أَمِن شَوقٍ تُعانِقُني الأَماني
وَعَن وُدٍّ يُخادِعُني زَماني
From longing, hopes caress me,
And from affection, my time deceives me.
وَما أَهوى مُصافَحَةَ الغَواني
إِذا اِشتَغَلَت بَناني بِالعِنانِ
Yet I yearn not to meet glancing eyes,
When my mind is preoccupied with the reins.
عَدِمتُ الدَهرَ كَيفَ يَصونُ وَجهاً
يُعَرَّضُ لِلضَرابِ وَلِلطَعانِ
I wondered, how can the times protect a face
Exposed to blows and stabs?
وَأَسفَعَ لَثَّمَتهُ الشَمسُ نَدبٌ
أَبَينا أَن يُلَقَّبَ بِالهِجانِ
The sun mourned its lost beauty,
Which refused to be termed ugly.
وَكَم مُتَضَرِّمِ الوَجَناتِ حُسناً
إِذا جَرَّبتَهُ نابي الجَنانِ
How beautiful are those with cheeks grown hollow!
When tested by the springs of Paradise.
تُعَرِّفُني بِأَنفُسِها اللَيالي
وَآنَفُ أَن أُعَرِّفَها مَكاني
The nights introduce themselves to me,
Yet I disdain to make my place known to them.
أَنا اِبنُ مُفَرِّجِ الغَمَراتِ سوداً
تَلاقى تَحتَها حَلَقُ البِطانِ
I am the son of the dispeller of dark sorrows,
Beneath which the throats of camels meet.
وَجَدّي خابِطُ البَيداءِ حَتّى
تَبَدّى الماءُ مِن ثَغبِ الرِعانِ
My grandfather probed the desert sands
Until water sprang from the shepherds’ staffs.
قَضى وَجِيادُهُ حَولَ العَوالي
وَوَفدُ ضُيوفِهِ حَولَ الجِفانِ
His steeds roamed the highlands,
And his guests gathered around the valleys.
تُكَفِّنُهُ ظُبى البيضِ المَواضي
وَيَفصِلُهُ دَمُ السُمرِاللَدانِ
Gazelles clothed him in white shrouds
And his blood was spilt by brown spear points.
نَشَرتُ عَلى الزَمانِ وِشاحَ عِزٍّ
تَرَنَّحُ دونَهُ المُقَلُ الرَواني
I have spread over time the cloak of glory
Beneath which 87 pearl necklaces sway.
خَفيري في الظَلامِ أَقَبُّ نَهدٌ
يُساعِدُني عَلى ذَمِّ الزَمانِ
My guide in darkness is a tender breast
That helps me to blame the times.
جَوادٌ تُرعَدُ الأَبصارُ فيهِ
إِذا هَزَأَت بِرِجلَيهِ اليَدانِ
A steed from which eyesight trembles
When his legs sport with hands.
كَأَنّي مِنهُ في جاري غَديرِ
أُلاعِبُ مِن عِناني غُصنَ بانِ
As though I were in its flowing stream, a brook,
Playing with a bough of acacia from my reins.
حَيِيُّ الطَرفِ إِلّا مِن مَكَرٍّ
يُبَيَّنُ مِن خَلائِقِهِ الحِسانِ
Lively of glance, were it not for cunning
Revealed in its fine character.
إِذا اِستَطلَعتَهُ مِن سِجفِ بَيتٍ
ظَنَنتَ بِأَنَّهُ بَعضُ الغَواني
If you espy it from a thatched house,
You would think it one of the wild cows.
سَأُطلِعُ مِن ثَنايا الدَهرِ عَزماً
يَسيلُ بِهِمَّةِ الحَربِ العَوانِ
I will muster from the bosom of time a resolve
By which war helpers are set flowing.
وَلا أَنسى المَسيرَ إِلى المَعالي
وَلَو نَسِيَتهُ أَخفافُ الحَواني
I will not forget the ascent to high deeds
Even if the steps of farewell forgot it.
وَأَلطافُ السَحابِ لِكُلِّ دارٍ
صَحِبنا رَبعَها خَضِلَ المَغاني
The kind rain clouds halted at every house.
We were their quarter from which songs poured forth.
وَكُنّا لا يُرَوِّعُنا زَمانٌ
بِما يُعدي البِعادَ عَلى التَداني
We were not frightened by a time
Which stretched harm beyond the nearby.
