أمن دمنة من آل ليلى غشيتها — رقيع الوالبي

أَمِن دِمنَةٍ مِن آلِ ليلى غَشيتها

عَلى تَمِّ حَولٍ ماءُ عَينَيكَ سافِحُ

Is it at a campsite of Layla’s people that you visited,

a full year later, that tears pour from your eyes?

كَأَرشاشِ غَربٍ بَينَ قَرني محالَةٍ

مقحمهُ دامي السَلائِقِ ناضِحُ

Like the spray from a water bucket between a pulley’s two horns,

driven by a water-hauling camel whose bloodied gums are thrust forward.

عَلى جِربَةٍ تَسنو فَلِلغَربِ مَفرغ

حَثيثٌ وَماءُ البِئرِ في الدبرِ سائِحُ

On a patch of ground it draws water; the bucket empties

swiftly, while well water streams over the camel’s sores.

لَعَمري وَما عمري عَلَيَّ بِهَيِّنٍ

لَقَد طَوَّحَت لَيلَى الدِيارُ الطوارِحُ

By my life—and my life is no small thing to me—

the far-flung lands have carried Layla away.

وَمَرَّ بِبَينٍ عاجِلٍ مِن وِصالِها

سَوانِحُ طَيرٍ غدوَةً وَبوارِحُ

A sudden parting cut short my union with her,

as birds passing to the right and left crossed at dawn.

فَقُلتُ لأَصحابي أسِرُّ إِلَيهِمُ

عَزاءً كَأَنّي بِالَّذي قُلتُ مازِحُ

I said to my companions, confiding in them

words of consolation, as though I spoke them in jest:

صَحا القَلبُ عَن ذِكرِ الصبا غَير أَنَّني

تُذَكِّرُني لَيلَى البروقُ اللوامِحُ

The heart has awakened from thoughts of youthful love, yet

the flashing lightning reminds me of Layla.

وَعَنَّ الهَوى وَالشَّوقُ أَمسى جَميعُهُ

بِلَيلى وَمَمساها عَنِ الأَرضِ نازِحُ

Longing arose, and all my yearning now rests

with Layla, whose evening abode is far from this land.

فَيا لَيتَ لَيلَى حينَ تَنأى بِها النَّوى

يُخَبِّرُنا عَنها الرِّياحُ النَّواتِحُ

If only, when distance carries Layla away,

the blowing winds would bring us news of her

فَتُخبِرُنا ما أَحدَثَ الدَّهرُ بَعدنا

وَإِنَّ الَّذي بَيني وَبَينَكِ صالِحُ

and tell us what time has brought about since we parted.

What lies between you and me is sound:

بَعيدٌ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ عَفٌّ عَنِ الأَذى

ذَليلُ دَلالٍ عِندَ ذي اللبِّ رابِحُ

free of indecency, untouched by harm,

a yielding tenderness that a discerning person would prize.

عَزيزٌ مَنَعنا بابَهُ لا يَنالُهُ

صَديقٌ وَلا بادي العَداوَةِ كاشِحُ

It is precious; we have barred its door so that neither

a friend nor an openly hostile foe can reach it.

وَدَوِيَّةٍ مِن دونِ لَيلى مَظنَّةٍ

بِها مِن غواة الناسِ عاوٍ وَنابِحُ

Across a vast desert lying before Layla, where one might expect

the cries and barking of reckless men,

قَطَعتُ بِمَوّارِ المَلاطينِ مِمعجٍ

إِذا بَلَّ ليتَيهِ مِنَ الماءِ ناتِحُ

I rode on a strong camel with heaving flanks,

whose jaws splutter when water wets them:

هِبلٍّ مِشَلٍّ أَرحَبِيٍّ كَأَنَّهُ

إِذا ما عَلا سَهباً مِنَ الأَرضِ سابِحُ

a lean, swift Arhabi camel that seems,

when it mounts a broad plain, to swim.

سَريع لَحاقِ الرَّحلِ غالٍ بِصَدرِهِ

إِذا اِغتالَتِ السير الصَّحاري الصَّحاصِحُ

It moves quickly beneath the saddle and surges forward with its chest

when the open deserts swallow up the journey.

وَشُعثٍ نَشاوَى بِالكَوى قَد أَمَلَّهُم

ظُهورُ المَطايا وَالصَّحاري الصَّرادِحُ

And disheveled travelers, dazed in their shelters, had grown weary of

the backs of their mounts and the sprawling deserts.

أَناخوا وَما يَدرونَ مِن طولِ ما سَرَوا

بِحَقٍّ أَقَفٍّ أَرضُهُم أَم أباطِحُ

They halted, unsure after traveling so long

whether their ground was hard and stony or a sandy valley floor.

فَناموا قَليلاً خُلسَةً ثُمَّ راعَهُم

ندايَ وَأَمرٌ يَفصِلُ الشَكَّ جارِحُ

They stole a little sleep; then they were startled by

my call and a sharp matter that settled their doubt.

