Sol 6.1

  1. عَسَى خَطْرةٌ بالرّكْبِ يا حادِيَ العِيسِ

    علَى الهضْبَةِ الشّمّا منْ قصْرِ بادِيسِ

    May there be a passing visit with the caravan, O driver of the pale camels,

    to the lofty hill of Badis's palace,

  2. لتَظْفَرَ منْ ذاك الزُّلالِ بعَلّةٍ

    وتنْعَمَ في تِلْك الظِّلالِ بتَعْريسِ

    so you may gain a second draught of that pure water

    and enjoy a night's halt in 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 endowment.

  4. لقَد رسَخَتْ آيُ الجَوى في جَوانِحي

    كَما رسَخَ الإنْجيلُ في قلْبِ قِسّيسِ

    The verses of lovesickness have taken firm root in 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 my eyelid's battlefield, sleeplessness has a battalion

    that raids sleep's grazing herd in squadrons.

  6. وما بِي إلاّ نَفْحَةٌ حاجِريّةٌ

    سرَتْ والدُجَى ما بيْنَ وهْنٍ وتَغْليسِ

    Nothing ails me but a breeze from Hajir

    that stole through the darkness between a night watch and the dim hour before dawn.

  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 lovesickness?

  8. ويا قَلْبُ لا تُلْقِ السّلاحَ فربّما

    تعذّرَ في الدّهْرِ اطِّرادُ المَقاييسِ

    And, heart, do not throw down your arms; for sometimes

    the usual rules fail to hold in this world.

  9. وقدْ تُعْتِبُ الأيّامُ بعْدَ عِتابِها

    وقدْ يُعْقِبُ اللهُ النّعيمَ منَ البؤسِ

    The days may make amends after their reproaches,

    and God may bring forth bliss from misery.

  10. ولا تخْشَ لُجّ الدّمْعِ يا خَطْرَةَ الكَرى

    على الجَفْنِ بلْ قِيسي علَى صرْحِ بِلْقيسِ

    Do not fear the deep flood of tears, O fleeting visit of sleep,

    upon the eyelid; instead, compare it to Bilqis's palace.

  11. تقولُ سُليْمَى ما لجِسْمِكَ شاحِباً

    مَقالَةَ تأنيبٍ يُشابُ بتأنِيسِ

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

    in words of reproach mingled with reassurance.

  12. وقدْ كُنْتَ تعْطو كلّما هبّتِ الصَّبا

    برَيّانَ في ماءِ الشّبيبَةِ مغْموسِ

    'Yet once, whenever the east wind blew, you reached out

    with a well-watered limb steeped in youth's waters.'

  13. ومَنْ رابَحَ الأيّامَ يا ابْنَةَ عامِرِ

    بجَوْبِ الفَلا راحَتْ يَداهُ بتَفْليسِ

    'Whoever trades for gain with the days, O daughter of Amir,

    by crossing the wastes comes away with both hands bankrupt.

  14. فلا تحْسَبي والصِّدْقُ خيْرُ سجيّةٍ

    ظُهورَ النّوَى إلا بُطونَ النّواوِيسِ

    So do not reckon—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

    And many a barren waste—its caravan was lost,

    and its camping ground was unfrequented by any human soul.

  16. خبَطْنا بِها منْ هضْبَةٍ لقَرارةٍ

    ضَلالاً ومِلْنا منْ كِناسٍ الى خِيسِ

    We stumbled through it from hill to hollow,

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

  17. إذا ما نهَضْنا عنْ مَقيلِ غَزالةٍ

    نَزَلْنا فعرّسْنا بساحَةِ عِرِّيسِ

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

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

  18. أدَرْنا بِها كأساً دِهاقاً منَ السُّرَى

    أمِلْنا بِها عنْدَ الصّباحِ منَ الرّوسِ

    There we passed around a cup brimming with night travel,

    which made our heads droop when morning came.

  19. وحانَةِ خمّارٍ هَدانا لقَصْدِها

    شَميمُ الحُمَيّا واصْطِكاكُ النّواقِيسِ

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

    by the scent of wine and the clashing of bells.

