Sol 6.1

  1. خليليَّ أما هذه فديارهم

    وطَرف النوى من دونها يتشوَّفُ

    My two friends, these indeed are their dwellings,

    and separation's eye peers longingly from this side of them.

  2. متى شِمتُ برقاً بارقاً من رسومها

    رأيت سحابَ الجفن بالدمع يذرف

    Whenever I sighted lightning flashing from their traces,

    I saw the cloud of the eyelid pour forth tears.

  3. يميد بقلبٍ عن سواهم ممنَّع

    وأنفُ هواه بالمحبة يَرعَف

    It sets a heart swaying, guarded against all but them,

    and the nose of its passion bleeds with love.

  4. فلا تحسباني قد نسيت من النوى

    قلوباً على عهدي بها تتألف

    So do not, you two, suppose that separation has made me forget

    hearts that, as I knew them, unite in affection.

  5. فعهدي بها كانت تميل تشوُّقاً

    إلي ولكن عنيَ الآن تَعطِف

    For I knew them to incline with longing

    toward me; but now they turn away from me

  6. إلى بلدٍ أمّا نسيم صَبائه

    فَعَرفٌ وأما ماؤه فهو قَرقَف

    toward a city whose east wind's breeze

    is fragrance, while its water is wine.

  7. رعى حلباً ربٌّ أتاها محاسناً

    تزيد ثناها في الورى وتُشرَّف

    May the Lord protect Aleppo, to which He granted beauties

    that increase its praise among humankind and bring it honor.

  8. لقد جمعت من كل حسنٍ أرقَّه

    فموسى بها كَلْفٌ ويوسفُ أكلف

    It has gathered the most delicate of every beauty,

    so Moses is enamored of it, and Joseph more enamored still.

  9. فلو قوم موسى في ذراها تفيّأوا

    لما جهلوا في غيّهم حين أسرفوا

    Had Moses' people sought shade beneath its heights,

    they would not have acted foolishly in their error when they transgressed.

  10. ولو ثملوا من مائها ورحيقها

    لما نكثوا باللَه يوماً وأخلفوا

    And had they grown drunk on its water and nectar,

    they would never have broken faith with God or failed their promise.

  11. ولو حملوا من تربها في رحالهم

    لما ضل من يَهدي ولو ظلَّ يَعسِف

    And had they carried some of its soil in their saddlebags,

    one who guides would not have strayed, even had he kept wandering blindly.

  12. ولو زوَّدتهم من نسيم صَبائها

    لما شاخ من يصبو إليها ويَزلُف

    And had it provisioned them with its east wind's breeze,

    none who longs for it and draws near would have grown old.

  13. ولو حل يوسفْ عزِّها من مُعِزِّها

    لما شذَّ عنها وهو في الحق يوسف

    And had Joseph, its glory from its glorifier, settled there,

    he would not have strayed from it, being Joseph in truth.

  14. ففردوسُها الفردوس أيُّ مدينةٍ

    أجلُّ من الفردوس قدراً وأشرف

    For its paradise is Paradise; what city

    is greater in worth than Paradise, or nobler?

  15. تذلُّ لها البلدان فهي جمالُها

    وأي جمالٍ لا يطاع ويوصف

    Cities humble themselves before it, for it is their beauty;

    and what beauty is not obeyed and described?

  16. فيا مصر لا تبكي على ذلِّ جلقٍ

    دعي الحاسد المحزون بالذل يتلف

    O Egypt, do not weep over Jilliq's humiliation;

    let the sorrowful envier perish in humiliation.

  17. بَلى أنشدي الشهباءَ بتياً منمَّقاً

    ألا كل مدحٍ ما خلاها تَكلُّف

    Rather, recite to al-Shahba a finely embellished verse:

    Indeed, all praise that is not of her is mere affectation.

  18. فمن يهجُها يهجُ الأنام جميعهم

    لأنهم في مدحها قد تشرَّفوا

    Whoever satirizes her satirizes all humankind,

    for they have gained honor by praising her.

  19. روى عن معانيها الرواة فشاقهم

    نسيمٌ وماءٌ ثم ظَرفٌ وزُخرُف

    The narrators related her qualities, and what enchanted them was

    a breeze and water, then elegance and splendor.

  20. تراها كواو العَطف نحو نزيلها

    فناهيك عن عِطفٍ حُلاهُ التعطُّف

    You see her like the waw of conjunction toward her guest,

    and what a side, whose adornment is compassion!

  21. فأشكرُ مرآه وأشكو بِعادها

    كأني بها آسٍ يناديه مُدنِف

    So I give thanks for its sight and lament her remoteness,

    as though, in her, I were a healer called by one gravely ill.

  22. وقلبيَ في ذاك المقام مودِّعاً

    إذا مال يَدراهُ التقى والتعفُّف

    And my heart, in that place, was bidding farewell;

    whenever it inclined, piety and chastity held it back.

