قد علم البين منا البين أجفانا — Al Mutanabbi

قَد عَلَّمَ البَينُ مِنّا البَينَ أَجفانا

تَدمى وَأَلَّفَ في ذا القَلبِ أَحزانا

Through us, parting has taught parting about eyelids

that bleed, and has gathered sorrows in this heart.

أَمَّلتُ ساعَةَ ساروا كَشفَ مِعصَمِها

لِيَلبَثَ الحَيُّ دونَ السَيرِ حَيرانا

When they departed, I hoped she would uncover her wrist,

so the tribe would linger, bewildered, instead of departing.

وَلَو بَدَت لَأَتاهَتهُم فَحَجَّبَها

صَونٌ عُقولَهُمُ مِن لَحظِها صانا

Had she appeared, she would have bewildered them; she was veiled by

a safeguard that protected their minds from the sight of her.

بِالواخِداتِ وَحاديها وَبي قَمَرٌ

يَظَلُّ مِن وَخدِها في الخِدرِ حَشيانا

A moon enthralls the swift-striding camels, their driver, and me,

remaining breathless in the curtained litter from their swift stride.

أَمّا الثِيابُ فَتَعرى مِن مَحاسِنِهِ

إِذا نَضاها وَيَكسى الحُسنَ عُريانا

As for clothes, they are stripped of the beloved's charms

when the beloved sheds them, yet is clothed in beauty when naked.

يَضُمُّهُ المِسكُ ضَمَّ المُستَهامِ بِهِ

حَتّى يَصيرَ عَلى الأَعكانِ أَعكانا

Musk embraces the beloved with an infatuated lover's embrace,

until it forms folds upon the folds of flesh.

قَد كُنتُ أُشفِقُ مِن دَمعي عَلى بَصَري

فَاليَومَ كُلُّ عَزيزٍ بَعدَكُم هانا

I once feared for my sight because of my tears;

today, after you, everything precious has lost its worth.

تُهدي البَوارِقُ أَخلافَ المِياهِ لَكُم

وَلِلمُحِبِّ مِنَ التَذكارِ نيرانا

Lightning offers you the teats of water,

and to the lover, fires kindled by remembrance.

إِذا قَدِمتُ عَلى الأَهوالِ شَيَّعَني

قَلبٌ إِذا شِئتُ أَن يَسلاكُمُ خانا

When I venture into terrors, I am escorted by

a heart that betrays me when I wish it to forget you.

أَبدو فَيَسجُدُ مَن بِالسوءِ يَذكُرُني

وَلا أُعاتِبُهُ صَفحاً وَإِهوانا

I appear, and whoever speaks ill of me prostrates himself;

I do not reproach him, out of pardon and disdain.

وَهَكَذا كُنتُ في أَهلي وَفي وَطَني

إِنَّ النَفيسَ غَريبٌ حَيثُما كانا

Thus I was among my kin and in my homeland:

one of rare worth is a stranger wherever he may be.

مُحَسَّدُ الفَضلِ مَكذوبٌ عَلى أَثَري

أَلقى الكَمِيَّ وَيَلقاني إِذا حانا

Greatly envied for my excellence, slandered in my wake,

I meet the armored warrior, and he meets me when his doom has come.

لا أَشرئِبُّ إِلى ما لَم يَفُت طَمَعاً

وَلا أَبيتُ عَلى ما فاتَ حَسرانا

I do not crane greedily toward what has not eluded me,

nor spend the night grieving over what has passed me by.

وَلا أُسَرُّ بِما غَيري الحَميدُ بِهِ

وَلَو حَمَلتَ إِلَيَّ الدَهرَ مَلآنا

Nor do I rejoice in what earns praise for someone else,

even if you brought me Time itself, laden full.

لا يَجذِبَنَّ رِكابي نَحوَهُ أَحَدٌ

ما دُمتُ حَيّاً وَما قَلقَلنَ كيرانا

Let no one draw my riding camels toward himself

as long as I live and they keep jolting their saddles.

لَوَ اِستَطَعتُ رَكِبتُ الناسَ كُلَّهُمُ

إِلى سَعيدِ اِبنِ عَبدِ اللَهِ بُعرانا

If I could, I would ride all mankind

as camels to Sa'id ibn 'Abd Allah.

فَالعيسُ أَعقَلُ مِن قَومٍ رَأَيتُهُمُ

عَمّا يَراهُ مِنَ الإِحسانِ عُميانا

For the pale camels are wiser than people I have seen

blind to the kindness a camel can perceive.

ذاكَ الجَوادُ وَإِن قَلَّ الجَوادُ لَهُ

ذاكَ الشُجاعُ وَإِن لَم يَرضَ أَقرانا

He is the generous one, though 'generous' says too little of him;

he is the brave one, though he accepts no equals.

ذاكَ المُعِدُّ الَّذي تَقنو يَداهُ لَنا

فَلَو أُصيبَ بِشَيءٍ مِنهُ عَزّانا

He is the provider whose hands lay up wealth for us;

were he to lose any of it, he would console us.

خَفَّ الزَمانُ عَلى أَطرافِ أَنمُلِهِ

حَتّى تُوُهِّمنَ لِلأَزمانِ أَزمانا

Time has grown light upon the tips of his fingers,

until they seemed to be ages ruling over ages.

