Sol 6.1

  1. مِن أين زُرتَ خيالَ ذاتِ البُرْقُعِ

    والرّكبُ سارٍ في جوانب بَلْقَعِ

    From where did you visit me, phantom of the veiled woman,

    while the caravan traveled through the reaches of a barren waste?

  2. كيفَ اِهتَديتَ ولا صُوىً لولا الهوى

    أغراك في جُنْحِ الظّلامِ توضُّعِي

    How did you find the way, with no cairns, had not love

    enticed you to where I lay under cover of darkness?

  3. ومن العجيبة أنْ يلُمَّ مُصحّحٌ

    ما دبّ فيه سَقامُه بالموجَعِ

    And it is a wonder that one in sound health should visit—

    untouched by sickness—one tormented by pain,

  4. في معشرٍ لهُمُ الثّرى فُرُشٌ ولمْ

    يتوسَّدوا غير الطُّلى والأذرُعِ

    amid men whose bedding is the earth, who have not

    pillowed their heads on anything but necks and arms.

  5. سكنوا قليلاً بعد أنْ كانوا على

    طول الدُّجى من موجِفٍ أو موضِعِ

    They rested briefly, after having spent

    the whole dark night urging a trot or hastening onward.

  6. وأصارهمْ طولُ السُّرى من غير أنْ

    عرفوا الكلالَ إِلى قوائم ظُلَّعِ

    Long night travel left them, without their ever

    knowing weariness, on limping-legged mounts,

  7. خُوصٍ كأمثَالِ القِسِىِّ وما لها

    يَومَ الرِّمايةِ لاِمرئٍ مِن مِنْزَعِ

    sunken-eyed, bent like bows, yet offering

    no man a bow to draw on the day of shooting.

  8. لَم تَترك الرَّوْحاتُ فَوق ضلوعها

    وَقدِ اِلتَوَيْنَ بهنّ غيرَ الأضلُعِ

    The evening journeys have left above their ribs—

    which have curved about them—nothing but ribs.

  9. فكأنّهنّ من البِلى أشطانُها

    أو أنْسُعٌ تمشي إليك بأنْسُعِ

    So, worn away, they seem their own well-ropes,

    or girth-straps walking toward you on girth-straps.

  10. وإلى ذُرا ملك الملوك أثَرْتُها

    واللَّيلُ مشتملٌ بشملةِ أدْرَعِ

    Toward the heights of the king of kings I roused them,

    while night wore the mantle of a dark-headed, white-bodied beast,

  11. عجلان قد ولّتْ عساكره وقد

    همّ الصّباحُ ورأسُه لم يطلُعِ

    hurrying, its armies already in retreat, while

    morning was about to come, though its head had not yet risen.

  12. رقّتْ غلائلُهُ لَنا فكأنّه

    للمبصرين إليه هامةُ أنزَعِ

    Its fine robes grew thin before us, so that it seemed

    to those looking at it, the head of a receding-haired man.

  13. حيث النّدى ثاوٍ به لم يُفتَقَد

    والمجدُ معتنقٌ به لم يُنزَعِ

    There generosity dwells with him, never absent,

    and glory is clasped to him, never stripped away,

  14. والسُّؤدُدُ الضَّخمُ الخِضَمُّ وكلّما

    يرويك من بحر الفخار المُتْرَعِ

    and towering, boundless lordship, and all that

    slakes your thirst from the brimming sea of honor.

  15. وَلَقد فَخرتَ على الملوك جميعهمْ

    بالأصل منك وفرعك المتفرِّعِ

    You have indeed surpassed every king in glory,

    through your root and your branching bough,

  16. ومحاسنٍ لم يقطنوا بشعابها

    كلّا ولا اِجتَازوا لهنّ بأجْرَعِ

    and virtues in whose ravines they have never dwelt—

    no, nor crossed even their bare sandy ground.

  17. وَبلوتَهمْ فَسَبقتهمْ وفَرَعْتهم

    فضلاً وأيُّهُمُ عُلاً لم يَفرَعِ

    You tested them, outstripped them, and rose above them

    in merit—and which of them has not scaled the heights?

  18. فَإِذا هُمُ قِيسوا إليك فمثلُ مَنْ

    قاسَ الذّراعَ طويلةً بالأذرُعِ

    When they are measured against you, it is like someone

    measuring a long arm against one longer still.

