باد هواك صبرت أم لم تصبرا — Al Mutanabbi

بادٍ هَواكَ صَبَرتَ أَم لَم تَصبِرا

وَبُكاكَ إِن لَم يَجرِ دَمعُكَ أَو جَرى

Your love is plain, whether you endure or not;

and so is your weeping, whether your tears flow or not.

كَم غَرَّ صَبرُكَ وَاِبتِسامُكَ صاحِباً

لَمّا رَآكَ وَفي الحَشى مالا يُرى

How many a friend your patience and your smile deceived

when he saw you, while your breast held what could not be seen.

أَمَرَ الفُؤادُ لِسانَهُ وَجُفونَهُ

فَكَتَمنَهُ وَكَفى بِجِسمِكَ مُخبِرا

The heart commanded its tongue and eyelids,

so they concealed it; yet your body is witness enough.

تَعِسَ المَهاري غَيرَ مَهرِيٍّ غَدا

بِمُصَوَّرٍ لَبِسَ الحَريرَ مُصَوَّرا

Perish the Mahri camels, save the Mahri that set out at dawn

bearing a living portrait clothed in figured silk.

نافَستُ فيهِ صورَةً في سِترِهِ

لَو كُنتُها لَخَفيتُ حَتّى يَظهَرا

For him I vied with a figure on his curtain;

were I that figure, I would vanish until he appeared.

لا تَترَبِ الأَيدي المُقيمَةُ فَوقَهُ

كِسرى مُقامَ الحاجِبَينِ وَقَيصَرا

May the hands never grow poor that set above him

Chosroes and Caesar as two chamberlains.

يَقِيانِ في أَحَدِ الهَوادِجِ مُقلَةً

رَحَلَت فَكانَ لَها فُؤادِيَ مَحجِرا

They guard, in one of the howdahs, an eye

that departed, and my heart became its socket.

قَد كُنتُ أَحذَرَ بَينَهُم مِن قَبلِهِ

لَو كانَ يَنفَعُ حائِناً أَن يَحذَرا

I had feared their parting before it came,

if caution could avail a man doomed to perish.

وَلَوِ اِستَطَعتُ إِذِ اِغتَدَت رُوّادُهُم

لَمَنَعتُ كُلَّ سَحابَةٍ أَن تَقطُرا

Had I been able, when their scouts went out at dawn,

I would have kept every cloud from shedding rain.

فَإِذا السَحابُ أَخو غُرابِ فِراقِهِم

جَعَلَ الصِياحَ بَبينِهِم أَن يُمطِرا

Lo, the cloud is brother to the raven of their parting,

making its rainfall a cry announcing their departure.

وَإِذا الحَمائِلُ ما يَخِدنَ بِنَفنَفٍ

إِلّا شَقَقنَ عَلَيهِ ثَوباً أَخضَرا

And lo, the laden camels never stride across a plain

without rending the green robe spread over it.

يَحمِلنَ مِثلَ الرَوضِ إِلّا أَنَّها

أَسبى مَهاةً لِلقُلوبِ وَجُؤذُرا

They bear the likeness of gardens, save that their

oryx cows and calves ensnare hearts more surely.

فَبِلَحظِها نَكِرَت قَناتي راحَتي

ضَعفاً وَأَنكَرَ خاتِمايَ الخِنصِرا

So at her glance, my spear no longer knew my palm,

from weakness; my two rings disowned my little finger too.

أَعطى الزَمانُ فَما قَبِلتُ عَطائَهُ

وَأَرادَ لي فَأَرَدتُ أَن أَتَخَيَّرا

Time gave, but I did not accept its gift;

it willed for me, but I wished to choose for myself.

أَرَجانَ أَيَّتُها الجِيادُ فَإِنَّهُ

عَزمي الَّذي يَذَرُ الوَشيجَ مُكَسَّرا

To Arrajan, O noble steeds! For this is

my resolve, which leaves the spear-shafts shattered.

لَو كُنتُ أَفعَلُ ما اِشتَهَيتِ فِعالَهُ

ما شَقَّ كَوكَبُكِ العَجاجَ الأَكدَرا

Were I to do what you desired me to do,

your troop would never cleave the murky dust.

