ضمان على أن الغرام طويل — Mohammed Bin Uthaimin

ضَمانٌ على أَن الغَرام طَويلُ

إِذا شَحَطَت دارٌ وَبان خَليلُ

A pledge that love's torment is long-lasting,

when a dwelling grows distant and a beloved departs.

أَقولُ لِنَفسي حينَ جَدَّ بها الأَسى

نَهَيتُكِ عَن ذا وَالفَريقُ حُلولُ

I say to my soul when grief bears hard upon it:

I forbade you this while the company was still encamped.

فَأَمّا وَقد جازوا الغَميمَ وَلَعلَعا

وَحالَت حُزونٌ دونَهُم وَسُهول

But now that they have passed al-Ghamim and La‘la‘,

and rugged uplands and plains have come between us,

فَبَرِّد جَوى قَلبٍ أُطيلَ عليلُهُ

بِفَيضِ دموعٍ في الجفونِ تَجولُ

cool the anguish of a heart whose suffering has been prolonged,

with a flood of tears coursing within the eyelids.

سَقى أَينَ حلّوا أَو سَقى مُنتَواهُم

مِنَ المُزنِ رَجّاسُ السحابِ همولُ

May the place where they settle, or their chosen abode, be watered

by a thunderous, freely pouring cloud from the rain clouds.

أُعَلِّلُ نَفسي بِاللِقاء وَدونَ ما

أُرَجّيهِ دهرٌ بِالوَفاءِ مطولُ

I soothe my soul with reunion, yet between me and what

I hope for stands an age slow to fulfill its promises.

فَلا النَفسُ تَسلوهُم وَلا الوجد مُقصرٌ

وَلا الصَبرُ مُذ بانَ الخَليطُ جَميلُ

So my soul does not forget them, nor does longing abate,

nor has patience been graceful since the company departed.

وَقَد زَعَموا أَنَّ الشِفاءَ مِنَ الجَوى

دُموعٌ مَرَتها زَفرَةٌ وَعَويلُ

They have claimed that the cure for love's anguish

is tears drawn forth by a deep sigh and wailing.

فَما بالُ جَفني لا يَجِفُّ وَعَبرَتي

دِراكاً وَلم يَبرُد بِذاكَ غَليبلُ

Then why does my eyelid never dry, while my tears

follow one another, yet this has not cooled my burning anguish?

وَما أَنسَ مِ الأَشياءِ لا أَنسَ مَوقِفاً

لَنا وَالعُيونُ الرافِقاتُ غُفولُ

Whatever things I forget, I shall not forget an encounter

we shared, while the eyes of our companions were heedless.

تُكاتِمُني وَجداً وَتَرنو بِمُقلَةٍ

ضَعيفَةِ رَجعِ الطَرفِ وَهيَ تَقولُ

She hides her longing from me and gazes with an eye

whose returning glance is languid, as she says:

سَلِ اللَهِ أَن يَسقى الحِمى عَلَّ رَجعَةً

لَنا عِندَما تَهتَزُّ مِنهُ بُقولُ

Ask God to water the protected pasture; perhaps a return

will be ours when its green shoots sway,

فَيَلتَئِمَ الشَعبَ الذي صَدَعَ النَوى

وَيَحزَنَ مِن بَعدِ السُرورِ عَذولُ

so the bond that separation broke may be mended,

and a reproacher may grieve after his joy.

فَلَمّا اِستَحثَّ البَينُ وَاِنشَقَّتِ العَصا

وَنادى مُنادٍ بِالرَحيلِ عَجولُ

Then, when parting urged us onward and the staff of unity split,

and a hasty caller cried out for departure,

تَمَنَّيتُ لَو روحي تُباعُ بِنَظرَةٍ

إِلَيها وَلكِن ما إِلَيهِ سَبيلُ

I wished my soul could be sold for one glance

at her—but there was no way to it.

وَمَوّارَةُ الضَبعَينِ مُحكَمَةُ القَرا

أَمونُ السُرى عَبرَ الهَجيرِ ذَمولُ

And a she-camel, swinging her upper forelegs, firm of back,

dependable for night travel, trotting through the midday heat,

بَعيدَةُ ما بَينَ التَرائِبِ جَسرَةٌ

تُلاحِظُ ظِلَّ السَوطِ أَينَ يَميلُ

broad across the breastbones, mighty of frame,

watches the whip's shadow wherever it leans.

جَشِمتُ عَلَيها الهَولَ أَمّا نَهارُها

فَوَخذٌ وَأَمّا لَيلُها فَذَميلُ

I braved terrors upon her; as for her daytime pace,

it was a brisk stride, and her nighttime pace a swift trot,

خَلا ساعَةٍ أَقضي عُجالَةَ راحِلٍ

إِذا حانَ مِن شَمسِ النَهارِ أُفولُ

save for an hour when I took a traveler's hurried meal,

when the day's sun was due to set.

فَسَيَّرتُها ما بَينَ بُصرى وَأَبيَنٍ

وَمِن كابُلٍ حَتّى أَشاحَ طَفيلُ

So I drove her between Busra and Abyan,

and from Kabul until Tufayl came into view.

فَما نَظَرَت عَيني وَلا مَرَّ مِسمَعي

بِحَلٍّ وَلا حَيثُ اِستَقَلَّ رَحيلُ

Never has my eye seen, nor has my ear heard,

in camp or wherever a caravan set out,

كَمِثلِ بَني عيسى حِفاظاً وَنائِلاً

إِذا عَمَّ أَقطارَ البِلادِ محولُ

any like the sons of Isa in defending honor and giving bounty,

when drought encompasses the regions of the land.

