هَذا كِتابي عَن كَمالِ سَلامَة
عِندي وَحالِ شَرحِها في الجُملَةِ
This is my book on the perfection of Salama
In it, I explain my state in summary
هَمٌّ وَإِقتارٌ وَعُمرٌ ذاهِبٌ
وَفِراقُ أَوطانٍ وَفَقدُ أَحِبَّةِ
There is worry, poverty, and fleeting life
And separation from homelands and loss of loved ones
يا إِخوَتي وَإِذا صَدَقتُ فَأَنتُمُ
مِن إِخوَةِ الأَيّامِ لا مِن إِخوَتي
O my brothers! If I am truthful, then you
Are brothers of the days, not brothers of mine
بُعداً لِآمالي الَّتي عَلَّقتُها
بِكُمُ فَجارَت في السَّبيلِ وَضَلَّتِ
Away with the hopes that I pinned on you
For they strayed on the path and were lost
أَأَغِيبُ عَن حَلَبٍ ثَلاثَةَ أَشهُرٍ
لَم تَكتُبوا فيها إِليَّ بِلَفظَةِ
Shall I be absent from Aleppo three months
Without you writing me a single word?
حَتّى كَأَنِّي قَد جَنَيتُ عَلَيكُمُ
ما أَستَحِقُّ بِهِ عَظيمَ الجَفوَةِ
It's as if I have wronged you
To deserve such great estrangement
لا حُرمَةَ الآدابِ راعَيتُم وَلا
حَقَّ الإِخاء وَلا ذِمامَ الصُّحبَةِ
You observed neither the sanctity of morals
Nor the right of brotherhood, nor the reins of companionship
وَكَأَنَّني بِكُمُ إِذا لَفَّقتُمُ
عُذراً كَمِثلِ الحاجَةِ المَعروفَةِ
It's as if, when you cobble together
An excuse, it will resemble a well-known need
قُلتُم شُغِلنا بِالحِصارِ وَصَدَّنا
ما كانَ بَعدَكَ مِن مُعِزِّ الدَّولَةِ
You'll say, "We were busy with the siege, and after you
What remained of the dignitaries of the state"
وَصَدَقتُمُ فَبِأَيِّ حُكم صُدِّرَت
كُتُبُ التُّجارِ خِلالَ تِلكَ التَّوبَةِ
And you'd be truthful - so by what logic
Were the merchants' letters allowed during that repentance?
أَعجزتُمُ عَن مِثلِ ما هَمُّوا بِهِ
بُعداً لِمَن هُوَ دونَهُم في الهِمَّةِ
You failed to do what they intended
Away with one inferior to them in resolve
طاب التَّنَصُّرُ مِنكُمُ فَتَوَقَّعوا
بَعدَ الصِّيامِ حَديثَ مَعمودِيَّتي
Staying Christian seemed good to you, so you expected
After fasting, talk of my baptism
لَو شِئتُ أَهرُبُ مَرَّة مِن عِندِكُم
ما كُنتُ أَقصِدُ غَيرَ قُسطَنطينِيَةِ
If I wanted, I'd flee there from you
For I wouldn't intend anywhere but Constantinople
وَلأَكتُبَنَّ إِذا نَشَطت إِلَيكُمُ
مِن دَيرِ أَرمانوسَ بِالرُّومِيَّةِ
And I'd write to you when I went
From the Monastery of St. Romanos in Rome
يا ابنَ المُقَلَّدِ وَالكَلامُ جَميعُهُ
عَطفٌ عَلَيكَ وَأَنتَ رَأسُ الزُّمرَةِ
O son of the pretender - and the speech is all
Inclined toward you, for you're the head of the band
أَجَلَبتَها وَبَرِئتَ مِن تَبِعاتِها
هذي فِعالُ الشَّيخِ والِدَ مُرَّةِ
You provoked it, yet absolved yourself of its consequences
That is the work of an old man of villainy
بِاللَّهِ خَبِّرني لأَيَّةِ عِلَّةٍ
أَعرَضتَ عَن عَهدي لَكُم وَوَصِيَّتي
For God's sake, tell me why
You disregarded my covenant with you and my will
أَلوَصلِ مُؤنِسِكَ الَّذي أَحضَرتَهُ
وَجَعَلتَ خِدمَتَهُ بِرَسمِ الخُلوَةِ
Did you forget my companion whom you brought
And whose service you made as if an intimate affair?
