أريحيات صبوة ومشيب — Albohtry

أَريَحِيّاتُ صَبوَةٍ وَمَشيبُ

مِن سَجايا الأَريبُ شَيئاً عَجيبُ

The ardors of youthful passion, and gray hair—

in a discerning man's nature, a strange thing indeed.

وَبُكاءُ اللَبيبِ بَعدَ ثَلاثٍ

وَثَلاثينَ في البَطالَةِ حوبُ

And for a man of sense to weep, past three

and thirty, over idle pleasures is a sin.

فَالنَدا بِالرَحيلِ حينَ يُنادى

بِحُلولٍ عَلى الشَبابِ مُشيبُ

For the call to depart, when one is summoned

to settle, brings grayness upon youth.

إِنَّ لَيلاً تَبَسَّمَ الصُبحُ فيهِ

عَن زَوالِ الظَلامِ عَنهُ قَريبُ

Indeed, a night in which the dawn has smiled

is close to the passing of its darkness.

طالَما قَد سَحَبتُ ذَيلَ التَصابي

وَرِداءُ الشَبابِ غَضٌّ قَشيبُ

How often I trailed the hem of youthful dalliance,

while youth's robe was fresh and new.

لَعِباً يَستَدِرُّ خِلفَ شَبابي

حَلَبَ الدَهرَ زَينَباً وَلَعوبُ

Playfully they drew from the teat of my youth

the milk of time—Zaynab and La‘ub.

وَالغَواني إِن غَنَّينَ عَفافاً

يَطَّبيهُنَّ مِنهُ حُسنٌ وَطيبُ

And beauties, though they sing of chastity,

are lured by its beauty and sweetness.

فَمَتى شِئتَ مالَ مِنها قَضيبٌ

وَمَتى شِئتَ هالَ مِنها كَثيبُ

Whenever you wish, a branch of hers bends;

and whenever you wish, a sandhill of hers cascades.

وَلَكَم مُقلَةٍ لِذاتِ دَلالٍ

مَقَلَتني بِالوُدِّ وَهِيَ عَذوبُ

How many an eye of a coquettish beauty

gazed at me lovingly, sleepless.

كُنتُ إِنسانَها فَصِرتُ قَذاها

مَن لَها بِالشَبابِ وَهُوَ رَطيبُ

I was its pupil; I became its mote.

Who can give her youth in all its freshness?

وَعِيونٍ مَزَجنَ فِيَّ رَكايا

مِن رَكايا الشُؤونُ وَهِيَ الغُروبُ

And eyes that mingled, for my sake, well-water

from the tear-ducts' wells, themselves great buckets.

مَرِهَت لِلنَوى فَلَمّا رَأَتني

كَحَلَّتها نَحافَةٌ وَشُحوبُ

They grew sore from separation; then, when they saw me,

thinness and pallor anointed them with kohl.

نَكَباتٌ عَضَضنَ حُرّاً كَريماً

طابَ فَاِستَعذَبَتهُ عَضّاً نُكوبُ

Calamities bit a freeborn, noble man;

he tasted sweet, and misfortunes relished biting him.

لِنُيوبِ الزَمانِ فيهِ صَريفٌ

وَبِهِ مِن عِضاضِهِنَّ نُدوبُ

Time's fangs grind against him,

and he bears scars from their biting.

ثُمَّ أَبقَت بِزَعمِها لِيَ عوداً

عَجَمَتهُ الخُطوبُ وَهُوَ صَليبُ

Then they left me, so they claimed, a wooden stem

that calamities had tested by biting, yet it was hard.

وَأَخِلّاءُ عَزمَتَي عَنتَريسٌ

وَزَماعٌ وَرِحلَةٌ وَدُؤوبُ

The companions of my resolve are a sturdy she-camel,

determination, journeying, and tireless effort.

فَإِذا الغانِياتُ أَنكَرنَ شَخصي

عَرَفَتني فَدافِدٌ وَسُهوبُ

So when the beauties disowned my figure,

barren expanses and steppes knew me.

وَعَزيمٌ تَخُبُّ بِاِبنِ عَزيمٍ

جاذِباهُ الإِدلاجُ وَالتَأويبُ

And a hardy mount trots with a hardy man's son,

drawn onward by night travel and daylong riding.

