مسيري إلى ليل الشباب ضلال — Alsharif Alradi

مَسيري إِلى لَيلِ الشَبابِ ضَلالُ

وَشَيبي ضِياءٌ في الوَرى وَجَمالُ

My journey toward the night of youth is going astray;

my gray hair is light among mankind, and beauty.

سَوادٌ وَلَكِنَّ البَياضَ سِيادَةٌ

وَلَيلٌ وَلَكِنَّ النَهارَ جَلالُ

Blackness—yet whiteness is eminence;

and night—yet day is majesty.

وَما المَرءُ قَبلَ الشَيبِ إِلّا مُهَنَّدٌ

صَديُّ وَشَيبُ العارِضَينِ صِقالُ

Before gray hair, a man is nothing but an Indian blade,

rusted; gray hair on both cheeks is its polish.

وَلَيسَ خِضابُ المَرءِ إِلّا تَعِلَّةً

لِمَن شابَ مِنهُ عارِضٌ وَقَذالُ

A man's dyeing his hair is nothing but a consolation

for one whose cheek and back of head have turned gray.

وَلِلنَفسِ في عَجزِ الفَتى وزِماعِهِ

زِمامٌ إِلى ما يَشتَهي وَعِقالُ

And the soul, in a man's weakness and resolve, has

a rein toward what he desires, and a hobble.

بَلَوتُ وَجَرَّبتُ الأَخِلّاءَ مُدَّةً

فَأَكثَرُ شَيءٍ في الصَديقِ مَلالُ

I tested and tried close friends for a time;

a friend's most common trait is growing weary.

وَما راقَني مِمَّن أَوَدُّ تَمَلُّقٌ

وَلا غَرَّني مِمَّن أَحِبُّ وِصالُ

No flattery from those I cherish has pleased me,

nor has closeness from those I love deceived me.

وَما صَحبُكَ الأَدنَونَ إِلّا أَباعِدٌ

إِذا قَلَّ مالٌ أَو نَبَت بِكَ حالُ

Your closest companions are nothing but distant strangers

when wealth dwindles or circumstances turn against you.

وَمَن لو بِخِلٍّ أَرتَضيهِ وَلَيتَ لي

يَميناً يُعاطيها الوَفاءَ شِمالُ

Who could grant me—if only!—a friend I approve of? Would that I had

a right hand to which a left hand would offer loyalty.

تَميلُ بِيَ الدُنيا إِلى كُلِّ شَهوَةٍ

وَأَينَ مِنَ النَجمِ البَعيدِ مَنالُ

The world draws me toward every desire,

yet how can the distant star be reached?

وَتَسلُبُني أَيدي النَوائِبِ ثَروَتي

وَلي مِن عَفافي وَالتَقَنُّعِ مالُ

The hands of calamities rob me of my wealth,

yet in my integrity and contentment I have wealth.

إِذا عَزَّني ماءٌ وَفي القَلبِ غُلَّةٌ

رَجَعتُ وَصَبري لِلغَليلِ بَلالُ

When water eludes me and thirst burns in my heart,

I turn back, and my patience is a draught for my thirst.

أَرى كُلَّ زادٍ ما خَلا سَدَّ جَوعَةٍ

تُراباً وَكُلُّ الماءِ عِندِيَ آلُ

I see all provisions, except what stills a pang of hunger,

as dust, and all water, to my mind, as mirage.

وَمِثلِيَ لا يَأسى عَلى ما يَفوتُهُ

إِذا كانَ عُقبى ما يَنالُ زَوالُ

One like me does not grieve for what escapes him,

when what he gains ends only in passing away.

كَأَنّا خُلِقنا عُرضَةً لِمَنيَّةٍ

فَنَحنُ إِلى داعي المَنونِ عِجالُ

It is as though we were created as targets for death,

so we hasten toward death's summoner.

نَخِفُّ عَلى ظَهرِ الثَرى وَبُطونُهُ

عَلَينا إِذا حَلَّ المَماتُ ثِقالُ

We are light upon the earth's back, yet its depths

weigh heavily upon us when death arrives.

وَما نُوَبُ الأَيّامِ إِلّا أَسِنَّةٌ

تَهاوى إِلى أَعمارِنا وَنِصالُ

The vicissitudes of days are nothing but spearheads

hurtling toward our lives, and arrowheads.

وَأَنعَمُ مِنّا في الحَياةِ بَهائِمٌ

وَأَثبَتُ مِنّا في التُرابِ جِبالُ

Beasts enjoy life more comfortably than we do,

and mountains are more enduring in the earth than we are.