وَنَأنَفُ أَن تُشَبِّهَنا اللَيالي
بِشَمسٍ أَو سَنا قَمَرٍ هِجانِ
We disdain that nights should liken us
To a brilliant sun or a resplendent moon.
فَها أَنا وَالحَبيبُ نَوَدُّ أَنّا
تَدانَينا وَنَحنُ الفَرقَدانِ
So here I am, and the beloved, we wish
We had drawn near when we were two fleas.
وَليلٍ أَدهَمٍ قَلِقِ النَواصي
جَعَلتُ بَياضَ غُرَّتِهِ سِناني
By a dark, restless night
I made its blackness white like my hair.
وَصُبحٍ تُطلَقُ الآجالُ فيهِ
وَناظِرُ شَمسِهِ في النَقعِ عاني
By a morn whose freedoms pour forth
While its sun peers out through the wavy mirage.
عَقَدتُ ذَوائِبَ الأَبطالِ مِنهُ
بِأَطرافِ المُثَقَّفَةِ الدَواني
I have tied the ends of the heroes’ plaits with it
By the edges of the gilt-edged pages.
وَشُعثٍ فَلَّهُم طَلَبُ المَعالي
وَفَلّوا كُلَّ مُنجَردٍ حِصانِ
Dishevelled ones seeking lofty deeds—
Each stripped warrior horse.
أَقولُ لَهُم ثِقوا بِاللَهِ فيها
فَفَضلُ يَدِ المُعينِ عَلى المُعانِ
I say to them “Trust in God regarding it,
For the Bountiful hand exceeds the assistant.”
وَلا تَتَعَرَّضوا بِالعِزِّ إِنّي
رَأَيتُ العِزَّ خَوّارَ العِنانِ
Do not pursue glory–I saw
Glory demean the reins.
فَما رَكِبَ العُلى إِلّا عَلِيٌّ
وَمَسَّحَ عِطفَها بَعدَ الحِرانِ
None rode glory save Ali
Who wiped its shoulder after war.
سَعى وَالشَمسُ تَرقى في أَناةٍ
فَجازَ وَسَيرُها في الجَوِّ وانِ
He raced while the sun climbed hesitantly,
So it passed and its course was in the air.
رَموا مِنكَ المَدى وَالخَيلُ شُعثٌ
بِمَصقولِ العَوارِضِ وَاللَبانِ
They shot arrows from you and the horses are dishevelled
With polished cheekbones and shining necks.
يَدٌ لَم تَخلُ مِن قَصَبِ العَوالي
تُزَعزِعُهُنَّ أَو قَصَبِ الرِهانِ
A hand that never failed to harvest the high stems
Shaking them, or the harvest of grapes.
تَرَكتَ لَهُم عُيونَ الطَعنِ تَدمى
بِمُنخَرِطٍ مِنَ التامورِ قانِ
You left them eyes of stab wounds flowing
With what drips from the edge of a keen sword.
وَقَد نَصَلَ الدُجى عَن صَدرِ يَومٍ
مِنَ الخِرصانِ مَخضوبِ البَنانِ
The darkness was stripped from the chest of a day
Adorned in chainmail and dyed branches.
وَأَجسادٍ تُشاطِرُها المَنايا
نُفوساً في ضِرابٍ أَو طِعانِ
And bodies which fatalities share
With souls amid thrusts and stabs.
هُوَ الغَمرُ الرِداءِ لِعَزمَتَيهِ
بِكُلِّ دِفاعِ نائِبَةٍ يَدانِ
He is one who floods tribulation with his deliberation
Through every warding-off blow of two hands.
وَما نَهَضَ اِمرُؤٌ بِالحَزمِ إِلّا
وَصادَفَ حِلمَهُ مُلقى الجِرانِ
No man rose with resolve
Except that he met its heat amid hostility.
يَضُمُّ الخائِفَ الظَمآنَ مِنهُ
حِمىً يَفتَرُّ مِن بَردِ الأَماني
From him the frightened thirsty one gains
Refuge warming him against the cold of wishes.
وَتَضحَكُ نارُهُ وَضَحاً إِذا ما
رَغَت نارُ القَبائِلِ بِالدُخانِ
His flame laughs brightly whenever
The fires of tribes blaze with smoke.
