صَبابَةُ نَفْسٍ ليسَ يُشْفى غَليلُها
ولوعَةُ أشواقٍ كَثيرٍ قَليلُها
The rapture of a soul whose anguish is incurable,
And the burning of abundant, unfulfilled yearnings,
وظَمْياءُ لم تَحْفِلْ بسِرٍّ أصونُهُ
ولا بدُموعٍ في هَواها أُذيلُها
And a darkness that does not heed my guarded secret,
Nor the tears that run down her cheeks.
ويَنْزِفُها رَبْعٌ تُرَوّي طُلولَهُ
بوَجْرَةَ عَيْنٌ في الدّيارِ أُجيلُها
A quarter that nurtures its saplings
With an eye's tear-drops in the abodes I frequent.
ولولا جَوىً أطْوي عليْهِ جَوانحي
لما هاجَ عَيني للبُكاءث مُحيلُها
Were it not for an ember I keep glowing in my chest,
My eyes would not have welled for crying.
إذا صافَحَتْها الرّيحُ طابَتْ لأنّها
بمنزِلةٍ ناجَتْ ثَراها ذُيولُها
When the wind blows on it, it exudes fragrance,
For it is like conversing intimately with its branches and leaves.
مَريضَةُ أرْجاءِ الجُفونِ وإنما
أصَحُّ عُيونِ الغانِياتِ عَليلُها
Sick are the corners of my eyelids, though
The soundest eyes are those of lovesick singers.
رَمَتْني بسَهْمٍ راشَهُ الكُحْلُ بالرّدى
وأقْتَلُ ألْحاظِ المِلاحِ كَحيلُها
She shot me with an arrow whose notch was carved by kohl,
And I am slain by the glances of a charming rogue.
وسالِفَتَيْ أدْماءَ تحتَ أراكَةٍ
تَمُدُّ إلَيها الجِيدَ وهْيَ تَطولُها
My night conversations were with one whose clothes
Were stained with blood while she stretched out her hands.
فولّتْ وقد أبْقَتْ بقَلبي عَلاقَةً
تمرُّ بِها الأيّامُ وهْوَ مَقيلُها
She turned away after leaving an attachment in my heart
That the days keep passing while it is anchored.
وقُلتُ لأدْنى صاحِبَيَّ وقد وَشى
بسرّي دمْعٌ إذا تَراءَتْ حُمولُها
And I said to my confidante when tears betraying my secret
Broke out when her camels appeared over the hill:
ذَرِ اللّوْمَ إني لَسْتُ أُرْعيكَ مَسمَعي
فتلكَ هَوى نَفسي وأنتَ خَليلُها
"Stop blaming me, she is not who my hearing follows,
For that is my soul's love, and you are its friend."
ولَيْتَ لِساناً أرْهَفَ العَذْلُ غَرْبَهُ
على الصّبِّ مَفْلولُ الشَباةِ كَليلُها
Would that a more perceptive tongue than mine
Were cleaved by parting from the youth at the acme of puberty.
أرُدُّ عَذولي وهْوَ يَمْحَضُني الهَوى
بغَيْظٍ ويَحْظى بالقُبولِ عَذولُها
I spurn him while passion insists I befriend him,
Spitefully granting acceptance to his refusal.
ويَعْتادُني ذِكْرى العَقيقِ وأهْلِهِ
بحيثُ الحَمامُ الوُرْقُ شاجٍ هَديلُها
And makes me remember the place of my loved ones,
Where pigeons moan amidst the leafy banana trees,
تَنوحُ وتَبْكي فوقَ آفْنانِ أيْكةٍ
فِداهُنَّ منْ أرضِ العِراقِ نَخيلها
Weeping and crying atop the branches of an 'ayka' tree,
In ransom for it from the land of Iraq's palms.
ولولا تَباريحُ الصّبابةِ لمْ أُبَلْ
بُكاها ولا أذْرى دُموعي عَويلُها
Were it not for the tears of rapture, I would not have perceived
Her crying, or let my own tears flow in lament.
بوادٍ حَمَتْهُ عُصْبَةٌ عَبْشَميّةٌ
عِظامُ مَقارِيها كِرامٌ أُصولُها
In a land where a noble people camped,
Whose bones are generous heroes.
أَزينُ بها شِعْري كَما زِنْتُها بهِ
وللهِ دَرّي في قَوافٍ أقولُها
I adorn my poetry with them, as I adorned it with her,
By God, I speak of their valor in my verses.
ينُمُّ بمَجْدي حينَ أفْخَرُ مَنْطِقي
ويُعْرِبُ عن عِتْقِ المَذاكي صَهيلُها
It sings of my glory when my utterance grows proud,
And expresses the emancipation of the wine-skins in its neighing.
فلمْ أرَ قَوْماً مثلَ قَومي لِبائِسٍ
ببَيْداءَ يَسْتافُ التُّرابَ دَليلُها
I have not seen a people treat an outcast
In the wilderness by letting the earth guide him.
