تروح من وجرة الظاعنونا — Mihyar Al Daylami

تروَّحَ من وَجرةَ الظاعنونا

فكان الذي ساءَني أن يكونا

The travelers departed from Wajrah at evening,

and what grieved me came to pass.

يميناً لَعَزَّ مرامُ السلو

وِ أن تتركوا جنبَ خَبتٍ يمينا

I swear, the quest for solace became hard

when you left the flank of Khabt to your right.

هوًى بعدَهم أَمَم لا يَري

م يسألُ عنهم مَزارا شَطونا

Love remains close after them, never ceasing

to ask after them at a far-distant dwelling.

رميتُ بطَرفي ومِنْ مثلِ ما

جنَى تتشكَّى القلوبُ العيونا

I cast my gaze—and for such deeds

as it wrought, hearts complain of eyes—

وراءَ الحُمول إلى أن قتل

تُ شكَّ الفراقِ بعيني يقينا

after the laden camels, until I slew

doubt of parting with the certainty of my own eyes.

وقد مات إنسانُها حَيرةً

فغادرتُه في دموعي دفينا

The pupil of my eye had died bewildered,

so I left it buried in my tears.

وفي الركب معرفةُ الإنتساب

إذا ما القدود ادَّعين الغصونا

In the caravan, lineage can be recognized

when slender figures claim the boughs as kin.

إذاَ شعشعتْ قبسَيْ وجهِها

عنت لهما بقرُ الرمل عِينا

When she makes her face's two flames glitter,

the wide-eyed oryx of the sands bow before them.

تشير إليَّ بأُسروعةٍ

تكاد وما أفصحتْ أن تُبينا

She beckons to me with a worm-slender finger,

almost making herself understood, though she has not spoken.

إذا خشِيتْ ظمأً لم يزل

لها مددٌ من دمِ العاشقينا

Whenever she fears thirst, there is always

a supply for her from lovers' blood.

أناملُ يُبسَطْنَ رُسْلَ الوفاءِ

إلىَّ ويُقبَضْنَ للكاشحينا

Fingers are extended as messengers of fidelity

toward me, and closed against the spiteful.

فتاةٌ رأت خطَلاً في القناة

فألقتْ عليها اعتدالا ولينا

A maiden who saw unsteadiness in the spear-shaft

and cast upon it straightness and suppleness.

تنغَّصُ بالوَردِ في خدّها

إذا لم تجدْنِيَ في المجتنينا

She is troubled by the roses on her cheek

if she does not find me among those who pluck them.

إذا قلَّبتْ قَدَما أو يداً

تمنَّت يَدِي قُلُباً أو بُرِينا

When she turns a foot or a hand,

my hand longs to become a bracelet or an anklet.

وتحت الرحالِ صعابُ الخُطا

يدُسنَ سهولَ الفيافي حُزُونا

Beneath the saddles are beasts of mighty stride,

whose tread turns the desert's smooth plains rugged.

سواءٌ عليهن يومَ الوداع

حُذِينَ دَماً أو لبينٍ حُدِينا

On parting-day, it is all the same to them

whether shod with blood or sung onward to separation.

إذا ما افتلين جِمام الريا

ض أجممنها واجتررن البطونا

When they graze the meadows' luxuriant growth,

they leave it rested and chew their bellies as cud.

ذوَى البقلُ من حرِّ أنفاسهنَّ

كأنِّيَ أعديتُهنّ الحنينا

The herbage withered in the heat of their breath,

as though I had infected them with my longing.

حَمَى اللهُ والعربيُّ الذما

مِ عهدا على وجرةٍ أن يمينا

May God, and the Arab true to his bond, protect

a pledge upon Wajrah, lest it prove false.

وحيَّا وُجوها تميميَّةً

صرائحَ ما كان حسنٌ هجينا

And may He greet faces of Tamim,

pure of lineage, whose beauty was never of mixed stock.

