تضاحكت أن رأت شيباً تفرعني — Farazdaq

تَضاحَكَت أَن رَأَت شَيباً تَفَرَّعَني

كَأَنَّها أَبصَرَت بَعضَ الأَعاجيبِ

She laughed when she saw gray hair crowning me,

As though she had seen some marvel.

مِن نِسوَةٍ لِبَني لَيثٍ وَجيرَتِهِم

بَرَحنَ بِالعَينِ مِن حُسنٍ وَمِن طيبِ

One of the women of Banu Layth and their neighbors,

Who overwhelmed the eye with beauty and sweetness.

فَقُلتُ إِنَّ الحَوارِيّاتِ مَعطَبَةٌ

إِذا تَفَتَّلنَ مِن تَحتِ الجَلابيبِ

So I said: fair-skinned women bring ruin

When they sway and turn beneath their cloaks.

يَدنَونَ بِالقَولِ وَالأَحشاءُ نائِيَةٌ

كَدَأبِ ذي الصِعنِ مِن نَأيٍ وَتَقريبِ

They draw near in speech, while their hearts remain far away,

Like the man with the skin-bag, drawing back and bringing near.

وَبِالأَمانِيَّ حَتّى يَختَلِبنَ بِها

مَن كانَ يُحسَبُ مِنّا غَيرَ مَخلوبِ

And with promises, until through them they beguile

One of us once thought beyond beguiling.

يَأبى إِذا قُلتُ أَنسى ذِكرَ غانِيَةٍ

قَلبٌ يَحِنُّ إِلى البيضِ الرَعابيبِ

Whenever I say I will forget a beauty, it refuses—

A heart that yearns for fair, soft, full-figured women.

أَنتِ الهَوى لَو تُواتينا زِيارَتُكُم

أَو كانَ وَليُكِ عَنّا غَيرَ مَحجوبِ

You are my love, if only you would favor us with a visit,

Or your nearness were not withheld from us.

يا أَيُّها الراكِبُ المُزجي مَطِيَّتُهُ

يُريدُ مَجمَعَ حاجاتِ الأَراكيبِ

O rider urging his mount onward,

Seeking the gathering-place of riders' needs,

إِذا أَتَيتَ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ فَقُل

بِالنَصحِ وَالعِلمِ قَولاً غَيرَ مَكذوبِ

When you reach the Commander of the Faithful, say

In sincere counsel and knowledge, words free of falsehood:

أَمّا العِراقُ فَقَد أَعطَتكَ طاعَتَها

وَعادَ يَعمُرُ مِنها كُلُّ تَخريبِ

As for Iraq, it has given you its obedience,

And all that was ruined there is being rebuilt.

أَرضٌ رَمَيتَ إِلَيها وَهيَ فاسِدَةٌ

بِصارِمٍ مِن سُيوفِ اللَهِ مَشبوبِ

A land into which, when it lay corrupt, you hurled

A blazing blade from among the swords of God.

لا يَغمِدُ السَيفَ إِلّا ما يُجَرِّدَهُ

عَلى قَفا مُحرِمٍ بِالسوقِ مَصلوبِ

He sheathes his sword only to draw it

Against the nape of a transgressor crucified in the marketplace.

مُجاهِدٍ لِعُداةِ اللَهِ مُحتَسِبٍ

جِهادَهُم بِضِرابٍ غَيرَ تَذبيبِ

A warrior against God's foes, seeking His reward

For fighting them with blows, not mere feeble parrying.

إِذا الحُروبُ بَدَت أَنيابُها خَرَجَت

ساقا شِهابٍ عَلى الأَعداءِ مَصبوبِ

When wars bare their fangs, there emerge

A meteor's two legs, hurled down upon the enemy.

فَالأَرضُ لِلَّهِ وَلّاها خَليفَتُهُ

وَصاحِبُ اللَهِ فيها غَيرُ مَغلوبِ

The earth is God's; He entrusted it to His caliph,

And God's ally there is never overcome.

بَعدَ الفَسادِ الَّذي قَد كانَ قامَ بِهِ

كَذّابُ مَكَّةَ مِن مَكرٍ وَتَخريبِ

After the corruption that had been wrought

By Mecca's liar, through deceit and devastation.

راموا الخِلافَةَ في غَدرٍ فَأَخطَأَهُم

مِنها صُدورٌ وَفازوا بِالعَراقيبِ

They sought the caliphate through treachery, but were denied

Its forequarters, and won only its hocks.

كانوا كَسالِئَةٍ حَمقاءَ إِذ حَقَنَت

سِلاءَها في أَديمٍ غَيرِ مَربوبِ

They were like a foolish butter-renderer who stored

Her clarified butter in an untreated skin.

وَالناسُ في فُتنَةٍ عَمياءَ قَد تَرَكَت

أَشرافَهُم بَينَ مَقتولٍ وَمَحروبِ

While the people were in blind turmoil that had left

Their nobles either slain or despoiled.

دَعوا لِيَستَخلِفَ الرَحمَنُ خَيرَهُمُ

وَاللَهُ يَسمَعُ دَعوى كُلِّ مَكروبِ

They prayed that the Merciful would make their best man caliph,

And God hears the appeal of everyone in anguish.

فَاِنقَضَّ مِثلَ عَتيقِ الطَيرِ تَتبَعُهُ

مَساعِرُ الحَربِ مِن مُردٍ وَمِن شَيبِ

Then he swooped like a noble bird, followed by

Kindlers of war, beardless youths and gray-haired men.

لا يَعلِفُ الخَيلَ مَشدوداً رَحائِلُها

في مَنزِلٍ بِنَهارٍ غَيرَ تَأويبِ

He never fodders the horses, their saddles still strapped,

At a daytime halt, except on a daylong march.

