أقسمت بالسحر بين الكحل والوسن — Mufti Fathallah

أَقسَمتُ بِالسّحرِ بَينَ الكحلِ وَالوَسنِ

وَالصّارِمِ المنتضي مِن طَرفِهِ الوَسِنِ

I swore by the magic between kohl and drowsiness,

and the sharp sword drawn from his sleepy glance,

وَالبدر مُزدَهِياً في شَرقِ جَبهَتِهِ

وَالشّمس طالِعَة في وَجهِهِ الحَسَنِ

and the full moon shining splendidly in the east of his forehead,

and the sun rising in his beautiful face,

وَعَقرَب الصدغِ حاذى قَوسَ حاجِبِهِ

بُرجَ المَحاسِنِ حاذَى جَبهَةَ الحُسُنِ

and the scorpion-curl at his temple, aligned with his eyebrow's bow,

a constellation of charms aligned with beauty's brow,

وَرَوضِ وَجنَتِهِ المُزري بِرَونَقِها

مِن بَهجَةِ الوردِ زَهر الرّوضِ وَالفنَنِ

and the garden of his cheek, whose radiance puts to shame

the flowers of garden and branch through the beauty of its roses,

وَمِسكِ شامَتِه في وَردِ وَجنَتِهِ

يا حَبّذا المِسك فَوقَ الوردِ وَهوَ جَني

and the musk of his mole amid the roses of his cheek:

how lovely the musk above the freshly picked rose!

وَآسِ عارِضِهِ تَسقيهِ وَجنَتُهُ

ماءَ الحَياءِ وَماءَ الوَردِ لا المُزُنِ

And the myrtle of his cheek-down, which his cheek waters

with modesty's water and rosewater, not rain clouds,

وَاللّيل مِن فَرعِه يَبدو تَلامعُهُ

مِنَ السّوادِ كَمِثلِ البَرقِ في الدُّجُنِ

and the night of his hair, whose gleams appear

from its blackness like lightning amid dark clouds,

وَبَدرِ غُرَّتِهِ الغرّاءِ يَكنفُها

صُبحا الجَبينَينِ بَينَ الأُذنِ والأذُنِ

and the full moon of his radiant forehead, flanked

by the two dawns of his brow-sides, between ear and ear,

وَلَمعِ طرّتِهِ مِن بَدرِ غرّتِهِ

فَلا اِحتِياجَ بِها لِلدَّهنِ وَالدُّهُنِ

and his forelock's gleam from the moon of his forehead:

it has no need of oiling or oils.

وَالدُّرِّ مِن ثَغرِهِ الدُّرِّيّ مُبتَسِما

وَلَيسَ يحصَرُ بِالتّثمينِ في ثَمَنِ

And the pearls of his pearly mouth as he smiles,

which no appraisal can confine within a price:

عَلَيهِ بابٌ مِنَ الياقوتِ مُنتَظِمٌ

يا حُسنَ درٍّ لَدى الياقوتِ مُختزنِ

over them stands a well-set gate of ruby;

how lovely the pearls stored beside the ruby!

وَخَمر ريقَتِهِ مَمزوجَةً عَسَلاً

مِن غَيرِ مَزجٍ وَلَكِن خلق ذي المِنَنِ

And the wine of his saliva, blended with honey,

without any blending, but through the Bountiful One's creation:

تَقَرقَفَتْ سَلسَلاً في كاسِ مَبسِمِهِ

وَقَد تَبَدَّت بِرَشفِ الوهمِ تُسكِرُني

it quivered, sweet-flowing, in the cup of his smiling mouth,

and appeared, intoxicating me with an imagined sip.

وَالجيدِ تَحتَ مُحيّاه المُضيءِ زَها

ما أَضوأَ الجيد تَحتَ الوَجهِ وَالوجنِ

And his neck, shining beneath his radiant face:

how bright the neck beneath the face and cheeks!

فَإِنّهُ كَعمود الصّبحِ ضاءَ وَقَد

عَلَتْهُ شَمسُ الضُّحى في أَحسَنِ الزِّينِ

For it shone like a column of dawn, while

the morning sun surmounted it in the finest adornment.

