وتذكرت عهد الهوى — Omar Onsi

وَتَذَكَّرت عَهدَ الهَوى

وَزَمان وَصل في الحِمى

And I remembered the days of love,

and a time of union in the sanctuary.

لَكنَّها لَمّا رَأَت

شَغفي وَوَجدي قَد نَما

But when she saw

that my passion and yearning had grown,

أَومَت إِليّ مشيرةً

إِنّي أَخاف اللوَّما

she gestured to me, signaling:

“I fear the reproachers.

فَإِذا الدُجا اِنسَدَلَت سَتا

ئِرُهُ وَجَنَّ وَأَظلَما

So, when darkness lets its curtains fall

and night closes in and grows dark,

بادر إِلى نَيل المُنى

وَصلاً حَلا لَكَ مَغنَما

hasten to attain your wishes—

union, a sweet prize for you.”

حَتّى إِذا غَفل الرَقي

ب وَبات ضدّي في عَمى

Until, when the watchman grew heedless

and my adversary spent the night unseeing,

زارَت وَقَد كانَت وشا

ة الحَيّ طُرّاً نُوّما

she visited, while the informers

of the quarter were all asleep.

وَدَنَت وَقَد لَعب الهَوى

بِعُقولنا وَتَحَكَّما

She drew near, while love had toyed

with our minds and taken command.

فَضَمَمتها حَتّى إِذا

ما أَلثمتنيَ مبسما

So I embraced her, until, when

she offered me her smiling mouth to kiss,

طَوّقتها زندي كَما

قَد منطقتني مِعصَما

I wreathed her neck with my forearm, just as

she had girdled me with her wrist.

هَيفاء مِن أَعطافِها

غُصن الأَراك تَعلَّما

A slender beauty, from whose supple form

the arak bough learned its grace.

ما الغُصن ما ريم الفَلا

ما البَدر في أُفق السَما

What is a bough? What is a desert gazelle?

What is the full moon on heaven's horizon?

لَمّا رنت وَالمُقلة الن

نجلاء تَرشق أَسهما

When she gazed, and her eye,

wide and lovely, shot arrows,

هاروت آمن بِالعُيو

نِ وَلِلحَواجب أَسلَما

Harut put his faith in her eyes

and yielded to her eyebrows.

لَمّا رَوى خَبرَ العَقي

ق عذيب ذيّاك اللمى

When the tale of carnelian was told

by the sweet moisture of those dusky lips,

دَمعي أَتى بِرواية الن

نعمان عَن ماءِ السَما

my tears brought the account

of al-Nu‘man, from Ma’ al-Sama’—Heaven's Water.

يا صاح إِن سَمح الزَما

ن بِها عَلَيك وَأَنعما

O friend, if Time is generous

to you with her, and grants its favor,

فَاِخلَع عِذارك وَاِبتَدر

فرص الخَلاعة وَاِغنَما

then cast off your bridle and hasten

to seize chances for abandon and win their spoils.

وَإِذا دَعاك إِلى الثَنا

ذكر الصَديق وَهيَّما

And if you are summoned to praise

by remembrance of a friend that stirs your longing,

فَاِنشُر مَدائح أَحمَد

وَاِقصد حِماه ميمّما

then spread the praises of Ahmad

and make straight for his sanctuary.

شَهم بِلُطف خِصاله

ملك القُلوب وَتيّما

A noble-hearted man who, through his gracious traits,

won hearts and enthralled them.

لَمّا اِرتَقى رتب العُلى

تَخذ المَكارم سُلّما

When he ascended the ranks of eminence,

he made noble deeds his ladder.

فَاِستطلعت أراؤُهُ

بسما المَعارف أَنجُما

So his insights sought out

stars in the sky of learning.

بِالخطّ وافرُ حَظّه

حكماً أَبانَ فَأَحكَما

Richly gifted in calligraphy,

he set forth wise sayings and perfected them.

وَبطرسهِ أَجرى اليَرا

ع فَكاد أَن يَتَكَلَّما

Upon his page he set the reed pen running,

until it almost spoke.

بكر الزَمان وَإِنَّما

كَره السِوى فاِستَعقما

He is Time's firstborn; Time has merely

spurned all others and become barren.

فَلَئن تَأَخّر عَصره

فَعَلى الكِرام تَقَدّما

Though his era came later,

he took precedence over noble men.

وَبِباهر الحَمد الَّذي

عَنهُ لِساني تَرجَما

And through the splendid praise that

my tongue expressed concerning him,

سَعدت حُظوظي فَاِنتَمى

مَدحي لِأَحسَن مُنتمى

my fortunes prospered; thus was joined

my praise to the worthiest recipient.

لا زالَ كَوكَب سَعده

يَزهو عَلى قَمَر السَما

May the star of his good fortune ever

shine proudly above heaven's moon,

ما فاحَ عرف شَذا الهَنا

وَنَسيم أنسي نَسَّما

as long as joy's sweet fragrance wafts

and the breeze of my delight breathes softly,

أَو ما هزار هَوى المَها

برُبى القُلوب تَرنَّما

or as long as the nightingale of love for white antelopes

sings upon the hills of hearts.