بين النَّقا فَثَنيَّةِ الحِجْرِ
سمراءُ تُرقَبُ بالقنا السُّمرِ
Between the passes, in the cleft of stone
A dark-skinned woman watches for the canal’s flow
رصفَتْ قلائدَها بما سفكتْ
من فيضِ دمعٍ أو دمٍ هَدْرِ
She threaded her necklaces with what she shed
Of a flood of tears or freely flowing blood
ماشئتِ من حَبِّ القلوب أو ال
أجفان في بيضٍ وفي حُمرِ
Whatever you wished of hearts’ love or
Of lids, white or rosy
نزَلتْ مِنىً أُولَى ثلاثِ مِنىً
فقضت نجيزة ليلة النَّفْرِ
She came down rejecting the first of the three sites
And so performed a funeral for the night of departure
وجلَتْ لأربع عشرة قمراً
والشهرُ ما أوفَى على العَشْرِ
She climbed for fourteen moons
While the month barely fulfilled the tenth
تَرمِي الجِمارَ وبين أضلعنا
غرضٌ لها ترميه بالجمرِ
She casts pebbles, and between our ribs
A goal for her, which she casts with embers
من لي على عَطْلَى بغانيةٍ
شبَّت وشِبْتُ وعمرُها عُمري
Who is for me, for my misery, a virgin
Who has matured as my age has matured
لم تَنوِ في قَسَمٍ تَحِلَّتَهُ
إلا إذا حلفتْ على الهَجرِ
She has not intended in any oath she swore
Except if she swore to estrangement
قالت وليمت في ضنا جسدي
طَرْفي علَى إسقامه عُذري
She said, “My body craved a feast,
My eyes, for their sickness, are my excuse.”
واستُسقِيَتْ لظَمايَ ريقَتها
فاستشهدتْ بالآي في الخمرِ
And she was made to drink to quench her thirst
So she invoked the signs about wine
وتقول للعذّالِ مُغضبَةً
شيَّبتُه من حيثُ لا يدري
And she says to the rebuker, chiding,
“He has grayed me without realizing it.”
قبَّلتُ عصياناً عوارضَه
عمداً فأعدى شَعرَهُ ثَغري
I kissed, deliberately, his frowning mouth
So his mustache exceeded my lips
وأَخٍ مع السّراء من عُدَدِي
وعليّ في الضَّراء والشرِّ
And a brother, among my companions
In ease and hardship and ill
تطوِي حشاه على تبسُّمِهِ
أضلاعَ مُشرَجَةٍ على الغِمرِ
She folds his coarseness into his smile
Ribs gaping over embers
مولاي والأحداثُ مغمَدةٌ
فإذا انتُضِينَ فَرَى كما تَفْرى
My Master, events are sheathed
So if you rise, see them burst forth
تَعِبٌ بحفظ هَناتِ مَيسَرَتي
حتى يعدِّدَها على العُسرِ
Weary of preserving my right hand
Until he counts them in hardship
الدهرُ ألْينُ منه لي كنفاً
لو كان يتركني مع الدهرِ
Time is more gentle with me, granting me shelter
If only it would leave me with time
ومغَيِّمِ المعروف يخدعني
إيماضُ واضحتيهِ بالبِشرِ
And he who clouds kindness deceives me
With the flashing of his smiling face
سكَنَ اليفاعَ وشبَّ مَوقِدَه
ناراً يُغرُّ بها ولا يَقْري
He settled the winds and kindled for them
A fire he fans but does not light
ذي فطنةٍ في الشكر راغبةٍ
وغباوةٍ بجوالب الشكرِ
One of ready wit for gratitude
And foolishness in gratitude’s cycles
فإذا مدحتُ مدحتُ ماطرةً
وإذا عصرتُ عصرتُ من صخرِ
So when I praise, I praise a pouring rain
And when I squeeze, I squeeze from rock
لا طاب نفساً بالنوالِ ولا
مخَضَ المودةَ زُبدةَ الصَّدرِ
No soul enjoys success, nor
Does affection churn the chest’s cream
وأرادني من غير ثروتِهِ
أن أستكين لذلَّة الفقرِ
And he wanted me without his wealth
To make myself content with poverty’s bliss
ينجو بِعرضي أن يضام له
عَرْضُ الفلاةِ وغضبةُ الحُرِّ
He would be saved by my honor were
The expanse of the desert and the heat of noon to fault him
وتنجُّزُ الأيّام ما وعدتْ
في مثله وعواقبُ الصبرِ
And time fulfills what it promised
In the like of him and the fruits of patience
ومؤيّد السلطان عاليةً
يَدُه بتأييدي وفي نصري
And the Sultan’s supporter exalts
His hand by supporting and aiding me
لو شئتُ فُتُّ سُرَى النجوم به
وخَفِيت عن ألحاظها الزُّهرِ
If I wished, I could unravel the planets’ mysteries for him
And hide the blossoms from their sight
ولبلَّغَتْنِي المجدَ سابحةٌ
بالظَّهرِ ليست من بني الظهرِ
And glory would carry me swimming
On its back though it is no child of the back
ترتاح للضَّحضاح خائضةً
وتكُدُّ بالمتعمِّقِ الغَمرِ
It rests for the ponds, wading,
And struggles in the deep diving
تجري الرياح على مشيئتها
فتُخالُ طائرةً بما تجري
The winds blow according to their will
Deeming themselves birds in their blowing
وإذا شراعاها لها نُشِرَا
خفقَتْ بقادِمتيْن من نَسْرِ
And if their sails are unfurled for them
They flutter with two swooping eagles
في جانبٍ لينٌ يُدَفّعُها
وخِطارُها في جانبٍ وَعْرِ
On one side, smooth, which repels them
While their danger is on the rugged side
يحدو المطيَّ الزاجرون له
وتساقُ بالتهليل والذِّكْرِ
The scolders spur on the racing camel
As it is driven with chanting and praise
من لي بقلبٍ فوقها ذَكَرٍ
مُصْغٍ لعذلي تابعٍ أمري
Who is for me a heart above them remembering
Listening to my love ode, obedient to my order?
