سجا البحر — Jawahiri

سجا البحرُ وانداحَتْ ضفاف نديّةٌ

ولوّح رضراض الحصى والجنادلِ

The sea fell still, and dew-moist shores spread out,

and the fine gravel and boulders gleamed.

وفُكَّتْ عُرىً من موجةٍ لصقِ موجةٍ

تَماسَكُ فيما بينها كالسلاسل

And bonds were loosened between wave and adjoining wave,

interlocked with one another like chains.

وسُدَّتْ كُوىً ظلّت تسدُّ خصاصها

عيونُ ظباءٍ، أو عيونُ مَطافل)

And apertures closed, whose gaps had long been filled

by the eyes of gazelles, or of mothers with young.

ولفّ الدُجى في مُستَجدِّ غُلالةٍ

سوى ما تردّى قبلَها من غلائلِ

And darkness wrapped it in a fresh gauze,

unlike the gauzy robes it had worn before,

سوى ما تردَى من مفاتِنِ سَحرةٍ

وما جرَّ تِيهاً من ذُيول الأصائلِ

unlike the charms of dawn it had donned,

and the trains of late afternoons it had dragged in pride,

وما حملَ " الاصباحُ " شوقاً إلى الضُحى

من الوَرَقِ النَديان أشهى الرسائلِ

and what daybreak bore in longing toward the forenoon:

the sweetest messages from dew-damp leaves.

وخَيّمَ صَمتٌ فاستكنَّتْ حَمائمٌ

وقَرَّ على الأغصانِ شَدوُ البلابلِ

Silence settled, and doves grew quiet;

the nightingales' singing rested on the branches.

تَثاءبَ " أملودٌ " ولُمتْ كَمائمٌ

ودبَّ فتورٌ في عُروقِ الخمائلِ

A supple shoot yawned, and flower buds closed;

languor crept through the veins of groves.

وخُولِطَ لونٌ في شَتيتٍ مَخَالفٍ

لما يتراءى أوْ شبيهٍ مُشاكِلِ

And a hue was mingled in a motley, either contrasting

with what appeared, or resembling and matching it.

كأنَّ الدُنى مَلَّتْ تَدلِّي شخوصها

بوضح السّنى فاستُبدِلتْ بالمخايِلِ

As though the worlds had tired of suspending their forms

in clear radiance, and these were replaced by phantoms—

رؤى تستبيحُ الجِنُّ في صَبواتها

بها ما بنى إنسيها مِنْ هَياكِلِ

visions: the jinn, in their wild fancies, lay waste

through them to the edifices their human counterpart built.

سَجا البحرُ حتى لا تُعيدُ ضِفافُه

صدى رَعَشاتٍ مُتعَباتٍ قَلائِلِ

The sea fell still, until its shores no longer returned

the echo of a few exhausted shivers,

وحتى ليبدو في غرابةِ حالِهِ

وغربتِه عن نفسِه جِدَّ ذاهلِ

and until it seemed, in the strangeness of its state,

and its estrangement from itself, utterly dazed.

وطال عليه في عبوس دُجُنَّةٍ

ترقُّبُ "ضحاك" من الشرق قابل

And long upon it, in the scowl of pitch-dark night,

was the wait for a laughing one approaching from the east.

ولم تبقَ إلاّ وثبةٌ من مُصابرٍ

ضعيف القُوَى كالمُقْعَدِ المتحامِل

And nothing remained but a leap from a patient struggler,

weak in strength, like a cripple straining to move.

فيا لكَ طَلْقاً رهنَ أسيانَ موحشٍ

ونابهَ ذكرٍ في خفارةِ خامِلِ

What a free one you are, hostage to a sorrowful, desolate one,

and a renowned name in an obscure one's keeping!

خلا الربعُ مأنوسَ الرّحابِ وأقفرتْ

ملاعبُهُ من " زغردات " الهلاهل

The once-welcoming, spacious dwelling emptied; deserted were

its playgrounds, bereft of jubilant ululations.

وماتتْ به الأصداءُ، وارتدَّ لاهثا

هُتافُ الصبايا كالخيولِ الصواهلِ

Its echoes died, and back came, panting,

the girls' cries, like neighing horses.

وجفّت رِمالٌ " للمسابحِ " بللت

شفاهاً عَطاشَى من " عِذاب " المناهلِ

And the sands of the bathing places dried, sands that had moistened

thirsty lips with the fresh waters of the watering places.

وأعولَ مهجور " المساحب " وانطوت

منازلُ " غيدٍ " عامراتِ المنازلِ

And the deserted slipways wailed; folded away were

the abodes of graceful women who once filled those abodes.

سجا البحرُ رفّافَ السنى وتَراقصتْ

لئاليءُ تستهوي عيونَ الصياقَلِ

The sea fell still, its radiance fluttering, and danced

pearls that enticed the polishers' eyes.

وغُصَّ بأشباحٍ إليه صواعدٍ

على أُخرياتٍ من سماءٍ نوازلِ

It brimmed with apparitions rising toward it,

above others descending from a sky.