مزجنَ الجمالَ بماء الحيا

ءِ لو رَفَق المزجُ بالشاربينا

They mixed beauty with the water of modesty—

if only that mixture were kind to those who drink!

وأَرهفنَ قبلُ نُصولَ العيون

فقَدَّتْ ولم تتخاذلْ طعينا

Earlier they sharpened the blade-points of their eyes,

which sliced through their victim, never faltering.

ألا طرَباً يا مغنِّي القِلاصِ

بهم وهيْ تصعُبُ حتى تلينا

Ah, sing rapturously, singer to the young she-camels,

of them, while the beasts resist, until they grow docile.

أعدْ إنّ ذكرَهُمُ عُوذَةٌ

ولا تحسب الحبَّ إلا جُنونا

Repeat it: their mention is a protective charm;

and reckon love nothing but madness.

حنتني الخطوبُ فمالي ألوم

على سرعة الهَرَمِ الأربعينا

Calamities have bent me; why then do I blame

my forty years for such swift old age?

وأعجبُ من قبلها كيف شب

تُ والشيبُ لا يستشير السنينا

I marvel how, even before that, I grew gray,

for gray hair does not consult the years.

لئن أكثَرتْ عثَراتُ الخطوب

بحظِّي جرائحَها والوهُونا

Though the stumblings of calamity have multiplied

their wounds and weaknesses in my lot,

فقد فرَّ منّي لجَاجَ الزما

نِ قارحُ عشرٍ أبيّاً حَرونا

yet out of me, defying time's persistence, has bolted

a ten-year-old steed, proud and balking.

سلِ الحادثاتِ على ما غمز

ن جنبِيَ هل وَجَد الغمزُ لينا

Ask calamities: though they have squeezed

my side, has their squeezing found it soft?

وهل سمعتْ لي إلى أن بَعث

تُ في أهل ودِّي لشكوى أنينا

And did they hear from me, until I sent forth

a groan of complaint among my friends?

فياليتها قنِعتْ في الخطوب

بنفسي ورفَّهت الآخَرينا

If only they had been content, in their calamities,

with me alone, and given ease to others!

وياليتَها حين لم تنتفع

بحربيَ تجنحُ للسّلم حينا

And if only, when they gained nothing

from war with me, they inclined to peace awhile!

وقد جرَّبتْنِيَ قِرْنا فما

وفَتْ بي فهلَّا اجتبتني قرينا

They have tried me as an adversary, yet could not

match me: why did they not choose me as a companion?

وفيتُ بدهري وأيامِه

ولكن عجزتُ عن الحاسدينا

I was faithful to my age and its days,

but was powerless against the envious.

وكيف يصحُّ بياضُ الوفا

ءِ يوما على كثرة الصابغينا

How can the whiteness of fidelity remain sound

for a single day, with so many staining it?

إذا كشفَ الخُبْرُ عيبَ الرجال

فدامْج ودعْ كلَّ عيبٍ ظُنونا

When experience exposes men's faults,

show forbearance, and leave each fault as mere suspicion.

لَحا اللهُ كلَّ أجبِّ الحفاظ

بعيدا من الرشد عقلا ودينا

May God curse every man bereft of loyalty,

far from right guidance in reason and religion.

يعُدُّ الكرامةَ وجهَ النفاق

ويرضَى بأفعاله أن يهونا

He regards courtesy as a guise for hypocrisy,

and is content for his deeds to make him contemptible.

تكلَّم حلوا وتحت الضلو

عِ حنظلةُ الشرِّ للماضغينا

He speaks sweetly, while beneath his ribs

lies the bitter colocynth of evil for those who chew.

إذا بتَّ تأمنُ وثْباتهِ

لقَاءً خَبَا لك خبْئا كمينا

When you pass the night feeling safe from his attacks,

face to face, he conceals a lurking snare for you.

كصلِّ الحَمَاطة يطوي الحِما

مَ صعبا ويُعطيك باللمس هُونا

Like the wild fig-tree's viper, concealing death—

fierce, yet yielding gentleness to your touch.

