لَو رَأَيتُ الغَرامَ يَبلُغُ عُذرا
قُلتُ حُزناً وَلَم أَقُل لَكَ صَبرا
Had I seen consuming grief attain the point of excuse,
I would have told you, “Grieve,” and not, “Be patient.”
وَاِستَزَدنا ريحَ الزَفيرِ هبوباً
وَسَحابَ الدُموعِ وَبلاً وَقَطرا
We would have asked the wind of sighs to blow still harder,
and the cloud of tears to rain in torrents and drops.
وَرَأَينا مُعَرَّسَ الحُزنِ سَهلاً
في الرَزايا وَجانِبَ الصَبرِ وَعرا
We found grief’s camping place easy
amid calamities, but patience’s side rough.
لَكِنِ الأَمرُ ما عَلِمتَ وَهَل تَن
ظُرُ مِن وَقعَةِ الزَمانِ مُبَرّا
Yet the matter is as you know it: do you expect
anyone to be spared the blow of Time?
واقِعاً بِالأَضدادِ أَروى وَأَظما
وَقَضى وَاِقتَضى وَساءَ وَسَرّا
Its workings unite opposites: it quenches thirst and creates thirst,
decrees and exacts, brings sorrow and brings joy.
كُلَّ يَومٍ يَغدو بِقاطِعَةِ الآ
مالِ غَضبانَ قَد تَأَبَّطَ شَرّا
Each day it sets out with a blade that severs
hopes—wrathful, evil tucked beneath its arm.
مُذنِباً كُلَّما شَكا شاكَ كَيداً
وَإِذا قيلَ قَد أَنابَ أَصَرّا
A culprit: whenever one harmed by its wiles complains,
and it is said to have repented, it persists.
ضَيغَماً يَخبِطُ السُروبَ طَروباً
كُلَّما مَرَّ بِالعَقيرَةِ كَرّا
A lion, leaping joyfully upon the herds;
whenever it passes the slaughtered quarry, it wheels back.
وَأَرى الناسَ وافِراً وَمُلَقّى
بِالرَزايا وَالأَرضَ داراً وَقَبرا
I see people both prosperous and destitute
through calamities, and earth both dwelling and grave.
مَنزِلي قَلعَةٌ وَلُبثٌ فَهَذا
كَ مَجازاً لَنا وَهَذا مَقَرّا
A lodging destined soon to be left, and a brief stay: this
is only our passage, while that is our lasting abode.
كُلَّ يَومٍ نَذُمُّ لِلدَهرِ عَهداً
خانَ فيهِ وَنَشتَكي مِنهُ غَدرا
Each day we fault Time for a covenant
it betrayed, and complain of its treachery.
قَد أُنيخَت لَنا الرَكائِبُ فَالحا
زِمُ عَبّى زاداً وَوَطَّأَ ظَهرا
The mounts have been made to kneel for us; the resolute man
has packed provisions and prepared a mount.
أَسمَعَ الحادِيانِ وَاِستَعجَلَ الرَك
بُ زِماعاً إِلى المَنونِ وَنَفرا
The two camel-drivers have called; the determined caravan hastens
toward death and sets out.
كَم فَقيدٍ لَنا طَوَتهُ اللَيالي
ذُقنَ مِنهُ حُلواً وَذَوَّقنَ مُرّا
How many dear ones the nights have folded away—
we tasted sweetness from him, then gave him bitterness to taste.
وَكَأَنَّ الأَيّامَ يُدرِكنَ ثَأراً
عِندَنا فيهِ أَو يُقَضّينَ نَذرا
As though the days mean to exact a blood-debt
from us through him, or fulfill a vow.
إِنَّما المَرءُ كَالقَضيبِ تَراهُ
يَكتَسي الأَخضَرَ الرَطيبَ لِيَعرى
A person is only like a twig: you see it
clothe itself in tender green, only to be stripped bare.