  20. تطلّعَ ربّانِيُّها منْ جِدارِهِ

    يُهَيْنِمُ في جُنْحِ الظّلامِ بتَقْديسِ

    Its cleric peered out from his wall,

    murmuring sacred praises under cover 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 poised, sleek horses and lean, pale camels:

  22. أيا عابِدَ النّاسوت إنّا عِصابةً

    أتَيْنا لتَثْليثِ بَلَى ولتَسْديسِ

    'O worshipper of the human nature, we are a band

    who have come for threes—yes, and for sixes.

  23. وما قصْدُنا إلاّ المُقامُ بحانَةٍ

    مَحاريبُ شتّى لاخْتِلاف النّواميسِ

    Our only purpose is to stay at a tavern:

    there are diverse sanctuaries for differing sacred laws.'

  24. بَدَرْنا لَها طينَ الخِتامِ بسَجْدَةٍ

    أرَدْنا بِها تجْديدَ حسْرَةِ إبْليسِ

    We hastened to its sealing clay with a prostration,

    intending thereby to renew Iblis's regret.

  25. ودارَ العَذارَى بالمُدامِ كأنّها

    قَطاً تَتهادَى في رِياشِ الطّواوِيسِ

    The maidens went round with the wine, as though they were

    sandgrouse swaying gracefully in peacocks' plumage.

  26. وصارَفْنا فِيها نُضاراً بمِثْلِه

    كأنّا ملأنا الكأسَ ليْلاً من الكِيسِ

    There we exchanged gold for its like,

    as though by night we had filled the cup from the purse.

  27. وقُمْنا نَشاوَى عندَما متَعَ الضّحَى

    كما نهَضَتْ غُلْبُ الأسودِ منَ الخِيسِ

    We rose intoxicated when the morning light stood high,

    as thick-necked lions rose from the thicket.

  28. فقالَ لَبِئْسَ المُسلِمونَ ضُيوفُنا

    أمَا وأبيكَ الحَبْرِ ما نحْنُ بالبِيسِ

    He said, 'What wretched guests these Muslims are!'

    'Nay, by your father the scholar, we are not wretched!

  29. وهلْ في بَني مثْواكَ إلا مُبرِّزٌ

    بحَلْبَةِ شُورَى أو بحَلْقَةِ تدْريسِ

    Is there any among the sons of your abode but one who excels

    in the arena of counsel or a circle of teaching?

  30. إذا هزّ عسّالَ البَراعةِ فاتِكاً

    أسالَ نَجيعَ الحِبْرِ فوقَ القَراطيسِ

    When he brandishes the quivering lance of eloquence, striking fiercely,

    he spills the lifeblood of ink over the sheets.

  31. يُقلِّبُ تحْتَ النّقْعِ مُقلَةَ ضاحِكٍ

    إذا التَفَتَ الأبْطالُ عنْ مُقَلٍ شُوسِ

    He turns a laughing eye beneath the battle dust,

    when heroes glance about with fierce, sidelong eyes.'

  32. سَبَيْنا عُقارَ الرّومِ في عُقْرِ دارِها

    بحيلَةِ تمْويهٍ وخدْعَةِ تدْليسِ

    We took Roman wine captive in the heart of its own abode,

    through a stratagem of disguise and a trick of deception.

  33. لَئِنْ أنْكَرَتْ شَكْلي ففضْليَ واضِحٌ

    وهلْ جائِزٌ في العقْلِ إنْكارُ محْسوسِ

    Even if she does not recognize my form, my merit is plain;

    and can reason permit the denial of something perceptible?

  34. رسَتْ بأقْصَى الغرْبِ ذُخْرَ مَضنّةٍ

    وكمْ دُرّةٍ علْياءَ في قاعِ قاموسِ

    It came to rest in the farthest West, a jealously guarded treasure;

    and how many a lofty pearl lies at the bottom of an ocean!

  35. وأغْرَيْتُ سوسِي بالعُذَيْبِ وبارِقٍ

    على وطَنٍ داني الجِوارِ منَ السّوسِ

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

    in preference to a homeland lying close to Sus.