يوم الحمى ما أنت من همي — Sharif Al Murtaza

يَومَ الحِمى ما أَنتَ مِن همّي

فارَقتُ فيكَ الرّوحَ مِن جسمي

O day at al-Hima, what a sorrow you are to me!

On you I parted with the soul that dwelt in my body.

حثّوا لفُرقتك الجمالَ وما

حثّوا النّوى إلّا عَلى رغمي

They urged the camels onward for your departure, and

they urged separation on only against my will.

قالوا شكوتَ الحبّ في كَلِمٍ

مَنظومةٍ مِن غَيرِ ما كلمِ

They said, "You complained of love in words

woven into verse, without any wound."

يا لَيتَ زعمَهُمُ وَما صَدَقوا

كانَ المصدَّقَ فيَّ لا زَعمي

Would that their claim—though they spoke untruly—

were the one believed of me, not my own claim.

يا ربّةَ الخدرِ الّتي اِعتَمَدت

قَتلي فَأَخرَجها إلى سقمي

O mistress of the curtained chamber, who intended

my death—yet that intent brought her only to my sickness.

لَو كانَ لي مُعدٍ عَليك لما

أَقدمتِ آمنةً على ظلمي

If I had someone to grant me redress against you, you would not

have dared so fearlessly to wrong me.

وَغريرةٍ في عَصرِ شرَّتها

يَنمي الغرامُ بِها كما ينمي

And a guileless maiden, in the season of her youthful ardor—

passion grows through her, as passion will.

مَطَلَت وَقد جدّت فليسَ لَها

إِن لُمتَها عُذرٌ منَ العدمِ

She put me off, though she had plenty; she has

no excuse of poverty if you reproach her.

فَمَتى شكوتُ الوجدَ أَعطفها

قامَت تُعاقبني بلا جرمِ

Whenever I complain of longing to win her sympathy,

she sets about punishing me without a crime.

لَو كانَ لِلواشينَ مقدرةٌ

ما سوّغوك زيارَة الحلمِ

If the slanderers had any power,

they would not have permitted you a visit in a dream.

زُرتِ الأُلى باتوا بكاظمةٍ

مُتَملمِلين جوىً على الرضمِ

You visited those who spent the night at Kazima,

tossing with heartache upon heaps of stones.

طَرحوا الخدودَ عَلى سواعدهم

وَاللّيلُ في أَثوابِهِ السُّحمِ

They laid their cheeks upon their forearms,

while night wore its coal-black robes.

وَلَقد طَرقتِ وَما طروقُكِ في

عِلمٍ لِقائِفِهِم ولا رجمِ

Indeed you came by night, yet your visit was not within

their tracker's knowledge or conjecture.

يَهوى رجالٌ لا حلومَ لَهُم

أنّي خرجتُ لَهُم على الحلمِ

Men with no judgment would like

me to abandon forbearance for their sake.

وَيُريد منّي أَن أُساجِلَهُ

من لا خطور له على وهمي

And he wants me to vie with him—

one who never so much as crosses my mind.

يرمونني ويودّ جاهلهم

أنّي كَما يَرمونني أرمي

They shoot at me, and their fool wishes

that I would shoot as they shoot at me.

هَيهاتَ ما إن قلّ عَن مِدَحي

إلّا اِمرؤٌ قد قلّ عن ذمّي

Far from it! None falls below my praise

but one who has fallen below my blame as well.

دقّوا كَما دقّ المحالُ وما

لا طائلٌ فيه عن الفهمِ

They are too slight, like impossibility and whatever

is worthless, for understanding to grasp.

لَو كنتُمُ لا كنتمُ أبداً

أُسداً لَما أَطعمتكُم لَحمي

If you were—may you never be!—

lions, I would not have fed you my flesh.

ما بالُكم تَدمى أَظافرُكم

في بَحثِكم عنّي ولا تُدمي

Why do your nails bleed

as you dig after me, yet draw no blood?

وَكمِ الخصامُ وما يعدُّكمُ

أحدٌ مِنَ الأقوامِ من خصمي

How much wrangling! Yet you are not counted

by anyone among the peoples as foes of mine.

إنّ الهوى وَالرّأيَ ما اِجتَمعا

الرّأي يُبصِرُ وَالهَوى يُعمي

Passion and reason never come together:

reason sees, while passion blinds.

إِن كُنتَ يا ذا الودّ تُنكِرُ ما

قَنَصَتهُ عَينُك فيّ مِن همِّ

If you, my loving friend, deny what

your eye has caught of sorrow in me,

فَأدِر كُؤوسَكَ وَهيَ مترعةٌ

صرفاً بِغيرِ سُلافةِ الكرمِ

then pass around your cups, filled to the brim,

with pure draughts, not the vine's first-run wine.

لا تُعطِنيها ثمّ تُغرِمني

شَيئاً أضنُّ بِهِ عن الغرمِ

Do not give them to me, then exact from me

something I am too loath to part with in payment.

بلّغ هَداك اللَّه مألُكةً

ملكَ الملوكِ العُربِ والعجمِ

Convey—God guide you—a message

to the king of kings, Arab and non-Arab,

مِن ناطقٍ بِثناءِ منّتهِ

وَعَطائِهِ المترادِفِ الجمِّ

from one who voices praise of his favor

and his abundant, ever-following gifts.

أَنتَ الّذي أَوليتني نعماً

لَم يحصها نَثري ولا نظمي

You are the one who bestowed upon me blessings

that neither my prose nor my verse has counted.

وَرَفَعتني عَن أَن تسمِّيَني

فَدَعَوتني شَرفاً بغيرِ اِسمي

And you raised me above being called by name,

so, in honor, you called me by something other than my name.

