أَحسِن بِأَيّامِ العَقيقِ وَأَطيِبِ
وَالعَيشِ في أَظلالِهِنَّ المُعجِبِ
The days of youth are joyful days, blissful days
To live beneath their wonder-working shade
وَمَصيفِهِنَّ المُستَظِلِّ بِظِلِّهِ
سِربُ المَها وَرَبيعِهِنَّ الصَيِّبِ
And feel the zephyr of their gentle gales,
Which with the breath of musk the morning scents,
أُصُلٌ كَبُردِ العَصبِ نيطَ إِلى ضُحىً
عَبِقٍ بِرَيحانِ الرِياضِ مُطَيَّبِ
And see the lightning-flashes of their dawns
Sport with their gowns out-blushing all the rose.
وَظِلالِهِنَّ المُشرِقاتِ بِخُرَّدٍ
بيضٍ كَواعِبَ غامِضاتِ الأَكعُبِ
The mead is rippled by the pearly hail
And clad in saffron blooms the joyous Spring.
وَأَغَنَّ مِن دُعجِ الظِباءِ مُرَبَّبٍ
بُدِّلنَ مِنهُ أَغَنَّ غَيرَ مُرَبَّبِ
We passed a night whose first was bright as moon-lit pearls,
A night too fleet for all our joy of it,
لِلَّهِ لَيلَتُنا وَكانَت لَيلَةً
ذُخِرَت لَنا بَينَ اللِوى فَالشُربُبِ
When a slim maiden on my wrist alit,
Quoth she, 'An whit of pleasure thou wouldst win,
قالَت وَقَد أَعلَقتُ كَفّي كَفَّها
حِلّاً وَما كُلُّ الحَلالِ بِطَيِّبِ
Not every way of joy is lawful. Beware!'
Thus dearly with forbidding she began,
فَنَعِمتُ مِن شَمسٍ إِذا حُجِبَت بَدَت
مِن نورِها فَكَأَنَّها لَم تُحجَبِ
Yet showed me suns could rise unsullied still,
Though late they seemed to mortals' purblind eyes
وَإِذا رَنَت خِلتَ الظِباءَ وَلَدنَها
رِبعِيَّةً وَاِستُرضِعَت في الرَبرَبِ
Dipped in the darkness of the nightly sea.
Her tribe all gaze upon this sun of mine;
إِنسِيَّةٌ إِن حُصِّلَت أَنسابُها
جِنِّيَّةُ الأَبَوَينِ ما لَم تُنسَبِ
Humble their birth yet nobly bred are they,
Of human kind, but of an elfin strain
قَد قُلتُ لِلزَبّاءِ لَمّا أَصبَحَت
في حَدِّ نابٍ لِلزَمانِ وَمِخلَبِ
From both the parents. When the war-clouds rise
Thick-piled, then I address the warriors thus:
لِمَدينَةٍ عَجماءَ قَد أَمسى البِلى
فيها خَطيباً بِاللِسانِ المُعرِبِ
'Ye, that have followed in my wandering steps,
Unto a land whose tongue is foreign to mine ears,
فَكَأَنَّما سَكَنَ الفَناءُ عِراصَها
أَو صالَ فيها الدَهرُ صَولَةَ مُغضِبِ
Where I became the spokesman of Arabish lore.
'Its empty courts and chambers presently
لَكِن بَنو طَوقٍ وَطَوقٌ قَبلَهُم
شادوا المَعالي بِالثَناءِ الأَغلَبِ
Shall teem again-this desolation of the tombs
Shall yet give place unto a living throng.'
فَسَتَخرَبُ الدُنيا وَأَبنِيَةُ العُلى
وَقِبابُها جُدُدٌ بِها لَم تَخرَبِ
High13 raised their glories, preying wide renown
With lavish honour and with conquests won.
رُفِعَت بِأَيّامِ الطِعانِ وَغُشِّيَت
رِقراقَ لَونٍ لِلسَماحَةِ مُذهَبِ
Thou that to-day wouldst ride the self-same road,
How vain for thee to dream their dust could fail
يا طالِباً مَسعاتَهُم لِيَنالَها
هَيهاتَ مِنكَ غُبارُ ذاكَ المَوكِبِ
From off the moving pageant's glorious train!
Nay, thou vain trifler with a foolish love,
أَنتَ المُعَنّى بِالغَواني تَبتَغي
أَقصى مَوَدَّتِها بِرَأسٍ أَشيَبِ
'Tis not for thee to win the mistress' heart.
Grey hairs wax finest in such fantasies.
وَطِئَ الخُطوبَ وَكَفَّ مِن غُلَوائِها
عُمَرُ بنُ طَوقٍ نَجمُ أَهلِ المَغرِبِ
Prince Omar rules and guides his people's needs,
Restraining hurts. Meet is it he be named
مُلتَفُّ أَعراقِ الوَشيجِ إِذا اِنتَمى
يَومَ الفَخارِ ثَرِيُّ تَربِ المَنصِبِ
Chiefest of Ghassan's children and her star.
When glory beckons on the day of strife,
في مَعدِنِ الشَرَفِ الَّذي مِن حَليِهِ
سُبِكَت مَكارِمُ تَغلِبَ اِبنَةِ تَغلِبِ
Noble and free born of a princely line,
Tracing from that Tadmur whence springs thy race,
قَد قُلتُ في غَلَسِ الدُجى لِعِصابَةٍ
طَلَبَت أَبا حَفصٍ مُناخَ الأَركُبِ
Whose fame no minstrel of the past let die.
Once in the gloom, to horsemen questioning
الكَوكَبُ الجُشَمِيُّ نَصبَ عُيونِكُم
فَاِستَوضِحوا إيضاءَ ذاكَ الكَوكَبِ
Of Abu Hafs, wont to rein the wild steed's pride,
I thus made answer, 'Yon bright planet see!
