خفضا لا موت الا بأجل — Alhees Bess

خفِّضا لا موتَ اِلا بأجَلْ

واحذراني سَبَقَ السيفُ العذلْ

Be calm, you two: death comes only at its appointed time.

And beware of me: the sword has outpaced reproach.

ورِدا بي كبَّةَ الخيلِ ضُحىً

لضرابِ الهامِ أو طعنِ المُقَلْ

Take me into the press of horses in the morning,

To strike skulls or pierce eyes.

واذكراني بتراتي انما

هُدْنةُ الحَيِّ رياءٌ ودَخَلْ

And remind me of my blood-feuds; indeed,

The tribe's truce is only hypocrisy and hidden malice.

لا تَظُنَّا ضَحِكي عن طَربٍ

فالسَّنا يُخْبرُ عن فرْط الشُّعل

Do not think my laughter springs from delight:

The radiance tells of the flames' intensity.

ضِقتُ ذرعاً ببني اللُّؤمِ فما

تَركَتْ شكوايَ للشعر غَزلْ

I can no longer bear the sons of baseness, so

My complaints have left poetry no room for love-songs.

وغَدا ترتيلُ ذمي لهمُ

شاغِلَ القولِ عن الثَّغر الرَّتلْ

And my chanted condemnation of them has become

What turns my verse away from evenly spaced teeth.

مِلءُ اُهْبِ القومِ اِنْ فتَّشتها

يا أخا سُفْيانَ كِبْرٌ وبَخلْ

What fills the people's hides, if you search them,

O brother of Sufyan, is arrogance and stinginess.

جهلوني والعُلى عارفةٌ

بمقامي في نِزالٍ وجَدَلْ

They failed to know me, though high honor knows

My standing in combat and debate.

واطْمأنَّتْ لهم عُلويَّةٌ

دونَ أقْصاها من المجْد زُحَلْ

And a lofty station stood secure for them,

With Saturn below its utmost height of glory.

فتولَّوا ثُمَّ قالوا فَشِلٌ

ولأمِّ القائِل الزُّورَ الهَبَلْ

They turned away, then said, 'A coward!'

May the speaker of falsehood's mother be bereaved!

يُغْمدُ الصارمُ حتى يُنتضي

ولا يُجَمُّ اللَّدنُ حتى يُعْتَقَلْ

The keen sword is sheathed until it is drawn,

Nor is the supple spear rested until it is grasped.

ومن العَزْمِ أناةٌ فاصْطبِرْ

لصروِ الدهر والخطبِ الجَللْ

Deliberation is part of resolve, so bear patiently

Time's afflictions and grave calamity.

ليس فرطُ الصبر مني دِلَّةً

بل رويداً يلحقُ الهَيْجا حَمَلْ

My abundant patience is not weakness;

Rather, wait a little: Hamal will reach the battle.

يسكنُ الراشقُ في نزْعَتهِ

ورواءَ الرَّشْقِ طيَّارٌ عَجِلْ

The archer stays still as he draws,

And behind the shot is a swift-flying shaft.

كيف يعدو العزمُ مَنْ آباؤه

منْ تميمٍ صفْوةُ المجدِ النُّبُلْ

How could resolve pass by one whose fathers

Are from Tamim, the noble elect of glory?

المَطاعيمُ إِذا عَزَّ الحيَا

والمَطاعينُ إِذا جَدَّ الوَهَلْ

Feeders of others when rain grows scarce,

And spear-thrusters when terror grows fierce,

والمَقاديمُ إِذا هيبَ الرَّدى

والمساميحُ إِذا الجدْبُ أظَلْ

And bold advancers when death is feared,

And generous givers when drought casts its shadow.

غُلُبُ الأعْناقِ فيهم صَيَدٌ

يُلْحفون الأرض هُدَّابَ الحَلل

Thick of neck, with heads tilted proudly,

They drape the ground with their robes' fringes.

بين خوّاضِ غِمارٍ باسِلٍ

ومُطاعٍ في نديٍّ مُحْتفِلْ

Among them a bold plunger into battle's depths,

And a man obeyed in a crowded council.

