لجفني بشرح الحب درس يقرر — Ali Ghorab Sfaxien

لجفني بشرح الحبّ درس يقرّرُ

عليه حواشي السّقم مني تُحرّرُ

For my eyelid, a lesson in the exposition of love is rehearsed;

upon it, marginal notes of my sickness are inscribed.

وللقلب من نار الفؤاد استعارة

دُمُوعي من ترشيحها تنحدّرُ

My heart borrows a metaphor from the fire within it;

my tears descend from that metaphor's elaboration.

غدا الشّوقُ من دمعي وسُقمي مُظهرا

عليّ ولكن فاعلُ الشّوق مضمر

Longing has become manifest through my tears and sickness

upon me, but the agent of that longing remains concealed.

وكم رُمتُ صدقا من تصوّر سلوة

فيكذبُ في التّصديق ذلك التّصّوُرُ

How often I sought truth in imagining consolation,

only for that conception to prove false when tested.

وصبري منسوخ الرُّسوم بناسخ

له من سواد اللّحظ وهو المؤخّرُ

The outlines of my patience are effaced by an abrogator

drawn from his dark glance, the later authority.

وسرّي ونومي من كراهة صدّه

مُباحٌ ومندُوبٌ ووصلي يحظر

My secret and my sleep, through loathing of his rejection,

are disclosed and lamented, while union with me is forbidden.

وجسمي من شوق لمنضود ثغره

غدا عرضا لمّا بدا وهو جوهر

My body, longing for the ordered pearls of his mouth,

became an accident when he appeared, himself a substance.

فنضدُ صحاح الجوهري منه محكمّ

عباب غرامي فيه ما زال يزخرُ

Its array of sound jewels—al-Jawhari's Sihah—is finely wrought;

the billows of my passion within it never cease to surge.

وما لمديد الدّمع قصرٌ إذا جرى

وإنّ مديد البحر لا شكّ يقصر

The long course of tears is never shortened as it flows,

though the Madid poetic meter is certainly shortened.

لإنسان عيني مرسلاتُ مدامع

لها نبأ فيمن ثناياه كوثرُ

From my eye's pupil come dispatched streams of tears,

bearing tidings of him whose teeth are Kawthar.

متى رُمتُ ابهام الهوى عن عواذلي

فكشّافُها للمبهمات مُفسّرُ

Whenever I try to conceal my love from my reproachers,

their revealer interprets every obscurity.

وبي من ما إذا نُحت يفترُّ قائلا

أتنكرُ ضوء البرق والنّوء ممطرُ

I am afflicted by one who, whenever I lament, smiles and says:

“Do you deny the lightning's gleam while the rain-star brings rain?”

وما افترّ عند النطق إلا وقد غدت

سوابقُ دمعي في الثّنايا تُسيّرُ

He never smiled while speaking without

my racing tears being sent coursing among his teeth.

ولو لا سني تلك الثنايا لما اهتدى

غرامٌ لقلبي وهو فيها مُحيّرُ

Without the radiance of those teeth, no way would be found

by passion toward my heart, bewildered among them.

أقُول إذا شاهدتُ ذاك تولّها

أيا من يرى دُرّا على الدُرّ يُنثرُ

When I witness that, I say in rapture:

“O you who see pearls scattered upon pearls!”

إذا نُصّبت أشراكُ جفني وفرعه

لجرّ الكرى والعقل فهو المظفّرُ

When the snares of my eyelid and his hair are set

to draw away sleep and reason, he is the victor.

غزالٌ تقاد الأسدُ طوعا للحظه

على أنّهُ من قائد النّوم ينفرُ

A gazelle whose glance leads lions willingly,

though he shies away from the guide of sleep.

فلو لم يكن في طرفه السّحرُ ما غدت

لدعوته كلُّ القلوب تُسخّرُ

Were there no sorcery in his eye,

not every heart would be subjected to his summons.

ولو ساحر يدعو بأسماء لحظه

لأغناهُ عن اسم به ظلّ يسحرُ

Were a sorcerer to invoke the names of his glances,

that would spare him the name with which he keeps enchanting.

