أبدْرَ دُجىً غالَته إحدى الغَوائلِ
فأصبحَ مفقوداً وليسَ بآفلِ
O full moon of darkness, struck down by one of the calamities,
One of the maidens shed the light of her braids,
and so lost, though he had not set.
And so he became lost and not worthless.
أتَته المنايا وهو أعزلُ حاسِرٌ
خَفِيُّ غِرارِ السَّيفِ بادي المقاتلِ
Death came to him while he was unarmed and bareheaded,
Death came to him while he was unarmed and dismayed,
his sword’s edge concealed, his vital parts exposed.
Bearing a hidden sword, with his weapon revealed.
غلامٌ إذاعايْنتَ عاتقَ ثَوبِه
رأيتَ عليه شاهداً لِلحَمائلِ
A youth: if you looked at the shoulder of his robe,
A youth - if you glance at the nape of his robe,
you saw upon it the mark of sword-baldrics.
You will see on it evidence of struggles.
يُمسِّحُ بالمِسكِ الذَّكيَّ مُرَجَّلاً
يَرُفُّ على المتنينِ مِثلَ السَّلاسلِ
He rubs fragrant musk into combed hair
He wipes the saddle with sweet musk,
that flutters over both sides of his back like chains.
Flowing over the saddle like chains.
سواءٌ عليه في السَّوابغِ حُرَّةً
ثَنَى عِطفَه أَم في رِقاق الغَلائِلِ
It was all the same to him whether, in full mail, nobly
It matters not to him in fine garments or coarse
he turned his side, or in thin, delicate tunics.
Whether he folds his sleeve or in thin veils.
وَعزَّ على العَلياءِ أن حِيلَ بينَه
وبينَ ظُبَا أسيافِه والعَواملِ
And it grieved high glory that a barrier was set between him
And it pained the noble ones that he was prevented
and the edges of his swords and the spears.
From his swords and his resolutions and efforts.
وعُرِّيَ من بُردَيه بالسيفِ مُنتضىً
فلمْ يَعْرَ مِنْ بُرْدَيْ عَفافٍ ونائلِ
And a drawn sword stripped him of his two cloaks,
He was stripped of his coat of mail by the sword resolutely,
yet not of the twin cloaks of chastity and bounty.
And did not shy from exposure or attainment.
فأحبِب به من راكبٍ غيرِ سائرٍ
مقيمٍ ولكنْ زِيَّه زِيُّ راجلِ
How dear he is, then—a rider who does not travel,
So he was loved by one who rode but did not march,
stationary, yet his garb is that of a man on foot.
Staying, though his garb was a foot soldier’s.
يُعَنبِرُ أنفاسَ الرِّياحِ بِشِلوهِ
فَتَعبَقُ من أنفاسِ تلك الشَّمائلِ
With his remains he gives the winds’ breath the scent of ambergris,
He scents the breezes with his perfume,
so they grow fragrant with the breath of those noble qualities.
And those breaths were fragrant from that bouquet.
هو القَدرُ المحتومُ والسيفُ لم يكنُ
ليُخصَبَ إلا من دماءِ الأفاضلِ
It is decreed fate; the sword could never
It was destined and the sword was not meant
grow fertile except through the blood of the noblest.
To be blunted except by the blood of the virtuous.
أَحلَّكَ من أَعلى الهَواءِ مَحَلَّةً
نأَتْ بك عن ضَنْكِ الثَّرى والجنادلِ
It lodged you in a dwelling in the highest reaches of the air,
It has placed you in the highest place,
that bore you far from the confinement of earth and boulders.
To save you from the constriction of earth and conflict.
وليسَ بعارٍ ما عَراك وإنَّما
حَماك اتِّساعُ الصَّدرِ ضِيقَ المنازلِ
And what befell you is no disgrace; rather,
There is no shame in what exposed you, but rather
the breadth of your breast spared you the narrowness of dwellings.
The breadth of your chest narrowed dwelling places.
Sol 6.1