خيال يعتريني في المنام — Albohtry

خَيالٌ يَعتَريني في المَنامِ

لِسَكرى اللَحظِ فاتِنَةِ القَوامِ

An apparition visits me in sleep—

Of her with an intoxicated gaze and a bewitching figure,

لِعَلوَةَ إِنَّها شَجَنٌ لِنَفسي

وَبَلبالٌ لِقَلبي المُستَهامِ

Of Alwa—she is sorrow for my soul,

And turmoil for my love-stricken heart.

إِذا سَفَرَت رَأَيتَ الظَرفَ بَحتاً

وَنارَ الحُسنِ ساطِعَةَ الضِرامِ

When she unveils her face, you see pure grace,

And beauty's fire, its blaze shining bright.

تَظُنُّ البَرقَ مُعتَرِضاً إِذا ما

جَلا عَن ثَغرِها حُسنُ اِبتِسامِ

You fancy lightning flashing across whenever

The beauty of a smile reveals her mouth:

كَنورِ الأُقحُوانِ جَلاهُ طَلٌّ

وَسِمطِ الدُرِّ فُصِّلَ في النِظامِ

Like chamomile blossoms brightened by dew,

And a necklace of pearls spaced along its string.

سَلامُ اللَهِ كُلَّ صَباحِ يَومٍ

عَلَيكَ وَمَن يُبَلِّغُ لي سَلامي

May God's peace, every morning of every day,

Be upon you—and who will convey my greeting for me?

لَقَد غادَرتِ في جَسَدي سَقاماً

بِما في مُقلَتَيكِ مِنَ السَقامِ

You have indeed left a sickness in my body

Through the sickness in your eyes.

وَذَكَّرَنيكِ حُسنُ الوِردِ لَمّا

أَتى وَلَذيذُ مَشروبِ المُدامِ

And the beauty of roses reminded me of you when

They appeared, as did the delicious draught of wine.

لَئِن قَلَّ التَواصُلُ أَو تَمادى

بِنا الهِجرانُ عاماً بَعدَ عامِ

Even if our contact dwindles, or it drags on—

The estrangement between us, year after year—

فَكَم مِن نَظرَةٍ لي مِن قَريبٍ

إِلَيكَ وَزَورَةٍ لَكَ في المَنامِ

Yet how many a glance I cast from nearby

Toward you, and how many a visit to you in sleep!

أَأَتَّخِذُ العِراقَ هَوىً وَداءً

وَمَن أَهواهُ في أَرضِ الشَآمِ

Shall I take Iraq as my passion and my affliction,

While the one I love is in the land of al-Sham?

فَلَولا غُرَّةُ المَلِكِ المُرَجّى

لَآثَرتُ المَسيرِ عَلى المُقامِ

But for the radiant brow of the king in whom hope rests,

I would have preferred departure to staying.

وَكَيفَ يَسيرُ مُرتَبِطٌ بِنُعمى

تَوَلَّتهُ مِنَ المَلِكِ الهُمامِ

And how can one depart, bound by a blessing

Bestowed upon him by the magnanimous king?

وَجَدنا دَولَةَ المُعتَزِّ أَدنى

إِلى الحُسنى وَأَشبَهَ بِالدَوامِ

We have found al-Mu'tazz's reign closer

To goodness, and more akin to permanence.

هُوَ الراعي وَنَحنُ لَهُ سَوامٌ

وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَهُ راعي سَوامِ

He is the shepherd, and we are his grazing flock;

And I have seen no shepherd of a flock like him.

تَبينُ خِلالُهُ كَرَماً وَفَضلاً

فَيَشرُفُ في الفِعالِ وَفي الكَلامِ

His traits reveal generosity and excellence,

So he is noble in deeds and in speech.

يُضاهي جودُهُ نَوءَ الثُرَيّا

وَيَحكي وَجهُهُ بَدرَ التَمامِ

His generosity rivals the rains of the Pleiades,

And his face mirrors the moon at its fullest.

أَمينَ اللَهِ عِشتَ لَنا مَلِيّاً

بِجَمعٍ لِلمَحاسِنِ وَاِنتِظامِ

O God's trusted one, may you live long for us,

With virtues gathered and arranged in harmony.

ضَمِنتَ رَدى عَدُوِّكَ وَالمَوالي

تُدافِعُ دونَ مُلكِكَ أَو تُحامي

You have assured your enemy's death, and your retainers

Defend your kingdom or stand guard for it.

