لو يرد الردى ببذل الأيادي — Safi Al Din Al Hilli

لَو يُرَدُّ الرَدى بِبَذلِ الأَيادي

أَبقَتِ المَكرُماتُ كَعبَ الإِيادي

If death could be repelled by the giving of favors,

noble deeds would have kept Ka'b al-Iyadi alive.

وَلَأَبقَت فَتى المُهَذَّبِ أَيدٍ

طَوَّقَت بِالنَدى رِقابَ العِبادِ

And hands would have preserved the young man of al-Muhadhdhab,

hands that encircled humankind's necks with bounty.

وَلَوَ اَنَّ الحِمامَ يَدفَعُ بِالبا

سِ وَبيضِ الظُبى وَحُمرِ الصِعادِ

And if death could be warded off by valor,

and white sword-edges and crimson spear-shafts,

لَحَمَتهُ يَومَ الهِياجِ حُماةٌ

تُرعِفُ البيضَ مِن نَجيعِ الأَعادي

defenders would have shielded him on battle's day,

making white blades bleed with the gore of foes.

وَكُماةٌ يُظِلُّها مِن وَشيجِ ال

خَطِّ غابٌ يَسيرُ بِالآسادِ

And champions, shaded by interwoven spear-shafts of

al-Khatt—a forest marching with lions.

بِصِفاحٍ تُخالُ مَوجَ المَنايا

في صَفا مَتنِها عُيونُ الجَرادِ

With broad blades you would think were death's waves,

in whose polished backs are locusts' eyes.

كُلُّ صافي الفِرِندِ بِالماءِ رَيّا

نِ وَلَكِنَّهُ إِلى الدَمِ صادي

Each clear-patterned blade is sated with water,

yet it thirsts for blood.

غَيرَ أَنَّ الأَيّامَ بِالخَلقِ تَجري

لِبُلوغِ الآجالِ جَريَ الجِيادِ

Yet the days race with humankind,

to reach appointed ends, galloping like steeds.

كَيفَ تَرجو المَقامَ وَالخَلقُ سُفرٌ

نَحنُ رَكبٌ وَحادِثُ الدَهرِ حادي

How can you hope to stay, when all creatures are travelers?

We are a caravan, and time's calamity is its driver.

أَينَ رَبَّ السَريرِ وَالحيرَةِ البَي

ضاءِ أَم أَينَ رَبُّ ذاتِ العِمادِ

Where is the lord of the throne and al-Hira the White,

or the lord of Dhat al-'Imad, the Pillared One?

إِنَّ أَسبابَ فاصِلاتِ المَنايا

قَد أَبادَت فِرعونَ ذا الأَوتادِ

Indeed, the means of death's severing strokes

have destroyed Pharaoh, lord of the stakes.

ما اِعتِمادي عَلى الزَمانِ وَقَد أَو

دى بِمَولىً عَلَيهِ كانَ اِعتِمادي

What reliance can I place in time, when it has

carried off a patron on whom I relied?

بِمَديدِ الظِلالِ مُقتَضَبِ الرَأ

يِ بَسيطِ النَدى طَويلِ النِجادِ

A man of far-spreading shade, concise in counsel,

of ample bounty, with a long sword-belt.

مُسرِفٌ في السَماحِ يوهِمُهُ الجو

دُ بِأَنَّ الإِقصادَ في الإِقتِصادِ

Extravagant in generosity, bounty makes him imagine

that a mortal blow lies in thrift.

لَم تُرَنَّح أَعطافَهُ نَسمَةُ الكِب

رِ وَلا اِقتِادَهُ عِنانُ العِنادِ

No breeze of pride swayed his sides,

nor did the rein of obstinacy lead him.

حاكِمٌ حَكَّمَ المُؤَمِّلَ في الما

لِ وَقاضٍ قَضى بِحَتفِ الأَعادي

A ruler who gave the hopeful mastery over wealth,

and a judge who decreed his enemies' death.

وَسَرَت مِنهُ سيرَةُ العَدلِ في النا

سِ مَسيرَ الأَرواحِ في الأَجسادِ

And from him justice's way spread among people,

as spirits course through bodies.

شَمسُ دينِ اللَهِ الَّذي ضَبَطَ الأَح

كامَ ضَبطَ الأَموالِ بِالأَعدادِ

Shams al-Din, sun of God's faith, who regulated rulings

as precisely as money is reckoned by counting.

رُبَّ حِلمٍ لِلبَطشِ فِيهِ كُمونٌ

كَلَظى النارِ كامِناً في الزِنادِ

Many a forbearance holds violence latent within,

like fire's flame hidden in the fire-strikers.

سَطوَةٌ تُظمِئُ الرُواةَ مِنَ الرُع

بِ وَنُطقٌ يَروي النُفوسَ الصَوادي

A might that parches narrators with terror,

and speech that quenches thirsting souls.

وَاِنتِقادٌ إِذا جَلَت ظُلمَةُ الشَك

كِ جَلاهُ بِنورِهِ الوَقّادِ

And discernment, when doubt's darkness looms,

dispels it with its blazing light.

وَجِدالٌ مَعسولُ أَكمَنَهُ اللَف

ظُ كَأَنَّ العِدى فيهِ في جَلادِ

And honeyed debate, concealed by words,

as though foes within it were locked in combat.

ذو يَراعٍ رَطبِ المَشافِرِ يَبسِ ال

مَتنِ جَمِّ الضَميرِ خُلوِ الفُؤادِ

Master of a reed pen, moist-lipped and dry-backed,

rich in inward meaning, yet hollow at heart.

