وحلو الدلال مليح الغضب — Ibn Al Mutaz

وَحُلوُ الدَلالِ مَليحُ الغَضَب

يَشوبُ مَواعيدُهُ بِالكَذِب

And one sweet in coquetry, lovely in anger,

taints his promises with lies.

قَصيرُ الوَفاءِ لِأَحبابِهِ

فَهُم مِن تَلوُّنِهِ في تَعَب

Short-lived is his fidelity to his lovers,

so they are worn out by his fickleness.

سَقاني وَقَد سُلَّ سَيفُ الصَبا

حِ وَاللَيلُ مِن خَوفِهِ قَد هَرَب

He gave me drink when the sword of morning was drawn,

and night had fled in fear of it—

عُقاراً إِذا ما جَلَتها السُقا

ةُ أَلبَسَها الماءُ تاجَ الحَبَب

wine that, whenever the cupbearers unveiled it,

water crowned with bubbles.

فَأَصلَحَ بَيني وَبَينَ الزَمانِ

وَأَبدَلَني بِالهُمومِ الطَرَب

Thus he made peace between me and Time,

and gave me delight in place of sorrows.

وَما العَيشُ إِلّا لِمُستَهتِرٍ

تَظَلُّ عَواذِلُهُ في شَغَب

Life belongs only to a heedless reveler,

whose reproachers keep up their clamor.

يَهيمُ إِلى كُلِّ ما يَشتَهي

وَإِن رَدَّهُ العَذلُ لَم يَنجَذِب

He wanders after everything he desires,

and though reproach restrains him, he will not be swayed.

وَيَسخو بِما قَد حَوَت كَفُّهُ

وَلا يُتبِعُ المَنَّ ما قَد وَهَب

He freely gives whatever his palm has gathered,

and never follows his gifts with reminders of his favor.

فَكَم فِضَّةٍ فَضَّها في سُرورِ

يَومٍ وَكَم ذَهَبٍ قَد ذَهَب

How much silver he has scattered in the pleasure

of a day, and how much gold has gone!

وَلا صيدَ إِلّا بِوَثّابَةٍ

تَطيرُ عَلى أَربَعٍ كَالعَذَب

There is no hunting except with a leaping hound:

she flies on four feet like fluttering streamers.

وَإِن أَطلَقَت مِن قِلادَتِها

وَطارَ الغُبارُ وَجَدَّ الطَلَب

And when she is released from her collar,

and dust flies up and the pursuit grows fierce,

فَزَوبَعَةٌ مِن بَناتِ الرِياحِ

تُريكَ عَلى الأَرضِ شَدّاً عَجَب

she is a whirlwind, a daughter of the winds,

showing you wondrous running upon the earth.

تَضُمُّ الطَريدَ إِلى نَحرِها

كَضَمِّ المُحِبِّ لِمَن قَد أَحَب

She clasps the quarry to her breast,

as a lover clasps the one he has loved.

أَلا رُبَّ يَومٍ لَها لا يُذَمُّ

أَراقَت دَماً وَأَغابَت سَغَب

Ah, many a day of hers is beyond reproach:

she shed blood and banished hunger.

لَها مَجلِسٌ في مَكانِ الرَديفِ

كَتُركِيَّةٍ قَد سَبَتها العَرَب

She has a seat in the pillion rider's place,

like a Turkish woman the Arabs have taken captive.

وَمُقلَتُها سائِلٌ كُحلُها

وَقَد جُلِيَت سَبَجاً مِن ذَهَب

The kohl of her eye is flowing,

and it gleams like jet set in gold.

فَظَلَّت لُحومُ ظِباءِ الفَلاةِ

عَلى الجَمرِ مُعجَلَةً تُنتَهَب

Then the flesh of the desert gazelles lay

on the embers, hastily cooked and snatched up.

وَطافَت سُقاتُهُمُ يَمزِجونَ

بِماءِ الغَديرِ بَناتِ العِنَب

Their cupbearers went round, mixing

the daughters of the grape with water from the pool.