يَحُفُّ خَليفَةَ الرَحمَنِ مِنهُم

ذَوُو الآراءِ وَالهِمَمِ العِذامِ

Around the caliph of the Most Merciful stand, from among them,

Men of judgment and mighty resolve:

أُسودٌ أُطعِمَت ظَفَراً فَعادَت

بِقَسرٍ لِلأَعادي وَاِهتِضامِ

Lions fed on victory, who returned

With their foes subdued and crushed.

كُماةٌ مِن كُهولٍ أَو شَبابٍ

وَفَوضى مِن قُعودٍ أَو قِيامِ

Armored warriors, whether mature men or youths,

And a mingled throng, whether seated or standing.

أَمامُ مُحاذِرِ السَطَواتِ يَأوي

إِلى رَأيٍ أَصيلٍ وَاِعتِزامِ

At the fore, wary of fierce assaults, he takes refuge

In sound judgment and firm resolve.

إِذا اِستَعرَضتَهُ بِخَفِيِّ لَحظٍ

رَضيتَ مَهَزَّةَ السَيفِ الحُسامِ

If you examine him with a furtive glance,

You are pleased with the swing of a keen-edged sword.

غَفورٌ بَعدَ مَقدِرَةٍ إِذا ما

تَرَجَّحَ بَينَ عَفوٍ وَاِنتِقامِ

Forgiving once he has power, whenever

He weighs the choice between pardon and vengeance.

فَلَيسَ رِضاهُ مَمنوعَ النَواحِ

وَلا إِفضالُهُ صَعبَ المَرامِ

So no approach to his favor is barred,

Nor is his bounty difficult to attain.

أَبوهُ البَحرُ ساحَ لَنا نَداهُ

فَفاضَ وَأُمُّهُ ماءُ الغَمامِ

His father is the sea; his bounty flowed to us,

Then overflowed; and his mother is water from the clouds.

سَقَت هَلكى الحَجيجِ وَأَطعَمَتهُم

وَأَحيَت ساكِني البَلَدِ الحَرامِ

She gave the perishing pilgrims water and fed them,

And revived the inhabitants of the Sacred City.

وَرَدَّت مِن نُفوسِهِمِ إِلَيهِم

وَقَد أَشفَوا عَلى تَلَفِ الحِمامِ

And restored something of their life to them,

When they had come to the brink of death's destruction.

وَقَد رَجَعَت وُفودُ الأَرضِ تُثني

بِذاكَ الطَولِ وَالمِنَنِ الجِسامِ

And the earth's delegations returned, praising

That bounty and those mighty favors.

لَئِن شَكَرَ الأَنامُ لَقَد أُغيثوا

هُناكَ بِفَضلِ سَيِّدَةِ الأَنامِ

If mankind gives thanks, they were indeed aided

There through the bounty of the lady of mankind.

إِذا كَفَلَ الإِمامُ لَهُم بِنُعمى

تَوَلَّت مِثلَها أُمُّ الإِمامِ

Whenever the imam pledges them a blessing,

The imam's mother undertakes a blessing like it.

وَلَم تَرَ مِثلَ إِسماعيلَ عَيني

وَعَبدِ اللَهِ ذي الشِيَمِ الكِرامِ

And my eye has never seen the like of Isma'il

And Abd Allah, endowed with noble traits,

أَشَدَّ تَقَرُّباً مِن كُلِّ حَمدٍ

وَأَبعَدَ مَنزِلاً مِن كُلَّ ذامِ

More closely joined to every kind of praise,

And farther in abode from every faultfinder.

تَقولُ الفَرقَدانِ إِذا أَضاءَ

فَإِن وُزِنا تَقولُ اِبنا شَمامِ

You call them the two Farqad stars when they shine;

But if weighed, you call them the two sons of Shamam.

هُما قَمَرانِ هَمّا أَن يَتِمّا

لِنَفيِ الظُلمِ أَجمَعَ وَالظَلامِ

They are two moons, resolved to reach fullness

To banish all injustice and darkness.

وَسَيلا وادِيَينِ إِذا اِستُفيضا

حَمِدتَ تَدَفُّقَ الغَيمِ الرُكامِ

And the torrents of two valleys: when made to flow,

You praise the pouring forth of the massed clouds.

أَتَمَّ اللَهُ نُعماكُم فَإِنّي

رَأَيتُكُمُ النِهايَةَ في التَمامِ

May God perfect your blessings, for I

Have seen you as the utmost in perfection.