قد بان عذرك والخليط مودع — Sardar

قد بانَ عذرُك والخليطُ مودَّعُ

وهوَى النفوسِ مع الهوادج يُرفعُ

Your excuse is now plain, as the companions are bidden farewell,

and the hearts' desire is lifted away with the howdahs.

لك حيثما سمت الركائب لفتةٌ

أتُرى البدورُ بكل وادٍ تَطلعُ

Wherever the riding camels head, you turn to look:

Do full moons rise in every valley, I wonder?

لله مطوىٌّ على زفَراتهِ

لم يقضِ من ظمأ ولا هو يَنْقَعُ

How wondrous the man folded around his sighs,

neither dead of thirst nor finding any quenching.

قرُبت أمانىُّ النفوس وعندَه

أملٌ تخُبُّ به الركابُ وتوضِعُ

The souls' wishes have drawn near, yet he retains

a hope with which the mounts trot and hasten.

ونأتْ مَطارحُ قلبه عن سمعه

فالعاذلون بهنّ حَسَرى ظُلَّعُ

His heart's resting places lie far beyond his hearing,

leaving his reprovers weary and lame over them.

ما خاف في ظُلَمِ الصبابةِ ضلَّةً

إلا ودلَّتْه البروقُ الُّلمَّعُ

He never feared straying in the darkness of passionate love

without the flashing lightnings guiding him.

في الظاعنين من الحِمىَ ظبىٌ له ال

أحشاءُ مرعىً والمآقى مَكرَعُ

Among those leaving the sanctuary is a gazelle, for whom

the entrails are pasture, the eye-corners a drinking place.

ممنوعُ أطرافِ الجمال رقيبُه

حذِرٌ عليه والغَيورُ البرقُعُ

Every reach of his beauty is guarded; his watcher

is vigilant over him—the jealous guardian is his veil.

عهِدَ الحبائلَ صائداتٍ شِبهَهُ

وارتابَ فهو لكلِّ حبلٍ يقطعُ

He has known snares that caught his kind,

and grown suspicious: every cord he severs.

لم يدرِ حامِى سِربهِ أنِّى إذا

حُرمَ الكلامُ له لساني الإِصبعُ

The protector of his herd did not know that when

speech is forbidden, my finger is my tongue to him.

وإذا الطُّيوف إلى المضاجعِ أُرسِلت

بتحيةٍ منه فعينى تسمعُ

And when phantoms are sent to the sleeping places

bearing his greeting, my eye listens.

ويح الألى انتجعوا الغمامَ وعندهم

بين المحاجرِ ديمةٌ ما تُقلعُ

Alas for those who sought the rain clouds, while they had

within their eye-sockets a steady rain that never ceases.

لجؤا إلى عزِّ الخدور وفي الحشا

بيتٌ أعزُّ من الخدور وأمنعُ

They sought refuge in the protection of curtained chambers, while within my breast

is a dwelling more inviolable and secure than those chambers.

هل من قِبابهم اللواتي رفَّعوا

مبنيَّةٌ أطنابهُنَّ الأضلُعُ

Is any among the tents they raised

built with ribs for its tent ropes?

لهمُ مَصيفٌ في الفؤاد ولو سُقىِ

ماءَ الوصال لكان فيه مَربَعُ

They have a summer home in my heart; if it were watered

with union's water, it would hold a springtime home.

يا كاسرَ النَّجلاءِ تُرسل نظرةً

خَطفا كلحظ الريمِ وهو مروَّعُ

O you who lower your wide eye, sending a glance,

snatched, like the glance of a startled gazelle.

لسوى أسنّتك المِجنُّ مضاعَفٌ

ولغير أسهمك السوابغُ تُصنَعُ

Against spearheads other than yours the shield is doubled;

for arrows other than yours the ample coats of mail are made.

لي حيلةٌ في كلّ رامٍ مُغرِضٍ

لو أنه في غير قوسك ينزِعُ

I have a stratagem against every archer taking aim,

if only he draws a bow other than yours.

