هم ألى رائحون أم غادونا — Albohtry

هُم أُلى رائِحونَ أَم غادونا

عَن فِراقٍ مُمسونَ أَم مُصبِحونا

Are those people leaving at evening or in the morning?

Do they face parting at nightfall or at dawn?

فَعَلى العيسِ في البُرى تَتَبارى

عَبرَةٌ أَم عَلى المَها في البُرينا

Then, over the pale camels in their nose-rings, races

A tear—or is it over the oryx-maidens in their bracelets?

ما أَرى البَينَ مُخلِياً مِن وَداعٍ

أَنفُسَ العاشِقينَ حَتّى تَبينا

I do not see separation releasing from farewell

The souls of lovers, until they themselves depart.

مِن وَراءِ السُجوفِ كُثبانُ رَملٍ

تَتَثَنّى أَفنانُهُنَّ فُنونا

Behind the curtains are dunes of sand;

Their branches sway in many ways.

وَبِوُدِّ القُلوبِ يَومَ إِستَقَلَّت

ظُعُنُ الحَيِّ أَن تَكونَ عُيونا

The hearts longed, on the day of the departure

Of the tribe's women in their litters, to become eyes.

مَنزِلٌ هاجَ لي الصَبابَةَ وَالشَي

بُ قَريني فيها وَساءَ قَرينا

A dwelling awakened longing in me, while gray hair

Was my companion in it—a wretched companion.

يَومَ كانَ المُقامُ في الدارِ شَكّاً

يَبعَثُ الحُزنَ وَالرَحيلُ يَقينا

On the day staying in the dwelling was uncertain,

Arousing sorrow, while departure was certain.

إِنَّ تِلكَ الطُلولَ مِن وَهبينا

حَزَّنَت خالِياً وَزادَت حَزينا

Those ruined traces at Wahbin

Saddened the carefree and deepened the mourner's grief.

فَإِترُكاني فَما أُطيعُ عَذولاً

وَإِخذُلاني فَما أُريدُ مُعينا

So leave me, both of you: I obey no reproacher.

And abandon me, both of you: I want no helper.

شَرَفاً يا رَبيعَةَ إِبنَ نِزارٍ

خَصَّ قَوماً وَعَمَّكُم أَجمَعينا

An honor, O Rabi'ah son of Nizar,

Singled out one people, yet embraced you all.

غَدَرَ الناسُ أَوَّلاً وَأَخيراً

وَكَرُمتُمُ فَكُنتُمُ الوافينا

People proved treacherous, first and last;

But you were noble, and remained the faithful.

ما نَقَضتُم عَهداً وَلا خُنتُمُ غَي

باً وَحاشا لِمَجدِكُم أَن يَخونا

You broke no pledge, nor betrayed in absence;

Far be it from your honor to betray.

نَحنُ في خُلَّةِ الصَفاءِ وَأَنتُم

كَاليَدَينِ إِصطَفَت شِمالٌ يَمينا

We, in bonds of pure friendship, and you

Are like two hands: the left has chosen the right.

ضَمَّنا الحِلفُ فَإِتَّصَلنا دِياراً

في المَقاماتِ وَإِلتَفَفنا غُصونا

The alliance joined us: we became neighboring dwellings

In our settlements, and intertwined as branches.

لَم تُقَلَّب قُلوبُنا يَومَ هَيجا

ءَ وَلَيسَت أَيدي سَبا أَيدينا

Our hearts never wavered on a day of battle;

Our hands are not the scattered hands of Saba.

وَأَبيكُم لَقَد نَهَضتُم عَبادي

دَ بِنُعمى مُحمَّدٍ وَثُبينا

And by your father, you indeed rallied in scattered bands

And companies, through Muhammad's bounty.

وَلَئِن أَحسَنَ إِبنُ يوسُفَ لِل

لَهِ يَراكُم في حُبِّهِ مُحسِنينا

And if Ibn Yusuf has shown kindness for God's sake,

He sees you showing kindness in your love for him.

قَد شَكَرتُم نُعماهُ بِالأَمسِ حَتّى

لَعُدِدتُم بِشُكرِهِ مُنعِمينا

You thanked him for his bounty yesterday, until

Your gratitude made you yourselves count as benefactors.

وَإِذا ما مَواهِبُ العُرفِ لَم تُق

ضَ بِحُرِّ الثَناءِ كانَت دُيونا

And when gifts of kindness are not repaid

With sincere praise, they remain debts.

