احدى دواهيها الكبر — Ibn Nabata Al Saadi

احدى دَواهِيْهَا الكُبَرْ

انْ سنَحتْ هذي الغُمَرْ

One of its great calamities:

if these engulfing wastes appear—

بيداءُ تغتالُ البَصَرْ

دليلُها من الحَصَرْ

a desert that steals away the sight,

whose guide, from bewilderment,

يَشُمُّ حَوليَ الثَّغَرْ

وَوِرْدُها بلا صَدَرْ

sniffs around me for openings;

and entering it brings no return.

ملَّ بها النجمُ السَّهَرْ

يَسري الجديُّ والقَمَرْ

The star has tired there of its vigil;

the Goat Star and the moon journey by night

في نَبهِهَا على غَرَرْ

رُمَّتْ فَضَمَّنْتُ الخَطَرْ

over its heights, at peril.

It was sought; I entrusted the peril

أهوجَ بَّراقَ النَّظَرْ

بَذَّ المَطَايا وَحَسَرْ

to a headstrong, flashing-eyed mount.

He outstripped the mounts and exhausted them.

ذرعنَ أَرضاً وَسِيرْ

فهنَّ يطلُبنَ الأَثَرْ

They crossed the land and were driven on;

and they pursued his trail,

لَواحقاً منها شُرَرْ

أَبْوالهُنَّ في الجِرَرْ

following, with sparks flying from them—

their urine in their cud-balls.

لو أنه داسَ النُغَرْ

من خفَّةٍ لما شَعَرْ

If he trod upon small birds,

so light was he, they would not feel it.

كأَنَّهُ حينَ زَفَرْ

وماجَ نَسْغٌ وظُفُرْ

As though, when he snorted

and joint and hoof surged

وقُلِّصَ الظلُّ فَفَرْ

وَحِشيةٌ من البَقَرْ

and his shadow shortened as he sped off,

he were a wild cow,

تُزجى طُلاماً يَستَمِرْ

رِخْو العِظامِ والنَّظَرْ

urging onward a calf that keeps moving,

weak in bone and sight.

فَاستودَعَتْهُ بالخَمَرْ

ولبِسَتْ ثَوبَ الذُعُرْ

She left it in the thicket's safekeeping

and put on the garment of terror.

فصادفتْ فيما تَدُرْ

أَطْلَسَ طَباً بالغِرَرْ

Then, as she ran, she encountered

a dusky beast, skilled in surprise attacks,

عاقِدَ نابٍ أُقُرْ

أَسرعَ من لمحِ البَصَرْ

a wolf with firmly set fangs,

swifter than a glance of the eye;

وغادرتْه في الغَدَرْ

أو قارحٌ من الحُمُرْ

and she left him on the rocky ground.

Or a full-grown wild ass,

يَشُلُّ سَبعاً وَنَزَرْ

شَم الحَواني والقَصَرْ

driving seven she-asses and a few more,

high-backed and lofty-necked.

رَعَتْ أَراطَى والحُفَرْ

وصَهوةَ العُودِ الذَّكرْ

They grazed among arta shrubs and hollows

and on the crown of the sturdy old tree,

أَنفَ الربيعِ المُبتكَرْ

فأَجمَعَتْ ماءَ الغُدُرْ

at the fresh beginning of spring;

then they gathered in the pools' water,

حتى اذا القيظُ اعتَصَرْ

شوكَ النباتِ والمَدَرْ

until, when summer's heat squeezed dry

the plants' thorns and the clods,

وَطَلَع الكلبُ فَهَرْ

والصَّفوُ يتلوهُ الكَدَرْ

and the Dog Star rose and growled—

clarity is followed by murk—

أَقبلَها من ذِي سَمُرْ

يَنويِ بِها ما يأتَمِرْ

he led them from Dhu Samur,

intending for them what he planned:

عَيْنُ النُّباحِ وَهَجَرْ

فوردت معَ السَّحَرْ

the spring of al-Nubah and Hajar.

They came to water at dawn,

صفاً كما قص الشعرْ

وذو صِدَارِ مُصْطَمِرْ

in a row as even as trimmed hair.

And a wiry man wearing a vest—

لولا العيالُ ما افتقرْ

في قُترةٍ من القَتَرْ

but for his dependents, he would not be poor—

was in one of the hunting blinds.

عارضَ هِداءً يَسرْ

يأطِرُها فتنأَطِرْ

He held a supple, easily bent bow,

bending it, and it bent,

حتى اذا النزعُ حَسَرْ

عن مِرفقيهِ والعِذَرْ

until, when the draw had bared

his elbows and his cheek-locks,

نمَّ على السَّهْمِ الوَتَرْ

كأَنَّهُ بعضُ النُذُرْ

the bowstring gave the arrow away,

as though it were one of the warnings.

فانصدعتْ مثلَ الشَّرَرْ

على الحِدَابِ والأَمَرْ

Then they scattered like sparks

over the ridges and cairns,

يأْخذ نَقعاً ويَذَرْ

أَو قَرهَبٌ من الأشَرْ

raising dust and leaving it behind.

Or a great old bull, full of exuberance,

تختال كالطِرفِ الطِّمِرْ

فتش جِسمي وسَبَرْ

strutting like a fleet, bounding steed.

It searched my body and probed

عن كلِّ عينٍ وأثَرْ

فاغتالهْ دونَ الحَذَرْ

for every watching eye and track.

Then he was attacked before he could beware

أَهَرْتُ كالحبلِ المُمَرْ

صِيغَ على صيدِ الفُقُرْ

by a wide-jawed hound, like a tightly twisted rope,

fashioned for hunting spinal bones.

