طرقت بعد موهن أسماء — Ibn Abi Hussaynah

طَرَقَت بَعدَ مَوهنٍ أَسماءُ

حينَ أَرخَت سُدولَها الظلماءُ

Asmāʾ came visiting after the night had deepened,

when darkness had let down its curtains.

طَرَقَتنا وَاللَيلُ أَبهَمُ وَالبَي

داءُ مِن دونِ أَهلِها يَهماءُ

She visited us when the night was impenetrable, and the desert

between us and her people lay trackless.

كَيفَ جابَت مَخاوِفَ البيد أَم كَي

فَ اطمَأَنَّت في سَيرِها البَيداءُ

How did she cross the terrors of the wastes, or how

did the desert grow peaceful on her journey?

وَفَيافي النَبِيِّ مِن دونِها الغُب

رُ وَمَوماةُ أَرضِها التَيهاءُ

And al-Nabī's dust-gray wastes stood in her way,

and the trackless wilderness of her land;

وَجِبالُ السراةِ مِن دُونِ مَأتا

ها فَرَيّا فَرَدَّةٌ فالجِواءُ

and the mountains of al-Sarāt barred her approach,

then Rayyā, then Radda, then al-Jiwāʾ;

فَاللِوى فَالأَحِزة العُقدُ مِن خَب

تَي زَرُودٍ فَالصَمدُ فَالخَلصاءُ

then al-Liwā, then the hard-packed ridges of the two lowlands

of Zarūd, then al-Ṣamad, then al-Khalṣāʾ;

فَصُوى حَرَّةٍ وَأَرعَنُ في الجَوْ

و مُنيفٌ وَقُبَّةٌ عَنقاءُ

then a lava field's cairns, and a mountain spur in the sky,

towering, and a soaring dome.

كَيفَ كانَ الوَفاءُ وَهِيَ مَدى الأَي

يامِ لا يُرتَجى لَدَيها وَفاءُ

How came such fidelity, when throughout the days

no fidelity could be hoped for from her?

قَد غَشِينا دِيارَها بِلِوى النَب

ر عَلَيها بَعدَ العَفاءِ عَفاءُ

We had visited her dwellings at the sandy bend of al-Nabr,

where effacement followed effacement.

وَبَكَينا دِيارَها وَهِيَ أَطلا

لٌ بَوالٍ لَو كانَ يُغني البُكاءُ

And we wept over her dwellings, now ruins,

worn away—if only weeping could avail.

ثُمَّ مالَت بِنا المَطايا فَعاجَت

حينَ عاجَت بِرَكبِها الأَهواءُ

Then the mounts turned aside with us and swerved,

when passions swerved with their riders.

مُرزِماتٍ يَحنِنَّ وَالرَكبُ باكو

نَ فَهُم في الهَوى وَهُنَّ سَواءُ

Moaning, they yearned, while the riders wept;

so the men and the she-camels were alike in love.

زَعَمَ الخائِنُ المَوَدَّةِ أَنَّ ال

حُبَّ داءٌ لَهُ التَنائِي دَواءُ

The betrayer of affection claimed that

love is a sickness whose cure is separation,

وَهُوَ عارٌ عَلى الفَتى وَلَهُ عَن

ه إِذا أَزمَعَ الفِراقَ اِنتِهاءُ

and that it disgraces a young man, who may be rid of it

if he resolves upon parting.

إِنَّما العارُ أَن يُخلّى الهَوى

المَحضُ مُضاعاً وَأَن يُخانَ الإِخاءُ

The only shame is to leave love—

pure love—wasted, and to betray brotherhood.

وَلَقَد أشهَدُ الكَريهَةَ وَالجَو

وُ عَلَيهِ غَيابَةٌ طَخياءُ

Indeed, I face battle, while the sky

is covered by a pitch-dark veil.

لا غَذِيٌّ بِها وَلَكن جيادُ الخَي

ل تُهوى كما تُؤاخَى الظِباءُ

I am no nursling of it; yet the finest horses

are loved as gazelles are befriended.

في مَكَرٍّ تَلقى بِهِ الشِبَعَ البِي

ض فَتُروى فيهِ الرِماحُ الظِماءُ

In a charge where the white blades find their fill,

and the thirsty lances are slaked.

فَتكُهُم في العِدى وَرُبَّةَ يَومٍ

أَشرَفَت قَومَنا بِهِ النَعماءُ

Their deadly onslaught is against the foe; and on many a day

good fortune exalted our people.

