مَضَت وفي قَلبِها مِن غَلبها غُصَصٌ
ما بَينَ مُضطَربٍ أَمسَى وَمُلتَهِبِ
She left with grief in her heart, so troubled and inflamed,
Her radiant body almost clothed in blackened robes of rage and sorrow.
وَناصِعُ الجِسمِ دامٍ كادَ يُلبسُهُ
ثَوبَ السَّوَادِ اشتِدادُ الغَيظِ والكَرَبِ
Like the wind she rushed forth, flying like Iris
Pushed away from the blows of clubs by Eris.
فَبادَرَتها تُجاري الرِّيحَ طائِرَةً
إِيرِيسُ تَدفَعُها عَن مَضرَبِ القُضُبِ
Then Ares, warrior of the people, Iris concealed him
With spear and horses, piles of clouds.
إِذا بآريسَ يُسرى القَومِ تَحجُبُهُ
وَالرُّمحَ والخَيلَ أَركامٌ مِنَ السُّحُبِ
She bent on her knees seeking a steed
With golden reins to flee her deep pain.
أَحنَت على رُكبَتَيهِ تَبتَغي عَجَلاً
خَيلاً لَهُ مُلجَماتٍ خالِصً الذَّهَبِ
She said “Brother, lend me your horses to take me
To the land of immortality, for this wound has crippled me”.
قالَت أُخَيِّ أَعِرنِيها لِتَذهَبَ بي
لِمَرتَعِ الخُلدِ إِنَّ الجُرحَ بَرَّحَ بي
The son of a human struck me, brother to Cacus,
His spirit unbent, until I was toppled back.
أَنالَنِيهِ ابنُ إِنسِيٍّ أَخُو قِحَةِ
لا يَنثَني جَزَعاً حَتَّى لِزَفسَ أَبي
He said “I place my horses and chariot before you
That carried her away, her heart so heavily burdened”.
فقالَ دُونَكِ أَفراسي وَمَركَبَتي
حَلَّت بِها بِفُؤَادٍ خارَ مُكتَئبِ
Eris held the reins of the horses in her hand
Driving them on as she outran old age itself.
وإيرِسٌ وُصُروعُ الخَيلِ في يَدِها
تَستَاقُها وَهيَ أَجرى مِن سَنَا الشُّهُبِ
Until she reached the heights of Olympus
She halted the horses and freed them of their harness.
حَتَّى إِذا لِذُرَى شُمِّ الأُلمِبِ علَت
فاستَوقَفَتها وحَلَّتها مِنَ القَتَبِ
Empowered with immortality she raced forth
To her mother, Cyprus, grieving and bent over.
وَبادَرَتها بِقُوتِ الخُلدِ وانطَلَقت
لأُمِّها قِبرسٌ تَحنُو عَلى الرُّكَبِ
Dione embraced her, drawing her to her breast
Perplexed, probing the matter in wonder.
هَشَّت لَها واستَضَمَّتها لِمُهجَتِها
ذِيُونَةٌ تَستَقِصُّ الأَمرَ بالعَجَبِ
“What god has wronged you, as if you were the offender?
What foolish one has cast you down like this?”
وأيُّ رَبٍّ كما لَو كُنتِ جانِيَةً
جَنَى عَلَيكِ كَما أَلقَاكِ أَيُّ غَبي
She said, “No exalted god, but a mortal man,
Thetis’ son, ceaseless in his rages.”
قَالت فَما كَان رَبًّا جَلَّ بَشَراً
ذاك ابنُ تيذِيُسٍ مُستَمطِرُ النُّوَبِ
“For I tried to save Aeneas, most cherished of those
Dear to me in this world of lineage.”
لأَنِّني آنياسٌ رُمتُ نَجوَتَهُ
أَعَزُّ ما لي بأَهلِ الأَرضِ مِن نَسَبِ
“The Danaans did not stop till they turned back
To us, grey haired and white headed.”
فالدَّانَوِيُّونَ بالطُّروادِ ما اجتَزأُ وا
حَتَّى إِلَينا انثَنَوا بِالبِيضِ والشُّهُبِ
Dione said “Patience, how many examples we have
Of mortals testing the immortals with sorrow.”
قالت ذِيُونةُ صبراً كم لَنا مَثَلٌ
بِالنَّاسِ يَبلُونَ أَهلَ الخُلدِ بالنَّصَبِ
“Ares is a model for you, and his dignity
As he endured a year and month in chains, unyielding.”
فَإِسوَةٌ لَكِ آِريسٌ وَهَيبَتُهُ
عَاماً وَشهراً ثَوى في السِّجنِ لم يُهَبِ
“Otus and Ephialtes, the sons of Aloeus confined him
In shackles of iron, but found no weakening or outcry.”
أَلقاهُ فيهِ ابنُ أَلوِيسٍ أُتُوسُ كذا
أَخوهُ إِفيَلطُسٌ بالُّلِّ والحَربِ
“He would have perished had not Maia’s son Hermes
Kept him safe, shrouded in clouds.”
وَكَبَّلاَهُ بأَغلالِ الحَديدِ وَما
أَجدَاهُ مِن غَضَبٍ يَشتَدُّ أو صَخَبِ
“And Hera, struck by Eurytus, Apollo’s son
With the evil of an arrow, high on her breast.”
