أبالمنحنى أم بالعقيق أم الجرف — Albohtry

أَبِالمُنحَنى أَم بِالعَقيقِ أَمِ الجُرفِ

أَنيسٌ فَيُسلينا عَنِ الأُنَّسِ الوُطفِ

At al-Munhana, or al-Aqiq, or al-Jurf,

is there a companion to ease our longing for the gentle, long-lashed maidens?

لَعَمرُ الرُسومِ الدارِساتِ لَقَد غَدَت

بِرَيّا سُعادٍ وَهيَ طَيِّبَةُ العَرفِ

By the life of those faded traces, they have grown fragrant

with Su'ad's scent—she is sweet of fragrance.

بَكَينا فَمِن دَمعٍ يُمازِجُهُ دَمٌ

هُناكَ وَمِن دَمعٍ تَجودُ بِهِ صِرفِ

We wept: some tears were mingled with blood

there, and some you shed unmixed.

وَلَم أَنسَ إِذ راحوا مُطيعينَ لِلنَوى

وَقَد وَقَفَت ذاتُ الوِشاحَينِ وَالوَقفِ

I have not forgotten when they departed, yielding to separation,

while she of the two sashes and the anklet stood still.

ثَنَت طَرفَها دونَ المَشيبِ وَمَن يَشِب

فَكُلُّ الغَواني عَنهُ مُثنِيَةُ الطَرفِ

She averted her gaze from gray hair; and whoever grows gray—

every beauty turns her gaze away from him.

وَجُنَّ الهَوى فيها عَشِيَّةَ أَعرَضَت

بِناظِرَتَي ريمٍ وَسالِفَتَي خِشفِ

Love went mad for her the evening she turned aside,

with a white gazelle's eyes and the twin sides of a fawn's neck,

وَأَفلَجَ بَرّاقٍ يَروحُ رُضابُهُ

حَراماً عَلى التَقبيلِ بَسلاً عَلى الرَشفِ

and a gleaming, gap-toothed mouth, whose saliva remains

forbidden to kisses, barred to sipping.

لِآلِ حُمَيدٍ مَذهَبٌ فِيَّ لَم أَكُن

لِأَذهَبَهُ فيهِم وَلَو جَدَعوا أَنفي

The house of Humayd treats me in a manner I would never

adopt toward them, even if they cut off my nose.

وَإِنَّ الَّذي أُبدي لَهُم مِن مَوَدَّتي

عَلى عُدَواءِ الدارِ دونَ الَّذي أُخفي

Indeed, the affection I show them,

despite our distant homes, falls short of what I conceal.

وَكُنتُ إِذا وَلَّيتُ بِالوُدِّ عَنهُمُ

دَعوني فَأَلفَوني لَهُم لَيِّنَ العَطفِ

Whenever I turned my affection away from them,

they called me back and found me gently disposed toward them.

وَلَم أَرمِ إِلّا كانَ عِرضُ عَدُوِّهِم

مِنَ الناسِ قُدّامي وَأَعراضُهُم خَلفي

I never shot unless the honor of their enemy

among men lay before me, and their own honors behind me.

جَعَلتُ لِساني دونَهُم وَلَوَ أَنَّهُم

أَهابوا بِسَيفي كانَ أَسرَعَ مِن طَرفي

I made my tongue their shield; and had they

called for my sword, it would have been swifter than my glance.

دَعاني إِلى قَولِ الخَنا وَاِستِماعِهِ

أَبو نَهشَلٍ بَعدَ المَوَدَّةِ وَالحِلفِ

I was called to utter foul abuse and listen to it

by Abu Nahshal, after affection and alliance.

وَأَخطَرَني لِلشاتِمينَ وَلَم أَكُن

لِأُشتَمَ إِلّا بِالتَكَذُّبِ وَالقَرفِ

He exposed me to revilers, though I could not

be reviled except through lies and slander.

فَما ثَلَموا حَدّي وَلا فَتَلوا يَدي

وَلا ضَعضَعوا عَزمي وَلازَعزَعوا كَهفي

So they did not nick my edge, nor twist my arm,

nor weaken my resolve, nor shake my refuge.

وَهَل هَضَباتُ اِبنَي شَمامٍ بَوارِحٌ

إِذا عَصَفَت هوجُ الجَنائِبِ بِالعَصفِ

And do the crags of the two Sons of Shamam ever move

when the wild south winds rage in furious blasts?

رَجَعتُ إِلى حِلمي وَلَو شِئتُ شُرِّدَت

نَوافِذُ تَمضي في الدِلاصِيَةِ الزَغفِ

I returned to forbearance; had I wished, there would have flown

piercing shafts that pass through smooth, supple mail.

أَبى لي العُبَيدونَ الثَلاثَةُ أَن أُرى

رَسيلَ لَئيمٍ في المُباذاةِ وَالقَذفِ

The three Ubayds forbid me to be seen

as a base man's partner in trading obscenities and slander.

