عسى للصّبا عِلْمٌ برَسْمِ المعالمِ
فَتُبْرِدَ حَرّاً من صَبَابَةِ هائمِ
Perhaps breezes, passing over the traces of those landmarks,
may cool my fever—the fever of a lover distraught.
ربوعٌ رَبَعْتُ اللهوَ والكاسَ والصِّبا
بها مُكْرَماً بالوصلِ عند الكرائمِ
Abodes where pleasure, wine, and youth once dwelt,
ennobled by union there among noble women.
لياليَ تعذيبي من الوجد مقلقي
ورشفي اللمى من عذبة الرِّيق غارمي
Nights when longing and its sorrows tormented me,
while I sipped sweetness from mouths of fresh, sweet saliva.
وقد كان في مَحْلِ الهوى وانتجاعِهِ
مُنَدّايَ في وَرْد الخدود النّواعمِ
Love once held its contests there,
summoning me among the roses of tender cheeks.
فيا ريحُ إنّ الرّوح فيكِ فعلّلي
به ساهراً وقفاً على ذِكْرِ نائمِ
O breeze—if solace lies within you, bring solace
to one awake there, standing in remembrance of one asleep.
تطيّبْتِ بالأرضِ التي طابَ تُرْبُهَا
وَمَجّ نداها الندَّ في أنفِ لاثمِ
You perfumed yourself with earth whose soil was fragrant,
its moist dew mingling upon a kissing nose.
وأذكرْتني عَصْرَ الصبا فكأنّما
تَحدّثُ منه العينُ عن طيْفِ حالمِ
You recalled to me the age of youth, until it seemed
my tears streamed for it as a dreamer’s do at a phantom.
أعيدي حديثاً عنده مَوْردٌ لنا
وُقوعٌ عليه بالقلوب الحوائمِ
Repeat a tale at whose watering place we once alighted;
my circling heart still settles upon it.
وهاتي جهامَ السُّحْبِ أملؤها حَياً
بدمعي لسقيا أربُعي ومعالمي
Bring the barren clouds, that I may fill them with life-giving rain
from my tears, to water my campsites and landmarks.
سرَتْ موهناً تمشي على الماءِ بالهوى
وبالمسكِ من أنفاسِها في النّمائمِ
You journeyed in the depths of night, walking upon water at desire’s bidding,
bearing musk from her breath among the breezes.
وليس حديثُ الريح إلا تبسّماً
يفتّ حصاةَ القلب بين الحيازمِ
The spirit’s speech was nothing but smiles
that crushed the stone of the heart between the ribs.
وكم من بِلى صَبْرٍ تَهُبّ به أسى
وتجديدِ شوقٍ من هوىً متقادمِ
How many a pent-up, timeworn grief did sorrow stir anew,
and how much long-standing passion did it renew!
وأسطارِ حزن يملأ الخدَّ خَطُّها
جراحاً بأقلام الدموع السواجمِ
And lines of grief whose script filled the cheek
with wounds drawn by the pens of streaming tears.
فَمَنْ لغريبٍ مُذْهبٍ شَطْرَ عُمْرِهِ
طِلابُ المعالي وارتكابُ العزائمِ
Who, then, will aid a stranger who has spent half his life
pursuing lofty aims and undertaking mighty resolves?
ذوى عُودُهُ وانحطّ في العمرِ إذ رَقى
إلى سِنِّ مَنْ أفنى ثلاثَ عمائمِ
The tender bough of his life withered even as he climbed
to an age of mine that has worn out three turbans.
لقد صَرَمَتْ حبلي ظباءُ الصرائمِ
وجازَتْ موَدّات الهوى بالسخائمِ
The gazelles of the sandy tracts have severed my bond
and requited love’s affection with rancor.
وأعرَْضَ عن ذكري الحسانُ وطالما
نَقَشْنَ كلامي في فُصُوصِ الخواتمِ
The beauties turned away from remembering me, though often
they had engraved my words upon the bezels of rings.
وكنتُ أُعاديها على فَرَسِ الصبا
مغيراً فتغدو غُرّها من غنائمي
I used to raid them on youth’s steed,
returning with other beauties among my spoils.