يبيتُ يراقبُ أنَّى تَعِنُّ

له هفوةٌ منك حتى يخونا

He spends the night watching for where there might arise

a lapse from you, so he can betray you.

تعلَّمتُ من غدره باسما

بأنّ الوفاءَ مع القاطبينا

From his smiling treachery I learned

that fidelity is found among those who frown.

عقاربُ أطمَعها لسبُها ال

حُفاةَ فدبَّتْ إلى الناعلينا

Scorpions, emboldened by stinging the

barefoot, crept toward those wearing sandals.

علا حظُّهم ووهَى مجدُهم

فقد وأَلوا من فمي سالمينا

Their fortune rose, while their glory weakened,

for they escaped my mouth unharmed.

ولم أكُ مع غضَبي إن غضِبتُ

لأهتِكَ إلَّا حريما مصونا

Nor, even when I grew angry, did my anger lead me

to violate anything but a protected sanctuary.

وقد كنتُ أمضُغهم بالهجا

ء لو أكلَ الشعرُ منهم سمينا

I would have chewed them up with satire,

had poetry found any fat flesh in them to eat.

أصون لساني عن الغادري

ن صونَ طِلابي عن الباخلينا

I keep my tongue from traitors,

as I keep my requests from misers.

حرامٌ عليَّ اجتداءُ الرجا

ل لا مانعين ولا باذلينا

It is forbidden to me to seek men's gifts,

whether they withhold or give.

إذا أنا يوما سألتُ الجوادَ

حَرَصتُ غداً فسألتُ الضنينا

If one day I ask the generous man,

tomorrow greed will make me ask the miser.

بلَى إنَّ في آل عبدِ الرحيم

مكارمَ تُفسَحُ للراغبينا

Yes, among the house of Abd al-Rahim there are

generous deeds that make room for those who seek.

وبينَ بيوتهمُ للضيوفِ

جِفاناً عِماقا وسَرْحا لَبونا

And among their houses, for guests, there are

deep bowls and milk-yielding herds,

وأنديةً تسَعُ السامعين

قِرىً ووجوها تَضيف العيونا

and assemblies that have room for those who listen,

hospitality, and faces that entertain the eyes.

وسيبا يبَرُّ له المقسِمو

ن لا وَرَدوا الماءَ إلا مَعينا

And bounty through which swearers keep their oaths:

they draw no water except from a flowing spring.

ذَعَرتُ زماني بأسمائهم

فكنَّ من الدهر دوني حصونا

I frightened my age with their names,

and they became fortresses shielding me from time.

وفرَّق عزُّهمُ النائبا

تِ عنّي وقد بِتنَ حولي عِزينا

Their might scattered the calamities

away from me, though they had camped around me in bands.

وحمَّلتُ ثِقلي عميدَ الكفا

ةِ منهم فكان القويَّ الأمينا

I laid my burden upon ʿAmid al-Kufat

among them, and he proved strong and trustworthy.

من القومِ تُشرِق نيرانُهم

على النجم إن طامنَ الموقدونا

He is of a people whose fires shine

above the stars, even when the kindlers lower them.

وتأرَجُ أرواحُ أبياتهم

رسائلَ عنهم إلى الطارقينا

The fragrant breaths of their homes waft

as messages from them to night-arriving travelers.

إذا ما رأيتَ ازدحامَ الحقوق

عليهم عجبتَ لهم ثابتينا

When you see rightful claims crowding

upon them, you marvel at their steadfastness.

ومَن أُذكِيتْ نارُه باليفا

عِ في القُرِّ زاحمَه المصطلونا

Whoever has his fire kindled on high ground

in the cold is thronged by those seeking warmth.

مساميحُ لم يَعْرُقُوا بالعِضا

ضِ أيديَهم في ندىً نادمينا

Generous men who have never gnawed

their hands in regret over gifts they gave.

