أمن ازديارك في الدجى الرقباء — Al Mutanabbi

أَمِنَ اِزدَيارَكِ في الدُجى الرُقَباءُ

إِذ حَيثُ أَنتِ مِنَ الظَلامِ ضِياءُ

The watchers are safe from your visits in the dark,

for wherever you are, darkness is light.

قَلَقُ المَليحَةِ وَهيَ مِسكٌ هَتكُها

وَمَسيرُها في اللَيلِ وَهيَ ذُكاءُ

The beauty's restlessness betrays her, for she is musk,

as does her walking at night, for she is the sun.

أَسَفي عَلى أَسَفي الَّذي دَلَّهتِني

عَن عِلمِهِ فَبِهِ عَلَيَّ خَفاءُ

I grieve for my grief, which you have made me too bewildered

to comprehend; it is therefore hidden from me.

وَشَكِيَّتي فَقدُ السَقامِ لِأَنَّهُ

قَد كانَ لَمّا كانَ لي أَعضاءُ

And my complaint is the loss of sickness, for it

was there when I still had limbs.

مَثَّلتِ عَينَكِ في حَشايَ جِراحَةً

فَتَشابَها كِلتاهُما نَجلاءُ

You fashioned the likeness of your eye in my heart as a wound;

the two resembled each other: both were wide.

نَفَذَت عَلَيَّ السابِرِيَّ وَرُبَّما

تَندَقُّ فيهِ الصَعدَةُ السَمراءُ

It pierced the Sabiri mail upon me, although often

a brown spear-shaft shatters against it.

أَنا صَخرَةُ الوادي إِذا ما زوحِمَت

وَإِذا نَطَقتُ فَإِنَّني الجَوزاءُ

I am the valley's rock when it is jostled,

and when I speak, I am the constellation al-Jawza.

وَإِذا خَفيتُ عَلى الغَبِيِّ فَعاذِرٌ

أَن لا تَراني مُقلَةٌ عَمياءُ

And if the fool cannot perceive me, I excuse

a blind eye for failing to see me.

شِيَمُ اللَيالي أَن تُشَكِّكَ ناقَتي

صَدري بِها أَفضى أَمِ البَيداءُ

It is the nights' way to make my she-camel wonder

whether my breast or the wilderness gives her more room.

فَتَبيتُ تُسئِدُ مُسئِداً في نَيِّها

إِسآدَها في المَهمَهِ الإِنضاءُ

So she journeys all night, while through her fat journeys

emaciation, as she journeys through the wilderness.

أَنساعُها مَمغوطَةٌ وَخِفافُها

مَنكوحَةٌ وَطَريقُها عَذراءُ

Her girth-straps are stretched, and her padded feet

are ravished, while her road remains a virgin.

يَتَلَوَّنُ الخِرّيتُ مِن خَوفِ التَوى

فيها كَما يَتَلَوَّنُ الحِرباءُ

The seasoned guide changes color from fear of perishing

there, as a chameleon changes color.

بَيني وَبَينَ أَبي عَلِيٍّ مِثلُهُ

شُمُّ الجِبالِ وَمِثلَهُنَّ رَجاءُ

Between me and Abu Ali stand his equals—

lofty mountains—and hope as lofty as they.

وَعِقابُ لُبنانٍ وَكَيفَ بِقَطعِها

وَهُوَ الشِتاءُ وَصَيفُهُنَّ شِتاءُ

And Lebanon's passes—how can they be crossed,

when it is winter, and their summer itself is winter?

لَبَسَ الثُلوجُ بِها عَلَيَّ مَسالِكي

فَكَأَنَّها بِبَياضِها سَوداءُ

The snows there have obscured my paths for me,

as though their whiteness made them black.

وَكَذا الكَريمُ إِذا أَقامَ بِبَلدَةٍ

سالَ النُضارُ بِها وَقامَ الماءُ

So too, when a generous man settles in a town,

gold flows there, while water stands still.

جَمَدَ القِطارُ وَلَو رَأَتهُ كَما تَرى

بُهِتَت فَلَم تَتَبَجَّسِ الأَنواءُ

The rain has frozen; had they seen him as you do,

the rain-stars would be stunned and would not pour forth.

في خَطِّهِ مِن كُلِّ قَلبٍ شَهوَةٌ

حَتّى كَأَنَّ مِدادَهُ الأَهواءُ

In his handwriting is a longing from every heart,

so that his ink seems to be passions themselves.

وَلِكُلِّ عَينٍ قُرَّةٌ في قُربِهِ

حَتّى كَأَنَّ مَغيبَهُ الأَقذاءُ

Every eye finds delight in his nearness,

so that his absence seems like grit in the eyes.

مَن يَهتَدي في الفِعلِ ما لا تَهتَدي

في القَولِ حَتّى يَفعَلَ الشُعَراءُ

One who finds in deeds what cannot be found

in words by poets until he has done it.

في كُلِّ يَومٍ لِلقَوافي جَولَةٌ

في قَلبِهِ وَلِأُذنِهِ إِصغاءُ

Each day the rhymes make their rounds

within his heart, with his ear listening closely,

وَإِغارَةٌ فيما اِحتَواهُ كَأَنَّما

في كُلِّ بَيتٍ فَيلَقٌ شَهباءُ

and raid what he possesses, as though

each verse held a gray-armored legion.

مَن يَظلِمُ اللُؤَماءَ في تَكليفِهِم

أَن يُصبِحوا وَهُمُ لَهُ أَكفاءُ

One who wrongs the base by requiring them

to become his equals.

وَنَذيمُهُم وَبِهِم عَرَفنا فَضلَهُ

وَبِضِدِّها تَتَبَيَّنُ الأَشياءُ

We blame them, yet through them we came to know his worth;

things become clear through their opposites.

