هل بعد شيبك من عذر لمعتذر — Ibn Abi Hussaynah

هَل بَعدَ شَيبكَ مِن عُذرٍ لِمُعتَذِرِ

فَازجُر عَنِ الغَيِّ قَلباً غَيرَ مُنزَجِرِ

After your hair has grayed, is there any excuse for one who makes excuses?

So curb a heart that will not be curbed, turning it away from error.

ما أَنتَ وَالبِيضُ في شِعرٍ تَفُوهُ بِهِ

بَعدَ البَياضِ الَّذي قَد لاحَ في الشَعَرِ

What have you to do with fair women in the verse you utter,

after the whiteness that has appeared in your hair?

فَلا تَكُن مِن ظَعينِ الجِزعِ ذا جَزَعٍ

وَلا بِمَن حَلَّ وَادي السِدرِ ذا سَدَرِ

So do not be distressed over the departing women of the valley bend,

nor bewildered over those who settled in the valley of lote-trees.

وَاَردع فُؤادكَ عَن وَجدٍ يُخامِرُهُ

إِذا نَزَلنَ ذَواتُ الخُمرِ بِالخَمَر

And restrain your heart from the longing that pervades it

when women wearing veils alight amid the thickets.

فَالراجِحُ اللُبِّ يَأبى أَن يُحَمِّلَهُ

وِزراً هَوى الرُجَّحِ الأَكفالِ وَالأُزُرِ

For the man of weighty intellect refuses to be burdened

with sin by love of women heavy of haunch and girdle,

أَو يَطَّبِيهِ وَشملُ الحَيِّ مُنشَعِبٌ

رَبعٌ بِشِعبِ يَعارٍ دارِسُ الأُثَرِ

or to be lured, while the tribe's gathering is scattered,

by a dwelling in the ravine of Ya'ar, its traces worn away.

قَد كانَ مَأوى ظِباءِ الأُنسِ فَاتَّخَذَت

عُفرُ الظِباءِ بِهِ مَأوى مِنَ العَفَرِ

It once sheltered the gazelles of companionship; then

dun gazelles made themselves a refuge there in the dust.

فَلَيسَ يَبرَحُ مُحتَلاً بِدِمنتِهِ

سِربٌ مِن الغِيدِ أَو سِربٌ مِنَ البَقَرِ

So its ruined campsite is never without occupants:

a company of graceful women or a herd of wild cattle.

فَكُلُّ جازِئَةٍ مِنهُنَّ جاثِمَةٌ

بِحَيثُ كانَ ذَواتُ الدَلِّ وَالخَفَرِ

So each of them, content with herbage alone, lies crouched

where women of coy charm and modesty once dwelt.

جِنسانِ ما أَشتَبها إِلّا لِأَنَّهُما

نَوافِرٌ قَلَّما يَألفَن بِالنَفَرِ

Two kinds, alike only because both

are skittish, seldom growing familiar with people.

يا ظَبيَةً لا تَبيتُ اللَيلَ ساهِرَةً

هَلا رَثَيتِ لِمَوقُوفٍ عَلى السَهَرِ

O gazelle, who does not spend the night awake,

why did you not pity one condemned to sleeplessness?

أَورَدتِهِ بِالمُنى وِرداً عَلى ظَمَإٍ

وَما شَفَيتِ غَليلَ الصَدرِ في الصَدَرِ

With hopes you led him thirsty to the watering place,

but at departure did not quench the burning thirst in his breast.

لَقَد بَخِلتِ وَفَضلُ البُخلِ مَكرُمَةٌ

مِنَ الأُناثِ كَفَضلِ الجُودِ في الذَكَرِ

You have indeed been stingy; exceptional stinginess is a virtue

in women, like exceptional generosity in a man.

لا حَبَّذا صَفَرٌ شَهراً فَقَد صَفِرَت

يَدايَ مِن زَورَةِ الأَحبابِ في صَفَرِ

Unwelcome is Safar as a month, for empty have become

my hands of visits from loved ones in Safar.

كَأَنَّ أَعشارَ قَلبي يَومَ بَينِهِمِ

تُذكى بِزِندَين مِن مَرخٍ وَمِن عُشَر

As though the fragments of my heart, on the day they parted,

were kindled by two firesticks, of markh and 'ushar.

يا سَاكِنينَ بِحَيثُ الخَبتُ مِن هَجَرٍ

أَطَلتُمُ الهَجرَ مُذ صِرتُم إِلى هَجَرِ

O dwellers where the low plain lies in Hajar,

you have prolonged estrangement since you went to Hajar.

