهِ

يَدَيْ قادِحٍ يَرفَضُّ مِن زَنْدِهِ سِقْطُ

As though its glitter, amid the clouds, were

the two hands of a fire-striker, sparks scattering from his fire-stick.

تَناعَسَ في وَطْفاءَ إن حَلَّتِ الصَّبا

عَزالِيَها بالوَدْقِ عَيَّ بِها الرَّبْطُ

It drowsed within a heavy cloud: if the east wind loosened

its spouts in rain, no fastening could restrain them.

فَلا بَرِحَتْ تُروي الغَميمَ بِوابِلٍ

يَدُرُّ على رَوضٍ أزاهِيرُهُ تَغْطو

May it never cease drenching al-Ghamim with a downpour

pouring over a meadow whose blossoms grow luxuriantly.

إذا نَشِيَتْ أرواحَهُ العِيسُ مَوْهِناً

دَعاها القَصيصُ الجَعْدُ والنَّفَلُ السَّبْطُ

When the pale camels inhale its scents late at night,

the curly qasis and smooth clover beckon them.

هوَ الرَّبْعُ لا قَوْسي عَلى مَيْعَةِ الصِّبا

مُعَطَّلةٌ فيهِ ولا أسْهُمي مُرْطُ

This is the dwelling: in youth's prime, my bow

was not idle there, nor were my arrows unfeathered.

عَهِدْتُ بهِ غَيداءَ تُلقي على الثّرى

أَساوِدَ فَرْعٍ في القُلوبِ لها نَشْطُ

I knew there a supple beauty, letting fall upon the earth

black serpents of hair whose bite reaches hearts.

إذا نَظَرَتْ أو أتْلَعَتْ قُلْتُ جُؤْذَرٌ

رأى قانِصاً فارْتاعَ أو ظَبْيَةٌ تَعْطو

When she gazed or raised her neck, I said: a wild-cow calf

that saw a hunter and took fright, or a gazelle reaching up to browse.

وبَيْضاءَ تَرْوى دونَها السُّمْرُ مِن دَمٍ

وكَمْ حَصَدَ الأرواحَ ما أنْبَتَ الخَطُّ

And a fair beauty, in whose defense brown lances drink their fill of blood;

and how many souls the growth of al-Khatt has reaped!

تَبَسَّمُ عن أحْوى اللِّثَاتِ يَزينُهُ

جُمانٌ يُباهيه على جِيدِها السِّمْطُ

She smiles, revealing a dark-gummed mouth adorned

with pearls rivaled by the necklace upon her neck.

ترَدَّدَ فيهِ الظَّلْمُ حتّى كأنّهُ

على الشَّيْمِ مِن ظَنّي إذا ذِيقَ إسْفِنْطُ

The mouth's moisture played within it, until it seemed—

judging by its gleam, I fancied—like isfint wine when tasted.

وتُرْخي على المَتْنَينِ أسْحَمَ وارِداً

يَمُجُّ فَتيتَ المِسْكِ من نشْرِهِ المِشْطُ

She lets jet-black, flowing hair fall down both sides of her back;

the comb spills powdered musk from its fragrance.

إذا اللّيلُ أدناها إليَّ نأَى بِها

صَباحٌ كَما أوْفى على اللِّمَّةِ الوَخْطُ

Whenever night brought her near me, she was borne away

by dawn, as flecks of gray appeared upon the locks.

وعُدْتُ أكُفُّ المَشْيَ مِن حَذَرِ العِدا

على قَدَمٍ يُخْفي مَواطِئَها المِرْطُ

And I returned, checking my steps for fear of foes,

on feet whose prints the mantle concealed.

وكُنّا شَرَطْنا الوَصْلَ لولا ثلاثَةٌ

إذا ماتَوَاصَوْا بالنَّوى انْتقَضَ الشَّرْطُ

We had pledged union, but for three:

whenever they urged each other toward parting, the pact unraveled.

مُهيبٌ بأُخرى النّاجِياتِ وناعِبٌ

وغَيرانُ يَقضي بالظُّنونِ ويَشْتَطُّ

A driver urging on the rearmost swift camels, a croaking raven,

and a jealous man who judges by suspicion and exceeds all bounds.

