Sol 6

  1. When the pen began to draw a poem,

    Upon a writing sheet, with ink flowing,

  2. I said, “Come.” It said to me, “What do you want?”

    I said, “I want verses from you, generous one.”

  3. It said, “Gladly; take them, neatly arranged.”

    I said, “Ha! Draw deeply from its rich breast.”

  4. And it set to work on the rhyme, rumbling like thunder.

    The sea of art surged at the beginning of Jumada.

  5. And the rolling voice arranged fresh verses with grace,

    Verses for those who understand perfume and fine fragrance.

  6. I cried out in my anguish, “Heart, turn away!”

    In a loud voice that the deaf and the stones could hear.

  7. Understand what I mean and take heed:

    See how the Turks have scattered us.

  8. They scatter people, whether they wish it or not,

    Among the factions’ quarrels and dispersal.

  9. After what has happened to me, I expect still more.

    Pass on, leave it, and put on mourning clothes.

  10. He said, “My companion, say no more,

    So I may counsel you with sayings of old.

  11. Do not be a feeble man among the people.

    Leave what you fear behind; go on, go on.

  12. Time has no brother and no loving friend,

    And the nights have never shown them affection.

  13. Keep your distance from time, my friend,

    And look at the darkness of the nights.

  14. Time has ruined many before you,

    And the nights have turned kings to ashes.

  15. When time bites with an iron fang,

    It grinds sound bone along with mail.

  16. Time has so often served the bitter drink of torment,

    And the Turks’ snare has caught many kinds of birds.

  17. How many like you, upon the iron bridge,

    Have passed on crying out, gaining nothing from their days?

  18. This world’s evil stretches on and on;

    Even prophets tasted hardship in their times.

  19. Some were slaughtered, and some went into exile,

    And others were bound and led away.

  20. No one endures in it except the Glorious One,

    Creator of the seven firm heights and the mighty heavens.

  21. Take heed and endure the decree of the One;

    Thus your Lord has willed the scattering of all.”

  22. I said to him, “Heart, your judgment is sound;

    Truly, when your Lord commands, His will is done.”

  23. He said to me, “Have you not seen what came by post?

    A letter from Yozgat to gladden your heart:

  24. The illustrious Abu Fandi al-Shafawi

    Was heading toward Damascus, a leader in the charge.”

  25. I said, “This news is true and certain;

    Among the country’s other sheikhs, he stands apart.

  26. He ventured in, though its sea had a distant bottom;

    He risked himself—may he have gained from it.”

  27. I said, “I approve, even if he gains nothing:

    He has spent his effort for the people’s sake.

  28. He is better than those whose faces are like ice,

    Darkened faces, though an uncle is a pillar for the young.

  29. And the man who never answers a call for help wants more,

    Though the world already has so many sheikhs.

  30. One of ours could equal King Abdul Hamid

    When names are weighed among rivals.

  31. Let the people of Hauran graze amid the harvest;

    The lion Abu Fandi has surpassed the sheikhs.

  32. Bring that powerful mount up from above;

    Set on the saddle of mays wood, O free falcon of the open land.

  33. Its posts are set with ordered pearls,

    And silk crowns the sides of the saddle.

  34. Its ornament gleams at the fringe and the straps,

    Adorned with fine work from the skilled hands of India.

  35. The saddlebag sways with patterns worked upon it,

    And a plume of ostrich feathers shines black.

  36. Gird yourself with a curved, greenish iron weapon,

    And a polished Indian sword from the smith.

  37. And a Martini rifle whose shot reaches far,

    Its cartridges packed from the breech like locusts.

  38. Rise and take whatever you want from the splendid gear;

    We have need of you, young man, though the distance is great.

  39. At dawn, leave Sinab when the new light appears;

    Set out from here on the right road.

  40. Do not come to a gate locked with iron;

    Urge your mount over the wall early in the cool morning.

  41. The road goes by Aبيواط; do not stray from it.

    Head straight toward Samsun, southward.

  42. Pass Sivas, even if weariness wears you down,

    And Ankara and Şarkışla, and those lands.

  43. Then Kayseri and Adana, when you reach your aim;

    To Aleppo the road opens across the wide stretches.

  44. Then to Hama and Homs, and to the spacious city;

    Rest at a clear, cool watering place.

  45. At dawn, leave Damascus for the long distance;

    Travel early and take the western course.

  46. The road goes through al-Kiswah and onward,

    Past the low ground toward al-Sayyid.

  47. At Izra, turn left and do not stray;

    Then aim south and east, straight ahead.

  48. When you reach al-Mazra‘a, you have reached your aim;

    Change course: you have no more road through Hauran.

  49. Halt in the strong sheikh’s encampment:

    Abu Fandi, a lord among those who ride fine horses,

  50. An Antar among horsemen on a hard day,

    A refuge for women like the gazelles of the stony plain.

  51. His hands are open even when his means run low;

    His generous nature is like Hatim’s.

  52. A man of foresight and sound judgment,

    He has won honor however far it reaches.

  53. A refuge for the one bearing a heavy burden,

    A shelter for the wronged among the noble.

  54. A fearless free man who cleaves his foe when he strikes,

    A champion among the heads of rank and standing.

  55. Abu Fandi always earns praise;

    He clothes the naked in new garments.

  56. He feeds the needy and pours out rich food;

    Beyond that, he has provisions for guests.

  57. A worthy descendant of the late Muhammad,

    Of Assaf’s offspring, from the people of Mahad.

  58. The longing for a graceful one, her anklets and swift gait,

    Is like lightning flashing beneath the thunder.

  59. The captives all became servants,

    Bound to his presence apart from other people.

  60. All this is true, and the Lord is witness,

    After these calamities and this long separation.

  61. Once, the emir and his successor Sa‘id were with me,

    Buying those brought to the auction market.

  62. Those with offices and ranks forgot their descendant;

    What a shame, since they descend from those fine men.

  63. The one who bought us became a lord in the proverbs;

    May my Lord prolong his life for my sake.

  64. An old proverb, from the wisdom of the forebears, says:

    Winning a free man through kindness is the right way.

  65. We are grateful to you and visit you every feast,

    As people visit gathering places on feast days.

  66. I end my words with the rightly guiding Prophet,

    The Chosen One, best of all creatures and people.

  67. May he relieve the burning in the heart

    Caused by the Turks and the hostile people.

Sol 6