أطيِبْ بأطلالِ ألأراك ونفحةٍ

باتت بمسراها الرجالُ تَضَوَّعُ

How sweet the ruins of al-Arak, and a breeze

whose nightly passage left the men fragrant.

ومواقفٍ لم ألقَ مَولىً راحما

فيها ولم أظفرَ بخِلٍّ يشفعُ

And stopping places where I met no merciful patron

nor found a dear friend to intercede.

لولا الذين البيدُ من أوطانهم

ما كان يملِكنى الفضاءُ البلقعُ

But for those whose homeland is the desert,

the barren wilderness would not have possessed me.

آنستُ من أطلالهم ما أوحشوا

وحفِظتُ من أيّامهم ما ضيّعوا

I found companionship in the ruins they left desolate,

and cherished of their days what they squandered.

ورضيتُ بالمُهدِى إلىّ نسيمَهم

إن المحب بما تيسَّر يَقنَعُ

I was content with whoever brought me their breeze:

the lover is content with what is within reach.

ولقد حللتُ حُبَى الظلام بفتيةٍ

ألِفَتْ وجوهَهُم النجومُ الطُّلَّعُ

I loosened night's binding bands with young men

whose faces the rising stars had come to know.

قَرَوُا الهمومَ جسومَهم ونفوسَهم

وبطونُها بسواهُمُ ما تشبعُ

They feasted cares on their bodies and souls,

and those bellies are never sated with anyone else.

وسَرَوا بأشباحٍ تَجاوَزها الردى

إذ لم يكن فيها له مستمتَعُ

They traveled by night in bodies death passed by,

since it could find nothing to enjoy in them.

لاقتْ بهم خُوصُ المهارىَ مثلما

لاقى بأربَعِها الثرى واليَرْمعُ

Their narrow-eyed riding camels endured from them as much

as soil and soft pebbles endured beneath their four feet.

في حيثُ لا زَجَلُ الحُداة مردَّدٌ

خوفَ الهلاك ولا الحنينُ مرجَّعُ

In a place where the camel-drivers' cries were not repeated,

for fear of death, nor the yearning moans echoed.

قلِفَت بهم قلقَ اللديغ كأنما

ظنَّت سياطَهُمُ أراقمَ تلسعُ

They grew restless beneath them like one stung, as though

they thought their whips were speckled serpents that stung.

فَتل الدُّءوبُ لحومَها بشحومِها

فتشابهت أثباجها والأنسُعُ

Ceaseless toil twisted their flesh together with their fat,

until their backs resembled leather girths.

متباريات بالنَّجاء كأنما

وضَعت رهونا سُوقُها والأذرعُ

Vying with one another in speed, as though

their shanks and forelegs had laid down wagers.

وإلى عميد الدولة اعتسفت بنا

أنضاؤها حتى هناها المريَعُ

To Amid al-Dawla they made their trackless way with us,

those wasted mounts, until lush pasture brought them ease.

من عندَه الظلُّ الظليلُ ومنهلُ ال

عذب المصفَّق والجنابُ المُمرِعُ

He who has deep shade and a watering place of

sweet, well-decanted water, and lush surroundings;

والغادياتُ السارياتُ بريقُها

ولِبانُهَا يسقى الرجاءَ ويُرضعُ

and morning clouds that travel by night—with their moisture

and milk, hope is watered and suckled.

ما زال يُفهمنا العلاءُ صنيعَه

حتى علمنا ما الأغرُّ الأروعُ

His beneficence kept teaching us loftiness,

until we knew what 'radiant' and 'majestic' mean.

يخشى سهامَ الذمّ فهو مالما

ومحاربا بنواله يتدرَّعُ

He fears the arrows of blame, and so, at peace

and at war, he armors himself in generosity.

غرسَ الصنائعَ فاجتنى ثمراتِها

شكرا وكلٌّ حاصدٌ ما يزرعُ

He planted kind deeds and reaped their fruits

as gratitude; everyone harvests what he sows.