كأنّيَ لم أُشْغَفْ بِزَهْرِ بَرَاقِعٍ
يقصّرُ عن ريّاهُ زَهْرُ الكمائمِ
As though I had never been enamored of a radiant blossom
whose fragrance outstrips the flowers within their buds;
ترى نرجسَ الأجفانِ منه كلاثمٍ
يشير إلى ما في أقاحِ المباسمِ
within it you see the narcissi of eyelids, as though
they point toward the chamomile-white teeth of smiles.
لياليَ يشدوني على كأسِ قهوةٍ
قيانُ العذارى أو قيانُ الحمائمِ
Nights when songstresses attended a cup of wine—
maidens with downy cheeks, or cooing doves.
وصفراءَ في جسم الزّجاج تَمَيّعَتْ
تألُّقَ بَرْقٍ في الغمام لشائمِ
A golden wine, melting within the glass,
flashed like lightning in cloud to one watching for it.
ترى الشمسَ منها وَسْطَ هالةِ أنْجُمٍ
ولا فَلَكٌ إلّا بَنَانُ المُنادمِ
Within it you see the sun amid a halo of stars,
though its only firmament is the companions’ fingertips.
وكم غادةٍ زارَتْ على خوفِ رِقْبَةٍ
ولم يَثْنِها عن زورتي لومُ لائمِ
How many a maiden visited despite fear of the watchers,
and no reproacher’s blame turned her from visiting me.
فباتَ يَشُبّ النارَ في القلب حُبُّها
على أنّها كالماء في فم صائم
She passed the night kindling love’s fire in the heart,
though she was like water in a fasting man’s mouth.
وبيدٍ تَرَى ذاتَ السنابك في السّرَى
مُسَلِّمَةً فيها لذات المناسمِ
Through many a wilderness you see the hoofed steeds journey by night—
a pitch-dark waste where the soft-padded camels’ feet have sought refuge.
بها من قبيلِ الإنس جنّانُ مَهْمَهٍ
صعاليكُ إلا من قنا وصوارمِ
There are men of humankind who seem like jinn,
outlaws possessing nothing but spears and swords.
وكلِّ أضاةٍ لا مغاص للهذمٍ
على الذِّمرِ فيها يَوْمَ طَعْنِ الحيازمِ
And every pool whose depths even stout spears cannot sound,
amid fierce men whose breast-belts are pierced that day.
وكلّ عُقابٍ جانحٍ بقوادمٍ
مُعَقٍّ بطرف سابِحٍ بقوائِمِ
And every eagle banking upon its foremost pinions,
followed by the glance of a swimmer borne upon legs.
كأنّ الرياحَ الهوجَ راضوا شدادَها
أما ركبوها وهي لِينُ الشكائمِ
It is as though they had broken the raging winds to the rein
when they mounted them, though their bits were pliant.
إذا ما انتضَوْا للحرْبِ ما في غمودهمْ
رَعَوْا بوجيع الضرب ما في العَمائمِ
When they draw them for war, what lies in their scabbards
chastises the rabble with painful blows beneath their turbans.
وتعجبُ منهم من فصاحة ألْسُنٍ
وما صَحِبوا في القفرِ غيرَ البهائمِ
You marvel at the eloquence of their tongues,
though in the wasteland they have kept company only with beasts.
وخضرٍ خلاياهُنّ تجري كما ارتَمَتْ
بقاعِ سرابٍ مُجْفَلاتُ النّعائمِ
Green, hollow-bellied vessels run as though they were
a plain of mirage from which ostriches flee.
كأنّ جبالاً بالعواصف فوقها
مُسَيَّرَةٌ من موجها المتلاطمِ
As though mountains, with storms above them,
were driven onward by their colliding waves.
كأنّ مغاصَ الدّرّ في قعرها بَدَتْ
فرائِدُهُ أو مَنْثَراً للدراهمِ
As though the pearl beds in their depths displayed
their single gems, or scattered silver coins.
كأنّ على الأفلاكِ مَسْبَحَ فلكها
إذا طَلَعَتْ زُهْرُ النجوم العوائمِ
As though their vessel swam among the celestial spheres
when the floating flowers of the stars appeared.
