ألست ترى ما في العيون من السقم — Safi Al Din Al Hilli

أَلَستَ تَرى ما في العُيونِ مِنَ السُقمِ

لَقَد نَحَلَ المَعنى المُدَفَّقُ مِن جِسمي

Do you not see the sickness in those eyes?

That overflowing conceit has indeed borrowed from my body.

وَأَضعَفُ ما بِيَ بِالخُصورِ مِنَ الضَنا

عَلى أَنَّها مِن ظُلمِها غَصَبَت قِسمي

And the wasting in those waists is but the least of mine,

though, in their injustice, they have usurped my share.

وَما ذاكَ إِلّا أَنَّ يَومَ وَداعِنا

لَقَد غَفَلَت عَينُ الرَقيبِ عَلى رُغمِ

That was only because, on the day we parted,

the watcher's eye had grown heedless, despite himself.

ضَمَمتُ ضَنا جِسمي إِلى ضُعفِ خِصرِها

لِجِنسِيَّةٍ كانَت لَهُ عِلَّةَ الضَمِّ

I pressed my body's wasting against the frailty of her waist,

through an affinity that was the cause of that embrace.

رَبيبَةُخِدرٍ يَجرَحُ اللَحظُ خَدَّها

فَوَجنَتُها تَدمى وَأَلحاظُها تُدمي

A maiden reared in seclusion: a glance wounds her cheek;

so her cheek bleeds, while her glances draw blood.

يُكَلِّمُ لَفظي خَدَّها إِن ذَكَرتُهُ

وَيُؤلِمُهُ إِن مَرَّ مَرآهُ في وَهمي

My words wound her cheek if I mention it,

and hurt it if its image passes through my mind.

إِذا اِبتَسَمَت وَالفاحِمُ الجَعدُ مُسبَلٌ

تُضِلُّ وَتَهدي مِن ظَلامٍ وَمِن ظَلمِ

When she smiles, her coal-black curls hanging loose,

she leads astray with darkness and guides with the gleam of teeth.

تَغَزَّلتُ فيها بِالغَزالِ فَأَعرَضَت

وَقالَت لَعَمري هَذِهِ غايَةُ الذَمِّ

I wooed her in verse, likening her to a gazelle; she turned away

and said, 'By my life, this is the height of disparagement!'

وَصَدَّت وَقَد شَبَّهتُ بِالبَدرِ وَجهَها

نِفاراً وَقالَت صِرتَ تَطمَعُ في شَتمي

She recoiled when I likened her face to the full moon,

in aversion, saying, 'Now you aspire to insult me!'

وَكَم قَد بَذَلتُ النَفسَ أَخطُبُ وَصلَها

وَخاطَرتُ فيها بِالنَفيسِ عَلى عِلمِ

How often I offered my soul, seeking union with her,

and knowingly risked what was precious for her sake.

فَلَم تَلِدِ الدُنيا لَنا غَيرَ لَيلَةٍ

نَعِمتُ بِها ثُمَّ اِستَمَرَّت عَلى العُقمِ

Yet the world bore us no more than a single night;

I delighted in it; then the world remained barren.

فَيا مَن أَقامَتني خَطيباً لِوَصفِها

أُرَصِّعُ فيها اللَفظَ في النَثرِ وَالنَظمِ

O you who made me an orator in her praise,

I bejewel my words about her in prose and verse.

خُذي الدُرَّ مِن لَفظي فَإِن شِئتِ نَظمَهُ

وَأَعوَزَ سِلكٌ لِلنِظامِ فَها جِسمي

Take the pearls from my words; if you wish to string them,

and lack a thread for the stringing, here is my body.

فَفيكِ هَجَرتُ الأَهلَ وَالمالَ وَالغِنى

وَرُتبَةَ دَستِ المُلكِ وَالجاهِ وَالحُكمِ

For you I forsook family, wealth, and affluence,

and rank at the royal throne, prestige, and rule.

وَقُلتِ لَقَد أَصبَحتَ في الحَيِّ مُفرِداً

صَدَقتِ فَهَلّا جازَ عَفوُكِ في ظُلمي

You said, 'You have become solitary among the tribe.'

You spoke truly; why, then, does your pardon not extend to my wrongdoing?

أَلَم تَشهَدي أَنّي أُمَثَّلُ لِلعِدى

فَتَسهَرَ خَوفاً أَن تَرانِيَ في الحُلمِ

Have you not seen how my image is shown to my foes,

so they lie awake, fearing to see me in a dream?

فَكَم طَمِعوا في وِحدَتي فَرَمَيتُهُم

بِأَضيَقَ مِن سُمٍّ وَأَقتَلَ مِن سُمِّ

How often they set their hopes upon my solitude, and I struck them

with what is narrower than a needle's eye and deadlier than poison.

وَكَم أَجَّجوا نارَ الحُروبِ وَأَقبَلوا

بِجَيشٍ يَصُدُّ السيلَ عَن مَربَضِ العُصمِ

How often they kindled war's fire and advanced

with an army that bars the torrent from the ibexes' resting place;

فَلَم يَسمَعوا إِلّا صَليلَ مُهَنَّدي

وَصَوتَ زَئيري بَينَ قَعقَعَةِ اللُجمِ

yet they heard only the ringing of my Indian blade

and my roar amid the clatter of bridles.

جَعَلتُهُمُ نَهباً لِسَيفِيَ وَمِقوَلي

فَهُم في وَبالٍ مِن كَلامي وَمِن كَلّمي

I made them plunder for my sword and my tongue,

so they suffer ruin from my words and the wounds I deal.