ثُمَّ قُمنا إِلى اللّذاذَةِ وَالصَي

دِ وَما لِلنَهارِ بَعدُ اِعتِلاءُ

Then we rose to pleasure and the hunt,

before the day had yet climbed high.

حَشوُ سَرجي إِذا تَبارَت بِنا ال

خَيلُ كُمَيتٌ رِفَلَّةٌ شَوهاءُ

Filling my saddle, when the horses race with us,

is a bay mare, long-tailed and broad-mouthed.

ذاتُ لَونٍ حَيٍّ كَما اِمتَزجَ ال

صِرفُ بِهِ وَالمُدامَةَ الصَهباءُ

With a vivid color, as though red dye

and tawny wine had mingled in it.

جانِباً لِلقَنيصِ أَشدَقَ غِربي

بابِفيهِ مَناصِلٌ أَسواءُ

I lead beside me for the hunt a wide-jawed, raven-black hound,

with matching blades in its mouth.

قَصُرَ الظَهرُ مِنهُ فَانحَطَّ وَاِستَع

لى عَلَيهِ قُدّامُهُ وَالوَراءُ

Its back is short and slopes down, while rising

above it are its forequarters and hindquarters.

وَتَعالت بِهِ الشَوامِتُ لَولا

الساقُ فيها تَجَنُّبٌ وَاِنحِناءُ

Its legs would lift it high, were it not for

the shank's outward splay and bend.

طالَ هادِيهِ كَالقَناةِ وَمالَت

أُذُنٌ فَوقَ رَأسِهِ غَضفاءُ

Its neck is long as a spear, and there droops

above its head a floppy ear.

فاضِلُ الذَيلِ يَلحَقُ الأَرضَ لَولا

عُقَفٌ في كَحالِهِ وَالتِواءُ

Its ample tail would reach the ground, were it not for

a curl and twist at its tip.

وَيَميني تُقِلُّ أَشغى لَهُ صَد

رٌ رَحيبٌ وَمُقلَةٌ نَجلاءُ

My right hand bears a hooked-beaked bird with a breast

broad, and a large, wide-open eye.

يَنظُرُ الكامِنَ الخَفِيَّ وَما طا

رَ إِلى الجَوِّ فَاحتَساهُ الهَواءُ

It sees the hidden, lurking prey, and whatever flies

into the sky and is drunk up by the air.

ذُو جَناحَينِ طائِحَينِ مِنَ النِي

ق كَما طاحَ في القَليبِ الرِشاءُ

It has two wings dropping from the mountain peak,

as a rope drops into a well.

بَينَما نَحنُ بِالمِتانِ وَقَرنُ

الشَمسِ فيهِ عَنِ اليَمينِ إِياءُ

While we were on the hard uplands, and the sun's rim

shone there on our right,

عَنَّ سِربٌ لَنا يَفيضُ بِهِ الفج

ج وَيَرمي بِنا إِلَيهِ الفَضاءُ

a herd appeared, overflowing the mountain pass,

and the open country swept us toward it.

فَشَنَنّا المُضَرَّياتِ كَما شُن

نت عَلى الحَيِّ غارَةٌ شَعواءُ

We unleashed the trained hounds, as

a savage raid is launched upon a tribe.

فَاِنبَرَت تَكتُبُ الدِهاسَ بِأَيديها

كَما تَكتُبُ السِجِلَّ الإِباءُ

They sprang forth, writing on soft sand with their paws,

as reed pens write upon a scroll.

في قِتامٍ أَتُونَهُ يَحجُبُ السِر

ب كَما يَحجُبُ الفَتاةَ الخِباءُ

In dust whose furnace hid the herd,

as a tent conceals a maiden.

وَتَلاحَمنَ فَاعتَرَكنَ كَما تَف

عَلُ يَومَ الكَريهَةِ الأَعداءُ

They closed together and grappled, as

enemies do on the day of battle,

ساعَةً أَو جَعَلنَ رَضراضَةَ الحَز

ن عَقيقاً مِمّا عَلَتهُ الدِماءُ

for an hour, until they made the stones of the rugged ground

agate with the blood that covered them.

كُلُّ ضارٍ عَلى نَوازٍ مِنَ السِر

ب نَجَت لَو يَكونُ أَغنى النَجاءُ

Every hunting beast pursued leaping creatures from the herd

that had escaped—if escape could have availed.

وَإِذا الحَينُ حانَ لَم يَنفَعِ المُح

تالَ حَولٌ وَلا الجريَّ جِراءُ

When death's hour comes, the schemer cannot be saved

by his cunning, nor the swift by his speed.