  23. فيا حبذا لي بالصلِيبَةِ موقفٌ

    من الدمع أصفى أو من العين ألطف

    How dear to me is a stand at al-Saliba,

    purer than tears, or subtler than the eye.

  24. عرفتُ بها عهداً قديماً جهلته

    وأذكرني عهدي الذي كنت أعرف

    There I recognized an old bond I had forgotten,

    and it recalled to me the bond I once knew.

  25. وقفت وما لي وقفةٌ في محلها

    وحاشا على أمثالها أتوقف

    I stood, though I had no standing in that place,

    and far be it from me to hesitate over the like of it.

  26. فلا تشك ربعاً رسمُه فيه مُشرِفٌ

    ولا تبك إلفاً وسمُه فيه أشرف

    So do not lament a dwelling whose trace stands prominent within it,

    nor weep for a beloved whose mark there is nobler.

  27. بل اعطِف الشكوى إلي فإنني

    إلى واوها بالعطف أولى وأَعرَف

    Rather, turn your complaint toward me, for I

    have the greater claim to its waw through affection, and know it better.

  28. أنا وأخي لفظاً ومعنىً ونسبةً

    ولكنَّه مني أرق وألطف

    I and my brother—in word, meaning, and lineage—

    yet he is more tender and gentler than I.

  29. أخٌ حزتُه باللَه من نسل ماجدٍ

    ظريفٍ ولكن جاءني وهو أظرف

    A brother I gained through God, from the offspring of a noble man,

    refined; yet he came to me still more refined.

  30. كأني وإياه سهيلٌ مع السُها

    إلى الدهر ما يحويهما صاحِ موقف

    It is as though he and I were Suhayl with al-Suha:

    no station ever holds them both, my friend.

  31. أبى الدهر أن ندنو وقد قال قائلٌ

    فللصبر غاياتٌ وللدهر مَصرِف

    Time refused to let us draw near, though someone has said:

    Patience has its limits, and time its turning.

  32. فكنت به كالفرقدين أُخُوَّةً

    فعُدتُ ويعقوبٌ ينوح ويوسف

    In brotherhood, with him I was like the two Farqad stars,

    then I returned, with Jacob lamenting, and Joseph too.

  33. كأني منه في الورى حرفُ علَّةٍ

    فيسكن حيناً ثم بالجمع يحذف

    As though, in relation to him among humankind, I were a weak letter,

    quiescent for a while, then deleted in the plural.

  34. فشرَّقَ عني وهو بالشرق مولعٌ

    وغرَّبتُ عنه والغريبُ مكلَّف

    He went east away from me, enamored of the East,

    and I went west away from him; the stranger is burdened.

  35. رعى اللَه أياماً تقضّت وبيننا

    حديثٌ من الصهباء أحلى وألطف

    May God preserve days that passed, when between us

    was conversation sweeter and more delicate than tawny wine.

  36. فتىً كنت أدري منه فضلاً مؤيداً

    فقد زاد عما كنت من ذاك أعرف

    A young man in whom I knew firmly established excellence,

    which has surpassed what I knew of it.

  37. له السبق في فصل الخطاب سجيةً

    فعاد وذاك الفصل فصلٌ مُصَحَّف

    He naturally excels in decisive speech,

    and that 'faṣl,' decisiveness, became 'faḍl,' virtue, by a changed dot.

  38. يغار كميخائيل فهو سيمه

    على حفظ ما للَه واللَهُ أشرف

    He is zealous like Michael, his namesake,

    for guarding what belongs to God—and God is most exalted.

  39. يجرد من إحسانه سيفَ رحمةٍ

    على البائس المسكين والسيف مرهَف

    From his goodness he unsheathes a sword of mercy

    over the wretched poor, and the sword is keen.

  40. يود بأن يمشي على الراس طائعاً

    إلى البرِّ والتقوى ولا يستنكف

    He longs to walk willingly upon his head

    toward righteousness and piety, without disdain.

  41. ذا انصرفت نحو المعالي فعالُه

    يؤخِّرها خِزياً وهيْ تتصرف

    When his deeds turn toward high honors,

    he holds them back in shame, even as they take their course.

  42. فلا تنكروا إسرافه في عطائه

    ففي اللَه ذاك البذلُ والخير يُصرَف

    Do not then condemn his lavish giving,

    for that generosity is for God, and goodness is expended.

  43. فنفس الفتى إن داومت برَّ ربِّها

    تموت وتحيا وهي بالبر تكلف

    For a young man's soul, if constant in goodness toward its Lord,

    dies and lives enamored of goodness.

  44. إذا فاتَه فضلٌ يُعنِّفُ سعيَه

    على فَوته فهو الفَضيل المعنَّف

    When some virtue eludes him, he reproaches his striving

    for missing it: he is the virtuous one, reproached.

  45. وما زال في اللَه العليْ متهجداً

    فيتلو كلام اللَه والدمعُ يَذرِف

    He has always kept vigil in devotion to God Most High,

    reciting God's word as tears flow.