خَدَمَتَهُ البيضُ الحِدادُ وَإِب كا

نَ صَبِياً كَمِبضَعِ الفَصّادِ

Sharp white blades served it, [though] it was

a child, like the bloodletter's lancet.

فَإِذا ماجَرى بِحَلبَةِ طَرسٍ

رَكَضَ الرُعبُ في قُلوبِ الأَعادي

Whenever it runs on a sheet's racecourse,

terror gallops through the hearts of foes.

يُطلِقُ اللَفظَ في السِجِلِّ فَيَأتي

بِالمَعاني مَقرونَةً في صِفادِ

It frees words upon the scroll, then brings

meanings linked together in a fetter.

ما رَأَينا مِن قَبلِ مَجراهُ خَطّاً

ساطِعَ النورِ في ظَلامِ المِدادِ

Before it ran, we had never seen script

radiating light amid the darkness of ink.

كُلُّ خَطٍّ سَوادُهُ في بَياضٍ

وَتَراهُ بَياضُهُ في السَوادِ

Every script has its blackness set in whiteness,

yet you see this one's whiteness set in blackness.

أَينَ خَصبُ الأَكنافِ في الزَمَنِ الما

حِلِ وَالسُبطُ في السِنينَ الجِعادِ

Where is he of fertile precincts in barren times,

and the straight-haired one amid curly-haired years?

وَالجَوادُ السَهلُ اللِقاءِ إِذا ما

كانَ سَهلُ اللِقاءِ غَيرَ جَوادِ

And the generous man, easy to approach, when

those easy to approach were not generous?

سَلَبَتهُ الأَيّامُ غَدراً وَكانَت

طَوعَ كَفَّيهِ في الأُمورِ الشِدادِ

The days stole him treacherously, though they had been

obedient to his two hands in the gravest affairs.

وَأُصيبَت لِفَقدِهِ فَلِهَذا

أُلبِسَت بَعدَهُ ثِيابَ حِدادِ

They too were stricken by his loss, and so

were clothed after him in mourning garments.

كانَ عَضداً لِلآمِلينَ فَأَمسى

بِنَواهُ يَفُتُّ في الأَعضادِ

He was a strong arm to the hopeful; now

his departure saps their arms.

كانَ زَينَ الأَولادِ وَالمالِ إِن زي

نَ سِواهُ بِالمالِ وَالأَولادِ

He was the adornment of children and wealth, while

others were adorned with wealth and children.

يا حُساماً ما خِلتُ إِنَّ أَديمَ ال

أَرضِ يُمسي لَهُ مِنَ الأَمجادِ

O sword, I never thought that the skin of the

earth would become one of its 'glories' [perhaps 'sheaths'].

كُنتَ يَومَ النَدى سَريعاً إِلى البِر

رِ وَيَومَ الرَدى أَبِيَّ القِيادِ

On bounty's day, you were swift toward goodness,

and on death's day, you resisted the reins.

أَيُّ نادٍ لِلجودِ لَم تَكُ فيهِ

حاضِراً بِالنَدى وَذِكرُكَ بادِ

At which gathering of generosity were you not

present with bounty, your fame manifest?

أَصبَحَت بَعدَكَ المَكارِمُ فُقراً

وَالمَعالي عَواطِلَ الأَجيادِ

After you, noble deeds became poor,

and lofty virtues stood with unadorned necks.

وَتُوُفّي السَماحُ يَومَ تُوُفِّي

تَ فَهَل كُنتُما عَلى ميعادِ

And generosity died on the day

you died—were you two keeping an appointment?

فَعَزيزٌ عَلى المَكارِمِ أَن تَخ

فى وَفي الناسِ طيبُ ذِكرِكَ بادِ

It is grievous to noble deeds that you should vanish,

while your sweet remembrance is manifest among people;

أَو يُنادى لِلمَكرُماتِ فَلا يَس

بِقُ مِنكَ النَدى نِداءَ المُنادي

or that noble deeds be called for, and

your bounty not precede the caller's cry.

رَقدَةٌ ما نَراكَ مِن قَبلِها ذُق

تَ عَنِ المَكرُماتِ طَعمَ رُقادِ

A sleep! Never before it had we seen you taste

the savor of slumber away from noble deeds.

ما شَهِدنا مِن قَبلِها لَكَ حالاً

كُنتَ فيها خِلواً مِنَ الحُسّادِ

Never before it had we witnessed a state of yours

in which you were free of enviers.

أَحسَنَ اللَهُ عَنكَ صَبرَ المَعالي

وَعَزاءَ الإِنشاءِ وَالإِنشادِ

May God grant lofty virtues patience in your loss,

and consolation to prose composition and verse recitation.

وَأَطالَ الإِلَهُ عُمرَ مَراثي

كَ فَإِنّي فيها حَليفُ اِجتِهادِ

And may God prolong the life of your elegies,

for in them I am pledged to diligent effort.

وَسَقَت قَبرَكَ الغَوادي وَإِن كا

نَت دُموعي رَوائِحاً وَغَوادي

And may morning rains water your grave, though

my tears are evening rains and morning rains.

فَلَعَمري لَقَد عَهِدتُ إِلى الدَم

عِ لِيُغنيهِ عَن دُموعِ العِهادِ

For, by my life, I have charged my tears

to spare it the need for the tears of recurring rains.