بكَرَ " الخريفُ " فراح يُوعِدهُ
أنْ سوفَ يُزْبِدُهُ ويُرْعِدُهُ
Autumn came early and threatened
To stir and boom against summer
وبَدَتْ من الأرماث ، عائمةً
فيه ، طلائعُ ما يُجَنِّدُه
Foam appeared floating on the sand
Harbingers of what it mobilizes
وكأنَّ ، من زَبَدِ الرِّمال على
أمواجه ، طِفْلاً يُهَدْهِده
As if from the froth of sand, on its waves
A child it would rock to sleep
واستَثْقَلَ النوتيُّ مِجْذَفَه
بَرِماً بمِقبَضه يُجَدِّده
The sailor felt the weight of his oar
With decay, though his grip revived it
وتحفَّزَتْ شُمُّ الجبال لهُ
بثُلوجها كِسفَاً تُهدِّده
The scent of mountains provoked it
With its snows, piles that menaced
ظلَّتْ تَعُدُّ خُطاه تَرقُبُه
في الصيفِ مُزدهراً وتحسُده
Throughout summer flourishing, they counted its steps
Watching over it, though envying it
جَرداءُ ، وهو يَضِجُّ مَلْعَبُهُ
ظَلْماءُ ، وهو يُشَبُّ مَوقِده!
Barren while its playground roared
Darkened while its fire blazed
خرَساءُ ، والأنعامُ تُرقصهُ
وكأنَّها بالموج تَرفِده
Mute though cattle danced around it
As if waves sustained it
تَتَعَثَّرُ الأجيالُ خالدةً
فيها .. ويَحضُنُها مُخَلَّده
Generations tripped into it, immortalized
As "David" roused it with psalms
" داودُ " بالمزمارِ يُوقِظه
ويُنيمُهُ بالعُود " مَعبده "
And "Maabad" soothed it on lute
It was robbed and plundered by ants
والهِيمُ تخزُنُهُ وتنهبُهُ
والغِيدُ تُنزِلهُ وتصُعِده
Taken up and brought down by locusts
It cast its beauties to the winds
ألْقَتْ إليه مِن مفاتِنِها
ما ليسَ إلاَّ اللهُ يَشهَده
Things that only God could witness
It threw to it vigils of bliss
ورمَتْ له يقظانَ مِن مُتَعٍ
ما نحنُ في الأحلامِ نَنشُده
That we only dreamed of
The star guarded it and its tryst
والنجمُ حارسُها وحارسُه
والظلُّ موعدُها وموعده
As did the shade, its promise and vow
Now I understand its sighing
الآنَ أُدْرِكُ سِرَّ زَفْرتهِ
إذ لم يَعُدْ سِرّاً تَجَلّده
As it could no longer conceal its ache
For it had lost the breath that sustained it
فَلفَقدِه نَفَساً تَنَفُّسُهُ
ولذِكره نَهداً تَنَهَّده
And for remembrance, the sigh that released it
The poor soul pursued its wave
يتَعقَّبُ المسكينُ موجَتَها
عَبَثاً بمَوْجتهِ وتطْرُده
Futilely with its wave though it drove it away
Until now it knew not its nature
لم يَدْرِ حتى الآنَ شِيمتَها
حسِبَ الهوى نَغَماً يُردِّده
Thinking desire was a tune that entertained it
Yesterday its goal was so sweet
أمسِ استطابتْ فيه مَقصِدَها
واليومَ أهونُ منه مَقصِده
Today that goal was less meaningful
If it could bring back its greenery
لو يستطيعُ لَرَدَّ خُضرتَهُ
وبرغْمِ سَفْحَيْهِ تورَّده
And redden its slopes against their pallor
Though it disliked that the love of its knocker
وبرغْمهِ أنْ حبَّ خابِطُهُ
للزارعينَ وذُمَّ مَورده
Was for the farmers and the curse of its rain
"Al Bayd" did not know
ماسرَّهُ " والبِيضُ " تُنْكِرهُ
أنَّ المراعي الخُضْرَ تَحْمَده!
That the green meadows praised it!