إذا هزهَزتُه الريحُ واسرَّحتْ به

خيوطٌ من الأضواء مثلُ الجدائلِ

When the wind shook it, and upon it spread

threads of light like braided tresses,

وأَلحمه وَمضٌ من " البرقِ " ناعسٌ

وسدّاه شفٌّ من غيومٍ نواحل

and a drowsy flash of lightning supplied its weft,

and a sheer film of gaunt clouds supplied its warp,

حسبتَ " عريشاً " منْ عناقيدِ كرمةٍ

تَدلّى " وحرشاً " من حقولِ السنابلِ

you would imagine an arbor of grape clusters

hanging down, and a thicket of fields of grain.

وخلتَ النجومَ الزُهرَ صَيْداً لصائد

يُنشّرُ من أشباكِهِ والحبائلِ

And you would fancy the bright stars a hunter's catch,

which he spread out from his nets and snares.

تَنفْس عميقاً أيُّها " الشيخ " لم يَهِنْ

بجريٍ على فرطِ المدى المتطاولِ

Breathe deeply, O ancient one, who has never weakened

through flowing, despite the immense, ever-lengthening span.

ولم يُنسِه التيّاهُ مِنْ جبروته

عناقَ الشواطي، واحتضانَ الجداولِ

Nor has the vainglory of his might made him forget

the embrace of shores and the clasping of streams.

ولا زادَهُ إلاّ سَماحاً وعزةً

تخطي شعوبٍ فوقَهُ وقبائلِ

Nor has he gained anything but generosity and dignity from

the passage across him of peoples and tribes.

فيا روعةَ الدُنيا يسامرُ رَكبَها

ويحملُ أسرارَ العصورِ الأوائلِ

O wonder of the world, keeping its caravans company by night,

and bearing the secrets of the earliest ages!

لك الخيرُ هل جيلٌ تقضّى ولم تكنْ

شهيداً على أعراسِهِ والغوائلِ

Blessings upon you! Has a generation passed without your being

a witness to its weddings and calamities?

وهل شع إلا عنك نورُ عَباقر

ووحيُ أساطيرٍ، وبدعُ فَطاحِلِ

Has there shone, except from you, the brilliance of geniuses,

the inspiration of legends, or the inventions of great masters?

وهل سُعِّرتْ نارٌ لحربٍ ولم تثِرْ

عُبابكَ يَغلي حِقدُها كالمراجلِ

Was a fire ever kindled for war without stirring

your surging waters, its hatred boiling like cauldrons?

غزتكَ أساطيلُ الطُغاةِ، وطوَّحتْ

بحابل حُوتٍ فيك أقواسُ نابِلِ

The tyrants' fleets invaded you, and there was hurled

a whale-catcher into you by an archer's bows.

ومرّرتَ منها جحفلاً بعد جحفلٍ

وردّك مُلتاثاً غبارُ الجحافلِ

And you let through them host after host,

and the dust of armies left you muddied.

وجازتك غضباناً كأنَ فضولها

جراحٌ بِحُرِّ اللوحِ بادي المقَاتِلِ

They crossed you in your anger, as though their intrusions

were wounds in a noble frame, its vulnerable places bare.

ويا " خالداً " تَهزا أساريرُ وجهِهِ

بمغزى خلودٍ عادمِ الوجهِ زائلِ

O immortal one, whose features mock

the notion of a faceless, fleeting immortality,

وبالخلقِ منحوساً مُعنّىً يروعه

بما يَبتني من عاجل خوفُ آجلِ

and humankind, ill-starred and tormented, haunted

as it builds for the present, by fear of the future!

عَبدتك " صُوفيّاً " يَدينُ ضميرهُ

بما ذَرّ فيه من قرون الدخائلِ

I worshipped you as a Sufi whose conscience submits

to what centuries of inward secrets have awakened within it,

ويُسرج منه بالندامةِ " مَعبداً "

تشكّى طويلا منْ دُخَان المشاعِلِ

and from you lights, with remorse, a temple

that long complained of the smoke of torches.

وعاطيتُكَ النّجوَى معاطاةَ راهبٍ

مُصيخٍ إلى همسٍ من الغيب نازلِ

I shared whispers with you as a monk does,

listening to a murmur descending from the unseen.

ولوّنتُ أحلامي بما لُوِّنتْ به

مَغانيك من كونٍ بسحركِ حافلِ

I colored my dreams with the colors bestowed

upon your haunts by a universe brimming with your enchantment.

وغنّاكَ قيثاري فلم تُلَف نغمتي

نشازا، ولا لحني عليك بواغِلِ

My lyre sang to you; my notes were not found

discordant, nor my melody an intruder upon you.

وتشهدُ أُمّاتُ القوافي تشاغَلتْ

بها أكؤسُ السُّمّارِ إنَّكَ شاغلي

And the foremost rhymes bear witness—those that occupied

the cups of night-talkers—that you occupy my thoughts.

فيا "صاحبي" لا تُخل عينيّ شُدَّتا

لطيفكَ من وجهٍ لشخصك ماثِلِ

O my companion, do not leave my eyes, bound

to your phantom, without a face embodying your form.