وَأَحَقُّ الإِحسانِ أَن يُصرَفَ الحَم

دُ إِلَيهِ ما لَم يَكُن مَمنونا

The kindness most deserving that praise be directed

Toward it is that free of reminders of the favor.

أَطفَأَ السَيفَ عَنكُمُ وَهوَ نارٌ

يَتَلظّى حَدّاهُ فيكُم مَنونا

He quenched the sword against you, though it was a fire

Whose two edges blazed death among you.

وَأَما لَو يَشاءُ يَومَ إِبنِ عَمرٍو

لَأَبادَ العَمرينَ وَالزَيدينا

And indeed, had he wished on the day of Ibn 'Amr,

He would have annihilated the 'Amrs and the Zayds.

سارَ يَستَرشِدُ النُجومَ إِلَيهِم

في سَوادِ الظَلماءِ حَتّى طَفينا

He marched, seeking the stars' guidance toward them,

Through the blackness of night, until they went out.

مارِقاً مِن جَوانِحِ اللَيلِ يَبغي

عُصبَةً مِن حُماتِهِم مارِقينا

Darting out from the ribs of night, he sought

A rebellious band among their defenders.

أَذكَرتُهُم سيماهُ سِيَما عَلِيٍّ

إِذ غَدا أَصلَعاً عَلَيهِم بَطينا

His features reminded them of the features of 'Ali,

When he advanced upon them, bald and stout-bellied.

آثَرَ العَفوَ عالِماً أَنَّ لِل

لَهِ تَعالى عَفواً عَنِ العالَمينا

He chose pardon, knowing that to God

Most High belongs pardon for all the worlds.

زِدهُمُ يا أَبا سَعيدٍ فَما السُؤ

دُدُ إِلّا زِيادَةُ الشاكِرينا

Give them more, O Abu Sa'id; nobility

Is only giving more to those who are grateful.

تِلكَ ساعاتُهُم مَعَ إِبنِ حُمَيدٍ

طالَ مِقدارُها فَعُدَّت سِنينا

Those were their hours alongside Ibn Humayd;

So long they lasted that they were counted as years.

عاقَروا المَوتَ في حِفافَي رِكابَي

هِ وَقَد نازَلوا الأُلوفَ مِئينا

They grappled with death beside his two stirrups,

Facing thousands while numbering hundreds.

يَرجِفُ الحِلفُ في صُدورِ قَناهُم

وَتَحِنُّ الأَرحامُ فيهِم حَنينا

The alliance quivers in the breasts of their spears,

And the ties of kinship yearn within them with longing.

أَوَ لَم تُنبِهِم بِساحَةِ سِنجا

رَ إِلى آمِدٍ إِلى مارِدينا

Have they not been told, in the precincts of Sinjar,

On to Amid, on to Mardin,

أَلسُنٌ تَنشُرُ الثَناءَ وَأَكبا

دٌ تَثَنّى عَلَيكَ عَطفاً وَلينا

By tongues spreading praise, and livers

Bending toward you with affection and tenderness?

بَل مَتى العَقدُ مِن لِوائِكَ وَالرَق

قَةُ مَعقودَةٌ بِقِنَّسرينا

But when will your banner be tied, and al-Raqqah

Be bound together with Qinnasrin?

نِعمَةٌ إِن يَجُد بِها اللَهُ يَوماً

لا يَجِدنا لِشِكرِها مُقرَنينا

A blessing that, if God bestows it one day,

He will not find us equal to thanking Him for it.

إِن تَسَلنا تُخبَر بِخَيرِ أُناسٍ

غابَ عَنهُم مَحمودُ عَدلِكَ حينا

If you ask us, you will be told of the best of people

From whom your praiseworthy justice has been absent a while.

قَد ذَمَمنا مِن دَهرِنا ما حَمِدنا

وَسَخِطنا مِن عَيشِنا ما رَضينا

We have censured in our time what we once praised,

And resented in our life what once pleased us.

نَكرَهُ العاجِزَ الضَعيفَ إِذا جا

ءَ وَكُنتَ القَوِيَّ فينا الأَمينا

We loathe the helpless weakling when he comes;

And you were the strong, trustworthy one among us.