ومهما بدا محرابُ حاجب طرفه

يقل أزهدُ العبّاد اللهُ أكبرُ

Whenever the prayer-niche of the brow above his eye appears,

the most ascetic worshipper says, “God is greatest!”

لليلي طولٌ من عذار بخدّه

وطول الدّجى والشمس في القوس أجدرُ

My night is lengthened by the down upon his cheek;

and night is more aptly long when the sun is in Sagittarius.

ولو أنّ تلك الشّمس كان قرانه

بأصفر خدّ الصّبّ فالسّعدُ يكبرُ

If that sun's conjunction were

with the lover's yellow cheek, good fortune would grow greater.

فكيوانُ طرفي باع قلبي بنظرة

لزهرة خدّ المشتري وهو أحمرُ

The Saturn of my eye sold my heart for a glance

to the Venus of the buyer's red cheek.

بدت بحواشي خدّه لامُ كاتب

تُحيط بوجه من سنى البدر انورُ

Along the edges of his cheek a scribe's lam appeared,

encircling a face brighter than the full moon's glow.

فقيرُ من السّلوان والوصلُ مُعدمٌ

غنيٌّ عن الأشواق والصّدٌّ مُوسرُ

Poor in consolation, with union destitute;

needing no longing, with rejection wealthy.

لئن راح يُبدي لي مخاوف صدّه

ومالي من قلب على الصّدّ يقدرُ

If he begins to show me the terrors of his rejection,

and I have no heart capable of enduring rejection,

فلي بمن استعلى الأنام حمايةٌ

ومن بعليّ يحتمي ليس يصغرُ

I have protection in him who has risen above mankind;

whoever takes shelter with Ali is never brought low.

أبو الحسن الباشا الزّكيّ الّذي طوت

معاليه من كانت معاليه تُنشرُ

Abu al-Hasan, the virtuous Pasha, whose

greatness eclipsed men whose greatness was proclaimed.

مليكُ الورى الصّدرُ الّذي ذكرُ مجده

لهُ بين أشراف الملوك تصدّرُ

Ruler of mankind, the foremost man, whose glorious renown

takes precedence among the noblest kings.

هُو الملكُ الشّهمُ المهمامُ الّذي به

قضى السّعدُ في تيسير ما يتعسّرُ

He is the gallant, resolute king through whom

good fortune decreed the easing of whatever is difficult.

فلو شاء طاعات الملوك بأسرها

لكان لهُ خرجٌ عليهم مُقرّرُ

Were he to desire the obedience of all kings,

a tribute owed by them would be assigned to him.

وتُصبحُ في أقطارها حرسا له

وتغدُو بهاتيك الحراسة تفخرُ

They would become his guards throughout their realms

and take pride in that guardianship.

مليكٌ له في العلم والحلم والنّدى

صبابةُ مُشتاق مدى الدّهر تُذكرُ

A king who, for knowledge, forbearance, and generosity, has

a lover's ardor, remembered throughout time.

مليكٌ له فضل ومجد وسؤدد

وكلُّ مليك عن معاليه يقصر

A king possessing excellence, glory, and sovereignty;

every king falls short of his lofty qualities.

تراه بفرط الميل للعدل آمرا

فيالك ذو عدل وبالميل يأمُرُ

You see him commanding through his deep inclination to justice:

what a wonder—a just man commanding through inclination!

لهُ عفَةٌ مقرونةٌ بصيانة

عن الفحش في أفعاله وتطهّرُ

He has chastity joined with self-protection

against indecency in his deeds, and with purity.

لو انقسمت بين الخلائق لم تجد

على مُسلم وزرا به يتأزّرُ

If it were divided among all creatures, you would find no

burden of sin for any Muslim to gird himself with.

له هممٌ لم يُدرك الطرفُ شأوها

ولا طائرُ النّسرين لو يتطيّرُ

He has ambitions whose reach no gaze has attained,

nor could the bird of the two Eagles, were it to fly.

عزائمهُ كالبيض في كلّ مطلب

ولم يُثنه من مانع عنه يُحذرُ

His resolutions are like bright swords in every undertaking;

no feared obstacle turns him away from it.

إذا ضُربت للحرب يوما خيامُهُ

يصحُّ لهُ بالضّرب قسمٌ مُوفّرُ

When his tents are pitched for war one day,

through striking he secures an abundant share.