فَإِلى العيسِ مَفزَعي وَالفَيافي

كُلَّما هَزَّني الزَمانُ العَصيبُ

To pale camels and deserts I turn for refuge

whenever harsh times shake me.

وَسِراجى رَوِيَّةٍ أَرَياني

مَن إِلَيهِ أَنحو وَعَمَّن أَؤوبُ

And reflection's two lamps have shown me

whom to approach and from whom to turn back:

مَن بِجَدواهُ مِن صُروفِ اللَيالي

فُقِئَت أَعيُنٌ وَفُلَّت نُيوبُ

he by whose bounty, among the reversals of night,

eyes are put out and fangs are blunted.

مَن إِذا قُلتُ يا أَبا زَكَرَيّا

سالَمَتني الأَيّامُ وَهِيَ حُروبُ

When I invoke him—'O Abu Zakariyya!'—

the days make peace with me, though they are wars.

أَرِدَ البَحرَ لا الثِمادَ فَمِثلي

لا يُرَوّيهِ جَدوَلٌ وَقَليبُ

I come to the sea, not scant pools; one like me

is not slaked by a stream or a well.

قَد أَهابَ الرَجاءُ بِاِبنِ المُعَلّى

بِلِسانِ القَريضِ وَهُوَ خَطيبُ

Hope has appealed to Ibn al-Mu‘alla

in the tongue of verse, itself an orator.

لَفتَى سُؤدُدٍ لَهُ نَفَحاتٌ

يَعتَفيها المَحروبُ وَالمَكروبُ

Truly a youth of noble rank, whose gifts

the dispossessed and distressed come seeking.

نَفَحاتٌ يُعِدنَ بَعدَ شِماسٍ

رَيِّضَ الدَهرِ وَهُوَ عَودٌ رَكوبُ

Gifts that restore, after unruliness,

time's docility, though it is an old riding camel.

لِعُيونِ الخُطوبِ بَعدُ شِماسٌ

وَلِقَلبِ الزَمانِ مِنها وَجيبٌ

Calamities' eyes still show unruliness,

and time's heart throbs because of them.

وَجَديرٌ بِأَن تُلَبّيكَ مِنهُ

غُدُرٌ جَمَّةٌ وَرَوضٌ عَشيبُ

And well may there answer you from him

brimming pools and grassy meadows.

فَهُوَ في هامَةِ العُلى حَيثُ يَأوي

مِن مُنادي النَدى قَريبٌ مُجيبُ

For on the crown of greatness, where he dwells,

he is near and responsive to the caller for bounty.

وَذَراهُ فيهِ الحَميمُ سَواءٌ

حينَ يَعفوهُ وَالنَزيعُ الجَنيبُ

And in his shelter the close friend stands equal,

when seeking his bounty, to the far-removed stranger.

مَألِفٌ لِلغَريبِ ما فيهِ إِلفٌ

مِن وُفودِ العُفاةِ إِلّا الغَريبُ

A home for strangers: no familiar face is there

among the delegations of suppliants but the stranger.

يُرتَجى مِن يَمينِهِ ما يُرَجّى

مِن يَمينِ الحَيا مَكانٌ جَديبُ

From his right hand one hopes for what

a barren land hopes for from rain's right hand.

عارِضٌ صَوبُهُ حِجىً وَعَفافٌ

وَنَوالٌ مِنَ اللُجَينِ صَبيبُ

A rain cloud whose downpour is wisdom and chastity,

and bounty of silver, poured in torrents.

يَمتَريهِ الثَناءُ وَالمَجدُ ما لَم

تَمرِ أَطباءَ ما يَليها الجَنوبُ

Praise and glory milk from him what

the south wind has not milked from neighboring clouds' teats.

وَحَبيبٌ إِذ قالَ وَهُوَ مَروقٌ

ديمَةٌ سَمحَةُ القِيادِ سَكوبُ

And Habib, when he said, enchanted,

'A steady rain, yielding to the rein, pouring down'—

لَو رَأَت عَينُهُ حَيا كَفِّ يَحيى

لَم تَرُقهُ الغُيوثُ وَهِيَ تَصوبُ

had his eye seen the rain of Yahya's palm,

the showers, as they fell, would not have pleased him.