وَفَلاةٍ كَأَنَّها لُجّةُ اليم

م عَلَيها مِنَ السَرابِ أَياءُ

And many a wilderness, like the depth of the sea,

with a sheen of mirage upon it,

تَغرقُ الشَمسُ في أَواذِيّها الغُر

ر وَتَرمي شَرارَها الرَمضاءُ

the sun drowns in its gleaming waves,

and the burning ground casts out its sparks.

ذاتُ جِنٍّ إِذا اِعتَكَرَ اللَي

لَ أَلِيلٌ مُرَجَّعٌ وَغِناءُ

A haunt of jinn: when the night grows murky,

there are echoing moans and song.

جُبتُها وَالظَلامُ قَد كَفَرَ الصُب

ح كَما يَكفُرُ الضَريبَ السِقاءُ

I crossed it while darkness had covered the dawn,

as a waterskin conceals mingled milk,

بِرِكابٍ عَلى رَكائِبِها رَك

ب خِفاقٌ كَأَنَّهُم أَفياءُ

with a camel train, whose mounts bore riders

light as though they were shadows.

قَد بَرَتهُم كَما بَرَتها الفَيافي

وَالسُرى وَالصَباحُ وَالإِمساءُ

The wastes had worn them down as they had worn the mounts,

and so had night travel, morning, and evening.

طَلَبوا الفَضلَ حَيثُ يُلتَمسُ الفَض

ل وَراموا السَخاءَ حَيثُ السَخاءُ

They sought bounty where bounty is to be sought,

and sought generosity where generosity dwells.

إِنَّما الجودُ وَالمُعِزُّ حَليفا

ن فَما فيهِما لِخَلقٍ مِراءُ

Generosity and al-Muʿizz are but two allies,

and no creature can dispute this.

مَلِكٌ كُلُّ مالِكٍ خَلَقَ الخَل

لاق أَرضٌ تُداسُ وَهوَ سَماءُ

A king: every sovereign the Creator has made

is earth to be trodden, while he is heaven.

مِن صَميمِ الفَخارِ وَالكَرَمِ المَح

ض الَّذي هُجِّنَت بِهِ الكُرَماءُ

From the very heart of glory and unalloyed nobility,

beside which the noble are made to seem base.

قَصَّرَ الآخِرونَ عَن بُعدِ مَسعا

هُ وَضَلّت عَن سُبلِهِ القُدَماءُ

Those who came later fell short of his far-reaching endeavor,

and the ancients strayed from his paths.

لا اليَمانيُّ تُبَّعٌ كانَ شَروا

هُ وَلا قَيصَرٌ وَلا السَبّاءُ

Neither the Yemenite Tubbaʿ was his equal,

nor Caesar, nor al-Sabbāʾ.

يُدلِجُ الرَكبُ في الظَلامِ فَيَهدي

هم سَناً مِن جَبينِهِ وَضِياءُ

The caravan travels through darkness by night, guided

by radiance and light from his brow.

طاهِرُ الذَيلِ وَالخَلائِقِ لا يُز

رى عَلَيهِ الخَنا وَلا الكِبرِياءُ

Pure of hem and character, he is not demeaned

by obscenity or arrogance.

مِثلُ صَفوِ الغَمامِ طَهَّرَهُ الل

ه فَلَم تَختَلِط بِهِ الأَقذاءُ

Like the clear water of clouds, God has purified him,

so no impurities have mingled with him.

رُتَبٌ تَزحَمُ الكَواكِبَ العَي

يوقُ لا نِدٌّ لَها وَلا العَوّاءُ

Ranks that crowd the stars: al-ʿAyyūq

is no equal to them, nor is al-ʿAwwāʾ.

يا ابنَ أَعلى المُلوكِ قَدراً وَيا أَك

رَمَ مَن ضَمَّ مَنكِبَيهِ الرِداءُ

O son of the highest-ranking kings, O noblest

of all whose shoulders a cloak has clasped,

كُلَّما اِستَوزَرَ الإِمامُ وَزيراً

حَمَدتَ حُسنَ رَأيُكَ الوُزَراءُ

whenever the Imam appointed a vizier,

the viziers praised the soundness of your judgment.

ثُمَّ ماتُوا وَأَنتَ باقٍ عَلى الأَي

يام لا تَهتَدِي لَكَ الأَرزاءُ

Then they died, while you remain through the days,

and calamities cannot find their way to you.

فَتَمَلَّ الحَياةَ وَاخلُد فَلَولا

أَنتَ لَم يَجرِ في النَباتِ لماءُ

So enjoy life to the full, and live forever; for were it not

for you, no water would flow in the plants.