مَن نَفعُهُ في أَن يُهاجَ وَضَرُّهُ

في تَركِهِ لَو تَفطَنُ الأَعداءُ

One whose gain lies in being provoked, and whose harm

lies in being left alone—if only enemies understood.

فَالسَلمُ يَكسِرُ مِن جَناحَي مالِهِ

بِنَوالِهِ ما تَجبُرُ الهَيجاءُ

For peace clips both wings of his wealth,

through his giving, while battle mends them.

يُعطي فَتُعطى مِن لُهى يَدِهِ اللُهى

وَتُرى بِرُؤيَةِ رَأيِهِ الآراءُ

He gives; from the gifts of his hand, gifts are given,

and judgments are seen through seeing his judgment.

مُتَفَرِّقُ الطَعمَينِ مُجتَمِعُ القُوى

فَكَأَنَّهُ السَرّاءُ وَالضَرّاءُ

His two tastes differ, his powers are united,

as though he were both prosperity and adversity.

وَكَأَنَّهُ ما لا تَشاءُ عُداتُهُ

مُتَمَثِّلاً لِوُفودِهِ ما شاؤوا

And he seems all that his foes would not wish for,

embodying for his visitors whatever they desire.

يا أَيُّها المُجدى عَلَيهِ روحُهُ

إِذ لَيسَ يَأتِيهِ لَها اِستِجداءُ

O you whose soul is a gift bestowed upon you,

since no one comes to beg it of you,

اِحمَد عُفاتَكَ لا فُجِعتَ بِفَقدِهِم

فَلَتَركُ ما لَم يَأخُذوا إِعطاءُ

thank your petitioners—may you never be bereft of them—

for leaving you what they have not taken is itself a gift.

لا تَكثُرُ الأَمواتُ كَثرَةُ قِلَّةٍ

إِلّا إِذا شَقِيَت بِكَ الأَحياءُ

The dead do not grow numerous in a meager multitude,

unless the living suffer at your hands.

وَالقَلبُ لا يَنشَقُّ عَمّا تَحتَهُ

حَتّى تَحُلَّ بِهِ لَكَ الشَحناءُ

And the heart does not split to expose what lies beneath it

until hatred of you takes up residence in it.

لَم تُسمَ يا هارونُ إِلّا بَعدَما اِق

تَرَعَت وَنازَعَتِ اِسمَكَ الأَسماءُ

You were not named, O Harun, until after

the names cast lots and vied for your name.

فَغَدَوتَ وَاِسمُكَ فيكَ غَيرُ مُشارِكٍ

وَالناسُ فيما في يَدَيكَ سَواءُ

So you became one whose name none shares,

while all people are equal in what your hands hold.

لَعَمَمتَ حَتّى المُدنُ مِنكَ مِلاءُ

وَلَفُتَّ حَتّى ذا الثَناءُ لَفاءُ

You have spread your bounty until cities are filled with it,

and so excelled that even this praise is paltry.

وَلَجُدتَ حَتّى كِدتَ تَبخَلُ حائِلاً

لِلمُنتَهى وَمِنَ السُرورِ بُكاءُ

And you gave so much you almost turned miserly,

at the utmost limit; even joy can yield tears.

أَبَدَأتَ شَيءً مِنكَ يُعرَفُ بَدؤُهُ

وَأَعَدتَ حَتّى أُنكِرَ الإِبداءُ

You began something of yours whose beginning was known,

and repeated it until that beginning went unrecognized.

فَالفَخرُ عَن تَقصيرِهِ بِكَ ناكِبٌ

وَالمَجدُ مِن أَن تُستَزادَ بَراءُ

So pride, through you, turns away from shortcoming,

and glory has no claim to ask still more of you.

فَإِذا سُئِلتَ فَلا لِأَنَّكَ مُحوِجٌ

وَإِذا كُتِمتَ وَشَت بِكَ الآلاءُ

So if you are asked, it is not because you leave others in need;

and if you are hidden, your favors reveal you.

وَإِذا مُدِحتَ فَلا لِتَكسِبَ رَفعَةً

لِلشاكِرينَ عَلى الإِلَهِ ثَناءُ

And when you are praised, it is not to raise your rank;

the thankful offer praise to God.

وَإِذا مُطِرتَ فَلا لِأَنَّكَ مُجدِبٌ

يُسقى الخَصيبُ وَتُمطَرُ الدَأماءُ

And when you are rained upon, it is not because you are barren;

fertile land is watered, and the sea receives rain.

لَم تَحكِ نائِلَكَ السَحابُ وَإِنَّما

حُمَّت بِهِ فَصَبيبُها الرُحَضاءُ

The clouds have not imitated your bounty; rather,

they are fever-stricken by it, and their downpour is fever-sweat.

لَم تَلقَ هَذا الوَجهَ شَمسُ نَهارِنا

إِلّا بِوَجهٍ لَيسَ فيهِ حَياءُ

Our daytime sun has never met this face

except with a face that knows no shame.

فَبِأَيِّما قَدَمٍ سَعَيتَ إِلى العُلا

أُدُمُ الهِلالِ لِأَخمَصَيكَ حِذاءُ

So with whichever foot you have striven toward the heights,

the crescent moon's hides are footwear for your arches.

وَلَكَ الزَمانُ مِنَ الزَمانِ وِقايَةٌ

وَلَكَ الحِمامُ مِنَ الحِمامِ فِداءُ

And for you, time is a shield against time,

and for you, death is a ransom from death.

لَو لَم تَكُن مِن ذا الوَرى الَّذي مِنكَ هو

عَقِمَت بِمَولِدِ نَسلِها حَوّاءُ

Had you not been of these mortals, who are themselves from you,

Eve would have been barren in bearing her offspring.