بغيرك راعيا عبث الذئاب — Al Mutanabbi

بِغَيرِكَ راعِياً عَبِثَ الذِئابُ

وَغَيرَكَ صارِماً ثَلَمَ الضِرابُ

With any shepherd but you, the wolves run wild;

And blows notch any keen sword but you.

وَتَملِكُ أَنفُسَ الثَقَلَينِ طُرّاً

فَكَيفَ تَحوزُ أَنفُسَها كِلابُ

And you possess all the souls of humankind and jinn;

How, then, can Kilab possess its own?

وَما تَرَكوكَ مَعصِيَةً وَلَكِن

يُعافُ الوِردُ وَالمَوتُ الشَرابُ

They did not desert you in disobedience, but

The watering place is shunned when death is the drink.

طَلَبتَهُم عَلى الأَمواهِ حَتّى

تَخَوَّفَ أَن تُفَتِّشَهُ السَحابُ

You pursued them at the watering places until

The cloud feared that you would search it.

فَبِتُّ لَيالِياً لا نَومَ فيها

تَخُبُّ بِكَ المُسَوَّمَةُ العِرابُ

So I passed nights with no sleep in them,

As marked, purebred Arabian steeds trotted with you.

يَهُزُّ الجَيشُ حَولَكَ جانِبَيهِ

كَما نَفَضَت جَناحَيها العُقابُ

The army sways its two flanks around you,

As an eagle shakes out its wings.

وَتَسأَلُ عَنهُمُ الفَلَواتِ حَتّى

أَجابَكَ بَعضُها وَهُمُ الجَوابُ

And you question the wastelands about them until

One answered you, and they themselves were the answer.

فَقاتَلَ عَن حَريمِهِمِ وَفَرّوا

نَدى كَفَّيكَ وَالنَسَبُ القُرابُ

So, while they fled, their womenfolk were defended

By the bounty of your hands and close kinship,

وَحِفظُكَ فيهِمِ سَلَفي مَعَدٍّ

وَأَنَّهُمُ العَشائِرُ وَالصِحابُ

And your regard, in them, for Ma'add's two forebears,

And their being clansmen and companions.

تُكَفكِفُ عَنهُمُ صُمَّ العَوالي

وَقَد شَرِقَت بِظُعنِهِمِ الشَعابُ

You hold the stout spears back from them,

While the mountain passes were choked with their women's litters.

وَأُسقِطَتِ الأَجِنَّةُ في الوَلايا

وَأُجهِضَتِ الحَوائِلُ وَالسِقابُ

And fetuses were miscarried into the saddlecloths,

And female and male camel calves were miscarried.

وَعَمرٌ في مَيامِنِهِم عُمورٌ

وَكَعبٌ في مَياسِرِهِم كِعابُ

And on their right stood 'Amr's many clans,

And on their left, Ka'b's many clans.

وَقَد خَذَلَت أَبو بَكرٍ بَنيها

وَخاذَلَها قُرَيظٌ وَالضِبابُ

And Abu Bakr had abandoned its sons,

And Qurayz and al-Dibab abandoned it.

إِذا ما سِرتَ في آثارِ قَومٍ

تَخاذَلَتِ الجَماجِمُ وَالرِقابُ

Whenever you march along a people's trail,

Skulls and necks abandon one another.

فَعُدنَ كَما أُخِذنَ مُكَرَّماتٍ

عَلَيهِنَّ القَلائِدُ وَالمَلابُ

So they returned, honored as when they were taken,

With necklaces and perfume upon them.

يُثِبنَكَ بِالَّذي أَولَيتَ شُكراً

وَأَينَ مِنَ الَّذي تولي الثَوابُ

They repay you with thanks for what you bestowed;

Yet what is recompense beside what you bestow?

وَلَيسَ مَصيرُهُنَّ إِلَيكَ شَيناً

وَلا في صَونِهِنَّ لَدَيكَ عابُ

And their coming to you is no disgrace,

Nor is there shame in their safekeeping with you.

وَلا في فَقدِهِنَّ بَني كِلابٍ

إِذا أَبصَرنَ غُرَّتَكَ اِغتِرابُ

Nor, though they are parted from Banu Kilab,

Do they feel estranged when they behold your radiant brow.

وَكَيفَ يَتِمُّ بَأسُكَ في أُناسٍ

تُصيبُهُمُ فَيُؤلِمُكَ المُصابُ

How can your might be fully wielded against people

Whom you strike, when their injury pains you?

تَرَفَّق أَيُّها المَولى عَلَيهِم

فَإِنَّ الرِفقَ بِالجاني عِتابُ

Be gentle with them, O master,

For gentleness toward the offender is a rebuke.

وَإِنَّهُمُ عَبيدُكَ حَيثُ كانوا

إِذا تَدعو لِحادِثَةٍ أَجابوا

And they are your slaves wherever they may be;

When you summon them for a crisis, they respond.

