أتعرف أطلالاَ ونؤيا مهدم — Hatim Al Tai

أَتَعرِفُ أَطلالاً وَنُؤياً مُهَدَّما

كَخَطِّكَ في رَقٍّ كِتاباً مُنَمنَما

Do you recognize ruins and a broken encircling ditch,

like your writing on parchment, an ornate inscription?

أَذاعَت بِهِ الأَرواحُ بَعدَ أَنيسِها

شُهوراً وَأَيّاماً وَحَولاً مُجَرَّما

The winds ravaged it after its familiar dwellers had gone,

for months and days and a year run its course—

دَوارِجَ قَد غَيَّرنَ ظاهِرَ تُربِهِ

وَغَيَّرَتِ الأَيّامُ ما كانَ مُعلَما

sweeping winds that have changed the surface of its soil;

and the days have changed what once was clearly marked.

وَغَيَّرَها طولُ التَقادُمِ وَالبِلى

فَما أَعرِفُ الأَطلالَ إِلّا تَوَهُّما

Long passage of time and decay have changed them,

so I recognize the ruins only by conjecture.

تَهادى عَلَيها حَليُها ذاتَ بَهجَةٍ

وَكَشحاً كَطَيِّ السابِرِيَّةِ أَهضَما

Her ornaments swayed upon her, a radiant beauty,

with a slender waist like a fold of Sabiriyya cloth,

وَنَحراً كَفى نورَ الجَبينِ يَزينُهُ

تَوَقُّدُ ياقوتٍ وَشَذرٌ مُنَظَّما

and a bosom bright enough to match her brow, adorned

by the glow of rubies and gold beads neatly strung,

كَجَمرِ الغَضا هَبَّت بِهِ بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

مِنَ اللَيلِ أَرواحُ الصِبا فَتَنَسَّما

like ghada embers fanned after a spell of sleep,

at night by east-wind breezes, then stirred to life.

يُضيءُ لَنا البَيتُ الظَليلُ خَصاصَةً

إِذا هِيَ لَيلاً حاوَلَت أَن تَبَسَّما

The shaded tent lights up for us through a chink,

whenever she tries at night to smile.

إِذا اِنقَلَبَت فَوقَ الحَشِيَّةِ مَرَّةً

تَرَنَّمَ وَسواسُ الحُلِيُّ تَرَنُّما

Whenever she turns upon her mattress once,

the soft jingle of her ornaments rings out in song.

وَعاذِلَتَينِ هَبَّتا بَعدَ هَجعَةٍ

تَلومانِ مِتلافاً مُفيداً مُلَوَّما

And two reproaching women rose after a slumber,

blaming a lavish spender and earner of wealth, much blamed.

تَلومانِ لَمّا غَوَّرَ النَجمُ ضِلَّةً

فَتىً لا يَرى الإِتلافَ في الحَمدِ مَغرَما

As the star sank, they mistakenly blamed

a young man who counts no spending for praise a loss.

فَقُلتُ وَقَد طالَ العِتابُ عَلَيهِما

وَلَو عَذَراني أَن تَبينا وَتُصرَما

So I said, when the reproach had dragged on for them both,

even if they excused me: you two should leave and be cut off.

أَلا لا تَلوماني عَلى ما تَقَدَّما

كَفى بِصُروفِ الدَهرِ لِلمَرءِ مُحكِما

Listen, do not blame me for what has gone before;

time's vicissitudes suffice to make a man wise.

فَإِنَّكُما لا ما مَضى تُدرِكانِهِ

وَلَستُ عَلى ما فاتَني مُتَنَدِّما

For neither of you can recover what has passed,

and I do not regret what has escaped me.

فَنَفسَكَ أَكرِمها فَإِنَّكَ إِن تَهُن

عَلَيكَ فَلَن تُلفي لَكَ الدَهرَ مُكرِما

So honor your own self; for if it is held cheap

in your eyes, you will never find time honoring you.

أَهِن لِلَّذي تَهوى التِلادَ فَإِنَّهُ

إِذا مُتَّ كانَ المالُ نَهباً مُقَسَّما

Spend your inherited wealth on what you love, for

when you die, wealth becomes plunder, divided up.

وَلا تَشقَيَن فيهِ فَيَسعَدَ وارِثٌ

بِهِ حينَ تَخشى أَغبَرَ اللَونِ مُظلِما

Do not toil miserably for it, so that an heir prospers

through it, while you dread a dust-gray, dark grave.

يُقَسِّمُهُ غُنماً وَيَشري كَرامَةً

وَقَد صِرتَ في خَطٍّ مِنَ الأَرضِ أَعظُما

He divides it as booty and buys honor,

while you have become bones in a strip of earth.

قَليلٌ بِهِ ما يَحمَدَنَّكَ وارِثٌ

إِذا ساقَ مِمّا كُنتَ تَجمَعُ مَغنَما

Little will an heir praise you for it,

when he carries off spoils from what you used to gather.

تَحَمَّل عَنِ الأَدنَينَ وَاِستَبقِ وُدَّهُم

وَلَن تَستَطيعَ الحِلمَ حَتّى تَحَلَّما

Bear burdens for your nearest kin, and preserve their affection;

you will not master forbearance until you practice it.