قالوا الشجاعةَ إنّه غَرَرٌ
متقاربُ الميقاتِ والقدْرِ
They said courage is but delusion
Of time and fate drawn near
يومان في لُجٍّ فإن فَضُلا
بزيادةٍ فبليلة العِبْرِ
Two days in a bay, so if they exceed
It is by the night of the full moon
هيهات منّي ساحلٌ يَبِسٌ
والبحرُ يُفضي بي إلى البحرِ
Alas! For me is a barren coast
While the sea empties me into the sea
القصدُ والمقصودُ من شَبَهٌ
في الجود أو حدٌّ من الغَزْرِ
Purpose and purposeful are alike
In generosity or the limit of downpour
ما أنَّ إلا أنَّ ذا أجِنٌ
مِلحٌ وذاك زلالةُ القَطْرِ
I am nothing but the owner of a palm,
Briny, and that a trickle of rainwater
جارَى الملوكَ فبذَّهم ملك
سبق القوارحَ في سِني مُهرِ
He raced the kings, so he betrayed them; a king
Outstripped the wild beasts in their prime
وأَرَى بني الستين عجزَهُمُ
في الرأي وهو ابنُ اثنَتَيْ عَشْرِ
And I see, though he is sixty’s son, their incapacity
In opinion, and he is the son of twelve
لا طارفُ النعماءِ منزعجٌ
فيها ولا مستحدثُ الفخرِ
Not one made delicate by luxury
Is troubled by it, nor the newly proud of pride
من وارثي العلياء ما اغتصبوا
مجداً ولا ملكوه بالقهرِ
From my lofty inheritors, none have seized
Glory by force or ruled it by conquest
أرباب بيتِ مكارمٍ عقدوا
أطنابَه بأوائل الدهرِ
Lords of a household of nobility tied
Its tent ropes in early time
ضربوا على الدُّوَل استهامَهُمُ
وتقاسموا بالنَّهْي والأمرِ
They set their determination upon the nations
And shared in prohibition and command
في كلّ أفْقٍ منهُمُ عَلَمٌ
مَرعَى العفاةِ وسَدَّةُ الثَّغْرِ
In every horizon is a flag of theirs
Pasture for the helpless and fortress of the breach
ابناء مُكْرَمَ وهي مَعرِفةٌ
نصروا اسمها بإهانة الوفرِ
The children of the generous, and it is knowledge
Whose name they championed by spurning wealth
قَطَنوا وسار عطاؤهم شَبَهاً
بالبحر قامَ وملْكُهُ يسري
They dwelt, and their bounty flowed, resembling
An erected sea while its kingdom marches on
في كلّ دارٍ من مواهبهم
أثرُ الحيا في البلدة القفرِ
In every house of theirs is the living’s trace
In the desolate town and neglected ruin
وملكتَ يا ذا المجد غايتَهم
ما للبِهامِ فضيلة الغُرِّ
And you, O honorable one, attained their goal
Which the shooting stars have no merit in
زيَّدتهم شرفاً وبعضُهُمُ
لأبيه مثلُ الواوِ في عمرو
You increased their glory, and one of them
To his father is as the waw to amr
سدُّوا بك الغاراتِ منفرداً
فملأتَ صفَّ الجحفلِ المَجْرِ
They closed the raids, you alone,
So you filled the ranks of the dense cavalry
ودجا ظلامُ الرأي بينهُمُ
فوَضَحتَ فيه بطلعةِ الفجرِ
And the darkness of opinion was murky among them
So you shone in it with the dawn’s first light
وأبوك يومَ البصرةِ اعترفت
قِمَمُ العدا لسيوفه النُّكرِ
And your father, the day of Basra, their peaks confessed
To his terrible swords
ألقى عصاً من عزمةٍ بَتَرتْ
آياتُها حدَّ الظُّبَا البُتْرِ
He cast a staff of resolute will that split
Its signs to the limit of docked tails
لقَفَتْ على الكَرجيِّ ما أَفكتْ
كفَّاه من كيدٍ ومن مَكْرِ
It clasped the Karaji with what undid
His hands of plots and cunning
فمضى يخيِّر نفسَه خَوَراً
ذلَّيْن من قَتْل ومن أسرِ
So he went choosing for himself disgrace
Base, of killing and capture
يجدُ الفِرارَ أحبَّ عاجلةً
