سم سمة تحمد آثارها — Ibn Al Maqri

سِم سِمَةً تحمد آثارها

واشكر لمن اعطى ولو سمسمه

Leave a mark whose effects you will praise.

And thank whoever gives, even if only a sesame seed.

والمكر مهما اسطعت لا تأته

لتقتني السودد والمكرمه

And avoid deceit whenever you can,

so that you may attain nobility and honor.

والمس لمهوى أحمد طاعة

يرضى بها المسلم والمسلمه

And seek obedience to Ahmad's wishes,

with which Muslim man and Muslim woman are pleased.

والمحك مهواه فدعه لمن

يرى القضا للسيف والمحكمه

And contention is his passion; leave it to one

who sees judgment as belonging to the sword and the court.

من لج مهيوجا ترى أى له

من ابن إسمعيل من لجمه

Whoever persists, agitated—you see what awaits him

from Ibn Isma'il: someone who bridles him.

احلاف مهموز اليدين شها

فما فتى منهن احلى فمه

Allies of one pricked in both hands—he craved [sense unclear].

So no youth among them has a sweeter mouth.

ما الامة السوداء من فضله

تحلو وذو مجد ولا ملأمه

The black slave woman does not, through his bounty,

grow sweet; he has glory and is free from blame.

لا مولهاً كفه بالعطا

وتلك لا شعتا ولا مولمه

He does not torment his hand with giving,

and that hand is neither disheveled [reading uncertain] nor painful.

من قل مهداً كفه لم يسد

والظفر لا ينفع من قلمه

He whose hand gives little does not become a lord [reading uncertain];

and a fingernail does not benefit the one who clips it.

ما المنع مهما يرتضيه امرء

اجرى على الأجسام ما المنعمه

Withholding, however much a man approves it,

has not poured the benefactress's water over bodies [reading uncertain].

ما قد مهصور رجاه فتى

الا اعتراه شوم ما قدمه

No youth cuts off a crushed man's hope

without being overtaken by the ill omen of what he has done.

ما ال مهتوك جفا بابه

إلا إلى تحصيل ما آل مه

No dishonored man who shunned his gate ended up

except in obtaining what came to pass—enough!

لن يسل مهموما كصنع امرىء

لم يضع الجار ولن يسلمه

Nothing will console the anxious like the deed of a man

who has not abandoned his neighbor and will not surrender him.

ماضر مهمضوما من الدهر لو

دعابه يطفئ ما ضرمه

What harm would it do one wronged by time if

he called upon him to quench what it had kindled?

قالوا لمهدوم الأواخي أطع

فقال لا أفعل قالوا لمه

They said to one whose tethering bonds were destroyed, 'Obey!'

He said, 'I will not.' They said, 'Why?'

ما أنت مهديا ولا عاقلا

تغالب الناصر ما أنت مه

'You are neither rightly guided nor sensible,

contending against al-Nasir—what are you? Stop!'

هل ذاع مهذاك فنادى نعم

قالوا فما لبثك هل ذاعمه

'Has your [unclear word] become known?' He cried, 'Yes.'

They said, 'Then why your delay? Has [unclear word]?'

ما حط مهد النوم عن ظهره

إلا وقد واقاه ما حط مه

He did not lower sleep's cradle from his back

unless what laid him low had protected him—enough!

الفال مهما لم يكن طيرة

حق ومن يصحبه الفال مه

A favorable omen, so long as it is not superstitious augury,

is true; whoever is attended by a favorable omen—enough!

لو شاد مهيا نزله في السها

ما شط عن أحمد لو شادمه

Even if he built his readied lodging in al-Suha [reading uncertain],

he would not be far from Ahmad if he reviled him.

من سمة الأملاك أن يخضعوا

لطرفه كي يلثموا منسمه

It is a mark of kings to bow

to his gaze, so that they may kiss his hoof.

لانوا لمهماشا وقالوا اشترط

إن نكرم الجار ولا نولمه

They yielded to [an unclear addressee] and said, 'Make a stipulation,

if we honor the neighbor and do not hurt him.'

لم يله مهنا الشيب عن خوفه

والعبد غير الله لن يلهمه

Grey hair did not distract Muhanna [possibly a name] from fear of him;

and none but God will inspire the servant.

من حس مهزولا براه الضنا

من خوفه كذب من حسمه

Whoever senses an emaciated man whom wasting sickness wore away

from fear of him belies the one who cut him down.

من عل مهيوم الظبا نهلا

فأحمد أحمد من علمه

Whoever gave thirst-crazed blade-edges a second draught after the first,

then Ahmad is more praiseworthy than whoever taught him.

