جادك الغيث إذا الغيث همى — Ibn Alkhatib

جادَكَ الغيْثُ إذا الغيْثُ هَمى

يا زَمانَ الوصْلِ بالأندَلُسِ

May the rain lavish its bounty on you whenever it pours,

O time of union in al-Andalus.

لمْ يكُنْ وصْلُكَ إلاّ حُلُما

في الكَرَى أو خِلسَةَ المُخْتَلِسِ

Your union was nothing but a dream

In sleep, or a thief's stolen moment.

إذْ يقودُ الدّهْرُ أشْتاتَ المُنَى

تنْقُلُ الخَطْوَ علَى ما يُرْسَمُ

When time led the scattered wishes,

Moving their steps as the course was traced,

زُفَراً بيْنَ فُرادَى وثُنَى

مثْلَما يدْعو الوفودَ الموْسِمُ

Sighs, now singly, now in pairs,

As the festival season summons delegations.

والحَيا قدْ جلّلَ الرّوضَ سَنا

فثُغورُ الزّهْرِ فيهِ تبْسِمُ

And rain had cloaked the garden in radiance,

So the blossoms' mouths smiled within it.

ورَوَى النّعْمانُ عنْ ماءِ السّما

كيْفَ يرْوي مالِكٌ عنْ أنسِ

And the anemone narrated from heaven's water,

As Malik narrates from Anas.

فكَساهُ الحُسْنُ ثوْباً مُعْلَما

يزْدَهي منْهُ بأبْهَى ملْبَسِ

So beauty clothed it in a patterned robe,

It gloried in that most splendid attire.

في لَيالٍ كتَمَتْ سرَّ الهَوى

بالدُّجَى لوْلا شُموسُ الغُرَرِ

On nights that concealed love's secret

In darkness, but for the suns of radiant faces.

مالَ نجْمُ الكأسِ فيها وهَوى

مُسْتَقيمَ السّيْرِ سعْدَ الأثَرِ

In them the goblet's star inclined and sank,

Straight in its course, auspicious in its influence.

وطَرٌ ما فيهِ منْ عيْبٍ سَوَى

أنّهُ مرّ كلَمْحِ البصَرِ

A delight with no fault except

That it passed in the twinkling of an eye.

حينَ لذّ الأنْسُ مَع حُلْوِ اللّمَى

هجَمَ الصُّبْحُ هُجومَ الحرَسِ

When fellowship grew sweet with the sweet, dark-lipped one,

Dawn stormed in like the onslaught of guards.

غارَتِ الشُّهْبُ بِنا أو ربّما

أثّرَتْ فيها عُيونُ النّرْجِسِ

The bright stars grew jealous of us, or perhaps

The narcissi's eyes had worked their influence upon them.

أيُّ شيءٍ لامرِئٍ قدْ خلَصا

فيكونُ الرّوضُ قد مُكِّنَ فيهْ

What has ever been unspoiled for a man,

That he should be given firm footing in the garden?

تنْهَبُ الأزْهارُ فيهِ الفُرَصا

أمِنَتْ منْ مَكْرِهِ ما تتّقيهْ

The flowers seize their opportunities there,

Safe from its wiles, from what they fear.

فإذا الماءُ تَناجَى والحَصَى

وخَلا كُلُّ خَليلٍ بأخيهْ

Then, when water and pebbles whispered together,

And each close friend was alone with his brother,

تبْصِرُ الورْدَ غَيوراً برِما

يكْتَسي منْ غيْظِهِ ما يكْتَسي

You see the rose, jealous and vexed,

Donning, in its anger, whatever it dons.

وتَرى الآسَ لَبيباً فهِما

يسْرِقُ السّمْعَ بأذْنَيْ فرَسِ

And you see the myrtle, discerning and perceptive,

Eavesdropping with a horse's two ears.

