يا مَن لِصُبحِ الشَيبِ كَيفَ تَنَفَّسا
في لِمَّتي فَأَجابَهُ لَيلُ الأَسى
O you whose gray hair breathed at dawn,
The night of sorrow answered when I complained,
لا تَحسَبَنَّ سَوادَ شَعري نِعمَةً
لَكِن كَسَتهُ هُمومُ قَلبي حِندِسا
"Do not think my black hair a blessing,
But sorrows of my heart have clad it like a cloak."
إِلّا يَكُن شابَ العِذارُ وَلا اِنحَنى
ظَهري فَقَد شابَ الفُؤادُ وَقَوَّسا
Unless the youth sheds tears or bends,
My back has aged though my heart is still young and bent.
إِنّي لَأَغضي مُقلَتي عَن لائِمي
وَأَرى اِبتِسامي مِن ضَميري عَبَّسا
I squint my eyelids against my blamers
And see my smile frown from my conscience.
وَيَلينُ قَلبي لِلخَليلِ مَوَدَّةً
فَإِذا أَحَسَّ هَضيمَةً يَوماً قَسَما
My heart is soft to the friend with affection,
But if he senses betrayal, it hardens and splits.
وَأَجيلُ لَحظي في المُنى شَغَفاً بِها
وَأَجَلُّ شَوقي عَن لَعَلَّ وَعَن عَسى
I delay my gaze in wishes with passion for them
And hold back my longing from “maybe” and “perhaps.”
ما لي أَرى الهالاتَ عُدنَ هَوادِجاً
وَلِهَذِهِ الأَضلاعِ صارَت مَكنِسا
Why do I see the dreamlands a shelter?
And for these ribs they became like a broom.
طُوِيَت عَلى بيضِ الدُمى فَتَكانَسَت
فيها ظِباءٌ يَرتَعينِ الأَنفُسا
Folded on the eggs of ostriches, so they swept
In them antelopes grazing the souls.
فَهيَ الدَراري في الهَواجِرِ خُنَّسا
وَهيَ الجَواري في الهَوادِجِ كُنَّسا
So they are the young women in the protected, hidden,
And they are the slave girls in the shelters, hidden.
يَطرُقنَ أَمواهَ الفَلاةِ تَعَرُّباً
وَيَرِدنَ نيرانَ الضُلوعِ تَمَجُّسا
They roam the horizons of the desert as Arabs
And return the fires of ribs perfumed.
فَيَهِنُّ جائِلَةَ الوِشاحِ تَنَفَّسَت
فَزَها النَسيمُ أَريجُها فَتَنَقَّسا
The sash sways, breathed,
The breeze made its scent blow, so it waved.
زارَت كَما زارَ الخَيالُ تَسَتُّرا
وَعَطَت كَما يَعطو الغَزالُ تُوَجُّسا
She visited like a mirage covers itself
And gave like the gazelle startles.
حَذِرَت مَن الرُقَباءِ حَولَ طِرافِها
فَأَتَت تَجُرُّ عَلى التُرابِ السُندُسا
She was cautious of the spying necks around her
So she came dragging her gown on the ground.
مَلَّت بِطاريقَ الرِجالِ وَشاقَها
صُعلوكُ حَيٍّ لَيسَ يُبقي مُنفِسا
She despised the path of men and it tired her
A cocky lad who does not leave a soul alive.
زَعَمَت فَتاةُ الحَيِّ أَنّي مُملِقٌ
أَرَأَيتَ إِملاقي لِمَجيدِيَ مُركِسا
The girl of the tribe claimed I flatter
Did you see my flattery to the glorious stooped?
باتَت تُهَيِّجُها وَساوِسُ حَليِها
حَتّى إِذا الصُبحُ المُنيرُ تَنَفَّسا
She stirred and the devils of her ornament whispered to her
Until when the bright morning breathed
بَكَرَت تَلومُكَ في النَدى كَندِيَّةَ
صَدَفِيَّةٌ تُنمي السُكونَ وَأَشرَسا
She blamed you at dawn, cunning and smooth
Like a seashell growing tranquility and more stubborn.
