لأي وميض بارقة أشيم — Alarjani

لأيِّ ومَيضِ بارقةٍ أَشيمُ

وَمرْعَى الفَضْلِ في زَمني هَشيمُ

For which flash of lightning shall I watch,

when the pasture of merit in my age is dry stubble?

أَبِيتُ وخَدُّ ليلِ الشِّعْرِ منّي

بكَفِّ الصُّبْحِ من شَيْبي لَطيم

I pass the night, the cheek of my poetry's night

slapped by dawn's palm—the gray of my hair.

وضَمَّ إليَّ أَفكاري جَناحي

فلي في عُشِّ مُطّرَحي جُثوم

My wing has drawn my thoughts in close to me,

so I crouch in the nest of my retreat.

فعُذْراً إنْ تَغيَّر عَهْدُ شِعْري

وقد يُغْضي عَنِ الزَّلَلِ الحَليم

So pardon me if my verse is no longer what it was;

the forbearing may overlook a lapse.

وما قصَّرْتُ عن شَأْوٍ ولكنْ

سَقيمٌ كُلُّ ما نَظَمَ السّقيم

I have not fallen short of any goal, but

sickly is everything a sick man composes.

وتَعتلُّ القلوبُ فليس يُرضَى

لها أَثَرٌ إذا اعتَلَّ الجُسوم

And hearts fall ill, so no approval is given

to their work when bodies fall ill.

وكيف يُجيدُ لي طَبْعٌ عَقيرٌ

يَكوسُ إذا تَخاطَرَتِ القُروم

How can my hamstrung poetic gift excel,

hobbling while the great camel-stallions strut?

ولا أَرْضَى بي عُذْراً ولكِنْ

غدْوتُ إلى قَبولِكَ أَسْتَنيم

Nor do I accept my condition as an excuse; rather,

I have come to rely on your acceptance.

كما اعْوجَّ الكتابُ على فُصوصٍ

وتَقْلُبُه الخُتومُ فيَسْتَقيم

As writing is reversed upon seal-stones,

and seals turn it over, making it straight.

وكنتُ وكُلُّ ما أُسقَى جِمامٌ

أُعدُّ وكُلُّ ما أَرعَى جَميم

And I was—when all I drank was abundant water—

held in esteem, and all I grazed was lush herbage.

أَيُفْطَمُ عن لِبانِ العِزِّ مثْلي

وأَعجَبُ حادثٍ شَيْخٌ فَطيم

Should one like me be weaned from the milk of honor?

The strangest turn of fate: an old man newly weaned!

وأَسكُبُ بالتَّبذُّلِ ماءَ وَجْهي

على حينَ استَشنَّ لي الأَديم

And must I spill my face's water through self-abasement,

just when my skin has dried and shriveled?

فإنْ يك قد تَناساني لدَهْري

كريمٌ من بَنيهِ أَو لئيم

If, in my time, I have been deliberately forgotten

by one of its sons, whether noble or base,

فهَبْ نَجْداً لساكِنِهِ وأَعْرِضْ

فحَسْبُكَ من عَرارتِهِ شَميم

then leave Najd to its dweller and turn away;

a whiff of its arar blossoms is enough for you.

ومَوْقِفُ ساعةٍ في رَسْمِ دارٍ

وأَيدي العيسِ في لُجَجٍ تَعوم

And an hour's halt at the traces of a dwelling,

while the pale camels' forelegs swim through surging depths.

وَقفْتُ ومُقْلتي بَخِلَتْ بدَمْعي

وأَنكْرَ صاحبي فغَدا يلوم

I halted, but my eye begrudged my tears;

my companion disapproved and began to blame me.

فيا عَوْني ويا عَيْني جميعاً

قَبيحٌ منكُما لَوْمٌ ولُوم

O my helper, and O my eye, both of you:

reproach and stinginess ill become you both.

أُحِبُّ المرءَ ظاهْرُهُ جَميلٌ

لصاحبِه وباطِنُهُ سَليم

I love a man whose outward manner is gracious

to his friend, and whose inward heart is sound;

بأُولَىدَعْوَتيَّ يُجِيبُ طَوْعاً

إذا ما عَنَّ لي شَرَفٌ مَروم

who answers willingly at the first of my two calls,

when a desired height of honor presents itself to me.

وفي الفِتيانِ كُلُّ رَبيطِ جَأْشٍ

يَرى حَرْبَ الزَّمانِ ولا يَخيم

Among young men, each man of steadfast heart

faces Time's warfare and does not flinch.

مَوَدَّتُهُ تَدومُ لكلِّ هَوْلٍ

وهل كُلٌّ مَودَّتُه تَدوم

His affection endures through every terror;

but does everyone's affection endure?