أَنا المَرءُ لا عِرضي قَريبٌ مِنَ العِدى

وَلا فيَّ لِلباغي عَلَيَّ مَقالُ

I am a man whose honor lies beyond his enemies' reach,

and no aggressor against me has grounds for reproach.

وَما العِرضُ إِلّا خَيرُ عُضوٍ مِنَ الفَتى

يُصابُ وَأَقوالُ العُداةِ نِبالُ

Honor is nothing but the best of a man's limbs,

liable to be wounded; enemies' words are arrows.

وَقورٌ فَإِن لَم يَرعَ حَقِّيَ جاهِلٌ

سَأَلتُ عَنِ العَوراءِ كَيفَ تُقالُ

I am dignified; but if an ignorant man fails to respect my due,

I inquire how a foul insult is spoken.

إِلى كَم أَمَشّي العَيسَ غَرثى كَليلَةً

وَأَودَعُ مِنها رَبرَبٌ وَرِئالُ

How long must I drive the pale camels, hungry and weary,

while a herd of wild cattle and ostrich chicks live more at ease than they?

أَروغُ كَأَنّي في الصَباحِ طَريدَةٌ

وَأَسري كَأَنّي في الظَلامِ خَيالُ

I dodge about as though by morning I were hunted prey,

and travel by night as though in darkness I were a phantom.

تَمَطى بِنا أَذوادُنا كُلَّ مَهمَهٍ

خَفائِفَ تُخفيها رُبىً وَرِمالُ

Our small camel-herds stride out with us across every trackless waste,

light-footed, hidden by hills and sands.

لَطَمنا بِأَيديها الفَيافي إِلَيكُمُ

وَقَد دامَ إِغذاذٌ وَطالَ كَلالُ

We slapped the wastes with their forefeet on our way to you,

with haste unceasing and weariness prolonged.

خَوارِجُ مِن لَيلٍ كَأَنَّ وَراءَهُ

يَدَ الفَجرِ في سَيفٍ جَلاهُ صِقالُ

They emerge from a night, as though behind it

dawn's hand wielded a sword brightened by polishing.

تُقَوِّمُ أَعناقَ المَطيِّ نُجومُهُ

فَلَيسَ لِسارٍ فَوقَهُنَّ ضَلالُ

Its stars keep the riding camels' necks straight,

so no night traveler mounted on them goes astray.

وَهَوجاءَ قُدّامَ الرِكابِ مُغِذَّةٍ

لَها مِن جُلودِ الرازِحاتِ نِعالُ

And a headlong she-camel, hurrying ahead of the caravan,

has sandals made from the hides of collapsed camels.

رَحَلنا بِها كَالبَدرِ حُسناً وَشارَةً

وَمِلنا إِلى البَيداءِ وَهيَ هِلالُ

We set out on her, a full moon in beauty and splendor,

and turned toward the wilderness with her a crescent moon.

إِلَيكَ أَمينَ اللَهِ وَسَّمتُ أَرضَها

بِأَخفافِها يَدنو بِهِنَّ نِقالُ

Toward you, God's trustee, I marked its ground

with her hooves, their swift stepping bringing me near.

أَيادي أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ كَثيرَةٌ

وَمالُ إِمامِ المُؤمِنينَ مُذالُ

Your benefactions, Commander of the Faithful, are many;

and the Imam of the Faithful's wealth is freely given.

وَأَوقاتُهُ اللاتي تَسوءُ قَصيرَةٌ

وَأَيّامُهُ اللاتي تَسُرُّ طِوالُ

His times that bring distress are brief,

and his days that bring delight are long.

مِنَ الضارِبينَ الهامَ وَالخَيلُ تَدَّعي

وَإِن غابَ أَنصارٌ وَقَلَّ رِجالُ

He is among those who strike heads while the cavalry cries out,

even if supporters are absent and warriors are few.

هُمُ القَومُ إِن وَلّى المَعاريكَ أَقبَلوا

وَإِن سُئِلوا بَذلَ النَوالِ أَنالوا

They are the men who advance when others turn their backs on battles,

and when asked to bestow bounty, they give.

وَإِن طَرَقَ القَومُ العَبوسُ تَهَلَّلوا

وَإِن مالَتِ السُمرُ الذَوابِلُ مالوا

And if grim-faced folk call by night, they beam;

and when the brown, slender spears lean, they lean with them.

أُجيلُ لِحاظي لا أَرى غَيرَ ناقِصٍ

كَأَنَّ الوَرى نَقصٌ وَأَنتَ كَمالُ

I turn my gaze about and see none but the deficient,

as though mankind were imperfection and you perfection.