تَوَدُّ العِدى لَو يُحدِقُ اِسمُ أَبي بِها

وَأَلّا تُفاجا في مَجالِ الوَغى بِاِسمي

My foes wish my father's name would surround them,

rather than be surprised by my name on the battlefield.

تُعَدَّدُ أَفعالي وَتِلكَ مَناقِبٌ

فَتَذكُرُني بِالمَدحِ في مَعرِضِ الذَمِّ

My deeds are recounted—and those are merits—

so they praise me in the guise of blame.

وَلَو جَحَدوا فِعلي مَخافَةَ شامِتٍ

لَنَمَّ عَلَيهِم في جِباهِهِمُ وَسمي

Even if they denied my deeds for fear of a gloating foe,

my brand upon their foreheads would betray them.

فَكَيفَ وَلَم يُنسَب زَعيمٌ لِسِنبِسٍ

إِلى المَجدِ إِلّا كانَ خالِيَ أَو عَمّي

How otherwise, when no chief of Sinbis was linked

to glory unless he was my maternal or paternal uncle?

وَإِن أَشبَهَتهُم في الفَخارِ خَلائِقي

وَفِعلي فَهَذا الراحُ مِن ذَلِكَ الكَرمِ

And if my qualities resemble theirs in glory,

and my deeds, this wine comes from that vine.

فَقُل لِلأَعادي ما اِنثَنَيتُ لِسَبِّكُم

وَلا طاشَ في ظَنّي لِغَدرِكُمُ سَهمي

Tell my foes: I have not yielded to your insults,

nor did my arrow miss when I suspected your treachery.

نَظَرنا خَطاياكُم فَأَغرَيتُمُ بِنا

كَذا مَن أَعانَ الظالِمينَ عَلى الظُلمِ

We considered your sins, and you incited others against us—

thus fares one who helps oppressors to oppress.

أَسَأتُم فَإِن أَسخَط عَلَيكُم فَبِالرِضى

وَإِن أَرضَ عَنكُم مِن حَيائي فَبِالرَغمِ

You did wrong; if I am angry with you, it is willingly,

and if I am pleased with you out of modesty, it is unwillingly.

لَجَأتُ إِلى رُكنٍ شَديدٍ لِحَربِكُم

أَشُدُّ بِهِ أَزري وَأُعلي بِهِ نَجمي

I sought refuge in a mighty pillar to wage war on you;

through him I strengthen my back and raise my star.

وَظَلتُ كَأَنّي أَملِكُ الدَهرَ عِزَّةً

فَلا تَنزِلُ الأَيّامُ إِلّا عَلى حُكمي

And in my might I remained as though I ruled time,

so that the days descend only at my command,

بِأَروَعَ مَبنِيٍّ عَلى الفَتحِ كَفُّهُ

إِذا بُنِيَت كَفُّ اللَئيمِ عَلى الضَمِّ

through an imposing man whose hand is fixed wide open,

while the miser's hand is fixed clenched shut.

مَلاذي جَلالُ الدينِ نَجلُ مَحاسِنٍ

حَليفُ العَفافِ الطَلقِ وَالنائِلِ الجَمِّ

My refuge is Jalal al-Din, son of Mahasin,

ally of gracious virtue and abundant bounty,

فَتىً خُلِقَت كَفّاهُ لِلجودِ وَالسَطا

كَما العَينُ لِلإِبصارِ وَالأَنفُ لِلشَمِّ

a youth whose two hands were made for giving and striking,

as the eye was for seeing and the nose for smelling.

لَهُ قَلَمٌ فيهِ المَنِيَّةُ وَالمُنى

فَديمَتُهُ تَهمي وَسَطوَتُهُ تُصمي

He has a pen in which lie death and hopes;

its steady rain pours down, and its onslaught strikes dead:

يَراعٌ يَروعُ الخَطبَ في حالَةِ الرِضى

وَيُضرِمُ نارَ الحَربِ في حالَةِ السِلمِ

a reed-pen that terrifies calamity in times of favor,

and kindles war's fire in times of peace.

وَعَضبٌ كَأَنَّ المَوتَ عاهَدَ حَدَّهُ

وَصالَ فَأَفنى جِرمُهُ كُلَّ ذي جِرمِ

And a keen sword, as though death had made a pact with its edge;

it charged, its body annihilating all who bore guilt.

فَيا مَن رَعانا طَرفُهُ وَهُوَ راقِدٌ

وَقَد قَلتِ النُصّارُ بِالعَزمِ وَالحَزمِ

O you whose eye watched over us even while you slept,

when supporters of resolve and prudence had grown few:

يَدُ الدَهرِ أَلقَتنا إِلَيكَ فَإِن نُطِق

لَها مَلمَساً أَدمى بِراجِمِها لَثمي

Time's hand cast us toward you; if we could only

touch it, my kisses would make its knuckles bleed.

أَطَعتُكَ جُهدي فَاِحتَفِظ بي فَإِنَّني

لِنَصرِكَ لا يَنفَلُّ جَدّي وَلا عَزمي

I have obeyed you to my utmost; protect me, for I

shall never flag in zeal or resolve in your support.

فَإِن غِبتَ فَاِجعَل لي وَلِيّاً مِنَ الأَذى

وَهَيهاتَ لا يُغني الوَلِيُّ عَنِ الوَسمي

If you are absent, appoint me a protector against harm—

but alas, the later rain cannot replace the first autumn rain.