زَوَّجَ الماءَ بِاِبنَةِ العُنقودِ
فَاِنجَلَت في قَلائِدٍ وَعُقودِ
He wed water to the daughter of the grape cluster,
and she appeared adorned in necklaces and chains.
قُتِلَت بِالمِزاجِ ظُلماً فَقالَت
كَم قَتيلٍ كَما قُتِلتُ شَهيدِ
Slain unjustly by their blending, she said:
“How many, slain as I was, are martyrs!”
طافَ يَسعى بِها أَغَنُّ حَكى ما
في يَدَيهِ بِثَغرِهِ وَالخُدودِ
A sweet-voiced cupbearer circled with her, hastening, reflecting what
was in his hands with his teeth and cheeks.
قَرَّبَ الكَأسَ نَحوَ عارِضِهِ الغَض
ضِ فَأَبدى العَتيقَ فَضلُ الجَديدِ
He brought the cup near the soft down of his cheek,
and the old wine revealed the youthful cheek’s superiority.
فَغَدا التائِبونَ مِنّا نَدامى
وَالنَدامى في ظِلِّ عَيشٍ رَغيدِ
Thus the penitents among us awoke regretful,
while the drinking companions lived in the shade of ease.
فَصَلَينا لَظىً وَأُزلِفَتِ الجَن
نَةُ لِلمُتَّقينَ غَيرَ بَعيدِ
We sought the blaze, while the Garden was brought near—
not far away—to the God-fearing.
أَنا صَبٌّ قَضَت لَهُ شِرعَةُ العِش
قِ بِأَلّا يَموتَ غَيرَ شَهيدِ
I am passion’s thrall; the law of love decreed for him
that he should die no death but a martyr’s.
فَإِذا ما نَجوتُ مِن مَعرَكِ الأَل
حاظِ لَم أَنجُ مِن كَمينِ القُدودِ
Even if I escape the battlefield of glances,
I do not escape the ambush of slender forms.
كُلَّما أَخلَقَ التَجَلُّدُ وَجدي
جادَ داعي الهَوى بِوَجدٍ جَديدِ
Whenever endurance grows worn and my longing old,
the summons of passion lavishes a new ecstasy—
مِثلَ أَهلِ الجَحيمِ إِن تُذهِبِ الن
نارُ جُلوداً تَبَدَّلوا بِجُلودِ
like the people of Hell: whenever the fire torments
their skins, they exchange them for new skins.
قَسَماً بِالمَطِيِّ مِثلَ الهَوادي
نَظَمَتها الحُداةُ نَظمَ العُقودِ
I swear by the riding beasts, advancing like guides,
whom the camel-drivers strung together like necklaces.
فَهيَ طَوراً قَلائِدُ القُلَلِ الشُم
مِ وَطَوراً وِشاحُ خَصرِ البيدِ
Now they are necklaces upon the lofty peaks,
and now a sash around the desert’s waist.
نَكَبَت مَرتَعَ الشَآمِ وَأَمَّت
نَحوَ مَرعىً أَحوى وَظِلٍّ مَديدِ
They turned aside from Syria’s pasture and made for
a dark-green meadow and far-reaching shade.
فَإِذا ما تَجاوَزَت حَرَّ حَرّا
نَ أَناخَت بِبَردِ عَينِ البَرودِ
When they had passed beyond the heat of Harran,
they knelt in the coolness of Ayn al-Barud.
وَتَغانَت بِنَهرِ حَرزَمَ وَالغَر
سَينِ عَن نَهرِ ثَورَةٍ وَيَزيدِ
Nahr Harzam and al-Gharsayn sufficed for them
in place of the rivers Thawra and Yazid.
لَقَدِ اِستَعصَمَت بِحِصنٍ حَصينٍ
حينَ لاذَت مِنها بِرُكنٍ شَديدِ
They sought protection in an impregnable fortress
when they took refuge from her beside a mighty pillar.
وَأَناخَت بِظِلِّ أَبلَجَ رَحبِ ال
صَدرِ نَزرِ الأَقرانِ جَمِّ الحَسودِ
They knelt beneath the shade of a radiant man, broad of
breast, scarce in peers and abundant in enviers—
ساهِرِ النارِ راقِدِ الجارِ رَحبِ ال
دارِ حَيِّ الأَكنافِ مَيتِ الحُقودِ
whose fire stays wakeful while his neighbor sleeps, broad of
house, enlivening the lands around him, dead to grudges;
بِطَويلِ النِجادِ ضَيَّقَ باعَ ال
عُذرِ سَمحٍ قَصيرِ عُمرِ الوُعودِ
tall of sword-belt, sparing in the reach of
excuses, generous, whose promises swiftly pass into fulfillment:
خَيرَ أَبناءِ أُرتُقَ المَلِكِ الصا
لِحِ شَمسِ الدينِ الفَريدِ الوَحيدِ
the best of Artuq’s sons, the righteous king,
Shams al-Din, the peerless and unique.
مَلِكٌ أَنفَدَ الذَوابِلَ بِالنَق
لِ وَأَفنى الصِفاحَ بِالتَقليدِ
A king who spent the supple lances in the charge
and wore the sword blades away by girding them on;
حامِلٌ مِن شَدائِدِ المُلكِ ماحُم
مِلَ قِدماً سَمِيُّهُ مِن ثَمودِ
a bearer of the kingdom’s hardships, like the burden
once borne by his namesake among Thamud;
مِن أُناسٍ إِذا تَمَنَّعَتِ العَل
ياءُ كانوا مِنها كَحَبلِ الوَريدِ
descended from men who, when the heights held themselves aloof,
drew as near to them as the jugular vein.
