عللاني فإن بيض الأماني — Almaarri

علّلاني فإنّ بِيضَ الأماني

فَنِيَتْ والظّلامُ ليسَ بِفاني

Console me, you two, for the white hopes

have perished, while the darkness does not perish.

إن تَنَاسَيْتُما وِدادَ أُناسٍ

فاجعَلاني مِن بعضِ مَن تَذكُرانِ

If you two choose to forget the affection of some people,

then make me one of those you remember.

رُبّ ليلٍ كأنّه الصّبحُ في الحُسْ

نِ وإن كانَ أسْودَ الطّيلَسانِ

Many a night was like morning in beauty,

though its mantle was black.

قد رَكَضْنا فيه إلى اللّهْوِ لمّا

وَقَفَ النّجْمُ وِقْفَةَ الحَيْرانِ

We galloped through it toward merriment when

the star stood still like one bewildered.

كمْ أرَدْنا ذاكَ الزّمانَ بمَدْحٍ

فشُغِلْنَا بذَمّ هذا الزّمَانِ

How often we intended to praise that age,

but were occupied with condemning this age.

فكأني ما قلْتُ والبدْرُ طِفْلٌ

وشَبابُ الظّلْماءِ في عُنْفُوانِ

As though I had never said, while the full moon was a child

and the youth of darkness was in its prime:

ليلتي هذه عُروسٌ من الزّنْ

جِ عليها قلائِدٌ مِن جُمانِ

This night of mine is a bride of the Zanj,

wearing necklaces of pearls.

هَرَبَ النّوْمُ عن جُفونيَ فيها

هَرَبَ الأمْنِ عن فؤادِ الجَبانِ

Sleep fled my eyelids that night

as safety flees a coward's heart.

وكأنّ الهِلالَ يَهْوى الثّريّا

فهُما للوَداعِ مُعْتَنِقانِ

And the crescent seemed to love the Pleiades,

so the two embraced in farewell.

قال صَحْبي في لُجّتَينِ من الحِنْ

دِسِ والبيدِ إذْ بدا الفَرْقَدانِ

My companions said, amid two deep seas of darkness

and desert, when the Two Calves appeared:

نحنُ غَرْقَى فكيف يُنْقذُنا نجْ

مانِ في حَوْمةِ الدّجى غَرِقانِ

We are drowning; how can two stars save us,

themselves drowning in the midst of darkness?

وسُهَيْلٌ كوَجْنَةِ الحِبّ في اللّوْ

نِ وقَلْبِ المُحِبّ في الخَفَقَانِ

And Suhayl is like the beloved's cheek in color

and the lover's heart in its pulsing.

مُسْتَبِدّاً كأنّه الفارِسُ المُعْ

لَمُ يبْدو مُعارِضَ الفُرسانِ

Standing alone, he is like the knight marked for battle

who appears to challenge other knights.

يُسْرِعُ اللّمْحَ في احْمِرارٍ كما تُسْ

رِعُ في اللّمْحِ مُقْلَةُ الغَضْبانِ

He flashes rapidly in redness, just as

an angry man's eye darts in a glance.

ضَرّجَتْهُ دماً سيوفُ الأعادي

فبكَتْ رَحْمَةً له الشِّعْرَيانِ

The enemies' swords have drenched him in blood,

so the two Shi‘ras wept for him in pity.

قَدمَاهُ وَرَاءَهُ وهْوَ في العَجْ

زِ كساعٍ ليستْ له قدَمانِ

His two feet are behind him, and in his helplessness

he is like a runner with no feet.

ثُمّ شابَ الدّجى وخافَ من الهجْ

رِ فغَطّى المَشيبَ بالزّعفرانِ

Then darkness grew gray and feared abandonment,

so it covered its gray hair with saffron.

ونضا فجْرُهُ على نَسْرِهِ ال

واقعِ سيْفاً فهَمّ بالطّيَرانِ

Its dawn drew against its Swooping Eagle

a sword, so the eagle made ready to fly.

وَبِلادٍ وَرَدْتُها ذَنَبَ السِّرْ

حانِ بينَ المَهاةِ والسَّرْحانِ

And many a land I reached at the wolf-tail dawn,

between the oryx and the wolf.

وعُيونُ الرِّكابِ تَرْمُقُ عَيْناً

حوْلَهَا مَحْجِرٌ بلا أجْفانِ

And the mounts' eyes gaze upon an eye,

surrounded by a socket without eyelids.

وعلى الدّهْرِ مِن دماءِ الشّهيدَيْ

نِ علِيٍّ وَنَجْلِه شاهِدانِ

Upon Time, from the blood of the two martyrs,

‘Ali and his son, are two witnesses.

