أهوى أراك برامتين وقودا — Jarir

أَهَوىً أَراكَ بِرامَتَينِ وَقودا

أَم بِالجُنَينَةِ مِن مَدافِعِ أَودا

Is it love I see consuming you at Ramatayn,

or at al-Junaynah, among the watercourses of Awd?

بانَ الشَبابُ فَوَدِّعاهُ حَميدا

هَل ما تَرى خَلَقاً يَعودُ جَديدا

Youth has departed; bid it farewell with praise, you two.

Does what you see worn out ever become new again?

يا صاحِبَيَّ دَعا المَلامَةَ وَاِقصِدا

طالَ الهَوى وَأَطَلتُما التَفنيدا

My two companions, leave off reproach and be moderate.

Love has lasted long, and you have prolonged your fault-finding.

إِنَّ التَذَكُّرَ فَاِعذِلاني أَو دَعا

بَلَغَ العَزاءَ وَأَدرَكَ المَجلودا

Indeed, remembrance—reproach me, you two, or leave me be—

has exhausted patience and overcome the steadfast.

لا يَستَطيعُ أَخو الصَبابَةِ أَن يُرى

حَجَراً أَصَمَّ وَلا يَكونَ حَديدا

A man consumed by longing cannot be seen as

an unhearing stone, nor can he become iron.

أَخَلَبتِنا وَصَدَدتِ أُمَّ مُحَلِّمٍ

أَفَتَجمَعينَ خَلابَةً وَصُدودا

Have you beguiled us and turned away, Umm Muhallim?

Will you then combine beguilement with rejection?

إِنّي وَجَدِّكِ لَو أَرَدتِ زِيادَةً

في الحُبِّ عِندِيَ ما وَجَدتِ مَزيدا

Indeed, by your fortune, were you to seek an increase

in my love for you, you would find no more.

يا مَيُّ وَيحَكِ أَنجِزي المَوعودا

وَاِرعَي بِذاكَ أَمانَةً وَعُهودا

O Mayy, alas for you—fulfill the promise,

and thereby honor a trust and pledges.

قالَت نُحاذِرُ ذا شَذاةٍ باسِلٍ

غَيرانَ يَزعُمُ في السَلامِ حُدودا

She said, 'We fear a fierce man with a vicious temper,

jealous, who claims even greetings carry penalties.'

رَمَتِ الرُماةُ فَلَم تُصِبكِ سِهامُهُم

وَوَجَدتُ سَهمَكِ لِلرُماةِ صَيودا

The archers shot, but their arrows did not strike you;

and I found your arrow a hunter of the archers.

راحوا مِنَ اجلِكِ مُقصَدينَ وَقَد رَأوا

خَلَلَ الحِجالِ سَوالِفاً وَخُدودا

They departed, mortally struck because of you, having seen

necks and cheeks through gaps in the curtains.

وَرَجا العَواذِلُ أَن يُطِعنَ وَلَم أَزَل

مِن حُبِّكُم كَلِفَ الفُؤادِ عَميدا

The reproaching women hoped to be obeyed, but I have remained

with my heart enthralled and stricken by love for you.

أَصَرَمتِ إِذ طَمِعَ الوُشاةُ بِصَرمِنا

صَبّاً لَعَمرُكِ يا أُمَيمَ وَدودا

Did you forsake, when the slanderers hoped to part us,

a yearning, loving man—by your life, Umaym?

وَنَرى كَلامَكِ لَو يُنالُ بِغِرَّةٍ

وَدُنوَّ دارِكِ لَو عَلِمتِ خُلودا

We deem your words, could they be won in an unguarded moment,

and nearness to your home—if you but knew—immortality.

إِن كانَ دَهرُكِ ما يَقولُ حَسودُنا

فَلَقَد عَصَيتُ عَواذِلاً وَحَسودا

If your conduct is as our envier says,

I have indeed defied reproaching women and the envious.

نامَ الخَلِيُّ وَما رَقَدتُ لِحُبِّكُم

لَيلَ التَمامِ تَقَلُّباً وَسُهودا

The carefree man slept; for love of you, I did not sleep

through the longest night, tossing and wakeful.

وَإِذا رَجَوتُ بِأَن يُقَرِّبَكِ الهَوى

كانَ القَريبُ لِما رَجَوتُ بَعيدا

Whenever I hoped that love would bring you near,

what was near proved distant from my hopes.

ما ضَرَّ أَهلَكِ أَن يَقولَ أَميرُكُم

قَولاً لِزائِرِكِ المُلِمُّ سَديدا

What harm would it do your people if your chief spoke

a fitting word to the visitor who calls on you?

حَلَّأتِ ذا سَقَمٍ يَرى لِشِفائِهِ

وِرداً وَيُمنَعُ أَن يَرومَ وُرودا

You drove away an ailing man who sees, for his healing,

a watering place, yet is barred from seeking its waters.

