Sol 6.1

  1. عَسَى خَطْرةٌ بالرّكْبِ يا حادِيَ العِيسِ

    علَى الهضْبَةِ الشّمّا منْ قصْرِ بادِيسِ

    Would that the caravan might turn aside, O driver of pale camels,

    to the lofty hill of the palace of Badis,

  2. لتَظْفَرَ منْ ذاك الزُّلالِ بعَلّةٍ

    وتنْعَمَ في تِلْك الظِّلالِ بتَعْريسِ

    that you might gain a second draught of that clear water,

    and enjoy a brief rest beneath those shades.

  3. حبَسْتُ بِها ركْبي فُواقاً وإنّما

    عقَدْتُ على قلْبي لَها عقْدَ تَحْبيسِ

    I halted my caravan there for a moment, but in truth

    I bound my heart to it by a deed of perpetual endowment.

  4. لقَد رسَخَتْ آيُ الجَوى في جَوانِحي

    كَما رسَخَ الإنْجيلُ في قلْبِ قِسّيسِ

    The verses of love's anguish have taken root within my breast,

    as the Gospel has taken root in a priest's heart.

  5. بمَيْدانِ جَفْني للسّهادِ كَتيبةٌ

    تُغيرُ على سرْحِ الكَرى في كَراديسِ

    On the battlefield of my eyelid, sleeplessness has a battalion

    that raids sleep's grazing herds in massed squadrons.

  6. وما بِي إلاّ نَفْحَةٌ حاجِريّةٌ

    سرَتْ والدُجَى ما بيْنَ وهْنٍ وتَغْليسِ

    Nothing ails me but a breath from Hajir

    that drifted through darkness between early night and predawn gloom.

  7. ألا نفَسٌ يا رِيحُ منْ جانِبِ الحِمَى

    ينفِّسُ منْ نارِ الجَوى بعْضَ تنْفيسِ

    Is there no breath, O wind, from the sanctuary's side,

    to bring some relief from the fire of longing?

  8. ويا قَلْبُ لا تُلْقِ السّلاحَ فربّما

    تعذّرَ في الدّهْرِ اطِّرادُ المَقاييسِ

    O heart, do not lay down your arms, for sometimes

    the rules fail to apply consistently in this world.

  9. وقدْ تُعْتِبُ الأيّامُ بعْدَ عِتابِها

    وقدْ يُعْقِبُ اللهُ النّعيمَ منَ البؤسِ

    The days may yet make amends after being reproached,

    and God may bring bliss out of misery.

  10. ولا تخْشَ لُجّ الدّمْعِ يا خَطْرَةَ الكَرى

    على الجَفْنِ بلْ قِيسي علَى صرْحِ بِلْقيسِ

    Do not fear the deep sea of tears, O passing touch of sleep,

    upon my eyelid; rather, take the palace of Bilqis as your measure.

  11. تقولُ سُليْمَى ما لجِسْمِكَ شاحِباً

    مَقالَةَ تأنيبٍ يُشابُ بتأنِيسِ

    Sulayma asks, 'Why is your body so pale?'

    a rebuke mingled with tenderness.

  12. وقدْ كُنْتَ تعْطو كلّما هبّتِ الصَّبا

    برَيّانَ في ماءِ الشّبيبَةِ مغْموسِ

    'Yet once you would reach out whenever the east wind blew,

    with a supple limb steeped in the waters of youth.'

  13. ومَنْ رابَحَ الأيّامَ يا ابْنَةَ عامِرِ

    بجَوْبِ الفَلا راحَتْ يَداهُ بتَفْليسِ

    Whoever seeks profit from the days, O daughter of Amir,

    by crossing deserts comes away with bankrupt hands.

  14. فلا تحْسَبي والصِّدْقُ خيْرُ سجيّةٍ

    ظُهورَ النّوَى إلا بُطونَ النّواوِيسِ

    So do not think—and truthfulness is the finest trait—

    the backs of separation anything but the bellies of tombs.

  15. وَقَفْراءَ أمّا ركْبُها فمُضَلّلٌ

    ومرْبَعُها منْ آنِسٍ غيْرِ مأنوسِ

    Many a barren waste, its caravan astray,

    its camping ground unfrequented by any human—

  16. خبَطْنا بِها منْ هضْبَةٍ لقَرارةٍ

    ضَلالاً ومِلْنا منْ كِناسٍ الى خِيسِ

    we blundered through it from hill to hollow,

    wandering, and turned from a gazelle's covert to a lion's thicket.

  17. إذا ما نهَضْنا عنْ مَقيلِ غَزالةٍ

    نَزَلْنا فعرّسْنا بساحَةِ عِرِّيسِ

    Whenever we rose from a gazelle's midday resting place,

    we alighted and rested in the precincts of a lion's lair.