فهُما في أواخرِ اللّيْلِ فَجْرا

نِ وفي أُولَياتِهِ شَفَقَانِ

At night's end they are two dawns,

and at its beginning, two twilights.

ثَبَتَا في قَميصِهِ ليَجيءَ الحَشْ

رَ مُسْتَعْدِياً إلى الرّحْمنِ

They stayed fixed in its shirt, so it might come at the Resurrection

seeking redress from the Merciful.

وجَمالُ الأوانِ عَقْبُ جُدودٍ

كلُّ جدّ منهمْ جَمالُ أوانِ

The Beauty of the Age is the offspring of forefathers,

each forefather a beauty of his age.

يا ابن مُسْتَعْرِضِ الصّفوفِ ببدْرٍ

ومُبِيدِ الجُمُوعِ مِن غَطَفَانِ

O son of him who swept the ranks at Badr

and annihilated the hosts of Ghatafan,

أحدِ الخَمْسَةِ الذينَ هُمُ الأغْ

راضُ في كلّ مَنْطِقٍ والمَعاني

one of the five who are the aims

of every utterance and its meanings,

والشّخوصِ التي خُلِقْنَ ضِياءً

قبْلَ خَلْقِ المِرّيخِ والمِيزانِ

and of those persons created as light

before the creation of Mars and Libra,

قبْلَ أن تُخْلَقَ السّماوَاتُ أو تُؤْ

مَرَ أفْلاكُهُنّ بالدّوَرانِ

before the heavens were created or

their spheres commanded to revolve.

لو تأتّى لنَطْحِها حَمَلُ الشّهْ

بِ تَرَدّى عن رأسِه الشَّرَطانِ

Were the Ram of the stars to attempt to butt them,

al-Sharatan would tumble from its head.

أو أراد السّماكُ طَعْناً لها عا

د كسِيرَ القَناةِ قبْلَ الطّعانِ

Or were al-Simak to wish to spear them,

he would return with his spear broken before the combat.

أو رَمَتْها قَوْس الكواكبِ زال العَج

سُ منها وخانَها الأبْهَرانِ

Or were the stars' Bow to shoot at them, its grip would fall

away, and its two limbs would fail it.

أو عصاها حوتُ النّجومِ سَقَاهُ

حَتْفَهُ صائِدٌ مِن الحِدْثانِ

Or were the stars' Fish to defy them, it would be made to drink

its death by a hunter from Time's calamities.

أنتَ كالشمسِ في الضّياء وإن جا

وَزْتَ كَيْوَانَ في عُلُوّ المَكانِ

You are like the sun in radiance, though you have surpassed

Kaywan in the loftiness of your station.

وافَقَ اسْمُ ابنِ أحْمدَ اسْمَ رَسُو

لِ اللهِ لمّا تَوافَقَ الغَرَضَانِ

The name of Ahmad's son matched the name of the Messenger

of God, when their two purposes matched.

وسَجايا محمّدٍ أعْجَزَتْ في الْ

وَصْفِ لُطْفَ الأفكارِ والأذهانِ

Muhammad's qualities defy, when one describes them,

the subtlety of thoughts and minds.

وجَرَتْ في الأنام أوْلادُهُ السّ

تّةُ مجْرى الأرْواحِ في الأبْدانِ

His six children flow among mankind

as spirits flow through bodies.

فهُمُ السّبْعَةُ الطّوالعُ والأصْ

غَرُ منهمْ في رُتْبَةِ الزِّبْرقانِ

They are the seven rising luminaries, and the youngest

among them holds the moon's rank.

وبِهِمْ فَضَّلَ المَلِيكُ بَني حَوّا

ءَ حتى سَمَوْا على الحَيَوانِ

Through them the Sovereign favored the children of Eve,

until they rose above the animals.

شَرُفوا بالشِّرافِ والسُّمْرُ عِيدا

نٌ إذا لم يُزَنّ بالخِرْصانِ

They were ennobled by the noble; dark spear-shafts are mere

sticks unless joined to spearheads.

وإذا الأرضُ وهيَ غَبراءُ صارتْ

من دَمِ الطّعْنِ وَرْدَةً كالدّهانِ

And when the earth, though dust-gray, becomes

from the blood of spear-thrusts a rose, like red leather,

أقْبَلوا حامِلي الجَداوِلِ في الأغْ

مادِ مُسْتَلْئِمينَ بالغُدْرانِ

they advance bearing streams within their scabbards,

armored in pools.

يَضْرِبون الأقْرانَ ضَرْباً يُعيدُ السْ

سَعْدَ نحْساً في حُكْمِ كلّ قِرانِ

They strike their peers with blows that turn good fortune

to ill in the judgment of every conjunction.