أَبَنو قُفَيرَةَ يَبتَغونَ سِقاطَنا

حُشِرَت وُجوهُ بَني قُفَيرَةَ سودا

Do the sons of Qufayrah seek our faults?

May Qufayrah's sons be mustered, black of face!

أَخزى الإِلَهُ بَني قُفَيرَةَ إِنَّهُم

لا يَتَّقونَ مِنَ الحَرامِ كَؤودا

May God disgrace the sons of Qufayrah; they

shun no steep ascent into the forbidden.

إِنّي اِبنُ حَنظَلَةَ الحِسانِ وُجوهُهُم

وَالأَعظَمينَ مَساعِياً وَجُدودا

I am a son of Hanzalah, the fair of face,

the greatest in deeds and ancestry,

وَالأَكرَمينَ مُرَكَّباً إِذ رُكِّبوا

وَالأَطيَبينَ مِنَ التُرابِ صَعيدا

and noblest in stock when they were fashioned,

and the purest soil of all the earth.

وَلَهُم مَجالِسُ لا مَجالِسَ مِثلُها

حَسَباً يُؤَثِّلُ طارِفاً وَتَليدا

Theirs are assemblies that no assemblies match

in honor, establishing glory newly won and inherited.

إِنّا إِذا قَرَعَ العَدُوُّ صَفاتَنا

لاقَوا لَنا حَجَراً أَصَمَّ صَلودا

Indeed, when the enemy strikes our rock,

they find in us a solid, unyielding stone.

ما مِثلُ نَبعَتِنا أَعَزُّ مُرَكَّباً

وَأَقَلُّ قادِحَةً وَأَصلَبُ عودا

No tree rivals our nab' in nobility of stock,

in freedom from borers, or in hardness of wood.

إِنّا لَنَذعَرُ يا قُفَيرَ عَدُوَّنا

بِالخَيلِ لاحِقَةَ الأَياطِلِ قودا

Indeed, Qufayr, we terrify our enemy

with long-necked horses whose flanks are tucked up,

كُسَّ السَنابِكِ شُزَّباً أَقرابُها

مِمّا أَطالَ غُزاتُها التَقويدا

compact-hoofed, lean along their sides,

because their raiders have led them so long.

أَجرى قَلائِدَها وَخَدَّدَ لَحمَها

أَلّا يَذُقنَ مَعَ الشَكائِمِ عودا

Their neckbands slipped loose and their flesh was furrowed

because they tasted not a twig alongside their bits.

وَطَوى الطُرادُ مَعَ القِيادِ بُطونَها

طَيَّ التِجارِ بِحَضرَمَوتِ بُرودا

Pursuit and leading tucked up their bellies

as merchants at Hadramawt fold striped cloaks.

جُرداً مُعاوِدَةَ الغِوارِ سَوابِحاً

تُدنى إِذا قَذَفَ الشِتاءُ جَليدا

Sleek, returning to raids, swimming in their gallop,

they are brought close when winter hurls down ice.

تُسقى الصَريحَ فَما تَذوقُ كَرامَةً

حَدَّ الشِتاءِ لَدى القِبابِ مَديدا

They are given pure milk and, in honor, never taste

thin mash beside the tents in winter's bitter cold.

نَحنُ المُلوكُ إِذا أَتَوا في أَهلِهِم

وَإِذا لَقيتَ بِنا رَأَيتَ أُسودا

We are kings when we come among our own people;

and when you encounter us, you see lions,

اللابِسينَ لُكُلِّ يَومِ حَفيظَةٍ

حَلَقاً يُداخَلُ شَكُّهُ مَسرودا

wearing, for every day when honor must be defended,

rings of mail, their links closely interwoven.

سائِل ذَوي يَمَنٍ وَسائِلهُم بِنا

في الأَزدِ إِذ نَدَبوا لَنا مَسعودا

Ask the men of Yemen; ask them about us

among the Azd, when they summoned Mas'ud against us.

فَأَتاهُمُ سَبعونَ أَلفَ مُدَجَّجٍ

مُتَلَبِّسينَ يَلامِقاً وَحَديدا

Then seventy thousand fully armed men came to them,

clad in tunics and iron.

قَومٌ تَرى صَدَأَ الحَديدَ عَلَيهِمُ

وَالقُبطُرِيَّ مِنَ اليَلامِقِ سودا

Men upon whom you see the rust of iron,

and black tunics of Qubturi cloth.

أَمسى الفَرَزدَقُ يا نَوارُ كَأَنَّهُ

قِردٌ يَحُثُّ عَلى الزِناءِ قُرودا

Al-Farazdaq, Nawar, has become like

an ape urging other apes to fornication.