إلى ابنِ تميم أسْنَدَتْ كلّ مَنْكِبٍ
إلى منكبِ الجوزاءِ غيرَ مزاحمِ
Upon Ibn Tamim I rested both my shoulders,
at Orion’s shoulder, with no one to jostle me.
وجدنا جميعَ الأرْض في أرضِ حَمّةٍ
وفي قَصْدِنا يحيى جميعَ المكارمِ
We found the whole earth within the realm of high aspiration,
and, in seeking Yahya, every noble quality.
همامٌ صريحُ العزم سلّ سيوفَهُ
فَذَبّتْ ضراباً عن خدور المحارمِ
A high-hearted man of unalloyed resolve, whose swords are drawn,
making his blows a defense around inviolable curtains.
تلوذُ المنايا منه والدهر عابسٌ
بأرْوَعَ عن ثغْرِ الرئاسةِ باسمِ
Death itself seeks refuge from him while Time scowls,
yet the splendid man smiles from the mouth of command.
تحلّ بنو الآمالِ منه بساحةٍ
بها يَقِفُ الجبّارُ وِقْفَةَ واجمِ
The children of hope alight in his courtyard,
where the tyrant is shattered and skulls are cast down.
وتمشي بذي الإكبار جَبْهةُ ساجدٍ
إليه وفوقَ الترب أو فم لاثمِ
In awe, the brow advances toward him in prostration
upon the dust—or a mouth approaches to kiss it.
حَمَى مُلْكَهُ يحيى ولولاه ما احتَمى
وهل يَحْتَمي غِيلٌ بغير ضُبارمِ
Yahya has guarded the sanctuary of his realm; without him it would have no refuge—
can a lion’s thicket be defended without fierce lions?
وحَكّمَ في الجودِ العُفاةَ وهكذا
يُحكّمُ أطرافَ الظّبا في الجماجمِ
He has made petitioners the judges of his generosity,
just as spearheads pass judgment within skulls.
تشيمُ به صبحاً من العدل مُشْرِقاً
إذا كنتَ في ليلٍ من الجوْرِ فاحمِ
In him you behold a radiant dawn of justice
whenever you are caught in the pitch-black night of oppression.
ويجري لك المعروفُ من كفّ واهبٍ
إذا جَمَدَ المعروفُ من كفّ حارمِ
From a giving hand, beneficence flows for you
when beneficence freezes in a withholding hand.
إذا رحلته همةٌ أدْرَكَ العُلَى
وحطّ رحال العزّ فَوْقَ النعائمِ
When aspiration takes him as its mount, it reaches the heights
and unloads glory’s baggage above the stars.
ولا عَجَبٌ أنْ عَلّمَ الجودَ باخلاً
يَضِلّ أخو جَهْلٍ ويُهدى بعالمِ
No wonder generosity is known even in the empty wild:
the ignorant man strays, while one with knowledge guides.
يسوسُ الوَرَى من بين بَرٍّ وفاجرٍ
بلطفِ صفوح منه أو عَفوِ ناقمِ
He governs humankind in war and peace alike,
with the gentleness of pardon or the violence of avenging wrath.
وتطوي سراياهُ السّرَى وهباتُهُ
فأيّ انتباهٍ للعيونِ النّوائمِ
His detachments traverse the night, and so do his gifts—
what an awakening they bring to sleepers at midday rest!
ومَن يُمض أمرَ المُلك بالبأس والندى
يَجُزْ حُكْمُهُ في الأرض طيبة حاتمِ
When a king’s command proceeds with dread and largesse,
its writ throughout the earth surpasses even Hatim’s bounty.
فما راحةٌ لا راحةٌ للندى بها
ومالٌ عليه البذلُ ضَرْبةَ لازمِ
No open hand sets out without largesse finding rest in it,
and giving inclines toward him with the force of a binding blow.
له في مَكَرِّ الخيل قَسْوَةُ قاهِرٍ
وعند مَجَرّ الذيل رأفَةُ راحمِ
In the press of horses he is a conquering lion,
but when robes trail in peace, he has a merciful man’s tenderness.
