أسعاد جودي لا شفيت سعادا — Bashar Ibn Burd

أَسُعادُ جودي لا شُفيتُ سُعادا

وَصِلي بِوُدِّكِ هائِماً مُعتادا

O Suad, be generous—may I never be cured of Suad!

And draw close with your love to a lovelorn, ever-returning visitor.

إِنَّ الزِيارَةَ أَعقَبَت بِفُؤادِهِ

طَرَباً فَأَعقَبَ فِتنَةً وَفَسادا

Indeed, the visit left in his heart

Rapture, which in turn brought infatuation and ruin.

ما تَأمُرينَ بِزائِرٍ أَقصَيتِهِ

يَومَ الخَميسِ وَقَد رَجا ميعادا

What do you decree for a visitor you sent away

On Thursday, though he had hoped for an appointment?

أَمسَكتِ شُقَّةَ نَفسِهِ فَأَذاعَها

وَبَخِلتِ فَاِتَّخَذَ الهُمومَ وِسادا

You held back a piece of his soul, and he scattered it;

And you were stingy, so he made his sorrows a pillow.

وَتَرَكتِهِ نِصباً إِلَيكِ بِحاجَةٍ

كَيما يَزيدُ وَوَيلَهُ إِن زادا

And you left him standing before you, in need,

That he might grow more needy—woe to him if he does!

قالوا نَكُدُّكَ بِالهَوى وَتَكَدُّنا

المَعيشَةُ ما بَلَغتَ كِدادا

They said, 'We weary you with love, while we are wearied

By earning a living; you have not known such toil.'

وَلَقَد عَجِبتُ مِنَ الضَعيفَةِ إِذ بَدَت

تَثني أُسامَةَ فَاِنثَنى وَاِنقادا

And indeed I marveled at the frail one when she appeared,

Bending Usama: he bent and yielded.

أَسَدٌ تَصَيَّدَهُ غَزالٌ شادِنٌ

ما اِصطادَ قَبلَكِ شادِنٌ آسادا

A lion hunted down by a young gazelle—

No fawn before you ever hunted lions.

وَلَقَد أَقولُ لِصاحِبٍ لي مُهتَرٍ

قَد ماتَ مِن كَلَفَ بِها أَو كادا

And indeed I say to a delirious companion of mine,

Who has died of passion for her, or nearly died:

حَتّامَ تُجشِمُني الصِبى وَتَشُفُّني

بَل لَيتَ غَيرَكَ يا فُؤادُ فُؤادا

How long will you burden me with youthful passion and wear me away?

Rather, would that another were my heart, O heart!

ما زِلتَ تَذكُرُ وَجهَها وَحَديثَها

مُنذُ اِنصَرَفتَ وَما ذَكَرتَ مَعادا

You have kept recalling her face and her words,

Since you departed, and never thought of the hereafter.

سُعدى مُباعِدَةٌ وَأَنتَ مُخاطِرٌ

أَفَقَد رَضيتَ مَعَ الخِطارِ بِعادا

Su'da keeps her distance, while you take risks;

Have you then accepted separation along with the risk?

مَنَعَتكَ يَقظى ما تُحِبُّ وَلَم تَجُد

في نَومِها فَمَتى تَكونُ جَوادا

Awake, she denied you what you love, and was not generous

In her sleep; when, then, will she be generous?

وَإِذا أَرَدتَ عِداتِها بِخِلَت بِها

حَتّى الفُؤادِ وَصافَحَتكَ جَمادا

And when you sought her promises, she was stingy with them,

Down to her very heart; she clasped your hand like a lifeless thing.

أَبِطَرفِ مُقلَتِكِ المَريضَةِ صِدتِهِ

ما إِن سَمِعتُ بِمِثلِهِ مُصطادا

Was it with the glance of your languid eye that you caught him?

Never have I heard of one like him being captured.

صَفراءُ آنِسَةٌ يَزينُ نِقابَها

عَينٌ تُرَوِّحُ لِلعُيونِ سُهادا

A golden-hued, companionable woman; her veil is adorned

By an eye that brings sleeplessness to other eyes.

إِلّا تَكُن قَمَرَ السَماءِ فَإِنَّها

مِثلُ المَريعَةِ تُعجِبُ الرُوّادا

If she is not the moon of heaven, she is

Like lush pasture that delights its seekers.

وَلَقَد بَدا لي أَن أَموتَ بِحُبِّها

فَاِنهَلَّ دَمعي في الرِداءِ وَجادا

And indeed it seemed to me that I would die of love for her;

So my tears poured onto my cloak in a generous flood.

فَطَوَت زِيارَتَها لِغَيرِ مَلامَةٍ

حَذَرَ المُراقِبِ لِلزَمانِ مِدادا

So she suspended her visit, not out of reproach,

For fear of the watcher, for a stretch of time.

نَطَقَت فَأَنطَقَ ما سَمِعتُ مَدامِعي

عَن كُلِّ ناطِقَةٍ تَقولُ سَدادا

She spoke, and what I heard set my tears speaking

On behalf of every woman who speaks aright.

وَكَأَنَّ ما سَمِعَت لَهُ بِحَديثِها

هاروتُ يَسلُبُ مُقلَتَيهِ رُقادا

And what she heard seemed to him, through her speech, like

Harut stealing sleep from his two eyes.

وَأَقامَ يُشفِقُ أَن يُجَنَّ صَبابَةً

وَيَخافُ مَوتَةَ قَلبِهِ إِن عادا

And he remained, fearing he would go mad with longing,

And fearing his heart would die if he returned.