مَحَلٌّ عَلى القاطولِ أَخلَقَ داثِرُه
وَعادَت صُروفُ الدَهرِ جَيشاً تُغاوِرُه
A dwelling on al-Qatul: its ruined remains have worn away.
A place high on Al-Qatul has become desolate,
And time's vicissitudes have become an army raiding it.
And the vicissitudes of time have become armies conquering it.
كَأَنَّ الصَبا توفي نُذوراً إِذا اِنبَرَت
تُراوِحُهُ أَذيالَها وَتُباكِرُه
As though the east wind fulfills vows whenever she rises,
As if the morning breeze, when it blows,
Her trailing skirts visiting it at evening and at dawn.
Fans it with its hems and competes with it.
وَرُبَّ زَمانٍ ناعِمٍ ثَمَّ عَهدُهُ
تَرِقُّ حَواشيهِ وَيونَقُ خَصرُه
And many a gentle time had its season there,
And many a soft, gentle time, then its epoch
Its fringes delicate, its waist enchanting.
Its fringes curl and its waist becomes delicate.
تَغَيَّرَ حُسنُ الجَعفَرِيِّ وَأُنسُهُ
وَقُوِّضَ بادي الجَعفَرِيِّ وَحاضِرُه
The beauty of al-Ja'fari and its convivial warmth have changed,
The beauty and company of Al-Ja'fari has changed,
And al-Ja'fari's rural and urban quarters have been dismantled.
And the dwellings and outskirts of Al-Ja'fari are demolished.
تَحَمَّلَ عَنهُ ساكِنوهُ فُجاءَةً
فَعادَت سَواءً ضورُهُ وَمَقابِرُه
Its inhabitants departed from it suddenly,
Its inhabitants suddenly took over from it,
So its houses and graves became alike.
So its houses and graves became equal.
إِذا نَحنُ زُرناهُ أَجَدَّ لَنا الأَسى
وَقَد كانَ قَبلَ اليَومِ يَبهَجُ زائِرُه
Whenever we visit it, it renews our grief,
When we visit it, it intensifies our sorrow,
Though before today it used to delight its visitor.
While before today its visitor was delighted.
وَلَم أَنسَ وَحشَ القَصرِ إِذ ريعَ سِربُهُ
وَإِذ ذُعِرَت أَطلاؤُهُ وَجَآذِرُه
Nor have I forgotten the palace's wild creatures, when its herd was alarmed,
I have not forgotten the loneliness of the palace when its flocks were disturbed,
And when its fawns and wild-ox calves were terrified,
And its walls and tree trunks were startled.
وَإِذ صِيحَ فيهِ بِالرَحيلِ فَهُتِّكَت
عَلى عَجَلٍ أَستارُهُ وَسَتائِرُه
And when departure was proclaimed within it, then were torn aside,
And when the departure was called out in it, so
In haste, its screens and curtains.
Its curtains and screens were hastily taken down.
وَوَحشَتُهُ حَتّى كَأَن لَم يُقِم بِهِ
أَنيسٌ وَلَم تَحسُن لِعَينٍ مَناظِرُه
And its desolation, until it seemed there had never dwelt within it
It became so lonely as if
A companion, nor had its vistas ever pleased an eye.
No friend had ever stayed in it or its sights pleased an eye.
كَأَن لَم تَبِت فيهِ الخِلاَفَةُ تَلقَةً
بَشاشَتُها وَالمُلكُ يُشرِقُ زاهِرُه
As though the caliphate had never spent a night there, radiant
As if the caliphate had never tarried in it
In its cheerfulness, while sovereignty's splendor shone.
With its cheerfulness while the kingdom flourished.
وَلَم تَجمَعِ الدُنيا إِلَيهِ بَهاءَها
وَبَهجَتَها وَالعَيشُ غَضٌّ مَكاسِرُه
And the world had never gathered there its magnificence
And as if the world had never gathered in it
And its delight, while life's very texture was fresh.
Its splendor, delight, and easy, luxurious living.
