ذكرت شبابي اللذ غير قريب — Bashar Ibn Burd

ذَكَرتُ شَبابي اللَذَّ غَيرَ قَريبِ

وَمَجلِسَ لَهوٍ طابَ بَينَ شُروبِ

I recalled my sweet youth, now far away,

and a gathering of pleasure, delightful among drinkers.

وَبِالحَرَّةِ البَيضاءِ أَذكَرَني الصِبا

خَيالٌ وَتَغريدُ الحَمامِ نَكوبِ

And at al-Harra al-Bayda, youth was recalled to me by

a vision and the cooing of straying doves.

فَأَرسَلتُ دَمعي وَاِستَتَرتُ مِنَ الفَتى

مَخافَةَ نَمّامٍ عَلَيَّ كَذوبِ

So I let my tears flow and hid from the young man,

fearing a lying talebearer against me.

وَقَد يَذكُرُ المُشتاقُ بَعضَ زَمانِهِ

فَيَبكي وَلا يَبكي لِمَوتِ حَبيبِ

A yearning man may recall some of his bygone days

and weep, though not for a loved one's death.

وَكُنتُ إِذا راحَت عَلَيَّ صَبابَةٌ

بَكَيتُ بِها عَيني بِرَدِّ نَحيبِ

Whenever longing swept over me,

my eyes would weep for it, sob after sob.

فَلِلَّهِ دَرُّ الرائِحاتِ عَشِيَّةً

يَزِفنَ لَقَد فَجَّعنَني بِطَليبِ

God bless those women departing at evening,

stepping lightly! They bereaved me of Talib.

أَخي مَريُحَنّا هَل فُجِعتَ بِغادَةٍ

كَعابٍ وَهَل ناهَزتَ مِثلَ نَصيبي

My brother Mar Yuhanna, have you lost a tender beauty,

full-breasted—and have you suffered a fate like mine?

لَيالِيَ أَسرابُ النِساءِ يَزِدنَني

جَنىً بَينَ رَيحانٍ أَغَرَّ وَكوبِ

Those nights when flocks of women offered me ever more

fruit, amid radiant basil and a cup.

إِذا شِئتُ غَنَّتني فَتاةٌ بِمِزهَرٍ

عَلى الراحِ أَو غَنَّيتُها بِقَضيبِ

Whenever I wished, a girl sang to me with a lute,

over wine, or I sang to her with a rod.

فَلَمّا دَعاني الهاشِمِيُّ أَجَبتُهُ

وَلا خَيرَ في المَملوكِ غَيرَ مُجيبِ

When the Hashimite summoned me, I answered him;

there is no good in a slave who does not answer.

فَأَصبَحتُ خِدناً لِلجَواري مِنَ الجَوى

فَأَصبَحَ واديهِنَّ غَيرَ عَشيبِ

So, through lovesickness, I became the maidens' intimate,

and their valley became bare of grass.

حَسَرتُ الهَوى عَنّي زَماناً وَرُبَّما

لَهَوتُ وَما لَهوُ الفَتى بِغَريبِ

I cast desire away from me for a time, though sometimes

I made merry; a young man's pleasures are nothing strange.

فَيا لَكِ أَيّاماً سُلِبتُ نَعيمَها

وَيا لَكَ دَهراً فاتَني بِلَغيبِ

Ah, those days whose bliss was stripped from me!

And ah, that age that passed me by in weariness!

عَلى زَينَبٍ مِنّي السَلامُ وَمِثلُهُ

عَلى شَجَنٍ بَينَ الصَبا وَجَنوبِ

Peace from me be upon Zaynab, and the same

upon a bough between the east wind and the south.

فَهَذا أَوانٌ لا أَعوجُ عَلى الصِبى

سَمِعتُ لِعُذّالي وَنامَ رَقيبي

This is a time when I no longer turn toward youthful folly;

I have heeded my reproachers, and my watcher sleeps.

