قلبي يحدثني — Mutlaq Abdul Khaliq

قلبي يحدّثني

بانه تعبُ

My heart tells me

that it is weary.

اذا مضت نوب

حاقت به نوب

When calamities pass,

calamities beset it.

كالبئر ان بترت

سبباً تلا سبب

Like a well: if you sever

one rope, another follows.

كالطير من ألم

في ذبحه يثب

Like a bird that, in pain,

leaps as it is slaughtered.

كالبحران فتحت

عيناه يصطخب

Like the sea: if opened

are its two eyes, it roars.

كالدهر قد طمست

آثاره الحقب

Like time: already effaced

are its traces by the ages.

حديثه عبر

وامره عجب

Its words are lessons,

and its state is a wonder.

يا ليتني آل

وليته حبب

If only I were a mirage,

and it were bubbles!

اذن لما جمعت

شتاتنا السحب

Then never would be gathered

our scattered fragments by the clouds.

اذن لبارحني

وقلبي النصب

Then it would leave me

and my heart—weariness.

قلبي يحدثني

بانه تعبُ

My heart tells me

that it is weary.

يهتز جانبه

فينحني العصب

Its side trembles,

so the sinews bend.

يجتاح خافقه

الموت والشجب

Its beating heart is ravaged

by death and grief.

يا ويحه قلباً

سكونه صخب

Alas for it—what a heart!

Its stillness is tumult,

ويأسه امل

وحزنه طرب

and its despair is hope,

and its sorrow is rapture,

وحبه مقت

وصدقه كذب

and its love is loathing,

and its truth is falsehood.

وكل ما ضمت

احناؤه ريب

And all that is held

in its recesses is doubt.

حياته تعب

وموته تعب

Its life is weariness,

and its death is weariness.

قلبي يحدثني

بانه تعب

My heart tells me

that it is weary.

لا يطبي قلبي

در ولا ذهب

My heart is not enticed

by pearls or gold.

ولا يحركه

نسب ولا نشب

Nor is it stirred

by lineage or wealth.

ولا يتيمه

لهو ولا لعب

Nor is it enthralled

by diversion or play.

ولا يدلهه

خود ولا لعب

Nor is it driven to distraction

by a fair maiden or dolls.

ولا يرنحه

عود ولا قصب

Nor is it made to sway

by a lute or reed pipes.

ولا يسكنه

خمر ولا عنب

Nor is it soothed

by wine or grapes.

الدار مقفرة

والجو مكتئب

The dwelling is desolate,

and the air is gloomy,

والشمس كاسفة

والبدر منتحب

and the sun is eclipsed,

and the full moon sobs.

والنور يسلبه

ما ضوؤه يهب

And light robs it

of what its radiance gives.

والشهب تحرمه

مما ترى الشهب

And the shooting stars deprive it

of what the shooting stars see.

يحيا بلا أرب

وكله ارب

It lives without desire,

yet it is all desire.

ويبتغي حجباً

فتسدل الحجب

And it seeks veils,

so the veils are lowered.

الجسم قيده

فبات يضطرب

The body is its fetter,

so it spent the night writhing.

قلبي يحدثني

بانه تعب

My heart tells me

that it is weary.

الخلق كلهم

امامه نصب

All humankind

are statues before it:

خشب مسندة

وراءها حطب

propped-up timbers,

with firewood behind them.

هذا له رأس

وذا له ذنب

This one has a head,

and that one has a tail.

جيف اضر بهم

الويل والحرب

Carcasses ravaged

by woe and war.

جيف لحومهم

لبعضهم سلب

Carcasses whose flesh

is plunder for some among them.

وان غبهم

الموت والعطب

And indeed their end is

death and destruction.

والارض فاغرة

فاها بها سغب

And the earth opens

its mouth; it is hungry.

والروح صاخبة

والنار تلتهب

And the soul is clamorous,

and the fire blazes,

والجسم مقترب

والرمس مرتقب

and the body draws near,

and the grave is awaited.

فبعضهم شرر

وبعضهم لهب

So some of them are sparks,

and some of them are flame,

ومنهم حجر

ومنهم خشب

and among them are stones,

and among them is wood.

وفي رموسهم

كما هنا ترب

And in their graves,

as here, there is dust.

قلبي يحدثني

بانه تعب

My heart tells me

that it is weary.

لكن لي مثلا

اعلى ولي أرب

But I have an ideal,

a lofty one, and I have a goal.

بذا أهدهدهُ

حيناً فينجذب

With this I lull it

for a while, and it is drawn in.

فاذ به قلب

مستأنس طرب

And lo, there it is—a heart

at ease and joyful.

يا قلب يطربني

حديثك العذب

O heart, I am delighted

by your sweet speech.

حياتنا آل

وعمرنا حبب

Our life is a mirage,

and our lifetime, bubbles.

وكلنا عبث

وحالنا عجب

And we are all futility,

and our condition is a wonder.

يا قلب لي مثل

أعلى ولي أرب

O heart, I have an ideal,

a lofty one, and I have a goal:

الطهر والكرم

والخلق والأدب

purity and generosity,

and moral character and refinement.

اللَه لي مثل

والخلد لي طلب

God is my ideal,

and immortality is my quest.