وَجَلَوْا غَمْرَةَ الوَغَى بوُجوهٍ

حَسُنَتْ فهْيَ مَعْدِنُ الإحسانِ

They dispelled the tumult of battle with faces

so beautiful that they are the source of kindness.

قد أجَبْنَا قَوْلَ الشّريفِ بقوْلٍ

وأثَبْنَا الحَصَى عنِ المَرْجانِ

We have answered the Sharif's words with words,

and repaid coral with pebbles.

أطْرَبَتْنا ألْفاظُهُ طَرَبَ ال

عُشّاقِ للمُسْمِعاتِ بالألْحانِ

His words thrilled us with the rapture

of lovers for women singing melodies.

فاغْتَبَقْنا بيْضَاءَ كالفِضّةِ المَحْ

ضِ وعِفْنا حَمْراءَ كالأرْجُوانِ

So we drank white wine at evening, like pure silver,

and shunned red wine, like crimson dye.

لو أنّا جُزْنَا إلى شُرْبِها النّهْ

يَ عُنينا بِكُلّ أصْهَبَ عانِ

Were we to overstep the prohibition to drink it,

we would attend to every tawny captive.

وهَجَرْنا شُرْبَ الكؤوسِ احْتقاراً

وشَرِبْنا مَسَرّةً بالدّنَانِ

We abandoned drinking from cups in contempt,

and drank joy by the wine-jarful.

أيّها الدُّرّ إنّما فِضْتَ مِن بَحْ

رٍ مُخَلّى الطريقِ للجَرَيانِ

O pearl, you flowed only from a sea

whose path was left clear for its flow.

ما امرُؤ القَيسِ بالمُصَلّي إذا جا

راهُ في الشعر بل سُكَيْتُ الرّهانِ

Imru’ al-Qays would not be runner-up were he to compete

with him in poetry, but the last horse in the race.

فاقْتَنِعْ بالرّوِيّ والوَزْنِ منّي

فهُمومي ثقِيلَةُ الأوْزانِ

So be content with rhyme and meter from me,

for my worries are heavy in weight,

من صُروفٍ ملَكنَ فكري ونُطْقي

فهْيَ قَيْدُ الفؤاد قَيْدُ اللّسانِ

from vicissitudes that possessed my thought and speech:

they are the heart's fetter, the tongue's fetter.

يا أبا إبراهيم قَصّرَ عنكَ الشّعْ

رُ لمّا وُصِفْتَ بالقُرآنِ

O Abu Ibrahim, poetry fell short of you

once you were described by the Qur’an.

أُشْرِبَ العالَمونَ حُبّكَ طَبْعاً

فهْوَ فَرْضٌ في سائرِ الأدْيانِ

All people were imbued by nature with love for you,

and it is an obligation in every religion.

بَانَ للمُسْلِمِينَ منكَ اعْتقادٌ

ظَفِرُوا مِنه بالهُدى والبَيانِ

A creed became clear to the Muslims through you,

from which they gained guidance and clarity.

وحُدودُ الإيمانِ يَقْبِسُها مِنْ

كَ ويَمْتاحُها أُولُو الإيمانِ

The precepts of faith are taken as light from

you, and drawn like water by the people of faith.

ومُحَيّاكَ للّذي يَعْبُدُ الدّهْ

رَ وإهْباءُ طِرْفِكَ الفَتَيَانِ

For the worshipper of Time, your countenance

and your steed's rising dust are the Two Youths, day and night.

وإلهُ المَجُوسِ سَيْفُكَ إنْ لم

يَرْغَبوا عنْ عبادة النّيرانِ

And the Magians' god is your sword, unless

they turn away from worshipping fires.

حَلَباً حَجّتِ المَطِيُّ ولو أنْ

جَمْتَ عنها مالَتْ إلى حَرّانِ

The mounts made pilgrimage to Aleppo; but if you

departed from it, they would turn toward Harran.

صَلِيَتْ جَمْرَةَ الهَجِيرِ نهاراً

ثُمّ باتتْ تَغَصّ بالصِّلْيَانِ

They endured the embers of noon heat by day,

then spent the night choking on silyan grass.

أرْزَمَتْ ناقتايَ شَوْقاً فظَنّ الرّكْ

بُ أنّي سَرَى بيَ المِرْزَمانِ

My two she-camels moaned with longing, so the riders thought

the two Mirzams had borne me through the night.

عِش فداءٌ لوَجهكَ القَمَرانِ

فهُما في سَناهُ مُسْتَصْغَرانِ

Live on! May the sun and moon be ransoms for your face,

for beside its radiance they seem small.