يا اِبنَ الَّذين تَبوؤوا قللاً

في المَكرُماتِ مَنيعة الهدمِ

O son of those who took their places on summits

of noble deeds, impregnable to demolition,

حلّوا اليَفاعَ فَما علَوا شرفاً

حتّى عَلَوا شَرفاً على النجمِ

they settled the heights, and did not rise in glory

until their glory rose above the stars.

لا جارُهم يخشى البياتَ ولا

مَن عاقدوه يخاف من هضمِ

Their neighbor fears no night attack, nor

does anyone bound by their pact fear injustice.

أَعيَوا عَلى بُهَمِ الرّجالِ ردىً

ولدى ندىً أعيوا على الذمِّ

In dealing death, they baffled the stoutest men,

and in bounty they defied all blame,

بِأَناملٍ تَندى إِذا اِعتصرت

ومعاطسٍ وموارنٍ شمِّ

with fingertips that drip when pressed,

and noses and nose-tips held proudly high.

مِن كلّ غرثان الجنانِ من الش

شَنعاءِ ملآنٍ من الحزمِ

Each with a heart starved of

disgrace, and filled with resolve.

قَومٌ يشنّونَ الغوارَ على

أَرضِ العدوِّ بِقرَّحٍ بهمِ

A people who launch raids upon

the enemy's land on full-grown, unmarked steeds.

لا ينذرونَهُمُ وَإِن بعدوا

وَطَناً بِغيرِ قَعاقِعِ اللّجمِ

They give them no warning, however far they are

from home, except the clattering of bridles,

وَبِأذرُعٍ تَنهلُّ حامِلَةً

إمّا لِبيضٍ أو قناً صمِّ

and arms raining down as they bear

either gleaming swords or solid-shafted spears.

ساعِد جُدودَك وهيَ كافلةٌ

في النُّجحِ وَالتصمِيمِ والعزمِ

Aid your good fortunes, which stand surety

in success, determination, and resolve,

كاللّيثِ يَستَدني فَريسَتهُ

فَيسانِدُ التَظفيرَ بِالعذمِ

like a lion that draws its prey close,

then backs its clawing with bites.

وَخذِ الّذي أَسأَرت من طرفٍ

متنظّراً لِندائك الحتمِ

And take the noble steed you have kept in reserve,

awaiting your irrevocable call.

وَاِضمُم أَقاصيها فَلَيسَ لِما

نَشَرَ الرِّجال قواهُ كالضَّمِّ

And gather their farthest parts, for nothing serves

strength scattered by men as well as union.

وَاِختَر لِنَفسكَ مَن عَجَمتَ فَما

حُمِلَ القنا إلَّا على العجمِ

Choose for yourself those you have tested, for

spears are borne only by the tried and sturdy.

لا تحقرنَّ صَغيرةً عَرَضَت

فَالسمُّ حَشوُ أَصاغرِ الرقمِ

Never despise a small thing that presents itself:

poison fills even the smallest speckled snakes.

فَدقيقُهنَّ جَليلهنَّ غداً

وَمنَ الأفيل مَنابتُ القرمِ

What is small among them will be great tomorrow,

and from the camel calf grows the breeding sire.

لَولا مكيداتُ الرّجالِ لما

زلّت صُخور النيق بالعصمِ

Were it not for men's stratagems,

the crags of the peak would not slip beneath the ibex.

وَلَكانَ ما في اليمِّ مِن عَجبٍ

نالَتهُ أَيدي الناسِ في اليمِّ

And the marvels of the sea

that human hands have seized would still be in the sea.

والأسدُ لَولا خَوفُ بَطشَتِها

وَنَفاذُها سُوِّين بالبهمِ

And lions, were it not for fear of their onslaught

and their power, would be made equal to lambs.

فَاِسلَم لَنا ملكَ المُلوكِ وَإِن

فُقدَ الورى حرباً وفي سلمِ

So remain safe for us, king of kings, even if

mankind were lost, in war and in peace.

فَاِسعَد بِيَومِ المهرجانِ وَنل

ما شِئتَ مِن نفلٍ ومن غنمِ

Rejoice on the day of Mihrjan, and gain

whatever you wish of bounty and of spoils.

تَبقى بَقاءَ الطالِعات دُجىً

مِن غَيرِ مَنقصةٍ ولا ثلمِ

May you endure as long as the stars that rise in darkness,

without diminution or breach,

في عزِّ مملكةٍ ممنّعةٍ

يَشوي مَراميها ولا يصمي

in the might of a well-defended kingdom,

whose attackers only graze, and never strike to kill.

وَأَصِخ وُقيتَ بِنا لقافيةٍ

تَبقى بقاءَ صُخورها الصمِّ

And listen—may you be protected by us—to an ode

that lasts as long as its unyielding rocks.

صَدقت مَعانيها فليس لِمَن

نَظَم الكَلامَ بِها سوى النظمِ

Its meanings are true; the one who

set its words in verse did nothing but versify.

مَحجوبةٍ عمّن سِواك كَما

حَجَب الغباءُ الفهمَ عن فدمِ

Veiled from everyone but you, as

stupidity veils understanding from a dullard,

لا عَيبَ فيها غيرُ واحدةٍ

وَالبدرُ يَنقصُ لَيلةَ التَّمِّ

it has no flaw except a single one:

even the full moon wanes on the night of fullness.

إِنّي اِستَنَبتُ سوايَ يُنشدها

وَأَنا الجديرُ بِذلك القسمِ

I appointed another to recite it,

though I am the one worthy of that role.

وَإِذا حُرِمتُ وُصولَها بيَدي

أَنفذتُ نُسخَتها عَلى رَسمي

And when I was denied delivering it by my own hand,

I dispatched its copy as is my custom.