ألا هل لما فات من مطلب — Sharif Al Murtaza

أَلا هَل لما فات من مطلبِ

وهل عن ردَى المرءِ من مَهرَبِ

Ah, can what has passed be sought again?

And is there any escape from a person's death?

وَهَل لامرئٍ يبتغيهِ القضا

ءُ من مُستجارٍ ومن مذهبِ

And has a man whom fate pursues

any refuge or way to flee?

عذيرِيَ من حادثات الزّمان

أجِدُّ لهنَّ ويلعبْنَ بي

Who will defend me against time's calamities?

I deal earnestly with them, while they toy with me.

يُثلّمْنَ من حَنَقٍ مَرْوَتي

ويرعَيْنَ من نَهَمٍ خُلّبي

In rage they chip away my flint,

and ravenously graze upon my liver's covering.

وإمّا بَرِحْنَ ففي طيّهن

نَ ما شئتَ من تعبٍ مُتعبِ

And when they depart, within their folds

lies as much exhausting toil as you could wish.

وإنْ هنّ صفّينَ لي مشرباً

رَجَعْنَ فَرنّقْنَ لي مَشْربي

And if they make a draught clear for me,

they return and muddy my drink.

فكم ذا أُعلّلُ بالمُبْرِضاتِ

وأُخدَعُ بالبارق الخُلّبِ

How long must I be soothed with scant trickles,

and deceived by lightning that brings no rain?

وأُعدي بأدواء هذا الزّما

نِ عَدْوَى المُصحِّ من المُجرَبِ

And be infected with this age's ailments,

as the healthy catch infection from the mange-stricken?

ولو كنتُ أعجبُ من حادثٍ

عجبتُ من الحادث الأقربِ

And if I were to marvel at any calamity,

I would marvel at the most recent one.

أتاني على عُدَوَاءِ الدّيارِ

لَواذِعُ مِن نبأٍ مُنصِبِ

Despite the distance between our homes, there reached me

the searing pangs of grievous news.

فإنّ نجيع فخار الملو

كِ سِيط هنالك بالأثْلَبِ

For the lifeblood of the pride of kings

was mixed there with dust.

وإنّ أُسامةَ ذا اللِّبدَتيْ

نِ صُرِّع عن خُدَعِ الأَذْؤُبِ

And Usāma, the lion with two manes,

was felled by the wolves' deceits.

غُلبتمْ بنقضِكُمُ عهدَهُ

ومن غلّبَ الغدْرُ لم يغلِبِ

You were defeated by breaking your pledge to him;

and whoever treachery makes victorious has not won.

بأيِّ يدٍ قُدتمُ غِرَّةً

خِزامةَ ذا المُقرَمِ المُصْعَبِ

With what hand did you lead, catching him unawares,

this prized, untamed camel by its nose-ring?

وكيف ظفِرتُمْ وبُعدُ المنا

ل بينكُمُ بسنا الكَوكبِ

And how did you prevail, when beyond your reach

lay the radiance of that star?

وَكَيف عَلِقْتُم عَلى ما بِكمْ

من العَجْزِ بالحُوَّلِ القُلَّبِ

And how did you catch, despite all your

helplessness, one so resourceful and versatile?

وأينَ يمينُكُمُ والعُهو

تطايحن في نَفْنفٍ سَبْسَبِ

And where are your oath and pledges?

They tumbled away into a vast, barren waste.

وَأَصبح ملكُكُم بعدَه

بغير ذراعٍ ولا مَنكِبِ

And after him your kingdom was left

without an arm or a shoulder.

وما كنتُ أخشى على الأُفعوانِ

مَدى الدّهرِ مِن حُمةِ العقربِ

And I never feared for the great serpent

the scorpion's venom, through all time.