يا أُهَيْلَ الحيّ منْ وادِي الغضا

وبقلْبي مسْكَنٌ أنْتُمْ بهِ

O dear folk of the encampment from Wadi al-Ghada,

And in my heart is a dwelling where you abide.

ضاقَ عْنْ وجْدي بكُمْ رحْبُ الفَضا

لا أبالِي شرْقُهُ منْ غَرْبِهِ

Space's vast expanse cannot contain my longing for you;

I care nothing for its east or its west.

فأعِيدوا عهْدَ أنْسٍ قدْ مضَى

تُعْتِقوا عانِيكُمُ منْ كرْبِهِ

So restore the time of fellowship that has passed,

You will free your captive from his anguish.

واتّقوا اللهَ وأحْيُوا مُغْرَما

يتَلاشَى نفَساً في نفَسِ

And fear God, and revive a lovesick man

Who fades away, breath by breath.

حُبِسَ القلْبُ عليْكُمْ كرَما

أفَتَرْضَوْنَ عَفاءَ الحُبُسِ

The heart was generously endowed to you;

Will you then accept the destruction of the endowments?

وبقَلْبي منْكُمُ مقْتَرِبٌ

بأحاديثِ المُنَى وهوَ بَعيدْ

And in my heart one of you draws near,

Through the tales of hope, though he is far away.

قمَرٌ أطلَعَ منْهُ المَغْرِبُ

بشِقوةِ المُغْرَى بهِ وهْوَ سَعيدْ

A moon the West brought forth from its midst,

To the misery of his enamored lover, while he is happy.

قد تساوَى مُحسِنٌ أو مُذْنِبُ

في هَواهُ منْ وعْدٍ ووَعيدْ

Virtuous or guilty, all have become alike

In love for him, in promise and in threat.

ساحِرُ المُقْلَةِ معْسولُ اللّمى

جالَ في النّفسِ مَجالَ النّفَسِ

His eye bewitching, his dusky lips honeyed,

He coursed through the soul as breath does.

سدَّدَ السّهْمَ وسمّى ورَمى

ففؤادي نُهْبَةُ المُفْتَرِسِ

He aimed the arrow, invoked God's name, and shot,

So my heart is the predator's plunder.

إنْ يكُنْ جارَ وخابَ الأمَلُ

وفؤادُ الصّبِّ بالشّوْقِ يَذوبْ

Even if he has been cruel and hope has failed,

And the lover's heart melts with longing,

فهْوَ للنّفْسِ حَبيبٌ أوّلُ

ليْسَ في الحُبِّ لمَحْبوبٍ ذُنوبْ

Still, he is the soul's first beloved;

In love, a beloved has no sins.

أمْرُهُ معْتَمَدٌ ممْتَثِلُ

في ضُلوعٍ قدْ بَراها وقُلوبْ

His command is relied upon and obeyed

In ribs he has worn away, and in hearts.

حكَمَ اللّحْظُ بِها فاحْتَكَما

لمْ يُراقِبْ في ضِعافِ الأنْفُسِ

His glance ruled over them, then took full command,

Showing no regard for frail souls.

مُنْصِفُ المظْلومِ ممّنْ ظَلَما

ومُجازي البَريءِ منْها والمُسي

Giving the wronged justice against the wrongdoer,

And requiting the innocent among them and the evildoer.

ما لقَلْبي كلّما هبّتْ صَبا

عادَهُ عيدٌ منَ الشّوْقِ جَديدْ

What ails my heart, that whenever an east wind blows,

A fresh festival of longing returns to it?

كانَ في اللّوْحِ لهُ مكْتَتَبا

قوْلُهُ إنّ عَذابي لَشديدْ

For it, upon the Tablet, was inscribed

His saying: 'Indeed, My punishment is severe.'

جلَبَ الهمَّ لهُ والوَصَبا

فهْوَ للأشْجانِ في جُهْدٍ جَهيدْ

It brought worry and sickness upon it,

So it struggles amid sorrows in exhausting toil.

