عيوني رمتني في المحبة لا يدي — Salah Magdy

عُيوني رَمَتني في المَحبة لا يدي

وَمَن همتُ وَجداً فيهِ إِن يَصمِ لا يدي

My eyes cast me into love, not my hand.

And if the one I am mad with passion for strikes me down, it is not my hand.

وَشاركها في صَبوَتي وَهوَ ظالمٌ

لِجسمي فُؤادٌ ذابَ في حُبِّ أَغيد

And joining them in my yearning, though unjust

to my body, was a heart melted in love for a graceful youth.

فَما حيلَتي وَالهَجر غَيَّر حالَتي

وَجَيش الكَرى أَصماه سهم التَسهُّد

What can I do, when separation has changed my condition,

and sleeplessness's arrow has slain the army of slumber?

وَبي جدَّ وجدي وَالحَبيب صَغى إِلى

فُضول عَذول كالح الوَجه مُعتَدي

My passion has intensified, while the beloved has listened to

the meddling of a grim-faced, overbearing reproacher.

أَما وَليالي شعره وامتداده

عَلى غُصن بان في الملاحة أَميد

Indeed, by the nights of his hair and its length

over a ban-tree bough swaying in loveliness;

وَضُوء مَحيّاً قَد تَجلّى بِغُرة

بِها كُلُّ صَبٍّ في الغَياهب يَهتَدي

and by the light of a face shining forth with a radiant brow,

by which every passionate lover finds his way in darkness;

وَسحر جُفون فَوقَها نُون كاتبٍ

لَها بِأَسير العشق فعلُ المهنَّد

and by the magic of eyelids, above them a scribe's letter nūn,

that act upon love's captive like an Indian-forged sword;

وَعابد نار لا يَزال منعماً

بِجَنّة خدّ بِاللظى مُتَوقد

and by a fire-worshipper, ever enjoying bliss

in the paradise of a cheek blazing with flame;

وَثَغر عَلى در اليواقيت حافظ

كَحارس كَنز بالحسام المجرد

and by a mouth guarding ruby pearls,

like a treasure's guardian with a drawn sword;

وَجيد تَحلَّى كُلُّ عَقد بِحُسنه

فَأَصبَح لِلعُشاق يَزهو كَفرقد

and by a neck whose beauty adorns every necklace,

so that it shines proudly for lovers like Farqad:

لَئن جاءَ بِالبُشرى نَسيمُ أَحبتي

وَنبَّأني بِالقُرب مِن غَير مَوعد

if the breeze of my loved ones brings good tidings

and tells me of nearness without an appointment,

سَمحتُ لَهُ مِني بِرُوحي وَإِنَّها

لأَيسرُ ما يُهدي بِهِ ذو تَودّد

I would freely give it my soul, and that

is the least gift a loving person offers.

وَأَطفأت ما بي مِن شَواظ صَبابة

بِرَشف رِضاب سكَّريٍّ مبرَّدِ

And I would quench the flames of longing within me

by sipping sugar-sweet, chilled saliva.

فَإِن قامَ لِلمحراب صَليتُ خَلفَه

وَحَسبيَ أَني بِالمَهفهف مُقتدي

If he stands at the prayer niche, I pray behind him,

content that I follow the slender one.

وَإِن طافَ بِالخمّار كُنتُ خَليلَه

وَقاطَعتُ نسكي في الهَوى وَتعبدي

And if he visits the wine-seller, I am his companion,

abandoning my rites and my worship for love.

فَلَيسَ عَلى مَجنون لَيلى مَلامة

إِذا كانَ لا يَسعى إِلى باب مَسجد

No blame, then, falls on Layla's Majnun

if he does not make his way to a mosque's door.

وَهَل يَطمَع المَغرور مني بسلوة

وَهذا الرشا بِالوَصل في الحُب مسعدي

Can the deluded man expect me to forget my love,

when this fawn makes me happy in love through union?

