سارٍ .. يُفَتِّشُ بعْضُهُ عن كُلِّهِ
و يلُمُّ ما تُوحي نبوءةُ لَيْلِهِ
Roaming... Searching for his all with some of him
And gathering what his night’s prophecy foretells
مُتَبَتِّلاً للنفْسِ منطلقاً بهِا
يجلو صبابةَ عاشقٍ مُتَأَلِّهِ
With a devoted soul unleashed, clearing the passion of a lovesick one
A fire sparked for him so he said to himself
لاحَتْ لهُ نارٌ فقال لنفسِهِ
ما قالَهُ (موسى الكليمُ )لأَهْلِهِ
What Moses the Interlocutor said to his family
And walked barefoot to the fire/prophecy
ومشىَ إلى النار/النبوءةِ حافيا
لتَشُبَّ نارُ الانتظارِ بنَعْلِهِ
So that the fire of waiting would be kindled by his shoes
And he saw the beauty, God's poem
ورأى الجمالَ قصيدةَ الله التي
من أَجْلِهاَ بَدَأَتْ متاهةُ رُسْلِهِ
For which His messengers'erring had begun
So he walked the paths of erring...seeing
فمضَى على طُرُقِ المتاهةِ.. لا تَرَى
غيرَ القوافي يضطربنَ برَحْلِهِ
Nothing but the rhymes troubled by his mount
Roaming like the friend when the dawn of recollection shone
ساهٍ كما يسهو الخليلُ إذا صَحَتْ
إشراقةُ الذكرَى فحَنَّ لخِلِّهِ
And he yearned for his friend
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From the heart of the palm grove his eyes blazed:
من قلبِ محفظةِ النخيلِ تَوَهَّجَتْ
عيناهُ : عنوانُ (العراقِ) ونَخْلِهِ
The title “Iraq” and its palms
And fate clad him in black as if
وكساَ مصائرَهُ السَّوادُ كأنَّما
تلك المصائرُ حفنةٌ من كُحْلِهِ
That fate was a handful of his kohl
He carded the departure and dressed the innocence of steps
غَزَلَ الرحيلَ وأَلْبَسَ البَرَّ الخُطَى
فسَرَتْ خُطاَهُ وما غَدَرْنَ بِغَزْلِهِ
So his steps flowed and did not betray his carding
In a strangerhood, he and the horse..for so long
في غربةٍ هُوَ والحصانُ.. فطالما
شَعَرَ الحصانُ بغربةٍ في تَلِّهِ
The horse felt a strangerhood in its foal
The sands clamored upon a swarthy overturning
صَحَتِ الرِّمالُ على انقلابٍ أسمرٍ
تَتَحَدَّثُ الفصحَى حماحمُ خَيْلِهِ
Speaking eloquent the snorts of his horses
The desert glimpsed him in the form of a knight
لَمَحَتْ بهِ الصحراءُ هيأةَ فارسٍ
عَبَرَ الجحيمَ وجاءَها من هَوْلِهِ
Who crossed hell and came from its horror
Marching in the shadow of kings..and when
ينقادُ في ظِلِّ الملوكِ.. وحينما
دَنَتِ الحقيقةُ قادَهُمْ في ظِلِّهِ
The truth approached, they marched in his shadow
His poems blazed..and each poem
جمَحَتْ قصائدُهُ .. وكلُّ قصيدةٍ
تستنفرُ التاريخَ من إِسْطَبْلِهِ
Musters history from its stable
With the awe of the storm..he brandished
في هيبةِ الإعصارِ .. سَلَّ على المدَى
سيفَ الهبوبِ وشَقَّ مِعْدَةَ رَمْلِهِ
The sword of gusts and split the belly of sand
Never ceasing to raid time and whenever
ما انفكَّ يقتحمُ الزمانَ وكلَّما
مَدَّ الخُطَى رَكَلَ السنينَ بِرِجْلِهِ
He extended his steps, he kicked the years with his foot
A specter in the artery of eternity traveling
شبحٌ بشريانِ الخلودِ مسافرٌ
أبداً يُقصِّرُ من مسافةِ جَهْلِهِ
Ever shortening from the distance of ignorance
He is like the orbit a never-ending tale
هُوَ كالمدارِ حكايةٌ لا تنتهي
والفصلُ فيها لا يعودُ لأَصْلِهِ
Whose chapter does not return to its origin
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How the archers lurked behind their arrows
كَمَنَ الرُّماَةُ لهُ وراءَ نبالهِمْ
كلٌّ يُعَلِّقُ تُهْمَتَيْنِ بِنَبْلِهِ
Each hanging two accusations on his arrow
They lurked for him in the bow..the bow of their darkness..
