لحيا عهدهن حيا العهاد — Alsharif Alradi

لَحَيّا عَهدَهُنَّ حَيا العِهادِ

نَدىً يَغتَصُّ مِنهُ كُلُّ نادِ

May the rain of recurring showers bless their memory,

rainwater that fills every gathering-place to overflowing.

وَأَطلالاً يُطَلُّ الدَمعُ فيها

إِذا بَدَتِ الحَواضِرُ وَالبَوادي

And the ruins where tears are shed in vain,

when towns and deserts come into view.

رِواءٌ لا تُريحُ الريحُ فيها

مِنَ الإِدلاجِ إِنتاجَ الغَوادي

Well-watered, where the wind grants no respite

from night journeys in bringing forth morning rainclouds.

إِذا ماتَ الحَيا بَينَ السَواري

أَتاها بِالغَوادي في مَعادِ

Whenever the rain dies among the night rainclouds,

it returns to them with morning rainclouds.

مَجاهِلُ مَنزِلٍ كانَت زَماناً

مَعالِمَ كُلِّ مَكرُمَةٍ وآدِ

Unmarked reaches of a dwelling that once were

landmarks of every noble deed and of might.

تَكُفُّ رُبوعُها أَيدي الأَماني

وَقَد عانَقنَ أَعناقَ الأَيادي

Their quarters restrain the hands of hopes,

though they had embraced the necks of favors.

إِذا حَلَّ الحُبى أَمَلٌ طَريفٌ

حَبَتهُ مُهجَةُ المالِ التَلادِ

Whenever a fresh hope loosened the knee-bands,

the heart of ancestral wealth endowed it.

فَما لي وَاللِقاءُ وَكُلُّ يَومٍ

تُهَدِّدُني الرَكائِبُ بِالبِعادِ

What hope have I of meeting, when every day

the riding beasts threaten me with separation?

دَعي عَذلي فَلَيسَ العَذلُ يَجنى

بِهِ ما أَثمَرَت شِيَمي وَعادي

Stop reproaching me: reproach cannot reap

what my character and habits have brought to fruit.

وَلي عَزمٌ تَعوذُ بِهِ العَوالي

إِذا فَزِعَت إِلى مُهَجِ الأَعادي

And mine is a resolve in which tall lances seek refuge

when they rush toward the lifeblood of foes.

يَضُمُّ شَعاعَهُ قَلِبٌ وَلَكِن

تَضيقُ بِهِ حَيازيمُ البِلادِ

A heart gathers its rays, yet

the lands' chests are too narrow to contain it.

وَكَم قَلبٍ أَسَرَّ عَلَيَّ حِقداً

فَأَفشى سِرُّهُ سِرَّ النَجادِ

And many a heart concealed a grudge against me,

then its secret revealed the sword-belt's secret.

وَيَومٍ تَعثُرُ الخِرصانُ عَمداً

بِهِ في كُلِّ نَحرٍ أَو فُؤادِ

And many a day when lances deliberately stumble

into every throat or heart.

يَشُقُّ الرَوعَ عَن ضاحي بُدورٍ

بَرَزنَ مِنَ العَجاجَةِ في دَآدِ

It cleaves the terror, revealing the bright faces of full moons

that emerge from the dust cloud in moonless darkness.

تُريهِم فيهِ مِرآةُ المَنايا

بِصِدقِ يَقينِهِم وَجهَ المَعادِ

There the mirror of death shows them

the face of the hereafter, confirming their certainty.

وَحَشوُ أَكُفِّهِم سُمرٌ رِواءٌ

بِوِردِ المَوتِ مِن مُهَجٍ صَوادِ

And filling their palms are brown lances, well slaked

with death's draught from thirsting hearts.

تُهَدّيها إِلى الطَعنِ المَنايا

بِحَيثُ تَضِلُّ في طُرُقِ الهَوادي

Death guides them toward the thrust

where guides lose their way along the paths.

وَقَد نَشَأَت سَحابٌ مِن عَجاجٍ

تَعُطُّ صُدورَها أَيدي الجِيادِ

And clouds of dust have risen;

the steeds' forelegs rip open their breasts.