مَعكَسُ السَهمِ ذا يُراشُ لِيُمضي
في المَرامي وَذا يُراشُ لِيُبرى
The reverse of an arrow: this one is feathered so it may fly
at its marks, while that is feathered only to be pared.
مَن مُؤَدٍّ إِلى عَلىٍّ أَلوكاً
أَبِجِدٍّ عَصيتَ لِلصَبرِ أَمرا
Who will carry a message to Ali:
“Is it truly possible that you disobeyed patience’s command?
أَيُّ خَطبٍ راخى قِواكَ وَقَد كُن
تَ جَديلاً عَلى الخُطوبِ مُمَرّا
What calamity has slackened your strength, when once you
stood firm—a mighty wrestler against calamities,
وَقَناةٍ صَمّاءَ تَطعَنُ في الخَط
بِ خِلاجاً عَلى الزَمانِ وَشَزرا
a hard spear-point thrust into the heart
of disaster, defying Time and glaring askance?
أُعلُ مِن عَثرَةِ الأَسى إِنَّ لِلأَن
جادِ نَهضاً وَلِلأَعاجِزِ عَثرا
Rise from grief’s stumble; surely the valiant
rise, while the helpless stumble.
أَيُّ باقٍ يُبقي عَليكَ وَلَو كُن
تَ مُوَقّىً مِنَ الخُطوبِ مُعَرّى
What living man would survival spare for your sake, even if you
were guarded and kept free of calamity?
أَفقَدَ الأَصلَ بالِغاً مُنتَهى النَب
تِ المُرَجّى مَن أَفقَدَ الفَرعَ نَضرا
Is losing the root, after it has attained the utmost
hoped-for growth, like losing a branch still green?
كُن كَعودِ الطَريقِ طالَ سُراهُ
يَشتَكي قَفرَةً وَيَألَمُ عَقرا
Be like the seasoned road-camel whose night journey has lengthened,
complaining of the wasteland and aching from a wound;
وَالجَليدَ الَّذي إِذا الدَهرُ أَبكى
مِنهُ قَلباً جَلّى عَلى الناسِ ثَغرا
like the hardy man who, when Time makes
his heart weep, shows people a smiling face;
مُستَميتاً يَزُرُّ بِالصَبرِ دِرعاً
وَيَراهُ في ظُلمَةِ الهَمِّ فَجرا
one who courts death, fastening patience on as armor,
and sees it as dawn within care’s darkness;
وَقَرَتهُ رَوائِعُ الدَهرِ حَتّى
لَم يُرَع غَيرَ مَرَّةٍ وَاِستَمَرّا
a man whom Time’s terrors have hardened, until
he was startled but once, then held his course.
كُلَّما زيدَ غُمَّةً زادَ صَبراً
ضَرَمُ الزِندِ كُلَّما لُزَّ أورى
Whenever his distress increased, his patience increased:
a firebrand that, whenever pressed, flared brighter.
أَرمَضَتهُ هَواجِرُ الخَطبِ فَاِنقا
دَ حَمولَ الأَذى وَما قالَ هُجرا
The blazing noons of calamity scorched him, and he yielded—
bearing injury, never uttering abuse.
هابَ ضَحضاحَها وَمَرَّ بِهِ الدَه
رُ عَلى سُبلِها فَخاضَ الغَمرا
He feared its shallows, but Time bore him
along its paths, and he plunged into the deep.
كُلَّما غابَ مِن بَني خَلَفٍ بَد
رٌ يُضيءُ الظَلامَ أَخلَفَ بَدرا
Whenever a full moon among the descendants disappeared,
another moon rose after it, lighting the dark.
نَفَضَ الدَهرُ مِنهُمُ ثُمَّ أَعيَو
هُ بُدوراً مِنَ المَطامِعِ تَترى
Time swept them away, and then they wearied
it—full moons of hope succeeding one another.
عَجَباً سَمتُكَ السُلُوُّ وَعِندي
مَسُّ جُرحٍ مِنَ الهَوى لَيسَ يَبرا
Strange: I urge you to forget, while within me
is the touch of a wound from love that will not heal.