ولا تُنسِني نَفْساً هَوتْكَ فتيَّةً

وناغاك بُقيا جِذْعِها المُتآكِلِ

Nor let me forget a soul that loved you in its youth,

and whose decaying trunk's remnant cooed to you:

هوىً لمْ يمِلْ يوماً، وكم ضجَّ خافقي

بأهوَائه من مستقيمٍ ومائلِ

a love that never swerved; how often my heart clamored

with its passions, both straight and wayward!

مفازةُ إعصارٍ تظلُّ رمالُها

تَقاتَلُ فيما بينها دونَ طائلِ

A whirlwind's desert, whose sands go on

battling one another to no avail.

ويا مُخجلي فيما تشطُّ مزاعمي

جنوحا، وفيما تدعي من شمائل

O you who shame me when my claims run far

astray, and in the virtues they profess—

تُنفِّضُ ما يُضفي الغرور، وتَرتدي

أمامك زيَّ القابعِ المتضائلِ

they shake off what conceit bestows, and put on

before you the garb of one crouching and dwindling.

ويُفزِعُها ما بين أطماحِ ماردٍ

مُقيمٍ، وأطماعِ ابن يومين راحلِ

They fear the gulf between the aspirations of a titan,

ever abiding, and the cravings of a two-day child who departs.

ترى جامحاً لا ضحكة للقوابل

ولا دمعةً تمري عيونَ الثواكلِ

You see an untamed one: no laughter for midwives,

nor a tear drawn from bereaved mothers' eyes,

ولا مُصعراتٍ للسماءِ مُتونَهُ

ويحطمُ مسمارٌ عظامَ الكواهلِ

nor haughty posturings that turn its back toward the sky,

while a nail can shatter shoulder-bones.

ترى مُشرقاً لا الجوُّ رحبا بغالقٍ

عليه ولا ضوءُ الشموس بآفلِ

You see a radiant one: the spacious sky never closes

upon him, nor does the light of suns set.

مهيباً كريماً باسطاً من ذراعه

تُعَبّدُ ما اسطاعتْ دروبَ السوابل

Majestic, generous, stretching forth an arm

that smooths, as far as it can, the travelers' paths.

ويحنو على الشُمِّ الجوارى كما اختفتْ

نَطاسيَّةٌ بالمثقلاتِ الحواملِ

And he bends kindly over lofty ships, as tends

a skilled woman physician the heavily laden mothers-to-be.

سجا البحرُ إلا من شراعٍ مُهوِّمٍ

يحومُ على صمتِ الدجى كالمخاتلِ

The sea fell still, save for a drowsy sail

hovering over night's silence like a stealthy prowler,

وخفقِ مصابيحٍ كأن خوالجي

تغلغَلنَ فيها من مُليحٍ وناصلِ

and the flicker of lamps, as though my inner stirrings

had seeped into them, some gleaming, some fading.

تغامزن بي يعجبن من وجد ساهر

ويمنحن خلو البال طرف المُغازل

They winked at one another about me, marveling at a sleepless lover's yearning,

and gave the carefree one a flirtatious glance.

على الشاطئ الأقصى كأن رفيفَها

على الشاطئ الأدنى بَريدُ المراحلِ

On the farther shore, as though their flutter

upon the nearer shore were the post of long journeys.

مَعالمُ كونٍ غامضاتُ سرائرٍ

فهن لمن يرتادُها كالمجَاهِلِ

Signs of a universe, their inner secrets obscure,

they are like unknown wastes to whoever explores them.

وما أصغرَ الدُنيا على جهلِ ساحلٍ

لفرط التجافي والتنافي بساحل

How small the world is, despite a shore's ignorance,

through excessive estrangement and alienation, of another shore!

سجا البحرُ، وانشقَ الثَرى عن هواجسٍ

تَرعرعُ في مستوبئ الظلِّ قاحلِ

The sea fell still; the earth split open upon brooding thoughts

growing where the shade is pestilential and the ground barren.

وبتُّ أُساقي نَبعَها غيرَ آبهٍ

بحقٍ أنمّي زرعَها أمْ بباطلِ

I spent the night tending their spring, heedless

whether I nurtured their crop with truth or falsehood.

اقولُ أُغنّيها فَتنبو مسامعي

وأُحصي مسَاويها فتكبو أناملي

I say I will sing of them, and my ears recoil;

I count their faults, and my fingers stumble.

وأمضي أُعانيها فترتدُّ يقظتي

جحيما، ونومي مثلَ حزِّ المناجلِ

I go on suffering them, and my waking becomes

a hell, my sleep like the cutting of sickles.

وتزدادُ قُبحاً إذْ أُعالج قُبحَها

بمكذوب ظَنٍّ للمعاذير فائِلِ

They grow uglier as I treat their ugliness

with a false conjecture, feeble at supplying excuses.

ولست بدارٍ هل أسمى أشرّها

بأُمِّ المآسي، أمْ بأمِّ المهازلِ ؟

And I do not know whether to call the worst of them

the mother of tragedies or the mother of farces.