وكادَ يَهلِكُ لَو لَم تُنمِ مَخبَرَهُ
إِيريبُ إِذ صانَهُ هِرميسُ بالحُجُبِ
“Achilles’ death at Paris’ hands bequeathed him
Hatred, and he was driven back on his heels.”
وهيرَةٌ فَابنُ أَمفِترونَ أَلَّمَها
بِشَرِّ سَهمٍ بأَعلى الثَّدي مُنتَشِبِ
“He advanced towards the palace of Zeus, my father
Wretchedly, an arrow fixed in his shoulder.”
وَنَفسُ آذِيسَ ذَاكَ القَرمُ أَورَثَهُ
عَمداً فَنُكِّصَ مُلتَاعاً علَى العَقِبِ
“But Paion healed him, as one who has been
Deathless and eternal through the ages.”
فَاَمَّ صَرحَ أَبي الأَربابِ زَفسَ أَخا
بُؤسٍ بِنَبلٍ بِعَظمِ الكَتفِ مُنتصِبِ
“Oh what woe for humankind if they war
Against immortals in ignorance or rage!”
فَذَرَّ بَلسَمَهُ فِيُّونُ يُبرِئُهُ
مُذ كانَ من خالدِي الأَدهارِ والحِقَبِ
“The people have provoked you against Diomedes, though he knows not
The consequence of the work of his hands.”
فَيا لِوَيلِ بَنِي الإنسَانِ إِن حَمَلُوا
عَلى بَنِي الخُلدِ عَن حُمقٍ وَعَن غَضَبِ
“He does not realize that one who wrongs the gods
Will not return whole to his homeland.”
فالاسُ أَغرَت ذِيُومِيذاً عَلَيكِ وَلَم
يَعلَم لصُنعِ يَدَيهِ أَيَّ مُنقَلَبِ
“No child will cling to his knees, sweetly saying
‘Father, answer me’, he will have no comfort.”
لَم يَدرِ أَنَّ على الأَربابِ مَن كَسَبَت
يَداهُ شَراًّ إِلى الأَوطَانِ لَم يَؤُبِ
“Rather, he should fear the might of my brother Ares
More powerful and pitiless in his pursuit.”
فَلا يَهُشُّ لَهُ مِن فَوقِ رُكبَتِهِ
طِفلٌ يَقُولُ بِلُطفٍ يا أًبي أَجِبِ
“Let him reflect on the lovely narrow ankles
Of his wife, so graceful and noble.”
فَليَخشَ بَطشَ أَخِي باسٍ أَشَدَّ قُوىً
وَصَولَةً مِنكِ يَستَقرِيهِ بالطَّلَبِ
“Dreams will torment her, disturbing her rest
So she wakes afraid, her heart pounding.”
وَليَفكِرَنَّ بِأَغيَالا حَليلَتِهِ
ذَاتِ الجَمَالِ وَذَاتِ العَقلِ وَالحَسَبِ
“Then desperately she will rouse her handmaidens
And they will weep with overflowing tears.”
وَسنَى تُؤَرِّقُها الرُّؤيا فَتُقلِقَها
فَتَستفَيقَ بِقَلبٍ رِيعَ مُضطِربِ
“She cleansed the wound with her hands and so eased
Her pain as the heaviness of sorrow receded.”
مِن ثَمَّ تُوقِظُ في لَهفٍ جَوَارِيَها
وَينتَحِبنَ بِدَمعٍ فاضَ مُنسَكِبِ
“But Athena and Hera since they purposefully
Provoke Zeus’ anger, consumed by arrogance,”
وَطَهَّرَت بِيَدَيهَا الجُرحَ فَانفَرَجت
آلامُها وَاستَكَنَّت ثِقلَةُ الوَصَبِ
Athena said “Father, does it displease you
If I speak of how this wound came to be?”
لكِن آَثِينا وَهيرا مُذ تَعَمَّدَتا
إِغضابَ زَفسٍ لِما في النَّفسِ مِن أَرَبِ
“Surely Cypris tried to stop a wanton woman
And the obstinate youth of Troy, hot blooded.”
قالت أثِينا أَبي هَل لا يُسوءُك أَن
أَقُولَ ما كانَ في ذا الجُرحِ مِن سَبَبِ
“Her hand was caught in the ties of her dress
So she invented lies like a swarm of bees.”
لا شَكَّ قِبريسُ رامَت دَفعَ غانِيَةٍ
وَجدَّ الصَبٍّ مِنَ الطُّروَادِ ذِي نَشَبِ
Zeus smiled and called the wounded to him gently,
“My demise, accept what fate decrees.”
فَأُنشِبَت بِعُرَى الإِبرِيزِ راحَتُها
فَمَزَّقَتها فَرامَت نِحلَة الكذِبِ
“Leave Ares and Athena to their wars, do not
Trouble yourself, enjoy only love and pleasure.”
أَصاخَ يَبسِمُ وَاستَدعى الجرِيحَ على
رِفقٍ وَقالَ لَها يا مُنيَتِي احتَسبِي
دَعي لآرِس وَآثِينا الحُرُوبَ وَلا
تُعنَي بِغَيرِ لَذِيذِ الحُبِّ والطَّرَبِ
