كقصة البعير والجمال — Ibn Al Habariya

كقِصَّة البَعير وَالجمال

وَالشَّيء قَد يعرف بِالمثال

Like the tale of the camel and the camel-driver,

a thing may be understood through an example.

أوقره مِن الشآم ميرة

فاستقبلا سرية مغيره

He loaded him heavily with provisions from al-Sham,

and the two encountered a raiding detachment.

لم يَرها مِن بَعدِها وَغفلته

عَن أمرها وَشغله بفكرته

He did not see it, owing to its distance and his heedlessness

of its movements, and his preoccupation with his thoughts.

فأبصر البَعير ما لَم يبصره

فَقالَ للجمال وَهوَ ينذره

The camel saw what he did not see,

and said to the camel-driver, warning him:

إِني أَرى الخَيل إلينا تقبل

وَإِنَّني عَن النَجاة مثقل

“I see horses coming toward us,

and I am too heavily burdened to escape.

فَألق عَن ظَهري هَذا واركب

وانج وَإِن عز النجاء فاذهب

Cast this off my back and mount!

Escape; and if escape proves difficult, leave!”

قالَ لَهُ الجمال إفكاً تذكر

ضجرت إِذ أنتَ ثَقيل موقر

The camel-driver told him: “You speak lies!

You have grown weary, being heavily burdened and laden.

تريد أَن أطرح عَنكَ الحملا

لأجل هَذا قَد سئِمت الثقلا

You want me to cast the load off you;

that is why you have tired of the burden.”

قال لَه انظر إِلى العجاج

قال لَه وجد في اللجاج

He said to him: “Look at the dust cloud!”

He replied, persisting in obstinacy:

ذاك غُبار عانة أو قافله

أَو خلسة عَن العَدو جافِله

“That is dust from a herd of wild asses or a caravan,

or a stolen herd fleeing the enemy.”

قالَ وَهذِه نواصي الخَيل

قَد أقبَلَت مُسرِعَة كَالسيل

He said: “And these are the horses’ forelocks;

they have approached swiftly, like a torrent.”

قالَ عَسى فيهم لَنا معارف

أَو عَرَبي أَو فَتى محالف

He said: “Perhaps there are acquaintances of ours among them,

or an Arab, or a young ally.”

قال لَه البَعير خل الهوسا

لا يَدفع الخَطب لعلَ وَعَسى

The camel said to him: “Leave off this foolishness!

‘Perhaps’ and ‘maybe’ cannot ward off disaster.”

قال لَه أخذي دون راحتك

مِن ثقله فخل عَن وَقاحتك

He said to him: “I would sooner be captured than relieve you

of its weight; so abandon your insolence!”

قالَ له البَعير وَهوَ يَضحَك

هَذا الرَقيع في كيادي يهلك

The camel said to him, laughing:

“This fool will perish trying to spite me.”

وَأدركته الخَيل في مَكانه

وَشَد في الأَوثق مِن أَشطانه

The cavalry overtook him where he stood,

and he was bound with the strongest of his ropes.

وَهَكذا خَليقة الصَّياد

لا يَقبَل الصحيح للكياد

And such is the hunter’s disposition:

he rejects the truth out of spite.

فَلَو أَردت لأقمت شاهِدا

ألفا كَما يَرضى بِه وَلا واحِداً

If I wished, I could produce a witness—

a thousand, to his satisfaction, not just one.

لَكنه يَقتلني فَما لي

أدله عَلى كُنوز المال

But he will kill me, so why should I

guide him to treasures of wealth?

قال لَه الشَّيخ وَقَد تَحَيرا

وَاِرتاعَ مِن مَقالِهِ لَما اِفتَرى

The old man said to him, bewildered

and alarmed by his words and what he had fabricated:

دَلَلتَني فَما أُبالي الآنا

أقمت أم لَم تقم البُرهانا

“You have guided me; now I do not care

whether you establish the proof or not.

فَلا تكايدني فَما أُبالي

صَدقت أَم كَذَبت في المَقال

So do not try to outwit me, for I do not care

whether you speak truth or lie.

مثلي لا يَغتر بِالمحال

فالاغترار أقبح الخلال

One like me is not taken in by absurdities;

credulity is the ugliest of traits.

فَإِنَّما أَنت ظَليم نازح

مَع الوحوش سائر ورائح

You are merely a far-ranging ostrich,

traveling and roaming among wild beasts.

