ماذا حلا لكِ بَعدي
بعد القِلا والتَّصدِّي؟!
What has befallen you after me
After the separation and estrangement?!
أمَّا أنا فِحَلاِ لي
أَنِّي حَظِيتُ بِجُنْدِ!
As for me, my solace
Is that I was blessed with beauty!
من المِلاحِ شَذِيٌّ
أَعِيشُ منه بِرَغْدِ!
With a charm that I live luxuriously with!
While you are alone, bleak
وحيدةٌ أنْتِ.. شِلْوٌ
من بعد عِزَّ ومَجْدِ!
After glory and might!
None desire you, so they incline
لا يَشْتَهِيها فَيَصْبو
إلى القَذى غَيْرُ وَغْدِ
Towards trash except for a glutton
You were once a shining star
قد كنْتِ نَجْماً وَضِيئاً
لِكُلِّ غَوْرٍ ونَجْدِ!
For every gorge and plateau!
The muscular envied you intensely
حَسَدْنَكِ الغِيدُ وَجْداً
كَمِثْلِ حَدَِّ الفِرِنْدِ!
Like the edge of a sharp sword!
And they said you're not up to it
وقُلْنَ لْيسَتْ بِنِدَّ
فأنْت أعْظَمُ ندِّ!
Yet you are the greatest supporter!
And we will reward you with affection
ونحن نَجْزِيكَ وُدّاً
إذا أَرَدْت بِوُِدِّ !
If you wanted with friendship!
Rather, we will reward you with connection
بل سوف نَجْزِيكَ وَصْلاً
وقد جُزِيتَ بِصَدِّ!
And you have been rewarded with rejection!
We are the beautiful gazelles
نَحْن الحِسانُ اللَّواتي
في الرَّوْضِ أَنْضَرُ وَرْدِ!
In the garden, more radiant than flowers!
And we fell in love with poetry
وقد شُغِفْنا بِشِعْرٍ
يشفي الصُّدورَ ويُسدي!
That heals the chests and pours forth!
As if it were the warbling of a bird
كأَنَّه شَدْوُ طَيْرٍ
كأنَّه طَعْم شَهْدِ!
As if it were the taste of honey!
And it may be a warner
وقد يكونُ نَذِيراً
كَمِثْلِ بَرْقٍ ورَعْدِ!
Like lightning and thunder!
Take the peak of beauty and leave
خُذْ قِمَّةَ الحُسْنِ واتْرُكِ
ما كانَ منه كلَحْدِ!
What was of it rough
The inspirers are like who dress
المُلْهِماتُ كَسَوْنَ
القَريضَ أَجْمَل بُرْدِ!
Poetry in the finest attire!
And they dressed it in attire
وقد كَساهُنَّ بُرْداً
فَرُحْنَ منه بِخُلْدِ!
So they rejoiced in it eternally!
So bestow upon us your poetry
فاصْدَحْ بِشِعْرِكَ فينا
يا شاعراً مِن مَعَدِّ..!
O poet of integrity..!
For it is for transcendence
فإنه لِسُمُوَّ
يَقُودُ .. لا لِتَردِّي!
It leads.. not to decline!
And the free poet disdains
والشاعِرُ الحُرُّ يأْبَى
إلاَّ قَبُولَ التَّحَدِّي!
Except accepting the challenge!
And she challenged you one day
وقد تَحَدَّتْكَ يوماً
فَجاوزَتْ كُلِّ قَصْدِ!
So she surpassed all intentions!
So toss her in a pit
فأَلْقِها في حفير
فإِنَّه خَيْرُ حَدِّ...!
For it is the best boundary...!
Not who gets lost in glory
ما مَنْ يَتِيهُ بِمَجْدٍ
كمن يَتِيه بِنَهْدِ!
Like who gets lost in cleavage!
And we heard a talk
وقد سَمِعْنا حَدِيثاً
يُشْقي النُّفُوسَ ويُرْدى!
That grieves the souls and lays them to waste!
Saying she was a gazelle
يَقُولُ كانت غزالاً
فأَصْبَحَتْ مِثْلَ قِرْدِ!
But became like an ape!
She did not settle down with joking
فلا اسْتَقامَتْ بِهَزْلٍ
ولا استقامَتْ بِجِدِّ!
Nor settled down seriously!
So they turned away from her,
فَصَدَّ عنها هُواةً..
من كُلِّ حُرِّ وَعَبْدِ!
All the free and enslaved!
She said to them, what has befallen you
قالت لهم ما اعْتَراكُمْ
مِن بَعْد حُبِّ وَوَجْدِ!
After love and passion!