وَالصّدرِ مِن تَحتِهِ لَو بانَ مُنكَشِفاً

لَغَابَ بَدرَ الدّجى خَسفاً ولم يَبِنِ

And the chest beneath it: were it revealed uncovered,

the full moon of darkness would vanish eclipsed, unseen.

فَالوَجهُ وَالصّدرُ ثمَّ الجيدُ بَينَهُما

شَمسانِ أَسفَرتا بِالحُسنِ في زَمنِ

So the face and chest, with the neck between them,

are two suns shining forth with beauty in one age,

وَالصّبح بَينَهُما أَبدى تَلألُؤهُ

وَمثل ذا الصّبحِ كالشّمسَينِ لَم يكنِ

and the dawn between them displays its sparkle;

the like of this dawn, as of these two suns, has never been.

وَالرّمحُ مِن قَدِّهِ الميّاسِ في أَودٍ

مُزري الرّياح وَخودِ البانِ وَالغصنِ

And the spear of his swaying stature, gently bent,

shaming the winds and the swaying of moringa and branch,

وَرقّةِ الخَصرِ عقد العَشرِ مَنطقهُ

كَذاكَ وَالبطنِ يَحوي أَحسنَ العُكَنِ

and his slender waist, whose girdle is the finger-sign for ten,

and likewise his belly, containing the fairest folds,

وَكُلِّ ما فيهِ مِن خَلقٍ وَمِن خُلُقٍ

وَماءِ لُطفٍ جَرى في ذَلكَ البَدَنِ

and everything in him of form and character,

and the water of grace flowing through that body:

لا شَيءَ يَحويهِ مَن خَلق وَمِن خُلُق

بِغَيرِ أَسنى وَأَعلى الحسنِ لم يُزَنِ

nothing he possesses in form or character

is adorned with anything but the most radiant, highest beauty.

وَاللَّهُ صَوَّرهُ لِلنّاسِ فِتنَتَهُم

نَعَم وَصَيَّرَهُ مِن أَكبَرِ الفِتَنِ

And God fashioned him as a temptation to mankind;

yes, and made him among the greatest temptations.

إِنَّ التغزُّلَ في أَضرابِهِ حَسَنٌ

فَما التغزُّلُ في الأَطلالِ وَالدمنِ

To sing of love for those like him is beautiful;

what, then, is love poetry about ruins and deserted campsites?

هَويتهُ وَفُؤادي بِالهَوى وَلِهٌ

وَقَد رَماني هَواهُ في يَدِ المِحَنِ

I loved him, my heart distraught with passion,

and love for him cast me into the hands of trials.

وَسَلَّ عَقلي وَلُبّي في مَحَبّتِهِ

وَأَوجَبَ البُغضَ بَينَ الجفنِ وَالوَسنِ

It stripped away my reason and understanding in loving him,

and imposed enmity between eyelid and sleep.

وَعَذَّبَ القَلبَ إِبعاداً بِلا سَبَبٍ

وَقَد كَسا الجسمَ ثَوبَ السّقمِ وَالحَزَنِ

It tormented my heart through separation without cause,

and clothed my body in the garment of sickness and sorrow.

فَصِرتُ في يَومِ غَيمٍ كَالخيالِ بَدا

لَولا خِطابي مَنْ خاطبتُ لَم يَرني

So I became like a phantom appearing on a cloudy day;

without my speaking, whoever I addressed would not have seen me.

وَهِمتُ فيهِ خَليعَ العَقلِ عادِمه

أُبدي الصّبابَةَ في سِرٍّ وَفي عَلَنِ

And I was crazed for him, stripped of reason, bereft of it,

revealing my longing in secret and openly.

لا أَكتُمُ العشقَ كَيفَ العِشق أَكتُمُهُ

وَبي شُهودُ الهَوى وَالعِشق تَفضَحُني

I do not conceal my love—how could I conceal it,

when the witnesses of passion and love within me expose me?

يا عاذِلي خَلّني وَالنّصحَ في عَذلي

فَالعَذلُ ينمي الهَوى لَو كنتَ تَنصَحُني

O my reproacher, leave me alone, and spare me counsel through reproach:

reproach increases passion, if you mean to counsel me.

ما كنتُ يا عاذِلي بِالعَذلِ مُنتَصِحاً

أَيَقبلُ النّصحَ صَبٌّ بِالغَرامِ فَني

I would not heed reproach, O my reproacher;

would a lover wasted away by passion accept advice?

