امدح الجلاس

سادتي الأكياس

I praise the seated companions,

my discerning masters.

هم خيار الناس

كم أزالوا باس

They are the best of people;

how often they have banished distress!

في الجزل اذكر

والمواليه

In jazal verse I mention them,

and in mawāliyya verse.

إنهم عندي

خير مواليه

Indeed, in my eyes they are

the best of my patrons.

كنّهم غزلان

أو غُصينات بان

As though they were gazelles

or little branches of the bān tree.

كم عن الإخوان

أذهبوا أحزان

How often, from their brothers,

they have driven sorrows away!

لا أزال أدعو

وارفع إيديه

I never cease to pray

and raise my hands,

أي لهم يا قوم

مخلص النيّه

yes, for them, my people,

with sincere intent.

بينهم معكوس

طالعه منحوس

Among them is a perverse fellow,

whose horoscope is ill-starred,

كالقصب فيه سوس

في حشاه مدسوس

like a reed with woodworm

hidden in its innards.

إن رأى زُبّي

شبه سحليّه

If he sees my cock,

like a lizard,

نام وقال قوم

سحلبه فيّه

he lies down and says: Get up;

slide it into me.

مشيته بزّه

له بها هزّه

His gait is a swagger,

with a shake to it;

إن قفز قفزه

أشبه الوزّه

if he makes a leap,

he resembles a goose.

أي وله قامه

مثل ما هيّه

Yes, and his stature

is just as it is:

كالخصى تبقى

رايحه جيّه

like testicles, it keeps

going back and forth.

يوم ما شاني

قام شاشاني

The day he shamed me,

he began taunting me;

أي وما شاني

في كلام شاني

yes, and how he shamed me

with shameful talk!

قال خذ شيك

يا كُبيش هيّه

He said: Take your thing,

you little ram—hey!

قلت مَن ذا وإيش

قام بديهيّه

I said: Who is this, and what?

He launched into an impromptu reply.

قال مَن ذا قوق

قلت ماذا قوق

He said: Who is this Qūq?

I said: What is Qūq?

قال تصير معلوق

بالخصى ملقوق

He said: You'll be strung up,

by the balls, and battered,

ألف لقّه أو

ألف مع ميّه

a thousand blows, or

a thousand and a hundred.

قلت له والك

تفحش أقوالك

I said to him: Woe to you!

Your words grow obscene.

خذ طالع فالك

خابت آمالك

Here, read your omen:

your hopes are dashed.

واسمع مني

ذي المشايشيه

And hear from me

this taunting wordplay,

يا قواقي جاء

من قواقيه

O Qawāqī, sprung

from Qawāqiyya.

قلت مَن ذاوإيش

قلت من كركيش

I said: Who is this, and what?

I said: Who is Karkīsh?

قال ما كركيش

قلت له والعيش

He said: What is Karkīsh?

I said to him: By bread,

خذ جوابات لك

م مناديّه

take these answers for you

from a calling voice:

واضحة لا ألغاز

لا ولا أحجيّه

clear, not riddles,

no, nor a puzzle.

تبقى يا عرّه

من مرض بعره

You'll become, you disgrace,

a dung pellet from sickness.

لك عروق خضره

مع عيون صفره

You have green veins

along with yellow eyes,

في بياض ما فيه

قط نوريّه

in a whiteness with

no radiance at all.

كُن عينيك بيض

وسط فوليه

As though your eyes were eggs

amid a dish of fava beans.

العروق تقلع

كلما تطلع

The veins bulge out

whenever you look up,

والعيون فقع

لا تزال تفقع

and the eyes are truffles,

forever popping out.

يا غلس ما فيه

قط زهريه

You dullard, without

the slightest bloom!

هكذا الكركيش

مت بقهريّه

Such is Karkīsh—

die of vexation!

أنت زاد نحسك

مرض في نفسك

You—your ill luck has increased:

a sickness within yourself.

لا وما بسّك

قم هات فلسك

No, and that is not enough for you!

Get up, bring your coin,

حتى أعطيك شي

غلظ رجليّه

so I may give you something

as thick as my legs,

أو تقول توبه

من مشايشيه

or say: I repent

of this taunting wordplay.