ولم يدفعوا في صدورِ الحقوق

بعذرٍ وإن كان عذرا مبينا

Nor have they thrust at the breasts of rightful claims

with an excuse, even a plainly valid one.

يبيتون يعتلكون السيا

طَ غَرْثَى وهم يطرُدون السنينا

They spend the night chewing whip-thongs,

hungry, while driving away the years of famine.

طِوالُ الحمائلِ شُمُّ الأنوفِ

يُهابون رؤيا ويُستحسَنونا

Long of sword-belt, high of nose,

they inspire awe when seen, and admiration.

إذا ركِبوا مسَحوا بالسحاب

وإن نزلوا خلتَهم راكبينا

When mounted, they brush the clouds;

and when dismounted, you think them still riding.

تفرَّعَ من شَرَفَيْ عِيصهم

مصابيحُ مجد تضيء الدجونا

From the two noble heights of their ancestral thicket sprouted

lamps of glory that light the darkness.

وكلُّ غلامٍ له حكمُه

على الناس راضين أو كارهينا

Each young man has authority

over people, willing or unwilling.

إذا سكتَ انتظروا ما يقولُ

وإن قال دانَ له الناطقونا

When he is silent, they await what he will say;

and when he speaks, the speakers submit to him.

تألَّقَ ينعتُ حُسنا أباه

وميضَ السيوف يصفْن القُيونا

He flashes forth, describing his father's excellence,

like the gleam of swords describing their smiths.

عميم الحيا كعميدِ الكفاةِ

ولا يسِمُ الأرضَ إلا هَتونا

His rain is all-embracing, like ʿAmid al-Kufat's;

he marks the earth only with pouring rain.

لك اللهُ مبتدِئا سؤدداً

تراجعَ عن شأوِه المنتهونا

May God guard you, beginning a lordship

from whose reach even those at the summit draw back.

ومقتبل السِّنِّ فاق الكهولَ

فجاءوا على عَقْبه يحتذونا

Still young in years, you surpassed the elders,

who came at your heels, following your example.

فدىً لك كلُّ قصير الفخا

رِ يهرُب من ألسن الناسبينا

May every man of scant honor be your ransom,

fleeing the tongues of those who trace descent.

له حسَبٌ في العلا أكمهٌ

أَضلّتْ محجَّتُه المهتدينا

He has a pedigree born blind in the heights,

whose road has led the guided astray.

إذا أَيْتَم البخلُ سؤَّالهُ

فيكفيك فينا أبو السائلينا

When miserliness orphans its petitioners,

among us the father of petitioners will suffice you.

وكلُّ ابنِ نقصٍ تمنَّى أبو

ه أنّ البنات له بالبنينا

And every flawed son whose father wishes

he had daughters instead of sons:

إذا ما رأى منك مِلءَ العيون

رأى منه مِلءَ مُنَى الشامتينا

when he sees in you what fills the eyes,

he sees in his son all that the gloating wish for.

لئن دبَّ دهرٌ إلى مجدكم

بنقصٍ يُخافُ على الفاضلينا

Though time may creep upon your glory

with a loss that makes one fear for the noble,

ومدَّ إليكم غَداةَ الصَّفاح

شِمالا وكان يمدّ اليمينا

and stretch toward you, on the morning of handclasp,

a left hand, where it once extended the right,

ونازعكم عن مقرّ العَلا

ء غصباً وأنتم له مالكونا

and wrest from you the seat of exaltedness

by force, though you are its rightful owners,

فقِدْماً رآكم لأخلاقه

بحسن خلائقكم فاضحينا

long ago it saw you exposing its character

through the beauty of your own.

يصيب فتجبُرُ أيمانُكم

مصابَ إساءته محسنينا

It strikes, and your right hands repair

the wounds its wrongdoing leaves, doing good.

ويأخذ منَّا وتُعطوننا

ويجلُب فينا فتُستَنجَدونا

It takes from us, while you give to us;

it assails us, and we summon you for aid.