وَقَد جاءَني مِن باهِلِيٍّ يَسُبُّني

فَأَعرَضتُ إِنَّ الباهِلِيَّ جَنيبي

Word reached me of a Bahilite reviling me;

I turned away: the Bahilite is my led horse.

وَقُلتُ بِدَعوى عامِرٍ يالَ عامِرٍ

أَيَشتُمُني الزِنجِيُّ غَيرَ دَبيبِ

I gave Amir's rallying cry: 'O men of Amir!'

Does the Zanj man revile me without skulking?

دَعوني وَإِنّي مِن وَرائي مُعَضَّدٌ

كَفَيتُكُمُ رايَ اِستِهِ بِذَنوبِ

Leave me alone; I have support behind me.

I spared you his arse's counsel with a bucketful.

إِذا شَبِعَ الزِنجِيُّ سَبَّ إِلَهَهُ

وَأَلَّبَ مِن زِنجٍ عَلَيَّ وَنوبِ

When the Zanj man is sated, he curses his god

and rallies Zanj and Nubians against me.

أَوائِلُ قَد قَرَّبتِ غَيرَ مُقَرَّبٍ

وَناسَبتِ كَلباً كانَ غَيرَ نَسيبِ

O Wa'il, you have brought near one unworthy of welcome,

and allied yourselves in marriage to a dog without lineage.

بَني وائِلٍ إِنَّ الصَغيرَ بِمِثلِهِ

كَبيرٌ فَلا تَستَعجِلوا بِمُهيبِ

Sons of Wa'il, a small wrong, joined with its like,

becomes great; do not rush to summon something fearsome.

عَلى أَهلِها تَجني بَراقِشُ فَاِتَّقوا

جِنايَةَ عَبدٍ وَاِسعَدوا بِقُلوبِ

Baraqish brings harm upon her own people; beware

a slave's offense, and lend your hearts' support.

صَغيرُ الأَذى يَدعو كَبيراً لِأَهلِهِ

وَتَفتَضِحُ القُربى بِذَنبِ غَريبِ

A little harm calls forth greater harm upon its people,

and kin are disgraced by a stranger's sin.

أَرى خَلقاً قَد شابَ قَبلَ جِنايَةٍ

فَهَلّا وَهَبتُم قَلبَهُ لِمَشيبِ

I see Khalaq, grown gray before any offense;

why not spare his heart for the sake of his gray hairs?

لَحا اللَهُ قَوماً وَسَّطوا الكَلبَ فيهُمُ

شَتيمَ المُحَيّا عاشَ غَيرَ أَديبِ

God curse a people who set the dog in their midst,

ugly-faced, who lived without decency,

سَروقاً لِما لاقى طَروباً إِلى الزُبى

وَهَل تَجِدُ الزِنجِيَّ غَيرَ طَروبِ

stealing whatever he finds, eager for cocks.

Do you ever find the Zanj man anything but excited?

إِذا حَزَّ فيهِ النَصلُ حَزَّ عِجانُهُ

فَراحَ بِأَيرٍ لِلفُضوحِ مُثيبِ

When the blade cuts into him, his perineum aches;

he goes off with a cock that rewards him with disgrace.

فَيا عَجَباً لا يَتَّقي الزِنجُ شَرَّهُ

وَلا يَذكُرونَ اللَهَ عِندَ هُبوبِ

How strange that the Zanj do not guard against his evil,

nor remember God on awakening.

أَقولُ وَقَد ناكَ الخُلَيقُ بَناتِهِ

وَأَحفى بَنوهُ أُمَّهُم بِرُكوبِ

I say—al-Khulayq having fucked his daughters,

and his sons worn their mother out by mounting her—

بَني خَلَقٍ ما أَحلَمَ اللَهَ عَنكُمُ

عَلى خَبَثاتٍ فيكُمُ وَذُنوبِ

Sons of Khalaq, how forbearing God is toward you,

for all the foul deeds and sins among you!