وَيَومٍ مِثلِ شِدقِ اللَيثِ جَهمٍ
يَفُلُّ عَنِ الجِدالِ ظُبى اللِسانِ
A day like the snarling lion’s cheek, awesome,
From which the gazelles’ tongues recoil.
سَدَدتَ فُروجَهُ بِالقَولِ حَتّى
مَدَدتَ مُشَيِّعاً باعَ البَنانِ
You blocked its openings with words until
You process as one who sold perfume.
وَغَيرُكَ مَن تُرَوِّعُهُ المَعالي
وَتَخدَعُهُ أَغانيُّ القِيانِ
As for others whom lofty deeds terrify
And songs of lute players trick,
إِذا ذُكِرَ الصَوارِمُ وَالعَوالي
تَعَوَّذَ بِالمَثالِثِ وَالمَثاني
When rapiers and high deeds were recalled,
They sought refuge in spells and amulets.
وَإِن طَلَبَ الذُحولَ تَهَضَّمَتهُ
وَباعَ دَمَ الفَوارِسِ بِاللِبانِ
If he pursued prey, it broke him
And he bartered the blood of steeds for gum resin.
أَبا سَعدٍ دُعاءٌ لَو تَراخَت
أَوائِلُهُ لَعاقَبَها لِساني
Abu Sa’d, a prayer whose
Beginnings my tongue would chastise, were it slack.
ظَفِرتَ بِما اِشتَهَيتَ مِنَ اللَيالي
وَأُعطيتَ المُرادَ مِنَ الأَماني
You attained what you desired from the nights
And were given what you wanted from wishes.
لِكَفِّكَ فَوزَةُ القِدحِ المُعَلّى
وَمِنها صَولَةُ العَضبِ اليَماني
Yours is the prize falcon of the lofty crested cup
And from it the firmly planted Yemeni spear’s charge.
وَلَمّا خُرِّقَ الإِظلامُ جُبناً
خَلَعتَ عَليهِ ثَوبَ المِهرَجانِ
When darkness was torn cowardly
You clothed it in a festival gown.
إِذا طُرِدَت رِماحُ اللَهوِ فيهِ
أَرَقنَ عَلى الكُؤوسِ دَمَ القِنانِ
When the spears of diversion were driven away by it
Lifeblood gushed over the drinking vessels.
وَشَربٍ قَد نَحَرتَ لَهُم عُقاراً
كَحاشِيَةِ الرِداءِ الأُرجُواني
A draft you slaughtered for them, an antidote
Like the trim of the purple cloak.
كَأَنَّ الشَمسَ مالَ بِها غُروبٌ
فَأَهوَت في حَيازيمِ الدِنانِ
As though a sunset leaned unto it
And plunged in the camel litters’ throats.
فَصِل بِدَمِ العُقارِ دَمَ الأَعادي
وَأَصواتَ العَوالي بِالأَغاني
Separate the blood of the poison with the blood of foes
And sounds of lofty deeds with songs.
فَيَومٌ أَنتَ غُرَّتُهُ جَوادٌ
يَبُذُّ بِشَأوِهِ طَلقَ القِرانِ
A day of which you are the foal—a steed
Who stomps free with its prowess.
جَعَلتُ هَدِيَّتي فيهِ نِظاماً
صَقيلاً مِثلَ قادِمَةِ السِنانِ
I made my ode to you an artful order
Polished like the incoming flood.
بِلَفظٍ فاسِقِ اللَحَظاتِ تُنمى
مَحاسِنُهُ إِلى مَعنىً حَصانِ
In lines whose glances are wicked, they nurture
Its beauties into the meaning of a horse.
وَصَلتُ جَواهِرَ الأَلفاظِ فيهِ
بِأَعراضِ المَقاصِدِ وَالمَعاني
I joined the pearls of words in it
To the display of meanings and significances.
فَجاءَت غَضَّةَ الأَطرافِ بِكراً
تَخَيَّرَ جيدُها نَظمَ الجُمانِ
So there came, blossoming, a glance
That picked for its beauty pearls of poetry.
كَأَنَّ أَبا عُبادَةَ شَقَّ فاها
وَقَبَّلَ ثَغرَها الحَسَنُ بنُ هاني
As though Abu ‘Ubadah split his mouth open
And al-Hasan ibn Hani kissed his lips.