ما هَكَذا يَتَناصَفُ الخِلَّانُ في
حُكم المَوَدَّةِ بَينَهُم وَالخُلَّةِ
Those devoted do not share thus
In the rule of affection and privacy between them
كُن كَيفَ شِئتَ فَإِنَّ قُربَكَ بَعدَها
حَدُّ الرَّجاءِ وَغايَةُ الأمنِيَّةِ
Be as you wish, for your nearness after this
Is the limit of hope and the apex of desire
أَما أَخوكَ أَبو العَلاء فَإِنَّني
ما زِلتُ أَعرِفُ مِنهُ لُؤمَ العِشرَةِ
As for your brother Abu al-'Ala, I still
Recognize in him the obscenity of companionship
قَد كُنتُ أَعدَمُ في الحُضورِ سُؤالَهُ
عَنّي فَكَيفَ يَكونُ عِندَ الغَيبَةِ
I used to, when present, not ask him
About me - so how could he be in absence?
وَمَتى يَحِنُّ وَما يَزالُ مُرَنَّحاً
في نَشوَةٍ وَمُطَوَّحاً في سَكرَةِ
When will he yearn, still hunkered down
In intoxication and sprawled out in drunkenness?
وَلِخَلِّكَ الخَمرِيِّ عُذرٌ واضِحٌ
عِندي فَلَستُ أَلومُهُ في الجَفوَةِ
For your drunken companion, the excuse is clear
To me - so I don't blame him for estrangement
وَالذَّنبُ لي فيما جَناهُ فَإِنَّني
رُمتُ المُروءَةَ مِن تُجارِ الكوفَةِ
The sin is mine for what he gained
For I cast off manliness among the Kufan merchants
وَمِنَ العَجائِبِ أَن يَكونَ مُحَمَّدٌ
وَهوَ القَديمُ العَهدِ بِالقَدموسَةِ
And of the wonders is that Muhammad
While ancient of ties with the deaconry
يَنسى هَوايَ فَما أَمُرُّ بِبالِهِ
شُغلاً بِتِلكَ العُصبَةِ السُّوقِيَّةِ
Forgets my love - so he doesn't pass through his mind
Busy with that rabble of the market
يا صاحِبَ الخُفَّينِ قَد ذَهَبا إِلى
عِندَ المُبارِزِ وَالشَّبابِ المُصمَتِ
O barefoot one, they went to
The knight and the silent youth
وَعَلَيكَ أَجرُ الحِملِ فَانقُدُه فَما
فيهِ خِلاف عِندَ أَهلِ القِبلَةِ
And the burden's reward is upon you - so lead it, for
Among the people of the direction there's no dispute
وَبِحَقِّ دينارٍ عَلَيكَ فَإِنَّهُ
إِن كُنتَ تَهواهُ أَجَلَّ إِليَّةِ
And by the right of a debt upon you, it
If you desire it, is most binding upon you
أَبلِغ أَبا الحَسَنِ السَّلامَ وَقُل لَهُ
هَذا الجَفاء عَداوَةٌ لِلشِّيعَةِ
Give greetings to Abu al-Hasan and tell him
This estrangement is enmity to the Shia
فَلأَطرُقَنَّ بِما صَنَعتَ مُكابِراً
وَأَبُثُّ ما لاقَيتُ مِنكَ لِنُكتَةِ
I will be silent with what you've obstinately done
And relate what I endured from you as a jest
وَلأَجلِسَنَّكَ لِلقَضِيَّةِ بَينَنا
في يَوم عاشوراء بِالشَّرقِيَّةِ
And I will make you sit for the case between us
On Ashura in the east
حَتّى أَثيرَ عَلَيكَ مِنها فِتنَةً
تُنسيكَ يَومَ خَزانَةِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ
Until I stir up for you from it a tribulation
That makes you forget the day of the Sufi raid
دَع ذا وَقُل لي أَنتَ يا ابنَ مُحَسِّنٍ
وَجَفاء مِثلِكَ مِن تَمام المِحنَةِ
Leave this and tell me - you, son of a benefactor
While estrangement like yours is the essence of ordeals
كانَت وَزارتُكَ الَّتي دَبَّرتَني
فيها كَمِثلِ الخِدمَةِ الرَّحبِيَّةِ
Your ministry in which you placed me
Was like sublime service
صاحَ الغُرابُ بِها فَفَرَّقَ شَملنا
قَدَرٌ رَمَت فيهِ الخُطوبُ فَاصمَتِ
The crow cawed in it, so it scattered our unity
Fate in which disasters were mute