ولا بدّ للمجدِ من عُوذةٍ

إذا تمَّ تطرِفُ عنه العيونا

Glory must have a protecting charm,

when complete, to turn eyes away from it.

وقد يُغمد السيفُ حتى يُشام

ويَستتر البدرُ حتى يبينا

A sword may be sheathed until it is drawn,

and the full moon hide until it appears.

يظنُّ العدا أنكم تخشعون

وقد كذَّب اللهُ فيك الظنونا

Enemies think you will humble yourselves,

but God has proved their suspicions false in you.

ولا أبعد اللهُ غير التِّلاد

إذا العرضُ أضحى منيعا مصونا

May God cast away nothing but inherited wealth,

so long as honor remains impregnable and guarded.

لئن سرَّ حاسدَكم أن يرى

وفودَكُمُ مرَّةً مُخفِقينا

Though it delight your envier to see

your delegations once return empty-handed,

فكم ليلةٍ دونكم أنقبت

خوافي المناسم حتّى دَمينا

how many a night on the road to you has worn through

the hidden soles of camel-hooves until they bled!

ويوم سَمومٍ يردّ القطا

على الماء كُدْراً وقد كُنَّ جُونا

And on a day of scorching wind that returns sandgrouse

to water dust-colored, though once they were dark,

حملنا إليكم على الكره فيه

جوادا أقبَّ وعَنْسا أَمونا

we urged toward you through it, despite its harshness,

a lean-bellied steed and a sturdy, trustworthy she-camel.

فردّ نوالُكم اليعملا

تِ تُعيي كَراكِرُهن المتونا

Your bounty sent the tireless she-camels back,

their breast-pads exhausting their backs,

مواقرَ من جودكم لا تكاد

تُقِلُّ قلائدَها والعُهونا

heavily laden with your generosity, scarcely able

to carry their own necklaces and wool tassels.

كأنّا إذا أُشرعت للورود

نحطُّ إلى الماء منها سَفينا

As though, when led forward to drink,

we were lowering ships from them into the water.

فتلتُ من الناس حَبْليِ بكم

وقلت لنفسي هم العالمونا

From all men, I twined my rope with you,

and told myself: they are the whole world.

وبعتكُمُ مهجتي طائعا

فَوَ المجدِ ما كان بيعا غَبِينا

I sold you my heart's blood willingly;

by glory, it was no losing bargain.

ولم أك حاشاي في الغادرين

بكم إن نبا الدهرُ والمارقينا

I was not—far be it from me—among those who betray

you when time turns harsh, or those who defect.

لساني لكم ذاك والنفسُ تلك

مُضِيقين في المال أو مُوسِعينا

That tongue of mine is yours, and that soul,

whether your wealth is straitened or ample.

وأعلمُ أنّي لكم سالمٌ

وأعلمُ أنكُمُ تعلمونا

I know that I am at peace with you,

and I know that you know.

وكم ليَ من مَثَلٍ سائرٍ

تظلُّ العداةُ له آذنينا

How many a saying of mine travels abroad,

to which enemies continue lending their ears!

لكم منه داعيةٌ في البلادِ

ويعطيكمُ إمرةَ المؤمنينا

From it you have an advocate throughout the lands,

and it grants you command of the believers.

أقومُ لكم بقوانينه

وأنطِقُ ما دمتمُ تسمعونا

I uphold its rules for you,

and speak so long as you listen.

فلا عدِم الوفدُ ناديكُمُ

ولا استَوْحشتْ سُبُلُ الرائدينا

May delegations never lack your gathering-place,

nor the paths of seekers grow desolate.

وكان لكُمْ من عِثار الزمانِ

لعاً يومَ يعثُر بالغافلينا

And may you have, against time's stumbling,

a cry of 'Rise again!' when it trips the unwary.

ولا راعنا قدَرٌ فيكُمُ

فإنَّ بكم نعمةَ الله فينا

May no decree concerning you ever frighten us,

for in you is God's blessing among us.