Memories of its transparency witnessed it
فالذكْرَياتُ الغُرُّ يَشهدُها
رقراقُهُ الصافي وتَشْهَده
Its pure burbling witnessed it
Not fearing the violence of its torrents
مُتطامِنٌ لم تُخْشَ صَولتُه
لكبْ تَضيقُ بصائِلٍ يَده
Should valleys constrain its hands
From the north, one hand lifted it
فمِنَ الشَّمال يدٌ وتُنْهِضُهُ
ومِنَ الجَنوب يدٌ وتُقْعِده
And from the south, one hand rested it
Like people to the graves was its refuge
كالنَّاسِ للحُفُراتِ مَرجِعُه
ومِنَ النِّطافِ النُزْرِ مولِده
And from drops was its birth
Its submission was like theirs, eternally
وخُضوعُهُ كخُضوعهمْ أبداً
للغيبِ أنَّى سارَ يقصده
To the unknown wherever it was fated
The season sustained it, minus the season
والفَصلُُ ، دونَ الفَصلِ ، يُنْعشُهُ
والأرضُ ، دون الأرض ، تُسعِده
And the earth, minus the earth, made it happy
So remote - the sky did not expand it
لَغِبٌ فلا الإِمساءُ يُوسِعُهُ
عَطْفاً ، ولا الإِصباحُ يُنجِده
Gently, nor the dawn save it
The star blind and unable to accompany it
النجمُ أعمى لا يرافِقُهُ
والطيرُ أخرَسُ لا يُغرِّده
The bird mute and unable to sing to it
Bewildered, no orbit to bathe it
مُتحَيِّرٌ لا يستَحِمُّ بهِ
فَلَكٌ ولا الأضواءُ تُرشِده
No lights to guide it
As if fog had crowded around it
وكأنَّ مُحتَشَدَ الضَّبابِ بهِ
بابٌ بوجهِ الشُهْبِ يُوصِده
A door blocking the face of its meteors
The faded sun reminding it
والشَّمسُ فاترةٌ تُذَكِّرهُ
وضَحَ السَّنا أيَّامَ تُوقِده
Of the radiance of days when it lit its hearth
Days when it blew from its spirit into its depths
أيَّامَ تنفُخُ في قَرارتهِ
من رُوحها نَفَساً تُجَدِّده
A breath that revived it
Even the moon saddened and isolated it
والبدرُ .. حتى البدرُ يُوحشه
في يومِ محنتهِ ويُفرده
On the day of its ordeal, leaving it alone
These two were never like the others
هذا الذي ما كانَ مِثلَهما
للصيفِ من مَثَلٍ يُخَلِّده
For summer they were the best examples that immortalized it
Together they fostered passion
كانا يَرُبَّانِ الغرامَ معاً
ذا يَصْطَفيهِ ، وذا يُهَدْهِده
One chose it, the other cradled it
Of the commotion of spring, there remained in it
لم يبقَ من هَرَجِ الربيع بهِ
الا الذي قد فات أجوده
Only what was most generous
On its coast, of the bower
ومن العريشِ على شواطئه
إلاّ خُشَيْبات تحدِّده
Only shrubs that delineated it
Disheveled by the breeze, as if playful
ركبٌ تحمل عنه ناشطهُ
واقام عاجزُه ومُقْعَده
A madwoman gone to undo it
What summer had let down of its tresses
والسامرُونَ انفضَّ عُرْسُهُمُ
لا جِدُّهُ أغنى ، ولا دَده
Autumn came to curl up!
Revealing dormancy, a neck that
حجَلَ الغُرابُ على مواقِدهمْ
وعلى الرَّمادِ بها يُلَبِّده
Yesterday in bloom, stretched out
As if its swimmer, fearing its pool
ومنَ الحَمامِ أظَلَّهُ زَجِلٌ
كَلِفٌ بلحنِ الصَّيفِ يُنْشِده
Anxious, found its temple blocked!
Would it return tomorrow to its playground
ضَنْكُ المسَفَّةِ يَدَّني عَطَشاً
وتَموُّجُ الآذيِّ يُبعِده
Or would it not return tomorrow like yesterday?!
