علام فدتك النفس تجفو وتهجر — Omar Onsi

عَلامَ فَدَتكَ النَفس تَجفو وَتَهجرُ

وَحتّامَ أُغضي وَالعَواذل تَهجرُ

Why—may my soul ransom you—do you shun and forsake me?

And how long must I overlook it while the reproachers rail?

فَيا مرخصي في الحُبّ غالي جماله

إلامَ اِحتِساباً نار وَجدي تسعّرُ

O you who hold me cheap in love, whose beauty is precious,

how long must I endure in hope of reward as you kindle my longing's fire?

وَيا مشبه الأَيمان وَاللَيل كافِرٌ

سَناءً هَداك اللَه شعرك أَكفرُ

And you who resemble faith, though the night is an unbeliever,

in radiance—may God guide you! Your hair is more unbelieving still.

أَلا يَتّقي كِسرى جُفونك قَيصَرٌ

وَخَدّك نعمان وَلَحظك منذرُ

Does Caesar not fear the Kisra of your eyelids?

Your cheek is Nu'man, and your glance Mundhir.

فَيا أَعيُن الأَحداق لَحظك أَدعَجٌ

وَيا أَوطف الأَجفان طَرفُكَ أَحوَرُ

O wide-pupilled one, your glance is deep black;

and you of thick-lashed lids, your eyes are lustrous black and white.

أَما وَنصالٍ مِن جُفونك لَم تَزَل

صحاحاً عَلى القَلب الشَجي تَتَكسَّرُ

Indeed, by the blades from your eyelids, which remain

intact even as they shatter upon the sorrowing heart!

بِوَجهك قَد ضلَّت أُناس وَطالَما

هديت لعلمي أَن حُسنك أَزهرُ

Your face has led people astray, yet how often

have I been guided, knowing your beauty is radiant!

وَما كُنت أَدري أَن خَدّك جنّةٌ

إِلى أَن بَدا لي أَن ريقك كَوثَرُ

I did not know your cheek was Paradise

until I realized your saliva was Kawthar.

وَفي دَولة الحُسن الَّذي أَنتَ لَم تَزَل

بِأَعوانها دَوماً تعزُّ وَتنصرُ

And in beauty's realm, where you have ever

been exalted and aided, always, by its allies,

تَحيّر بَين اليَأس مضناك وَالرَجا

فَطرفك مَسرور وَخَدّك جَعفَرُ

the one you have made lovesick wavers between despair and hope;

for your eye is Masrur and your cheek Ja'far.

فَلا أَنتَ مَأمون وَلا أَنا في الهَوى

رَشيد فَهَل لا مِنكَ يا ظَبيُ أَحذرُ

You are no trustworthy Ma'mun, nor am I in love

a rightly guided Rashid—should I not beware of you, gazelle?

عذارك ريحان وَخالك عَنبَرٌ

وَثَغرك ياقوت وَجيدك جَوهَرُ

Your cheek-down is basil, your beauty mark ambergris;

and your mouth is ruby, your neck a jewel.

وَمِن عَجبٍ أَن الطعين إِذا رَأى

قَوامكَ يَصبو وَهوَ لا شَكَّ أَسمرُ

It is a marvel that the wounded man, when he sees

your stature, yearns for it, though it is surely a tawny lance.

وَقالوا تَصبّر قُلت إنّي قَتيله

وَهَل من قَتيل يا لقومي يصبّرُ

They said, 'Be patient.' I said, 'I am his slain victim.'

And can any slain man be made patient, O my people?

رَنا لي فَصادَتني حَبائل دلّه

فَواعجَباً هَل يَقنص اللَيث جؤذرُ

He gazed at me, and the snares of his coquetry caught me;

what a marvel! Can an oryx calf hunt a lion?

وَلَيسَ عَجيباً أَنَّ هاروت لَحظه

مُذ اِستخدم الأَلباب ما زالَ يسحرُ

Nor is it strange that the Harut of his glance,

since enslaving minds, has never ceased to cast his spells.