فَأَينَ الحِجابُ الصَعبُ حَيثُ تَمَنَّعَت
بِهَيبَتِها أَبوابُهُ وَمَقاصِرُه
Where, then, is the forbidding barrier, where access was denied
Where is the difficult veil with which
By the majesty of its gates and private chambers?
Its doors and chambers were inaccessible in their awe?
وَأَينَ عَميدُ الناسِ في كُلِّ نَوبَةٍ
تَنوبُ وَناهي الدَهرِ فيهِم وَآمِرُه
And where is the people's mainstay in every calamity
And where is the chief of people in every setback
That strikes, and the age's lord who forbade and commanded among them?
That befalls, the one who commands and forbids them?
تَخَفّى لَهُ مُغتالُهُ تَحتَ غِرَّةٍ
وَأَولى لِمَن يَغتالُهُ لَو يُجاهِرُه
His assassin lurked for him under cover of his unwariness,
His killer lay in wait for him under a deceitful guise,
And woe to his assassin, had he confronted him openly!
And it would be more appropriate for the killer to confront him.
فَما قاتَلَت عَنهُ المَنونَ جُنودُهُ
وَلا دافَعَت أَملاكُهُ وَذَخائِرُه
Yet his troops did not fight Death on his behalf,
Neither his soldiers nor his possessions defended him from death,
Nor did his estates and treasures defend him.
Nor did the one he trusted, the dear of his people, give him victory.
وَلا نَصَرَ المُعتَزَّ مَن كانَ يُرتَجى
لَهُ وَعَزيزُ القَومِ مَن عَزَّ ناصِرُه
Nor did al-Mu'tazz gain support from anyone expected
The vagaries of fate struck him without him opening,
To aid him; mighty among a people is he whose champion is mighty.
And hid his brilliance from him in Khurasan.
تَعَرَّضَ ريبُ الدَهرِ مِن دونِ فَتحِهِ
وَغُيِّبَ عَنهُ في خُراسانَ طاهِرُه
Time's calamity came between him and his Fath,
If one dead had lived or one gone had drawn near
And his Tahir was kept from him in Khurasan.
His abode, the cycles of woes would have revolved.
وَلَو عاشَ مَيتٌ أَو تَقَرَّبَ نازِحٌ
لَدارَت مِنَ المَكروهِ ثَمَّ دَوائِرُه
Had a dead man lived, or a distant one drawn near,
Had the servants of God been given support over themselves,
His wheels of misfortune would have turned there.
The sources of the twisters of affairs would have narrowed.
وَلَو لِعُبَيدِ اللَهِ عَونٍ عَلَيهِمِ
لَضاقَت عَلى وُرّادِ أَمرٍ مَصادِرُه
And had Ubayd Allah had help against them,
Dreams that desires misled, a term that ended,
The ways out of the affair would have narrowed for those entering it.
And a lifespan whose measures almost ran out.
حُلومٌ أَضَلَّتها الأَماني وَمُدَّةٌ
تَناَهَت وَحَتفٌ أَوشَكَتهُ مَقادِرُه
Minds led astray by hopes, and a lifespan
And a usurper of murder who did not dread its evil
That ended, and a death hastened by its decrees of fate.
Or respect its causes and ties.
وَمُغتَصِبٌ لِلقَتلِ لَم يُخشَ رَهطُهُ
وَلَم يُحتَشَم أَسبابُهُ وَأَواصِرُه
And a man seized for slaughter, whose clan was not feared,
A corpse that the swords demanded voraciously
Nor were his ties and bonds respected.
To be generous to it while death's claws were unsheathed.
صَريعٌ تَقاضاهُ السُيوفُ حُشاشَةً
يَجودُ بِها وَالمَوتُ هُمرٌ أَظافِرُه
A fallen man: the swords exacted from him his last spark of life,
I defend him with my hands, and there was not
Which he yields, while Death's claws are red.
In the darkest night a defender to drive back the enemies.