حَلفْتُ بربِّ مكّةَ والمُصلَّى

وحيثُ يُزارُ زَمْزَمُ والحَطيم

I swore by the Lord of Mecca and the prayer-ground,

and where Zamzam and the Hatim are visited,

أَرومُ النُّجَح إلاّ عنْدَ مَلْكٍ

سَما فَرْعٌ له وزكا أَروم

to seek success nowhere but with a king

whose branch has risen high and whose roots have flourished;

وأَنظِمُ مِدْحَتي إلاّ لنَدْبٍ

له مِن مَجْدِه مَدْحٌ نَظيم

and to compose my praise only for a noble man

whose glory yields him praise well strung.

وأَحسَنُ حِلْيةٍ بَيْتٌ حديثٌ

يُصاغُ لمَنْ له بَيْتٌ قَديم

The fairest ornament is a newly fashioned verse

made for one whose house is ancient.

فإنْ يكُ طالَ بي سَفَرُ انْقباضٍ

فها أنا حانَ لي منه قُدوم

If my journey of withdrawal has lasted long,

here I am: the time has come for my return.

فأُقسِمُ لا عكَفْتُ على خيالٍ

كما عكفَتْ على البَوِّ الرَّؤوم

I swear I shall not cling to a phantom,

as a doting she-camel clings to a stuffed calf-hide.

ولي من نَجْمِ دينِ اللهِ هادٍ

ففي وادي الضّلالةِ لا أَهيم

In Najm al-Din, the Star of God's faith, I have a guide,

so I do not wander in the valley of error.

ولم تكُنِ الشُّموسُ لها كِفاءً

كنَجْمِ الدّينِ لو كانَ النُّجوم

The suns would not have been a match for them,

had the stars been like Najm al-Din.

جَوادٌ منه لي ضَوْءٌ ونَوْءٌ

فَيوْميَ مُشْمِسٌ منْه مُغِيم

A generous man: from him I have light and rain;

through him my day is sunny and clouded.

تَهلّلَ منْه في عَيْني غَمامٌ

تَمزَّقَ منْه عن قَلْبي غُموم

A cloud from him gleamed before my eye;

through him sorrows were torn away from my heart.

كَريمٌ قد جَلاهُ لي زَمانٌ

كَثيرٌ أَنْ يُرَى فيه كَريم

A generous man whom an age has revealed to me—

an age in which seeing a generous man is asking much.

وتَكْفي غُرَّةٌ للطِّرْفِ تَبْدو

فتَأْبَى أَنْ يُقالَ لَهُ بَهيم

A white blaze appearing on a noble steed suffices,

refusing to let it be called unmarked.

كفاني أَنْ جلا عَيْني هُمامٌ

بدا ليَ فانْجَلَى عَنّي هُموم

It sufficed that a noble lord brightened my eye;

he appeared to me, and my cares were dispelled.

كريمٌ وَجْهُهُ مَلآْنُ ماءً

عليهِ طَيْرُ آمالي تَحوم

A generous man whose face is brimming with water,

above which hover the birds of my hopes.

أَيا مَنْ عُظْمُ مَنْصِبِهِ خُصوصٌ

ويا مَنْ جَزْلُ نائِلهُ عُموم

O you whose lofty rank is yours alone,

and whose abundant bounty embraces all!

إليكَ شكَوتُ عاديةَ اللَّيالي

وجاهُكَ بالكِفايةِ لي زَعيم

To you I complained of the nights' onslaught,

and your influence guarantees provision for me.

ولي في الحَضْرةِ العَلْياءِ رَسْمٌ

إليه بأيْنقُي طالَ الرَّسيم

I have a standing allowance at the exalted court;

long have my she-camels trotted toward it.

وقد تَعْفو الرُّسومُ إذا تَبدَّى

تَناقُضُها كما تَعْفو الرُّسوم

And customary dues may lapse when

their inconsistency appears, just as old traces fade.

فَوفِّرْها بسَعْيِكَ لي فلولا

يَدُ الأَرواحِ ما اجْتُلِبَ الغُيوم

So enlarge them for me through your efforts; were it not for

the winds' hand, clouds would not be brought together.

فكم خَطّتْ بنانُكَ من خِطابٍ

تَضاءلَ عندَهُ خَطْبٌ جَسيم

How many a letter your fingers have written

before which a grievous crisis dwindled!

بأَرقَمَ تَحْتسي شَفتاهُ لَيْلاً

فَتُقلَسُ بالنّهارِ بهِ رُقوم

With a speckled serpent whose two lips sip night,

so that by day markings are disgorged through it.

به أُبديتَ إعجازاً عظيماً

كما أَبدَى بآيتهِ الكَليم

With it you revealed a mighty miracle,

as God's interlocutor did through his sign.

كذلك حطَّ منْك الرَّحْلَ فَضْلى

إلى كَنَفٍ وأَقْسَمَ لا يَريم

Thus my merit has laid down its saddle beside you,

in a haven, and sworn never to depart.