لا ترانا غُفُلاً عن نجْدةٍ

لا ولا فينا عن الضَّيْفِ كَسَلْ

You never find us heedless of a call for help;

No, nor is there in us any sloth toward a guest.

طالَ اِجمامي عن شأو المَدى

واذا يُرتبطُ الطِّرْفُ صَهلْ

Long have I rested from pursuing the farthest goal;

And when a thoroughbred is tethered, it neighs.

ولقد مَلَّ مُقامي أسْرتي

جارَ بغدادَ ومثْلي لا يُملْ

My family has indeed tired of my stay

As Baghdad's neighbor, though one like me should never weary others.

فشِموا عارضَها مُبْتسماً

عن ظُبى البيض وأطرافِ الأسلْ

So watch its raincloud smile,

Revealing bright sword-edges and spearpoints.

دانيَ الهيدبِ عُلْويَّ المَدى

حالكاً يغدو له الظُّهْرُ طَفَلْ

Its trailing fringe hangs low, its reach is lofty,

So dark that noon becomes twilight because of it.

راعِداً ما ارتفعَ الطَّرْد به

فإذا ما ارتفعَ الضْربُ هَطَلْ

Thundering while pursuit surges through it,

Then pouring when the striking intensifies.

في عيونِ الحُمْسِ منه شَوَشٌ

وعيونِ الخيلِ فيهنَّ قَبَلْ

It throws the fierce warriors' eyes into confusion,

And turns the horses' eyes inward.

يكْلَحُ الموتُ على أرْجائهِ

بِلدانِ السُّمُرِ فيهنَّ خَطَلْ

Death bares its teeth along its edges,

With supple tawny spears swaying wildly.

كلما لاحظه سِيدُ المَلا

عاسِلَ الأرْماحِ للطَّعن عَسَلْ

Whenever a wolf of the open plain catches sight of it,

Loping among the spears, he bounds toward the thrust.

تختلي سُبَّقهُ ما لَفظتْ

بيضُه من رَجِلٍ قبل النَّفَلْ

Its swift horses mow down whatever

Its bright swords have cast aside among footmen, before the plunder.

حيث لا الضرب اختلاساً في الطُّلى

للغَطاريفِ ولا الطَّعْنُ غَلَلْ

Where blows at throats are no furtive snatches

At noble chiefs, nor spear-thrusts treacherous.

يومُ عزٍّ اشْبهتْ نُصْرتُه

نصر عز الدين للجار الأذَلْ

A day of glory whose victory resembled

Izz al-Din's defense of the most abased neighbor.

باذلُ الجودِ ومنّاعُ الحِمى

لنزيلٍ خافَ أو ضيفٍ نزَلْ

A lavish giver and staunch defender of sanctuary

For a frightened sojourner or an arriving guest.

والذي يَحْسدهُ عندهُما

ساكبُ الدِّيمةِ والعَضْبُ الأفلْ

Those who envy him in both

Are the pouring raincloud and the notched blade.

فإذا أنْجدَ أو جادَ جَرتْ

أرضُه للقوم بأساً ونِحَلْ

When he brings aid or gives generously,

His land flows for the people with might and gifts.

راسِخٌ يحلُم في حَبْوتهِ

فإذا ما ركبَ العزْمَ قَتلْ

Steadfast and forbearing in his knee-bound seat,

But when he mounts resolve, he slays.

زُرَّ بُردْاهُ على ذي خَطَرٍ

مُحْمَدِ الصُّحْبةِ مأمون الزَّلل

His two cloaks are fastened upon a man of consequence,

Of praiseworthy companionship, safe from lapses.

فَرعَ المَجْدَ غُلاماً يافِعاً

فأبى اِلا الأعالي والقُلَلْ

He scaled glory as an adolescent youth,

And would accept only the heights and summits.

ناصفُ المِئْزرِ من كسب العُلى

وهو في الحي سَحوبٌ ورَفِلْ

His waistcloth half-length from striving for high honor,

Yet among his tribe he trails his robes in stately grace.