You were soldiers to me
كُنْتُمْ لدَيَّ جُنوداً
يَخْشَوْنَ صَدِّى وبُعْدي!
Fearing my voice and distance!
My love floored you as corpses
صَرْعى هَوايَ جُثِيّاً
ما تَسْتَطيلون عِنْدي!
You cannot stand before me!
You left me and went
تَرَكْتُموني ورُحْتُمْ
عَنِّي. فأصْبَحْتُ وَحْدي!
Away from me, so I was alone!
You were weak sheep
كُنْتُمْ خِرافاَ ضِعافاً
فكيف عُدْتُمْ كأُسْدِ؟!
So how did you become like lions?!
They said to her, we were protected
قالوا لها. قد وُقِينا
من شَرِّ ذاك التَّعَدِّي!
From the evil of that transgression!
From the evil of deceptive beauty
من شَرِّ حُسْنِ هَصُورٍ
ما إنْ له مِن مَرَدِّ!
That has no cure!
We lived paying its price for ages
عِشْنا نُفَدِّيه دَهْراً
وما نَراهُ يُفَدَِّي!
And we do not see it pays off!
And we were worn out by misfortune
وقد بُلِنا بِنَحْسِ
وما بُلِينا بِسَعْدِ..!
And were not worn out by good fortune..!
She said, woe to you for you
قالت خَسِئْتُمْ فأنْتُمْ
بُغاةُ مَكْرٍ وكَيْدِ!
Are the rebels of cunning and deceit!
And copious tears flowed
وسال دَمْعٌ غَزيرٌ
منها على كُلِّ خَدِّ!
From her over every cheek!
She said, I wish I
قالَتْ تَمَنَّيْتُ أنِّي
قد لُذْتُ يَوْماً برُشْدي!
Was guided one day by my reason!
So I did not pasture it with rejection
فلم أَرُعْهُ بِصَدٍّ
ولم أرُعْه بِحَصْدِ!
Nor pasture it with harvesting!
It was an impenetrable dam
قد كان سَدّاً مَنِيعاً
وقد عَبَثْتُ بِسَدِّي!
And I toyed with my dam!
And it was a beautiful promise
وكان وعْداً جَميلاً
فما وَفَيْتُ لِوَعْدي!
Yet I did not fulfill my promise!
This is the story of a sword
هذي حكايةُ سَيْفِ
لم يَسْتَقِرَّ بِغِمْدِ!
That did not settle in its sheath!
For its sheath was brittle
فَغِمْدُه كان هَشّماً
ولم يكُنْ بالأَشَدِّ!
And was not solid!
And the sword was unleashed
والسَّيْفُ كانَ رَهِيفاً
يَسْطُو بكفِّ وزِنْدِ!
Brandishing with palms and wrists!
And no balance holds up
وما يَقُومُ وِفاقٌ
ما بَيْن ضَعْفٍ وأَيْدِ!
Between weakness and support!
And I was not wanton
ولم أكُنْ بِغَوَيِّ
أوْ كُنْتُ أَزْهو بِجدِّي!
Or I was pretentious with my own!
But I was pretentious with my reason
بل كنْتُ أزْهو بِرُشْدي
وشيمتي. وبرفْدي!
And my virtues, and with my abundance!
And I did not go astray so I misery
ولم أُضِلِّ فأُشْقِي
لكِن أُعِينُ وأَهدي!
Rather I assist and guide!
O my departure, you will not heed
يا غادتي. لن تُراعِي
مِنِّي بِكَيْدٍ وحِقْدِ!
From me with cunning and hatred!
You will not hear but gratitude
لن تَسْمَعي غَيْرَ شُكْرٍ
على الصُّدودِ وحَمْدِ!
For the estrangement and praise!
For I have a chaste tongue
فَلِي لِسانٌ عَفِيفٌ
فيما يُعِيدُ ويُبْدي!
In what it repeats and initiates!
And I have a pure gaze..
ولي يَراعٌ طَهْورٌ..
سَما بِجَزْرٍ ومَدِّ!
By heaven through land and sea!
It has never drawn hastily
لم يَسْط يَوماً بِسَهْوٍ
أَوْ يَسْطُ يَوْماً بِعَمْدِ!
Or drawn one day deliberately!
So my being is of fragrance
فَعُنْصُري مِن عَبِيرٍ
زاكٍ بِعُودٍ ونَدِّ..!
Prospering with aloes wood and myrtle..!
My roses were a fresh Euphrates
قد كانَ وِرْدي فُراتاً
عَذْباً.فَطِبْتُ بِوِرْدي!
So I flourished through my roses!