تَغدو الجِيادُ وَيَغدو وَهوَ في قَتَمِ

مِن وَقعِ مُنعَلَةٍ تُزجى وَمَجنوبِ

The steeds set out at dawn, and he sets out amid dark dust

From the hoofbeats of shod mounts urged onward and horses led alongside.

قيدَت لَهُ مِن قُصورِ الشامِ ضُمَّرُها

يَطلُبنَ شَرقِيَّ أَرضٍ بَعدَ تَغريبِ

Those lean steeds were led to him from Syria's palaces,

Seeking an eastern land after westward travel.

حَتّى أَناخَ مَكانَ الضَيفِ مُغتَصِباً

في مُكفَهِرَّينِ مِثلَي حَرَّةِ اللوبِ

Until he camped in a guest's place, taking it by force,

Amid two grim hosts, each like a field of black lava-rock.

وَقَد رَأى مُصعَبٌ في ساطِعٍ سَبِطٍ

مِنها سَوابِقَ غاراتٍ أَطانيبِ

Mus'ab had already seen, in a rising, spreading dust-cloud,

Their foremost raiders, in cavalry bands.

يَومَ تَرَكنَ لِإِبراهيمَ عافِيَةً

مِنَ النُسورِ وُقوعاً وَاليَعاقيبِ

The day they left Ibrahim to a scavenging flock

Of vultures settling down, and male partridges.

كَأَنَّ طَيراً مِنَ الراياتِ فَوقُهُمُ

في قاتِمٍ لَيطُها حُمرُ الأَنابيبِ

As though the banners above them were birds

In dark dust, their shafts red between the joints.

أَشطانَ مَوتٍ تَراها كُلَّما وَرَدَت

حُمراً إِذا رُفِعَت مِن بَعدِ تَصويبِ

Ropes of death—you see them, whenever they plunge in,

Red when raised after being lowered.

يَتبَعنَ مَنصورَةً تَروى إِذا لَقِيَت

بِقانِئٍ مِن دَمِ الأَجوافِ مَغصوبِ

They follow a victorious banner, whose thirst in battle is quenched

With crimson blood wrested from the body's depths.

فَأَصبَحَ اللَهُ وَلّى الأَمرُ خَيرَهُمُ

بَعدَ اِختِلافٍ وَصَدعٍ غَيرِ مَشعوبِ

Thus God entrusted rule to the best of them,

After discord and a rift left unhealed.

تُراثَ عُثمانَ كانوا الأَولِياءَ لَهُ

سِربالَ مُلكٍ عَلَيهِم غَيرَ مَسلوبِ

Uthman's legacy, of which they were the rightful guardians,

A robe of kingship upon them, never stripped away.

يَحمي إِذا لَبِسوا الماذِيُّ مُلكَهُمُ

مِثلَ القُرومِ تَسامى لِلمَصاعيبِ

They defend their kingdom when they don fine mail,

Like great camel-stallions challenging the untamed.

قَومٌ أَبوهُم أَبو العاصي أَجادَ بِهِم

قَرمٌ نَجيبٌ لِحُرّابِ مَناجيبِ

A people whose father is Abu al-Asi; he sired them well—

A noble stallion, sire to highborn warriors.

قَومٌ أُثيبوا عَلى الإِحسانِ إِذ مَلَكوا

وَمِن يَدِ اللَهِ يُرجى كُلُّ تَثويبِ

A people rewarded for their goodness when they became rulers,

And from God's hand every recompense is hoped for.

فَلَو رَأَيتَ إِلى قَومي إِذا اِنفَرَجَت

عَن سابِقٍ وَهُوَ يَجري غَيرِ مَسبوبِ

If only you had seen my people when they parted

To reveal a courser running, beyond reproach,

أَغَرَّ يُعرَفُ دونَ الخَيلِ مُشتَرِفاً

كَالغَيثِ يَحفِشُ أَطرافَ الشَآبيبِ

White-blazed, distinct from other horses, holding his head high,

Like a rainstorm gathering the fringes of its downpours.

كادَ الفُؤادُ تَطيرُ الطائِراتُ بِهِ

مِنَ المَخافَةِ إِذ قالَ اِبنُ أَيّوبِ

My heart was almost carried off by winged terrors,

From fear, when Ibn Ayyub said

في الدارِ إِنَّكَ إِن تُحدِث فَقَد وَجَبَت

فيكَ العُقوبَةُ مِن قَطعٍ وَتَعذيبِ

In the house: if you cause trouble, you will surely be liable

To punishment by amputation and torture,

في مَحبِسٍ يَتَرَدّى فيهِ ذو رَيبٍ

يُخشى عَلَيَّ شَديدِ الهَولِ مَرهوبِ

In a prison where a suspect falls to ruin,

A dreaded place of dire terror, where men fear for me.

فَقُلتُ هَل يَنفَعَنّي إِن حَضَرتُكُمُ

بِطاعَةٍ وَفُؤادٍ مِنكَ مَرعوبِ

So I said: will it help me if I come before you

In obedience, with a heart terrified of you?

ما تَنهَ عَنهُ فَإِنّي لَستُ قارِبَهُ

وَما نَهى مِن حَليمٍ مِثلُ تَجريبِ

Whatever you forbid, I shall not approach,

And nothing restrains a prudent man like experience.

وَما يَفوتُكَ شَيءٌ أَنتَ طالِبُهُ

وَما مَنَعَت فَشَيءٌ غَيرُ مَقروبِ

And nothing you seek can elude you,

And whatever you forbid is something not to be approached.