عَرَفوا الزَحفَ قَبلَ مَعرِفَةِ القُم
طِ وَحَلّوا السُروجَ قَبلَ المُهودِ
They knew the battle advance before they knew swaddling bands,
and mounted saddles before they knew cradles.
أَيُّها الماجِدُ الَّذي حَمَلَ الأَث
قالَ في طاعَةِ الحَميدِ المَجيدِ
O glorious one who has borne the burdens
in obedience to the Praiseworthy, the Glorious:
لا تَكُن خائِفاً سِوى اللَهِ شَيئاً
إِنَّها مِن شَواهِدِ التَوحيدِ
fear nothing other than God,
for such fear is among the testimonies to divine oneness.
فَإِذا زادَتِ الحَوادِثُ حَدّاً
كانَ نَقصُ الكَمالِ في المَحدودِ
When calamities increase beyond all measure,
what mars perfection is only its being bounded.
كَم جُموعٍ فَلَّلتَها بِحُسامٍ
شَرِقِ الصَفحَتَينِ ظامي الخُدودِ
How many hosts have you shattered with a saber
gleaming on both faces, its cheeks athirst!
فَغَدوا وَالرُؤوسُ فَوقَ صِعادٍ
وَجِسامُ الجُسومِ تَحتَ الصَعيدِ
They were left with their heads upon spear shafts
and their massive bodies beneath the earth.
يا إِمامَ السَخا وَصِنوَ المَعالي
وَنَبِيَّ النَدى وَرَبَّ الجودِ
O imam of munificence, twin of lofty deeds,
prophet of generosity and lord of bounty!
نَقَدَتكَ العَلياءُ إِذ أَعوَزَ الكُف
ءَ لَدَيها فَكُنتَ أَغلى النُقودِ
High rank minted you when it could find no equal
in its own eyes, and so you became the dearest coin.
فَإِذا آلُ أُرتُقٍ حاوَلوا الفَخ
رَ بِماضي الحُدودِ أَو بِالجُدودِ
Whenever the house of Artuq seeks to boast
of sharp edges or of forefathers,
كُنتَ مَلقى العَصا وَواسِطَةَ العِق
دِ وَقُطبَ الرَحى وَبَيتَ القَصيدِ
you are the journey’s end and the necklace’s central jewel,
the millstone’s pivot and the house of the ode.
فَلَوَ اَنَّ الزَمانَ يَنطِقُ يَوماً
قالَ هَذا إِنسانُ عَينِ الوُجودِ
If time itself could speak one day,
it would say, “This is the pupil of existence’s eye.”
وَإِذا الدَهرُ خَطَّ حَولَكَ طِرساً
كانَ عُنوانُهُ أَقَلَّ العَبيدِ
And if the age inscribed a page around you,
its title would be “The Least of His Slaves.”
يا مَليكاً إِذا عُزيتَ لِفَخرٍ
كانَ مِن بِرِّهِ وُجودي وَجودي
O king, whenever you are ascribed to glory,
your goodness gave me both my being and my bounty.
أَنتَ عَلَّمتَني التَجَرّي عَلى الدَه
رِ وَفَتكي بِكُلِّ خَطبٍ شَديدِ
You taught me boldness in defying time
and striking at every grave calamity.
فَإِذا ما أَمَرتُ دَهري بِأَمرٍ
خِلتُ أَنَّ الأَيّامَ بَعضُ جُنودي
Whenever I command my fate to do a thing,
I imagine the days themselves are some of my soldiers.
وَبِكَ اِستَعذَبَ المُلوكُ كَلامي
وَرَعوا حَقَّ حُرمَتي وَعُهودي
Through you, kings have found my speech sweet
and honored my sanctity and my covenants.
فَمِنَ الجَهلِ أَن أَرومَ أُجازي
كَ بِمَعنى رِسالَةٍ أَو قَصيدِ
It would be ignorance for me to seek to repay
you with the substance of an epistle or an ode,
أَو أَصوغَ الأَشعارَ يَومَ هَناءٍ
يَشمَلُ المَلكَ أَو أُهَنّي بِعيدِ
or to fashion verses on a day of rejoicing
that embrace the king or congratulate him upon a feast.
غَيرَ أَنَّ الإِلَهَ يَجزيكَ إِذ لَم
يَكُ غَيرَ الثَناءِ مِن مَجهودي
Only God can reward you, since
praise alone was the utmost of my effort.
فَاِستَمِعها بِكراً حَماها ضِياءُ ال
حِسِّ مِنّي عَن ظُلمَةِ التَعقيدِ
So hear it—a virgin poem whose radiance of
beauty has shielded her from the darkness of complication.
هَجَّنَت شِعرَ كُلِّ مَن عَقَدَ القا
فَ جَميعاً لا جَروَلٍ وَلَبيدِ
She has made the verse of every weaver of rhyme seem mongrel—
all of them alike, neither Jarwal nor Labid excepted.
وَاِبقَ طولَ الزَمانِ تُفني وَتُغني
وَتُهَنّى بِكُلِّ عيدٍ جَديدِ
Remain throughout the length of time, bringing things to completion and enriching,
and be congratulated upon every new feast.