وَعَينُ المُخطِئينَ هُمُ وَلَيسوا

بِأَوَّلِ مَعشَرٍ خَطِئُوا فَتابوا

They are the very ones who erred, yet they are not

The first people to err and then repent.

وَأَنتَ حَياتُهُم غَضِبَت عَلَيهِم

وَهَجرُ حَياتِهِم لَهُمُ عِقابُ

And you, their life, have grown angry with them;

And their life's forsaking them is punishment for them.

وَما جَهِلَت أَيادِيَكَ البَوادي

وَلَكِن رُبَّما خَفِيَ الصَوابُ

The desert folk were not unaware of your favors,

But sometimes the right course is hidden.

وَكَم ذَنبٍ مُوَلِّدُهُ دَلالٌ

وَكَم بُعدٍ مُوَلِّدُهُ اِقتِرابُ

And many a sin is born of overfamiliarity,

And many an estrangement is born of closeness.

وَجُرمٍ جَرَّهُ سُفَهاءُ قَومٍ

وَحَلَّ بِغَيرِ جارِمِهِ العَذابُ

And many a crime was brought on by a people's fools,

While punishment fell on someone other than its perpetrator.

فَإِن هابوا بِجُرمِهِمِ عَلِيّاً

فَقَد يَرجو عَلِيّاً مَن يَهابُ

If their crime makes them fear 'Ali,

One who fears him may yet hope in 'Ali.

وَإِن يَكُ سَيفَ دَولَةِ غَيرِ قَيسٍ

فَمِنهُ جُلودُ قَيسٍ وَالثِيابُ

And though he is the Sword of a State not Qays's,

From him come Qays's skins and garments.

وَتَحتَ رَبابِهِ نَبَتوا وَأَثّوا

وَفي أَيّامِهِ كَثُروا وَطابوا

And beneath his clouds they sprouted and grew lush,

And in his days they multiplied and thrived.

وَتَحتَ لِوائِهِ ضَرَبوا الأَعادي

وَذَلَّ لَهُم مِنَ العَرَبِ الصِعابُ

And beneath his banner they struck their enemies,

And the defiant among the Arabs submitted to them.

وَلَو غَيرُ الأَميرِ غَزا كِلاباً

ثَناهُ عَن شُموسِهِمِ ضَبابُ

Had anyone but the prince raided Kilab,

Dibab—a mist—would have barred him from their suns.

وَلاقى دونَ ثايِهِمِ طِعاناً

يُلاقي عِندَهُ الذِئبَ الغُرابُ

And before their encampment he would have met spear-thrusts

Where the raven meets the wolf,

وَخَيلاً تَغتَذي ريحَ المَوامي

وَيَكفيها مِنَ الماءِ السَرابُ

And horses that feed on the wind of the wastes,

And for water, a mirage suffices them.

وَلَكِن رَبُّهُم أَسرى إِلَيهِم

فَما نَفَعَ الوُقوفُ وَلا الذَهابُ

But their lord marched to them by night,

So neither standing firm nor flight availed them,

وَلا لَيلٌ أَجَنَّ وَلا نَهارٌ

وَلا خَيلٌ حَمَلنَ وَلا رِكابُ

Nor a night that hid them, nor day,

Nor horses that carried them, nor riding camels.

رَمَيتَهُمُ بِبَحرٍ مِن حَديدٍ

لَهُ في البَرِّ خَلفَهُمُ عُبابُ

You hurled against them a sea of iron,

Its billows surged behind them on dry land.

فَمَسّاهُم وَبُسطُهُمُ حَريرٌ

وَصَبَّحَهُم وَبُسطُهُمُ تُرابُ

It reached them at dusk, when their carpets were silk,

And reached them at dawn, when their carpets were dust.

وَمَن في كَفِّهِ مِنهُم قَناةٌ

كَمَن في كَفِّهِ مِنهُم خِضابُ

And whoever among them held a spear in their hand

Was like whoever among them had henna on their hand.

بَنو قَتلى أَبيكَ بِأَرضِ نَجدٍ

وَمَن أَبقى وَأَبقَتهُ الحِرابُ

They are the sons of those your father slew in Najd,

And those he spared and warfare left alive.

عَفا عَنهُم وَأَعتَقَهُم صِغارا

وَفي أَعناقِ أَكثَرِهِم سِخابُ

He pardoned them and freed them as children,

With scented necklaces round most of their necks.

وَكُلُّكُمُ أَتى مَأتى أَبيهِ

فَكُلُّ فَعالِ كُلِّكُمُ عُجابُ

And each of you has followed his father's course;

So all the deeds of all of you are wondrous.

كَذا فَليَسرِ مَن طَلَبَ الأَعادي

وَمِثلَ سُراكَ فَليَكُنِ الطِلابُ

Thus let whoever pursues his enemies march by night;

And let the pursuit be like your night march.