لما دعاني الهوى من ربة الكلل — Almkazhon Singari

لَمّا دَعاني الهَوى مِن رَبَّةِ الكِلَلِ

صَرفتُ عَمَّن سِواها نَحوَها أَمَلي

When love called me from the lady of the canopies,

I turned my hope away from all others toward her.

وَجِئتُ أَقصِدَها في أَوضِحِ السُبُلِ

حَتّى إِذا شارَفَت بي قادَةُ الإِبِلِ

And I came seeking her along the clearest paths,

until, when the camel guides brought me close to

نَجداً بَدَت نارُها عَن يُمنَةِ الجَبَلِ

فَظَنَّ صَحبي أَن دونَ الضِرامِ رَدى

Najd, her fire appeared to the right of the mountain.

My companions thought death barred the way to the blaze,

فَهَوَّموا وَقَصَدتُ النارَ مُنفَرِدا

وَقَد تَيَقَنتُ في تَأميمِها رَشَداً

so they dozed, while I headed for the fire alone,

certain that seeking it was right guidance.

وَفي اِقتِرابي لَها مِنها سَمِعتُ نِدا

عَن جانِبِيَّ وَمِن خَلفي وَمِن قُبَلي

And as I approached her, I heard from her a call

from both my sides, from behind me, and from before me.

فَأَكثَرُ الصَحبَ مِن دونِ الحِمى وَقَفوا

وَأَنكَروا بِاللِوى ما البَنقا عَرَفوا

Most of my companions stopped short of the sanctuary,

and at al-Liwa denied what they had known at al-Banqa.

وَموهوا بِهَوى لَيماءَ وَاِنحَرَفوا

عَنِ الطَريقِ وَلَم يَدروا بِمَن كَلِفوا

They feigned love for Layma and turned aside

from the path, not knowing with whom they were enamored.

فَعَوَّضوا بَعدَ طولِ الكَدِّ بِالقَفلِ

وَأَصبَحوا في مَدارٍ كُلَّما اِحتَمَلوا

So, after long toil, they took the return journey as recompense.

And they came to move in a circle: whenever they broke camp,

داروا وَفي دارِهِم دونَ الصَفا نَزَلوا

دارٌ بِها الهَونُ وَالأَلآمُ وَالخَبَلُ

they circled back, settling in their dwelling short of al-Safa:

a dwelling of humiliation, pains, and derangement,

لِأَنَّهُم عَن مَصاعي عَدلِها عَدَلوا

مِن حَيثُ ضَلّو عَن الإِتيانِ في الظُلَلِ

because they turned aside from my striving for her justice,

having strayed from coming beneath the shades.

راموا الوِصالَ وَعَن أَبوبِها اِنقَطَعوا

وَجاحَدوا ما رَأَو مِنها وَما سَمِعوا

They sought union, yet cut themselves off from her doors,

and denied what they had seen of her and what they had heard.

فَغودِروا فِرَقاً مِن بَعدِ ما اِجتَمَعوا

وَبِالدَعاوي عَلَيها ضَلَّةً رَجِعوا

So they were left in factions after gathering together,

and returned astray, making claims against her,

يُغوونَ عَن نَهجِها السُلّاكَ بِالحِيَلِ

فَاِبعِد بِهِم وَبِنَهجي في هَواكَ لُذِ

leading wayfarers astray from her path by tricks.

Away with them! In your love, take refuge in my path.

وَبِاِسمِ وَجدي مِن شَرِّ الغُواةِ عُذِ

وَاِصحَب لِمَن بِلَبّانِ الواجِدينَ غُذي

And in the name of my ecstasy seek protection from the misleaders' evil.

Keep company with one nourished on the milk of those in ecstasy.

وَخُذ أَوامِرَها في الحُبِّ مُتَّخِذي

تُشهِدكَ شَمسُ ضُحاها الظُهرُ بِالطَفَلِ

And take her commands in love, you who choose me;

the sun of her morning will show you noon at dusk.

فَتَغتَدي بِنَهارٍ لَيسَ يَغشاهُ

لَيلٌ بِظِلٍّ لِلَيلى طابَ مَأواهُ

Then you will live in a daylight never shrouded by

night, beneath a shade of Layla's whose shelter is sweet.

لَم يَضحَ عَبدٌ بِهِ أَضحى وَمَولاهُ

بِاللُطفِ مِنهُ تَوَلّاهُ وَوَلّاهُ

No servant dwelling there suffered the sun, and his master

with kindness of his own, cared for him and granted him

وِلايَةً لَم يَكُن عَنها بِمُنعَزِلُ

سَرَت بِرحي إِلَيها بَعدَ ما أَسرَت

a guardianship from which he was never removed.

She bore my spirit toward her by night, after taking it captive,

وَسَرَّتِ الهَمَّ عَن قَلبي غَداةَ سَرَت

وَمِن طَوِيِّ الثَرى لي في العُلى نَشَرَت

and lifted sorrow from my heart on the morning she journeyed.

And from the earth's folds she unfurled my spirit for me in the heights,

وَأَظهَرَتني بِها لي عِندَما ظَهَرَت

وَبِالمُنى آمَنتُ نَفسي مِن الوَجَلِ

and through her revealed me to myself when she appeared.

And with hopes I made my soul safe from dread.