فَيا راحةَ الأَرواح لا تُكثر النَوى

فَإِنّيَ بِالعُشّاق فيكَ مُحَيّرُ

O comfort of souls, do not prolong separation;

for, among your lovers, I am bewildered by you.

وَكَم قَد صَبا الرَكب الحِجازيُّ مُنشِدا

عراقاً وَأَوج الحُسن أَبهى وَأَبهَرُ

How often has the Hijazi caravan yearned, singing

the Iraq mode, while beauty's zenith, Awj, is lovelier and more dazzling!

أَبا طاهر قَلبي الحسينيّ قَد شَدا

بَياتاً فَهَل بِالرَصد نجمك يَظهَرُ

Abu Tahir, my Husayni heart has sung

Bayat; will your star appear under observation, in Rast?

بَدا قَمَراً لَيلاً عَلى غُصن بانةٍ

عَلَيهِ حَمام الحلي يَشدو وَيَهدرُ

He appeared, a moon at night upon a bān-tree bough,

upon which the doves of jewelry sing and coo.

وَمن فرعه لَمّا لَهُ عقد اللوا

وَددتُ لَو اِنّي تَحتَهُ كُنت أُحشَرُ

And when a banner was tied for him from his tresses,

I wished that I might be gathered beneath it.

أَقول لِخالٍ راحَ يُنكر خالَه

لَكلّ شَقيق نقطة لَيسَ تُنكرُ

I tell an uncle who has begun denying his beauty mark:

every anemone has a dot that cannot be denied.

أَخا العَذل كَرّر ذكرَهُ فَلَطالَما

سَكرت بِهِ فَهوَ المدام المكرَّرُ

O brother in reproach, repeat his name, for how often

have I grown drunk on it—it is wine renewed again and again.

وَمَن لي بِلَثمي مِعصَماً دون لَمسِهِ

ظُبى أَعيُن وَهوَ المَنيع المسوَّرُ

Who will grant me a kiss upon a wrist, when its touch is barred by

the blade-edges of eyes, while it stands impregnable and walled?

هُوَ الماء لَولا أَنَّ بلّور جسمهِ

لَهُ ممسك مِن لُطفِهِ كادَ يقطرُ

He is water, save that his body's crystal

holds him in; so delicate is he that he almost drips.

وَمِن خَفرٍ لَما زَها وَرد خَدّه

تَولّى عَلَيهِ قيّم القَدِّ يَخفرُ

And out of modesty, when the rose of his cheek blossomed,

the guardian of his stature took charge and kept watch over it.

فَخالف ما قال الفَلاسف خصره

لَطيفاً بِهِ المَعنى الكَثيف مُؤثِّرُ

His waist thus contradicted what the philosophers say:

though delicate, it is affected by the dense substance.

وَإِذ جَدَّدَ الأَفراح رَوض عذارهِ

فَإِنّا عَلى خَلع العذار سنعذرُ

Since the garden of his cheek-down renewed our joys,

we shall be excused for throwing off the bridle.

وَإِنّا أُناس لا تشان نُفوسهم

بِرَيب وَعَن حَمل الدَناءَة تَكبرُ

We are people whose souls are not sullied

by suspicion, and rise above bearing baseness.

وَمن شَرف الإِنسان صَون وَعفّة

وَبَذل سَخاءٍ وَالحُسام المشهّرُ

Among a person's honors are guarding his honor and chastity,

generous giving and the unsheathed sword.

وَبَعض حلوم الناس حَصباء يتّقى

لَهُ عرضٌ وَالبَعض لا ريبَ جَوهَرُ

Some people's forbearance is gravel, for which one fears

a mishap; some, without doubt, is a jewel.

وَلَكن لعمري جَوهَر الحلم نادر

كَحلم أَمين الملك بَل هُوَ أَندَرُ

Yet, by my life, the jewel of forbearance is rare,

like Amin al-Mulk's forbearance—nay, his is rarer still.

أَميرٌ تَلا آيات رَأيٍ أخالها

مسدّدةً عَن مَهبط الوَحي تَصدرُ

A prince who recites verses of judgment which I imagine

unerring, issuing from the place where revelation descends.