يا بِنتَ عَمّي هَل سَمِعتَ بِماجِدٍ
يَبكينَ أَوتى الذَمِّ أَطعَمَ أَو كَسا
O daughter of my uncle, did you hear of Majid?
Who cries the utmost insult or feeds or clothes?
لا تَحسَبي أَكَلَ المُرارَ عَميدُنا
غَرثاً وَلَكِن عِزَّةً وَتَغَطرُسا
Do not think our pillar has eaten bitterness
But honor and arrogance.
أَذهَلتِ عَن عُقبى النَدى إِنَّ النَدى
لَيَرُدَّ وَحشِيَّ المُنى مَتَأَنِّسا
You forgot about fate of dew that stirs
A lion when the lions are provoked and watchful.
عَقَرَ المَطِيَّةَ لِلعِذارى رَبُّها
فَأُبيحَ ثَغراً مِن عُنَيزَةَ أَومَسا
The shoulders of his kingdom descended from a shoulder
That has ever gained from it an unlucky day.
لَم يَنسَ مَيتاً بِالكُلابِ وَرُبَّما
قَد ضاقَ ذَرعاً أَن يَفوهَ فَيُلبِسا
So if a shoulder sags or withers,
It has bloomed from it a barren crippled thing.
وَنَسيتِ حُجراً يضومَ هَيَّجَ بِالعَصا
أَسَداً مَن هاجَ الأُسودَ تَفَرَّسا
There was a kingdom in your dunes and the dew
In a mountain doe so it isolated and measured.
هَبَطَت كَواهِلُ مُلكِهِ مِن كاهِلٍ
أَبَداً أَصابَت مِنهُ يَوماً أَنحَسا
Like the kings of an army, whenever they trod the ground,
And I think it has for it the ground and the sun.
فَلَئِن أَبيرَت مالِكٌ أَو كاهِلٌ
فَلَقَد أَبارَت مِنهُ قَرماً أَحمَسا
And for its just peacemaker its contentment,
Generosity and kindness that make the mute speak.
قَد كانَ مُلكٌ في كُنودِكَ وَالنَدى
في ظَبيَةٍ فَتَفَرَّدا وَتَقَيَّسا
His companions and his promises testified to him
Even the clouds when they intend and sneak.
كَمُلوكِ جَيشٍ كُلَّما وَطَئوا الثَرى
وَأَظُنُّ أَنَّ لَها الثَرى وَالأَشمُسا
I swear by the dew and its customs among us
So it traveled with the caravan and wed.
وَلِطَودِها السُلَمي قاضيها الرَضا
كَرَمٌ وَجودٌ يُنطِقانِ الأَخرَسا
And it clothed the land with clear justice and accepted it,
They were stripped by the injustice of their governors, those clothes.
شَهِدَت لَهُ أَصحابُهُ وَعِداتِهِ
حَتّى الغَمامُ إِذا هَمى وَتَبَجَّسا
And it prepared the destinies of matters with its wisdom
And threw at it the goal of adversities so it shot its arrow.
قَسَماً لأَندى بِالنَدى وَأَعتادِهِ
فينا فَسارَ مَعَ الرَكبِ وَعَرَّسا
And there came to it for the lofty house its pillars
Pillars for it of glory and honor unbending.
وَكَسا الوَرى العَدلَ المُبينَ وَقَبلَهُ
سُلِبوا بِجَورِ وُلاتِهِم تِلكَ الكُسا
They said, “The clan of Tha’laba, you have exhausted generosity
That is attributed to its source,” so I said, “And what hope?”
وَأَعَدَّ أَقدارَ الأُمورِ بِحَزمِهِ
وَرَمى بِهِ غَرَضَ الخُطوبِ فَقَرطَسا
Bring one for Hatim of Tayy that equals
These and I promise not to breathe.
وَأَتَتهُ لِلبَيتِ الرَفيعِ عِمادُهُ
عَمَدٌ لَهُ مَجداً وَعِزّاً أَقعَسا
Or ask me among the people other than my father
Hafs, so do you find about him a substitute?