لهُ وثباتٌ في وغى الحرب تنثني

ليوثُ الشّرى عن بأسها وتُؤخّرُ

He makes assaults amid the tumult of war from whose might

the lions of Shara recoil and fall back.

إذا ما دعا للحرب يوم كريهة

كماة له من بأسها الدّهرُ يُذعرُ

When, on a dreadful day, he summons to war

warriors whose prowess makes Time itself tremble,

ترى كلّ ليث طالعا فوق غارب

من الدُّهم في شُهب الأسنّة يزأرُ

you see every lion rising above the withers

of black steeds, roaring amid the meteors of spearpoints.

إذا ما جرت في الأرض شُهبُ جياده

ترى الشّهب في أفق العلى تتحيّرُ

When his gray steeds race across the earth,

you see the stars bewildered on the horizon of the heights.

وإن أصبحت يوما بساحة مُنذر

يسوءُ صباحُ المنذرين ويكدرُ

If they arrive one morning in the courtyard of one forewarned,

evil and troubled is the morning of those forewarned.

فما وطئت إلا على جُثث العدى

تُقُّ من الأعضاء ما ليس يُجبرُ

They tread only upon the corpses of enemies,

breaking limbs beyond any mending.

كأنّ لها بالمسح علما وقد غدت

لأضلاع أشكال العداة تُكسّرُ

As though they knew surveying, they have come

to break the sides of the enemies' figures.

ومدّ العدى أعناقهم لبلاده

فمقصورُ ممدود العدى منه أبترُ

The enemies stretched their necks toward his lands,

but through him their stretched-out length is shortened and severed.

بمركزهم دارت دوائرهم ومن

دماهم سُيوف الدّائرات تُقطرُ

At their center their circles of ruin turned, and

the circling swords drip with their blood.

وكلّ ابن همّام غدا وهو حارث

لما هُو من جنس المفاسدُ مكثرُ

Every son of Hammam became a tiller,

prolific in every kind of corruption.

وظنوا بأنّ الّقب يمنعُ جمعهم

نعم مانعٌ ممّا أرادَوا وقدّروُا

They thought their title would protect their gathered host;

yes, it barred them from what they intended and planned.

وقد زعموا بالجهل أن يضعوا الهنا

بموضع ذاك النّقب وهو تغيّرُ

In ignorance they claimed they would place happiness

where that pass stood—a transformation.

فوافت عليهم خيله فكأنّها

من الجوّ عقبانٌ عليهم وأنسرُ

His cavalry came upon them, as though

eagles and vultures descended upon them from the sky.

أحاطت بهم طُرّا إحاطة أبيض

بأسود من لحظ الرّشا وهو أحورُ

They surrounded them all as the white surrounds

the black in the gazelle's dark-centered eye.

ولاذت بهم من كلّ أوب ووجهة

وحلّ بهم منهُ العذابُ المنكّرُ

They pressed around them from every quarter and direction,

and dreadful punishment from him descended upon them.

كما زعمت لمّاشُ تنجو بغربها

فكان لها في القلب غربٌ يؤثّرُ

As Lammash claimed she would escape by heading west,

a blade's edge instead left its mark in her heart.

ولو أنّها في مغرب الشمس أوغلت

لأدركها من مطلع الشمس تنفرُ

Even had she plunged far into the sun's setting place,

he would have caught her fleeing, from the sun's rising place.

أو اتّخذت في الأرض سربا لأمنها

أو اعتقلت بالنّسر حيثُ تُعذرُ

Or had she made an underground burrow for her safety,

or fortified herself beside the Eagle, beyond reach,

فلم يُغن عنها كلُّ ما امتنعت به

ولم يُجد ما كانت به تتسوّرُ

nothing with which she defended herself would have availed her,

nor would the ramparts she scaled have helped.

وحاز بلاد الزّاب طُرّا وسُوفها

وحُكمهما عن إذنه راح يصدُرُ

He took all the lands of Zab, and Souf as well;

the government of both came to proceed by his permission.

وكانُوا كوادي النمل حتّى حطمتهم

بجند سُليمان فولّوا وأدبرُوا

They were like the Valley of the Ants until they were crushed

by Sulayman's army, and turned and fled.