ما كانَ حَقُّكَ أَن تَمَلَّ وَإِنَّما
تاريخُ وَصلِكَ مِن حِصارِ القَلعَةِ
It wasn't your right to be bored - rather
The date of your connection was from the siege of the citadel
وَلَقَد ذَكَرتُكَ في عقابِ هِرَقلَةٍ
وَجِبال نيقِيَّةٍ وَثَلجِ الحِمَّةِ
I remembered you in the punishment of Heraclius
And the mountains of Nicea and the snow of highlands
وَصَديقُكَ الخَبَّازُ مَشغولٌ عَلى
أَدبارِهِ بِالقِصَّةِ المَكتومَةِ
And your baker friend is busy
With the concealed tale behind him
حَيرانُ يَطلُبُ مَوضِعاً يَخلو بِهِ
فيهِ وَذَلِكَ مِن تَمامِ المِحنَةِ
Perplexed, seeking a place to be alone in
And that is the essence of ordeals
وَاقرَ السَّلامَ عَلى الفَقيهِ وَقُل لَهُ
وَهوَ العتادُ لِدَفعِ كُلِّ مُلِمَّةِ
Give greetings to the jurist and tell him
While he is prepared to repel every calamity
حاشاكَ أَن تَصِفَ الوِدادَ وَأَهلَهُ
وَيَكونَ حُبُّكَ كُلُّهُ بِالقوَّةِ
Far be it from you to describe affection and its people
While your love is entirely by force
ما كانَ ضَرَّكَ لَو بَعَثتَ تَحِيَّةً
وَكَتَبتَ خَمسَةَ أَسطُرٍ في رُقعَةِ
It wouldn't have harmed you to send a greeting
And write five lines in a note
أَبِمِثلِ هَذا يَخصِبُ البُستانُ أَو
يَزدادُ حُسنَ الدَّارِ في السَّهلِيَّةِ
Does the garden thrive with the like of this?
Or the beauty of the abode increase in the plains?
وَاعلِم أَبا الحَسَنِ الوَكيلَ صَديقَهُ
حَمدي لِتِلكَ القِصَّةِ المَشكورَةِ
Let Abu al-Hasan the minister's friend Hamdi know
For that esteemed deed
وَوَقَفتُ مِنهُ عَلى كِتابٍ واحِدٍ
تاريخُهُ لِلنِّصفِ مِن ذي القِعدَةِ
I received from him one letter
Dated halfway through Dhu al-Qi'dah
فَوَجَدتُهُ مُتَضَمِّناً ذِكري بِلا
خَبَرٍ أسَكِّنُ مِنهُ بَعضَ اللَّوعَةِ
I found it containing mention of me without
News to somewhat soothe a bit of homesickness
عَمَلاً كَبيراً أَي بِأَنّي سالِك
طُرُقَ التِّجارَةِ لازِمٌ لِمَعيشَتي
As if, my friend, I am busy
With the paths of trade, compelled by my livelihood
ما كُنتُ أَطلُبُ مِنهُ إِلَّا ذِكرَ أَخ
بارِ الجَماعَةِ دونَ حالِ البَلدَةِ
I didn't want from him except mention of the news
Of the group, apart from the state of the town
يا قَومُ ما بالي ثَقلتُ عَلَيكُمُ
مِن بَعدِ تِلكَ النِّيَّةِ المَحروسَةِ
O people, why have I become burdensome
After that protected intention?
وَأَظُنُّ شَوقَكُمُ إِليَّ كَأَنَّهُ
شَوقُ اليَهودِ إِلى زَمانِ الفِتنَةِ
I reckon your longing for me is like
The Jews' longing for the time of tribulation
شاهَدتُ بَعدَكُمُ عَجائِبَ جَمَّة
وَرَأَيتُ كُلَّ طَريفَةٍ وَغَريبَةِ
After you I witnessed wondrous things in multitudes
And I saw every trifle and oddity
وَلَقيتُ قَوماً ما أَبو الفَضلِ بنِ
الانباريِّ إِلَّا دونَهُم في الخِسَّةِ
And I met a people - what's Abu al-Fadl ibn
Al-Anbari but inferior to them in meanness?
لَو جامِعٌ رُسُلَ المَسيحِ إِلَيهِم
الإِنجيلُ ما ذادوهُمُ عَن فِريَةِ
If the messenger of the Gospel gathered to them
The Gospel, it wouldn't increase them from wickedness
أَتلو الحَديثَ عَلَيهِمُ فَكَأَنَّني
قَد صِرتُ مِنهُم في خِطابِ القُوَّةِ
I recite hadith to them, but it's as if I
Have become like them in commanding force