عيدانُ مجدٍ لا تلين لغامزٍ

وجبالُ عزٍّ مَرْوُها ما يُقرَعُ

Shafts of glory no probing hand can bend,

and mountains of might whose flint cannot be struck;

ومناقبٌ يقضىِ لها متعنِّتٌ

في حكمه ويجيزها متتبِّعُ

and virtues acknowledged even by a captious critic

in his judgment, and approved by a searching examiner.

كم أزمةٍ خَرِسَتْ رواعدُ سُحبها

وسحابةٍ فيها خطيبٌ مِصقَعُ

How many a dearth saw its clouds' thunder fall mute,

while his cloud held a commanding orator!

وإذا المطالبُ باللئام تعثَّرت

ظلّت مواهبُه بهنّ تُدَعدِعُ

When requests stumble among the base,

his gifts keep cradling them.

تِبعوا مساعَيهُ فلمّا أبصروا

بُعدَ المسافة أفردوه وودَّعوا

They followed his endeavors; when they saw

the distance, they left him alone and bade farewell.

إنّ المعالىَ صعبةٌ لا تُمتطَى

والمأُثَراتُ ثنيَّةٌ ما تُطلَعُ

Lofty achievements are a stubborn mount that cannot be ridden;

glorious deeds a mountain pass that cannot be climbed.

يقِف الثناءُ عليه وقفةَ حائرٍ

ممّا تسُنُّ له يداه وتشَرَعُ

Praise stands before him in bewilderment

at what his hands ordain and institute for him.

إن قصَّرت مُدّاحه عن وصفه

فعجائب البحرين ما لا تُجمعُ

If his panegyrists fall short of describing him,

the marvels of the two seas cannot all be gathered.

قلِقُ اللواحظ أو تقرَّ بزائرٍ

كالمضرحىِّ لصيده يتوقَّعُ

His glances are restless till they settle on a visitor,

like an eagle watching for its prey.

فهناك أبلجُ ما وراء لثامهِ

ملأنُ من ماء البشاشةِ مُترَعُ

Then what lies behind his face-veil beams,

full to the brim with the waters of cheerfulness.

هو قِبلةُ المجد التي ما مِلَّةٌ

إلا وتسجُدُ نحوها أو تركَعُ

He is glory's qibla, toward which no faith

fails to prostrate itself or bow.

تتناسب الأهواءُ في تفضيله

والقولُ في أديانها يتنوّعُ

All inclinations agree in preferring him,

though their professions differ in religion,

عِلماً بأنّ الشمس ما في عينها

رمَدٌ ولا ثوبُ السماء مرقَّعُ

knowing that the sun has in its eye

no soreness, nor is heaven's robe patched.

يا دهرُ لا تَعِرضْ لمن آراؤه

في مَفِصل الجُلَّى تَحُزُّ وتَقطعُ

O Time, do not assail one whose judgments

cleave and cut at the joint of great calamity.

لطُفَت وجلَّ فعالها ولطالما

نزحَ النجيعَ من العروق المِبْضَعُ

Subtle they are, yet mighty in effect; how often

has a lancet drained blood from the veins!

وله عزائمُ ضاق عنها ذَرعُه

كالسيل غصَّ به الطريقُ المَهيعُ

He has resolves that stretch capacity beyond its bounds,

like a flood that chokes the broad highway.

شوسٌ إذا استدعتْ أنابيبَ القنا

أبصرتَها من سُرعة تتزعزعُ

Fierce resolves: when they summon the jointed spears,

you see them quiver with their speed.

إياك تنِحتُ في جوانبِ كُدْيةِ

بالحارشِينَ ضِبابُها لا تُخدعُ

Beware of hewing at the sides of a rocky hill

whose lizards cannot be beguiled by hunters.

أنسيتَ إذ قارعتَه عن مجده

فرجعتَ مفلولا وأنفُك أجدعُ

Have you forgotten when you contested his glory,

and returned blunted, your nose cut off?