إذا وقعت أسيافُهُ في عُداته

رأيت رؤوس المعتدين تطيّر

When his swords fall upon his enemies,

you see the aggressors' heads flying.

إذا رفع الأعلام فاجزم بفتحه

لما أمّ والجمع الصّحيح يُكسّرُ

When he raises the standards, be certain of his conquest

of whatever he seeks: the sound host is broken.

وتخفقُ من خفق البنود لعلمهم

بتمليكه للخافقين وينصر

They tremble at the fluttering of the banners, knowing

that he rules the two horizons and is granted victory.

مليكٌ له انقاد الزّمانُ بقهره

فأصبح للأعداء بالرّغم يقهرُ

A king to whom Time submitted under his mastery,

and so began subduing his enemies against their will.

غدا واثقا بالله مُعتصما به

وعسكرُهُ المنصورُ وهو المظفّرُ

He became trusting in God, holding fast to Him;

his army is victorious, and he is triumphant.

مليكٌ غدت ترجُو السّعادةٌ أن ترى

يُلاحظها بالتطرف يوما وينظرُ

A king whom good fortune has come to hope

will one day notice it with a sidelong glance.

لئن حصرُوا بالرّصد بُعد كواكب

فهمّتهُ أبعادُها ليس تُحصرُ

Though they measure the distances of stars by observation,

the dimensions of his ambition cannot be measured.

إذا استنتجت أفكارُهُ لقضّية

أتتهُ القاضايا بالنّتائج تبدُرُ

When his thoughts draw an inference concerning a proposition,

propositions hasten to him bearing their conclusions.

لهُ في سماء الفخر شُهبُ مآثر

بها يُنظمُ المدحُ البديعُ ويُنثرُ

In the sky of pride he has meteors of glorious deeds,

with which exquisite praise is composed in verse and prose.

يُحيّي بما توي شمائلهُ الّتي

بزهر الرُّبى منها نسيمٌ يعطّرُ

He brings life through what his virtues contain;

from them a breeze perfumes the flowers of the hills.

لأنّ لهُ بين ملوك مآثر

ترى الزّهر في العلياء منهنّ تزهُرُ

For among kings he possesses glorious deeds

from which you see the stars blossom in the heights.

لهُ فرقدا فضل وفخر كلاهُما

غدا في سماء العزّ يعلو ويبهر

He has the two Farqad stars of excellence and pride, both

rising and dazzling in the sky of glory.

مليك له في الأمر حُسنُ سياسة

يُقادُ بها من كان يجفو وينفر

A king possessing skillful governance of affairs,

by which even the estranged and fleeing are led.

كميّ له في الناّائبات وقائع

غذا ذكرها في كلّ طرس يُسطّرُ

A warrior who has deeds in times of calamity,

whose record has come to be inscribed upon every page.

هزبرٌ له كل الكماة فرائس

يُقرُّ بها من كان للشمس ينكرُ

A lion for whom all armored warriors are prey:

even one who denies the sun acknowledges this.

كريمٌ له في المكرُمات مآثر

بها يتحلّى المدح نظما ويُنثرُ

A generous man possessing glorious acts of kindness,

with which praise is adorned in verse and prose.

ومهما شياطينُ الزّنادق أفسدت

غدت بسليمان الشّياطين تُدحرُ

Whenever the devils of the heretics work corruption,

those devils are driven back by Sulayman.

وإن ذكرُوا مجدا فإنّ مُحمّدا

له في العلى ذكر لمن يتدبّرُ

If they speak of glory, then Muhammad

has renown in the heights for whoever reflects.

بهم خُصّ من دُون الملوك كأنّهم

هُمُ الشّهبُ في أفق العلى وهو نيّرُ

He alone among kings was favored with them, as though

they were stars on the horizon of glory, and he its shining light.

مليك له في العلم أشرفُ رتبة

بها أعظمُ الأعلام بالعلم يصغرُ

A king holding the noblest rank in knowledge,

before which the greatest learned authorities become small.

إذا استغلق المعنى فمفتاحُ ذهنه

لهُ فيه بالإيضاح فتحٌ مُيسّرُ

When a meaning is locked, the key of his mind

opens it easily through elucidation.