أُمّي أَبا الفَضلِ المُبِرِّ أَلِيَّتي

لَأُيَمَّمَنَّ أَجَلَّ بَحرٍ جَوهَرا

Seek Abu al-Fadl, who makes good my oath:

I shall surely seek the sea most splendid in jewels.

أَفتى بِرُؤيَتِهِ الأَنامُ وَحاشَ لي

مِن أَن أَكونَ مُقَصِّراً أَو مُقصِرا

Mankind has urged a visit to him; far be it from me

to be remiss or to hold back.

صُغتُ السِوارَ لِأَيِّ كَفٍّ بَشَّرَت

بِاِبنِ العَميدِ وَأَيِّ عَبدٍ كَبَّرا

I fashioned a bracelet for whichever hand gave glad tidings

of Ibn al-Amid, and whichever slave proclaimed God's greatness.

إِن لَم تُغِثني خَيلُهُ وَسِلاحُهُ

فَمَتى أَقودُ إِلى الأَعادي عَسكَرا

If his horses and his weapons do not come to my aid,

when shall I lead an army against my enemies?

بِأَبي وَأُمّي ناطِقٌ في لَفظِهِ

ثَمَنُ تُباعُ بِهِ القُلوبُ وَتُشتَرى

My father and mother be ransom for a speaker whose words contain

the price for which hearts are sold and bought.

مَن لا تُريهِ الحَربُ خَلقاً مُقبِلاً

فيها وَلا خَلقٌ يَراهُ مُدبِراً

One to whom war shows no man advancing

in its midst, and whom no man sees retreating.

خَنثى الفُحولَ مِنَ الكُماةِ بِصَبغِهِ

ما يَلبَسونَ مِنَ الحَديدِ مُعَصفَرا

He made the virile champions effeminate by dyeing

the iron they wear a safflower red.

يَتَكَسَّبُ القَصَبُ الضَعيفُ بِكَفِّهِ

شَرَفاً عَلى صُمِّ الرِماحِ وَمَفخَرا

The fragile reed earns, within his palm,

honor above solid spears, and glory.

وَيَبينُ فيما مَسَّ مِنهُ بَنانُهُ

تيهُ المُدِلِّ فَلَو مَشى لَتَبَختَرا

And in the part his fingertips have touched appears

the pride of the self-assured: could it walk, it would strut.

يا مَن إِذا وَرَدَ البِلادَ كِتابُهُ

قَبلَ الجُيوشِ ثَنى الجُيوشَ تَحَيُّرا

O you whose letter, when it reaches the lands

before the armies, turns armies back in bewilderment!

أَنتَ الوَحيدُ إِذا اِرتَكَبتَ طَريقَةً

وَمَنِ الرَديفُ وَقَد رَكِبتَ غَضَنفَرا

You stand alone whenever you take a path;

who could ride behind you when your mount is a lion?

قَطَفَ الرِجالُ القَولَ وَقتَ نَباتِهِ

وَقَطَفتَ أَنتَ القَولَ لَمّا نَوَّرا

Men plucked speech at the time of its sprouting;

you plucked speech when it had blossomed.

فَهُوَ المُشَيَّعُ بِالمَسامِعِ إِن مَضى

وَهُوَ المُضاعَفُ حُسنُهُ إِن كُرِّرا

So ears escort it whenever it passes,

and its beauty is multiplied whenever it is repeated.

وَإِذا سَكَتَّ فَإِنَّ أَبلَغَ خاطِبٍ

قَلَمٌ لَكَ اِتَّخَذَ الأَصابِعَ مِنبَرا

And when you fall silent, the most eloquent orator

is a pen of yours that has made your fingers its pulpit.

وَرَسائِلٌ قَطَعَ العُداةُ سِحائَها

فَرَأَوا قَناً وَأَسِنَّةً وَسَنَوَّرا

And letters—your enemies cut their binding strips,

and found spear-shafts, spearheads, and armor.