أيّامَ جاهدَ في أبيه بهمّةٍ

هجعَ الظلام وعينُها ما تهجَع

In the days he strove for his father with a resolve

whose eye stayed wakeful while darkness slept,

حتى اطمأنَّ من الوزارة نافرٌ

وثُنى إليه لِيتُها والأَخدعُ

until the shying creature of the vizierate grew calm,

and its neck and jugular turned toward him;

واستُرجِعتْ عذراءَ لم يَنعَمْ بها

بعلٌ كما ارتَجع الوديعةَ مودِعُ

and it was reclaimed, a virgin never enjoyed

by a husband, as a depositor reclaims his trust;

ومشى أمام جيادهِ مستقبِلا

من كان أمسِ وراءَ هن يُشيِّعُ

and before his steeds there walked, to welcome him,

one who yesterday followed behind them to bid farewell.

بالرفق تنحطُّ الوعولُ من الذُّرى

ويصاد يَربرعُ الفلا المتقطِّعُ

By gentleness the ibex descend from the peaks,

and the desert's darting jerboa is caught.

هذا أميرُ المؤمنين وظنّه

بالغيبِ مِرآةٌ تضىء وتلمعُ

This is the Commander of the Faithful, whose conjecture

about the unseen is a mirror, shining and gleaming.

لما تنّسم من شمائِل عِطْفهِ

ارجَ الكفاية فائحا يتضوّعُ

When he inhaled from the qualities of his bearing

the spreading, fragrant scent of competence,

ناجاه بالوادي المقدّس نابذا

كَلِماً تلين لها القلوبُ وتخشعُ

he communed with him in the sacred valley, uttering

words that soften hearts and make them humble.

ومساه من حُلل الدِّمَقْسِ جلابيا

كالروض بل منه أغضُّ وأنصعُ

And he clothed him in flowing gowns of silken damask,

like a garden—indeed fresher and more radiant.

فكأنها نُسجَت بجِنَّةِ عبقرٍ

أو ظلَّ يرقُمها الربيعُ ويطبَعُ

As though woven by the jinn of Abqar,

or spring had kept embroidering and imprinting them.

لو أنها دِمَنٌ أقامت بينها

وُرْقُ الحمائم تستهِلُّ وتسجَعُ

Had they been abandoned campsites, among them would settle

gray doves, raising their cries and cooing.

إن أُكملتْ حسنا فقد زُرَّت على

جسدٍ يكلَّل بالعلا ويرصَّعُ

If they are perfect in beauty, they are buttoned over

a body crowned and jeweled with high honor.

وأعاضه من تاج فارسَ عِمةً

إذ عنده تاجُ الأعارب أرفعُ

In place of Persia's crown he gave him a turban,

for in his eyes the Arabs' crown stands higher.

كالليل إلا أها قد طُرِّزت

شفَقا على أفاقها يتشعشعُ

Like night, except that it is embroidered

with twilight glowing along its horizons.

ما اشرقُ الألوان إلا سُودُها

ولأجل ذا لونُ الشبيبة أسفعُ

No colors are more radiant than black,

and that is why youth's color is dark.

أمثالُها فوق الرؤوس وهذه

فوق الرزانةِ والحصانة توضعُ

Others like it are set upon heads, but this one

is set upon dignity and integrity.

وحباه من قُبّ العتاقِ بضامرٍ

كالذئب زعزعَ مَنِكبيْه مَطمَعُ

And he bestowed on him, from the lean-flanked thoroughbreds, a slender steed,

like a wolf whose shoulders the prospect of prey sets shaking.

لا تُثبِت العينانِ أين مقرُّهُ

في الأرض لولا نقعُه المترفِّعُ

The eyes could not fix where it is

on earth, were it not for its rising dust.

يقظانُ تحسَب سَرجَه ولجامَه

في لُجّة أمواجُها تتدفَّعُ

So alert, you think its saddle and bridle are

in a deep sea whose waves surge forward.

يخطو فيختصر البعيدَ من المَدى

بقوائم مثلِ البليغ تُوقِّعُ

It strides, shortening far-flung distances

with legs that write like an eloquent penman.

