أقول لها بين الغديرين والنقا — Alsharif Alradi

أَقولُ لَها بَينَ الغَديرَينِ وَالنَقا

سَوادُ الدُجى بَيني وَبَينَ المَناصِفِ

I say to her between al-Ghadirayn and al-Naqa,

with night's darkness between me and al-Manasif:

خُذي الجانِبَ الوَحشِيَّ لا تَتَعَرَّضي

لِحَيٍّ حِلالٍ بِاللِوى وَالأَصالِفِ

Take the deserted side; do not expose yourself

to a tribe encamped at al-Liwa and al-Asalif.

أَمامَكِ إِنَّ الخَوفَ حادٍ مُشَمِّرٌ

وَما لِلمَطايا مِثلُ حادي المَخاوِفِ

Onward! Fear is a driver girded for action,

and riding camels have no driver like the driver of fears.

فَمَرَّت تَظُنُّ النِسعَ صَوتاً أُجيلُهُ

فَلا عُذرَ إِلّا تَتَّقي بِالعَجارِفِ

She pressed on, thinking the girth a sound I stirred up;

she had no excuse but to ward it off with headlong strides.

وَقَعتُ بِها في أَوَّلِ الفَجرِ وَقعَةً

غِشاشاً كَما أَقضى أَلِيَّةَ حالِفِ

I stopped with her at the first light of dawn,

briefly, as I might merely fulfill a swearer's oath.

وَأَشمَمتُها رَملَ الأُنَيعِمِ غُدوَةً

فَسافَت بِأَنفٍ مُنكِرٍ غَيرِ عارِفِ

At daybreak I let her smell the sand of al-Unay'im,

and she sniffed with a nose that found it strange, not familiar.

أُحَمِّلُها الشَوقَ القَديمَ فَتَنبَري

بِأَجلادِ عاني القَلبِ جَمِّ المَشاغِفِ

I load her with ancient longing, and she surges forward

with the strength of one captive at heart, laden with passions,

كَثيرِ اِلتِفاتِ الطَرفِ في كُلِّ مَذهَبٍ

بِأَنَّةِ مَصدورٍ عَلى البَينِ لاهِفِ

whose gaze turns often in every direction,

with the groan of one chest-stricken, anguished at parting.

إِذا ما دَعاهُ الشَوقُ راوَحَ كَفَّهُ

عَلى لاعِجٍ في مُضمَرِ القَلبِ لاطِفِ

When longing calls him, he moves his palm back and forth

over a subtle burning in the heart's hidden depths.

أَعادَ لَهُ البَرقُ الحِجازِيُّ مَوهِناً

عَقابيلَ أَيّامِ اللِقاءِ السَوالِفِ

Late at night, Hijazi lightning brought back to him

the lingering pangs of bygone days of meeting.

كَأَنَّ بِهِ مِن خَطبِ ظَمياءَ غُصَّةً

يَسيغُ شَجاها بِالدُموعِ الذَوارِفِ

As though the trouble over Zamya had left a lump in his throat,

he washes its choking pain down with streaming tears.

كَأَنَّ أُثَيوابي عَلى ذِئبِ رَدهَةٍ

دَنا اللَيلُ فَاِستَنشى رِياحَ التَنائِفِ

As though my little garments were upon a wolf of a rocky hollow:

night drew near, and it scented the winds of the wastes.

أُقَوِّمُها حَتّى إِذا قيلَ راكِبٌ

تَظالَعتُ مَرَّ المائِلِ المُتَجانِفِ

I steer her straight until someone says, 'A rider!'

Then I feign a limp, passing like one bent and leaning aside.

عَسَفنا بِإِرقالِ المَطِيِّ وَطالَما

صَبَرنا عَلى ضَيمِ العِدى وَالمَخاسِفِ

We crossed trackless ground with our mounts' swift strides, and long

had we endured our enemies' oppression and humiliations.

وَما سَرَّني أَنّي أُقيمُ عَلى الأَذى

وَأَنّي بِدارِ الهونِ بَعضُ الخَلائِفِ

It would not please me to remain amid harm,

even were I one of the caliphs in a land of abasement.

فَجوبي المَلا أَو جاوِري بي رَبيعَةً

وَأُسرَةَ عَيلانِ الطِوالِ الغَطارِفِ

So cross the open land, or take me to dwell with Rabi'a

and the clan of Aylan, tall, noble lords,

مِنَ البيضِ غُرّانِ المَجالي إِذا اِنتَدوا

بَدا لَكَ بَسّامونَ شُمُّ المَراعِفِ

fair-faced men with radiant countenances; when they gather,

smiling men with lofty noses appear before you.