كَمَنوا لهُ في القوسِ.. قوسِ ظلامِهِم..
فافترَّ عن سهمٍ يضيءُ بنَصْلِهِ
So he loosened an illuminating arrow from its notch
Whenever he extended the rope of his vision in the horizon of visions
ما مَدَّ حبلَ رُؤاَهُ في أُفُقِ الرُّؤَى
إلا وأَلْفُ طريدةٍ في حَبْلِهِ
A thousand prey were on his rope
His sieve filtered the letters leaving
غربالُهُ نَخَلَ الحروفَ فلم يَدَعْ
حرفاً يُكَلِّفُهُ النَّشازُ بِحَمْلِهِ
No letter that ornamentation burdens with its load
The splendor of what his hands shook with a feather
نشوانُ ما ارْتجفَتْ يداهُ برِيشَةٍ
إلا كما ارتجفَ الصباحُ بِطَلِّهِ
Like the dawn shook with its first light
He takes the vision in the midst of sorrow
يَتَأَبَّطُ الرُّؤياَ بمنتصف الأسَى
بين اعتزالِ الفيلسوفِ وعَزْلِهِ
Between the recluse of the philosopher and his isolation
Whenever he delved into the unknown realm only to return
ما غاصَ في الملكوتِ إلا عائداً
للذَّاتِ ينقشُ شكلَها في شَكْلِهِ
To the self to carve its image into his own
He struck the soil with the palm of the language that
ضَرَبَ الترابَ براحةِ اللغةِ التي
كَشَفَتْ على الرُّؤْياَ ملامحَ فَأْلِهِ
Revealed the vision’s features with its divination
So he saw all kinds of fates
فرَأَى من الأقدارِ كلَّ صنوفِها
وأشاحَ عن قَدَرٍ ينمُّ بقَتْلِهِ
And turned away from a fate that grows by his murder
Will poetry his beloved betray him..and who saw
أَيَخُونُهُ الشِّعرُ الحبيبُ.. ومَنْ رَأَى
عَسَلاً تَوَرَّطَ في خيانةِ نَحْلِهِ ؟!
Honey embroiled in the betrayal of its bees?!