أَمِنْ بَعد أَن قادَها نحوَكمْ

نفوراً مُحَرَّمَةَ المركبِ

Is it after he led her toward you,

shying away, refusing to be ridden,

وَأَولَجها بَين أَبياتكمْ

وَلَيسَ لَها ثمَّ من مرغَبِ

and brought her in among your dwellings,

though there was nothing there to attract her,

وَدافع عنها لِغير القوي

يِ كلَّ شديدِ القُوى مُحرِبِ

and defended her on behalf of the weak

against every fierce warrior of mighty strength,

تُجازونَهُ بجزاء العدوِّ

وتَجْزونَه أُسْوَةَ المُذنِبِ

that you repay him as an enemy

and reward him as you would a guilty man?

ولو رابه منكُمُ ما أرا

بَ شآكمْ وَلكن لم يَرْتَبِ

And had what was suspicious in you alarmed him,

he would have outstripped you—but he suspected nothing.

خُذوها تلَذُّ لَكمْ عاجلاً

وآجلُها غيرُ مُستَعذَبِ

Take it: it tastes sweet to you now,

but its aftermath will not be sweet.

ولا تَرقبوا غير ودْقِ الحِمام

وشيكاً من العارِضِ الصيِّبِ

Expect nothing but the rain of death

soon, from the pouring storm cloud.

ففِي الغيبِ مِن ثارِه فيكُمُ

شفاءٌ لأفئدةٍ وُجَّبِ

For, in the unseen, vengeance for him upon you

holds healing for throbbing hearts.

ألا غنّياني بقرع السّيوفِ

فَما غيرُها أبداً مُطربي

Come, you two, sing to me with the clash of swords,

for nothing else will ever delight me.

وحُثّا عليَّ كؤوسَ النّجيعِ

سواءً شربتُ ولم أشربِ

And press upon me cups of fresh blood,

whether I drink or do not drink.

ولا تمطُلا ثاره إنّه

فتىً حرّم المَطْلَ في مَطلبِ

And do not delay vengeance for him, you two: he

was a gallant man who forbade delay in any request.

كأنّي بها كجبالِ الحجا

زِ يُقبلنَ أو قِطَعِ الغَيْهبِ

I seem to see them, like the mountains of the Hijaz,

advancing, or like masses of deep darkness.

عليهنّ كلُّ شُجاعِ الجَنان

إذا رُهبَ الهولُ لم يَرهَبِ

Upon them rides every stout-hearted warrior,

unafraid when terror is feared.

لأسيافهم في رؤوس الكُماةِ

مصمّمة القُضُب اللّهّبِ

Their swords, against the heads of armored champions,

cleave straight through—flaming blades.

ولمّا مررنا على رَبْعِهِ

خرابِ الأنيس ولم يَخرِبِ

And when we passed his dwelling,

desolate of company, though not in ruins,

تَبدّل بعدَ عَجيج الوفودِ

بحاجاتِهم صرَّةَ الجُندُبِ

it had exchanged the clamor of delegations

bringing their requests, for the grasshopper's chirr;

ومن سابغاتٍ ملَأْن الفِناءَ

من القَزّ أردية العنكبِ

and, in place of ample robes that filled the courtyard,

of silk, had taken the spider's mantles.

بَكينا على غَفَلاتٍ بِهِ

سُرِقنَ وعيشٍ مضى طيّبِ

We wept for carefree moments there,

stolen away, and for a sweet life gone by.

وَقُلنا لما كانَ صعبَ المَذا

لِ من سَبَلِ العين لا تَصعُبِ

And we said to what had been hard to release

of the eye's downpour: 'Resist no longer.'

أيا دارُ كيف لبستِ العَفاء

وماءُ النضارِة لم ينضُبِ

O house, how have you clothed yourself in desolation,

while the water of your freshness has not run dry?

وَكيفَ نسيتِ الّذي كان فيكِ

من العزّ والكرم الأرحبِ

And how have you forgotten what was in you

of glory and boundless generosity?

وكيف خلوتِ من القاطنين

وغربانُ بينك لم يَنعَبِ

And how were you emptied of your inhabitants,

though the ravens of your parting had not cawed?