عُودوا غِضاباً وَلا تَنأى دِيارُكُم

فَقِلَّةُ الماءِ تُرضي الكُدرَ بِالكَدِرِ

Return, though angry, and let your homes not be far away;

for scarcity of water makes sandgrouse content with muddy water.

يا دَهرُ لا تَستَقِل جُرماً بِنَأيِهِمِ

فَإِنَّ جُرمَكَ جُرمٌ غَيرُ مُغتَفَرِ

O Time, do not deem the crime of their separation slight;

for your crime is a crime that cannot be forgiven.

ما لُمتُ غَيرَكَ في تَغييرِ وُدِّهِمِ

لِأَنَّ صَرفَكَ مَجبُولٌ عَلى الغِيَرِ

I blamed no one but you for changing their affection,

for your vicissitudes are by nature given to reversals.

سَحَبتُ بُردَيكَ في غَيٍّ وَفي رَشَدٍ

وَذُقتُ طَعمَيكَ مِن حُلوٍ وَمِن صَبِرِ

I have trailed your two cloaks in error and in right guidance,

and tasted both your flavors, sweetness and bitter aloes.

فَما حَمَدتُكَ في بُؤسي وَلا رَغَدي

وَلا شَكَرتُكَ في نَفعي وَلا ضَرَري

So I did not praise you in my misery or my ease,

nor thank you for my gain or my harm.

لَكِنَّ شُكري لِمَن لَو لا مَكارِمُهُ

لَكُنتَ فَلَّلت مِن نابي وَمن ظُفُري

But my thanks are for him without whose noble deeds

you would surely have blunted my fang and claw:

فَتّىً يَعَمُّ جَميعَ الخَلقِ نائِلُهُ

كَما تَعُمُّ السَماءُ الأَرضَ بِالمَطَرِ

a young man whose bounty embraces all creation,

as the sky covers the earth with rain.

يُنبيكَ بِالبِشرِ عَن بُشرى مُؤَمَّلَةٍ

فَالبِشرُ أَحسَنُ ما في أَوجُهِ البَشَرِ

With cheerfulness he tells you of hoped-for good news;

for cheerfulness is the finest thing in human faces.

يَعلَو الأَسِرَّةَ مِنهُ بَدرُ مَملَكَةٍ

أَبهى مِنَ البَدرِ لا يُعطي سِوى البِدَرِ

In him, a kingdom's full moon rises above the thrones,

more splendid than the moon, giving nothing but purses of coin.

حَجِّي إِلَيهِ وَتَطوافي بِحَضرَتَهِ

نَظيرُ حَجِّي وَتَطوافي وَمُعتَمَرِي

My pilgrimage to him and my circling in his presence

match my Hajj, my circling, and my lesser pilgrimage.

حَتّى إِذا ما اِستَلَمنا ظَهرَ رَاحَتِهِ

قامَت مَقامَ اِستِلامِ الرُكنِ وَالحَجَرِ

Until, when we reverently touched the back of his hand,

it took the place of touching the Corner and the Stone.

زُرهُ نَزُر مِن أَبي العُلوانِ خَيرَ فَتىً

يُزارُ مِن وُلْدِ قَحطانٍ وَمِن مُضَرِ

Visit him; in Abu al-'Ulwan we shall visit the finest young man

to be visited among the descendants of Qahtan and Mudar.

وَالقَ المُعِزَّ بنَ فَخرِ المُلكِ تَلقَ فَتىً

يُحَقِّقُ الخُبرُ عَنهُ صِحَّةَ الخَبَرِ

And meet al-Mu'izz ibn Fakhr al-Mulk: you will meet a young man

experience of whom confirms the truth of what is reported.

حَكى أَباهُ فَقالَ الناسُ كُلُّهُمُ

مِن أَطيَب العُودِ يُجنى أَطيَبُ الثَمَرِ

He resembled his father, and everyone said:

From the finest tree the finest fruit is harvested.

بَنى مِنَ الفَخرِ ما لَم يَبنِهِ أَحَدٌ

إِلّا الطَراخينُ مِن أَجدادِهِ الغُرَرِ

He built such glory as no one had built

except the Tarkhans among his illustrious forebears.

ماتُوا وَعاشُوا بِحُسنِ الذِكرِ بَعدَهُمُ

وَالذكرُ يَحيى بِهِ الأَمواتُ في الحُفَرِ

They died, yet lived on through fair remembrance after their passing;

through remembrance the dead live in their graves.

لا يُصبِحُونَ حَليبَ الدَرِّ ضَيفَهُمُ

أَو يُمزَجَ الدَرُّ لِلضِيفانِ بِالدُرَرِ

They give their guest no freshly drawn milk at dawn

unless the milk is mixed with pearls for their guests.