لَنا كُلَّ يَومٍ في مَعاليكَ شُعبَةٌ

وَفائِدَةٌ لا تَنقَضي وَنَوالُ

Each day we have a share in your lofty achievements,

and a benefit that never ends, and bounty.

وَأَنتَ الَّذي بَلَّغتَنا كُلَّ غايَةٍ

لَها فَوقَ أَعناقِ النُجومِ مَجالُ

You are the one who brought us to every goal

whose range lies above the necks of the stars.

فَما طَرَدَ النَعماءَ وَعدُكَ ساعَةً

وَلا غَضَّ مِن جَدوى يَدَيكَ مَطالُ

Your promise never put bounty off for even an hour,

nor has delay diminished the bounty of your hands.

إِذا قُلتَ كانَ الفِعلُ ثانِيَ نُطقِهِ

وَخَيرُ مَقالٍ ما تَلاهُ فَعالُ

When you speak, the deed follows immediately upon its utterance,

and the best speech is that which deeds follow.

أَزِل طَمَعَ الأَعداءِ عَنّي بِفَتكَةٍ

فَلا سِلمَ إِلّا أَن يَطولَ قِتالُ

Quell the enemies' designs against me with a deadly stroke,

for there is no peace unless fighting is prolonged.

فَإِنَّ نُفوسَ الناكِثينَ مُباحَةٌ

وَإِنَّ دِماءَ الغادِرينَ حَلالُ

For the lives of oath-breakers are forfeit,

and traitors' blood is lawful to shed.

وَشَمِّر فَما لِلسَيفِ غَيرُكَ ناصِرٌ

وَلا لِلعَوالي إِن قَعَدتَ مَصالُ

Gird yourself: the sword has no champion but you,

nor can the tall spears charge if you sit idle.

وَمَن لي بِيَومٍ شاحِبٍ في عَجاجِهِ

أَنالُ بِأَطرافِ القَنا وَأُنالُ

Who will grant me a day, pale in its whirling dust,

when I strike with the spear-points and am struck?

لَكَ الفَرَسُ الشَقراءُ في الجَوِّ شَمسُهُ

لَها مِن غَياباتِ الغُبارِ جِلالُ

Your chestnut mare is the sun in that day's sky,

her caparisons made from the dark veils of dust.

أَرِدني مُراداً يَقعُدُ الناسُ دونَهُ

وَيَغبِطُني عَمٌّ عَلَيهِ وَخالُ

Choose for me a goal that other men fall short of,

and for which paternal and maternal uncles alike envy me.

وَلا تَسمَعَن مِن حاسِدٍ ما يَقولُهُ

فَأَكثَرُ أَقوالِ العُداةِ مُحالُ

Do not listen to what an envious man says,

for most enemies' words are falsehood.

هَناءٌ لَكَ الصَومُ الجَديدُ وَلا تَزَل

عَلَيكَ مِنَ العَيشِ الرَقيقِ ظِلالُ

May the new fast bring you joy, and may there always

lie over you the shades of a gentle life.

وَجادَكَ مُنهَلُّ الغَمامِ وَصافَحَت

حِماكَ جَنوبٌ غَضَّةٌ وَشَمالُ

May the clouds' downpour water you generously, and may

a fresh south wind and a north wind shake hands with your domain.

وَلا زالَ مِن آمالِنا وَرَجائِنا

عَلَيكَ وَإِن ساءَ العَدوَّ عِيالُ

May our hopes and expectations ever remain

your dependents, though that vexes the enemy.

وَفي كُلِّ يَومٍ عِندَنا مِنكَ عارِضٌ

وَعِندَ الأَعادي فَيلَقٌ وَنِزالُ

Every day we receive from you a rain-bearing cloud,

while your enemies face an army and combat.

أَنا القائِلُ المَحسودُ قَلي مِنَ الوَرى

عَلَوتُ وَما يَعلو عَلَيَّ مَقالُ

I am the envied poet, hated among mankind;

I have risen high, and no speech surpasses me.

يَقولونَ حازَ الفَضلَ قَومٌ بِسَبقِهِم

وَما ضَرَّني أَنّي أَتَيتُ وَزالوا

They say men won preeminence by coming first,

but it has not harmed me that I came when they were gone.

وَلا فَرقَ بَيني في الكَلامِ وَبَينَهُم

بِشَيءٍ سِوى أَنّي أَقولُ وَقالوا

There is no difference in speech between me and them

in anything, save that I speak and they spoke.

فَلا زالَ شِعري فيكَ وَحدَكَ كُلُّهُ

وَلا اِضطَرَّني إِلّا إِلَيكَ سُؤالُ

May all my poetry ever be about you alone,

and may no petition compel me to turn to anyone but you.