عَلى أَنَّني لا زلت مِن عَهد نَشأتي

إِماماً بِهِ جُند المُحبين يَقتدي

For ever since the days of my youth I have remained

a leader whom the army of lovers follows.

فَطوراً تَراني بِالغَزالة مُغرَماً

وَطَوراً بِبَدر كامل الحُسن مُفرد

At times you see me infatuated with a gazelle,

at times with a full moon, perfect in beauty and peerless;

وَيَوماً تَراني في الهَوى مُتهتكاً

بِقدّ رَشيق أَو بَخَد مَورَّد

one day you see me unrestrained in love

with a slender figure or a rose-flushed cheek;

وَيَوماً بتشبيبي أَهيم وَأَجتلي

كؤوس اِمتِداحي في الأَمير المسوّد

another day, enraptured by my love verses, I savor

the cups of my praise for the eminent emir,

أَمين بِضاعات العَزيز بجدة

وَحامي حِمى العَليا برأيٍ مسدد

the trusted keeper of al-Aziz's merchandise in Jeddah,

and guardian of high honor's sanctuary through sound judgment,

وَأَفضل مِن هنأت في الخُلد روحه

بِنَجل بَدا كَالشَمس في يَوم مَولد

and the noblest man, whose soul in eternity I congratulated

on a son who appeared like the sun on the day of his birth.

فَقُلت بِأَوقات الصَفاء مؤرِّخاً

أَتى مصطفى كَالبَدر في بر أحمد

So, in moments of serenity, I said, composing a chronogram:

'Mustafa has come like the full moon in Ahmad's domain.'

وَقُلت لإبداء السُرور مؤرِّخاً

أَتى المُصطفى الشبل العَزيز لأَحمد

And to show my joy, I said, composing a chronogram:

'Mustafa, the cherished lion cub, has come to Ahmad.'

وَلما اِنتَشى هَذا السَليل وَأَشرَقَت

مَعارفه في دار عز وَسؤدد

And when this scion grew up, and there shone

his learning in a house of honor and eminence,

وَأَنسى بِما أَنشا بَلاغة مَن مضى

كَقسٍّ وَسحبانٍ بِغَير تَردُّد

and his compositions made us forget the eloquence of those gone before,

such as Quss and Sahban, without hesitation,

وَوشَّى فَحشَّى بِالبَراعة وَالنُهى

شُروحاً غَدَت تَقضي لَهُ بِالتَفَرُّد

and he embellished, then annotated with brilliance and intellect,

commentaries that came to attest his unique distinction,

تَباهَى بِهِ التَحرير وَهوَ مراهقٌ

وَفازَ بِسَبق عَن يَقين مُؤكد

the art of writing took pride in him while he was still an adolescent,

and he won precedence with firmly established certainty.

وَكُلُّ فَتى أَمسى لَهُ في فُنونه

يُشير بِأَطراف البَنان مَع اليَد

And every young man now, in his fields of learning,

points to him with fingertips and hand.

لَهُ اللَه مِن شَهم تَقيٍّ موفق

إِلى الخَير وَالمَعروف في كُل مَعهد

God bless him—a gallant, pious man guided

toward goodness and kindness in every place.

وَبُشراه فَالمَولى تَقبل حجَّه

وَنال الأَماني بِالنَبي محمد

Glad tidings to him: the Lord has accepted his pilgrimage,

and through the Prophet Muhammad he has attained his wishes.

وَعادَ لِمَصر بِالقبول مُتوَّجاً

عَلَيهِ مِن الإِقبال حلة أَسعَد

He returned to Egypt crowned with acceptance,

upon him a most fortunate robe of favor.

فَأَنشده فيهِ السُعود مؤرِّخاً

بِحَق وَحَج مصطفى أَنتَ مُهتدي

So I recite its good omens to him, composing a chronogram:

'By truth and Mustafa's pilgrimage, you are rightly guided.'