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The world whispered to him in a lover's voice:
همَسَتْ لهُ الدنيا بصوتِ حبيبةٍ :
كُتِبَ الهوَى فَرْضاً عليكَ فَصَلِّهِ
Loving is ordained upon you so perform its rite
So he chose the water for his ablution from a stream
فاختارَ ماءَ وضوئِهِ من جدولٍ
تَقِفُ الحياةُ على شواطئِ غُسْلِهِ
Where life stands on the banks of its washing
And there a bride trailing her gown
فإذا عروسٌ ذَيَّلَتْ فستانَها
بالمغرياتِ وغازَلَتْهُ بذَيْلِهِ
With temptations and flirting with its train
So he approached and leaned upon the bride with desire
فدَناَ ومال على العروسِ برغبةٍ
لم تَرْضَ من ذاك الرداءِ بفَضْلِهِ
That gown did not please with its excess
He seized life with all its adornments that
خَطَفَ الحياةَ بكلِّ زينتِها التي
تزهو، وأكملَها بزينةِ قَوْلِهِ
Glows, and perfected it with the adornment of his words
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A guest upon an era dyed with decay
ضيفٌ على العصر المُخَضَّبِ بالرَّدَى
منذ الحروب تناسَلَتْ في نَسْلِهِ
Since wars bred in its lineage
His cloak weighed upon him as if
ثَقُلَتْ عباءتُهُ عليهِ كأنَّها
حمَلَتْ من التاريخ كاملَ ثِقْلِهِ
It carried the whole weight of history
The stranger leaned on his staff so
مال الغريبُ على عصاهُ فأَوْرَقَتْ
فيها الصبابةُ لاحتضانةِ مَيْلِهِ
Vitality hugged his inclination
And he went fortifying his era with traits
ومضَى يُحَصِّنُ عصرَهُ بشمائلٍ
أضفَى عليها الشِّعرُ شيمةَ نُبْلِهِ
Poetry endowed with the valor of nobility
In the soil of words he deepened his tillage
في تربةِ الكلماتِ عَمَّقَ حَرْثَهُ
فتَنَزَّهَتْ كلُّ العصورِ بِحَقْلِهِ
So all eras flourished through his field
There he dwells amidst flowers never
هو ذاك يسكنُ في الزُّهورِ فلم يزلْ
ما بين زنبقِهِ يتيهُ، وفُلِّهِ
Ceasing to wander between his lily and his rose
A universe gleamed in the features of a being
كونٌ تَأَلَّقَ في ملامحِ كائنٍ
وتَهَتَّكَتْ فيهِ عناصرُ وَحْلِهِ
And its elements melted into his solution
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Oh you who burns words into a talisman
يا حارقَ الكلماتِ في تعويذةٍ
نَشَرَتْ بَخُورَ حروفِها مِنْ حَوْلِهِ
Whose letter's incense spread around it
In poetry existence celebrates the tale of the -
في الشِّعرِ يحتفلُ الوجودُ بقِصَّةِ ال−
تكوينِ.. فادخلْ بي مجَرَّةَ حَفْلِهِ
Genesis..so enter into the galaxy of its feast
For (I) is like (You)..I grew tired of my futility
ف (أنا) كَ(أنتَ).. تعبتُ من عَبَثِيَّتي
في فَهْمِ مفتاح الوجودِ وقُفْلِهِ
In understanding the key to existence and its lock
And I returned to reap the grass of your disappointment that
ورجعتُ أحصدُ عُشْبَ خيبتِكَ الذي
ما انفكَّ يُغري المبدعين بأَكْلِهِ
Never ceased to tempt creators to eat it
Indeed madness, when it saw you as its father
إنَّ الجنونَ وقد رآكَ أَباً لهُ
ما زال يمنحُني هُوِيَّةَ نَجْلِهِ
Still grants me the identity of its son
Misery to manhood if it compromises its conscience
بئسَ الرجولةُ إِذْ تهادنُ وَعْيَها
وتضيقُ بالنَّزَقِ الشَّقِيِّ وطِفْلِهِ !!
And is troubled by the wretched and his child!!
So I am the wanderer in the abyss’ erring
فأنا المشرَّدُ في متاهةِ فجوةٍ
بين انفعالِ دمي وقِلَّةِ فِعْلِهِ
Between the passion of my blood and the lack of its action
Perplexed, pricked by suspicion whenever
حيران يلدغُني التَّوَجُّسُ كلَّما
في خاطري دَبَّتْ قوافلُ نَمْلِهِ
Caravans of its ants crept into my mind
My tune an echo's extension of a fallen fetus
نغمي امتدادُ صدَى جنينٍ ساقطٍ
عن عرشِهِ السِّريِّ ساعةَ فَصْلِهِ
From its secret throne when it was severed
Never ceasing to fascinate me is the question so it led me
ما انفكَّ يفتنُني السؤالُ فقادَني
ك(السَّامريِّ) إلى عبادةِ (عِجْلِهِ)ِ :
Like (the Samaritan) to worship his (calf)
Which of the obsessions in the unknown did you appoint
أيُّ الهواجسِ في الغيوبِ نَصَبْتَهُ
فظَفِرْتَ من جَبَلِ الغيوبِ ب(وَعْلِهِ)؟!