ما كانَ يَشهَدُ في المَجامِعِ مَشهَداً

فيهِ صَلاةُ ذَوي التُقى مَشهودا

He never attended a gathering in the assemblies

where the prayer of the pious was witnessed.

وَلَقَد تَرَكتُكَ يا فَرَزدَقُ خاسِئاً

لَمّا كَبَوتَ لَدى الرِهانِ لَهيدا

I have indeed left you, Farazdaq, abject,

battered when you stumbled in the race.

إِنّا لَنَذكُرُ ما يُقالُ ضُحى غَدٍ

عِندَ الحِفاظِ وَنَقتُلُ الصِنديدا

We do remember what will be said tomorrow morning

when honor is defended, and we slay the champion.

وَنَكُرُّ مَحمِيَةً وَتَمنَعُ سَرحَنا

جُردٌ تَرى لِمُغارِها أُخدودا

We charge for honor, and our herds are guarded

by sleek horses whose raids leave a furrow you can see.

نَبني عَلى سَنَنِ العَدُوِّ بُيوتَنا

لا نَستَجيرُ وَلا نَحُلُّ حَريدا

We build our homes on the enemy's very road;

we seek no protection and do not camp apart.

مِنّا فَوارِسُ مَنعِجٍ وَفَوارِسٌ

شَدّوا وِثاقَ الحَوفَزانِ بِأُودا

Ours are the horsemen of Man'ij, and horsemen

who bound al-Hawfazan fast at Awd.

فَلَرُبَّ جَبّارٍ قَصَرنا عَنوَةً

مَلِكٌ يَجُرُّ سَلاسِلاً وَقُيودا

Many a tyrant have we subdued by force,

a king dragging chains and fetters.

وَمُنازِلُ الهِرماسِ تَحتَ لِوائِهِ

فَحَشاهُ مُعتَدِلَ القَناةِ سَديدا

And one who faced al-Hirmas beneath his banner

then drove a straight-shafted spear true into him.

وَلَقَد جَنَبنا الخَيلَ وَهيَ شَوازِبٌ

مُتَسَربِلينَ مُضاعَفاً مَسرودا

We have indeed led horses beside us, lean,

ourselves clad in double-woven mail,

وِردَ القَطا زُمَراً تُبادِرُ مَنعِجاً

أَو مِن خَوارِجَ حايِراً مَورودا

like sandgrouse flocking to water, racing for Man'ij,

or from Khawarij toward a well-frequented pool.

وَلَقَد عَرَكنَ بِئالِ كَعبٍ عَركَةً

بِلِوى جُرادَ فَلَم يَدَعنَ عَميدا

They have indeed mauled the clan of Ka'b

at the sand-bend of Jurad, leaving no chief

إِلّا قَتيلاً قَد سَلَبنا بَزَّهُ

تَقَعُ النُسورُ عَلَيهِ أَو مَصفودا

except one slain, whose armor we had stripped,

with vultures alighting on him, or one in fetters.

وَأَبَرنَ مِن بَكرٍ قَبائِلَ جَمَّةً

وَمِنَ الأَراقِمِ قَد أَبَرنَ جُدودا

They annihilated many tribes of Bakr,

and at Judud they annihilated men of the Araqim.

وَبَني أَبي بَكرٍ وَطِئنَ وَجَعفَراً

وَبَني الوَحيدِ فَما تَرَكنَ وَحيدا

They trampled the sons of Abu Bakr and Ja'far,

and the sons of al-Wahid, leaving not a single man.

وَلَقَد جَرَيتُ فَجِئتُ أَوَّلَ سابِقٍ

عِندَ المَواطِنِ مُبدِياً وَمُعيدا

I have raced and come in first of all

in the arenas, on first trial and again.

وَجَهَدتَ جَهدَكَ يا فَرَزدَقُ كُلَّهُ

فَنَزَعتَ لا ظَفِراً وَلا مَحمودا

You exerted all your effort, Farazdaq,

then withdrew neither victorious nor praised.

إِنّا وَإِن رَغَمَت أُنوفُ مُجاشِعٍ

خَيرٌ فَوارِسَ مِنهُمُ وَوُفودا

We, though Mujashi's noses be rubbed in dust,

are better than they as horsemen and as envoys.

نَسري إِذا سَرَتِ النُجومُ وَشُبِّهَت

بَقَراً بِبُرقَةِ عالِجٍ مَطرودا

We journey by night as the stars travel, resembling

wild cattle driven over the stony ground of 'Alij.

قَبَحَ الإِلاهُ مُجاشِعاً وَقُراهُمُ

وَالموجِفاتِ إِذا وَرَدنَ زَرودا

May God disgrace Mujashi' and their villages,

by the speeding mounts when they reach Zarud!