وَأَين مَكامنُ ذاكَ الشجاع

ومربضةُ الأسدِ الأغلبِ

And where are the lairs of that brave man,

and the resting place of the mighty lion?

وأين مواقفُ وِلْدانِهِ

ومُزدَحمِ الجُند في الموكبِ

And where are the stations of his young attendants,

and the throng of troops in the procession,

ومجرى سوابقِهِ كالصّقورِ

جلبنَ صباحاً على مَرْقَبِ

and the course of his swift steeds, like falcons

brought at dawn onto a lookout?

أيمضِي وأسيافُهُ ما فَتِئْ

نَ بالضّرب والسُّمرُ لم تُخضَبِ

Does he depart, his swords not yet blunted

by blows, and the brown spears still unstained?

وَلَم تُعجل الخيلُ مذعورةً

إلى مَرغبٍ وإلى مرهبِ

And the horses were not sent rushing, terrified,

toward a place of hope and a place of fear;

ولم يُستلبْ بالرّماح الطّوا

لِ في الرّوع واسطةُ المِقْنَبِ

nor had the long spears snatched away,

amid terror, the cavalry troop's central jewel?

ولو عَلِمَ السّيفُ لمّا علا

كَ حالَ كليلاً بلا مَضرِبِ

And had the sword known, when it rose over

you, it would have turned blunt, without a cutting edge,

وبُدّل من ساعدٍ هزّه

لحتفك بالسّاعد الأعضبِ

and, in place of the arm that swung it

to slay you, would have been given a maimed arm.

تعامَه قومٌ سقوك الحِمامَ

فما فيهُمُ عنك مِن مُعرِبِ

Those who made you drink death feigned blindness,

and none among them speaks plainly about you.

فلو عن رداكَ سألنهاهُمُ

أحالَ الحضور على الغُيَّبِ

Were we to ask them about your death,

those present would refer us to the absent.

ألِفْتَ التكَرّم حتّى غفل

تَ عن جانب الحاسد المُجلبِ

You were so accustomed to generosity that you neglected

the danger from the envious agitator.

ولم تَعتدِ المنعَ للطّالبين

فجدْتَ بنفسك للطُّلَّبِ

You were unaccustomed to refusing petitioners,

so you gave your very self to those who sought it.

فإِن تكُ يا واحداً في الزّمانِ

ذهبتَ ففضلُك لم يذهبِ

And if you, O matchless one of your age,

have gone, your excellence has not departed.

وإنْ حجّبوك بنسْجِ الصّفيحِ

فغرُّ مساعيك لم تُحجَبِ

And though they veiled you with a weave of stone slabs,

your radiant deeds have not been veiled.

سلامٌ عليك وإن كنتَ ما

سلمتَ من الزّمن الأخيبِ

Peace be upon you, though you were not

safe from this most disappointing age.

وواهاً لأيّامك الماضياتِ

مُضِيَّ السّحابة عن مُجدبِ

And ah, for your days that have passed,

like a cloud passing away from drought-stricken land!

فَما بِنْتَ إلّا كبين الحياةِ

وشرخِ الشّباب عن الأشيبِ

For you departed only as life

and youth's bloom depart from a gray-haired man.

ولا خَير بعدكَ في الطيّباتِ

فَما العَيشُ بَعدك بالطيّبِ

There is no good in pleasant things after you,

for life after you is not pleasant.

حَرامٌ عليّ اِكتسابُ الإخاءِ

فَمثل إِخائك لم أكسِبِ

Acquiring brotherhood is forbidden to me,

for I have never gained brotherhood like yours.

وَلستَ ترانِيَ فيمنْ ترا

هُ إِلّا عَلى نجوَةِ الأجْنَبِ

And you will not see me among those you see

except at a stranger's remove.

ولستُ به طالباً غيرَه

فقِدْماً وجدتُ ولم أطلُبِ

And through it I seek nothing other than itself,

for long ago I found it without seeking.