خليلى هل بعد السنين الغوائر — Maawali Omani

خليلىّ هل بعد السنين الغوائرِ

رجوعٌ لأيام الشباب الغوابرِ

My two friends, is there, after the years that have sunk away,

a return to the bygone days of youth?

وهل جيرةٌ بالمنحنى شتَّ شملُهم

أم الشملُ مجموعٌ بساحةِ حاجرِ

And have the neighbors at the bend been scattered,

or are they gathered together in the court of Hajir?

وهلْ ذاكرٌ ذاك الحبيبُ الذي نأَى

عهوداً تناساهن أمْ غيرُ ذاكرِ

And does that beloved who went far away remember

pledges he chose to forget, or does he not remember?

عهودُ هوى لم يمحُها من قلوبنَا

كرورُ عشياتٍ ومرُّ بواكرِ

Pledges of love, not erased from our hearts by

the recurrence of evenings and the passing of mornings.

ولما مررْنا بالديار التي عفَتْ

سقَينا ثراهَا من شئون المحَاجرِ

And when we passed the dwellings that had faded,

we watered their soil from the tear ducts of our eyes.

فظَلنَا بها نبكى وهلْ ينفعُ البُكا

بِأرجاءِ ساحاتِ الرسومِ الدوائرِ

We remained there weeping—yet does weeping avail

around the courtyards of those fading traces?

ديارُ اللّتيَّاليس فيها مؤانسٌ

يُرى غير غزلان الظباءِ النوافرِ

The little one's dwellings, where no companion

is seen except gazelles, those skittish deer.

فتاةٌ لها وجهٌ يضىءُ كأنه

إضاءةُ بدرٍ في دُجنَّةِ كافرِ

A maiden whose face shines as though it were

a full moon's radiance in the gloom of night.

وجفنٌ سقيمٌ فاتنُ اللحظِ فاترٌ

كحيلٌ فما وَجْدى عليه بفاتِر

And a languid eyelid, enchanting in its glance, listless,

dark with kohl—yet my passion for it is not languid.

وسالفةٌ كالسيفِ سُلَّ بغمده

وجيدٌ كجيدِ الظبىِ نزهةُ ناظِر

And a neck's side like a sword drawn with its sheath,

and a neck like a gazelle's neck, a delight to the beholder.

وصدرٌ به حُقٌ من العاجِ قاعدٌ

ولكن له فِعلْ القنا المتشاجرِ

And a chest upon which rests a small casket of ivory,

yet it does the work of clashing spears.

وخصرٌ لها واهٍ ضعيفٌ كسلوتى

وردف كَدِعصِ الرمل ملءُ المآزر

And a waist of hers, frail and weak as my solace,

and hips like a mound of sand, filling the waist-wraps.

من الخِفراتِ البيضِ دُعجُ عيونِها

إذا نظرتْ تَسْبى الوَرَى بالنواظِرِ

One of the modest, fair-skinned women, her eyes deep-black;

when she looks, she takes all people captive with her eyes.

حياةٌ لذِى موتٍ وموتٌ لعاشقٍ

وداءٌ لذى بُعْد وسَلْوَةُ خَاطرِ

Life to the dead, and death to a lover,

and sickness to one far away, and solace to the mind.

فَدعْهَا وسَلِّ القلبَ عنكَ بمدحِ مَنْ

صغَى لعلاهُ كلُ بادٍ وحاضرِ

So leave her, and soothe your heart by praising one

to whose eminence every nomad and townsman inclines.

هُوَ الملكُ الهادِى أبو العربِ الفتَى

سلالةُ سلطانِ بنِ سيفِ المُنَاصِرِ

He is the guiding king, Abu al-Arab, the noble youth,

scion of Sultan ibn Sayf, the champion.

لهُ جوُد كفٍّ لا يقاسُ بأولٍ

وبحرُ عطاءِ لا يقاسُ بآخِر

His hand's generosity is unmatched by any predecessor,

and his sea of giving is unmatched by any successor.

سَمَا مُشْمَخِرّاً فوق هام السُّها على

ملوكِ البرايا بالندَى المتواترِ

He towered high above Suha's crown, over

the kings of humankind, through unceasing bounty.

فتًى همُه كسبُ المحامدِ والعلا

وتفريقُ مالٍ بين ناهٍ وآمرِ

A noble youth whose concern is to earn praise and eminence,

and distribute wealth among those who forbid and those who command.

له منطقٌ يعطى الرجال فَطانة

وغرةُ وجهٍ كالشموسِ السوافرِ

His speech grants men discernment,

and the radiance of his face is like unveiled suns.

زيارَتُه تجلى القلوبَ من الصدَى

ورؤيا محياه جلاءُ الخواطرِ

Visiting him polishes hearts free of rust,

and the sight of his countenance clears the mind.