The sailor dismantled his boat
مُتَسائلاً بشمَ حالَ رَيِّقُهُ
عن حُرِّ لونٍ كان يَعهَده!؟
With tar, after the locusts, bundling it
Living off scraps he nailed
وعلى الضِّفافِ، البطُّ مُنكمِشٌ
لاهٍ بذاوي النبتِ يَعضِده
To the board, or rope he made into his pillow
I did not know, had lamps not shone
شَعْثُ النَّسيل ، كأنَّ عابثةً
مَجنونةً راحتْ تُبدِّده
On its coast, where was its tomb?
It left...so I said: it fell asleep
ما الصَّيفُ سبَّطَ من جَدائلِه
جاءَ الخريفُ له يُجَعِّده!
And its lids, bleary, put it to bed
It faded...so I said: it slumbered, though still
بادي الخُمولِ يؤودُه عُنُقٌ
في أمس ، من زهْوٍ ، يُمدِّده!
An echo in the ear from a sigh that rose
As if a coffin being prepared
وكأنَّه ، إذ خِيفَ مَسبَحُه
مُتَرِّهبُ قد سُدَّ مَعْبَده!
By its sailors among what supported it
And I thought a dirge convoyed it
أتُرى يعودُ غداً لِمَلْعَبهِ
لأمْ لا يعودُ كأمسه غده؟!
To the grave, nails secured it
And the orators alternated verses
وتهضَّمَ النُوتيُّ زورقَه
بالقار، بعد الغِيد، يَحشُده
Noble, weeping ones that eulogized it!
O mute, weary, your eloquence
يقتاتُ من كِسَرٍ يُثَبِّتثها
في اللوح ، أو حَبلٍ يُمَسِّده
A gushing eternal spring
The pearls of its necklace panic
لم أدْرِ لو لم تُنبِني سُرُجٌ
في شاطئيه ِ ، أينَ مَرقده
At what distressed them, scattered about
Memories awakened in it a wound
ومَضَتْ .. فقلتُ : النّومُ أعوزَه
وجُفونُه ، رُمْداً ، تُسَهِّده!
That in its withering hands lingered
Appointed by time, it cultivated it
وخَبَتْ .. فقلتُ : غفا ، وإنَّ صَدىً
في السَّمْعِ من زَفْرٍ يُصَعِّده!
On its coast, then harvested it
Oh shore, you are the dearest transformed
وكأنَّ تابوتاً يُعِدُّ لهُ
مَلاَّحُه فيما يُنَضِّده
In speakers, by what you immortalize
And so nature, in its elements
وحسِبتُ مِزماراً يُشَيَّعُه
للقبرِ ، مسماراً يُشَدَّده
Is a jinn confined, its spirit withered!
We roam its inertia to unleash it
وتجاوُبَ الأجْراءِ قافيةً
سمحاءَ باكيةً تُمَجّده!
And its barren ambiguity to conceive it
Perhaps this is so, and perhaps it is a language
يا صامتاً عِيّاً ، ومَنْطِقُهُ
مُتَفَجِّرُ اليَنْبُوع سَرْمَده
Not yet attuned, we try to discipline it
And maybe its simplicities laughed
تَهفو فرائدُ عِقدهِ جَزَعاً
مما بها ، وتهيمُ شُرَّده
Mocking us for what we complicate
وتُثيرُ فيه الذكرياتُ شجاً
يَعيا به فيَخُورُ أيِّده
ومُوَكَّلاً بالدَّهر ، يَزرعُهُ
في شاطئيه ثمَّ يحصُده
يا شَطُّ ، أنتَ أعزُّ مُنقَلباً
في الناطقينَ بما تُخَلِّده
وكذا الطبيعةُ في عناصرها
جِنٌّ حَبيسُ الرُّوحِ مجهَده!
نَرتادُ جامدَها نُفَجِّرُه
وعقيمَ غامضِها نُوَلَّده
فلعلَّ ذا ، ولعَّلها لُغةٌ
من غيرِ ما جرْسٍ نعوَّده
ولربَّما ضَحِكتْ بسائطُها
هُزْءاً بنا ممَّا نُعَقِّده