مُستَخِفٌّ يَمُدِّ كَفَّيهِ عِلماً

أَنَّ لِلدَهرِ نائِباتِ تَنوبُ

Untroubled, he extends both palms, knowing

that time has calamities that recur.

فَيَميناهُ جَعفَرٌ وَسَعيدٌ

وَهُما تارَةَ شَرىً وَشَبيبُ

Thus his two right hands are Ja‘far and Sa‘id,

and at times they are Shara and Shabib.

وَعَديمُ الغَريبِ طَوراً ذُعافٌ

شيبَ بِالصابِ وَهُوَ طَوراً ضَريبُ

And he, devoid of strangeness, is at times deadly poison,

mixed with bitter aloe; at other times he is thick honey.

وَبِعَينِ الوَفاءِ وَالمَجدِ فيهِ

كُلُّ هَذاكَ أَنَّهُ لا يَحوبُ

And in him, beneath the gaze of loyalty and glory,

is all of that: he does no wrong.

وَإِذا المُشكِلاتُ ضافَت ذَراهُ

وَعَرَتهُ حَوادِثٌ وَخُطوبُ

And when perplexities visit his shelter,

and mishaps and calamities befall him,

تَفرِهاتي وَتِلكَ هَبَّةُ رَأيٍ

يُخطِىءُ المَشرِفِيُّ وَهِيَ تُصيبُ

[Unclear word]—and that is a surge of judgment:

the Mashrafi blade may miss, but that impulse strikes true.

ما عَلَيهِ أَلّا يَكونَ حُساماً

وَلَهُ في الخُطوبِ ذاكَ الهُبوبُ

What harm if he is not a cutting sword,

when he rises thus to meet calamities?

كُلَّ يَومٍ تَرى سَماحاً وَبَأساً

مَكرُماتِ يَحلو بِها وَيَطيبُ

Every day you see generosity and valor,

noble deeds that make him sweet and pleasing.

وَفَعالٌ إِلى قُلوبِ المَعالي

وَقُلوبِ الآمالِ مِنهُ حَبيبُ

And his deeds, to the hearts of lofty honors

and the hearts of hopes, are dear.

وَإِذا عارِضُ المَنِيَّةِ أَوفى

وَبَنوها يَبُلُّهُم شُؤبوبُ

And when death's cloud looms high,

and a downpour drenches its sons,

وَأَرتَكَ الهَيجاءُ مِنهُم غُروراً

لِنُجومِ الرِماحِ مِنها وُجوبُ

and battle shows you deceptions among them,

from which the stars of spears fall,

قامَ فيها بِحُجَّةِ البَأسِ عَنهُ

ذَكَرٌ مُرهَفٌ وَباعٌ رَحيبُ

there stands, arguing valor's case on his behalf,

a keen, hard-tempered blade and a far-reaching arm.

فَبَدَت بي إِلَيكَ يا اِبنَ المُعَلّى

هِمَّةٌ هِمَّةٌ وَدَهرٌ نَكوبُ

Thus, toward you, O Ibn al-Mu‘alla, arose in me

aspiration upon aspiration, amid a ruinous age,

في بِلادٍ تَرى الكَريمَ أَكيلاً

ثَمَّ لِلجَدبِ وَالزَمانُ خَصيبُ

in lands where you see the noble man prey

there to drought, though the times are fertile.

رَيبُ هَذا الزَمانِ فيهِ عَضوضٌ

وَمُحَيّا الزَمانِ عَنهُ قَطوبُ

The treachery of this age bites hard at him,

and time's face turns from him with a scowl.

قَد شَكَونا إِلَيكَ شَكوى شَكاها

عامُ مَحلٍ إِلى الغَمامِ جَدوبُ

We have brought you the same complaint

a barren year of drought brought to the clouds.

وَرَضينا بِحُكمِ غَيثِكَ فيها

أَنَّهُ صائِبٌ وَأَنتَ مُصيبُ

And we have accepted your rain's judgment concerning it:

it hits the mark, and you act aright.