إذا احتبى بالعشب الوادي — Alsharif Alradi

إِذا اِحتَبى بِالعُشُبِ الوادي

وَاِنحَلَّ فيهِ الواكِفُ الغادي

When the valley girds itself with grass,

and the morning rain-cloud pours down within it,

وَفَوَّفَت ريحُ الصَبا مَتنَهُ

تَفويفَ أَعلامٍ وَأَبرادِ

and the east wind stripes its back

like the patterning of banners and striped cloaks,

فَلا سَقاكِ اللَهُ مِن صَفوِهِ

أَو تُنجِزي في السَيرِ ميعادي

then may God not give you its clear water to drink,

unless you keep my appointment on the journey.

رُبَّ طِلابٍ أَتلَعٍ رُمتُهُ

وَحاجَةٍ عالِيَةِ الهادي

Many a tall-necked quest have I pursued,

and a need with its neck held high,

مُعتَجِراً بِاللَيلِ أَحدو بِهِ

بِزلاءَ تَستَولي عَلى الحادي

with night for a turban, urging through it by song

a mature she-camel that overmasters her driver.

لا أَرِدُ الماءَ وَلَو أَنَّني

ضَجيعُ أَسدامٍ وَأَعدادِ

I do not reach the water, even though I am

the bedfellow of stagnant pools and unfailing springs,

كَأَنَّني رَوعاءُ مَطرودَةٌ

يَزوَرَّ عَنها جانِبُ الوادي

as though I were a frightened creature, driven away,

from which the valley's flank turns aside.

هَذا وَكَم فَيضٍ تَرَشَّفتُهُ

وَالماءُ لا يُلوي عَلى الصادي

All this—yet many a flood have I sipped,

while the water does not turn toward the thirsty.

تَؤُمُّ بي الخَرقاءَ مَخطومَةٌ

أَمامَ وُرّادٍ وَرُوّادِ

A haltered she-camel bears me toward the broad desert,

ahead of water-seekers and pasture-scouts.

أَشرَفُ بَيتٍ مِن بَني هاشِمٍ

وَخَيرُ أَطنابٍ وَأَعمادِ

The noblest house among the sons of Hashim,

and the finest tent ropes and poles—

أَلقَت إِلَيهِ ناقَتي في السُرى

فُضولَ إِتهامي وَإِنجادي

my she-camel cast toward it, in her night travel,

the remnants of my wanderings through Tihamah and Najd.

تَرَكتُ مَن لَيسَت لَهُ هِمَّةٌ

مُلتَفِتاً في الماءِ وَالزادِ

I left behind the man who has no ambition,

preoccupied with water and provisions.

تَلَوتَ موسى بِاِبنِهِ في العُلى

بِفَضلِ أَجدادٍ وَإِجدادِ

As Musa's son, you followed him in eminence,

through the merit of forefathers and earnest striving.

نِعمَ حِمى الدَرعِ لِيَومِ الوَغى

أَنتَ وَراعي الحِلمِ لِلنادي

What a fine bulwark for armor on the day of battle

you are, and a guardian of forbearance for the assembly.

إِذا القَنا مُدَّ مَدى باعِهِ

عانَقتَهُ في ثَوبِ فِرصادِ

When the lance is extended to its arm's full reach,

you embrace it in a robe of mulberry red.

أَدعوكَ وَالدَهرُ لَهُ وَقفَةٌ

ما بَينَ إِصداري وَإيرادي

I call upon you while Time pauses

between my leaving water and my coming to it.

لِمِثلِها أَدعو بَناتِ السُرى

تَخلِطُ أَعناقاً بِأَعضادِ

For such a moment I summon the daughters of night travel,

mingling necks with upper forelegs.

نَفسي كَما تَعرِفُ صَبّارَةٌ

لَو لَم يَفُضُّ الخَطبُ مِن آدي

My soul, as you know, would be steadfast,

had calamity not broken my strength.

وَلَو آمِنتَ الدَهرَ أَحداثَهُ

صافَحتَ كَفَّ الضَيغَمِ العادي

And if you trusted Time against its calamities,

you would shake the paw of an attacking lion.

ما لِيَ لا أَرغَبُ عَن بَلدَةٍ

تَرغَبُ في كَثرَةِ حُسّادي

Why should I not shun a town

that wants ever more of my enviers?

ما الرِزقُ بِالكَرخِ مُقيمٌ وَلا

طَوقُ العُلى في جيدِ بَغدادِ

Livelihood does not reside in al-Karkh, nor

is the necklace of eminence on Baghdad's neck.

بِكُلِّ أَرضٍ أَن تَوَرَّدتُها

دِيارُ أَشكالٍ وَأَضدادِ

In every land I enter

are dwellings of fellows and foes.

أَنحَلَني فيها طِلابُ العُلى

وَذاكَ فَخري عِندَ أَندادي

The pursuit of eminence has wasted me there,

and that is my pride among my peers.

لَو كانَ دائي مِن غَرامِ الهَوى

جَزِعتُ مِن أَبصارِ عُوّادي

If my illness sprang from the passion of love,

I would dread the eyes of my sickbed visitors.

أَينَ الغَواني مِن طِلابي وَما

أَطلُبُ إِلّا الرائِحَ الغادي

What have fair women to do with my quest? I do not

seek anything but what journeys at evening and dawn.

أَكثَرُ ما يَلقَينَني ساهِراً

ما بَينَ أَعرافٍ وَأَكتادِ

Most often they find me awake,

between manes and withers,

وَقَلَّ ما يَلقَينَني راقِداً

ما بَينَ أَحشاءٍ وَأَجيادِ

and seldom do they find me sleeping

between bosoms and necks.

إِن مَسَّني نابُ الرَدى لَم أَقُل

يَلَيتَ مَوتي كانَ ميلادي

If death's fang touches me, I will not say:

"Oh, if only my death had been my birth!"

سَيّانِ ما سَيري عَلى سابِحٍ

أَو شَرجَعٍ تَخفِقُ أَبرادي

My journey is the same, whether on a swimming steed

or a bier, my striped cloaks fluttering.

وَما مُقامُ الحُرِّ في عيشَةٍ

لَها المَقاديرُ بِمِرصادِ

And how can a free man abide in a life

for which the fates lie in wait?

تَفدي الفَتى في عَيشِهِ أَلسُنٌ

وَما لَهُ مِن حَتفِهِ فادِ

Tongues offer to ransom a young man while he lives,

yet none can ransom him from his death.

قالوا وَما أُنكِرُها قَولَةً

مِن مائِقٍ في الغَيِّ مُنقادِ

They said—and I do not deny it is a saying

from a fool obedient to error—

الظُلمُ وَالإِنصافُ مِن فِعلِ مَن

يَحكُمُ في الحاضِرِ وَالبادي

"Injustice and equity are the acts of one

who rules over townsman and nomad."

فَقُلتُ إِنّي وَجَميعَ الوَرى

مِنهُ عَلى وَعدٍ وَإيعادِ

So I said: "I, and all creation,

are subject to his promise and threat.

إِن كانَ إِسلامي عَلى هَذِهِ

فَكُلُّ غَيٍّ عِندَ إِرشادي

If my Islam rests on this notion,

then every error would count as guidance to me."

هَيهاتَ لا أَحسُدُ ذا قُدرَةٍ

وَلَو حَوى عاقِرَ أَغمادي

Far from it! I do not envy a man of power,

even if he possessed what leaves my scabbards barren.

وَلَو حَسَدتُ الفَضلَ في أَهلِهِ

حَسَدتُ آبائي وَأَجدادي

And if I envied excellence in those who possess it,

I would envy my fathers and forefathers.