  18. أدَرْنا بِها كأساً دِهاقاً منَ السُّرَى

    أمِلْنا بِها عنْدَ الصّباحِ منَ الرّوسِ

    There we passed round a brimming cup of night travel,

    with which, at dawn, we let our heads droop.

  19. وحانَةِ خمّارٍ هَدانا لقَصْدِها

    شَميمُ الحُمَيّا واصْطِكاكُ النّواقِيسِ

    And many a vintner's tavern—we were guided to it

    by the fragrance of wine and the clashing of bells.

  20. تطلّعَ ربّانِيُّها منْ جِدارِهِ

    يُهَيْنِمُ في جُنْحِ الظّلامِ بتَقْديسِ

    Its holy man peered out from his wall,

    murmuring sanctifications beneath the wing of darkness.

  21. بكَرْنا وقُلْنا إذْ نزَلْنا بحانِهِ

    عنِ الصّافِناتِ الجُرْدِ والضُّمرِ العِيسِ

    We came early and said, as we dismounted at his tavern,

    from sleek, poised steeds and lean, pale camels:

  22. أيا عابِدَ النّاسوت إنّا عِصابةً

    أتَيْنا لتَثْليثِ بَلَى ولتَسْديسِ

    'O worshipper of human nature, we are a band

    come for a trinity—yes, even for twice three!

  23. وما قصْدُنا إلاّ المُقامُ بحانَةٍ

    مَحاريبُ شتّى لاخْتِلاف النّواميسِ

    We seek only to lodge in a tavern—

    prayer niches vary with differing sacred laws.'

  24. بَدَرْنا لَها طينَ الخِتامِ بسَجْدَةٍ

    أرَدْنا بِها تجْديدَ حسْرَةِ إبْليسِ

    We greeted its sealing clay with a prostration,

    wishing thereby to renew Iblis's grief.

  25. ودارَ العَذارَى بالمُدامِ كأنّها

    قَطاً تَتهادَى في رِياشِ الطّواوِيسِ

    The maidens circled with the wine, as though they were

    sandgrouse swaying gracefully in the plumage of peacocks.

  26. وصارَفْنا فِيها نُضاراً بمِثْلِه

    كأنّا ملأنا الكأسَ ليْلاً من الكِيسِ

    There we exchanged gold for its like,

    as though at night we had filled the cup straight from the purse.

  27. وقُمْنا نَشاوَى عندَما متَعَ الضّحَى

    كما نهَضَتْ غُلْبُ الأسودِ منَ الخِيسِ

    We rose drunk when the morning sun climbed high,

    as thick-necked lions rise from their thicket.

  28. فقالَ لَبِئْسَ المُسلِمونَ ضُيوفُنا

    أمَا وأبيكَ الحَبْرِ ما نحْنُ بالبِيسِ

    He said, 'Bad Muslims indeed are our guests!'

    'Why, by your father the learned priest, we are no wretches!

  29. وهلْ في بَني مثْواكَ إلا مُبرِّزٌ

    بحَلْبَةِ شُورَى أو بحَلْقَةِ تدْريسِ

    Are the sons of your abode not all distinguished,

    in the arena of counsel or the circle of teaching?

  30. إذا هزّ عسّالَ البَراعةِ فاتِكاً

    أسالَ نَجيعَ الحِبْرِ فوقَ القَراطيسِ

    When he brandishes eloquence's supple spear to strike,

    he spills the lifeblood of ink across the sheets.

  31. يُقلِّبُ تحْتَ النّقْعِ مُقلَةَ ضاحِكٍ

    إذا التَفَتَ الأبْطالُ عنْ مُقَلٍ شُوسِ

    He rolls a laughing eye beneath the battle dust,

    when warriors turn with fierce, sidelong eyes.'

  32. سَبَيْنا عُقارَ الرّومِ في عُقْرِ دارِها

    بحيلَةِ تمْويهٍ وخدْعَةِ تدْليسِ

    We took the wine of the Rum captive in its very home,

    by a ruse of disguise and a trick of deception.

  33. لَئِنْ أنْكَرَتْ شَكْلي ففضْليَ واضِحٌ

    وهلْ جائِزٌ في العقْلِ إنْكارُ محْسوسِ

    Though she does not recognize my form, my merit is clear;

    and can reason permit denial of what the senses perceive?

  34. رسَتْ بأقْصَى الغرْبِ ذُخْرَ مَضنّةٍ

    وكمْ دُرّةٍ علْياءَ في قاعِ قاموسِ

    It lies anchored in the farthest West, a jealously guarded treasure;

    and many a lofty pearl lies on the ocean floor.

  35. وأغْرَيْتُ سوسِي بالعُذَيْبِ وبارِقٍ

    على وطَنٍ داني الجِوارِ منَ السّوسِ

    I have enticed my nature with al-Udhayb and Bariq,

    turning it against a homeland lying close to Sus.