شد ما أغرمت ظلوم بهجري — Albohtry

شُدَّ ما أُغرِمَت ظَلومُ بَهَجري

بَعدَ وَجدي بِها وَغُلَّةَ صَدري

How deeply Zalum is enamored of forsaking me,

after my passion for her and the burning thirst in my breast!

وَلَعَمري يَمينَ بِرٍّ وَحَسبي

في الهَوى أَن أَقولَ فيهِ لَعَمري

By my life—a sincere oath—and it suffices me

in love to say of it, 'By my life.'

ما تَعَقَّبتُ رُشدَ حُبٍّ بِغىً

مِن سُلُوٍ وَلا وِصالاً بِهَجرِ

Never have I replaced love's good sense with the folly

of forgetting, nor union with estrangement.

طَرَقَتنا وَفي الخَيالاتِ نُعمى

أُمُ بَكرٍ فَأَسعَفَت أُمُ بَكرِ

There came to us by night—and visions hold delight—

Umm Bakr, and Umm Bakr granted my desire.

في بُدُوٍ مِنَ الشَبابِ عَلَيها

وَرَقٌ مِن جَديدِهِ المُسبَكِرِّ

At youth's first unfolding, upon her

lay foliage of its fresh, luxuriant growth.

كَمَلت أَربَعٌ لَها بَعدَ عَشرٍ

وَمَدى البَدرِ أَربَعٌ بَعدَ عَشرِ

She had reached four years beyond ten;

the full moon reaches fullness four nights beyond ten.

خَلَّفَت دارَها بِحُزوى وَباتَت

بَينَ سِحري شَروى الضَجيعِ وَنَحري

She left her home at Huzwa and spent the night

between my breast and throat, like a bedfellow.

لَو دَرَت ما أَتَت لَمَنَّت بِنُجحٍ

لَم يُكَدَّر وَنائِلٍ غَيرِ نَزرِ

Had she known what she had done, she would have claimed credit for a success

unclouded, and a gift by no means scant.

قَد وَقَفنا عَلى الدِيارِ وَفي الرك

بِ حَريبٌ مِنَ الغَرامِ وَمُثرِ

We halted at the dwellings; among the riders

were one whom love had robbed and one it had enriched.

وَلَو أَنّي أُطيعُ آمِرَ حِلمي

كانَ شَتّى أَمرُ الدِيارِ وَأَمري

Had I obeyed the commanding voice of my reason,

the dwellings' concerns and mine would have been far apart.

وَلَقَد رابَني مِنَ اللَومِ إِصغا

ئي إِلَيهِ وَأَعهَدُ اللَومَ يُغري

Indeed, what troubled me about reproach was my listening

to it, though I know reproach inflames desire.

كَلَّفَتني الخَرقاءُ إِنجاحَ سَعيِ

أَوَ ما قامَتِ الحُظوظُ بِعُذري

The foolish woman demanded that my endeavor succeed;

have not the turns of fortune established my excuse?

مُعلِقاً ما جَنى الزَمانُ وَذَنبي

في جِناياتِ صَرفِهِ ذَنبُ صُحرِ

Held answerable for what Time has done, though my guilt

in its vicissitudes' crimes is but the guilt of Suhr.

أَطلُبُ الجودَ في أُناسٍ وَيُمسي

كَهِلالِ الدُجُنَّةِ المُستَسِرِّ

I seek generosity among people, but it becomes

like a crescent hidden in the night's deep gloom.

قائِدُ القَومِ لَيسَ بِالمُتَأَنّي

دونَ حاجاتِهِم وَلا المُتَأَرّي

The people's leader is neither slow

in meeting their needs, nor one who hangs back.

وَخَليلي الَّذي إِذا نابَ دَهرٌ

حَمَلت كَفُّهُ نَوائِبَ دَهري

And my friend, who, when Time strikes,

bears in his hand the calamities of my days,

كِاِبنِ بَدرٍ وَأَينَ ثانٍ فَنَثي

إِصبَعاً بِاِعتِقادِهِ لِاِبنِ بَدرِ

is like Ibn Badr—but where is a second, so we might bend

a finger to count him as a peer of Ibn Badr?

أَوحَدٌ خَسَّ دونَهُ الخَيرُ حَتّى

ما تَقولُ السَماءُ تُجدي بِقَطرِ

Peerless: all bounty seems paltry beside him, until

you cannot say the sky gives bounty with its rain.

أَمُقِلٌّ مِن غُزرِهِ كُلُّ غَيثٍ

أَم مُخِلٌّ بِفَيضِهِ كُلُّ بَحرِ

Is every downpour scant beside his abundance,

or every sea deficient beside his overflow?

خَيَّمَت شيمَةٌ بِهِ عِندَ أَعلى

شَرَفٍ يُرتَقى وَأَكرَمِ نَجرِ

His nature has pitched its tent at the loftiest

honor one can climb to, and the noblest lineage.