فَاِرتَحْ وَلا تَنتَظِر نيلَ المُحالِ فَمَن

يَرجو المُحالَ عَديمُ العَقلِ وَالفِطنِ

So rest, and do not await the impossible, for whoever

hopes for the impossible lacks reason and discernment.

خَرجتُ عَن مُهجَتي في حُبّهِ وَلهاً

وَعَن صَديقي وَعَن أَهلي وَعَن وَطَني

I forsook my very soul, distraught with love for him,

and my friend, my family, and my homeland.

وَرُمت وَحشَ الفَيافي أَن أُصاحِبَهُ

وَاِختَرتُ فيهِ الفَلا وَالقفرَ عَن سَكَني

And I sought to befriend the beasts of the wilderness,

and for him chose open wastes and desert over my dwelling.

ذَبَحتُ طَيفَ الكَرى في مُقلتَيَّ لَهُ

تَقرُّباً مثلَ مُهْدِي الهَدْيِ والبُدُنِ

I slaughtered sleep's phantom in my two eyes for him,

in devotion, like one offering sacrificial beasts and camels.

أُراقِبُ النّجمَ طولَ اللّيلِ مِن سَهَرٍ

وَالنّجمُ لي رَأفَةً فيّا يُساهِرُني

I watch the star throughout the night in sleeplessness,

and the star, out of pity for me, keeps vigil with me.

ما شِمتُ في النّجمِ كَالمِصباحِ مُزدَهِياً

كَكَوكَبِ الصّبحِ يَزهو غَير مُكتَمنِ

I beheld none among the stars, splendid as a lamp,

shining like the morning star, unconcealed;

ما شِمتُ فيهِ عليّاً قَد عَلا شَرَفاً

إِلّا عَليّاً أَبا مِصباحه الحَسنِ

I beheld no exalted one there, risen high in honor,

except Ali, father of its beautiful lamp.

بَدر المَعالي وَشَمس المَجدِ في شَرفٍ

مِن ذَروَةِ العِزِّ بِالعَلياءِ مُقتَرِنِ

Full moon of lofty deeds and sun of glory, in an eminence

joined to exaltation at the summit of might.

رَضيع ثَديِ العُلى مِن حينِ مَولِدِهِ

وَأَرضَعَتْهُ العُلى مِن أَطيبِ اللبنِ

A nursling at the breast of eminence from the hour of his birth,

and eminence suckled him with the finest milk.

وَكانَ شبلَ العُلى يُدعى اِبنَ بَجدَتِها

وَكانَ بِالمَجدِ فيها خَير مُحتَضنِ

He was eminence's lion cub, called its native son,

and within it, the finest fosterling embraced by glory.

عَليُّ ذاتٍ وَقَدرٍ في ذُرى شَرفٍ

وَاِسمٍ وَصيتٍ حَميدٍ طَيِّبٍ وَسَني

Exalted in person and rank upon the peaks of honor,

and in name and reputation, praiseworthy, good, and radiant;

عَليُّ جاهٍ عَريض لا نَظير لَهُ

عَليّ فِعلٍ جَرى في مُستوى سنَنِ

exalted in vast prestige, with none to match him;

exalted in deeds proceeding along an even, upright path;

عَليُّ خَلقٍ فَخُلقٍ مِن مَحاسِنِهِ

إِتيانُهُ فيهِ طبقَ الفَرضِ وَالسّننِ

exalted in form, then character; among his virtues

is acting in accord with religious obligations and prescribed traditions.

الأَمجَدُ الأَفخَمُ المَشهورُ سُؤدُدهُ

في كلِّ قطر كَمثلِ الشّامِ وَاليمنِ

The most glorious, most august, whose lordliness is renowned

in every land, such as al-Sham and Yemen;

السّيّدِ الأَسعَدِ المَسعودِ طالِعُهُ

في جَبهَةِ السّعدِ وَالإِسعادِ واليُمُنِ

the most fortunate lord, whose ascendant is blessed,

at the brow of fortune, felicity, and auspiciousness;