بِأَرماحٍ خُلِقنَ مِنَ المَنايا

وَأَسيافٍ طُبِعنَ عَلى الجِلادِ

With spears created from death

and swords forged for close combat,

زَرَعتُ أَسِنَّتي في كُلِّ قَلبٍ

بِها وَالهامُ تُزرَعُ بِالحَصادِ

I planted my spearheads in every heart,

with them, while heads were sown by reaping.

وَبَحرِ دَمٍ تَعومُ الطَيرُ فيهِ

وَتَرقى بَينَ أَمواجِ الطَرادِ

And many a sea of blood in which birds swim

and rise between the waves of mounted combat.

تَراها في فُروجِ النَقعِ حُمراً

كَما طارَ الشَرارُ عَنِ الزَنادِ

You see them red in the gaps of the dust,

as sparks fly from the fire-strikers.

وَلَيلٍ باتَ يُصلِتُ لي هُموماً

يُطَلُّ بِغَربِهِنَّ دَمُ الرُقادِ

And many a night kept unsheathing cares against me,

sleep's blood spilled unavenged by their keen edges.

وَكَيفَ يُحِبُّ أَغمارَ اللَيالي

أَسيرُ الطَرفِ في أَيدي السُهادِ

And how can he love the engulfing depths of nights—

one whose gaze is captive in the hands of sleeplessness?

فَلَو حَلَّ المُؤَمَّلُ عَقدَ هَمّي

شَدَدتُ بِمُقلَتَيَّ عُرى الرُقادِ

If the hoped-for one untied my sorrow's knot,

I would fasten sleep's bonds with my two eyes.

وَإِنّي وَهوَ في خَيشومِ مَجدٍ

تَنَفَّسَ عَن نَسيمٍ مِن وِدادِ

And indeed, he and I are in glory's nostril,

which breathed forth a breeze of affection.

كَأَنَّ عُهودَنا كانَت قُلوباً

تُربى بَينَ أَحشاءِ العِهادِ

As though our pledges were hearts,

nurtured within the wombs of recurring showers.

أَيَنسُبُني لَهُ ظَنٌّ غَوِيٌّ

وَكانَ الغَيُّ يَمكُرُ بِالرَشادِ

Does a misguided suspicion link me to him?

And error was scheming against right guidance.

إِذاً فَثَكِلتُ سابِحَتي وَسَيفي

غَداةَ وَغىً وَراحِلَتي وَزادي

If so, may I lose my galloping mare and sword

on a morning of battle, and my riding mount and provisions.

أَتَخلَعُ حَليُكَ الأَشعارَ عَنها

إِذا كُسِيَت مِنَ المَعنى المُعادِ

Do poems cast your adornment off themselves

when clothed in a repeated meaning?

وَمِن هَذا يَقومُ مَقامَ فَضلٍ

قَعَدنَ لَهُ ذُرى الصُمِّ الصِلادِ

And who is this who can stand in Fadl's place,

for whom the peaks of solid, unyielding rocks sank low?

أَأَترُكُ ضَيغَماً في ظَهرِ طَودٍ

وَآخُذُ تَتفُلاً في بَطنِ وادِ

Would I leave a lion on a mountain's back

and take a fox cub in a valley's belly?

وَأَلفِظُ صَفوَ أَحشاءِ الغَوادي

وَأَجرَعُ رَنقَ أَحشاءِ الثَمادِ

And spit out the clear water from the bellies of morning rainclouds,

and gulp the murky water from the bellies of scant pools?

وَقَد عَلِمَت رَبيعَةُ أَنَّ بَيتي

لِغَيرِ الغَدرِ مَرفوعُ العِمادِ

And Rabi'a knows that my tent

has its tent-poles raised for anything but treachery.

أَتَتكَ قِلادَةٌ لَم يَخلُ مِنها

صَليفُ الجودِ أَو جيدُ الجَوادي

A necklace has come to you, never missing from

the side of generosity's neck or the neck of those seeking gifts.

فَمَن لَم يُجرِ دَمعَتَهُ عَليها

فَخاطِرُهُ أَفَظُّ مِنَ الجَمادِ

So whoever has not let his tear flow over it,

his mind is harsher than lifeless matter.

وَما أَجنى بِها عُذراً وَلَكِن

مُحافَظَةً عَلى ثَمَرِ الوِدادِ

And I reap no excuse through it; it is only

to safeguard the fruit of affection.