استمطر العين أن أحبابه احتملوا — Muslim Ibn Al Walid

اِستَمطَرَ العَينَ أَن أَحبابُهُ اِحتَمَلوا

لَو كانَ رَدَّ البُكاءُ الحَيَّ إِذ رَحَلوا

He called upon the eye to rain, for his loved ones had departed,

if weeping could have brought the clan back when they left.

لَولا الشَبابُ وَعَهدٌ لا أَحيسُ بِهِ

لَأَعقَبَ العَينَ نَوماً ماؤُها الخَضِلُ

Were it not for youth and a pledge I do not break,

the eye's flowing tears would have granted it sleep.

رُمتُ السُلوَّ وَناجاني الضَميرُ بِهِ

فَاِستَعطَفَتني عَلى بَيضاتِها الحَجَلُ

I sought forgetfulness, and my inner self whispered to me of it;

then the partridges moved me to pity for their eggs.

وَلَيلَةٍ يَومَ يَومي ضِحكَةٌ وَبُكاً

باتَت بِعَيني عُيونُ العَينِ تَكتَحِلُ

And a night, when my day was laughter and weeping,

the eyes of the wide-eyed women took their kohl from my eye.

باتَت تُعاطيهِ كَأسَ اللَهوِ جارِيَةٌ

رودُ الشَبابِ أُناةٌ مِرطُها رَحِلُ

A maiden spent the night passing him the cup of revelry,

tender in youth, unhurried, her mantle slipping.

كَأَنَّها ثَمِلٌ مالَ الصَبوحُ بِهِ

لَيسَت بِهِ هُوَ لَكِن مَشيُها ثَمِلُ

She seemed a drunkard whom the morning wine had tilted;

she was not he, but her gait was drunken.

وَما اِستَخَفَّكَ إِلّا نَظرَةٌ سَلَكَت

إِثرَ القَبولِ وَقَد خَفَّت لَهُ السُدُلُ

Nothing carried you away but a glance that slipped

after the east wind, as the curtains stirred before it.

ريعَت فَراعَت ظِباءَ الإِنسِ آنِسَةً

وَهُنَّ عَنها وَما أَغفَلنَها غُفُلُ

She took fright and startled the human gazelles, though herself at ease,

while they were heedless of her, yet had not overlooked her.

وَالناظِراتُ شُفوناً إِن عَرَضنَ لَنا

كَما تَرامى بِلَحظِ الخُلسَةِ القُبُلُ

And the women casting sidelong looks, if they appeared before us,

were like inward-eyed women exchanging furtive glances.

تَداوَلَت عَذَباتِ السَجفِ أَعيُنُها

خُذلَ القُلوبِ وَفي أَبصارِها وَجَلُ

Their eyes took turns at the curtain's fringes,

leaving hearts forsaken, with fear in their gazes.

اِستَفسَدَ الدَهرُ أَقواماً فَأَصلَحَهُم

مُحَمَّلٌ نَكَباتِ الدَهرِ مُحتَمِلُ

Time corrupted peoples, then he reformed them—

a man burdened with Time's calamities, yet enduring.

بِهِ تَعارَفَتِ الأَحياءُ وَإِئتَلَفَت

إِذ أَلَّفَتهُم إِلى مَعروفِهِ السُبُلُ

Through him the clans came to know one another and united,

when roads brought them together to his bounty.

كَأَنَّهُ قَمَرٌ أَو ضَيغَمٌ هِصرٌ

أَو حَيَّةٌ ذَكَرٌ أَو عارِضٌ هَطِلُ

He is like a moon, or a crushing lion,

or a male serpent, or a cloud pouring rain.

لا يَضحَكُ الدَهرُ إِلّا حينَ تَسأَلُهُ

وَلَيسَ يَعبُسُ إِلّا حينَ لا يُسَلُ

He never smiles in all his days except when you ask him,

and he frowns only when he is not asked.

أَعطى المَقادَةَ أَهلَ الشامِ حينَ غُشوا

مِن جَعفَرٍ بِهَناتٍ مالَها حِوَلُ

The people of Syria yielded the reins when they were overwhelmed

by afflictions from Ja'far that offered no escape.

سَدَّ الخَليفَةُ أَطرافَ الثُغورِ بِهِ

وَقَد تَهَتَّكَ وَاِستَرخى لَها الطِوَلُ

With him the caliph secured the far reaches of the frontiers,

when their tether had frayed and slackened.

يَأتي الأُمورَ بِأَشكالٍ فَيُبرِمُها

مُستَحصِدُ الرَأيِ ما في رَأيِهِ خَطَلُ

He approaches affairs in fitting ways and settles them firmly,

firm in judgment, with no folly in his counsel.

يَكادُ مِن عَزمِ رَأيٍ في بَصيرَتِهِ

أَن يَختِلَ الدَهرَ عَما لَيسَ يُختَتَلُ

Through the resolve of a judgment grounded in his insight, he almost

outwits Time in matters where it cannot be outwitted.

أَمَّنتَ بِالشامِ أَرواحاً وَأَفئِدَةً

قَد حَلَّ مُستَوطِناً أَوطانُها الوَجَلُ

In Syria you gave safety to souls and hearts

in whose homes dread had settled as a resident.

كُلُّ البَرِيَّةِ مُلقٍ نَحوَهُ أَمَلاً

بِالرُغبِ وَالرُهبِ مَوصولاً بِهِ الأَمَلُ

All creation casts its hope toward him,

in longing and fear, with hope bound to him.

مُستَغرِقٌ لِمُنى العافينَ نائِلَهُ

تَفنى عَلى وَعدِهِ الأَموالُ وَالعِلَلُ

He exhausts his bounty to fulfill the wishes of petitioners;

wealth and excuses alike run out at his promise.