مُبارَكُ الاِسمِ وَالمَيمونِ طائِرهُ

رَبّ الحُظوظِ الّتي في الدَّهرِ لَم تَكُنِ

blessed in name, auspicious in omen,

possessing fortunes never seen in all time;

البارِعُ المَاهِرُ الفَهمُ الفَريد ذَكا

في كُلِّ نادِرَةٍ وَالحاذِق الفَطِنِ

the accomplished, skilled, perceptive, peerless in intelligence

in every rare matter, adept and discerning;

الثّاقِبُ الفِكر لا تَخفاهُ غائِبَة

بِرَأيِهِ الصائِبِ المَحفوظِ مِن غبنِ

penetrating in thought, with no hidden matter escaping him,

through his sound judgment, safeguarded from misjudgment;

رَبّ اللّسانِ الّذي صاغَت بَلاغَتَه

يَدُ البَديعِ بِأَغلى عَسجَدِ اللّسنِ

master of the tongue, whose eloquence was fashioned

by the hand of rhetorical artistry in the costliest gold of speech;

المُعربِ القَول فاضَت عَينُ حِكمَتِهِ

سِحرُ البَيانِ يُجافي اللّحنَ بِاللّحنِ

articulate in speech, the spring of his wisdom overflowing;

the magic of eloquence shuns solecism through melody.

بَحر النّدى لَم يَكُن بَحرٌ يُشابِهُهُ

بِالجودِ وَالبَذلِ وَالإِعطاءِ وَالمِننِ

A sea of generosity, with no sea resembling him

in generosity, liberality, giving, and favors;

وَالبشر كَالضّوءِ يَعلو فَوقَ جَبهَتِهِ

عِندَ العَطاءِ كَضَوءِ البَدرِ في الدّجنِ

and cheerfulness rises like light above his forehead

when he gives, like moonlight amid dark clouds.

ما جاءَهُ لنَدَاه خدنُ متربةٍ

إِلّا وَقَد شِيمَ بَعدَ الفَقرِ راحَ غَني

No companion of destitution came to seek his bounty

without being seen to depart rich after poverty.

عَفُّ الإِزارِ وَما أَسنى العَفاف بِهِ

وَاِزدانَ فيهِ فَأَضحى خَيَر مُتَّزنِ

Chaste of loincloth—how splendid chastity is in him!

It adorned him, and he became the finest, most poised man.

الأَبيض العِرض مِن عَيبٍ وَمِن دَنَسٍ

وَالأَبيَض القَلب مِن حِقدٍ وَمِن ضغنِ

White of honor, free of flaw and stain,

and white of heart, free of hatred and rancor;

مَن لَيسَ تُحصرُ تِعداداً خَصائِله

بَل لَيسَ يُحصَرُ مِنها العشرُ في ثُمُنِ

one whose qualities cannot be encompassed by counting:

indeed, not even a tenth of them can be contained in an eighth.

لَو كانَ آلى اِمرُؤٌ أَنْ لا نَظيرَ لَهُ

بَرّ اليمين فَلَم يَحنُث وَلَم يَمِنِ

If a man were to swear that he has no equal,

he would keep his oath, neither breaking it nor lying.

لَيث الشّرى الأَسد الرّئبال مَنْ هَلَكَتْ

مِن صيتِهِ الأُسْدُ في البَيداءِ وَالقننِ

The lion of al-Shara, the lion, the mighty lion, at whose

fame lions perish in the desert and on mountain peaks;

الفارِسُ البَطلُ السّامي مَنِ اِعتَرَفَت

لَدَيهِ طَوعاً لُيوثُ الغابِ بِالجُبُنِ

the knight, the hero, the exalted one, to whom confession was made

willingly by the forest's lions before him: their cowardice.

إِن جالَ لِلحَربِ وَالهَيجا بِمَعركةٍ

أَبدى العَجائِبَ مِن رمحٍ وَمِن قرنِ

If he charges into war and battle on a battlefield,

he displays marvels with lance and against opponents.

إِن بارَزَ القَومَ لا قِرن يُكافِئهُ

وَلَيسَ في حَربِهِ قَد كانَ بِالقمِنِ

If he challenges men to single combat, no opponent matches him,

and none has ever been a worthy match in war against him.