له منطقٌ يسقي غُصون رياضة

بيان فتغدو بالبلاغة تُثمرُ

He has eloquence that waters the branches of his gardens

with exposition, so they bear fruit through rhetoric.

لي السّعد عبد في البلاغة إذ غدا

له سيّدٌ دُون الأنام يُحرّرُ

To me, al-Sa'd is a slave in rhetoric, since he has come

to have a master, unique among mankind, who expounds it.

له في أُصول الدّين كم من مقاصد

موقفها عند التّأمّل تبهرُ

How many aims he has in the foundations of religion,

whose standpoint dazzles upon contemplation.

له في أُصول الفقه جمعُ جوامع

يقول محلّي الصّدرُ منهُ ويفخرُ

In jurisprudence's foundations he has a Jam' al-Jawami',

which boasts, “My place with him is foremost.”

ترجّح في الميزان أن لا مُقدّمٌ

سواهُ وكلٌّ فيه تال مُقصّرُ

The balance judges that no one takes precedence

over him: all others are followers falling short.

وأمّا عُلومُ النّحو فهو خليلها

وكلُّ خليل بالمخالل أخبر

As for the sciences of grammar, he is their Khalil;

every intimate friend knows his intimates best.

ولمّا تبدّى فيه مُبدع شرحه

غدا كل شرح ظاهر منه يُضمرُ

When his masterly commentary appeared in it,

every other manifest commentary became hidden before it.

وما كان في ايدي الورى مُتعارفا

غدا بعد تلك المعرفات ينكّرّ

What had been familiar in people's hands

became indefinite after those definitions.

لقد شاعت الأخبارُ عند ابتدائه

بتحقيقه والمتبدا عنه يخبر

Reports spread when he began

his exact exposition, and the subject speaks of him.

إذا وردت منه اللّواحظ لم يكد

يكون لها من ذلك الفعل مصدر

When glances issue from him, scarcely

is there a source for them in that action.

ولو بلغ الشّرحُ الخليل ودونه

بُحورٌ وأمواجٌ على البرّ تزخر

Were the commentary to reach al-Khalil, with

seas and waves surging over land between them,

لقطّعها سبحا إليك وهكذا ال

خليل بتقطيع البحور مُشهّر

he would cut across them swimming to you; and thus al-

Khalil is famed for cutting through the seas of meter.

علومك أخفت كلّ من كان ظاهرا

بعلم فأنت الان بالعلم أبصرُ

Your learning eclipsed everyone who had been prominent

in knowledge; now you see most clearly through knowledge.

فلو لم تكن في العلم أظهر منهمُ

لما جاء في التاريخ علمك أظهر

Had you not been more manifest in knowledge than they,

the chronogram would not say, “Your knowledge is more manifest.”

حويت فخارا لست مُفتخرا به

على أحد لكنّه بك يفخرُ

You attained glory in which you do not boast

over anyone; rather, it boasts of you.

تحاشيت عن موضوع كلّ قضيّة

وذكرُك محمولٌ على النّجم يزهرُ

You kept clear of the subject of every proposition,

while your name is borne upon the star, shining.

رأيت ثغورا مُهملات فأصبحت

بعزمك تلك المهملاتُ تُسوّر

You saw neglected frontier towns, and

by your resolve those neglected places became walled.

حكى الكافُ ذات النّون في سلب حصنه

وما منها من عين داء مُستّر

Al-Kaf matched the place bearing nun in the loss of its fortress;

no source of disease in either lay concealed.

كسوتُهما درعا من الأمن سابغا

تبيدُ اللّيالي دونه وتقصرُ

I clad them both in an ample armor of security,

before which nights perish and fall short.

ألا أيّها الحبرُ الّذي بحرُ علمه

تُجاريه من فيض النّدى منهُ أبحر

O learned scholar, whose sea of knowledge

is rivaled by seas flowing from his generosity:

جواهرُها من لفظه ويمينه

لسائلها والطّرس والسّمع تنثرُ

their jewels, from his speech and right hand,

are scattered for their seeker, the page, and the ear.