جَحاجِحَةٌ غُرُّ الوُجوهِ تَآزَروا

بِآراءِ صِدقٍ زانَهُنَّ عُقولُ

Great chiefs, radiant of face, who upheld one another

with sound counsels adorned by wise minds.

سَما بهمُ عيسى إِلى الذُروَةِ التي

تَعِزَّ عَلى مَن رامَها وَتَطولُ

Isa raised them to the summit that

defies whoever seeks it and towers high.

فَهُم حَيثُ هذا الخَلقُ حُسنَ تَواضُعٍ

وَهُم بِالعُلى فَوقَ السِماكِ نُزولُ

Thus they dwell among these people in gracious humility,

while in eminence they dwell above al-Simak.

رَوابِطُ جَأشِ القَلبِ في يَومِ زَيغِهِ

إِذا أَسلَمَ البيضَ الحِسانَ حَليلُ

Steadfast of heart on the day hearts waver,

when husbands abandon the fair, beautiful women;

وَمَأوى ضَريكٍ أَتعَسَ الدَهرُ جَدَّهُ

وَأَمنُ طَريدٍ قَد نَفاهُ قَبيلُ

a refuge for the destitute whose fortune time has ruined,

and safety for an outcast banished by a tribe.

مُحمدُ لَم أَحمَدكَ وَحدي وَإِنَّما

بِحَمدِكَ مَن فَوقَ البَسيطِ يَقولُ

Muhammad, I have not praised you alone; rather,

everyone upon the earth speaks your praise.

رَأَوكَ لما قالوهُ أَهلاً فَدَوَّنوا

لِحَمدِكَ أَبواباً لَهُنَّ فُصولُ

They found you worthy of what they said, so they set down

chapters in your praise, each with its own sections.

فَإِن ذَكَروا بَأساً فَأَنتَ مُقَدَّمٌ

وَإِن ذكروا عُرفاً فَأَنتَ مُنيلُ

If they speak of valor, you stand foremost,

and if they speak of bounty, you are its bestower.

وَهوبٌ لِمَضنونِ الصَفايا تَبَرُّعاً

إِذا الشَولُ لَم تُرفَع لَهُنَّ ذُيولُ

You freely bestow the choicest, most jealously guarded possessions,

when the dry she-camels' tails are not raised.

حَليمٌ إِذا ما الحِلمُ كانَ حَزامَةً

وَسَوطُ نَكالٍ إِن غَضِبتَ وَبيلُ

Forbearing when forbearance is prudence,

and, when you are angered, a grievous scourge of punishment.

وَمَوقِفِ هَولٍ قُمتَ صَعبَ مُقامِهِ

وَلِلبيضِ في هامِ الكُماةَ صَليلُ

At many a scene of terror you stood, where standing was hard,

while bright swords rang among the armored warriors' heads.

فَفَرَّجتَ ضَنكَ المَأزِقَينِ بِعَزمَةٍ

يُفَلُّ بها بَعدَ الرَعيلِ رَعيلُ

So you eased the distress of both straits with a resolve

by which troop after troop is routed.

مَساعٍ هيَ الدُنيا مَعالٍ وَمَفخَرٌ

وَأَجرٌ إِذا حَقَّ الثَوابُ جَزيلُ

Deeds that in this world are high honors and glory,

and a bountiful reward when recompense is due.

فَلا مَجدَ إِلّا قَد تَجاوَزتَ قَدرَهُ

فَكُلُّ ثَناءٍ في عُلاكَ قَليلُ

There is no glory whose measure you have not surpassed;

so all praise of your eminence is too little.

فَما لِلمَطايا دونَ بابِكَ مَوقِفٌ

وَلا لِمَديحٍ في سِواكَ دَليلُ

The mounts have no stopping-place short of your door,

nor does praise find a guide in anyone but you.

وَدونَكَ مَدحاً عَن مَقامِكَ قاصِرٌ

وَفي نَفسِهِ عِندَ الرُواةِ جَليلُ

Accept this praise, which falls short of your station,

though great in itself in the eyes of reciters.

أَزارَكَهُ فِكرٌ بِمَدحِكَ مولَعٌ

لِأَنَّ مَكانَ القَولِ فيكَ بَجيلُ

A thought devoted to your praise has brought it to visit you,

for speech about you holds an honored place.

وَما كُنتُ مِمَّن يَجعَلُ الشِعرَ مَكسَباً

وَلَم يَطَبِّبني لِلمَطامِعِ قيلُ

I was never one to make poetry a livelihood,

nor has talk lured me toward hopes of gain.

وَلكِن غَمامٌ مِن نَداكَ أَظَلَّني

فَأَخضَلتُ فيه وَالزمانُ مَحيلُ

But a cloud of your bounty has shaded me,

so I grew lush within it, while the times were barren.

وَلَستُ بِشُكري مُستَزيداً وَإِنَّما

لكُم طَوقُ مَنٍّ في طُلايَ ثَيقيلُ

I do not seek more through my thanks; rather,

yours is a heavy collar of favor around my neck.

سَأَذكُرُهُ ما بَلَّ ريقيَ مِقوَلي

وَما ناخَ شَجواً بِالأَراكِ هَديلُ

I shall remember it as long as my saliva moistens my tongue,

and as long as a dove settles sorrowfully among the arak trees.

وَصَلِّ إلهَ العالمينَ مُسَلِّماً

عَلى مَن لهُ في المَكرُماتِ دَليلُ

And send blessings and peace, O God of the worlds,

upon him whose noble deeds bear witness to him:

مُحمدٍ الهادي الأَمينِ وَآلهِ

كَذا الصَحبِ ما هَبَّت صَباً وَقَبولُ

Muhammad, the trustworthy guide, and his family,

and likewise his companions, as long as east winds and easterly breezes blow.