بِشرهُ والسَّهْلُ من أخْلاقهِ

أغْنَيا ضيفانهُ عن َحيَّهَلْ

His cheerfulness and the gentleness of his manners

Spare his guests the need for 'Come, welcome!'

فاعِلٌ غيرُ قَؤولٍ فإذا

قال خيراً لُمِرجيِّهِ فَعلْ

A man of deeds, not many words; when

He promises good to one who hopes in him, he fulfills it.

قائِلٌ يَسْحرُ منْ ايجازهِ

فاذِ أسْهب فالسحرُ الأحَلْ

A speaker whose brevity enchants;

If he speaks at length, his magic is the most lawful.

يَطْربُ الراشِقُ في أنْملهِ

طرب الشاربِ بالصوت الرَّمَلْ

The darting pen dances in his fingertips,

Like a drinker delighted by a ramal melody.

فَصُحَتْ حتى الاشاراتُ لهُ

توصِلُ المعنى إلى الفَهْم الأكَلْ

Even his gestures have grown eloquent,

Conveying meaning to a dull understanding.

هو بحرٌ من عُلومٍ ونَدىً

وهو في الحلم وفي الصَّبْر جَبلْ

He is a sea of learning and generosity,

And in forbearance and patience he is a mountain.

خَشِنُ البطْشَةِ لا بَغْيَ بهِ

لَيِّنُ الملمس من غير فَشَلْ

Fierce in his grasp, yet without tyranny,

Gentle to the touch, yet without weakness.

ساكِنُ العِطْفِ على اِقْدامهِ

فالمضاءُ الرَّيْث والرَّيثُ عجلْ

Calm of bearing despite his bold advance:

His decisiveness is deliberation, his deliberation haste.

فَخَرَ الدهرُ بِنَو شَرْ وانهِ

وأتمَّّ الفخرَ منه من نَجَلْ

Time took pride in its Nushirwan,

And the one he begot perfected that pride in him.

نَجَلَ الموفي على آبائهِ

كلما شادوا تسامى وأَطَلْ

He begot one who surpasses his forefathers:

Whenever they built high, he rose higher and looked down.

فلهُ من شيخهِ ألطافُه

ومن السيف إِذا هُزَّ قَصَلْ

He has his elder's kindnesses,

And from the sword, its cleaving stroke when brandished.

يا بني خالِدٍ المَدحُ لكمْ

خالدٌ ما لاحَ نجمٌ وأفَلْ

O sons of Khalid, your praise

Endures as long as stars appear and set.

وخَبوطٍ في دُجى مُعْتمةٍ

عَجِلِ الشَّدِّ وشيكِ المُرْتحلْ

And many a stumbling traveler in deep, dark night,

Hasty in his pace, quick to depart,

جائرٍ لو هَتفَ النَّهْجُ بهِ

لأضاعَ القصْدَ ضُرّاً وأضَلْ

Astray—if the road itself called out to him,

He would miss the right course to his hurt and stray farther.

مُسْنتٍ طارتْ به مُجْدِبةٌ

فسرى يخْضبُ خُفّاً واِطَلْ

Famine-stricken, borne away by a barren waste,

He journeys by night, staining hoof and flank.

ثابتٍ في شُعَبِ الرَّحْلِ إِذا

قيلَ ألْقى رحْلهُ قيلَ احْتملْ

Fixed among the saddle's forks, whenever

They say, 'He has set down his saddle,' they say, 'Load up!'

قَرنَ الذُّعْرَ إلى مَسْغَبةٍ

فهو لو لا الخوفٌ موهونٌ أكَلْ

He has joined terror to hunger,

And but for fear he would be weakened and spent.

يحْسبُ المَوْردَ آلاً لامِعاً

وصداهُ الفرد جيشاً ذا زَجَلْ

He takes the watering-place for a shining mirage,

And his lone echo for a clamorous army.

بِعَراءٍ نازِحٍ ذي غَرَرٍ

يحذرُ القانصُ منه ما اشمَعَلْ

In a distant, treacherous wilderness,

The hunter fears whatever darts across it.

تلْعبُ الجِنَّانُ في أجْوازِهِ

فبساريه من الطَّيْفِ خَبَلْ

The jinn play throughout its expanses,

And apparitions madden its nighttime traveler.