فَأَنشده فيهِ السُعود مؤرِّخاً

لوهبي بعيد الحج أعظم سؤدد

So I recite its good omens to him, composing a chronogram:

'Wahbi has the greatest eminence shortly after the pilgrimage.'

وَمُذ لاحَ للإنشاء ضوءُ جَبينه

جَلا كَعروسٍ قَد تحلت بِعسجد

And since the light of his brow dawned upon prose composition,

it appeared like a bride adorned with gold,

وَقالت لَهُ أَهلاً وَسَهلاً وَمَرحَباً

بِحافظ عَهدي وَاِبن ودّي وَسَيدي

and she said to him, 'Welcome, welcome, and greetings

to the keeper of my covenant, son of my affection, and my master!'

أَيا مَن سَما كابن العَميد بسحره ال

حلال وَلَكن زادَ عَنهُ بِمحتد

O you who rose like Ibn al-Amid through his magic—

lawful—and yet surpassed him in noble lineage,

وَأَحيا له عَبدَ الحَميد وَجَعفراً

وَكُل مُجيد أَو نبيهٍ ممجَّد

and revived for him Abd al-Hamid and Ja'far,

and every accomplished master or celebrated man of distinction,

وَأَضحى لأَبواب العَزيز مُباشراً

بِمَصر عَلى رغم الحَسود المفنِّد

and became an official at al-Aziz's gates

in Egypt, despite the envious faultfinder,

وَأَعرب عَما أَضمر الصَدر للوَرى

مِن الخَير إن وشي بأعذب مَورد

and revealed to mankind what the breast concealed

of goodness, if embroidered in the sweetest flow:

تَهنأْ بِأسمى رُتبة قَد تحملت

بِمَنصب مجد ذي بِناء ممهد

Rejoice in the highest rank you have assumed,

in a post of glory with a firmly laid foundation.

وَدُونك من أَبكار فكري خَريدةً

بِعَلياك تَحظى في العَشية وَالغَد

And here is a maiden from the first-born of my thought,

finding favor through your high station, in the evening and on the morrow.

وَإِني عَن التَعقيد وَاللَحن صُنتُها

وَهَذَّبت مَعناها بَدرٍّ منضَّد

I have guarded her against obscurity and grammatical error,

and refined her meaning with pearls strung in order.

وَحسن وِدادي للأمير هُوَ الَّذي

غَدا ليَ في بث الثَنا خَير مُرشد

The beauty of my affection for the emir is what

became my best guide in spreading praise.

وَلي مِنك إن قصرت في المَدح شافع

رضاك وَإِني مِن علاك بمشهد

Should I fall short in praise, I have from you an intercessor:

your approval, while I stand witness to your loftiness.

وَقَدرك يا مَولاي فَوقَ مَدائح

أَتَت مِن فَتى لَم يَدرِ أَحرُفَ أَبجَد

Your worth, my lord, is higher than praises

that came from a youth who has not learned the letters of abjad.

وَتِلكَ رَعاكَ اللَه مِني هَدية

عَلى قَدر ما عندي وما ملكت يدي

And this—may God protect you—is my gift,

according to what I have and what my hand possesses.

فَخُذها بِلا مَهرٍ فَإِنَّكَ أَهلُها

وَأَنتَ بِها أَولى لِما لَكَ مِن يَد

Take her without a dowry, for you are worthy of her,

and you have the best claim to her because of your generous hand.

وَعش آمناً في دَولة العز صاحباً

لِهَذا الخَديويّ السَعيد المؤيد

Live secure in the realm of honor, a companion

to this fortunate, supported Khedive.

وَدُم في ارتقاء ما شَدَوتُ مؤرِّخاً

صبت للبَها وَهبي مَراتب أَمجَد

And keep ascending as long as I sing, composing a chronogram:

'More glorious ranks have been poured forth for the splendid Wahbi.'