قالوا بَنو ثُعِل نَفَستِ مَكارِماً
تُعزى لِحاتِمِها فَقُلتُ وَما عَسى
Or carry some of what he carries
To return you from it, miserable and scraping.
جيئوا بِواحِدَةٍ لِحاتِمِ طَيِّءٍ
مِن هَذِهِ وَعَلَيَّ أَلّا أَنفَسا
People are similar but between them
In merit is what is between the beast and humankind.
أَو سائَلوني في الأَنامِ سِوى أَبي
حَفصٍ فَهَل تَجِدونَ عَنهُ مَعدِسا
Do you think everyone the dew covered
Not every house in Damascus is sacred?
أَو فَاِحمِلوا بَعضَ الَّذي هُوَ حامِلٌ
لِيَرُدَّكُم مِنهُ يَلَملَمُ قَدرَسا
O shame of the shining moon, and it has seen
Umar cloaked in kinds of majesty.
الناسُ أَشباهُ وَلَكِن بَينَهُم
في الفَضلِ ما بَينَ الدُؤابَةِ وَالنَسا
If it could, it would come borrowing for it
From its horizon, and if it found a place to borrow.
أَحَسِبتُم كُلِّ اِمرِئٍ غَمَرَ النَدى
ما كُلُّ بَيتٍ بِالشَآمِ المَقدِسا
A prince who hopes for its light has failed
Except the ungrateful, for he is destitute.
يا خَجلَةَ القَمَرِ المُنيرِ وَقَد رَأَى
عُمراً بِأَنواعِ الجَلالَةِ مُلبَسا
It has sweetened the mouths of narrators with its praise
As if a perfumer saturating with scent.
لَو يَستَطيعُ لَجاءَ مُقتَبِساً لَها
مِن أُفقِهِ وَإِذا لَصادَفَ مَقبِسا
And I have exceeded the rank of speakers in thanking it
And if I persist in its praise, I will be mute.
خابَ اِمرُةٌ يَرجو نُداهُ غَضاضَةً
إِلّا الكَفورُ فَإِنَّهُ قَد أَبلَسا
O unique one of the Arabs, if you pictured
An ancient charm, it would be from it the amulet.
طَيِّبَتُ أَفواهَ الرَواةِ بِمَدحِهِ
فَكَأَنَّ عَطّاراً يُضَمِّخُ مُعرِسا
I have called you for the strange wishes in
The darkness of the evil time relate a Jonah.
وَعَلَوتُ قَدرَ الناطِقينَ بِشُكرِهِ
وَلَئِن تَمادى في نَداهُ لأَخرَسا
If the whale of events swallows my quest
Then extend to it your generosity a garment.
يا واحِدَ العُربِ الَّذي لَو صَوَّرَت
طِرفاً عَتيقاً كانَ مِنهُ القَونَسا
You are the quencher if a watering place is blocked
And the water if hope is muddled and despairing.
إِنّي دَعَوتُكَ لِلأَماني الغُرِّ في
ظُلَمِ الزَمانِ السَوءِ أَحكي يونُسا
And the inability to hope other than you, but
I fear the plants of the meadow sneaking.
إِن يَلتَقِمَ نونُ الحَوادِثِ مَطلَبي
فَاِمدُد لَهُ يَقطينَ جودِكَ مَلبَسا
For you are the most fragrant knot stored
Why would I not protect from wasting the soul?
أَنتَ الرَواءُ إِذا تَعَذَّرَ مَورِدٌ
وَالماءُ إِن كَدُرَ الرَجاءُ فَأَيأَسا
وَالعَجزُ أَن يُرجى سِواكَ وَإِنَّما
أَخشى نَباتَ الرَوضَةِ المُتَخَلِّسا
فَلَأَنتَ أَنفَسُ عُقدَةٍ مَذخورَةٍ
لِمَ لا أَصونَ عَن اِبتِذالي الأنفُسا
