احكي للأصحاب

عن أسباب قولي

I tell my companions

the reasons for my words.

لي أستاذ أرسل

قاصد وجوالي

A master of mine sent

a messenger; they came to me.

جيت سامع أمره

والقصاد حولي

I came, heeding his command,

with the messengers around me.

قال خُذ ديك

ما قال الوزن

He said, ‘Take that’—

he did not specify the meter:

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

ناديت يا سيدي

من ذا اعفني

I cried, ‘My master,

spare me this!

فالأجزال يا سيد

ما هي من فني

For zajal poems, sir,

are not my craft.’

قال ذي الأعذار

ما تنجيك مني

He said, ‘These excuses

will not save you from me.’

صبته ما يقبل

من لا له أذعن

I found he would not accept

anyone who did not submit to him.

فحكيت شي ما كان

إلا أقوال توزن

So I recited something that was

nothing but words made to scan.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

من يوم ضاق صدري

قال لي قلبي روح

One day, when my breast grew tight,

my heart said to me, ‘Go,

وامشي صوب بولاق

تنعش فيها الروح

and walk toward Bulaq;

the spirit revives there.’

رحت أمشي صُدفه

ألقى باب مفتوح

I went walking; by chance

I found an open door.

جيت أدخل قال لي

واحد روح أحسن

I went to enter; there spoke to me

someone: ‘You'd better leave.’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

قال لي قلبي ادخل

تمّيت داخل إيه

My heart said to me, ‘Go in.’

I went on in—what a sight!

رأيت واحد نايم

وآخر عمّال فيه

I saw one man lying down,

and another busy at him,

يلفت له الزلوم

يسقيه مما فيه

turning his trunk toward him,

giving him drink from what it held.

والزبره صارت

في الذكره تدفن

And the cock was now

being buried in the man's rear.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

لَمّا قاموا جيت

صبت التحتاتي

When they got up, I came over

and found the one who had been underneath,

كالظبي النافر

ما له ثاني

like a startled gazelle,

with no equal.

ولّفته أتغنج

في الحال أفناني

I won him over, playing coy;

at once he undid me.

لولا له انظر

ما كان اتمكّن

Had I not looked at him,

he could never have gained his hold.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

أخذ قلبي مني

بالحُسن الفتّان

He took my heart from me

with his bewitching beauty.

له ألحاظ تجرح

ما هي للغزلان

He has glances that wound—

gazelles have none like them—

مع قامة إن مال

أزرت بالأغصان

and a figure that, when he sways,

puts branches to shame.

مَن قال أنظر له

حتى لي أفتن

Who told me to look at him,

only to be bewitched?

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

ولّفتو أمزح

جا الأشكع طاب لي

I won him over with joking;

al-Ashkaʿ came, and pleased me.

واعدته في الحال

جا في اصطبلي

I arranged a meeting with him at once;

he came into my stable.

ناديت يا فرحي

قد طبّل طبلي

I cried, ‘Oh, my joy!

My drum has sounded!’

ما ظنيت حبي

غدري قد أكمن

I never thought my beloved

had concealed a plan to betray me.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

راح من غير علمي

واصل بعض الناس

He went, without my knowing,

and coupled with other people.

والقلب المشغول

بالأشياء حساس

And a preoccupied heart

is sensitive to such things.

جيت فاتشته قال

أي وايش في ذا باس

I went and questioned him; he said,

‘Yes—and what is wrong with that?

ترضَى والاّ أروح

قلت اخرج غب عن

Will you accept it, or shall I go?’

I said, ‘Get out! Vanish from—’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

كان ظني أني

شاطر في العشقان

I had thought myself

clever at love affairs.

هجّجته في غيظ

أخلى لي الأوطان

In anger I drove him off;

he left me my haunts to myself.

عاد بان لي أني

في أمري غلطان

Then it dawned on me that I

had been wrong in what I did.

شي من غير علمي

إيش لي فيه مطعن

Something done without my knowing—

what grounds had I to reproach it?