مِن أَين تَدري علم ما في منزلي

مِن الكُنوز في الزَّمان الأَول

How do you know what is in my home,

of treasures from earliest times?

لَو كُنتَ تَدري الغَيب أَو علمتا

سعدت بالعلم وَما شَقيتا

If you knew the unseen, or had such knowledge,

you would have prospered through knowledge, not suffered.

جَهلت أَمرَ نفسك المسكينة

حَتّى غَدَت موثوقة رَهينه

You were ignorant of your own poor self’s plight,

until it became bound and held captive.

وَتدعي العلم بِما في داري

لا يَعلم الغيوب إِلا الباري

Yet you claim knowledge of what is in my house!

None knows the unseen but the Creator.”

قال لَه جَهلك بِالأَسرار

أرداكَ في مَواقع البوار

He said to him: “Your ignorance of secrets

has brought you down into the places of ruin.

أعرفها معرفة صحيحة

وَالحر لا يكذب في النصيحة

I know them with certain knowledge,

and a freeborn man does not lie when offering counsel.”

فَوافق المَعروف مِن صفاتِها

ما ذكر الظليم مِن سماتِها

What was known of their qualities matched

the distinguishing marks the ostrich mentioned.

ثُم كناه مُسرِعاً وَنسبه

وَقَص كُل أمرِه وَمكسبه

Then he quickly gave his kunyah and traced his lineage,

and recounted all his affairs and livelihood,

تَهوراً فَوافق السعادة

قال صدقت وَبغى الزيادة

rashly—but fortune happened to favor him.

He said: “You speak truly,” and sought more.

قال لَه الآن تَرى إِنساناً

مُعارِضاً يُنشدنا قعدانا

He said to him: “Now you will see a man

crossing our path, asking us about young male camels,

يَقود مِن أَولادِها فَصيلاً

تَحسبه مِن ضَعفِه عَليلا

leading a weaned calf born of them,

which you would think sick from its weakness,

يتبع فحلاً داعِرياً أَعورا

وَإِنَّها مِنهُ قَريباً لَو دَرى

following a one-eyed Da'iri camel stallion.

They are near him, if only he knew.”

وَكان قَد أَبصَر قَبل ذَلِكا

تِلكَ الجمال شرداً رواتكا

He had already seen, before this,

those camels straying and trotting briskly,

تذكر حال رَبِها وَسقبها

وَأمه تَشكو غَرام قَلبِها

telling of their master’s plight and their male calf,

and its mother lamenting the anguish of her heart.

فانطلق الشيخ بِهِ قَليلا

ثَم رَأى الناشد وَالفَصيلا

The old man went a little way with him;

there he saw the seeker and the calf.

فأطلق الظَّليم إِذ رآه

مُصَدقاً للحين ما حَكاه

He released the ostrich when he saw him,

believing, to his undoing, what he had related.

وَجد في رَواحه فَجاء

لحرصه أَولاده عَشاء

He hurried on his return and came

to his children at night, driven by greed.

فَلم يُكلمهم وَبات يَحفر

فَخرب الدار كَذاكَ المدبر

He did not speak to them, but spent the night digging.

He thus wrecked the house, that ill-fated man.

وَلامهُ الناس وَقالوا جَنا

في أَي شَيء طمع المعنى

People reproached him and said: “He has gone mad!

What did this tormented man hope to gain?”

وَلَم يَزَل في حَفرِها يَجتَهد

فَلَم يَجد شَيئاً وَكَيفَ يَجد

He kept laboring at digging it up,

but found nothing—and how could he find anything?

وَهَكَذا تريد أَن تَخدَعني

بِقَولك الحُلو وَإِن تَصرَعني

And this is how you want to deceive me

with your sweet talk, even if you strike me down.

قالَ لَه الشيخ وَما تُريد

مِن قَتل مثلي إنهُ بعيد

The old man said to him: “What do you want

from killing one like me? It is far-fetched.

ما لي في رحلي مَع الأَصحاب

وَما مَعي شَيء سِوى ثِيابي

What I own is in my baggage with my companions,

and I have nothing with me except my clothes.

وَهيَ كَما تبصرها أَسمال

يَقبح في أَمثالها القِتال

They are, as you see, rags;

it is shameful to fight over such things.

إِنكَ إِن كَفَفت عَن أَذاتي

أَعطيتك المَفروض مِن ذَكاتي

Indeed, if you refrain from harming me,

I would give you the prescribed share of my alms,

وَقُلت للرفقة هَذا طالب

وَحقه مِن الزكاة وَاجب

and tell the company: ‘This man is a petitioner,

and his due from the alms is obligatory.’