هُناكَ إِذا اِستَلبَستِ أُلبِستِ فيهِمُ

جَناحَي عَتيقٍ آمِنِ الظِلِّ واجِفِ

There, if you seek a covering, among them you are clothed

in the two wings of a noble, swift bird, secure in its shade.

بِحَيثُ إِذا أَعطى الذِمامُ حِبالَةً

عَلِقتِ بِها غَيرَ البَوالي الضَعائِفِ

Where, if pledged protection offers a rope,

you cling to it—not to worn and feeble cords.

إِذا ما طَلَعتِ النَقبَ وَاللَيلُ دونَهُ

أَمِنتِ العِدى إِلّا تَلَفُّتَ خائِفِ

When you climb the pass, with night lying before it,

you are safe from foes, save for a fearful backward glance.

نَجَوتِ فَكَم مِن عَضَّةٍ في أَنامِلِ

عَلَيكِ وَلَهفٍ مِن قُلوبٍ لَواهِفِ

You escape; how many fingertips are bitten

over you, and how much anguish comes from anguished hearts!

أَتوعِدُني بِالقارِعاتِ بَجيلَةٌ

لَقَد ذَلَّ مَن عَرَّضتُمُ لِلمَتالِفِ

Does Bajila threaten me with shattering blows?

Whoever you expose to deadly peril must indeed be abased!

إِذا غَضِبوا لِلأَمرِ كانَ وَعيدُهُم

حَبيقَ الأَلايا وَاِرتِعادَ الرَوانِفِ

When they rage over a matter, their threats amount to

the farting of buttocks and the trembling of rumps.

لَهُم نَبَعاتُ الشَرِّ يَنتَبِلونَها

ضُروباً فَمِن بادي عُقوقٍ وَراصِفِ

They have evil's bow-wood shoots, which they fashion into arrows

of many kinds: some displaying disloyalty, others assembling it.

مَجاهيلُ أَغفالٌ إِذا ما تَعَرَّضوا

بِأَحسابِهِم أَنكَرتَهُم بِالمَعارِفِ

Unknown, unmarked men: if they come forward

with their pedigrees, you cannot recognize them among known families.

وَكَم أُسرَةٍ مِن غَيرِكُم ذاتِ شَوكَةٍ

دَبَينا إِلى عيدانِهِم بِالقَواصِفِ

How many a powerful clan, other than yours,

we crept toward, bringing shattering blows against their timbers.

عَطَفنا إِلَيها بِالعَوالي أَسِنَّةً

شُروعاً كَأَذنابِ العِظاءِ الدَوالِفِ

We wheeled toward it with tall spears, their points

thrust forward like the tails of creeping lizards.

وَعُدنا بِها حُمراً تَقيءُ صُدورُها

دِماءَ العِدى قَطرَ الأُنوفِ الرَواعِفِ

We returned with them reddened, their foreparts disgorging

our enemies' blood, dripping like bleeding noses.

وَكُنّا إِذا داعٍ دَعا لِوَقيعَةٍ

سَحَبنا لَها الأَرماحَ سَحبَ المَطارِفِ

Whenever a caller summoned us to battle,

we trailed our spears to it as one trails fine cloaks.

عَجِبتُ لِذي لَونَينِ خالَطَ شيمَتي

فَكَشَّفتُ مِنهُ مُخزِياتِ المَكاشِفِ

I marveled at a two-faced man who mingled his nature with mine,

and uncovered in him disgraceful revelations.

ضَمَمتُ يَدي مِنهُ وَكانَت غَباوَةً

عَلى ضَربِ مَردودٍ مِنَ الوَرقِ زائِفِ

I drew back my hand from him; foolishly it had rested

upon a rejected, counterfeit issue of silver.

يُخاوِصُ عَينَ النارِ خَوفاً مِنَ القِرى

إِذا نارُ قَومٍ أُوقِدَت بِالمَشارِفِ

He squints at the fire's eye, afraid of feeding guests,

when a people's fire is kindled on the heights.

وَإِن آنَسَ الأَضيافَ صَمَّتَ كَلبَهُ

وَطَأطَأَ أَعناقَ المَطِيِّ الصَوارِفِ

If he spies guests, he silences his dog

and lowers the necks of the she-camels in heat.

نَبَذتُكَ نَبذَ السِنِّ بَعَ اِنفِصامِها

وَإِنّي لَمِجذامُ القَرينِ المُخالِفِ

I cast you off as a tooth is cast off after it breaks,

and I surely cut away a contrary companion.

إِذا المَرءُ مَضَّتهُ قَذاةٌ بِطَرفِهِ

فَغَيرُ مَلومٍ إِن رَماها بِحاذِفِ

If a speck in a man's eye causes him pain,

he is not to blame if he flings it away with a flick.