يُعطي عَطاءَ المُحسِنِ الخَضِلِ النَدى
عَفواً وَيَعتَذِرُ اِعتِذارَ المُذنِبِ
Seek ye the morning beams it scattereth wide.
With kindly gifts it greets the penitent,
وَمُرَحِّبٍ بِالزائِرينَ وَبِشرُهُ
يُغنيكَ عَن أَهلٍ لَدَيهِ وَمَرحَبِ
Pardoning faults with sweet forgiveness' grace.
Hail to the guest! For who draws nigh shall find
يَغدو مُؤَمِّلُهُ إِذا ما حَطَّ في
أَكنافِهِ رَحلَ المُكِلِّ المُلغِبِ
A home as though mid long tried brethren born.
A refuge for the outcast wretch its courts,
سَلِسَ اللُبانَةِ وَالرَجاءِ بِبابِهِ
كَثَبَ المُنى مُمتَدَّ ظِلِّ المَطلَبِ
Weighed down with woes from which he could not flee.'
Smooth its approach, that who hath need may hope,
الجِدُّ شيمَتُهُ وَفيهِ فُكاهَةٌ
سُجُحٌ وَلا جِدٌّ لِمَن لَم يَلعَبِ
Though far from hope he be!
Stern is its law; yet knows it how to jest.
شَرِسٌ وَيُتبَعُ ذاكَ لينَ خَليقَةٍ
لا خَيرَ في الصَهباءِ ما لَم تُقطَبِ
No profit in the colt that will not frolic.
Hard, if the times bring ills; soft if they end.
صَلبٌ إِذا اِعوَجَّ الزَمانُ وَلَم يَكُن
لِيُلينَ صُلبَ الخَطبِ مَن لَم يَصلُبِ
Weak, if it bend not to misfortune's shock.
Love hath it for its kin, but its own tribes
الوُدُّ لِلقُربى وَلَكِن عُرفُهُ
لِلأَبعَدِ الأَوطانِ دونَ الأَقرَبِ
Are dearest; strangers next gain its regard.
So with Attab's children now; behold
وَكَذاكَ عَتّابُ بنُ سَعدٍ أَصبَحوا
وَهُمُ زِمامُ زَمانِنا المُتَقَلِّبِ
Their tribe is as the footing of the age.
Not as their sires-they walk otherwhere-
هُم رَهطُ مَن أَمسى بَعيداً رَهطُهُ
وَبَنو أَبي رَجُلٍ بِغَيرِ بَني أَبِ
Strange sons sprung from a strange unfathered root.
Nor may Prince Omar meet among his peers
وَمُنافِسٍ عُمَرَ بنَ طَوقٍ ما لَهُ
مِن ضِغنِهِ غَبرُ الحَصى وَالأَثلَبِ
One who shall match his proud preeminence.
Honour comes slow to him who never toils,
تَعِبُ الخَلائِقِ وَالنَوالِ وَلَم يَكُن
بِالمُستَريحِ العِرضِ مَن لَم يَتعَبِ
Whose pillow is not moist with sweat of pain.
Bright glows the face made shining through endeavour.
بِشُحوبِهِ في المَجدِ أَشرَقَ وَجهُهُ
لا يَستَنيرُ فَعالَ مَن لَم يَشحُبِ
No merit comes by sloth. No gain without labour.
A sea it is that surges over simple folk,
بَحرٌ يَطِمُّ عَلى العُفاةِ وَإِن تَهِج
ريحُ السُؤالِ بِمَوجِهِ يَغلَولِبِ
Whene'er the winds of question stir its waves.
Filled are its udders till the milk gush forth.
وَالشَولُ ما حُلِبَت تَدَفَّقَ رِسلُها
وَتَجِفُّ دِرَّتُها إِذا لَم تُحلَبِ
Barren and dry they turn when milked no more.
Ye scions of the house of Ghassan! Can ye hope
يا عَقبَ طَوقٍ أَيُّ عَقبِ عَشيرَةٍ
أَنتُم وَرُبَّتَ مُعقِبٍ لَم يُعقِبِ
For followers like unto your father's found?
My soaring thoughts were trained by Omar's soul
قَيَّدتُ مِن عُمَرَ بنِ طَوقٍ هِمَّتي
بِالحُوَّلِ الثَبتِ الجَنانِ القُلَّبِ
To fixedness of purpose and sure flight.
Lavish of praise, his noble name I decked
نَفَقَ المَديحُ بِبابِهِ فَكَسَوتُهُ
عِقداً مِنَ الياقوتِ غَيرَ مُثَقَّبِ
With gems of verse that cannot choose but glitter.
Good is the praise that wisely orders speech.
أَولى المَديحِ بِأَن يَكونَ مُهَذَّباً
ما كانَ مِنهُ في أَغَرَّ مُهَذَّبِ
Yet how much finer is the well-wrought line!
Strange seemed the virtues that in him I found.
غَرُبَت خَلائِقُهُ وَأَغرَبَ شاعرٌ
فيهِ فَأَحسَنَ مُغرِبٌ في مُغرِبِ
Strange must the poet be who would praise aright.
When thou wert generous I was justified,
لَمّا كَرُمتَ نَطَقتُ فيكَ بِمَنطِقٍ
حَقٍّ فَلَم آثَم وَلَم أَتَحَوَّبِ
And spoke my true thought blameless and sincere.
But if for others I essayed like praise,
وَمَتى اِمتَدَحتُ سِواكَ كُنتُ مَتى يَضِق
عَنّي لَهُ صِدقُ المَقالَةِ أَكذِبِ
'Twere but to wrong truth's self, and I lied.
