ألا ليت أذيال الغيوث السواجم — Alsharif Alradi

أَلا لَيتَ أَذيالَ الغُيوثِ السَواجِمِ

تُجَرُّ عَلى تِلكَ الرُبى وَالمَعالِمِ

Ah, would that the trailing skirts of pouring rains

Were dragged over those hills and landmarks.

وَلَولاكَ ما اِستَسقَيتُ مُزناً لِمَنزِلٍ

فَأَحمِلَ فيهِ مِنَّةً لِلغَمائِمِ

Were it not for you, I would not ask rainclouds to water a dwelling,

And so bear there a debt of gratitude to the clouds.

وَيارُبَّ أَرضٍ قَد قَطَعتُ تَشُقُّ بي

جُيوبَ المَلا أَيدي المَطَيِّ الرَواسِمِ

And many a land I crossed, while, bearing me,

The forelegs of striding mounts tore through the plains' bosoms.

وَلَيلٍ طَويلِ الباعِ قَصَّرتُ طَولَهُ

إِلَيكَ وَقَد أَلقى يَداً في المَخارِمِ

And many a long-armed night whose length I shortened

Toward you, as it stretched a hand into the mountain passes.

وَعيسٍ خَطَت عَرضَ الفَلا بِرِحالِنا

تُزَعزَعُ في الأَعناقِ رُقشَ التَمائِمِ

And pale camels crossed the breadth of the wilderness with our saddles,

Shaking the speckled amulets upon their necks.

إِذا فاحَ رَيَعانُ النَسيمِ رَأَيتَها

إِلى الجانِبِ الغَربي عوجَ الخَياشِمِ

When the first freshness of the breeze wafted, you saw them

With nostrils turned toward the western side.

يَسيرُ بِها مُستَنجِدٌ بِعِصابَةٍ

أَنامِلُها مَلوِيَّةٌ بِالقَوائِمِ

One travels with them, seeking aid from a band

Whose fingers are curled around sword hilts.

تُباري نُجومَ اللَيلِ بِالبيضِ وَالقَنا

وَضَوءَ بُدورٍ هامُها في العَمائِمِ

They rival the stars of night with bright swords and spears,

And the glow of full moons whose heads are in turbans.

حَقيقٌ بِأَن لا يَهتِكَ الدَهرُ ثَوبَهُ

عَنِ العارِ كَأسٌ مِن عَجاجِ المَلاحِمِ

Worthy is he that time should never rend his robe

To expose shame—a cup of the dust of battles.

فَأَينَ مِنَ الدَهرِ اِستِماعُ ظُلامَتي

إِذا نُظِرَت أَيّامُهُ في المَظالِمِ

Where, then, is time's hearing of my grievance,

When its own days stand trial for wrongs?

فَهَل نافِعي أَن يَنصُرَ المَجدُ عَزمَتي

عَلى هَذِهِ العَلياءِ وَالمالُ ظالِمي

Will it benefit me that glory supports my resolve

To attain this height, while wealth wrongs me?

أَنا الأَسَدُ الماضي عَلى كُلَّ فَعلَةٍ

تُمَشّي شِفارَ البيضِ فَوقَ الجَماجِمِ

I am the lion who presses on to every deed

That sets the edges of bright swords moving over skulls.

وَفي مِثلِها أَرضَيتُ عَن عَزمِيَ المُنى

وَصافَحتُ أَطرافَ القَنا وَالصَوارِمِ

In such deeds I have satisfied aspirations with my resolve,

And clasped the points of spears and cutting swords.

وَلَم أَدرِ أَنَّ الدَهرَ يَخفِضُ أَهلَهُ

إِذا سَكَنَت فيهِم نُفوسُ الضَراغِمِ

I did not know that time brings its people low

When the souls of lions dwell within them.

وَما العَيشُ إِلّا فَرحَةٌ إِن هَجَرتَها

سَطَوتَ عَلى الدُنيا بِسَطوَةِ حازِمِ

Life is only joy; if you forsake it,

You assail the world with a resolute man's assault.

سَأَصبِرُ حَتّى يَعلَمَ الصَبرُ أَنَّني

مَلَكتُ بِهِ دَفعَ الخُطوبِ الهَواجِمِ

I shall endure until endurance knows that I

Have mastered, through it, the repulse of onrushing calamities.

وَآخُذُ ثاري مِن زَمانٍ تَعَرَّضَت

مَغارِمُهُ بَيني وَبَينَ المَغانِمِ

And I shall take my vengeance on an age whose

Exactions have stood between me and my gains.