صار هو حوبه

ما يصيب صوبه

He became a wretched fellow,

unable to hit his mark.

جا وقال توبه

قلت ذي النوبه

He came and said: I repent.

I said: This time

أمدحك قام لي

قبل إيديّه

I'll praise you. He rose for me

and kissed my hands.

أي وجت صلحه

بالملوكيّه

Yes, a reconciliation came

in royal style.

قلت له ما أحلاك

صوّرك مولاك

I said to him: How sweet you are!

Your Lord fashioned you;

الجمال ولاّك

في قليب لولاك

Beauty enthroned you

in a little heart; without you,

لم تكن أسمار

قط محكيّه

there would be no evening tales

ever told

في أهواك وأخبار

عنه مرويّه

of loving you, nor accounts

related about it.

لك طريف مذبول

لك جفَين مسبول

You have a languid little gaze,

you have a little eyelid lowered,

لك شُكَيل مقبول

بالدلال مشمول

you have a pleasing little figure,

enfolded in coquetry.

لك خدود تسبي

حمر ورديّه

You have cheeks that take captives,

rosy red;

لك سوالف سود

سود مسكيّه

you have black sidelocks,

black and musky.

الطُّرَيف وسنان

والجُفَين كسلان

The little gaze is drowsy,

and the little eyelid lazy,

والشُّكَيل ريّان

والدلال فتّان

and the little figure lush,

and the coquetry bewitching;

والخدود نيران

فوق مائيه

and the cheeks are fires

above a watery surface,

والسوالف من

فوقها حيّه

and the sidelocks, from

above them, are a snake.

أنا يا سيدي

يوم لقاك عيدي

As for me, my master,

the day I meet you is my feast day.

إن حصل في إيدي

نلت مقصودي

If it comes into my hand,

I attain my desire.

غير هواك يا سيد

ليس لي غيّه

Apart from loving you, master,

I have no other passion.

يا سرور قلبي

أي وعينيه

O joy of my heart,

yes, and of my eyes,

يا منى روحي

زاد تبريحي

O desire of my soul,

my anguish has increased.

جد بترويحي

طال مشروحي

Be generous and give me relief;

my account has grown long.

مهجتي أمست

فيك مسبيّه

My soul has become

captive to you,

في لظى الأحزان

منك مكويّه

in the blaze of sorrow,

seared by you.

قال لي إرزَن

قم بنا المخزن

He said to me: Be sensible;

come, let's go to the storehouse,

والذُّهَيب أوزن

يذهب المحزن

and weigh out the little gold:

it dispels sorrow.

هات وخذ مني

كل مرضيّه

Bring it, and take from me

all that pleases.

دون شي الحاجات

غير مقضيه

Without something, needs

remain unfulfilled.

صرت له أترقرق

وادعو واتملّق

I began to well up before him,

pleading and flattering.

ما رأيته رقّ

عدت اتمقرق

I did not see him soften;

I returned to whining.

ألتقيه معجون

في العلوقيّه

I find him steeped

in catamite ways;

ما تجي في إيده

بالقروميّه

he cannot manage

the virile stud's role.

قلت له أسلفني

وأنت تعرفني

I said to him: Lend me some—

and you know me.

قال يصرفني

بس تقرفني

He said, turning me away:

Enough! You disgust me.

جيتني نيّاك

في بلوهيّه

You came to me as an avid fucker,

in a sorry plight.

ما معك شي روح

يا طنين هيه

You've got nothing—go away,

you buzzing pest—hey!

حين كسر قلبي

تبت يا صحبي

When he broke my heart,

I repented, my companions,

وارتجيت ربي

يمحو لي ذنبي

and hoped in my Lord

to wipe away my sin.

هو كريم موصوف

بالربوبيّه

He is generous, described

as Lord,

جابر المكسور

مصلح النيّه

mending the broken,

setting intention right.

لم يزل توّاب

يرتضي مَن تاب

He has always accepted repentance;

He approves of whoever repents.

مَن أتى له باب

وارتجاه ما خاب

Whoever comes to His door

and hopes in Him is not disappointed.

له نعَم تُنشَر

غير مطويّه

His blessings are spread abroad,

not folded away.

وابن سودون قال

ذي الجزيليّه

And Ibn Sūdūn said

this little jazal.