بحب الملاح وعشق العذارى — Mufti Fathallah

بِحُبِّ المِلاحِ وَعِشقِ العَذارى

ومُرِّ الغَرام خَلعتُ العِذارا

Through love of beauties and passion for maidens,

and love's bitterness, I cast off the bridle.

وَوَردِ الخُدودِ ومَيلِ القُدودِ

وَهَزِّ البنودِ شَرِبت العُقارا

And for the roses of cheeks and the sway of figures,

and the fluttering of banners, I drank wine.

شَربت عقارَ الهِيامِ صَبوحاً

فَزدت بِذاتِ الخِمارِ خِمارا

I drank the wine of infatuation as a morning draught,

so through the veiled one I grew more intoxicated.

رَداح تَميسُ كَخوطَةِ بانٍ

فَصَفَّقَ قَلبي إِلَيها وَطَارا

A full-hipped beauty sways like a ban-tree shoot,

so my heart fluttered toward her and flew.

وَدَعجاء رودٍ وَحَوراء خودٍ

تَبَدَّت تسلُّ العقولَ اِحوِرارا

And a tender, dark-eyed beauty, a lovely, bright-eyed maiden,

appeared, her eyes' vivid contrast stealing minds.

وَهَدباء تَرمي نِبالاً بِغَمزٍ

أَصابَ فُؤادي فَصادَفَ نارا

And a long-lashed beauty shoots arrows with a wink

that struck my heart and found fire.

مَريضَةُ جَفنٍ صَحيحةُ سِحْرٍ

فَقَلبي أَذابَ وَعَقلي أَطارا

Languid of eyelid, unerring in enchantment,

so her magic melted my heart and sent my mind flying.

مَليكةُ حُسنٍ رَفيعةُ شَأنٍ

تَظلُّ المُلوكُ لَدَيها أسارى

A queen of beauty, high in standing,

kings remain captives in her presence.

مَليحَةُ ذاتٍ رَشيقَةُ قدٍّ

بِشَمسِ المُحيّا تَبَدَّت جَهارا

Lovely in person, slender of figure,

she appeared openly with the sun of her face.

بَدا الخالُ فيه كَنُقطَةِ مِسكٍ

فَأَصبَحَ فيها الأنامُ حَيارى

A mole appeared there like a dot of musk,

so people grew bewildered by her.

هوَ البدرُ في الشَّمسُ حلّ ولو لم

تَكُن حَرقتهُ لَفيها أَنارا

It is the full moon lodged in the sun; and had she not

burned it, it would have shone within her.

وَلَمّا عَلى خَدِّها اِسودّ قالَت

له صِرْ لخدّيَ خالاً فصارا

And when it blackened upon her cheek, she said

to it, 'Become a mole on my cheek,' and it became one.

فَإِن تَبتَسِم أَو تفُهْ بِكَلامٍ

تَرى البرقَ يَظهَرُ لا يَتَوارى

For if she smiles or utters words,

you see lightning appear, never hidden.

وَخَمرُ لَماها يَفوحُ كَمِسكٍ

فَعُشّاقُها مِنهُ تَبدو سكارى

And the wine of her dusky lips wafts like musk,

so her lovers appear drunk from it.

غَزالَةُ سِربٍ تَصيدُ الضّواري

فَتَملِكُهُم قوّة وَاِقتِدارا

A gazelle of the herd, she hunts beasts of prey,

and masters them by strength and might.

تُغازي فُؤادي بِغزل لِحاظٍ

فَصارَ أَسيراً يَخِرُّ اِنكِسارا

She wages war on my heart with the flirtation of her glances,

so it became a captive, collapsing in defeat.

تَحلَّى بِها الحُسنُ إِذ تَخِذَتهُ

عَلى الجِسمِ وَصفاً لَها لا إِزارا

Beauty adorned itself with her, when she made it

a quality of her body, not a wrap.

فَلا لَيلَ إِلّا الذّوائبُ منها

وَلا شَمسَ إِلّا الجبينُ اِستَنارا

There is no night but her tresses,

and no sun but her shining brow.

أَرى كلَّ أُفقٍ بِها مُستَضيئاً

وَكُلُّ زَمانٍ أَراهُ نَهارا

I see every horizon illuminated by her,

and every moment I see as day.

تَعشّقتها حينَ أَن كُنت حَملاً

فَهِمْتُ بِوَجدي أَجوبُ القِفارا

I fell in love with her while I was still in the womb,

so I wandered lovesick, roaming the deserts in my longing.

أُحبُّ اِقتِراباً إِلَيها وَمنها

وَهاتيكَ طَبعاً تَحبُّ النِّفارا

I love drawing close to her, and her drawing close to me,

but she by nature loves to shy away.

وَزادَ غَرامي وَوجديَ فيها

وَكَم في هَواها عَدِمتُ اِصطِبارا

My ardor and longing for her increased,

and how often, loving her, I have lacked endurance!

أُساقُ بِوَجدي لِعَذبِ هَواها

وَلَستُ أُساق إِلَيهِ اِختِيارا

My longing drives me to the sweetness of loving her,

and I am not drawn to it of my own choosing.

كَتَمتُ هَواها وما بُحتُ فيه

وَكادَ فُؤادي يَموتُ اِنفِطارا

I concealed my love for her and spoke nothing of it,

and my heart nearly died of breaking.

فَباحَت دُموعي بِدونِ اِختِياري

لِأَنّ عُيوني اِنفَجرنَ اِنفِجارا

So my tears disclosed it against my will,

because my eyes gushed forth in torrents.

فَسالَت دِماءً وَطَوراً كحبرٍ

وَحيناً عَقيقاً وَتاراً بِهارا

They flowed as blood, and at times like ink,

and sometimes as carnelian, sometimes as yellow bahar blossoms.