لاعِجٌ في أضْلُعي قدْ أُضْرِما

فهْيَ نارٌ في هَشيمِ اليَبَسِ

A burning ache has been kindled in my ribs,

So they are fire amid dry, crumbled stalks.

لمْ يدَعْ في مُهْجَتي إلا ذَما

كبَقاءِ الصُّبْحِ بعْدَ الغلَسِ

It left in my heart's core only a last flicker of life,

Like dawn lingering after the pre-dawn darkness.

سلِّمي يا نفْسُ في حُكْمِ القَضا

واعْمُري الوقْتَ برُجْعَى ومَتابْ

Submit, O soul, to fate's decree,

And fill your time with return and repentance.

دعْكَ منْ ذِكْرى زَمانٍ قد مضى

بيْنَ عُتْبَى قدْ تقضّتْ وعِتابْ

Spare yourself memories of a time now past,

Between reconciliation now ended and reproach.

واصْرِفِ القوْلَ الى المَوْلَى الرِّضى

فلَهُم التّوفيقُ في أمِّ الكِتابْ

And turn your speech toward the worthy lord,

For theirs is success in the Mother of the Book:

الكَريمُ المُنْتَهَى والمُنْتَمَى

أسَدُ السّرْحِ وبدْرُ المجْلِسِ

Noble in his attainment and ancestry,

Lion of the open range, full moon of the assembly.

ينْزِلُ النّصْرُ عليْهِ مثْلَما

ينْزِلُ الوحْيُ بروحِ القُدُسِ

Victory descends upon him just as

Revelation descends through the Holy Spirit.

مُصْطَفَى اللهِ سَميُّ المُصْطَفَى

الغَنيُّ باللّهِ عنْ كُلِّ أحَدِ

God's chosen one, namesake of the Chosen One,

Al-Ghani bi-llah, through God free of need for anyone,

مَنْ إذا ما عقَدَ العهْد وَفَى

وإذا ما فتَحَ الخطْبَ عقَدْ

Who, whenever he binds a covenant, fulfills it,

And whenever he opens a grave affair, settles it firmly.

مِنْ بَني قيْسِ بْنِ سعْدٍ وكَفى

حيْثُ بيْتُ النّصْرِ مرْفوعُ العَمَدْ

From the sons of Qays ibn Sa'd—and that suffices—

Where the house of victory stands with pillars raised,

حيث بيْتُ النّصْرِ محْميُّ الحِمَى

وجَنى الفَضْلَ زكيُّ المَغْرِسِ

Where the house of victory has its domain protected,

And the pure-rooted one has reaped excellence.

والهَوى ظِلٌّ ظَليلٌ خيَّما

والنّدَى هبّ الى المُغْتَرَسِ

And love, a sheltering shade, has pitched its tent,

And bounty has hastened toward the planted tree.

هاكَها يا سِبْطَ أنْصارِ العُلَى

والذي إنْ عثَرَ النّصْرُ أقالْ

Take it, O scion of the Ansar of high glory,

And you who lift victory up if it stumbles.

عادَةٌ ألْبَسَها الحُسْنُ مُلا

تُبْهِرُ العيْنَ جَلاءً وصِقالْ

A custom that beauty has clothed in mantles,

Dazzling the eye with brightness and polish.

عارَضَتْ لفْظاً ومعْنىً وحُلا

قوْلَ مَنْ أنطَقَهُ الحُبُّ فَقالْ

It emulated, in wording, meaning, and adornment,

The words of one whom love made speak, who said:

هلْ دَرَى ظبْيُ الحِمَى أنْ قد حَمَى

قلْبَ صبٍّ حلّهُ عنْ مَكْنِسِ

Did the gazelle of the sanctuary know that it had inflamed

A lover's heart, where it dwelt instead of a woodland lair?

فهْوَ في خَفْقِ وحَرٍّ مثلَما

ريحُ الصَّبا بالقَبَسِ

So it flutters and burns, just like

A glowing firebrand in the east wind.