وَعِفّةُ سيفٍ ليس يبْرُقُ بالرّدى
إذا سلّهُ إلّا على رأس ظالمِ
His might is a sword that does not flash with death
when he draws it, except above an oppressor’s head.
يفضّ ختامَ الهامِ قطفاً عن الطلى
بيسرى إذ اليمنى قبيعةُ صارمِ
It breaks the seals of heads, harvesting them from necks,
with his left hand while the right grips the pommel of a keen sword.
نَمَتْهُ من الأملاكِ صِيدٌ تَقَدّمَتْ
لهم قَدَمُ الإعظام عند الأعاظمِ
Royal lions before him raised him,
men whose precedence in honor is acknowledged by the great.
بهاليلُ من حيٍّ لقاحٍ سَمَوْا على
أعاربَ من أهْلِ العُلى وأعاجمِ
Magnanimous lords of a people never conquered, exalted—
Arabs and non-Arabs among the people of high station.
مجالِسُهُمْ في الحرب والسلم لم تزَلْ
دسوتَ المعالي أو سرُوجَ الصلادمِ
In war and peace, their seats have always been
the high places of glory or the saddles of powerful steeds.
بنو الحرب تُخْشى صولةُ البأس منهمُ
وحربُ القنا في نافذاتِ اللهاذمِ
Even the sons of war fear their valorous assault
and the war of lances piercing throats.
لهم كلّ موْلودٍ على فِطْرَةِ الوغى
تُرَاعُ به شبلاً أُسودُ الملاحمِ
Every child of theirs is born to the instinct of battle;
in him a lion-cub of the black lions of combat alarms you.
وتحسبُهُ سيفاً على عاتقِ العلى
ولا حليةٌ إلا مَنوطُ التمائمِ
You would think him an executioner’s sword upon Glory’s shoulder,
with no adornment except the amulets hung upon him.
ولم يدرِ من قبل السيوفَ وإنّما
حكى القينُ فيها ما لهم من عزائمِ
The sword knew nothing before them; it was only
the smith who traced upon it the resolve they bear.
فيا جاعلاً من عَفْوِهِ وانتقامِهِ
جنى النحل طَعْمَيْه وَسَمّ الأراقمِ
O you who make from your pardon and your vengeance
the honey of bees as one taste, and the venom of snakes as another:
لأذكيتَ نارَ العِزّ وهي التي بها
وَضَعْتَ سماتِ الذلّ فوْقَ المَخاطمِ
you have kindled the fire of glory, by which
you branded the marks of abasement upon proud snouts.
سيوفُك أبقتْ في الأعادي أبدْتَهُمْ
مآتمَ أحزانٍ بغير مآثمِ
Your swords have left among the enemies, forever,
mourning rites of sorrow, though yours were no sins.
كأنّ حروفَ اللينِ كانتْ رؤوسهُمْ
فلاقَيْنِ حَذْفاً من وقوع الجوازمِ
Their heads were like the weak letters of grammar
and met with deletion when the governing particles fell upon them.
وجيشُك هنديّ الخوافي بِهزّهِ
جناحَي عُقَابٍ سمهرِيُّ القوادمِ
Your army is an Indian blade, its rear fitted with feathers—
an eagle’s two wings, with spear-shafts as foremost pinions.
وزرق ذبابٍ في الثعالب أجْدَبَتْ
وما انتجعتْ إلّا نجيعَ الضراغمِ
Blue-tipped spearheads found the foxes’ country barren
and sought no pasture but the blood of lions.
فيا دَوْلَةً قعساءَ دَرّتْ فأرْضَعَتْ
ثُديّ المنايا أو ثُديّ المكارمِ
O lofty family tree, you have lowered for suckling
the breast of death—and the breast of noble deeds.
حلُمْتَ فما تُثْني على حلم أحنفٍ
وَجُدْتَ فما تُصْغي إلى جود حاتمِ
You came to dwell, so I no longer praise the clemency of al-Ahnaf;
you gave so freely that I no longer heed the generosity of Hatim.
فهنّئتَ عيداً يقتضي كلّ عودةٍ
إِلَيكَ بعزٍّ ثابتِ الملكِ دائمِ
May every returning feast-day find you
in abiding might and a kingdom made secure.