وآلُ الفَضْلِ إذْ يُعْزَوْنَ أَنْتُمْ

دَوامُ المكْرماتِ بأن تَدوموا

You are the family of merit when its lineage is traced;

noble deeds endure so long as you endure.

فأهْلُ الفَضْلِ إنْ رفَدوا لَقُوكُمْ

كما يَلْقَى الحَميمَ له الحميم

For men of merit, when they give support, meet you

as one dear friend meets another.

وكم ليَ فيهمُ من خالداتٍ

لأَجْبِنَةِ الزَّمانِ بها وُسوم

How many deathless poems I have about them,

with which Time's foreheads are branded!

تَسيرُ كما تَسير الرّيحُ عَصْفْاً

وتَعْطَرُ مثْلَما عَطِرَ النَّسيم

They travel as the wind goes storming,

and are fragrant as the breeze is fragrant.

ولم نَمدَحْهمُ عَبَثاً بقَوْلٍ

عَلَكْناه كما عُلِكَ الشَّكيم

We did not praise them idly with words

we chewed as a bridle-bit is chewed.

ولكنّا أَجدْنا حينَ جادوا

وكم من مَعْشَرٍ لَؤموا فلِيموا

Rather, we excelled when they gave generously;

how many a company was mean, and so was blamed!

لقد بثَّتْ طلائِعَها اللّيالي

وأَصبحَ حَرْبيَ الزَّمنُ الغَشوم

The nights have indeed sent out their advance guards,

and ruthless Time has become my enemy.

فهُزَّ لها قِوامَ الدّينِ هَزّاً

يُنالُ بِمثْلِهِ الثّأْرُ المُنيم

So rouse Qiwam al-Din against them with such force

as secures the vengeance that brings sleep.

فأَنْتَ منَ الوزيرِ بحَيْثُ يُثْرِي

بأَدْنَى نَظْرةٍ منكَ العَديم

For your position with the vizier brings riches

to the destitute at your slightest glance.

لأَنّكَ منْه ذو قُرْبٍ وقُرْبَى

كِلا سَبَبَيكَ مُفْتَخَرٌ عَظيم

For you enjoy both closeness and kinship with him;

both your ties are a great source of pride.

ستَرجِعُ عنْ ذُرا المولَى رِكابي

وغَيْريَ الّذي يُولى كَتوم

My riding camels will return from my lord's heights,

and another man, not I, hides the favors he receives.

وراويةُ المدائحِ لي عِيابٌ

تُجابُ بها السُّهولُ أَوِ الحُزوم

My saddlebags are the reciters of my praises,

with which plains and rugged uplands are crossed.

لِسانُ حقائبي أَعْلَى ثَناءً

فظاهرُها بباطِنها نَموم

The tongue of my bags is loftier in praise;

their outside tells tales of what lies within.

ويُسمَعُ بالعيونِ لها كَلامٌ

جَوانحُ حاسِديَّ به كليم

Their speech is heard through the eyes,

and my enviers' breasts are wounded by it.

سأَلْزَمُ ذَيْلَ مَجْلسكَ المُعلَّى

غَراماً مثْلَما لَزِمَ الغَريم

I shall cling to the hem of your exalted assembly,

in devotion, just as a creditor clings.

حَرامٌ بعْدَها إنْ عُدْتُ يوماً

وغَيْرُ فِناءِ دارِكَ لي حَريم

Henceforth it is forbidden, should I ever return,

for any but your house's courtyard to be my sanctuary.

وكم قالوا مَجازاً ما أَحاطَتْ

له بحقيقةٍ منّا العُلوم

How often they spoke in metaphor; our knowledge

had not grasped its literal truth.

فلمّا زُرْتُ نجْمَ الدِّينِ قَصْداً

ودارَ بمَدْحِهِ كَأْسٌ رَذوم

But when I went purposefully to visit Najm al-Din,

and an overflowing cup of his praise went round,

طَرقْتُ ذُراً أُصدَّقُ في ادِّعائي

بأنَّ النَّجْمَ لي فيه نَديم

I reached heights where my claim is believed:

that there the Star is my boon companion.

فَصُمْ أُلْفاً وَعيِّدْ في ظلالِ الْس

سعادةِ إذْ تُعيِّدُ أَو تَصوم

So fast a thousand times, and celebrate Eid in the shade of

happiness, whenever you celebrate Eid or fast.

إذا افتْخَرَتْ بأَملاكٍ رِجالٌ

فمُفْتَخِرٌ بكَ المُلْكُ العَقيم

When men boast of kings,

barren kingship itself boasts of you.

إذا اسْتَفَلوا فأَنتَ إليه تَعلُو

وإن قَعَدوا فأَنتَ بهِ تَقوم

If they descend, you rise toward it;

and if they sit, you stand by it.

وتَخْطِرُ دائماً في ثَوْبِ عُمْرٍ

له النُّعْمَى طِرازٌ والنَّعيم

And may you ever stride in a robe of life

whose embroidery is blessing and bliss.