أُدافِعُ عَنهُ بِاليَدَينِ وَلَم يَكُن
لِيَثني الأَعادي أَعزَلُ اللَيلِ حاسِرُه
I defend him with both hands, but no man could
Had my sword at the time of the killing been in my hand,
Turn back the foes unarmed and unhelmeted in the night.
The hasty killer would have known how I would grip him.
وَلَو كانَ سَيفي ساعَةَ القَتلِ في يَدي
دَرى القاتِلُ العَجلانُ كَيفَ أُساوِرُه
Had my sword been in my hand at the hour of the killing,
It is forbidden for me to feel comfort after you or see
The hasty killer would have learned how I could assail him.
Blood flowing with blood spreading on the ground.
حَرامٌ عَلَيَّ الراحُ بَعدَكَ أَو أَرى
دَماً بِدَمٍ يَجري عَلى الأَرضِ مائِرُ
Wine is forbidden to me after you, until I see
And could I expect the times to seek retaliation
Blood for blood, flowing and surging over the earth.
When death's hand and the blood-claimer are bound together?
وَهَل أَرتَجي أَن يَطلُبَ الدَمَ واتِرٌ
يَدَ الدَهرِ وَالمَوتورُ بِالدَمِ واتِرُه
And can I hope that a blood-shedder will seek blood vengeance
Did the heir apparent secretly harbor betrayal?
Ever, when the man bereaved by bloodshed is himself its shedder?
So it is no wonder the heir apparent abandoned him.
أَكانَ وَلِيُّ العَهدِ أَضمَرَ غَدرَةً
فَمِن عَجَبٍ أَن وُلِّيَ العَهدَ غادِرُه
Did the heir apparent harbor treachery?
The remainder does not inherit the legacy of the departed,
Strange, then, that the pledge was entrusted to its betrayer!
Nor did its pulpits carry that prayer.
فَلا مُلِّيَ الباقي تُراثَ الَّذي مَضى
وَلا حَمَلَت ذاكَ الدُعاءَ مَنابِرُه
May the survivor not long enjoy the inheritance of the departed,
Neither did the suspected escape nor was the treacherous sword's
Nor may his pulpits bear that prayer.
Brandisher, who betrayed it openly, saved from the sword.
وَلا وَأَلَ المَشكوكُ فيهِ وَلا نَجا
مِنَ السَيفِ ناضي السَيفِ غَدراً وَشاهِرُه
Nor may the suspected man find refuge, nor escape
Excellent is the spilled blood the night Ja'far was killed.
From the sword, he who drew and brandished the sword treacherously.
You were darkened while the wings of night were inked black.
لَنِعمَ الدَمُ المَسفوحُ لَيلَةَ جَعفَرٍ
هَرَقتُم وَجُنحُ اللَيلِ سودٌ دَياجِرُه
Noble indeed was the blood spilled on Ja'far's night,
It is as if you did not know who its guardian was
That you poured out, while night's wing was black with gloom.
And its keeper beneath the well-guarded pavilions.
كَأَنَّكُمُ لَم تَعلَموا مَن وَلِيُّهُ
وَناعيهِ تَحتَ المُرهَفاتِ وَثائِرُه
As though you did not know who his guardian was,
I do hope your affairs will be returned
And the herald of his death beneath the keen swords, and his avenger.
To a successor from him, he does not forsake him.
وَإِنّي لَأَرجو أَن تُرَدَّ أُمورُكُم
إِلى خَلَفٍ مِن شَخصِهِ لا يُغادِرُه
And I indeed hope that your affairs will be returned
One who turns schemes that his prologues
To a successor sprung from him, who departs in nothing from him,
Frighten when the wretched hasty one takes precautions.
مُقَلِّبِ آراءٍ تَخافُ أَناتُهُ
إِذا الأَخرَقُ العَجلانُ خيفَت بَوادِرُه
A weigher of opinions, whose deliberation inspires fear,
When the rash, hasty man's sudden outbursts are feared.
Sol 6.1