واجِدٌ تَحتَ أَخمَصَيهِ الَّتي يَر

مي إِلَيها هَمُّ المُسامي وَيَجري

He finds beneath the arches of his feet the height toward which

the aspiring rival's ambition aims and races.

تِلكَ أَخلاقُهُ خُلِقنَ خُصوماً

لِلغَوادي تُربي عَلَيها وَتُزري

Such are his virtues, created as rivals

to the morning rainclouds, surpassing and belittling them.

وَقَدَت دونَهُ إِضاءَةُ نورٍ

وَقَدَتها لَهُ لَهُ طَلاقَةُ بِشرِ

A radiance of light blazed before him;

his cheerful openness kindled it for him, for him.

رَوعَةٌ مِن وَقارِهِ ظَنَّها الجا

هِلُ إِذ فاجَأَتهُ رَوعَةُ كِبرِ

The awe of his dignity the ignorant mistook,

when it suddenly struck him, for the terror of arrogance.

فَتَرى القَومَ وَهوَ جَذلانُ طَلقٌ

في نِدى المُجاهِمِ المُكفَهِرِّ

You see the people, though he is joyful and open-faced,

as though at the court of a scowling, grim-faced man.

تَتَأَيّا لَهُ لِتَبلُغَ عُليا

هُ بَنو الحارِثِ اِبنِ كَعبِ اِبنِ عَمرِ

Striving toward him to attain his eminence

are the sons of al-Harith ibn Ka'b ibn Amr.

ما رَأى العائِبونَ قَولاً وَفِعلاً

غَيرَ رائي جَدوى يَدَيهِ وَشُكري

No faultfinder has seen such speech and action

except one who has seen his hands' bounty and my thanks.

حَبَّذا أَنتَ مِن كَريمٍ وَإِن كِد

تَ تُداني شَأني وَتُخمِلُ ذِكري

How fine a generous man you are, though you almost

rival my standing and eclipse my fame!

ما كَرِهتُ الغِنى لِشَيءٍ وَلَكِن

ساوَرَتني نُعماكَ مِن فَوقِ قَدري

I have never disliked wealth for any reason, but

your bounty has assailed me from above my worth.

تَأتِ مِن شَخصِ ما تُنيلُ فَما مِن

حاجَتي أَن يَطولَ جودُكَ شِعري

Be moderate in the bulk of what you bestow; it is not

my wish that your generosity should tower above my verse.

أَيُّ شَيءٍ تُرى يَكونُ وَقَد كَثَّر

تَ فيهِ قَصرَ الكُمَيتِ وَقَصري

What can it amount to, do you think, when you have magnified

in it al-Kumayt's shortcomings and mine?

مُتعَةُ العَينِ مِن حَلاوَةُ مَرأى

وَرِضى النَفسِ مِن وَثاقِهِ أَسرِ

A delight to the eye, from the sweetness of its appearance,

and contentment to the soul, from the firmness of its frame.

حَذَفَت مِن فُضولِهِ صِحوَةُ العِت

قِ فَأَدَّتهُ كَالجَديلِ المُمَرِّ

The vigor of noble breeding has pared away its excess,

and rendered it like a tightly twisted cord.

يَتَغالى بِهِ التَدَفُّقُ سَيلاً

كَاِنكِفاتِ السَرِيِّ أَسرَعَ يَجري

Its surging rush carries it far, like a flood,

like the headlong plunge of a stream, racing along;

أَو تَقدّى الشَجاعِ بادَرَ يَنضو

مِزَقاً مِن قَميصِهِ المُتَفَرّي

or a serpent's darting rush, hastening to shed

shreds of its tattered shirt.

فَهوَ يُعطيكَ مِن تَضَرُّمِ شَدٍّ

نُهيَةَ العَينِ مِن تَضَرُّمِ جَمرِ

It offers you, in its blazing gallop,

the eye's utmost delight in blazing embers.

شِيَةٌ تَخدَعُ العُيونَ تُرى أَنَّ

عَلَيهِ مِنها سُحالَةَ تِبرِ

A coat-color that deceives the eyes: you would think

it bore, from that hue, a dusting of gold filings.

صِبغَةَ الأُفقِ عِندَ آخِرِ لَيلٍ

مُنقَضٍ شَأنُهُ وَأَوَّلِ فَجرِ

The horizon's tint at the end of a night

whose course is spent, and at the beginning of dawn.

عَلَّكَ اِبنَ الحِصانِ تَزدادُ في غَي

ظِ أَعادِيَّ بِالحِصانِ الطِمِرِّ

Perhaps, son of a chaste lady, you will add to the rage

of my enemies with the fleet, bounding steed.

وَالجَوادُ الأَغَرُّ مِثلُكَ لا

يَمنَعُ مِثلي مِنَ الجَوادِ الأَغَرِّ

And a radiant, generous man like you does not

deny one like me a noble, blaze-faced horse.