جَلَوْا مِن عَذارَى الحَيِّ لِلْبَيْنِ أوْجُهَاً

شَرِقْنَ بِدَمْعٍ يَمْتَري خِلفَهُ الشَّحْطُ

They unveiled, for parting, faces of the tribe's maidens,

choked with tears whose teat distance milks.

كأنّ الرِّياضَ الحُوَّ يَنفُضْنَ فوقَها

شَقائِقَ فِيها مِن دُموعِ الحَيا نَقْطُ

As though dark-green meadows scattered over them

anemones dotted with tears of rain.

ولَيلٍ طَوَتْ كِسْرَيْهِ بي أرْحَبيّةٌ

على نَصَبِ المَسْرى بآمالِنا تَمْطُو

Many a night's two flanks were folded by an Arhab-bred she-camel bearing me,

striding with our hopes despite the toil of night travel.

أقولُ لها غِبَّ الوَجى وكأنّها

فُوَيْقَ سِنانِ الزّاعِبيِّ بِنا تَخطُو

I say to her, after her feet grow sore, as though she

were stepping with us just above a Za'ibi spearpoint:

خِدي بي رَعاكِ اللهُ إنَّ أمَامَنا

أغرَّ بهِ في كُلِّ حادِثَةٍ نَسْطو

Stride on with me—may God guard you! Ahead of us is

a radiant lord, through whom we prevail in every crisis.

فَسيري إليهِ واهْجُري أجْرَعَ الحِمى

يَرِفُّ عليْكِ العِزُّ لا الأثْلُ والخَمْطُ

So journey to him and forsake the preserve's sandy tract;

glory, not tamarisk and bitter thorn-trees, will flutter over you.

إِلى مُستَقِلٍّ بالنّوائِبِ والوَغى

تُرِمُّ مَذاكيهِ فأصواتُها النَّحْطُ

To one who shoulders calamities and war;

his seasoned steeds fall silent, their only sound a panting snort.

وتَصُدُرُ عَنْ لَبَّاتِهِنَّ نَواهِلاً

صُدورُ العَوالي وهْيَ مُزْوَرَّةٌ تَقْطو

And from their upper breasts withdraw, having drunk their fill,

the heads of tall lances, while the steeds swerve and take short steps.

أخو مأْقِطٍ إن طاوَلَ القِرْنَ قَدَّهُ

وضَرْبَتُهُ إنْ عارَضَ البَطَلَ القَطُّ

A brother of battle: if he vies in stature with a rival, he cleaves him lengthwise;

his stroke, when he confronts a champion, cuts clean across.

تُخاطُ علَيْهِ مِن عَجاجٍ مُلاءَةٌ

ولكنّها بالسّمهَرِيّةِ تَنْعَطُ

A mantle of battle-dust is sewn around him,

but sturdy lances tear it apart.

ويَطوي على البَغْضاءِ جَنْبَيْهِ كاشِحٌ

تخطّى بهِ رَهْواً إِلى الحَسَدِ الغَبْطُ

A secret foe folds both his sides around hatred;

admiration has borne him smoothly over into envy.

يُحاولُ أدنى شأْوِهِ فهْوَ جاهِدٌ

على الأيْنِ كالعَشْواءِ أجْهَدَها الخَبْطُ

He strives for the nearest reach of his course, straining,

weary as a night-blind she-camel exhausted by stumbling.

إليكُمْ فَدونَ المَجدِ مَن لا يَخونُهُ

شَبا نابِهِ المَذْروبُ والمِخْلَبُ السَّلْطُ

Stand back! Before glory stands one never failed

by his whetted fang's sharp point and his keen claw.

يلَذُّ بأفواهِ المُلوكِ بِساطُهُ

فقَدْ كادَ أن تَبْلى مِنَ القُبَلِ البُسْطُ

His carpet is sweet to the mouths of kings;

the carpets have all but worn out from kisses.

منَ القومِ عدَّ النّاسِبونَ بيوتَهُمْ

فلَم يُنْكِروا أن النّجومَ لَهمْ رَهْطُ

He is of a people whose houses the genealogists counted,

and they did not deny that the stars were their kin.

