لأخي الحب عبرة ما تجف — Albohtry

لِأَخي الحُبِّ عَبرَةٌ ما تَجِفُّ

وَغَرامٌ يُدوي الحَشا وَيَشُفُّ

Love's companion has a tear that never dries,

and a passion that sickens the heart and wastes it away.

وَطَليحٍ مِنَ الوَداعِ تُعَنّي

هِ نَوىً غَربَةٌ وَوَجناءُ حَرفُ

And many a man worn out by farewell is tormented

by exile's distance and a lean, broad-cheeked she-camel.

وَأَناةٌ عَن كُلِّ شَيءٍ سِوى البَي

نِ وَإِلّا بَينٌ فَصَدٌّ وَصَدفُ

And delay in everything except

parting—or, failing parting, rejection and aversion.

أُعطيتَ بَسطَةً عَلى الناسِ حَتّى

هِيَ صِنفٌ وَالناسُ في الحُسنِ صِنفُ

You were granted such distinction above mankind that

your beauty is one kind, and mankind's another.

اِعتِدالٌ يُميلُ مِنهُ اِنخِناثٌ

وَتَثَنٍّ فيهِ الفَخامَةُ لُطفُ

A balanced form softened by a languid sway,

and a supple motion whose stateliness is delicate grace.

نَعمَةَ الغُصنِ إِن تَأَوَّدَ عِطفٌ

مِنهُ عَن هِزَّةٍ تَماسَكَ عِطفُ

The suppleness of a bough: if one side bends,

at a shake, another side of it holds firm.

مُسكِري إِن سُقيتُ مِنهُ بِعَيني

أُرجُوانٌ مِن خَمرِ خَدَّيهِ صِرفُ

My intoxicant, if I drink it with my eyes,

is pure crimson from the wine of his cheeks.

أَي وَسَعيِ الحَجيجِ حينَ سَعَوا شُع

ثاً وَصَفَّ الحَجيجِ ساعَةَ صَفّوا

Yes, by the pilgrims' striving as they strove,

disheveled, and by the pilgrims' ranks when they stood arrayed:

لَن يَنالَ المَشيبُ حُظوَةَ وُدٍّ

حَيثُ يَسجو لَحظٌ وَيَحوَرُّ طَرفُ

Gray hair will never win love's favor

where glances grow languid and eyes are dark against white.

وَغَريبٌ في الحُبِّ مَن لَم يُصاحِب

وَرَقاً مِن جَنى الشَبابِ يَرِفُّ

And a stranger to love is one unaccompanied

by fluttering foliage from youth's harvest.

ناكَرَتهُ الحَسناءُ أَبيَضَ بَضّاً

وَهَواها لَو كانَ أَسوَدُ وَحفُ

The beauty disowned it, white and tender,

though, were it black and luxuriant, it would be her desire.

يَهضِمُ الشَيبَ أَو يُرى النَقصُ فيهِ

أَسَفٌ يَتبَعُ الشَبابَ وَلَهفُ

What wrongs gray hair, or makes it seem deficient,

is sorrow and regret that follow youth.

ثَقُلَت وَطأَةُ الزَمانِ عَلى جا

نِبِ وَفري وَأَقسَمَت لاتَخِفُّ

Time's tread has grown heavy on the flank

of my wealth, and sworn never to lighten.

وَإِذا راقَتِ المَطالِبُ حُسناً

فَسِوايَ الداني إِلَيها المُسِفُّ

And when the prizes appear fair,

another, not I, draws near and swoops low over them.

وَإِزائي مَطالِبٌ لَو تُواتي

نِيَ نَفسٌ عَن مِثلِهِنَّ تَعِفُّ

Before me lie prizes—if only it would yield

to me, this soul that abstains from their like.

وَمَتى اِرتَدتَ أَينَ تَجعَلُ رِقّاً

فَليَنَل رِقَّكَ الأَشَفُّ الأَشَفُّ

And when you seek where to place your servitude,

let the most eminent, the most eminent, win your service.

لِبَني مَخلَدٍ عَلى كُلِّ حَيٍّ

أَثَرٌ مِن عَطائِهِم لَيسَ يَعفو

The sons of Makhlad have left on every living soul

a trace of their bounty that never fades.

مَجدُهُم فَوقَ مَجدِ مَن يَتَعاطى

مَجدَهُم وَالسَماءُ لِلأَرضِ سَقفُ

Their glory stands above the glory of anyone claiming

their glory; the sky is a roof over the earth.

دِيَمٌ مِن سَحابِ جودٍ إِذا إِس

تُفرِغَ خِلفٌ مِنها تَدَفَّقَ خِلفُ

Steady rains from clouds of bounty: whenever

one of their teats is drained, another streams forth.

أَعِيالٌ لَهُم بَنو الأَرضِ أَم ما

لَهُم راتِبٌ عَلى الناسِ وَقفُ

Are earth's children their dependents, or is what

they possess a permanent endowment for mankind?

مُتَناسونَ لِلذُنوبِ إِذا اِستُس

رِفَ تَفريطُ مَن يَزِلُّ وَيَهفو

They choose to forget offenses when

the negligence of one who slips and errs is judged excessive.