يَلقى الوَغى وَالفَنا وَالنازِلاتِ بِهِ

وَالسَيفَ وَالضَيفَ رَحبَ الباعِ جَذلانا

He meets battle, death, and calamities that befall him,

and sword and guest, open-armed and glad.

تَخالُهُ مِن ذَكاءِ القَلبِ مُحتَمِياً

وَمِن تَكَرُّمِهِ وَالبِشرِ نَشوانا

From the keenness of his mind, you would think him abstinent,

and from his generosity and cheerfulness, intoxicated.

وَتَسحَبُ الحِبَرَ القَيناتُ رافِلَةً

في جودِهِ وَتَجُرُّ الخَيلُ أَرسانا

Singing girls trail striped robes, luxuriating

in his bounty, while horses drag their reins.

يُعطي المُبَشِّرَ بِالقُصّادِ قَبلَهُمُ

كَمَن يُبَشِّرُهُ بِالماءِ عَطشانا

He rewards the herald of petitioners before the petitioners themselves,

as he would one announcing water to him when thirsty.

جَزَت بَني الحَسَنِ الحُسنى فَإِنَّهُمُ

في قَومِهِم مِثلُهُم في الغُرِّ عَدنانا

May goodness reward the sons of al-Hasan, for they

stand among their people as their people stand among Adnan's illustrious descendants.

ما شَيَّدَ اللَهُ مِن مَجدٍ لِسالِفِهِم

إِلّا وَنَحنُ نَراهُ فيهِمِ الآنا

No glory has God raised for their forebears

but we see it in them now.

إِن كوتِبوا أَو لَقوا أَو حورِبوا وُجِدوا

في الخَطِّ وَاللَفظِ وَالهَيجاءِ فُرسانا

Whether written to, met, or fought, they are found

to be knights in writing, speech, and battle.

كَأَنَّ أَلسُنَهُم في النُطقِ قَد جُعِلَت

عَلى رِماحِهِمِ في الطَعنِ خِرصانا

It is as though their tongues in speech had been set

as spearheads upon their lances when they thrust.

كَأَنَّهُم يَرِدونَ المَوتَ مِن ظَمَأٍ

أَو يَنشَقونَ مِنَ الخَطِّيِّ رَيحانا

As though they came to drink at death out of thirst,

or breathed in sweet basil from Khatti spears.

الكائِنينَ لِمَن أَبغي عَداوَتَهُ

أَعدى العِدا وَلِمَن آخَيتُ إِخوانا

They are, to anyone whose enmity I seek,

the fiercest foes, and brothers to those I befriend.

خَلائِقٌ لَو حَواها الزِنجُ لَاِنقَلَبوا

ظَميَ الشِفاهِ جِعادَ الشَعرِ غُرّانا

Virtues which, if the Zanj possessed them, would turn them

thin-lipped, curly-haired, and white-browed.

وَأَنفُسٌ يَلمَعِيّاتٌ تُحِبُّهُمُ

لَها اِضطِراراً وَلَو أَقصَوكَ شَنآنا

And keen-witted souls—you love them

for these, irresistibly, even if they cast you away in hatred.

الواضِحينَ أُبُوّاتٍ وَأَجبِنَةٍ

وَوالِداتٍ وَأَلباباً وَأَذهانا

Those of illustrious fathers and radiant foreheads,

and noble mothers, bright intellects, and clear minds.

يا صائِدَ الجَحفَلِ المَرهوبِ جانِبُهُ

إِنَّ اللِيوثَ تَصيدُ الناسَ أُحدانا

O hunter of the great host whose flanks inspire fear,

lions hunt people only one at a time.

وَواهِباً كُلُّ وَقتٍ وَقتُ نائِلِهِ

وَإِنَّما يَهَبُ الوَهّابُ أَحيانا

And O giver, whose every moment is a moment of giving,

while even a lavish giver gives only at times.

أَنتَ الَّذي سَبَكَ الأَموالَ مَكرُمَةً

ثُمَّ اِتَّخَذتَ لَها السُؤآلَ خُزّانا

You are the one who cast wealth into generosity,

then appointed petitioners as its treasurers.

عَلَيكَ مِنكَ إِذا أُخليتَ مُرتَقِبٌ

لَم تَأتِ في السِرِّ ما لَم تَأتِ إِعلانا

When alone, you have a watcher over you from within yourself;

you do nothing in secret that you would not do openly.

لا أَستَزيدُكَ فيما فيكَ مِن كَرَمٍ

أَنا الَّذي نامَ إِن نَبَّهتُ يَقظانا

I ask you for no more of the generosity within you;

I would be the sleeper if I roused one already awake.

فَإِنَّ مِثلَكَ باهَيتُ الكِرامَ بِهِ

وَرَدَّ سُخطاً عَلى الأَيّامِ رِضوانا

For with one like you I have vied in pride with the noble,

and he has turned resentment against the days into contentment.

وَأَنتَ أَبعَدُهُم ذِكراً وَأَكبَرُهُم

قَدراً وَأَرفَعُهُم في المَجدِ بُنيانا

You are the farthest-famed among them and the greatest

in stature, and highest among them in glory's edifice.

قَد شَرَّفَ اللَهُ أَرضاً أَنتَ ساكِنُها

وَشَرَّفَ الناسَ إِذ سَوّاكَ إِنسانا

God has ennobled a land in which you dwell,

and ennobled mankind when He fashioned you a human being.