توافياً على قَدَرْ

فابتدرْ الشاةَ الخُضُرْ

The two met as fate decreed;

then he rushed at the dark-hued bull.

تَقَدَّمَ الفِعُل الخَبَرْ

حتى اذا ما قيلَ فَرْ

The deed preceded the report,

until, just as they said, 'He has fled,'

سَدَّدَ روقيهِ وكَرْ

فاليومَ يلتفُ العُذُرْ

he leveled his two horns and charged back.

Now their cheek-locks intertwine;

من كان ذا جَدٍ ظَفِرْ

اقدَامُهُ بعدَ الخَوَرْ

whoever has good fortune wins.

His boldness, after weakness,

علَّمه طعنَ الثُّغَرْ

وربَّ نَفْفٍ في ضَرَرْ

taught him to thrust into vulnerable gaps.

And many a benefit [reading uncertain] lies in harm.

لو حَسَبَا ما في الغَرَرْ

تسالما على غِمَرْ

Had the two reckoned what peril held,

they would have made peace despite their grudges,

سِلْمَ الهِزَبْرِ للنمرْ

والدهرُ قَطَّاعُ المِرَرْ

as the lion makes peace with the leopard.

Time severs the twisted cords,

يَصرِفُ أَحوالَ البَشَرْ

مثلَ تَغايير القَمَرْ

changing the states of humankind

like the moon's changing phases.

أَودى بِشِمْرِ وَحُجُرْ

وأُمَمٍ قَبلُ أُخَرْ

It made away with Shimr and Hujr,

and other peoples before them;

فما هُمُ الاَّ شَمِرْ

تَمَّت تنسَّى وتُزَرْ

so they are only tales [reading uncertain],

ended, forgotten, and abandoned [reading uncertain].

هي الجدودُ تُبَدرْ

فعاجزٌ ومقتدِرْ

These are fortunes, scattered abroad:

one man helpless, another capable.

كم من نجومٍ في الصغرْ

مثل السها لم يَشتَهرْ

How many stars, in their smallness,

like al-Suha, remain unknown!

حَذَارِ من أم دَفَرْ

ما خَدَعَتْ اِلاَّ غُمُرْ

Beware Umm Dafar;

she deceives none but an inexperienced fool,

تَروقُهُ حُسْنُ الصُوَرْ

وهي البَجَاريُّ البُجُرْ

whom the beauty of appearances delights,

while she is great calamities and dreadful woes.

قل لأَبي نَصْرٍ نُصِرْ

على الأَعادي واقتَدَرْ

Tell Abu Nasr—may he be granted victory

over his enemies and gain power—

يا من اذا لاقى صَبَرْ

أَو ضامه الدهرُ انتصَرْ

O you who stand firm when you face a foe,

or, if Time wrongs you, win redress,

أَو عظُم الذنبُ غَفَرْ

ويا ابنَ من سادَ البَشَرْ

or, if the offense is great, forgive;

O son of one who held sway over humankind,

اذا تحاماكَ القَدَرْ

فالناسُ اِلاكَ هَدَرْ

if Fate keeps clear of you,

all people but you count for nothing.

خانَتكَ أَحياءُ مُضَرْ

والبدوُ جمعاً والحضَرْ

The clans of Mudar betrayed you,

the nomads, all together, and the townsfolk,

حتى النصيحُ المُدَّخَرْ

لريبِ دَهْرٍ انْ عَثَرْ

even the loyal counselor kept in reserve

against Time's reversals, should one stumble;

وباسلٌ فيمنَ غَدَرْ

وكل من فوقَ العَفَرْ

and Basil was among the treacherous,

and everyone above the dust

أَعْطَيْتَهُ فما شَكَرْ

عسَى الذي سَاءَ وسَرْ

to whom you gave, yet who gave no thanks.

May He who brings sorrow and joy

يجعل عُقْبَى مَن مكَرْ

ومَن بنُعماكَ كَفَرْ

make the outcome of those who plotted

and denied your favor

للعالَمين معتَبرْ

كانتْ خطوبٌ وسِيَرْ

a lesson for all peoples.

There were calamities and events

أَهملَ فيهنَّ النَّظَرْ

يا موردَ الرأي الصَدَرْ

in which he neglected careful thought.

O you who bring counsel to its outcome,

لا تَحِقرَنَّ مُحْتَقَرُ

انْ فُلَّتِ اللُدن السُمُرْ

never despise what is despised.

If the supple, brown spears are blunted

وَنَفَذَتْ زغبُ الابَرْ

فانَّ في الأَفعى قِصَرْ

and the down-fine needles pierce through,

for the viper is short in length.

لاحتْ تَباشيرُ الظَفَرْ

وطردَ المَحْلَ المَطَرْ

The first signs of victory have appeared;

rain has driven drought away;

وفُضَّ اكمامُ الزَّهَرْ

وكانَ سِراً فَظَهَرْ

the flowers' sheaths have burst open;

what was hidden has become manifest.

عما قليلٍ يَزدَجِرْ

عن بَغيهِ كلُّ مُضِرْ

Before long shall desist

from his oppression every wrongdoer,

ولا يقالُ المُعْتَذِرْ

نَبِّهْ عيوناً وفكَرْ

and no excuse-maker will be pardoned.

Rouse eyes and thoughts

لخنْفَقِيقٍ تَنْتَظِرْ

لو كانَ نوماً لَنَفَرْ

for the great calamity you await.

Were it sleep, it would flee,

وما بها الاَّ سُكُرْ

but they hold nothing but drunken stupor.