بالسبق منفردٌ بلَى في مَتنه

منه إلى طُرُق المعالى أسرعُ

Unrivaled in speed—yet upon its back

is one swifter than it toward the paths of high achievement.

إِن الخليفةَ للزمان وأهلِهِ

طَودٌ من الحَدَثانِ لا يتضعضَعُ

The caliph, for the age and its people,

is a mountain that fate's blows cannot shake.

هو في الدجى بدرٌ ينير وفي الضحى

شمسٌ لها في كل أفْقٍ مطلعُ

He is a full moon lighting darkness, and in morning light

a sun that rises upon every horizon.

وبنو جَهيرٍ دَوحةٌ في ملكه

أفنانُها وغصونُها تتفرّعُ

The sons of Jahir are a great tree in his kingdom,

its boughs and branches spreading.

بوزيرها وعميدِها وزعيمِها

وجهيرها أبدا يُضَرُّ ويُنفَعُ

Through its vizier, its pillar, its chief,

and its Jahir, harm and benefit are always dealt.

القارحُ الموفى عليها سابقٌ

ورَباعُها وثَنِيُّها والمُجذِعُ

Its mature steed, towering above them, leads the race,

as do its four-year-old, three-year-old, and youngest colt.

كلٌّ له يومَ الفخار مناقبٌ

ثمَّ الأكابرُ فضلُها لا يُدفَعُ

Each has virtues on the day of boasting,

yet the elders' superiority cannot be denied.

لله أربعةٌ بهم هذا الورى

وكذا حكَوْا أن الطبائع أربعُ

How wondrous the four on whom this world depends!

So too, they say, the natural temperaments are four.

أمحمدُ بن محمدِ بنِ محمدٍ

وعُلاكَ منِصتةٌ تجيبُ وتسمَعُ

O Muhammad son of Muhammad son of Muhammad,

your high honors listening, answering and hearing:

لا كان هذا الدهرُ إن عطاءَهُ

بالله يسمُجُ في العقول ويفظُعُ

May this age be no more! Its giving,

by God, looks ugly and appalling to the mind.

ما بال أقوامٍ به لو أُنِصفوا

رُدّوا على باب النجاح ودُفِّعوا

What of people in it who, if treated justly,

would be turned back and driven from success's gate?

ما كان قطُّ لهم على دَرَج العلا

مرقىً ولا عند الصنيعة موضعُ

Never did they have, upon the steps of eminence,

a way upward, or a place in beneficence.

وأرى المعايشَ بينهم مقسومةً

كالغُنم يُخمَسُ تارة أو يُربَعُ

Yet I see livelihoods divided among them,

like booty split, now into fifths, now fourths.

وأعابهم نفرٌ بلا سببٍ سوى

أن المعايبَ بين قومٍ تَجمَعُ

And a band found fault with them for no reason save

that faults bring people together.

أأُذادُ عن بَرْدِ الحياض ومثلُهم

يُدعَى إلأى العَذبِ الزلالِ فيكرَعُ

Am I to be driven from the pools' coolness, while their like

is invited to the sweet, clear water and drinks deep?

فابذُرْ عوارفَك الجسامَ بتُربةٍ

يزكو بها ثمرُ الجميلِ ويونعُ

Sow your mighty benefactions in soil

where the fruit of kindness thrives and ripens.

هذا مقالى إن هززت فعنده

ما يَحسُنُ المطبوعُ والمتطبِّعُ

Here is my verse when you stir me; beside it

neither born poet nor practiced one shines.

ويدى إذا استخدمتَها وبسطتهَا

حسدتْ أناملَها الرياحُ الشُّرَّعُ

And if you employ my hand and give it free rein,

the sweeping winds will envy its fingertips.

ما بي إلى الشفعاء عندك حاجةٌ

ولسان فضلك شافعٌ ومشفِّعُ

I have no need of intercessors with you,

when your bounty's tongue both intercedes and grants intercession.