أَراكُم أُناساً سَمنُكُم في أَديمِكُم

مَجَنتُم فَلا تَستَغفِرونَ لِحوبِ

I see you as a people: your fat is in your own hide.

You debauch yourselves and seek no pardon for sin.

كَأَنَّكُمُ لَم تَسمَعوا بِقِيامَةٍ

وَلَم تَشعُروا في دينِكُم بِحَسيبِ

It is as though you had never heard of resurrection,

nor known in your religion any reckoner.

أَفيقوا بَني الزِنجِيِّ إِنَّ سَبيلَكُم

سَبيلُ أَبيكُم لَحمُهُ لِكُلوبِ

Come to your senses, sons of the Zanj man: your path

is your father's path—his flesh for dogs.

وَمَولى أَبيكُم فَاِطرَحوهُ لِأَكلُبٍ

وَلا يُدفَنُ الزِنجِيُّ بَينَ رُبوبِ

And your father's master—throw him to the dogs;

the Zanj man is not to be buried among lords.

وَنُبِّئتُ فِزراً قَلطَبانَ نِسائِهِ

ضَروباً عَلى أَستاهِهِنَّ بِطيبِ

I am told that Fizr is a pimp for his women,

forever smearing perfume on their arses.

وَقَد ناكَ فِزرٌ كُلثُماً غَيرَ مَرَّةٍ

وَلَكِنَّهُ قَد قاءَها بِشَبيبِ

Fizr has fucked Kulthum more than once,

but has spewed her out in favor of Shabib.

لَحا اللَهُ فِزراً ما أَضَلَّ مَكانَهُ

وَأَعجَبَهُ قَد فاقَ كُلَّ عَجيبِ

God curse Fizr—how far astray his footing is,

and how strange! He has surpassed every marvel.

إِذا قُلتَ مَن فِزرٌ أَجابَكَ قائِلٌ

شَريكُ أَبيهِ في اِستِ أُمِّ حَبيبِ

If you ask, 'Who is Fizr?' someone will answer:

'His father's partner in Umm Habib's arse.'

أَلا أَيُّها الفادي وَلَم أَقضِ نُسخَتي

يُعاتِبُني في الجودِ غَيرَ مُصيبِ

O ransomer—I have not finished my copy—

he reproaches me for generosity, and is mistaken.

قَعيدَكَ أَن تَنهى اِمرَأً عَن طِباعِهِ

يَجودُ وَيَغدو ناصِباً بِعَتيبِ

I adjure you: would you forbid a man his nature?

He gives, then goes out wearied by reproach.

بَدَأتَ بِنوكٍ وَاِنثَنَيتَ بِجَهلَةٍ

وَما طاعَتي إِلّا لِكُلِّ لَبيبِ

You began with folly, then followed it with ignorance;

my obedience is only for the discerning.

سَأَرعى الَّذي يَرعى مِنَ الذَنبِ غادِياً

وَأُكرِمُ نَفسي عَن دَسيسِ مُريبِ

I shall watch whoever goes out in the morning grazing on sin,

and keep myself above a suspicious intriguer.

لِفِزرٍ صَنيعُ القَلطَبانِ بِأُختِهِ

فَلَيسَ بِمَأمونٍ بِظَهرِ مَغيبِ

Fizr behaves toward his sister as a pimp does;

he cannot be trusted out of sight.

كَسوبٌ بِأُختَيهِ وَقَينَةِ تاجِرٍ

وَما كانَ في كُتّابِهِ بِكَسوبِ

He earns through his two sisters and a merchant's singing girl,

yet at his writing school he earned nothing.

إِذا هُوَ لاقى أُمَّهُ دَبَرَ اِستَها

تَوَلّى بِأَيرٍ لِلِّواطِ خَضيبِ

When he meets his mother, he chafes her arse,

then turns away with a cock stained from sodomy.