فَأَي قِرن عَلى جَهلٍ يُبارِزُهُ

يَصيرُ مَيتاً أَوِ المَشدودَ بالفَرَنِ

So any opponent who ignorantly challenges him

becomes dead, or bound in fetters.

إِذا عَلا الأَحمر الدّرويش قُلتُ فَسَل

هَل في السّماءِ لِهذا اللّيثِ مِن وَطَنِ

When al-Darwish mounts the red horse, I say: ask

whether this lion has a home in the sky.

أَراهُ صَيَّر هَذا الطِّرف سَلَّمَهُ

يَبغي الصّعودَ إِلَيها وَهوَ ذو أَرَنِ

I see him making this steed his ladder,

seeking to ascend to it, full of high spirits.

أَحسِنْ بِذا الطِّرفِ مِن بَحرٍ ومكتنزٍ

طَويل ساقٍ طَويل العنقِ والأُذُنِ

How splendid this steed, ocean-like and solidly built!

Long of shank, long of neck and ear,

قَصير بَيتٍ شكالٍ مثل عُصعصهِ

قَصيرَ ظَهرٍ وَسامي الأَصلِ غَير دَني

short in the pastern, as in his tailbone,

short-backed, noble in lineage, not base,

كَبيرِ عَينٍ وَأَنفٍ مثل حافِرِهِ

مَعروق وَجهٍ عَديم الشّكلِ في الحُصُنِ

large of eye and nose, like his hoof,

lean-faced, without an equal among stallions,

وَواسِعِ جَبهَةٍ كَالبطنِ مَع كَفلٍ

بِحُلَّةِ الحُسنِ في كَيس وَفي سِمَنِ

and broad of forehead, as of belly and rump,

clad in beauty, intelligent and well fleshed.

وَأَحمَرُ اللّونِ بَل سودٌ مَعارِفُهُ

كَذَيلِهِ مثلهُ في الخَيلِ لَم يكنِ

And red of coat, but black in his mane,

as in his tail; his like has never been among horses.

أَغَرَّ تَحلو بِتَحجيلٍ قَوائِمُهُ

بِيُمنِ وَجهٍ بِخير الخَيرِ مُقترِنِ

White-blazed, his legs made lovely by white stockings,

auspicious of face, joined to the best of good fortune.

تَراهُ في حينَما يَعلوهُ مضطَرِباً

وَفَوقَ مَريطه كَالتّائم الوَسِنِ

You see him restless when his rider mounts him,

yet upon his back the rider is like a drowsy, lovesick man.

يَنقادُ بِالقَولِ في عَدوٍ وتَوءدة

لَولا التّكلّم أَجراهُ بِلا رَسنِ

He obeys spoken commands at a gallop and a slow pace;

but for speech, his rider would run him without a rein.

ما الرّيحُ تَسبِقُهُ حتّى وَلَو عَصَفَت

بَل يَسبِقُ الرّيحَ في عَدوٍ وَفي ظعنِ

The wind does not outstrip him, even when it blows fiercely;

rather, he outstrips the wind at a gallop and in travel.

إِذا عَدا لَم يَضَع في العَدوِ حافِرهُ

إِلّا عَلى الرّيحِ دونَ الأَرضِ وَالحُزنِ

When he gallops, he places his hoof

only upon the wind, not the earth or rough ground.

لَو أَنّهُ سارَ مِن صَنعا إِلى عَدَنٍ

لَعادَ حالاً إِلى صَنعاء مِن عَدَنِ

If he traveled from Sana'a to Aden,

he would return at once to Sana'a from Aden.

وَإِنّه لَم يَلقَ إِلّا لِفارِسِهِ

خدن المَعالي أَبي مِصباحها الحَسَنِ

And he has been suited to none but his rider,

the companion of lofty deeds, father of their beautiful lamp.

لا زالَ أَوج المَعالي مُرتقىً لَهُما

وَلَم يَزالا جَمالَ الدَّهرِ وَالزّمنِ

May the summit of lofty deeds ever be a height for them both to ascend,

and may they always remain the beauty of all time and the ages,

ما لاحَ بَرقٌ وَما غنَّت مُطوَّقةٌ

بِحُسنِ شَدوٍ رَخيم مُذهب الشَّجَنِ

as long as lightning flashes and a collared dove sings

with beautiful, mellow song that dispels sorrow.