أفادَ الموالى من سَخاوَته كما

أبادَ المعادى بالقنا والبواتِر

He enriched his allies through his generosity, just as

he annihilated the enemy with spears and keen-edged swords.

إذا صالَ ما بأسُ الأسود الخوادر

وإنْ جادَ ما جودُ البحار الزواخرِ

When he attacks, what is the might of lions in their lairs?

And when he gives, what is the bounty of overflowing seas?

شديدٌ على الأعداءِ لكنَّ دأْبَه

إذا ما جنَى الجانى له عَفُو قادرِ

Stern toward enemies, yet his custom,

when an offender does wrong, is the pardon of one with power.

زكَا عنصراً من دَوْحةٍ يغربيّة

تعالتْ سموّاً من كرامِ العناصرِ

Pure in lineage, from a Ya'rubi tree,

which rose loftily from noble stocks.

فأنت الفتَى وابنُ الفتى وأبو الفتى

أولئك تُتْلى ذكرُهم في المنابرِ

You are the noble youth, son of a noble youth, and father of a noble youth;

these are men whose remembrance is recited from the pulpits.

ورئتَ العَلا والمجد والحلمَ والحِجَى

وبذل العطايا مِن جدودٍ أكابرِ

You inherited eminence, glory, forbearance, and wisdom,

and the bestowing of gifts from illustrious forefathers.

عممت جميعَ الخلق عدلا ورحمةً

فأضحى مطيعا كل برٍّ وفاجرِ

You extended justice and mercy to all creation,

so every righteous person and sinner became obedient.

وأضحى الذي أضْحى بربك كافرا

مقرّاً بإسداءِ الندى غير كافرِ

And he who was a disbeliever in your Lord has become

one who acknowledges your bestowing of bounty, not one who denies it.

ولا زلتُ أستقرى الخلائقَ كلهم

فلم أرَ فيهم غير مثنٍ وشاكرِ

And I have never ceased to inquire about people, all of them,

and have seen among them only those who praise and give thanks.

فيا ابنَ الكرامِ الأولين تعطُّفاً

لِذِى مقةٍ صافى المودةِ زائرِ

So, son of the noble men of old, show kindness

to a loving visitor, pure in his affection.

كساكَ من المدح اللبابِ ملاءةً

بها تاهَ حتى قال هلْ من مُفاخرِ

He clothed you in a mantle of the choicest praise,

of which he grew so proud he asked, 'Who will rival me in glory?'

تزيدُ على مرِّ الليالى تجدداً

فلم يُبْلِها من صرفه المُتغَايرِ

It grows ever fresher as the nights pass,

and time's ever-changing turns have not worn it out.

قوافٍ من الشعرِ الذى فاقَ نظمهُ

بِطرسٍ بدتْ كاللؤلِؤ المُتنَاثِر

Rhymes of poetry whose composition excels,

appearing on a sheet like scattered pearls.

أتَتْك تهادَى كالعرائس قُلدَتْ

قلائدَ دُرٍّ في عقُودِ الجواهرِ

They came to you, swaying like brides adorned with

necklaces of pearls among strings of jewels.

إذا أنشدتْ في محفلِ الجمعِ جهرةً

تفتشُ عن مكنون سرِّ الضمائرِ

When recited aloud in an assembly of people,

they search out the hidden secrets of hearts.

فلو سمعتها الجاهليةُ قومنا

أضلّت بأبصارٍ لهم وبصائرِ

Had our people of the Age of Ignorance heard them,

they would have bewildered both their sight and their insight.

منزهةٌ تاهتْ على أخواتها

بمعنى دقيقٍ في العبارةِ ظاهرِ

Free of blemish, they stand proudly above their sisters,

with subtle meaning made clear in their wording.

فأنتَ لها كُفءٌ وفٍ فتملَّها

وأظهرْ لها حسن القبول وبادرِ

You are their worthy, faithful match, so savor them,

and show them a gracious reception, and hasten.

هي الجوهرُ الشفَّافُ لا يستحقُّها

سِواكَ من الساداتِ يا ابنَ الأكابرِ

It is a translucent jewel that no one deserves

among the lords but you, son of the illustrious.

وهبْتُكَها أرجو بها الفوزَ في غدٍ

من اللَّه ربٍّ خالق الخلق غافرِ

I have given it to you, hoping through it for success tomorrow

from God, the Lord, Creator of creation, Forgiver.

ودمْ وابقَ محروسَ الجنابِ مظفراً

وضدُّك معكوسُ المنى غيرُ ظافرِ

May you endure and remain, your domain guarded, victorious,

and may your foe's hopes be overturned, without victory.

وعشْ ما بدتْ شمسُ النهار وغردتْ

حمائم في غصن من الأيكِ ناضرِ

And live while the sun of day appears, and while there coo

doves upon a verdant branch of the grove.