وَهيَ لما أَقولهُ مصدقه

نلتُ كَثيراً طَيباً مِن صدقه

They will believe what I say;

I would obtain plentiful, wholesome charity.

وَكانَ خَيراً لَكَ في الدارين

مِما تَرى في مَوتتي وَحيني

That would be better for you in both worlds

than what you see in my death and doom.”

فَاِنخدع الفاتك بالمحال

وَقالَ هَل تصدق في المَقال

The brigand was taken in by this falsehood,

and said: “Do you speak truthfully?

أحلف على ما قُلت مِنهُ فحلف

وَانصرف الشيخ الشديد وَانحرف

Swear to what you have said.” So he swore.

The resolute old man departed and turned aside,

حَتَّى إِذا ما لَحِقا بالركب

قالَ اربطوه جَيداً يا صَحبي

until, when the two caught up with the caravan,

he said: “Bind him tightly, my companions!

فَإِنَّهُ لص خَبيث حارب

للمسلمين ناهب وَسالب

He is a wicked thief who wages war

against Muslims, a pillager and plunderer.”

فَرَبط الفاتك رَبطاً مُحكَماً

وَعادَ فيهِ خَصمهُ محكما

The brigand was bound securely,

and his adversary was now empowered to judge him.

قالَ لَه الناسك وَهوَ يَضحك

بغيت وَالبَغي مشوم مهلك

The ascetic said to him, laughing:

“You transgressed; transgression is ill-omened and deadly.

وَقَعت بعد ضَربك الأَمثالا

وَذكرك الظليم وَالجَمالا

You have fallen, after setting forth your parables

and speaking of the ostrich and camel-driver.”

قال لَه الفاتك كَيفَ أفتك

بِمَن أراني في يَديهِ أَهلك

The brigand said to him: “How could I murder

one in whose hands I now see myself perish?

مِن أَمن القَضاء فَهوَ مُشرك

إِن القَضاء لِلعباد أَملك

Whoever feels safe from destiny is a polytheist;

indeed, destiny holds greater sway over mortals.

لا تَفرَحن فَالحَديث سائر

إِنِّي مَخدوع وَأنتَ غادِر

Do not rejoice: the tale will circulate.

I am deceived, and you are treacherous.

وَالغَدر بِالعَهد قَبيح جدا

شَر الوَرى من لَيسَ يَرعى عَهدا

Betraying a pledge is very ugly;

the worst of mankind is one who honors no pledge.

إِنكَ قَد مَلَكتَني فَأَسجح

وَامح حَديث غَدرك المستقبح

You have gained power over me; be lenient,

and erase the tale of your shameful treachery.

إِني أَسير لا أَرى نَصيراً

وَذو العلا لا يقتل الأَسيرا

I am a captive and see no helper;

a noble man does not kill a captive.

شر خِلال المَرء قَتل الأَسرى

أَول مَقتول يُقال صَبرا

The worst of a man’s traits is killing captives.

The first man said to have been executed in captivity

حجرٌ وَحجرٌ صاحب النَّبي

وَكان في الأَحوال مَع علي

was Hujr; and Hujr was a companion of the Prophet,

and stood with Ali in all circumstances.

وَقَد بَلَغت ما أَردت مِني

فامنن فَهَذا الوَقت وَقت المن

You have attained what you wanted from me;

so grant clemency: this is the time for clemency.”

قال لَه تب مخلصاً فَتابا

فَجمع الرفاق وَالأَصحابا

He told him: “Repent sincerely,” and he repented.

Then he gathered the companions and friends,

وَقَص ما كان مِن الحَديث

وَقالَ إِن الغَدر للخبيث

and recounted what had happened,

and said: “Treachery belongs to the wicked.

وَالآن قَد تاب مِن الفَساد

وَصارَ في الدين مِن العِباد

Now he has repented of his wickedness

and become one of the devout in the faith.”

فَجَمعوا شَيئاً مِن الزكاة

وَبادَروا إَلَيهِ بِالهبات

They collected some alms

and hastened to give him gifts.

وَأطلقوه فَغَدا يَقول

خَدعت عَن رايك يا جَهول

They released him, and he began to say:

“You have been tricked out of your judgment, you fool!

مَن نالَ ما يُريده فَقَد غَلَب

قَد اِتَفَقنا وَاِختَلَفنا في السَّبب

Whoever gets what he wants has won.

We have agreed, yet differed over the means.”