وَمَجمَعٍ لِحُتوفِ الدَهرِ أُهبَتُهُ

فَرَّجتَ غَمّاءَهُ وَالمَوتُ مُشتَمِلُ

And many a gathering prepared for Time's fatal blows,

you relieved its crushing distress while death enfolded it.

وَمَأزِقٍ يَبعَثُ الطُغيانُ بَعثَتَهُ

مُستَهدِفٍ لِلمَنايا دَواؤُهُ القَفِلُ

And many a battle-strait whose outbreak tyranny stirred up,

exposed to death, with withdrawal as its remedy,

قَد بَلَّغَتهُ بِكَ الأَقدارُ مَبلَغَهُ

وَعاذَ بِالأَسرِ مَن يُؤتى بِهِ النَفَلُ

through you, the fates brought it to its appointed end,

and the one through whom booty was gained sought refuge in captivity.

في عَسكَرٍ تُشرِقُ الأَرضُ الفَضاءُ بِهِ

كَاللَيلِ أَنجُمُهُ القُضبانُ وَالأَسَلُ

In an army that makes the open earth shine,

like night, its stars the sword-blades and spears.

لا يُمكِنُ الطَرفَ مِنهُ أَن يُحيطَ بِهِ

ما يَأخُذُ السَهلُ مِن عُرضَيهِ وَالجَبَلُ

The eye cannot encompass the portion of it

that plain and mountain hold of its two flanks.

أَثبَتَّ لِلدينِ أَركاناً وَأَعمِدَةً

قَد كانَ خِيفَ عَلَيها الدَحضُ وَالزَلَلُ

You secured the faith's cornerstones and pillars,

whose slipping and stumbling had once been feared.

إِذا تَفاوَتَ أَمرٌ أَو مَضى حَدَثٌ

رَدَّت نَوافِلَهُ مِن أَمرِكَ المُهَلُ

If an affair goes awry or an event has passed,

the respites of your command restore its further gains.

أَطَعتَ رَبَّكَ فيما الحَقُّ لازِمُهُ

حَتّى أَطاعَكَ في أَعدائِكَ الأَجَلُ

You obeyed your Lord wherever right was binding,

until death obeyed you against your enemies.

لَم يُخرِجِ النَكثُ قَوماً عَن دِيارِهِمُ

إِلّا رَمَتهُم بِكَ الأَيّامُ وَالدُوَلُ

Never did oath-breaking drive a people from their homes

but days and turns of fortune hurled you against them.

تَفتَرُّ عَنكَ العُلا إِذا عُدَّ واحِدُها

حَتّى يَكونَ إِلَيكَ الخَوفُ وَالأَمَلُ

Glory smiles, revealing you when its foremost is reckoned,

until fear and hope turn toward you.

لاقى بِكَ المَجدُ قَوماً يَحتَلونَ بِهِ

فَقَلَّدوكَ حُلِيَّ المَجدِ إِذ عُطِلوا

Through you, glory met a people who adorned themselves with it;

so they hung glory's jewels on you when they were left unadorned.

هَبَطتَ أَرضَ فِلَسطينٍ وَقَد سَمُحَت

فَالخَوفُ مُنتَشِرٌ وَالسَيفُ مُعتَمَلُ

You descended to the land of Palestine when it had yielded,

and fear was abroad, and the sword was hard at work.

فَما بَرِحتَ تَسوقُ المَوتَ نَحوَهُمُ

حَتّى كَبوا وَأَضَلَّ اللَهُ ما عَمِلوا

You kept driving death toward them

until they fell, and God rendered their works futile.

لَقيتَهُم بِالمَنايا في مُلَملَمَةٍ

تَنبو الصَوارِمُ عَنها وَالقَنا الذُبُلُ

You met them with death in a tightly massed host,

from which keen swords and slender spears rebounded.

يَحوزُ عَفوَكَ مَن سالَمتَ مُغتَبِطاً

وَلا يُقالُ لِمَن عادَيتَ ما فَعَلوا

Whoever you make peace with wins your pardon, rejoicing;

and no one says of those you oppose, 'What became of them?'

ناضَلتَ فيها الرَدى عَن نَفسِ ذائِدِها

وَالمَوتُ في مُهَجِ الفُرسانِ تَنتَضِلُ

There you fought doom away from its defender's life,

while death vied at archery in the horsemen's hearts.

داوى فِلِسطينَ مِن أَدوائِها بَطَلٌ

في صورَةِ المَوتِ إِلّا أَنَّهُ رَجُلُ

A hero cured Palestine of its ailments,

in the form of death, except that he was a man.

سَلَّ المَنونُ عَلَيهِم مِن مَناصِلِهِ

مِثلَ العَقيقِ تَرامى دونَهُ الشُعَلُ

Death drew against them, from among its blades,

one like agate, before which flames darted,

مِن بَعدِ ماعَظُمَت في الدينِ شَوكَتُها

وَاِستَذأَبَت شاتُها وَاِستَأسَدَ الوَعِلُ

after its might had grown formidable within the faith,

and its ewe had turned wolf, and the ibex turned lion.

فَسَيفُ جَعفَرَ أَعطاهُم أَمانَهُمُ

وَرَأيُ يَحيى أَراهُم غِبَّ ما جَهِلوا

So Ja'far's sword granted them their safety,

and Yahya's counsel showed them the consequences of what they had not understood.

فَالمُلكُ مُمتَنِعٌ وَالشَرُّ مُتَّزِعٌ

وَالخَيرُ مُتَّسِعٌ وَالأَمرُ مُعتَدِلُ

So the kingdom is impregnable, and evil held in check,

and good spreads wide, and affairs are balanced.