من غر مهجوم الربا رعته

بفيلق يعدم من غرمه

Whoever beguiled one whose heights had been stormed, you terrified him

with an army that destroys whoever incurs its penalty.

ما سل مهو البغي ذو سطوة

فشمت من غمدك ما سلمه

No mighty man drew oppression's [unclear weapon],

so you drew from your scabbard what he had handed over.

منع لمهضوم وحسم الاذى

دابك فاحسمه ومن علمه

Protection for the oppressed and cutting off harm

are your habit; cut it off, and whoever taught it.

من عظي مهروت الشفات الورى

حقرت بالصمصام من عظمه

Whoever [unclear verb] mankind, torn of lip,

you humbled with the keen sword whoever exalted him.

من كر مهلوكا تلقيته

بصارم ما هان من كرمه

Whoever charged, doomed, you met

with a keen blade; none who honored him was abased.

من دمه أجراه طغيانه

فما به اثم ولا هندمه

Whose blood his own tyranny made flow,

there is no sin in it, nor [unclear term].

ما الميت مهجورا تداركته

ميتا ترى ابناه ما الميتمه

The dead man is not abandoned: you came to his aid;

you see him dead; his two sons—[the ending is unclear].

من كل مهوى ودعا أحمدا

أجيب ما أسعد من كلمه

From every abyss he called upon Ahmad,

and was answered—how fortunate whoever spoke to him!

لن يوهي مهوى عزمه مطلب

نآء ولا دان ولن يوهمه

No sought-for goal will weaken the aim of his resolve,

distant or near, nor will it mislead him.

الطير مهواها يريها وقد

طارت تساوي السفل والطيرمه

He shows the birds their place of falling, though

they have flown, equating low ground with the rooftop pavilion.

امسوا لمهد النوم عن حرب من

يغشي دواعي الحرب أم سولمه

They spent the evening in sleep's cradle, away from war with one

who shrouds war's summons in Umm Sawlama [sense unclear].

والمرح مهلا لا تحلوا به

وان بغوا رضى أحمد والمرحمه

As for pride, be restrained; do not adorn yourselves with it,

even if they seek Ahmad's approval and mercy.

الموت مهما شاء أعداؤه

مما لديه السطوة الموتمه

Death, whenever his enemies wish it,

is among what he possesses: orphan-making might.

كم هد مهضوب بنا شامخ

وكم بنى طودا وكم هدمه

How many a lofty, rain-beaten building he tore down!

How often he built a mountain, and how often he demolished it!

ما حل مهدوم سطاه امرؤ

إلا رأى بالهدم ما حلمه

No man whose might was demolished settled down

without seeing in destruction what he had dreamed.

ما ند مهفا منطق فانثنى

هذا الحريري ند ما ندمه

No error-prone utterance escaped; then he turned back [syntax unclear].

This al-Hariri strayed and did not regret it.

إذ عد مهجا حولا معجزا

فقل لأجل الفصل إذ عدمه

When he counted souls for a baffling year [sense unclear],

then speak for the sake of judgment, when he lacked it.

من أى مه ذا امنا ثالثا

ورب بعل نال من ايمه

From which? Enough! This one, secure, is third [sense unclear].

And many a husband overtook whoever made him a widower.

يكفيك مه يثناك قد عززا

بل ذللا حسبك يكفى كمه

Enough for you! Stop! Your two [reading uncertain] were strengthened,

rather, humbled; enough for you—his sleeve suffices.

ما حك مهوى أحمد فكره

للمرء إلا فاق ما حكمه

No man's thought has tested the aim of Ahmad's desire

without its surpassing what he had judged.

الهذر مهجور فخذه وخف

عذراً الا ينشد بالهذرمه

Idle talk is shunned; take it, and fear

an excuse—that it not be recited in hurried babble [syntax unclear].

والمهر مهر المثل سقه لمن

تشيب وقت الشيب والمهرمه

And the dower—the customary dower—send it to her

who turns gray at the time of gray hair and old age.

الفئ مهما شئت فاغنم وسق

منه لهذى البكر الفئ مه

Of the spoils, take whatever you wish, and send

some of it to this maiden—the spoils. Enough!

لوك لمهزول كلامي شفا

للمرء كيف الجزل لو كلمه

Chewing over my lean speech is a cure

for a man—how then the weighty speech, if it spoke to him!

لا مات مهدومك موتا يلي

مصرعه باك ولا مأتمه

May the one you cast down not die a death followed,

after his fall, by a weeper or a mourning assembly for him.

للعيش مهما يممتكم خطا

تنبئ عني الفهم واللعثمه

For livelihood, whenever footsteps turn toward you,

understanding and stammering speak of me.