كَرَّ ذِكْراكُم على آمالهِ

فاستمرَّ العزمُ منه واسْتقَلْ

The memory of you returned to his hopes,

So his resolve grew firm, and he rose to journey.

فأتى كُلَّ طَليقٍ باسمٍ

مانعِ الحوْزَةِ مُخْضَرِّ المَحلْ

And he came to every open-faced, smiling man,

A defender of his domain, with a verdant dwelling.

فَحميْتُمْ بعدما أغْنيْتُمُ

وكذا الحافل يُغْني اِذْ أظَلْ

You sheltered him after enriching him;

So does a brimming cloud enrich when it casts its shade.

يا سَمِيَّ المُصطفى بَرَّحَ بي

مَطْلُ أيامي بتحقيق الأملْ

O namesake of al-Mustafa, I am sorely tormented

By my days' delay in fulfilling my hope,

وَورودي في زَمانٍ آخِرٍ

مع تبريزي على فضلِ الأوَلْ

And by my arrival in a later age,

Despite my surpassing the excellence of the ancients,

ومداراتي جِيْلاً سُوَقاً

ناقصُ الحيِّ لديهم من فَضَلْ

And by my placating a vulgar generation:

To them, whoever excels is the tribe's deficient man.

فَلَئِنْ ضاقَ رَجائي فيهُمُ

فبيوم الثَّأرِ في الطَّعْنِ نَجَلْ

Yet if my hope in them has narrowed,

On vengeance-day the spear-thrusts will leave gaping wounds.

تضوَّع نادي المجد طيباً وملؤهُ

من ابن طِرادٍ بأسهُ وفواضِلُهْ

Glory's assembly wafts fragrance, and what fills it

From Ibn Tirad is his valor and his generous favors.

مرير القوى من آل عدنان رائحٌ

مع الجودِ تشْقى نيبهُ وعواذلُهْ

Strong of sinew, of Adnan's house, he goes forth

With generosity: his aged she-camels and reprovers suffer.

يُناط نِجادا سيفه بمُمدَّحٍ

تُخاف عواديه وتُرجى نوافِلهْ

His sword's two baldrics hang upon a much-praised man,

Whose attacks are feared and whose gifts are hoped for.

إِذا عَظُم الذنب الجليلُ فصافحٌ

واِنْ فَدحَ الغُرم الثقيلُ فحاملهْ

When a grave offense grows great, he pardons;

And when a heavy liability weighs down, he bears it.

سَحابٌ من النعماءِ جَمٌّ نوالُهُ

ومن بِشْرهِ للمُعتفينَ مَخائلهْ

A cloud of beneficence, abundant in its gifts,

His smiles are its signs of rain for those seeking bounty.

يُخيَّب باغي عيْبهِ واغْتيابهِ

ويصدقُ في شيم المكارمِ آملهُ

The seeker of faults in him and slander is disappointed,

And his hopeful seeker is proved right in watching for noble deeds.

هو المرء حُسناهُ دروعٌ حصينةٌ

عليه ومن تقوى الاِلهِ معاقلهْ

He is the man whose good deeds are strong armor

Upon him, and whose strongholds are made of reverence for God.

ضَروبٌ إِذا ما لفَّهُ رهجُ الوغى

طروبٌ إِذا التفَّتْ عليه وسائله

A mighty striker when battle's dust wraps him,

Joyful when appeals to his favor gather around him.

حوى شرف الدين الفَخارَ لنفسه

فأين مُباريهِ وأين مُساجلهْ

Sharaf al-Din has gathered glory for himself:

So where is his competitor, and where his rival?

كأنَّ رياض الحزن نشرُ ثنائه ال

عميمِ إِذا ما رجَّع الحمد قائله

The fragrance of his praise is like upland meadows—

All-pervading, when its speaker chants that praise.

ومنْ يُمنه سَحُّ الغمامِ بأزْمَةٍ

ولو لم يسحُّ الغيثُ أغنت أنامله

Among his blessings is the clouds' pouring in famine;

Even if no rain fell, his fingertips would suffice.