خدع الشوق فؤادي فانخدع — Ibn Alkhatib

خدَعَ الشّوْقُ فؤادي فانخَدَعْ

أفَلا أقْصَرَ شَيْئاً وارتَدَعْ

Longing deceived my heart, and it was deceived.

Will it not desist a little and restrain itself?

ثمّ لمّا حَلّ في فخِّ الهَوى

طَيْرُهُ بعْدَ حِذارٍ ووَقَعْ

Then, when its bird alighted in love’s snare,

After all its caution, it fell.

قيّضَ اللّهُ لهُ يوْمَ النّوى

اشْعَلَ النّارَ بهِ حتى انْصَدَعْ

God ordained for it, on the day of separation,

A fire that inflamed it until it broke apart.

يا عُرَيْبَ الشِّعْبِ منْ وادِي النّقا

أخْضَلَ الغَيْثُ رُباكُمْ ونَقَعْ

O dear Arab folk of the valley in Wadi al-Naqa,

May rain drench your hills and quench them.

أخْلَقَ الصّبْرُ فَما في ثوْبِه

أبَداً واللّهِ لي مِنْ مُنتَفَعْ

Patience has worn threadbare, and in its garment

By God, no use remains for me—ever.

قُلْتُ فارقْتُ شَبابي وحْدَهُ

فإذا الدُنْيا ومَا فِيها تبَعْ

I said: I had parted only from my youth,

But behold—the world and all within it followed.

هلْ لهَذا البَيْنِ منْ مُجتَمَع

أوْ لهَذا المُرْتَجى منْ مُرْتَجَعْ

Can this separation ever end in reunion,

Or can this hope ever return?

طمَعَتْ نَفْسي بزَوْرٍ غرَّها

فهْيَ تجْني بعْدَهُ عُقْبَى الطّمَعْ

My soul coveted a false promise that deluded it,

And now it reaps the consequence of desire.

والّذي أظْمأ لوْ شاءَ سَقَى

والذي فرّقَ لوْ شاءَ جمَعْ

By Him who made me thirst: had He willed, He would have given drink;

And He who parted us, had He willed, would reunite us.

يا نَسيمَ الرّيحِ إنْ جِئْتَ الحِمَى

بعدَما طبّقَ غيْمٌ وارتفَعْ

O breeze, if you reach the protected abode

After a cloud has spread across it and risen,

وتلوّمْتَ بأكْنافِ سَلا

ترْفَعُ الدّوْحَ قَليلاً وتضَعْ

And linger around the outskirts of Salā,

Now lifting the great trees a little, now lowering them,

قُلْ لَوادي الغَبْطِ هلْ منْ عوْدَةٍ

يصِلُ الأنْسُ لدَيْها ما قطَعْ

Say to Wadi al-Ghabt: Is there any return

By which companionship may mend what separation severed?

أوْ على مرْجِ حَمامٍ خطْرَةٌ

ما سرَتْ في خاطِري إلا انْجَمَعْ

Or one passing visit to Marj Hammam—

No thought of it crosses my mind but my heart gathers itself—

أوْ بأَسْمِيرَ لَنا منْ سمَرٍ

أو علَى ناظورِها منْ مُجتمَعْ

Or an evening’s conversation for us at Asmir,

Or a gathering upon its lookout?

وسَقَى شَلّةَ عهْدٌ مُغْدِق

هَمى في الرّبْعِ منْها وهَمَعْ

May a copious rain-cloud water Shalla,

Pouring and streaming over its dwelling places;

ورِباطَ الفَتْحِ يا حَيَّ الحَيا

ما بَنى المَنْصور فيهِ واخْتَرَعْ

And the Ribat al-Fath—O living rain!—

And all that al-Mansur built and devised there;

ورِياضُ الشّيْخ كمْ مرْأى لَنا

فيهِ يُزْري بالنُهَى أو مُسْتَمَعْ

And Riyad al-Shaykh—how many sights we had there

That humbled the intellect, and how many things heard!

دبّجَ الغيثُ بهِ خُضْرَ الرُّبى

كيْفَما شاء ووشّى ووشَعْ

Rain embroidered its green hills,

As it pleased, adorning and embellishing them.

فإذا جاءَتْ تحيّاتُ الصَّبا

سجَدَ الدّوْحُ خُشوعاً وركَعْ

When the east wind’s greetings arrived,

The great trees prostrated humbly and bowed.

سئِمَتْ أغْصانُه دَيْنَ الصَّبا

فهْيَ تقْضي دُفَعاً بعْدَ دُفَعْ

Their branches wearied of the east wind’s debt,

So they repaid it in installment after installment,

تَنْشُرُ الزّهْرُ علَيْنا ورَقًا

نقَشَ الكوْنُ علَيْها وطَبَعْ

Scattering the blossoms’ leaves over us,

Upon which creation had engraved and imprinted its designs:

سكّةُ اللهِ فسُبْحانَ الذي

قدّرَ الصّرْفَ وأعطى ومنَعْ

God’s own coinage—glory be to Him

Who ordained change, gave, and withheld.

وأطاعَتْ بأبي العاصِي المُنَى

فلَكَمْ بابٍ الى الأُنْسِ شرَعْ

Through Abu al-Asi, wishes proved obedient—

How many doors toward companionship he opened!

وعلى المَلْحَد منْ شرْقِيِّه

رَحْمَةُ اللهِ فكمْ فضْلٍ جمَعْ

And upon the grave to its east

Be God’s mercy—for how much virtue it gathered.