مَتى تَرقِ أَضغانَ العَشيرَةِ بِالأَنا

وَكَفَّ الأَذى يُحسَم لَكَ الداءُ مَحسَما

Whenever you charm away your clan's grudges with patience

and withhold harm, the sickness is cured for you completely.

وَما اِبتَعَثَتني في هَوايَ لُجاجَةٌ

إِذا لَم أَجِد فيها إِمامي مُقَدَّما

No obstinacy has driven me in following my desires

when I did not find my guide there already leading the way.

إِذا شِئتَ ناوَيتَ اِمرَأَ السوءِ ما نَزا

إِلَيكَ وَلاطَمتَ اللَئيمَ المُلَطَّما

If you wish, you can oppose the evil man whenever he leaps

at you, and trade slaps with the much-slapped knave.

وَذو اللُبِّ وَالتَقوى حَقيقٌ إِذا رَأى

ذَوي طَبَعِ الأَخلاقِ أَن يَتَكَرَّما

And a man of sense and piety is bound, when he sees

those of tarnished character, to behave nobly.

فَجاوِر كَريماً وَاِقتَدِح مِن زِنادِهِ

وَأَسنِد إِلَيهِ إِن تَطاوَلَ سُلَّما

So be neighbor to a noble man, and strike sparks from his firesticks;

and set a ladder against him if he towers high.

وَعَوراءَ قَد أَعرَضتُ عَنها فَلَم يَضِر

وَذي أَوَدٍ قَوَّمتُهُ فَتَقَوَّما

Many a foul remark I have ignored, and it did no harm;

and many a crooked man I straightened, and he became straight.

وَأَغفِرُ عَوراءَ الكَريمِ اِدِّخارَهُ

وَأَصفَحُ مِن شَتمِ اللَئيمِ تَكَرُّما

I forgive the noble man's foul remark, to retain him,

and refrain from insulting the base man, out of nobility.

وَلا أَخذِلُ المَولى وَإِن كانَ خاذِلاً

وَلا أَشتُمُ اِبنَ العَمِّ إِن كانَ مُفحَما

I do not abandon my ally, even if he abandons me,

nor insult my cousin, even if he cannot answer back.

وَلا زادَني عَنهُ غِنائي تَباعُداً

وَإِن كانَ ذا نَقصٍ مِنَ المالِ مُصرِما

My wealth has not made me more distant from him,

even if he is short of money, destitute.

وَلَيلٍ بَهيمٍ قَد تَسَربَلتُ هَولَهُ

إِذا اللَيلُ بِالنَكسِ الضَعيفِ تَجَهَّما

And many a pitch-dark night I have clothed myself in its terror,

when night scowled on the weak coward.

وَلَن يَكسِبَ الصُعلوكُ حَمداً وَلا غِنىً

إِذا هُوَ لَم يَركَب مِنَ الأَمرِ مُعظَما

And a pauper will never gain praise or wealth

if he does not undertake something momentous.

يَرى الخَمصَ تَعذيباً وَإِن يَلقَ شَبعَةً

يَبِت قَلبُهُ مِن قِلَّةِ الهَمِّ مُبهَما

He sees hunger as torment; and if he finds a full meal,

his heart lies dull all night, from lack of concern.

لَحى اللَهُ صُعلوكاً مُناهُ وَهَمُّهُ

مِنَ العَيشِ أَن يَلقى لَبوساً وَمَطعَما

May God curse a pauper whose wishes and concern

in life are to find clothing and food.

يَنامُ الضُحى حَتّى إِذا لَيلُهُ اِستَوى

تَنَبَّهَ مَثلوجَ الفُؤادِ مُوَرَّما

He sleeps in the forenoon until his night grows deep,

then wakes with heart at ease, his body bloated,

مُقيماً مَعَ المُثرينَ لَيسَ بِبارِحٍ

إِذا كانَ جَدوى مِن طَعامٍ وَمَجثِما

staying among the wealthy, never departing,

as long as there is a handout of food and a place to roost.

وَلِلَّهِ صُعلوكٌ يُساوِرُ هَمَّهُ

وَيَمضي عَلى الأَحداثِ وَالدَهرِ مُقدِما

And praise be to God for a pauper who wrestles with his cares,

and presses boldly on through calamities and time:

فَتى طَلِباتٍ لا يَرى الخَمصَ تَرحَةً

وَلا شَبعَةً إِن نالَها عَدَّ مَغنَما

a young man of many aims who sees no sorrow in hunger,

nor counts a full meal as a prize, should he obtain it.

إِذا ما رَأى يَوماً مَكارِمَ أَعرَضَت

تَيَمَّمَ كُبراهُنَّ ثُمَّتَ صَمَّما

When, on any day, he sees noble deeds come into view,

he aims for the greatest of them, then presses on resolutely.

تَرى رُمحَهُ وَنَبلَهُ وَمِجَنَّهُ

وَذا شُطَبٍ عَضبَ الضَريبَةِ مِخذَما

You see his spear, his arrows, and his shield,

and a grooved sword, keen of stroke and cleaving,

وَأَحناءَ سَرجٍ فاتِرٍ وَلِجامَهُ

عَتادَ فَتىً هَيجاً وَطِرفاً مُسَوَّما

and the curved bows of a slack saddle, and his bridle:

the gear of a man of war, and a marked noble steed.