وَما أَنتَ مِن جَدّي فَيُرجِعَ راجِعٌ

مِنَ الرَحِمِ البَلهاءِ بَعضَ العَواطِفِ

You are not of my grandfather's line, so that anyone might restore

some affection through unthinking ties of blood.

حَلَفتُ بِمَن عَجَّ المُلَبّونَ بِاِسمِهِ

عَجيجَ المَطايا مِن مِنىً وَالمَواقِفِ

I swore by Him whose name the chanting pilgrims loudly invoke,

with the clamor of mounts from Mina and the stations,

عِجافاً كَأَوتارِ الحَنايا مِنَ الطَوى

عَلى مِثلِ أَعجاسِ القِسِيِّ العَطائِفِ

lean as the strings of bows from hunger,

on backs like the grips of curving bows.

طَوى الضُمرُ مِن أَجوافِها بَعدَما اِنتَهَت

ثَمائِلُها طَيَّ البُرودِ اللَطائِفِ

Leanness folded up their bellies, after

their last reserves were spent, as delicate cloaks are folded.

تَرى كُلَّ مَجهودٍ إِذا مَنَّهُ السُرى

أَكَبَّ عَلى السَرجينِ إِكبابَ راعِفِ

You see every exhausted rider, when night travel wears him down,

bent over the two saddles like one with a bleeding nose.

وَرَبِّ الهَدايا المُشعَراتِ نَكُبُّها

عِجالاً وَرَبِّ الراقِصاتِ الخَوانِفِ

And by the Lord of the marked sacrificial beasts, which we throw down

in haste, and the Lord of the dancing, sidestepping mounts,

وَما بِالصَفا مِن حالِقٍ وَمُقَصِّرٍ

وَمِن ماسِحٍ رُكنَ العَتيقِ وَطائِفِ

and all at al-Safa who shave their heads or trim their hair,

and those touching the Ancient House's corner or circling it,

وَساعٍ إِلى أَعلامِ جَمعٍ وَدافِعٍ

وَماشٍ عَلى جَنبَي أَلالٍ وَواقِفِ

and those hastening toward the markers of Jam', or departing,

and those walking along either side of Alal, or standing there:

لَأَعراضُكُم عِندي أَشَدُّ مَهانَةً

مِنَ الحَنظَلِ العامِيِّ عِندَ النَواقِفِ

your honor is, to me, held in greater contempt

than year-old colocynth by those who crack it.

فَلا تَستَهِبّوا الشَرَّ مِن رَقَداتِهِ

فَيَسحَتَكُم سَحتَ السِنينَ الخَوالِفِ

So do not rouse evil from its slumbers,

lest it consume you as the harsh years consume:

قَوافِيَ يَقطُرنَ السِمامَ كَأَنَّها

مَلاغِمُ حَيّاتِ الرِمالِ الزَواحِفِ

rhymes dripping venom, as though they were

the mouths of creeping snakes of the sands.

فَكَم حَمضَةٍ مِنكُم لَنا بِقَرارَةٍ

يَعودُ إِلَيها ناشِطٌ بَعدَ قاطِفِ

How many a salt-bush from among you lies for us in a hollow,

to which a lively grazer returns after a slow one!

وَإِيّاكُمُ أَن تَحمِلوا مِن قَوارِضي

عَلى ظَهرِ زَعراءِ المَلاطَينِ شارِفِ

Beware of carrying any of my biting verses

on the back of an old she-camel bare on both flanks,

تَخُبُّ بِجانيكُم وَفي كُلِّ ساعَةٍ

يُتاحَ لَها مِنكُم بِراقٍ وَرادِفِ

trotting with your offender; at every hour

she is supplied from among you with a rider and one riding behind.

دَعوا السَلَفَ القَمقامَ تَسري رِفاقُهُ

لِنَيلِ المَعالي وَاِقعُدوا في الخَوالِفِ

Leave the mighty forebear; let his companions travel by night

to win high honors, while you sit among those left behind.

وَذاكَ أَديمٌ لَم تَكونوا سُراتَهُ

بَلى رُبَّما اِستَأثَرتُمُ بِالزَعانِفِ

That is a hide whose choicest parts you never were;

yes, perhaps you claimed its ragged scraps for yourselves.

تَغَطَّوا وَلا تَستَكشِفوني عُوارَكُم

فَما جُلبَةٌ إِلّا لَها ظَهرُ قارِفِ

Cover yourselves, and do not ask me to expose your defects,

for every scab has an offender's back beneath it.

وَإِن مُدَّتِ الأَيّامُ بَيني وَبَينَكُم

أَطَلتُ بُكاءَ العاجِزِ المُتَهاتِفِ

If the days stretch on between me and you,

I shall prolong the weeping of the helpless, clamoring man.