إِنَّما فُوِّضَ التَخَيُّرُ في الحُك

مِ إِلَيهِم لِيَصفَحوا أَو لِيَعفوا

Discretion in judgment has been entrusted

to them only so that they may pardon or forgive.

كَم سَرِيٍّ تَقَيَّلَ السَروَ عَنهُم

وَاِشتِباهُ الأَخلاقِ عَدوى وَإِلفِ

How many a nobleman has modeled his nobility on theirs!

And likeness of character comes through contagion and familiarity.

كَأَبي الفَضلِ حينَ يَتَّسِعُ الإِف

ضالُ مِنهُ في الطالِبينَ وَيَضفو

Like Abu al-Fadl, when bounty spreads

from him among petitioners and overflows.

سَبِطٌ مِثلُ عامِلِ الرُمحِ طالَ ال

قَومَ لَمّا اِلتَفّوا عَلَيهِ وَحَفّوا

Slender as a spear's upper shaft, he towered over

the company when they gathered around him and encircled him.

لِأَبٍ مُنجِبٍ يُجاذِبُهُ العِت

قُ وَفي السَائِماتِ عَيرٌ وَطِرفُ

Son of a sire who breeds nobly, with whom

pure breeding vies; among grazing beasts are ass and thoroughbred.

رَغبَةٌ لِلعُيونِ إِمّا تَبدّى

طافَ عَرفٌ مِنهُ وَأَجزَلَ عُرفُ

A delight to the eyes, whenever he appears,

his fragrance wafts abroad, and his bounty abounds.

شيمَةٌ حُرَّةٌ وَظاهِرُ بِشرٍ

راحَ مِن خَلفِهِ السَماحُ يَشِفُّ

A noble nature, and an outward cheerfulness

from behind which generosity shines through.

وَأَشَّقُّ الأَفعالِ أَن تَهَبَ الأَن

فُسُ ما أُغلِقَت عَلَيهِ الأَكُفُّ

And the hardest deed is for souls to give

what hands have closed upon.

يا أَبا الفَضلِ حَمَّلَتكَ المَعالي

عِبئَها وَالبَخيلُ مِنهُ مُخِفُّ

O Abu al-Fadl, lofty virtues have laid upon you

their burden, of which the miser bears little.

جَمَعَتنا عَلى طَوِيَّةٍ وُدٍّ

رَحِمٌ بَينَنا تَحِنُّ وَحِلفُ

We have been brought together in heartfelt affection

by yearning kinship between us, and a covenant.

شَهِدَ الخَرجُ إِذ تَوَلَّيتَهُ أَنَّ

كَ في جَمعِهِ الأَمينُ الأَعَفُّ

The revenue testified, when you took charge of it, that

you were trustworthy and most scrupulous in collecting it.

حَيثُ لاعِندَ مُجتَبىً مِنهُ إِلطا

طٌ وَلا في سِياقِ جابيهِ عُنفُ

Where there was no withholding by the taxpayer,

nor violence in its collector's demands.

سيرَةُ القَصدِ لا الخُشونَةُ عُنفٌ

يَتَعَدّى المَدى وَلا اللينُ ضَعفُ

A course of moderation: sternness is no violence

that oversteps the bounds, nor is gentleness weakness.

وَكِلا حالَتَيكَ يَستَصلِحُ النا

سَ إِباءٌ مِن جانِبَيكَ وَعَطفُ

Both your dispositions put the people right:

from your two sides come firmness and compassion.

لَن يُوَلّى تِلكَ الطَساسيجَ إِلّا

خَلَفٌ مِنَك آخِرَ الدَهرِ خَلفُ

No one shall be appointed to those districts except

a successor to you—forever an unworthy successor.

إِن تَشَكَّت رَعِيَّةٌ سوءَ قَبضٍ

بِكَ أَو عَقَبَ الوِلايَةَ صَرفُ

If subjects complain of harsh collection

under you, or dismissal follows office,

فَقَديماً تَداوَلَ العُسرُ وَاليُس

رُ وَكُلٌّ قَذىً عَلى الريحِ يَطفو

for hardship and ease have long taken turns,

and all is a mote afloat upon the wind.

يَفسُدُ الأَمرُ ثُمَّ يَصلُحُ مِن قُر

بٍ وَلِلماءِ كَدرَةٌ ثُمَّ يَصفو

Things go wrong, then soon come right;

water has its muddiness, then becomes clear.

ما مَشى في هَنِئٍ طَولِكَ تَطوي

لٌ وَلا دَبَّ في عِداتِكَ خُلفُ

No delay ever made its way into your welcome bounty,

nor did broken faith creep into your promises,

غَيرَ أُكرومَةٍ سَبَقتَ إِلَيها

صَحَّ نِصفٌ مِنها وَأُخدِجَ نِصفُ

except one kindness to which you hastened:

half of it was sound, and half was born incomplete.

أَلِوَهمٍ أَم كُلُّ أَلفَينِ ما لَم

يُؤخَذا عِندَ مُبتَدا الوَعدِ أَلفُ

Was it an oversight, or does every two thousand, unless

received when first promised, count as one thousand?

وَفَتى الناسِ مَن إِذا قالَ وافى

فِلُهُ وَهوَ لِلَّذي قالَ ضِعفُ

And the true man is he whose words are fulfilled

by his deed, twice the measure of what he said.