And grasp from the mountain of the unknown its (deity)?!
Which of the obsessions in rhetoric did you inseminate
أيُّ الهواجسِ في البيانِ حَقَنْتَهُ
فوَقاَكَ من جَرَبِ الزمانِ وسُلِّهِ ؟!
And escape the grasp of time and its smoothness?!
Which of the obsessions - since a thousand griefs -
أيُّ الهواجسِ − منذُ ألفِ فجيعةٍ −
ما زال باسمِكَ ممعناً في شُغْلِهِ ؟!
Remained dedicated in your name to its occupation?!
Heading to the utmost beauty and the horizon−
ماضٍ إلى أقصَى الجَماَلِ ومنتهَى−
لُغَةٍ يغازلهُا الجمالُ بوَصْلِهِ
Of a language courted by beauty through its connection
The question leaps at your call whenever
يَثِبُ السؤالُ على ندائِكَ كلَّما
بَرَكَ السؤالُ على مرابضِ حَلِّهِ
The question mounted the saddle of its solution
And meaning experiences you the fertility of a season
ويَعِيشُكَ المعنَى خصوبةَ موسمٍ
ما بين تَرْحاَلِ الخيالِ وحِلِّهِ
Between the wandering of imagination and its conception
And the sand seeks its identity that
والرملُ يبحثُ عن هُوِيَّتِهِ التي
قَضَمَتْ ملامحَها براثنُ مَحْلِهِ
Was gnawed by the fangs of its haven
So you gathered around you a nation of letters
فجَمَعْتَ حَوْلَكَ أُمَّةً من أَحْرُفٍ
أَرْكَبْتَهاَ في الحِبْرِ صهوةَ سَيْلِهِ
You rode in ink the bravery of its flood
And you went invading the map dreaming
ومضيتَ تجتاحُ الخريطةَ حالماً
أنْ يستعيدَ الرملُ لَمَّةَ شَمْلِهِ
That the sand reclaims the touch of its embrace
But the desert was harsh to you with its embers
فإذا الفلاةُ قَسَتْ عليكَ بِجَمْرِها
آوَيْتَ للمعنَى تُنِيخُ بِظِلِّهِ !
So for meaning you provided shade with your shadow!
Lighten upon yourself the dream’s weight of a poem..
خَفِّفْ عليكَ الحُلْمَ ثِقْلَ قصيدةٍ ..
كم كان حُلْمُكَ مُفْرِطاً في ثِقْلِهِ !
How excessive your dream was in its weight!
The horses of Rome failed you so they did not tread
عَجِزَتْ خيولُ (الرُّومِ) عنك فلم تَطَأْ
مأواكَ في جَبَلِ البيانِ وسَهْلِهِ
Your haven in the mountain of rhetoric and its plain
And a dagger attacked you from your cousin’s fist
وغَزاَكَ من كفِّ (ابنِ عَمِّكَ) خنجرٌ
سكرانُ ما طُعِنَ الوفاءُ بمِثْلِهِ
Drunk when loyalty was never stabbed with its like
It is another riddah whose mirage arose
هِيَ (رِدَّةٌ)أخرَى أفاقَ سرابُها
فإذا (مُسَيْلِمَةٌ) يَهِمُّ بِنهْلِهِ
And there a Musaylimah eager with his sword
And the fraud pounding the hearing of space
وإذا الدَّوِيُّ يصكُّ أسماعَ المدَى
من كلِّ (مُرْتَدٍّ) يَدُقُّ بطَبْلِهِ
From every apostate beating his drum
They killed you so the story gives birth to itself
قَتَلُوكَ كي تَلِدَ الحكايةُ نَفْسَها
وصدَى الهديرِ يعيدُ قِصَّةَ فَحْلِهِ !
And the echo of the hubbub repeats the tale of its stallion!