وَما نامَ إِغضاءً عَنِ الدَهرِ صارِمي

وَلَكِنَّني أُبقي عَلى غَيرِ راحِمِ

My sword has not slept out of indulgence toward time,

But I am sparing one who shows no mercy.

وَإِن أَنا أَهلَكتُ الزَمانَ فَما الَّذي

يُصَدَّعُ عَزمي في صُدورِ العَظائِمِ

And if I destroy time, what is there

To shatter my resolve in the face of great ordeals?

وَرَكبٍ سَروا وَاللَيلُ مُلقٍ جِرانَهُ

عَلى كُلِّ مُغبَرِّ المَطالِعِ قاتِمِ

And many a band rode by night, while night laid its neck

Upon every gloomy land with dust-veiled horizons.

حَدوا عَزَماتٍ ضاعَتِ الأَرضُ بَينَها

فَصارَ سُراهُم في صُدورِ العَزائِمِ

They urged on resolves among which the earth was lost,

So their night-march passed within the breasts of those resolves.

تُريهِم نُجومُ اللَيلِ ما يَبتَغونَهُ

عَلى عاتِقِ الشِعرى وَهامِ النَعائِمِ

The stars of night show them what they seek

Upon Sirius's shoulder and the heads of the Ostriches.

وَغَطّى عَلى الأَرضِ الدُجى فَكَأَنَّنا

نُفَتِّشُ عَن أَعلامِها بِالمَناسِمِ

Darkness covered the earth, as though we

Were searching for its landmarks with our camels' hooves.

وَفِتيَةِ صِدقٍ مِن قُرَيشٍ إِذا اِنتَدوا

أَرَوكَ عَطاءَ المالِ ضَربَةَ لازِمِ

And many a band of true young men of Quraysh, when they gather,

Show you that giving wealth is a binding duty.

إِذا طَرَدوا في مَعرَكِ المَجدِ قَصَّفوا

رِماحَ العَطايا في صُدورِ المَكارِمِ

When they charge in glory's battlefield, they shatter

The spears of giving in the breasts of noble deeds.

وَإِن سَحَبوا خِرصانَهُم لِكَريهَةٍ

تَصَدَّعَ صَدرُ الأَرضِ عَن قَلبِ واجِمِ

And if they drag their lances into battle,

The earth's breast splits, revealing a heart struck dumb.

وَتَثبُتُ في عَليا مَعَدٍّ غُصونُهُم

ثَباتَ بَنانٍ في قُلوبِ البَراجِمِ

Their branches hold firm in the heights of Ma'add,

As fingers hold firm in the hearts of knuckles.

أَيَسمَحُ لي هَذا الزَمانُ بِصاحِبٍ

طَويلِ نِجادِ السَيفِ مِن آلِ هاشِمِ

Will this age grant me a companion

With a long sword-baldric, from the house of Hashim?

إِذا أَنا شَيَّعتُ الحُسامَ بِكَفِّهِ

مَضى عَزمَ مَشبوحِ الذَراعِ ضُبارِمِ

When I send the sharp sword forth in his hand,

He advances with the resolve of a mighty lion with outstretched forelegs.

وَإِن ضافَهُ الهَمُّ النَزيعُ رَمى بِها

نَزائِعَ لا يُعلَفنَ غَيرَ الشَكائِمِ

And if far-ranging care visits him, he launches with that hand

Far-ranging mares, fed on nothing but bits.

وَلَستُ بِمُستَصفٍ سِوى كُلِّ خائِضٍ

إِلى كُلِّ بَحرٍ بِالقَنا مُتَلاطِمِ

I choose as a close friend none but one who plunges

Into every sea surging with spears.

أَنامِلُهُ في الحَربِ عَشرُ أَسِنَّةٍ

وَلَكِنَّها في الجودِ عَشرُ غَمائِمِ

His fingers in war are ten spearheads,

But in generosity they are ten rainclouds.

طَموحٍ إِذا غَضَّ الشُجاعُ لِحاظَهُ

وَأَطرَقَ عَن بَرقِ الظُبى كُلُّ شائِمِ

High-aspiring, when the brave man lowers his gaze

And every watcher looks down, away from the lightning of blades.

أَعاذِلَ ما سَمعي لِلَومِكِ مَرتَعاً

إِذاً كانَ مَصروفاً إِلى غَيرِ لائِمِ

O reproachful woman, my hearing is no pasture for your blame;

It is, then, turned toward one who does not reproach.