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

ذاب مني قلبي

قلبي مني ذاب

My heart melted within me;

my heart within me melted,

مما قد لاقاه

من جور الاحباب

from what it had endured

of loved ones' cruelty.

غاب وصل المحبوب

والمحبوب ما غاب

Union with the beloved vanished,

though the beloved did not vanish.

لو غاب هو عني

كان ذا لي أهون

Had he himself vanished from me,

that would have been easier for me.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

هو مسكين قلبي

فيما يجري له

My poor, wretched heart,

with all that befalls it!

حبّه راح للغير

راح هو في حاله

Its beloved went to another,

so it went off on its own.

غيّب قال حبه

ما له غاب ما له

It disappeared; its beloved said,

‘What ails it? It's gone—what ails it?’

قالوا غاب حين غار

حتى لا يُغبَن

They said, ‘It left when it grew jealous,

so it would not be cheated.’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

جيت واصلت الغير

كي أسلا الأول

I went and took another lover,

to forget the first.

ما رأيت من عشقه

شي عني اتحوّل

I could not see my love for him

leaving me at all.

راح الواشي له

عنّي يتقوّل

The tale-bearer went to him,

inventing stories about me.

قلت ذا أخذ غيرك

قال ما أعرف ذا من

I said, ‘He has taken someone else instead of you.’

He said, ‘I don't know who that is.’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

جتني ذي الأخبار

صار عندي أفراح

This news came to me;

I was filled with joy,

واسترجيت حبي

يأتي بعد أن راح

and hoped my beloved

would return after leaving.

جيت أطلب صلحه

والروح له ترتاح

I went seeking peace with him,

my soul finding rest with him.

ولّى عنّي لو

ما جيت كان أمكن

He turned away from me; if only

I had not come, there might have been a chance.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

ليش ولّى عني

ليش ما ولّى لي

Why did he turn away from me?

Why did he not turn toward me?

ازداد ما بي حين

خابت آمالي

My suffering grew when

my hopes were dashed.

لَمّا طال بُعده

شكيت له حالي

When his absence dragged on,

I complained to him of my state.

قال ما قلت إنك

بعدك كذا أهون

He said, ‘Didn't you say that you

were better off apart like this?’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

ليش يا مغرور ليش

تبقى تجرّصها

‘Why, you conceited fellow, why

do you keep making a scandal of it?

وان جا القاعة ناس

منهم تخرصها

And if people come to the hall,

you seal it off against them!

النيك في الذكره

شي ما ينقصها

Fucking a man's arse

takes nothing away from it.

ان جا يا أحمق

روح واخلي لي المسكن

If someone comes, you fool,

go and leave me the lodging.’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

لما باكتني

وامعن في الترقيص

When he rebuked me

and persisted in making me dance,

ناديت يا حبي

يكفاني تنغيص

I cried, ‘My love,

I've had enough torment!

توبه من ذا اليوم

أرضى بالتعريص

I repent: from this day on,

I'll consent to pimping.

نيك من تختار

انعس له وارزن

Fuck whomever you choose;

I'll drowse before him and keep calm.’

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

منها طاب اليش

وامضينا الصلحه

With that, life grew sweet,

and we sealed our reconciliation.

والأتراح راحت

حين جت ذي الفرحه

And sorrows went away

when this joy arrived.

كم مرّت ليله

حلوه مع صبحه

How many a night passed,

sweet, along with its morning!

ما أسأل عن شي

هذا هو الأحسن

I ask about nothing;

this is what is best.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.

والعيش يا أصحابي

ماذا من حقه

And life, my companions—

what is its due?

لكن الشاعر

يزلق له زلقه

Yet a poet

may make a slip:

ذا الأبي سودون

حين مات لي بقه

this Abi Sudun—

when a bedbug of mine died,

جيت أحزن لو غاب

عني في المدفن

I began to mourn it, gone

away from me into the grave.

عين لا تنظر

قلب لا يحزن

If the eye does not see,

the heart does not grieve.