يَبُلُّ دَريسَيْهِ الندىً وتَلُفُّهُ
على الكُورِ منْ هُوجِ الرّياحِ بَليلُها
The dew wets his coat, and it wraps him
Against the biting winds in the darkness of night.
مَطاعينُ والهَيْجاءُ تُغْشى غِمارُها
مَطاعيمُ والغَبْراءُ تُخْشى مُحولُها
Obedient while excitement overwhelms their pride,
Tended while the dust stirs up their determination.
وكمْ ماجِدٍ فيهِمْ يَحُلُّ جَبينُهُ
حُبا الليْلِ والظّلْماءُ مُرْخىً سُدولُها
How many glories among them rest their foreheads
Serenely in the darkness of night and shadow.
وأخمَصُهُ مِنْ تَحتِهِ هامَةُ السُّها
وهِمّتُهُ في المَجْدِ عالٍ تَليلُها
The base of his hoof is protected
While his ambition in glory is lofty.
فهَلْ تُبْلِغَنّي دارَهُمْ أرْحَبيّةٌ
على الأيْنِ يُمْرى بالحُداءِ ذَميلُها
Can the wide desert lead me to their dwelling places
Along the way taken by the mountain goats?
حَباني بِها بَدْرٌ فكمْ جُبْتُ مَهْمَهاً
حَليماً بهِ سَوْطي سَفيهاً جَديلُها
A full moon made me infatuated with it - how often have I been
Forbearing while it provoked me to hostile folly.
فتًى تُورِقُ السُّمْرُ اللدانُ بكفِّهِ
وإنْ دَبّ في أطرافِهِنَّ ذُبولُها
A stalwart whose palms the thorn-trees flourish under,
Though their edges begin to wither.
وتَغْشى الوَغى بيضاً حِداداً سُيوفُهُ
فتَرْجِعَ حُمْراً بادِياتٍ فُلولُها
And the chaos is covered in shining white armor
That returns as red trails of retreating remnants.
ويوقِظُ وَسْنانَ التُّرابِ بضُمَّرٍ
تَوارَى بشُؤبوبِ النّجيعُ حُجولُها
And he awakens the sleepers with the fibers of his spear
While they hid away in the murk of night.
عَليها كُماةُ التُّرْكِ منْ فَرْعِ يافِثٍ
كَثيرٌ بمُسْتَنِّ المَنايا نُزولُها
Upon them are the Turks, descendants of Japheth,
With many who descend to the place of death.
همُ الأُسْدُ بأساً في اللقاءِ وأوجُهاً
إذا غَضِبوا والسّمْهَريّةُ غِيلُها
They are lions, fierce in battle, with grim faces
When enraged, and their swords' flashes are violent.
وإنْ نطَقوا قُلْتَ القَطا منْ قَبيلِهِمْ
وهُمْ غِلْمَةٌ منْ وُلْدِ نوحٍ قَبيلُها
And if they speak, you would say they are wild cats,
Though they are youths descended from Noah's tribe.
وقد أشْبَهوها أعْيُناً إذْ تَلاحَظوا
على شَوَسٍ والبيضُ تَدْمى نُصولُها
They resembled them in eyes when they were face to face
with a fiery horse whose white front was stained with blood.
صَفَتْ بكَ دُنيا كدّرَتْها عِصابَةٌ
تمرَّدَ غاويها وعَزَّ ذَليلُها
A world has turned away from you in which mischief
Rebelled wantonly and the wretched triumphed.
ولولاكَ لمْ تُقْلَمْ أظافِيرُ فِتْنَةٍ
تَعاوَرَها شُبّانها وكُهولُها
Were it not for you, the claws of sedition would not be blunted,
Which involved its youths and elders equally.
فماتَتْ بجُمْعٍ إذ أظلَّتْ رِقابَهُمْ
سُيوفٌ يُصِمُّ المارِقينَ صَليلُها
So they died together when the swords casting shadows
Upon their necks deafened the dissenters with their clanging.
ولوْ نُتِجَتْ أضْحَتْ قَوابِلَها القَنا
ولمْ يُغْذَ إلا بالدِّماءث سَليلُها
And if it broke out, their women's wombs would be graves
And only their blood would nourish its offspring.
ومَنْ يتغبَّرْ منْ أفاويقِ فِتْنةٍ
يَذُقْ طَعَناتٍ ليسَ يُودَى قَتيلُها
And whoever is contaminated by the dust of sedition's turmoil
Will taste stabs whose wounds will never heal.
فعِشْ ليدٍ تُولي ومُلْك تَحوطُهُ
ونائِبةٍ تَكفي ونُعْمى تُنيلُها
So live by an empowering hand and a kingdom that surrounds you,
A protector that suffices, and blessings it grants you.
ودُمْ للمَعالي فهْيَ عِندَكَ تُبْتَغى
ومُشْتَبِهٌ إلا عليكَ سَبيلُها
And aspire to the heights, for they are attainable through you,
While the path to them is obscured from others.