فَدَعاكَ حُسَّدُكَ الرَئيسَ وَأَمسَكوا

وَدَعاكَ خالِقُكَ الرَئيسَ الأَكبَرا

Your enviers called you the chief and said no more;

your Creator called you the greatest chief.

خَلَفَت صِفاتُكَ في العُيونِ كَلامَهُ

كَالخَطِّ يَملَءُ مِسمَعَي مَن أَبصَرا

To the eyes, your qualities take the place of His speech,

like writing that fills both ears of whoever sees it.

أَرَأَيتَ هِمَّةَ ناقَتي في ناقَةٍ

نَقَلَت يَداً سُرُحاً وَخُفّاً مُجمَرا

Have you seen my she-camel's ambition in any she-camel

that moved a nimble foreleg and a firm, compact hoof?

تَرَكَت دُخانَ الرَمثِ في أَوطانِها

طَلَباً لِقَومٍ يوقِدونَ العَنبَرا

She left saltwort smoke behind in her native haunts,

seeking people who burn ambergris.

وَتَكَرَّمَت رُكَباتُها عَن مَبرَكٍ

تَقَعانِ فيهِ وَلَيسَ مِسكاً أَذفَرا

Her knees disdained any kneeling-ground

they might touch that was not strong-scented musk.

فَأَتَتكَ دامِيَةَ الأَظَلِّ كَأَنَّما

حُذِيَت قَوائِمُها العَقيقَ الأَحمَرا

So she came to you with bleeding soles, as though

her legs were shod with red agate.

بَدَرَت إِلَيكَ يَدَ الزَمانِ كَأَنَّها

وَجَدَتهُ مَشغولَ اليَدَينِ مُفَكِّرا

She outstripped Time's hand in reaching you, as though

she had found him with both hands busy, deep in thought.

مَن مُبلِغُ الأَعرابِ أَنّي بَعدَها

شاهَدتُ رَسطاليسَ وَالإِسكَندَرا

Who will tell the Bedouins that, after leaving them,

I beheld Aristotle and Alexander?

وَمَلِلتُ نَحرَ عِشارِها فَأَضافَني

مَن يَنحَرُ البِدَرَ النُضارَ لِمَن قَرى

I tired of the slaughter of their pregnant she-camels; then I was hosted

by one who slaughters purses of pure gold for his guests.

وَسَمِعتُ بَطليموسَ دارِسَ كُتبِهِ

مُتَمَلِّكاً مُتَبَدِّياً مُتَحَضِّراً

And I heard Ptolemy reading his books,

at once kingly, Bedouin, and urbane.

وَلَقيتُ كُلَّ الفاضِلينَ كَأَنَّما

رَدَّ الإِلَهُ نُفوسَهُم وَالأَعصُرا

And I met all the men of excellence, as though

God had restored their souls and their ages.

نُسِقوا لَنا نَسَقَ الحِسابِ مُقَدَّماً

وَأَتى فَذَلِكَ إِذ أَتيتَ مُؤَخَّرا

They were arrayed for us first, like figures in a reckoning;

then came the total when you came last.

يا لَيتَ باكِيَةً شَجاني دَمعُها

نَظَرَت إِلَيكَ كَما نَظَرتُ فَتَعذِرا

Would that a weeping woman whose tears grieved me

might see you as I did, and so excuse me,

وَتَرى الفَضيلَةَ لا تَرُدُّ فَضيلَةً

الشَمسَ تُشرِقُ وَالسَحابَ كَنَهوَرا

and see that one excellence does not exclude another:

the sun shining, and the clouds massed with rain.

أَنا مِن جَميعِ الناسِ أَطيَبُ مَنزِلاً

وَأَسَرُّ راحِلَةً وَأَربَحُ مَتجَرا

Of all mankind, I have the sweetest lodging,

the gladdest mount, and the most profitable trade.

زُحَلٌ عَلى أَنَّ الكَواكِبَ قَومُهُ

لَو كانَ مِنكَ لَكانَ أَكرَمَ مَعشَرا

Saturn, although the stars are his people,

would have a nobler clan were he one of yours.