إذا خاض فيها الفقرُ مات غريقها

وطيّ الغنى من موته راح يُنثرُ

When poverty plunges into them, it dies drowned;

with its death, the folded stores of wealth are spread abroad.

إذا أمّك المحتاجُ يوما لنائل

غدا وهو من جدوى يمينك أيسرُ

If someone in need comes to you one day seeking a gift,

he becomes wealthier through the bounty of your right hand.

أتيتك أشكو ضيم دهر قد اعتدى

لأنّك للأيّام تنهى وتأمُرُ

I came to you complaining of the oppression of an unjust age,

because you command and forbid the days.

قرنت هلال الحظّ منّي بمدحكم

لعلّ هلال الحظّ بالسّعد يُنصر

I joined the crescent of my fortune to your praise,

that the crescent of my fortune might be aided by good luck.

جعلت على عيني زماني وصفكم

دواء عسى أعمى زماني يُبصرُ

I laid your praises upon the eyes of my age

as medicine, hoping my blind age would see.

زرعتُ بروض المجد نظمي لعلّ ما

زرعتُ بما أمّلته منك يُثمر

I planted my verse in the garden of glory, hoping what

I planted would bear fruit through what I expect from you.

فخذ لك يا مولاي عقد مدائح

كأنّ عُقود الدّرّ منهنّ تغمرُ

So take, my lord, a necklace of praises,

beside which necklaces of pearls seem engulfed.

فرائدُها من بحر فكري أخرجت

وذهني غوّاصٌ لها مُتخيّر

Its rare pearls were brought out from the sea of my thought;

my mind is a diver choosing them carefully.

فلو أبصرتها الغانياتُ تقلّدت

بهنّ وألقت ما عليهنّ جوهر

Were beautiful women to see them, they would wear them

as necklaces and cast off the jewels they wear.

ولو أبصرتها الشهبّ غارت ولو بدت

لبدر الدُجى في التّم ما كان يُبدرُ

Were the stars to see them, they would grow jealous; were they shown

to the night's moon at its fullness, it would not shine as a full moon.

ولو قابلتها رايةُ البدر حُسنها

لظلّ هلالا بدرّها وهو يُقمرُ

Were the full moon's banner to set its beauty against them,

it would remain a crescent beside their pearls, even while shining.

لها في لسان الذّائقين حلاوةٌ

إذا أنشدت في وصفكم تتكرّرُ

They have sweetness upon the tongues of those who taste,

renewed whenever they are recited in your praise.

لئن صادفت منك القبول فقد غدا

مُحرّرُها من رقّة يتحرّرُ

If they meet with your acceptance, then

their writer will be freed from bondage.

ويأمنُ من جُور الزّمان ومكره

ويُرفع ما بين الأنام ويُذكر

He will be safe from Time's injustice and guile,

exalted among mankind and remembered.

ومن ينتخب في غير وصفك مدحهُ

فصفقتهُ في ذلك المدح تخسرُ

Whoever chooses praise for anything other than describing you

loses his bargain in that praise.

فلا زلت محرُوس الجناب مُؤيّدا

ومُلكك بالنّصر العزيز مُؤزّرُ

May your domain always remain guarded and supported,

and your kingdom strengthened by mighty victory.

ولا زال منهاج الشّريعة مُشرقا

بعدلك والحقُّ الخفي بك يظهرُ

May the path of sacred law always shine

through your justice, and hidden truth appear through you.

ولا زلت للرّاجين أصدق مأمل

وكلّهُم من سيب فضلك يغمر

May you always be the truest hope of those who hope,

every one of them flooded by the bounty of your favor.

علوت مُلوك الأرض عزّا ورفعة

فلا زلت طول الدهرن بالعزّ تعمرُ

You surpassed the kings of earth in might and eminence;

may you live in glory throughout all time.

عُداتُك في خفض يحزُّ رقابهم

وأنت عليٌّ كامل الفضل أكبرُ

Your enemies lie low, their necks being severed,

while you, Ali, perfect in excellence, are greater.

عليك سلام أذفرُ المسك بدؤهُ

على أمد الأيّام والختمُ عنبرُ

Peace upon you, beginning with the most fragrant musk,

throughout the span of days, and ending with ambergris.