ثَبَّتَ اللَهُ وَطأَةً لَكَ أَمسَت

جَبَلاً راسِياً عَلى المُشرِكينا

May God make firm your tread, which has become

A mountain immovably set upon the polytheists.

رُبَّما وَقعَةٍ شَمِلَت بِها الرو

مَ فَباتوا أَذِلَّةً خاضِعينا

Many a battle with which you engulfed the Byzantines

Left them abased and submissive through the night.

قَد أَمِنّا أَن يَأمُنوكَ عَلى حا

لٍ وَلَو صَيَّروا النُجومَ حُصونا

We know they cannot feel safe from you under any circumstances,

Even if they made the stars their fortresses.

فَزَّعوا بِإِسمِكَ الصَبِيَّ فَعادَت

حَرَكاتُ البُكاءِ مِنهُ سُكونا

They frightened a child with your name, and then

His movements of weeping turned to stillness.

وَتَوافَت خَيلاكَ مِن أَرضِ طَرسو

سَ وَقاليقَلا بِأَردَندونا

And your two cavalry hosts converged from the land of Tarsus

And Qaliqala at Ardandun.

عابِساتٍ يَحمِلنَ يَوماً عَبوساً

لِأُناسٍ عَن خَطبِهِ غافِلينا

Grim-faced, bearing a grim day

For people unaware of its calamity.

زُرتَ بِالدارِعينَ أَهلَ البُقُلّا

رِ فَأَجلَوا عَن صاغِري صاغِرينا

You visited the people of al-Buqullar with armored men,

And they departed Saghri in humiliation.

قَد طَواهُنَّ طَيُّهُنَّ الفَيافي

وَإِكتَسَينَ الوَجيفَ حَتّى عَرينا

Their folding up the deserts had folded them thin;

And they clothed themselves in galloping until they were bare.

كَوُعولِ الهِضابِ رُحنَ وَما يَملِك

نَ إِلّا صُمَّ الرِماحِ قُرونا

Like ibex of the hills they went, possessing

No horns except the stout spears.

جُلنَ في يابِسِ التُرابِ فَما رِم

نَ طِعاناً حَتّى وَطِئنَ الطينا

They wheeled over dry earth and did not cease

The spear-fight until they trod mud.

وَنَفيرٍ إِلى عَقَرقُسَ أَنفَر

تَ فَكُنتَ المُظَفَّرَ المَيمونا

And a force you mustered toward 'Aqarqus—

You were the victorious and fortunate one.

إِذ مَلَأتَ السُيوفَ مِنهُم وَمِنّا

وَغَمَستَ الرِماحَ فيهِم وَفينا

When you sated the swords on them and on us,

And plunged the spears into them and into us.

ثُمَّ عَرَّفتَهُم جِباهَ رِجالٍ

صامِتِيّينَ في الوَغى مُصمَتينا

Then you made them know the brows of men,

Samiti men, steadfast in the din of battle.

لَم يَكُن قَلبُكَ الرَقيقُ رَقيقاً

لا وَلا وَجهُكَ المَصونُ مَصونا

Your tender heart was not tender;

No, nor was your protected face protected.

ما أَطاقوا دَفنَ الَّذي أَظهَروهُ

كَبُرَ الحِقدُ أَن يَكونَ دَفينا

They could not bury what they had revealed;

Their hatred was too great to remain buried.

بَعضَ بَغضائِكُم فَلَيسَ مُفيقاً

أَو يَرُدَّ الأَديانَ بِالسَيفِ دينا

Curb your hatred somewhat: he will not relent

Until he makes the faiths one faith by the sword.

هَمُّهُ في غَدٍ بِتَفليقِ هامٍ

في قُرى العازَرونَ وَالمازِرونا

His concern for tomorrow is splitting skulls

In the villages of al-'Azarun and al-Mazarun.

وَلَعَمري ما ماءُ زَمزَمَ أَحلى

عِندَهُ مِن دَمِ بِزارِمّينا

And by my life, the water of Zamzam is no sweeter

To him than the blood of Bizarimmin.

يجعَلُ البيضَ حينَ يَأسِرُ أَغلا

لاً لِأَسراهُ وَالمَنايا سُجونا

He makes the bright blades, when he captures, fetters

For his captives, and death their prison.

غَيرَ وانٍ في طاعَةِ اللَهِ حَتّى

يَطمَئِنَّ الإِسلامُ في طِمّينا

Never flagging in obedience to God, until

Islam rests secure in Timmin.