أَميرُ على أَبدى بَدائع حكمة

يَنابيعها مِن حلمه تَتَفجّرُ

Emir Ali has revealed marvels of wisdom,

whose springs gush from his forbearance.

أَميرٌ بِهِ للمكرمات إِمارة

بِها تشرف العَلياء عزّاً وَتَفخَرُ

A prince through whom noble deeds possess a dominion,

by which lofty honor gains glory and takes pride.

أَميرٌ بَنو العَلياء تَحتَ لِوائِهِ

بِإِذعانِها تَعنو لَما هُوَ يَأمرُ

A prince beneath whose banner the sons of lofty honor

bow in submission to whatever he commands.

أَمير هُوَ السَيف الَّذي قَد أَعدّه

لِطارقة الخَطب المَليك المظفّرُ

A prince who is the sword that has been readied

against calamity's assault by the victorious king.

لَهُ كَرم الأَخلاق خلق مُحكَّم

لَهُ العَفو حكم لازم لا يغيّرُ

For him, nobility of character is a firmly established nature;

for him, pardon is a binding rule that never changes.

مَناقب كَالرَوض الأَريض نَضارَةً

تَسامَت عَن التَشبيه بَل هِيَ أَنضَرُ

Virtues fresh as a flourishing garden

rise beyond comparison—indeed, they are fresher still.

مَراتبُ قَد عَزّت بِحُسن مَآثر

عَلى حَمدِها تِعدادُها لَيسَ يُحصرُ

Ranks exalted by the beauty of noble deeds,

for all their praise, their number cannot be bounded.

فَيا لَكَ مِن مَولىً يناديهِ لِلثَنا

مُنادٍ يُنادي إِنّ حَظَّكَ أَوفَرُ

What a lord, summoned to receive praise

by a herald crying, 'Your share is more abundant!'

إِذا ذكرت فينا شَمائل لُطفهِ

وَمَرَّت بِنا ريح الصبا تَتَعطَّرُ

When the qualities of his kindness are mentioned among us,

and the east wind passes us, it takes on fragrance.

فَإِن قيل بَحر قُلت وَالبَحر صارم

وَإِن قيل بَدر قُلت وَالبَدر قسورُ

If he is called a sea, I say, 'Yet the sea is harsh';

if called a full moon, I say, 'Yet the full moon is fierce.'

تَرَفّع فَما العَلياء إِلّا ثَلاثة

يَد وَلِسان وَالفواد المُطَهّرُ

Aspire high: lofty honor consists of just three things—

a hand, a tongue, and a purified heart.

وَلَست أَرى مَجداً يَدوم لِماجد

سِوى اللَه إِلّا ما بِهِ المَرءُ يُذكَرُ

I see no glory enduring for any noble one,

God excepted, save what keeps a person remembered.

أَعَزُّ بَني الدُنيا فَتىً ما لِنَفسِهِ

عَلَيهِ يَد إِلّا بِما عَنهُ يُؤثرُ

The noblest of this world's sons is a youth whose self has no

claim upon him except through the deeds handed down of him.

وَأَغبى الوَرى من علّل النَفس بِالمُنى

مِن الدَهر وَالأَيّام تُطوى وَتُنشَرُ

The most foolish mortal is he who soothes his soul with wishes

of fortune, while days are folded up and unfolded.

أَرى السَعي في نَيل الثَناء مُسَبّباً

لِنَيل العُلى إِذ كُلّ شَيءٍ مُقَدَّرُ

I see striving to gain praise as a cause

of attaining high rank, since everything is ordained.

وَما ليَ لا أَسعى إِلى طَلب العُلى

وَأسري وَجنح اللَيل منّي مقمرُ

Why should I not strive to seek high honor

and journey by night, its wing made moonlit by me?

سَأفري الفَلا جوباً عَلى مَتن ضامر

لَهُ تضمر الأَيّام حيناً وَتظهرُ

I shall cleave the wilderness, traversing it on a lean mount's back,

for which the days sometimes conceal, sometimes reveal.

