يا سَلمَ هَل قَيِّمُكُم ماكِثُ
وَهَل لِغادٍ مِن غَدٍ رائِثُ
O Salma, do your elders still reside there,
And does Ghada still have a home?
قَد بَلَغَت نَفسي مَدى حُبِّها
وَزادَني وَجداً بِكِ الحادِثُ
My soul has reached the extent of her love,
And your happening has further kindled my passion.
يا سَلمَ إِنّي مِن مَلالِ الهَوى
في نَصَبٍ يَفري وَيَستانِثُ
O Salma, I suffer the weariness of love,
Amidst toil from which I find no escape.
كَيدٌ مِنَ الخُرطومِ يُضحي بِهِ
كَأَنَّما يَبعَثُهُ باعِثُ
A scheme from Khartoum they sacrifice for,
As if a callous one dispatches it.
يا سَلمَ رُجعاكِ بِمَيتِ الهَوى
كَما تُميتُ الحَيَّةُ النافِثُ
O Salma, your return for the slain beloved,
Is like a serpent killing the spitter.
أَقولُ لِلنايِ وَقَد مَثَّهُ
أَصغِن بِما ضَنَّ بِهِ المائِثُ
I say to the flute, when it resembled her,
Play what saddened the nightly weeper!
يا حُسنَ سَلمى حينَ يَحدو بِها
لا عَجِلُ السَوقِ وَلا رائِثُ
O, beautiful Salma, when she saunters about,
Neither hasty vendors nor night guards notice her.
بَيضاءُ صَفراءُ قُضافِيَّةٌ
ما نالَها بَرٌّ وَلا حانِثُ
White, yellow, cloaked in a gown,
Untouched by virtue or sin.
تُميلُ شِقَّيها إِذا ما مَشَت
كَأَنَّما يَخنُثُها خانِثُ
Her hips sway when she walks,
As if a deviant makes them dance.
تِلكَ الَّتي لَو نِلتُها وَالهَوى
وَالسُقمُ بَينَ الأَضلُعِ الآرِثُ
She’s the one - if I gained her and love
While the illness dwelled in my sickly ribs,
كَأَنَّما في كَبِدي قُرحَةٌ
مِن حُبِّها يَفرِثُها فارِثُ
It’s as if an ulcer festered my liver,
From passion, ruptured by one who harvests.
لَو ذُقتُها يَقظانَ أَو نائِماً
عِشتُ وَلَم يَكرِثني الكارِثُ
If I tasted her awake or asleep,
I’d live and no affliction would ruin me.
وَصاحِبٍ كَالسَيفِ جَرَّدتُهُ
لا ماذِقٌ وُدّاً وَلا ناكِثُ
And a companion like an unsheathed sword,
Neither affectionate nor betraying.
مِنَ المُميتينَ هُمومَ الفَتى
يَعبَثُ في مَعروفِهِ عابِثُ
Of lethal woes for the young man
Whose virtues a wanton spoils.
لا يَعبُدُ المالَ وَيُبكي العِدى
بِالخَيلِ لا وانٍ وَلا لائِثُ
He worships no money and bewails no injustice,
With horses - no fleer and no mocker.
صَحِبتُهُ في المُلكِ أَو سوقَةٍ
في مُذهَبٍ حَدّادُهُ باحِثُ
I accompanied him whether in rule or market
In doctrine - its practitioner an avid investigator.
لَمّا رَآني جِئتُهُ زائِراً
بِالمَحضِ لا يَغلِثُهُ غالِثُ
When he saw me come purely visiting,
With no adulterator to soil the unmixed wine,
كَسا وَأَعطى مِن ذُرى مالِهِ
بَعثاً وَلا يُبقي لَكَ الباعِثُ
He gave generously from his wealth
Without leaving the sender anything to give.
وَعَجرَدٌ يَنزو عَلى أُمِّهِ
خِنزيرَةٌ يَرغِثُها راغِثُ
Like a young crow alighting by its mother,
A little pig - its squeals alert a responder.