هَجرتُ مَنامي وَإنّيَ بَيني

وَبَينَ النّجومِ جَعلت السّمارا

I abandoned sleep; between myself

and the stars I established nightly conversation.

وَكَيفَ مَنامي وَكَيفَ نعاسي

وَإِنّي أَرى العاشِقين سَهارى

How could I sleep, how could I slumber,

when I see lovers sleepless?

وَما العاشِقونَ بِغَير أَسامٍ

وَإِنّي المُسمّى فَخلِّ اِفتِكارا

And lovers are nothing but names,

and I am the one truly named; so put thought aside.

وَلَيسَ الكِرامُ بِغَيرِ عليٍّ

أَخي الجودِ أَدناهُ يَحكي البِحارا

And the generous are none other than Ali,

a brother of generosity, whose least gift resembles the seas.

رَحيبُ الرِّحاب وَبَحرٌ عُبابٌ

فَأنّى يُضاهَى وأنّى يُجارَى

Broad of courtyards, a surging sea,

how can he be matched, how can he be rivaled?

كَريمُ السّجايا شَريفُ الطّباع

حَميد المَزايا أقَامَ الفَخارا

Noble in character, honorable in nature,

praiseworthy in virtues, he established glory.

عليُّ الجَنابِ بِحسٍّ وَمَعنى

رَفيعُ المَكانَةِ سامٍ مَنارا

Exalted in rank, outwardly and inwardly,

lofty of station, his beacon soaring.

بِعَرشِ المَعالي لِكرسيِّ مَجدٍ

عَلَيهِ تَربّى بَنى العزَّ دارا

With a throne of high attainments for a seat of glory,

on which he was reared, he built honor as a home.

هزَبْرٌ هَصورٌ وليثٌ جسورٌ

وقرْمٌ غَيورٌ يقيل العِثارا

A fierce lion, an intrepid lion,

and a zealous chief who pardons missteps.

يَصولُ بِعَزمٍ يَجولُ بِحَزمٍ

وَيَسطو بِعَضْبٍ يَجرُّ البَوارا

He charges with resolve, ranges with prudence,

and strikes with a keen sword that brings ruin,

عَلى أَصهَبٍ يَسبقُ الرّيحَ جرياً

وَفي لَمْحِ طرفِيَ كَالطّيرِ طارا

upon a chestnut steed whose gallop outruns the wind,

and in the blink of my eye it flew like a bird.

أَغرُّ أَصيل إِذا قَد عَلاهُ

وَسارَ كَالطودِ بِاللَّيثِ سارا

A white-blazed thoroughbred: when he has mounted it

and rides, it moves like a mountain bearing a lion.

يَطولُ عَلَيهِ الهِلال بِكفٍّ

فَيَهوي على الطَّوع كَيفَ أَشارا

Above it, the crescent in his hand rises high,

then falls obediently however he directs it.

بِفكرٍ أعاديهِ إِنْ جالَ قالوا

لنحو الفَرار البِدارَ البدارا

If he crosses his foes' thoughts, they cry,

"To flight—hurry, hurry!"

وَلَو وَهِموا أن يكرَّ عليهم

لَولَّوْا وَقالوا الفِرارَ الفِرارا

And if they imagined him charging upon them,

they would turn away and cry, "Flight! Flight!"

وَهَل فارِسٌ قامَ في الحَربِ يَعدو

يَشقُّ لِهذا الهِزَبْرِ غبارا

Is there a horseman who takes the field at a gallop

and can cleave this lion's dust?

تَحلّى بِحلمٍ عَلى حسنِ خلقٍ

وَضَمَّ الكَمالُ إِلَيهِ الوقارا

He adorned himself with forbearance grounded in fine character,

and perfection added dignity to him.

وَفيهِ أَرَدت إِطالةَ مَدحي

وَلَكِن لِعَجزي وَدِدت اِختِصارا

I wished to prolong my praise of him,

but, because of my inadequacy, I desired brevity.

فَمَهما أَطَلت اِعتَلاني قصورٌ

وَشَأنُ المُقصّر يُبدي اِعتِذارا

However long I prolong it, insufficiency overtakes me,

and one who falls short is wont to offer an apology.

فَهاكَ أَخا الفَضلِ بِكراً عَروساً

أَجَدْتُ لِمَدحك فيها اِفتِكارا

So take, O brother of excellence, a virgin bride;

in her I refined my thoughts in praise of you.

خَريدَةُ حُسنٍ بَديعةُ نَظمٍ

وَصُغتُ البلاغَةَ فيها سِوارا

A maiden of beauty, a marvel of verse,

and I fashioned eloquence in her as a bracelet.

يَتيمَةُ درٍّ تعزُّ وجوداً

وَعَنها تَعرَّت خَزائن دارا

A peerless pearl, rare to find,

and Dara's treasuries were bare of her.

فَأَقبِلْ عَلَيها ولا ترَ عَيباً

فَمِثلُك يسترُ عَيباً وَعارا

So turn toward her, and see no flaw;

one like you conceals faults and shame.

وَدُمْ بِأَمانٍ وَحِصنٍ حَصينٍ

وَعِزٍّ مَنيعٍ مُعاذاً مُجارا

And remain in safety and in a strong fortress,

and in unassailable might, protected and sheltered,

مَدى الدّهر ما صاحَ صُبحاً هزارٌ

وَما قَد أَجابَ الحمامُ الهِزارا

for all time, so long as a nightingale sings at dawn,

and so long as the doves answer the nightingale,

وَما خَلَع الصبّ مِثلي عذارا

بِحبّ المِلاحِ وَعشقِ العَذارى

and so long as a lovesick lover like me casts off his bridle

through love of beauties and passion for maidens.