أَبُثُّكَ عَن لَيلٍ تَعَسَّفتُ مَتنَهُ

كَأَنّي أَمشي في مُتونِ الأَراقِمِ

I tell you of a night whose back I traversed blindly,

As though I walked upon the backs of speckled serpents.

يُخَيَّلُ لي أَنَّ النُجومَ ضَمائِرٌ

تَقَلقَلُ فيهِ خِشيَةً مِن عَزائِمي

It seemed to me that the stars were hidden hearts,

Trembling within it for fear of my resolves.

لَقيتُ ظَلامَ اللَيلِ في لَونِ مَفرَقي

وَفارَقتُهُ وَالصُبحُ في لَونِ صارِمي

I met night's darkness in the hue of my parted hair,

And left it with dawn the color of my sword.

أَجوّبُ آجامَ المَنايا وَأُسدُها

تُرَوِّعُني مِن بَينِها بِالهَماهِمِ

I traverse the thickets of death, while their lions

Frighten me from their midst with low roars.

وَبَيني وَبَينَ القَومِ مِن آلِ يَعرُبٍ

ضَغائِنُ تَثنيني زَهيدَ المَطاعِمِ

Between me and the people of Ya'rub's house

Are grudges that turn me away, with little appetite for food.

إِذا ما جَنوا مِن مالِهِم ثَمَرَ العُلى

جَنَيتُ المَعالي مِن غُضونِ اللَهاذِمِ

When they reap from their wealth the fruit of eminence,

I reap high honors from the folds of keen blades.

أَغَرَّ بَني فِهرٍ وَعيدُ مَجاشِعٍ

وَأَيُّ وَعيدٍ بَعدَ وَقعِ الصَوارِمِ

Has the threat of Mujashi' deluded the sons of Fihr?

And what threat remains after the impact of cutting swords?

أَيوعِدُنا مَن عَطَّلَ البيضَ وَالقَنا

وَأَقسَمَ لا يَنجو بِغَيرِ الهَزائِمِ

Does one threaten us who has left bright swords and spears idle,

And sworn that only routs will save him?

عَشيَّةَ خُضنا بِالضَوامِرِ لَيلَهُم

وَفي كُلِّ جَفنٍ مِنهُمُ طَيفُ حالِمِ

On the evening we plunged with lean steeds into their night,

While in each eyelid of theirs lay a dreamer's vision,

نُريهِم صُدورَ السُمرِ بَينَ نُحورِهِم

فَما اِستَيقَظوا إِلّا بِقَرعِ الحَلاقِمِ

We showed them the breasts of brown lances amid their throats,

And they woke only to the knocking at their gullets.

كَأَنَّ الكَرى يَقتَصُّ مِن طولِ نومِهِم

فَيُسهِرُ مِنهُ بِالقَنا كُلَّ نائِمِ

As though sleep exacted vengeance for their long slumber,

And with spears kept every sleeper from that sleep.

وَكُلُّ غُلامٍ خالَطَ البَأسُ قَلبَهُ

يُقَطَّعُ أَقرانَ الأُمورِ الغَواشِمِ

And every youth whose heart valor has entered

Cuts apart the bonds of ruthlessly violent affairs.

وَنَحنُ دَلَفنا لِلأَراقِمِ فِتيَةً

يُضيفونَ أَطرافَ القَنا في الحِيازِمِ

We advanced upon the speckled serpents, a band of youths

Who give spearpoints lodging in breastbones.

تَطَلَّعُ مِن خَلفِ العَجاجِ كَأَنَّما

تُطالِعُهُم مِنها عُيونُ القَشاعِمِ

They loom from behind the battle-dust, as though

The eyes of aged vultures gazed upon them from it.

إِذا اِستَجَرَ الضَربُ الدَراكُ تَمَطَّقَت

إِلى الطَعنِ أَفواهُ النُسورِ الحَوائِمِ

When the blows come thick and fast, they smack their lips—

The circling vultures' mouths, eager for spear-thrusts.

وَوَلّوا عَلى الخَيلِ العِتاقِ كَأَنَّهُم

تَزاحُمُ غَيمِ العارِضِ المُتَراكِمِ

They fled upon thoroughbred steeds, as though they were

A throng of clouds within a piled-up rainbank.

تَفيضُ عُيونُ الطَعنِ بِالدَمِ مِنهُم

وَيُغلِبُها فَيضُ العُيونِ السَواجِمِ

The eyes of their spear-wounds gush with blood,

But the flood of streaming eyes overwhelms them.