فيهِ أوْدَعْتُ فؤادي في الثّرَى

ولبِسْتُ الحُزْنَ ثوْباً لوْ نفَعْ

There I entrusted my heart to the earth,

And donned grief as a garment, if only that could help.

إنْ سَلا قَلْبي منْ بعْدِ سَلا

فإلى الغَدْرِ بِلا شكٍّ نزَعْ

If my heart finds consolation after Salā,

Then undoubtedly it has inclined toward betrayal.

ثمَرُ القلْبِ بِها خلّفْتُهُ

هلْ لقَلْبي بعْدَها منْ مُنتَجَعْ

The fruit of my heart I left there;

Where can my heart seek pasture after her?

أمْتَعَ الدّهْرُ بِها لمّا سَها

ثمّ لمّا اسْتَشْعَرَ السّهْوَ رفَعْ

Time let me enjoy her while it was heedless,

Then, realizing its lapse, it took her away.

وإذا جِئْتُ رُبوعاً بعْدَها

فعلَ اللّهُ بقَلْبي وصنَعْ

Whenever I visit dwellings after hers,

God alone knows what He does with my heart.

أبلغَنْ صَحْبي بِها مَمْحوضَةً

ناظَرَ المِسْكَ شَذاها فانْقَطَعْ

Convey to my companions there a greeting of pure devotion,

Whose fragrance challenged musk until it failed.

بِوَلِيِّ اللهِ فابدَأ واقْتَصِدْ

واحِد الآحادِ في بابِ الوَرَعْ

Begin with Wali Allah, and be measured:

The peerless one among the peerless in devotion.

وعلَى عبْدِ العزيزِ اعْطِفْ تجِدْ

ناسِكاً للّهِ والنّاسِ اتّضَعْ

Then turn to Abd al-Aziz, and you will find

A worshipper humbled before God and humankind.

والى الزّاويةَ العُلْيا التَفِتْ

فهْيَ مثْوَى مَنْ عنِ الغَيِّ نَزَعْ

Turn toward the lofty zawiya,

For it is the dwelling of whoever renounces error.

وأبْلِغِ الأحْبابَ عنّي أنّنِي

فَجَأ البَيْنُ فؤادِي وفجَعْ

Tell the beloved friends on my behalf that

Separation surprised my heart and struck it with grief.

حَيِّ بالرّضْوان عنّي ابْنَ رِضي

فرْعَ مجْدٍ قُنّةَ المجْدِ فرَعْ

Greet Ibn Radi with divine favor on my behalf,

A branch of glory that reached glory’s summit.

سُنّةُ الفَضْلِ بهِ قامَتْ وقَدْ

أُحدِثَتْ منْ فضْلِهِ فِيها بِدَعْ

Through him the tradition of excellence stands, while

Through his excellence new marvels have arisen within it.

حسَبٌ زاكٍ ونَفْسٌ حُرّةٌ

وطِباعٌ لمْ يُدنِّسْها الطّبَعْ

A pure lineage and a free soul,

And qualities no natural taint has stained.

وابْنَ حَمْدين بحَمْدي فابْتَدرْ

أيَّ ندْبٍ رايَةَ السّورِ رفَعْ

Hasten to Ibn Hamdin with my praise—

What a champion raised the rampart’s banner!

بَيْتُ عِلْمٍ وقَضاءٍ وعُلَى

أوْتَرَ المَعْروفُ فيهِ وشَفَعْ

A house of learning, judgment, and high rank,

Where good deeds came singly and in pairs.

وابْنَ داوُودَ بودّي فابْتَدِرْ

فهْوَ في الخُلّةِ صُبْحٌ قدْ سَطَعْ

Hasten to Ibn Dawud with my affection,

For in friendship he is a dawn that has shone.

حَكَميُّ البيْتِ في مَكْمَنِه

نامَ ذو الحِكمَةِ فنّاً واضْطَجَعْ

The Hakamī of the house, within his retreat—

The master of wisdom slept through an art and lay down.

وابْنَ غِياثٍ غِياثٌ وشِفا

جُملةَ الخَلْقِ بهِ اللّهُ نفَعْ

And Ibn Ghiyath is succor and healing;

Through him God benefited all creation.

ولعُثْمانَ ارْوِ عنّي وابْنِه

حُسْنَ عهْدي دَرّةَ الرّعْي رضَعْ

Relate on my behalf to Uthman and his son

My faithful affection, nursed as the pearl of care.

واذكُرِ الصَّبّاغَ عبْدَ اللهِ إنْ

رجّعَ الشّدْوَ وبالذِّكْرِ سجَعْ

Mention al-Sabbagh, Abd Allah, when

He repeats his song and chants in remembrance.

ولْتَصِفْ شَقْرونَ بالسّعْدِ وإن

قيلَ أيُّ السّعْدِ قُلْ سعْدُ بُلَعْ

Describe Shaqrun as fortunate; and if

Asked, “Which fortune?” say, “Saʿd Bulaʿ.”

يا لَهُمْ منْ سادَةٍ جرّعَني

بيْنَهُمْ منْ مضَض البَيْنِ جُرَعْ

What noble lords they are! Separation from them

Made me swallow draughts of bitter pain.

زَرعُوا فيّ جَميلاً فجَنَوْا

يحْصِدُ الإنسانُ إلاّ ما زَرَعْ

They planted kindness in me and reaped it;

Does a person harvest anything but what he sowed?

سلّم اللهُ علَى أهْلِ سَلا

ما صَباحٌ لاحَ أوْ برْقٌ لمَعْ

May God send peace upon the people of Salā

Whenever morning gleams or lightning flashes.