كَأَنَّهُ حينَ تَصَدّى لَهُ
طالِبُ عُرفٍ أَسَدٌ شارِثُ
As if when the suitor confronted him,
He was a voracious lion on the prowl.
وَكَيفَ يُؤديكَ عَلى طائِلٍ
مَن لا يُصَلّي إِنَّهُ طامِثُ
And how can one without prayers fulfill you
When you request virtuous deeds of him?
يا بنَ شَبيرى أَنتَ عِلجُ القَفا
طيرِ وَمِنكَ الخَبَثُ الخابِثُ
O son of Shabib! You cure the winged ones of mange!
But from you comes the most wicked villainy.
لَمّا تَعَبَّثتَ تَعَبَّثتَ بي
وَاللَيثُ لا يَلهو بِهِ العابِثُ
When you played your tricks, you toyed with me,
Yet the lion is not toyed with by the player!
وَكُنتَ كَالباحِثِ عَن مُديَةٍ
وَإِنَّما يَشقى بِها الباحِثُ
You were like one seeking praise
Though the seeker is the one who suffers for it!
أَصبَحتَ مِن كَأسٍ تَغَبَّقتَها
بَعدَ كِئاسٍ مَرُّها دالِثُ
You have become of a cup whose bitterness
Followed cups - bitter is its taste!
كَأَنَّ في رَأسِكَ ذا آمَةٍ
أَو دَبَّ فيهِ شَبَثٌ شابِثُ
As if your head contained a swelling
Or pus crept into it and corrupted it!
هَلّا عَلى أُمِّكَ يَومَ الرَحا
حامَيتَ وَالجونُ بِها لاهِثُ
Why didn’t you, on the day your mother wedded,
Defend her while the trailing gown dragged behind her?
سامى بِرِجلَيها وَطابَت لَهُ
عَجزاءَ مِنها الأَنَثُ الآنِثُ
She walked tall on her feet, and her disability was good for him;
The crippled, older woman.
كَأَنَّ أَيراً في اِستِها في اِستِهِ
يَخفى وَيَبدو أَجرَدٌ نابِثُ
As if a one-eyed creature hid in her womb, in her womb,
Now visible, now hidden - a tall, spotted snake.
وَوالِثٍ عَهداً لَنا عِندَهُ
ثُمَّ اِنثَنى عَن عَهدِهِ الوالِثُ
One who vowed to us and then reneged his vow -
The successor went back on his promise.
كَأَنَّما لَم يَكُ وُدّي لَهُ
وَالنُصحُ لا عَرٌّ وَلا واعِثُ
As though he had never loved me,
While sincere advice is no shame and no fault.
ضَيَّعَ حَرثي رَجُلٌ هالِكٌ
موقاً وَنِعمَ الحَرثُ وَالحارِثُ
A doomed man ruined my livelihood
Though excellent is the ploughed field and its tiller!
يا حارِثُ المَهرِيُّ أَنتَ اِمرُؤٌ
شَبعانُ لا يَحمَدُكَ الغارِثُ
O Harith of Mahra! You are a man
Sated - the hungry envy you not.
كَأَنَّ مَن يُعنى بِتَضبيعِهِ
رَأسُ يَتيمٍ قَمِلٌ شاعِثُ
You were as one assigned to bankrupt
An orphan’s head - filthy and unkempt!
أَنكَرتَني حينَ عَرَفتَ الغِنى
أُفٍّ وَتُفٍّ لَكَ يا حارِثُ
You denied knowing me when you gained wealth;
Uff to you! Uff to you, O Harith!
فَاِشرَب بِكَأسَيكَ وَلا تَسقِني
عَمّا قَليلٍ يورَثُ الوارِثُ
So drink from your two cups and do not allow me
A little that the heir inherits.
آلَيتُ أَرضى بِالَّذي سُمتَني
أَو يَبعَثَ المَوتى لَنا باعِثُ
I have resigned to accept what you called me,
Or for death to send us a sender!