  46. دموعُ خشوعٍ لا دموعُ خسارةٍ

    فأحسن بثَمْرٍ يانعٍ حين يُقطَف

    Tears of humility, not tears of loss;

    so how fine is ripe fruit when it is picked!

  47. مناقبُ شتى لو عددتَ صفاتها

    لفاتك أشيا لا تعدُّ وتوصف

    So many virtues: if you counted their qualities,

    things beyond counting and description would escape you.

  48. يكلفني ألا أفوه ببرِّه

    وناهيك عن معنىً أتاه المكلّف

    He charges me not to speak of his goodness;

    and what a purpose the giver of that charge has fulfilled!

  49. بكل عزيزٍ جاد في سُبْل ربه

    سوى العرض والجوّاد لا يتأسف

    He gave every precious thing in the paths of his Lord,

    except his honor; the generous man feels no regret.

  50. وسوف يرى من ربه يوم عَرضه

    ثواباً وفيّاً والوفاءُ مُفوَّف

    And from his Lord, on the day he is presented before Him, he shall see

    a full reward, with fulfillment richly patterned.

  51. لذلك أخلى ربعه من سلالَةٍ

    ليوجدَ ثمَّ وهو بالأجرِ أشرف

    For that he left his home without offspring,

    so that he might be found there more honored by his reward.

  52. فلا فضل في ابنٍ جاء للَه طائعاً

    لك الخير إن الفضل في النفس يُعرَف

    There is no merit in a son who comes obedient to God;

    blessings on you: merit is known within the soul itself.

  53. فكم ولدٍ وافى عدوّاً لوالدٍ

    صلاه جحيماً نارُها تتلهَّف

    How many a child has come as an enemy to his father,

    roasting him in a hell whose fire hungers!

  54. وكم ثمْرةٍ من أجلِها بات غصنُها

    هشيماً ولولاها لما كان يُقصَف

    And how many a fruit has caused its branch to become

    dry debris; but for it, the branch would not be broken.

  55. وكم خمرةٍ ساءت بعقل نديمها

    فكانت سواءً وهي صهباء قَرقَف

    And how many a wine has harmed its drinker's mind,

    and proved no different, though it was tawny wine.

  56. فكن حذراً من كيد شر ابن آدمٍ

    فأعدى عدوّكَ ابنُك المختلِّف

    So beware the guile of the worst son of Adam,

    for your fiercest enemy is your wayward son.

  57. أرى المرء يعلو ذكره ثم أجرُه

    صلاحٌ وفضلٌ والتقى والتقشف

    I see a man's renown rise, and then his reward,

    through righteousness and virtue, piety and austerity.

  58. جزاك أخي مولاك خيرَ جزائه

    ولا زال دوماً في مساعيك يُسعِف

    May your Lord, my brother, reward you with His best reward,

    and always grant you help in your endeavors.

  59. وأسكنك العلياء إرثاً مؤلَّفاً

    وناهيك من إرثٍ لكم يتألَّف

    And may He house you in the heights, an inheritance made ready,

    and what an inheritance is gathered for you!

  60. وحزت شفاعات البتول فمثلها

    شفيعٌ وأنت بالشفاعة تُسعَف

    And may you gain the Virgin's intercessions; one like her

    is an intercessor, and by intercession you are helped.

  61. فلا شرفٌ إلّا وفيها مكمَّلٌ

    ولا كاملٌ إلّا وفيها مشرَّف

    No honor exists but is perfected in her,

    nor anyone perfect but is ennobled in her.

  62. ولا دنسٌ إلّا وفيها مطهَّرٌ

    ولا طاهرٌ إلّا وفيها معفَّف

    Nor anyone defiled but is purified in her,

    nor anyone pure but is made chaste in her.

  63. ولا جاهلٌ إلّا وفيها محكَّمٌ

    ولا عاقلٌ إلّا وفيها ملطَّف

    Nor anyone ignorant but is made wise in her,

    nor anyone wise but is made gentle in her.

  64. تملَّكها القلبُ النقيُّ وإنما

    يشوقك قلبٌ من تقاها مُزخرَف

    The pure heart possesses her; and only

    a heart adorned with her piety enchants you.

  65. وتأنفُ قلباً إن رأت فيه غيرَها

    فحقٌّ لقلبٍ من سواها لَيَأْنَف

    She disdains a heart if she sees another within it,

    so a heart rightly disdains all but her.

  66. رأى اللَه حسناً ما براه مشرَّفاً

    ولكن مريم منه أحسنُ أشرَف

    God saw beauty in His honored creation,

    but Mary is more beautiful and more exalted than it.

  67. لذاك أتى منها جنيناً كمثلها

    ولا غرو أنَّ المثلَ للمثل يألَف

    Thus He came from her as a child in the womb, like her,

    and no wonder: like is drawn to like.

  68. قفوا زوّدوها ألفَ ألف تحيةٍ

    ولا تنكروا إحسانها فهي تُنصِف

    Stand, and offer her a thousand thousand greetings,

    and do not deny her kindness, for she deals justly.