في بَرقِ مَبسِمِها لَمّا أَضاءَ مَشَوا

وَحينَ أَظلَمَ عَن نَهجِ السَبيلِ عَشوا

In the lightning of her smiling mouth, when it shone, they walked;

and when it darkened, they grew blind to the course of the road.

وَاِستَغشَأوا مِن دُعاها ما عَلَيهِ نَشوا

مِن رَفضِها وَبِمُستَنِّ الغَرامِ وَشوا

Against her call they veiled themselves in what they had been reared upon:

rejection of her; and they denounced the one racing in love

إِلى عَداها بِزَورِ القَولِ وَالخَطَلِ

قالوا بِأَرخَصِ قَولي في هَواهُ غَلا

to her enemies with false speech and idle babble.

Of my slightest words they said, 'He has gone too far in loving him,'

جَهلاً بِمَن عَن مَقالِ الواصِفينَ عَلا

وَلَو رَأَوا بَعضَ ما مِنهُ عَلَيَّ جَلا

ignorant of one who rose above the speech of those describing him.

And had they seen some of what he revealed to me,

في لا وَلا ما رَأَوا إِلّا وَلّاهُ وَلّا

وَبِالبَرا بانَتِ العُذّالُ عَن عَذَلي

in an instant they would see only a love-crazed one turning away [wording uncertain];

and with vindication the reproachers would cease reproaching me.

إِن غابَ بِيَ الطَرفَ عَنهُ في تَحَجُّبِهِ

فَالقَلبُ مِنّي لَهُ أَضحى الشَهيدَ بِهِ

If my gaze takes me away from him when he veils himself,

then my heart, through him, becomes his witness.

وَلا وَبَردٍ حَمى صَدري بِمَشرَبِهِ

ما زاغَ قَلبي عَنهُ في تَقَلُّبِهِ

No—by the coolness that guarded my breast with his draught—

my heart did not swerve from him as he changed

لِناظِري في خِيامِ الحَيِّ بِالحِلَلَ

حَديثُ وَجدي قَديمٌ في مَحَبَّتِهِ

before my gaze, in the tribe's tents among the encampments.

The tale of my ecstasy is ancient in love of him;

وَسامِراً لي غَدا في لَيلِ غَيبَتِهِ

وَلَم يَزَل ذاكِراً لي عَهدَ صُحبَتِهِ

and he became my nightly companion in the night of his absence,

never ceasing to recall for me the pledge of his companionship,

مُنَعِّماً في الكَرى طَرفي بِرُؤيَتِهِ

فَلَيتَهُ يَقظَةً لي جادَ بِالأَمَلِ

delighting my gaze in sleep with the sight of him.

Would that he would generously grant me my hope in wakefulness!

لَم يَستَزِر طَيفَهُ لَيلاً سِوى سَهَري

وَلا جِلاهُ عَلى عَيني سِوى فِكَري

Nothing but my sleeplessness summoned his phantom by night,

and nothing but my thoughts revealed him before my eyes.

وَغَيبُ قَلبي الَّذي أَهواهُ بِالخَبَرِ

هُوَ حاضِرٌ بِعِياني وَهوَ مُنتَظِري

And my heart's unseen beloved, whom I love through tidings,

is present before my own eyes and awaits me,

لِرَدِّ بالي بِإِبلالي مِنَ العِلَلِ

دَعِ الجِدالَ وَخَلِّ الفِسقَ وَالرَفَثا

to restore my peace of mind through my recovery from ailments.

Leave disputation, and abandon sin and lewdness,

إِذا حَجَجتَ إِلَيهِ وَاِغسُلِ الحدَثا

وَاِحرِم بِرَفضِ غَوِيٍّ بِالفَسادِ عَثا

when you make pilgrimage to him, and wash away ritual impurity.

Enter consecration by rejecting a misguided one who spread corruption,

وَاِجدُد إِلى الجَدِّ وَاِترُك دونَهُ العَبَثا

تَفُز بِحَلٍّ وَوَصلٍ غَيرِ مُنبَتِلِ

and strive toward earnestness, leaving frivolity behind;

you will win release and a union never severed.

طَريقَتي في غَرامي لَيسَ يَعرِفُها

عَلى الحَقيقَةِ إِلّا مَن تَعَرَّفَها

My way in passionate love is not known

in truth except by one who has come to know it,

مِمَّن لَهُ رَبُّها في البَدو عَرَّفَها

وَلَم يُذِعها إِلى غَمرٍ يُحَرِّفَها

among those to whom its Lord made it known in the desert,

and who did not divulge it to an ignorant person who would distort it

عَن عَينِها ثُمَّ يُلقيها إِلى السُفَلِ

طاروا إِلَيها فَلَمّا أَن عَلَوا هَبَطوا

from its very essence, then cast it to the lowly.

They flew toward her, but once they rose, they fell;

وَفي الصَوابِ بِظَنٍّ مِنهُمُ غَلِظوا

وَعِندَما عَدَّلوا عَن نَهجِها قَسَطوا

and, through conjecture of their own, grew harsh toward what was right.

And when they turned aside from her path, they acted unjustly,

فَأَصبَحوا تَحتَ قَبضٍ بِعدَما اِنبَسَطوا

في الجاهِ وَالمالِ وَالأَخدانِ وَالخُوَلِ

so they came under constriction after enjoying expansion

in status, wealth, intimate companions, and servants.