لِذِكرى سَرَت مِن آلِ لَيلى فَهَيَّجَت

لَنا حزناً بَرحٌ مِنَ الشَوقِ بارِحُ

A memory of Layla’s people had come in the night and stirred

in us a grievous, overwhelming sorrow of longing.

وَقَد غابَ غَوْرِيٌّ مِنَ النَجمِ لو جَرى

لغَيبوبَةٍ حَتّى دَنا وَهوَ جانِحُ

A low star had already disappeared; had it continued on,

it would have sunk from sight, for it was slanting toward the horizon.

فَقاموا بِظِئرانٍ فَشَدّوا نُسوعَها

عَلى يَعمُلاتٍ مُنعلاتٍ طَلائِحِ

Then they rose to the nursing camels and tightened their saddle straps

upon tireless, shod she-camels worn by travel.

كِماشٍ تُواليها صِيابٍ صُدورُها

عَباهِيمُ أَيديها كَأَيدي النَوابِحِ

They were lean, following one another, with sturdy chests;

their forelegs were massive, like the forelegs of barking beasts.

تَشَكَّى الوَجى مِن كُلِّ خُفٍّ وَمَنسِمٍ

عَلى أَنَّها تُؤتي الحَصَى بِالسَّرائِحِ

Every hoof and footpad complained of soreness,

though they still struck the pebbles at a brisk pace.

وَداعٍ مُضافٍ قَد أَظَفنا وَراءهُ

وَجانٍ كَفَينا البَأسَ وَالبَأسُ طالِحُ

And behind a caller who sought our aid, we pursued and gave him victory;

we spared an offender the violence of battle, though battle is harsh.

وَحَيٍّ حَلالٍ قَد أَبَحنا حِماهُمُ

بِوَردٍ ووَردٍ قَد لَقينا بِناطِحِ

And we overran the protected ground of a settled clan

with one force, and met another with a charge.

وَجَمعٍ فَضَضناهُ وَخَيلٍ كَأَنَّها

جَرادٌ تَلَقّى مَطلعَ الشَّمسِ سارِحُ

We broke up a gathered host, and horses like

a swarm of locusts went forth toward the sunrise.

صَبَرنا لَهم وَالصَبرُ مِنّا سَجِيَّةٌ

بِفِتيانِ صِدقٍ وَالكُهولِ الجَحاجِحِ

We stood firm against them, for endurance is our nature,

with loyal young men and formidable elders.

فَفاءوا بِطَعنٍ في النُحورِ وَفي الكُلى

يَجيشُ وَضَربٍ في الجَماجِمِ جارِحِ

They went away bearing thrusts to throats and flanks,

with blood welling, and wounding blows to their skulls.

فَفُزنا بِها مَجداً وَفاءَ عَدُوُّنا

بِحِقدٍ وَقَتلٍ في النُفوسِ الأَوانِحِ

So we gained glory through it, while our enemy went away

with rancor and deaths weighing on grieving hearts.

فَوارِسُنا الحامو الحَقيقَة في الوَغى

وَأَيسارُنا البيضُ الوُجوهِ المسامِحُ

Our horsemen defend what is right in battle,

and our generous men are fair-faced and openhanded.

وَما سُبَّ لي خالٌ وَما سُبَّ لي أَبٌ

بِغَدر وَما مَسَّت قَناتي القوادِحُ

No maternal uncle or father of mine has been reviled

for treachery, and no reproach has touched my spear.

وَإِنّي لَسَبّاقُ الرِهانِ مُجَرِّبٌ

إِذا كَثُرَت يَومَ الحِفاظِ الصوائِحُ

I am a proven forerunner in the contest,

when cries multiply on the day honor must be defended.

أَعاذِلَ مَهلاً إِنَّما المَرءُ عامِلٌ

فَلا تُكثِري لَومَ النُفوسِ الشحائِحِ

O reproacher, be gentle: a person acts according to his purpose;

do not go on blaming souls that cling too tightly to life.

دَعيني وَهَمّي إِن هَمَمتُ وَبُغيَتي

أعِش في سوامٍ أَو أطِح في الطوائِحِ

Leave me to my resolve, when I resolve, and to my aim:

let me live among grazing herds or fall amid perils.

فَللمَرءُ أَمضى مِن سِنانٍ إِذا مَضى

وَلَلهَم أَكمَى مِن كَمِيٍّ مشايِحِ

A man’s resolve, when firm, is keener than a spearpoint,

and determination is bolder than a fierce armored warrior.

فَإِن أَحيَ يَوماً أَلقَ يَوماً مَنِيَّتي

وَلا بُدَّ مِن رَمسٍ عَلَيهِ الصَفائِحُ

If I live today, one day I shall meet my death,

and a grave covered with stone slabs is inevitable.