وَأَجبُنُ عَن تَعريضِ عِرضي لِجاهِلٍ

وَإِن كُنتُ في الإِقدامِ أَطعَنُ في الصَفِّ

I shrink from exposing my honor to a fool,

though in the charge I thrust my spear into the ranks.

وَلَمّا تَباذَينا فَرَرتُ مِنَ الخَنا

بِأَشياخِ صِدقٍ لَم يَفِرّوا مِنَ الزَحفِ

When we traded obscenities, I fled from foul speech,

backed by honorable elders who never fled the battle.

جَمَعتُ قُوى حَزمي وَوَجَّهتُ هِمَّتي

فَسِرتُ وَمِثلي سارَ عَن خُطَّةِ الخَسفِ

I gathered the strength of my resolve and directed my purpose,

so I departed—as one like me departs from a state of humiliation.

وَإِنّي مَليءٌ إِن ثَنَيتُ رَكائِبي

بِدَيمومَةٍ تَسفي بِها الريحُ ماتَسفي

And I have the mettle, should I turn my riding camels,

for a trackless waste where the wind scatters what it will.

تَرَكتُكَ لِلقَومِ الَّذينَ تَرَكتَني

لَهُم وَسَلا الإِلفُ المَشوقُ إِلى الإِلفِ

I left you to those people—you had abandoned me

to them; and the longing friend has ceased to pine for his friend.

وَقالَ لِيَ الأَعداءُ ما أَنتَ قائِلٌ

وَلَيسَ يَراني اللَهُ أَنحَتُ مِن جُرفي

The enemies told me what you are saying,

yet God will not see me chipping away at my own riverbank.

وَإِنّي لَئيمٌ إِن تَرَكتُ لِأُسرَتي

أَوابِدَ تَبقى في القَراطيسِ وَالصُحفِ

I would indeed be base if I left for my family

wild, roaming verses that endure on sheets and pages.

أَبا نَهشَلٍ لِلحادِثِ النُكرِ إِن عَرا

وَلِلدَهرِ ذي الخَطبِ المُبَرِّحِ وَالصَرفِ

O Abu Nahshal, a refuge against dread calamity, should it strike,

and against Time, with its grievous disasters and reversals.

كَرُمتَ فَما كَدَّرتَ نَيلَكَ عِندَنا

بِمَنٍّ وَلا خَلَّفتَ وَعدَكَ في الخُلفِ

You were generous: you did not cloud your bounty to us

with reminders of favor, nor leave your promise unfulfilled.

وَما الهَجرُ مِنّي عَن قِلىً غَيرَ أَنَّها

مُجازاةُ أَوغادٍ نَفَضتُ بِها كَفّي

My estrangement was not out of hatred; it was only

requital for scoundrels, by which I shook my hand free.

وَلَمّا رَأَيتُ القُربَ يُدوي اِتِّصالُهُ

بَعُدتُ لَعَلَّ البُعدَ مِن ظالِمٍ يَشفي

When I saw that continued closeness brought sickness,

I withdrew: perhaps distance from a wrongdoer heals.

فَلِمَ صِرتُ في جَدواكَ أُسوَةَ واحِدٍ

وَقَد نُبتُ في تَفويفِ مَدحِكَ عَن أَلفِ

Why, then, in your bounty am I treated like one man,

when, in embroidering your praise, I have stood in for a thousand?

وَإِنّي لَأَستَبقي وِدادَكَ لِلَّتي

تُلِمُّ وَأَرضى مِنكَ دونَ الَّذي يَكفي

I do keep your friendship in reserve for the calamity

that may strike, and accept from you less than suffices.

وَأَسأَلُكَ النِصفُ اِحتِجازاً وَرُبَّما

أَبَيتُ فَلَم أَسمَح لِغَيرِكَ بِالنِصفِ

I ask you for fairness, restraining myself; at times

I have refused, granting no one but you fair terms.

وَإِنّي لَمَحسودٌ عَلَيكَ مُنافَسٌ

وَإِن كُنتُ أَستَبطي كَثيراً وَأَستَجفي

I am indeed envied for your favor, and others vie with me,

though I often find you tardy and aloof.

وَكَم لَكَ عِندي مِن يَدٍ صامِتِيَّةٍ

يَقِلُّ لَها شُكري وَيَعيا بِها وَصفي

And how many a favor like Samit's you have shown me,

for which my thanks fall short and my description fails.

فَلا تَجعَلِ المَعروفَ رِقّاً فَإِنَّنا

خُلِقنا نُجوماً لَيسَ يُملَكنَ بِالعُرفِ

So do not turn kindness into bondage, for we

were created stars, not to be owned through favors.

لَكَ الشُكرُ مِنّي وَالثَناءُ مُخَلَّداً

وَشِعرٌ كَمَوجِ البَحرِ يَصفو وَلا يَصفي

Yours are my thanks and everlasting praise,

and poetry like the sea's waves, running clear and never dry.