يا صاحِبَيَّ قِفا نَستَخبِرِ الطَلَلا
عَن بَعضِ مَن حَلَّهُ بِالأَمسِ ما فَعَلا
My friend, let's stop and ask news
Of some who camped at the old encampment yesterday, what they did,
فَقالَ لي الرَبعُ لَمّا أَن وَقَفتُ بِهِ
إِنَّ الخَليطَ أَجَدَّ البَينَ فَاِحتَمَلا
The mirage told me when I stopped beside it:
“The approaching party hurried the separation, so it bore heavily.”
وَخادَعَتكَ النَوى حَتّى رَأَيتَهُمُ
في الفَجرِ يَحتَثُّ حادي عيرِهِم زَجلا
The nomad fires deluded you, until you saw them
At dawn, breaking camp, their camel-driver urging the stragglers.
لَمّا وَقَفنا نُحَيِّهِم وَقَد صَرَخَت
هَواتِفُ البَينِ فَاِستَولَت بِهِم أُصُلا
When we halted to bid them farewell, though the voices
Of the camel drivers had given the call to departure.
قامَت تَراءَى لِحَينٍ ساقَهُ قَدَرٌ
وَقَد نَرى أَنَّها لَن تَسبِقَ الأَجَلا
She stood, for a while, to watch the course
Of departure, then we saw that she would not outstrip fate.
بِفاحِمٍ مُكرَعٍ سودٍ غَدائِرُهُ
تَثني عَلى المَتنِ مِنهُ وارِداً جَثَلا
With a reddish white, intensely black camel, kneading
His knees into the litter, his neck outstretched.
وَمُقلَتَي نَعجَةٍ أَدماءَ أَسلَمَها
أَحوى المَدامِعِ طاوي الكَشحِ قَد خَذَلا
And the teary, red-rimmed eyes of a ewe Left behind by her newly-weaned lamb.
And saplings of sweet, cool greens
وَنَيِّرِ النَبتِ عَذبٍ بارِدٍ خَصرٍ
كَالأُقحُوانِ عِذابٍ طَعمُهُ رَتِلا
Like aloe-plants in taste, exhaling fragrance.
As if an old safflower-dyed garment
كَأَنَّ إِسفِنطَةً شيبَت بِذَي شَبَمٍ
مِن صَوبِ أَزرَقَ هَبَّت ريحُهُ شَمَلا
Had been plundered by one grayed on the temples.
Ambergris, and lavender, and clove,
وَالعَنبَرَ الأَكلَفَ المَسحوقَ خالَطَهُ
وَالزَنجَبيلَ وَراحَ الشامِ وَالعَسَلا
And syrup of roses to heal one sick with love.
When this star has climbed, and the horizon reddened.
تَشفي الضَجيعَ بِهِ وَهناً عَوارِضُها
إِذا تَغَوَّرَ هَذا النَجمُ وَاِعتَدَلا
One day she said to her girlfriend:
“What do you bid me do, for my heart is cracked?”
قالَت عَلى رِقبَةٍ يَوماً لِجارَتِها
ما تَأمُرينَ فَإِنَّ القَلبَ قَد تُبِلا
“Is there a sister of mine today who will console me,
One of you I can confide in about what has happened?”
وَهَل لِيَ اليَومَ مِن أُختٍ مُواسِيَةٍ
مِنكُنَّ أَشكو إِلَيها بَعضَ ما عَمِلا
A noble-spirited woman answered her,
With a judicious word, an excellent suggestion:
فَجاوَبَتها حَصانٌ غَيرُ فاحِشَةٍ
بِرَجعِ قَولٍ وَأَمرِ لَم يَكُن خَطِلا
“Restrain yourself with modesty and generosity,
You are not the first girl to be hung upon a man!”
إِقني حَياءَكِ في سِترٍ وَفي كَرَمٍ
فَلَستَ أَوَّلَ أُنثى عُلِّقَت رَجُلا
“Do not reveal your love until I can win him back,
I will suffice you of him, if I do not die soon.
لا تُظهِري حُبَّهُ حَتّى أُراجِعَهُ
إِنّي سَأَكفيكِهِ إِن لَم أَمُت عَجَلا
She brusquely turned her back, and said to her companion:
“For God’s sake, blame him for some of what he has done!”
صَدَّت بِعاداً وَقالَت لِلَّتي مَعَها
بِاللَهِ لوميهِ في بَعضِ الَّذي فَعَلا
“Tell him what I told you, listen to his answer,
Do not weary of engaging him in conversation,
وَحَدِّثيهِ بِما حُدِّثتُ وَاِستَمِعي
ماذا يَقولُ وَلا تَعيِي بِهِ جَدَلا
Until he sees that whatever the slanderers said of us
Reaches him from us, every bit of it transmitted.”
حَتّى يَرى أَنَّ ما قالَ الوُشاةُ لَهُ
فينا لَدَيهِ إِلَينا كُلَّهُ نُقِلا
Make him recognize them as wits, and preserve –
Without causing offense – that you anger the man.
وَعَرِّفيهِ بِهِم كَالهَزلِ وَاِحتَفِظي
في غَيرِ مَعتَبَةٍ أَن تُغضِبي الرَجُلا
By God, my pact with him – may God preserve him! –
Is that if a sin comes from one who dislikes forgiveness,
فَإِنَّ عَهدي بِهِ وَاللَهُ يَحفَظُهُ
وَإِن أَتى الذَنبَ مِمَّن يَكرَهُ العَذلا
If he is backbitten among us or suffers our rebuke,
His critic will not depart from us unchided.
لَو عِندَنا اِغتيبَ أَو نيلَت نَقيصَتُهُ
ما آبَ مُغتابُهُ مِن عِندِنا جَذِلا
I said: “Listen! You have uttered the finest refinement.
قُلتُ اِسمَعي فَلَقَد أَبلَغتِ في لَطَفٍ
وَلَيسَ يَخفى عَلى ذي اللُبِّ مَن هَزَلا
And it eludes not the intelligent man when one speaks lightly.
With this she intended stinginess, so we might excuse her.
هَذا أَرادَت بِهِ بُخلاً لِنَعذِرُها
وَقَد نَرى أَنَّها لَن تَعدَمَ العِلَلا
Yet we see that she will not lack pretexts.”
“Why is the heart named so, but for its fluctuations?
ما سُمِّيَ القَلبُ إِلّا مِن تَقَلُّبِهِ
وَلا الفُؤادُ فُؤاداً غَيرَ أَن عَقَلا
Why is the fu'ād called fu'ād, if not that it understands?”
“As for the tale she claimed was brought to me,
أَمّا الحَديثُ الَّذي قالَت أُتيتُ بِهِ
فَما عَنيتُ بِهِ إِذ جاءَني حَوِلا
I had no intention toward it when it came to me indirectly.
If I obeyed her in backbiting, she would come to know
ما إِن أَطَعتُ لَها بِالغَيبِ قَد عَلِمَت
مَقالَةَ الكاشِحِ الواشي إِذا مَحَلا
The words of a tattling rebuker, were he given occasion.”
“I will turn him against her in his anger,
إِنّي لَأَرجِعُهُ فيها بِسُخطَتِهِ
وَقَد أَتاني يُرَجّى طاعَتي نَفَلا
Though he has come to me, begging my consent.”