فَإما بُلوغاً ما رَجَوت بُلوغه

مِن اللَه أَو أَني سَعيت فَأعذرُ

Either I shall reach what I hoped to attain

from God, or I shall have striven and be excused.

أَصاحيَ لا تَرتح إِلى غَير معشرٍ

بِهِ لَكَ عزٌّ في الأَنام وَمفخرُ

My friend, take comfort in no company except one

that brings you honor and pride among humankind.

لَكَ اللَه أَحوال المَلا قَد تَغيّرت

وَمَن ذا الَّذي يا عزّ لا يَتَغيّرُ

God be with you! The people's ways have changed,

and who, O 'Izz, does not change?

فَلا تَذكرن أَمراً تَغيَّبَ أَمرُهُ

وَلا تُنكرنَ فَضلاً بِهِ أَنتَ أَخبَرُ

So speak of no matter whose truth is hidden,

nor deny a merit of which you have fuller knowledge.

وَزن كُلّ إِنسان بِمقدار فَضله

فَأَنتَ عَلى الإنصاف وَالعَدل أَقدَرُ

Weigh each person according to his merit,

for you are more capable of fairness and justice.

فَما كُلُّ مَن حازَ السَماحة حاتم

وَلا كُلُّ مَن نالَ الشَجاعة حَيدَرُ

Not everyone who possesses generosity is Hatim,

nor everyone who attains courage Haydar;

وَلا كُلُّ مَن قَطَّ اليَراعة كاتب

وَلا كُلّ مَن خَطَّ البَراعة يَشعرُ

nor everyone who cuts a reed-pen is a writer,

nor everyone who writes skillfully can compose poetry.

وَربّ قَصيد قالَها مُتشاعر

إِذا ما تَلاها مُؤمن كادَ يَكفُرُ

Many a poem spoken by a would-be poet,

if a believer recites it, nearly makes him disbelieve.

بُيوت عَن السُكّان بانَت فَأَقفَرت

وَكَم مثلها فارقتها وَهيَ تصفرُ

Verses—houses parted from their inhabitants and left desolate!

How many like them have I abandoned while they whistle in their emptiness!

هَلمَّ بِنا نهدي الثَناء لِمُنتَدى

أَمين المَعالي فَهوَ بِالحَمد أَجدَرُ

Come, let us offer praise to the assembly

of Amin al-Ma'ali, for he is worthier of praise.

كَفاه اِفتِخاراً ذكر آثار فَضله

إِذا ما سواه ظلَّ بِالعَين يَفخرُ

Recalling the traces of his merit suffices for his pride,

while others go on boasting of tangible wealth.

أَمَولاي شَهر الصَوم أَيامه اِنقَضَت

فَفز بِجَزيل الأَجر فَالمَرءُ يوجرُ

My lord, the days of the fasting month have passed;

so win abundant recompense, for a person is rewarded.

لعمري هُوَ الشَهر المُبارك إِنَّما

فِراقي لَهُ عيد بعزِّك أَنوَرُ

By my life, it is the blessed month; yet

my farewell to it is an Eid brighter through your glory.

فَقابل هِلال العيد مِنكَ بِنَظرةٍ

يَصير بِها بَدراً تَماماً فَيُسفرُ

Meet the crescent of Eid with a glance of yours:

it becomes a perfect full moon thereby and shines forth.

وَأَفطر قُلوب الحاسِدين فَإِنَّها

تَكادُ إِذا ما عاينتك تفطَّرُ

Break the fast of the envious hearts, for they

nearly split apart whenever they behold you.

وَدُم بِالهَنا ما غَرّدت فَوق أَيكة

حَمامة أَفراح لَها العزُّ منبرُ

And remain in bliss as long as there sings above a grove

a dove of joys, whose pulpit is glory;

وَما قامَ داعي الأنس يُنشد قائِلاً

عَلامَ فَدَتكَ النَفس تَجفو وَتَهجرُ

and as long as the herald of delight stands chanting:

Why—may my soul ransom you—do you shun and forsake me?