سُودُ المَرائِرِ لا يُفشَونَ يَومَ وَغىً

إِلّا عَلى لَحِقِ الآطالِ كَالمِرَرِ

Black of bile, they are never seen on a day of battle

except on tucked-flanked steeds, like twisted ropes.

هُمُ اللُيوثُ وَلَكن لا تَرى لَهُمُ

مِثلَ الليوثِ أَظافيراً سِوى الظَفَرِ

They are lions, yet you do not see them possessing

claws like those of lions, except victory—

أَو مُرهَفاتٌ إِذا هَزوا مَضارِبَها

هَزُوا بِهِنَّ قُلُوبَ البَدوِ وَالحَضَرِ

or keen-edged swords: when they brandish their striking edges,

they shake with them the hearts of nomads and townsfolk.

وَذُبَّلٌ مِن رِماحِ الخَطِّ حامِلَة

مِنَ الأَسِنَّةِ نيراناً بِلا شَرَرِ

And slender spears of al-Khatt, bearing

fires of spearheads without sparks.

إِذا هَوَوا في مُتونِ الدارِعينَ بِها

حَسِبتَهُم غَمَسوا الأَشطانَ في الغُدُرِ

When they drive them into the backs of armored men,

you would think they had dipped well-ropes into pools.

مِن كُلِّ مَن تُرِك الذِكرُ الجَميلُ لَهُ

مُخَلَّداً في غِرارِ الصارِمِ الذَكَرِ

Of every man for whom fair remembrance was left,

immortalized on the edge of the keen, hard-tempered sword.

رُوحي الفِداءُ لَهُم قَوماً تُرابُهُمُ

عَلَيَّ أَكرَمُ مِن سَمعِي وَمِن بَصَرِي

My soul be their ransom—a people whose very dust

is dearer to me than my hearing and my sight.

ذَمَمتُ شَرخَ شَبابي عِندَ غَيرِهِمِ

وَعُدتُ أَحمَدُ طِيبَ العَيشِ في الكِبَرِ

I deplored the prime of my youth in others' company;

now I have come to praise the sweetness of life in old age.

يا ابنَ السَمادِعَةِ الشُمسِ الَّذينَ هُم

في كُلِّ وِزرٍ لَنا أَحمى مِنَ الوَزَرِ

O son of the proud, noble lords, who are

in every affliction more protective of us than any refuge,

غالَيتُ في الحَمدِ حَتّى صِرتَ مُشتَرِياً

مِنَ القَريضِ سُطُورَ الحِبرِ بِالحَبَرِ

I carried praise to excess, until you became a buyer

of poetry's inked lines in exchange for fine cloth.

لا خَلقَ أَكرَمُ عَفواً مِنكَ عَن زَلَلٍ

وَلا أَعَفُّ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ وَالنُكُرِ

No person is more generous than you in pardoning a lapse,

nor more chaste in shunning indecency and wrongdoing.

تَبيعُ نَفسَكَ في كَسبِ النَفيسِ بِها

إِنَّ الخَطيرَ لَمِقدامٌ عَلى الخَطَرِ

You sell your very self to gain what is precious through it;

the man of great worth is indeed bold in confronting danger.

لَو كُنتَ في الزَمَنِ الماضي لَما تَرَكُوا

ذِكراً يُسَيَّرُ إِلّا عَنكَ في السِيَرِ

Had you lived in bygone times, they would not have left

any account circulating in the chronicles except of you.

يا مَن تَأَلَّمَ قَلبي مِن تَأَلُّمِهِ

فَباتَ في غَمَراتِ الهَمِّ وَالفِكَرِ

O you whose suffering has caused my heart to ache,

so that it spent the night submerged in grief and thought,

شَكَوتَ فَاِشتَكَتِ الدُنيا وَلا عَجَباً

إِنَّ الكُسُوفَ لَمَحتُومٌ عَلى القَمَرِ

you complained, and the world complained—no wonder:

an eclipse is surely fated for the moon.

فَاِسلَم رَفيعَ بِناءٍ المَجدِ شاهِقَهُ

وَعِش طَويلَ رِداءِ العِزِّ وَالعُمُرِ

So remain safe, lofty and towering in the edifice of glory,

and live with a long mantle of honor and a long life.

وَلا سَلَكت طَريقاً غَيرَ مُتَّسِعٍ

وَلا هَمَمتَ بِأَمرٍ غَيرَ مُتَدِرِ

May you never tread a path that is not wide,

nor intend an undertaking that does not yield abundance.