وَحَثّوا النَدامى بِمَشمولَةٍ

إِذا شارِبٌ عَبَّ فيها قَطَب

And they urged the companions on with north-wind-chilled wine:

whenever a drinker gulped it, he knitted his brow.

فَراحوا نَشاوى بِأَيدي المُدامِ

وَقَد نَشَطوا عَن عِقالِ التَعَب

So they departed, drunk in the hands of wine,

having slipped free of the fetter of fatigue,

إِلى مَجلِسٍ أَرضُهُ نَرجِسٌ

وَأَوتارُ عيدانِهِ تَصطَخِب

to a hall whose floor was narcissus,

and whose lute strings resounded.

وَحيطانُهُ خَرطُ كافورَةٍ

وَأَعلاهُ مِن ذَهَبٍ يَلتَهِب

Its walls were shavings of camphor,

and its ceiling was of gold, ablaze.

فَيا حُسنَهُ يا إِمامَ الهُدى

وَخَيرَ الخَلائِفِ نَفساً وَأَب

How splendid he is, O imam of guidance,

and best of caliphs in person and parentage,

إِذا ما تَرَبَّعَ فَوقَ السَريرِ

وَبِالتاجِ مَفرِقُهُ مُعتَصِب

when he sits cross-legged atop the throne,

with the crown encircling the parting of his hair!

لَهُ راحَةٌ يا لَها راحَةً

تَرى جَدَّ نائِلِها كَاللَعِب

He has a palm—oh, what a palm!

You see the earnestness of its bounty as play.

وَأَهيَبَ ما كانَ عِندَ الرِضى

وَأَرحَمَ ما كانَ عِندَ الغَضَب

He is most awe-inspiring when pleased,

and most merciful when angry.

وَكَم قَد عَفا وَأَقَرَّ الحَياةَ

في آيِسٍ قَلبُهُ يَضطَرِب

How often he has pardoned and preserved life

in a despairing man whose heart trembled,

عَلى طَرَفِ العيسِ قَد حَدَّقَت

إِلَيهِ المَنايا وَكادَت تَثِب

at the edge of the pale camels; already staring

at him were the fates of death, about to spring.

وَما زالَ مُذ كانَ في مَهدِهِ

مَلِيّاً خَليقاً بِأَعلى الرُتَب

Ever since he was in his cradle, he has remained

fully capable and worthy of the highest ranks.

كَأَنّا نَرى الغَيبَ في أَمرِهِ

بِأَعيُنِ ظَنٍّ لَنا لَم تَخِب

It was as though we saw the unseen in his destiny,

with eyes of surmise that did not fail us.

وَنَستَرزِقُ اللَهَ تَمليكَهُ

وَنَستَعجِلُ الدَهرَ فيما نُحِب

We asked God to make him ruler,

and urged Time to hasten what we desired.

وَيَبدو لَنا في المَنامِ الخَيالُ

بِما نَشتَهيهِ فَتُنفى الكُرَب

A vision appeared to us in sleep,

of what we desired, and sorrows were dispelled.

بِشارَةُ رَبٍّ لَنا بُلِّغَت

وَكانَت لِتَعجيلِ شُكرٍ سَبَب

Glad news from the Lord was brought to us,

and prompted us to offer thanks at once,

إِلى أَن دَعَتهُ إِلى بَيعَةٍ

فَكَم عَتقَ رِقٍّ وَنَذرٍ وَجَب

until it called him to receive the pledge of allegiance.

How many releases from bondage and vows became binding!

وَرِثتَ الخِلافَةَ عَن والِدٍ

فَأَحرَزتَ ميراثَهُ عَن كَثَب

You inherited the caliphate from your father,

and secured his legacy from close at hand.

وَلَم تَحوِها دونَ مُستَوجِبٍ

وَلا صادَها لَكَ سَهمُ عَزَب

You did not gain it by excluding one entitled to it,

nor did a stray arrow capture it for you.

فَلا زِلتَ تَبقى وَتوقى لَنا

خُطوبَ الزَمانِ وَصَرفَ النُوَب

May you ever endure, and for our sake be shielded

from the calamities of Time and the turns of misfortune.