لو كُفَّ غربُ الموتِ بالفَرِّ
He finds fleeing most beloved for now
If the strangerhood of death were repelled
ورأت عُمانُ وأهلُها بك ما
أغنى الفقيرَ وأمّنَ المثرى
And Oman and its people saw in you what
Enriched the poor and secured the afraid
صارت بجودك وهي موحشةٌ
أُنسَ الوفودِ وقِبلةَ السَّفْرِ
Through your generosity, though lonely, it became
A beloved destination of delegations and travel
يفديك مبتهجٌ بنعمته
أسيانُ في المعروف والبِّرِ
One made joyous by his fortune comes to you
Disconsolate in kindness and righteousness
ألهاه طيبُ المالِ يُحرِزُهُ
عن طيبِ ما أحرزتَ من ذِكْرِ
Distracted by possessions’ bliss, he guards it
From the bliss you guarded of remembrance
يبغي عِثارَك وهو في تعبٍ
كالليل طالبُ عثرةِ البدرِ
Seeking your downfall, though laboring
Like the night, seeker of the moon’s stumble
قد قلتُ لما عقَّ دع مِدَحي
زينُ الكفاةِ أبرُّ بالشِّعرِ
I have told, when the slanderer clamored against me,
The fair-handed are more honest in poetry
اُتركْ مقاماتِ العلاء له
متأخِّراً فالصدرُ للصدرِ
Leave the abodes of the lofty to him
Lagging, for the chest is for the chest
يا نازحاً ورجاءُ نعمتهِ
منّي مكانَ السَّحْرِ والنَّحرِ
O complainant, though hoping for his bounty
I have replaced magic and sacrifice for me
هل أنت قاضٍ فِيَّ نذرَك لي
فلقد قضت فيك المنى نذري
Are you an arbitrator against me? Your vow to me
For I have fulfilled the wishes I vowed to you
أيّامَ لي وحدي الوفاء وكل
لِ الناسِ من نكثٍ ومن غدر
Days I have, and singular loyalty, while for
All people are betrayal and treason
وأرى نداك اليوم في نفرٍ
لم يُشرَكوا في ذلك العصرِ
And I see your hand today among some
Who did not share that age
اُردد يدي ملأى وحاش لمن
يعتامُ جودَك من يدٍ صِفْرِ
Return my hand filled, and forbid those who
Disparage your bounty from a sallow hand
واعطفْ عليَّ كما صددتَ أَذُقْ
طعميك من حُلوٍ ومن مُرِّ
Bestow on me as you have decided, let me taste
Your sweetness and bitterness
والبسْ من النعماء سابغةً
لا تدَّريها أسهمُ الدهرِ
And dress yourself in fine garments
Time’s arrows do not know them
تَعمَى النوائبُ عن تأمُّلها
وتُطيلُ فيها نَومةَ السُّكرِ
Misfortunes are blinded from beholding them
And lengthen in them the slumber of intoxication
مهما تَعُدْ خَلَقاً فجِدَّتها
تزداد بالتقليبِ والنشرِ
However much people renew creation, its essence
Grows with stirring and publishing
واسمعْ أَزُرْكَ بكلّ مالئةٍ
عينَ الضجيع خريدةٍ بِكْرِ
And listen to me, at each occasion of fullness
The sleepers' eyes, a virgin's anklets
نَسْجُ القريحةِ ثوبُ زينتها
وحُلِيُّها من صنعة الفكرِ
The weaving of talent is the dress of its ornament
And its jewelry of thought's making
من سحر بابلَ نفثُ عُقدَتِها
سارٍ وبابلُ منبِتُ السِّحرِ
As though the merchants had brought with it
For you from fragrant Sohar
وكأنما ساقَ التِّجارُ بها
لك من صُحَارَ لطيمةَ العطرِ
Ears grow accustomed, though hindered
By gravity, until I see you and your earrings
تُمسي لها الآذانُ آذنةً
ولوَ اَنَّهنّ حُجبنَ بالوَقْرِ
Both diamonds to the Pleiades and eagle
This gift overwhelms me,
حتى أراك وأخمَصاك معاً
قُرطانِ للعَيّوق والنَّسرِ
And justice is upon you in the bride-price
هذي الهَدِيُّ عليَّ جَلْوَتُها
وعليكم الإنصافُ في المَهرِ