أَتَوَخّى بَردَ القُلوبِ مِنَ الوَج
دِ وَقَلبي يَزدادُ بِالوَجدِ حَرّا
I seek to cool the heart from longing,
yet my heart grows hotter with longing.
وَإِذا قُلتُ يَنزِعُ الدَهرُ ناباً
مِن بَقايا ذَوِيَّ أَعلَقَ ظُفرا
Whenever I say, “Time has pulled a fang
from the remnants of my kin,” it seizes with a claw.
كُلَّما أَبلَغَ العَواذِلُ سَمعي
في التَسَلّي عَن مَعشَرٍ زادَ وَقرا
Whenever the censurers make my ears hear
their calls to forget my people, I grow deafer.
أَجِدُ القَلبَ بَعدَ لَومِيَ أَسخى
فَكَأَنَّ اللاحَيَّ بِما قالَ أَغرى
After reproaching myself, I find my heart more lavish,
as though the reproacher’s words had only spurred it on.
زادَ عَذلاً فَزادَ قَلبي وُلوعاً
رُبَّ آسٍ أَرادَ نَفعاً فَضَرّا
He increased his blame; my heart increased in passion—
many a healer, intending benefit, has caused harm.
فَسَقى الدَمعُ مَعشَراً نَزَلوا القَل
بَ وَأَخلوا باقي المَنازِلِ طُرّا
May tears water a people who settled in the heart
and left every other dwelling empty.
كُلَّما قَصَّرَ الحَيا كانَ ماءُ ال
عَينِ أَبقى صَوباً وَأَعظَمَ غَزرا
Whenever the raincloud withheld its rain, the water of the
eye remained a longer-lasting shower, more copious in its pouring.
كَم حَشَوتُ الثَرى حُساماً طَريراً
وَطَويلاً لَدناً وَطِرفاً أَغَرّا
How many a keen, polished sword have I made the earth swallow,
and a long, supple spear, and a blaze-faced steed;
وَخُدوداً مِثلَ الذَوابِلِ مُلساً
وَجَباهاً مِثلَ الدَنانيرِ غُرّا
cheeks smooth as spear-shafts,
and brows radiant as gold dinars.
وَكَأَنَّ القُبورَ مِنهُم بِذي الجِز
عِ عِيابٌ حَمَلنَ دُرّاً وَعِطرا
Their graves among them, at Dhi al-Jaz‘,
seem like chests bearing pearls and perfume.
أَوجُهٌ صانَها الجَلالُ فَأَمسَي
نَ تُراباً تَحتَ الجَنادِلِ غُبرا
Faces guarded by majesty have now become
dusty earth beneath the boulders.
عَطَّلَ الدَهرُ مِن حِلاهُنَّ فينا
وَتَحَلّى الثَرى بِهِنَّ وَأَثرى
Time left our midst bereft of their adornment,
while earth adorned itself with them and grew rich.
قَطَعَ المَوتُ بَينَنا فَتَبايَن
نا لِقاءً إِلّا نِزاعاً وَذِكرا
Death cut between us, and we drew apart—
no meeting remains except in yearning and remembrance.
فَبَعَدنا وَما اِعتَمَدنا بِعاداً
وَهَجَرنا وَما أَرَدنا الهَجرا
We grew distant though we never intended distance;
we parted though we never wished to part.
رَوعَةٌ إِن جَزِعتُ مِنها فَعُذرٌ
لِجَزوعٍ وَإِن صَبَرتُ فَأَحرى
It is a shock: if I grieve, grief is excusable
in one distraught; and if I endure, that is more fitting.
وَقَعَت مَوقِعَ العَوانِ مِنَ الدَه
رِ وَإِن كانَتِ الرَزِيَّةُ بِكرا
Against Time I stand in the place of a seasoned matron,
though the calamity itself is virgin-new.