مَغاويرُ والهَيجاءُ تُلقي قِناعَها

مَغازيرُ والغَبْراءُ يُلْوي بِها القَحْطُ

Bold raiders when warfare throws aside her veil;

lavish givers when drought ravages the dust-gray earth.

لهُمْ قَسِماتٌ تَسْتَنيرُ طَلاقَةً

بِها لأديمِ اللّيلِ عَنْ فَجْرِهِ كَشْطُ

Their features shine with open cheer;

by them night's hide is stripped away from its dawn.

هُمُ في الرِّضى كالماءِ يُسْتَنُّ في الظُّبا

وكالنّارِ فيها حينَ يَسْتَلُّها السُّخْطُ

When pleased, they are like water coursing through sword-blades,

and like fire within them when wrath unsheathes them.

فإنْ يَغْضَبوا مِن سَوْرَةِ العِزِّ يَحلُموا

وإن يَقدِروا يعْفوا وإن يُسألوا يُعْطوا

If in a surge of noble pride they grow angry, they show forbearance;

if powerful, they pardon; if asked, they give.

وكَمْ لكَ يا عَدنانُ عِنديَ منْ يَدٍ

كما أنهَرَتْ أطْباءَها اللّقْحَةُ البِسْطُ

How many favors, O Adnan, have you bestowed on me,

as a freely nursing she-camel sends streams of milk from her teats!

وقد أنِسَتْ بالمُسْتَحِقِّ فأُنْمِيَتْ

ولمْ يَحْبُ كُفرانٌ إلَيها ولا غَمْطُ

They found their ease with one deserving, and were nurtured;

neither ingratitude nor belittlement crept toward them.

يَراني الذي عاداكَ مِلْءَ جُفونِهِ

قَذًى وقَتاداً لا يُشذِّبُهُ الخَرْطُ

Your enemy sees me filling his eyelids,

eye-grit and a qatad thornbush no stripping can prune.

تأبّطَ شَرّاً مِن حُقودٍ قَديمةٍ

وتِلكَ لعَمري شَرُّ ما ضَمَّهُ الإبْطُ

He tucked beneath his arm the evil of ancient grudges;

by my life, that is the worst an armpit ever held.

فقالَ تَميميٌّ هَواهُ وهَلْ لهُ

أبٌ كَتَميمٍ أو كأبْنائِهِ سِبْطُ

He said, 'His allegiance is Tamimi!' Yet does he have

a father like Tamim, or a grandson like Tamim's sons?

تَمُدُّ حِفافَيْكَ القَوافي جَناحَها

وهنَّ أفاعٍ يَحتَوِشْنَ العِدا رُقْطُ

Rhymes extend their wing along both your sides,

and they are speckled vipers encircling your foes.

شوارِدُ أمثالَ اللآلِئِ ما لَها

إذا انتَثَرَتْ إلاَّ بِناديكُمُ لَقْطُ

Far-ranging verses like pearls, never gathered,

once scattered, except in your assembly.

كأني قَسيمُ الفَخْرِ فيما بَنَيْتُمُ

مِنَ المَجدِ أو لي مِنْ مَناقِبِكُمْ قِسْطُ

It is as though I share the pride of what you have built

of glory, or hold a share of your noble qualities.

أيَبْغي عُلاً تَسمو إليهنَّ صاعِداً

ضَجيعُ هَوَيْنَى مِنْ سَجيَّتهِ الهَبْطُ

Does he seek the heights to which you climb—

that bedfellow of sloth, whose nature is descent?

وأنَّى يكونُ المُلتَقى عِندَ غايةٍ

وأنتَ غداةَ السَّبْقِ تَعلو ويَنْحَطُّ

How could there be a meeting at the finish,

when on race morning you rise and he sinks?

فلا زال مَعصوباً وإنْ رَغِمَ العِدا

بِكَ النّقْضُ والإبرامُ والقَبْضُ والبَسْطُ

May there always be entrusted, though your foes be humbled,

to you all undoing and binding, withholding and giving.