Sol 6.1

  1. ساروا وَمِسكُ الدياجي غَيرُ مَنهوبِ

    وَطُرَّةُ الشَرقِ غُفلٌ دونَ تَذهيبُ

    They departed while the musk of the dark nights was still unplundered,

    and the fringe of the east lay unadorned, without gilding.

  2. عَلى رُبىً لَم يَزَل شادي الذُبابِ بِها

    يُلهي بِآنَقِ مَلفوظٍ وَمَضروبِ

    On hills where the singing fly never ceased

    to delight with the loveliest sung notes and struck rhythms.

  3. كَالغيدِ في قُبَبِ الأَزهارِ أَذرُعُهُ

    قامَت لَهُ بِالمَثاني وَالمَضاريبِ

    Like graceful maidens in flower-domes, its arms

    rose to play for it on lute strings and with plectrums.

  4. وَالغَيمُ تَنثُرُ مِنهُ راحَةً خُضِبَت

    بِالبَرقِ فَوقِيَ درّاً غَيرَ مَثقوبِ

    And from the cloud a palm scatters, dyed

    with lightning, unpierced pearls above me.

  5. فَرُحتُ أَستَخبِرُ الأَنفاسَ لا الطُسُمَ ال

    أَدراسَ عَن مَوعِدٍ في الحَيِّ مَكذوبِ

    So I went asking the breaths, not the effaced traces,

    long faded, about a broken promise in the encampment.

  6. وَأَشتَفي بِسُؤالِ الريحِ مُخبِرَة

    عَنهُم وَلَو أَنَّها تَهفو بِتَأنيبي

    And I seek solace by questioning the wind, bringing news

    of them, even if it blows with reproaches for me.

  7. هَيهاتَ لا أَبتَغي مِنكُم هَوىً بِهَوى

    حَسبي أَكونُ مُحِبّاً غَيرَ مَحبوبِ

    Far from it! I seek no love from you in exchange for love;

    it is enough for me to love without being loved.

  8. فَما أراح لِذكرى غَيرِ عالِيَةٍ

    وَلا أَلَذَّ بِحُبٍّ دونَ تَعذيبِ

    For I find no comfort in remembering anyone but Aliyah,

    nor pleasure in love without torment.

  9. وَلا أُصالِحُ أَيّامي عَلى دَخَنٍ

    لَيسَ النِفاقُ إِلى خُلقي بِمَنسوبِ

    Nor do I make peace with my days while rancor remains;

    hypocrisy is no part of my nature.

  10. يا دَهرُ إِن توسِع الأَحرارَ مَظلَمَةً

    فَاِستَثنني إِن غيلي غَيرُ مَقروبِ

    O Time, if you lavish injustice upon free men,

    then spare me: my thicket remains unapproached.

  11. مَهلاً فَدرعُ حُوَيلي غَيرُ مُحتَنَةٍ

    عَجَباً وَسَيفُ عَزيمي غَيرُ مَقروبِ

    Hold back! The mail of my modest strength is not shortened;

    a marvel! And the sword of my resolve is not sheathed.

  12. وَلا تَخَل أَنَّني أَلقاكَ مُنفَرِداً

    إِنَّ القَناعَةَ جَيشٌ غَيرُ مَغلوبُ

    And do not think I meet you alone:

    contentment is an army never defeated.

  13. ما كُلُّ من سيمَ خَسفاً عافَ مَورِدَهُ

    إِنَّ الإِباءَ لَظَهرٌ غَيرُ مَركوبِ

    Not everyone subjected to humiliation shuns his watering place;

    proud refusal is a back that no one rides.

  14. وَكَم تَأَزَّرَتِ الغيطانُ لي كَرَماً

    وَاِستَنشَقَتنِيَ أَنفاسُ الشَناخيبِ

    How often the lowlands have girded themselves for me in generosity,

    and the breaths of lofty crags have breathed me in.

  15. أَمشي البرازَ وَلا أَعفي بِهِ أَثري

    حَسبُ المُريبِ رُكوبُ القاعِ ذي اللّوبِ

    I walk the open ground and do not efface my tracks there;

    for the suspect, crossing the black-rocked plain suffices.

  16. وَرُبَّ عاوٍ عَلى إِثري بُليتُ بِهِ

    بَلاءَ لَيثِ الشَرى في اللَيلِ بِالذيبِ

    Many a howler on my trail has plagued me,

    as a lion of al-Shara is plagued by a wolf at night.

  17. أسكنتُ عَنهُ وَلو لَم يَزدَجِر غَضَبي

    وَشِمتُ صارِمَ تَأنيبي وَتَثريبي

    I stilled my anger toward him, even though he would not desist,

    and sheathed the keen blade of my rebuke and reproach.

  18. سَوَّيتُ أَشباحَ أَلفاظي وَقَدَّسَ أَر

    واحَ المَعاني لَها نَقدي وَتَهذيبي

    I shaped the bodies of my words, and sanctified

    their meanings' spirits through my scrutiny and refinement:

  19. أوانِس أَذِنَت لي وَالنَوى قَذَفٌ

    عَلى عُلا كُلِّ صَعبِ الإِذنِ مَحجوبُ

    gracious maidens that granted me access, though separation was vast,

    to the heights of every secluded man, difficult to gain access to.

  20. سَما بِذِكري إِلى أَسماعِهِم أَدَبي

    مَسرى النَسيمِ إِلى الآنافِ بِالطيبِ

    My verse bore my name aloft to their ears,

    as the breeze bears perfume to the nostrils.

  21. وَطارِبي أُذنه في أَفُقِ حِرصِهمُ

    عَلى قَوادِمِ تَأهيلي وَتَرحيبي

    And his ear bore me aloft in the sky of their eagerness,

    on the flight-feathers of their welcome and greetings to me.

  22. لا يَنظُرونَ إِلى شَخصي كَما نَظَرَت

    بيضُ الخُدورِ إِلى القَترا مِنَ الشيبِ

    They do not regard my person as

    fair women behind curtains regarded the ash-gray of graying hair.

  23. مِن كُلِّ مُطلِقِ قَيدِ الحَربِ عَن لَجَبٍ

    قَيدِ الأسودِ عَلى طَيرِ السَراحيبِ

    Each of them unfastens war's fetters from a clamorous host,

    a fetter to lions upon bird-swift, long-limbed steeds.

  24. يَمُرُّ مَرَّ الغَمامِ الجونِ يتبعُ مِن

    لَخمٍ أَباريقَ تَرغيبٍ وَتَرهيبِ

    He passes as dark clouds pass, following

    Lakhm's gleaming swords of promise and threat.