  19. للَّهِ دَرُّك في مقامٍ ضيّقٍ

    أبدلتَه بتفسّحٍ وتوسُّعِ

    God bless your prowess in a constricted position

    that you changed into open breadth and room,

  20. بالضّربِ في هامٍ هناك وأذرُعٍ

    والطّعنِ في ثُغَرٍ هناك وأضلُعَ

    by blows there upon heads and arms,

    and spear-thrusts there into throat-hollows and ribs,

  21. والخيلُ عاديةٌ بكلّ مُخفَّفِ

    عارٍ من الجُبن اللئيمِ مُشَيَّعِ

    while the horses charged, each bearing a lightly equipped rider,

    free of base cowardice, stouthearted,

  22. ما ريعَ قطُّ ولم يكن في خُطّةٍ

    نكراءَ إلّا كانَ عزَّ الأروعِ

    never frightened, and never in a predicament

    of dread without proving the gallant warrior's strength.

  23. وَالطّعنُ يَترك كلَّ بُرْدٍ في الوغا

    مُتوشّعاً ولكان غير موشَّعِ

    Spear-thrusts leave every cloak in battle

    patterned, though otherwise it would have been plain,

  24. في غُلْمةٍ نبذوا الفِرارَ وهاجروا

    في مطمع العلياءِ كلَّ تَوَدُّعِ

    among young men who cast flight aside and forsook

    all ease in pursuit of lofty glory,

  25. متهجّمين ولاتَ حين تهجّمٍ

    متسرّعين ولاتَ حين تسرُّعِ

    charging forward when it was no time to charge,

    rushing ahead when it was no time to rush.

  26. لا مطعمٌ إلّا الجميلُ وما لهمْ

    في حيث لا يرد الفتى من مَكْرَعِ

    They feed on nothing but honor, and they have

    no drinking-place where a young man does not come to water.

  27. حتّى رددتَ الموت عنك مخيّباً

    ما نال منيته بأنفٍ أجدَعِ

    Until you turned death back from you, disappointed,

    its wish unfulfilled, its nose cut off.

  28. وأنا الّذي لمّا اِشتكيتَ موكَّلٌ

    بِي كلُّ أدواءِ الورى لم تُقلِعِ

    And I am the one who, when you fell ill, had set

    upon me every human illness, none relenting.

  29. وَمزعزعٌ تشكو حشاهُ خِيفةً

    ومروّعٌ تجري حِذاراً أدُمعِي

    And I was shaken, my inward parts aching with fear,

    and terrified, my tears flowing in dread.

  30. وَمذ اِشتكيتَ فبالحضيضِ مُعَرَّسي

    وَعلى القضيضِ تقلّبِي في مضجعي

    Since you fell ill, my resting place has been in the depths,

    and on sharp gravel I toss upon my bed.

  31. ولو اِنَّ أمري نافذٌ في صحّتي

    لبذلتُ منها كلّ ما لِيَ أو معي

    If my command had power over my health,

    I would give of it everything I possess or hold.

  32. لا مُتْعةٌ لِي بالّذي لم تلفِهِ

    وَبأنْ كُفِيتَ وإن دُهيتُ تمتُّعِي

    I take no pleasure in what you do not have;

    my pleasure is that you are spared, even if calamity befalls me.

  33. وَيَهونُ عِندي أَنْ تكون مُصَحَّحاً

    وَمِنَ الضَّنى حِيكَتْ لجسمي أدرُعي

    I would bear it lightly, with you in sound health,

    were my armor woven for my body from wasting sickness.

  34. وإذا صححتَ فكلُّ شيءٍ نافعي

    وَإذا اِعْتلَلْتَ فَليسَ شيءٌ مُقنِعي

    When you are well, everything benefits me;

    when you are ill, nothing satisfies me,

  35. حتّى أَتاحَ اللَّهُ ما أُمِّلْتُهُ

    من صحّةٍ أَعْطَتْ بغير تَمَتُّعِ

    until God granted what I had hoped for:

    health that gave without taking enjoyment.

  36. وفَدَتْ وقد آلتْ بأنّ ضياءَها

    ما يمّحي وَعطاءها لم يرجعِ

    It arrived, having sworn that its radiance

    would not fade, nor its gift be taken back.

  37. فَالحمدُ للّهِ الّذي لم يَشجُنا

    إلّا اِجتيازُ لِمامِ خطبٍ مُسرعِ

    So praise be to God; nothing grieved us

    except the passing brush of a swiftly moving calamity.

  38. ما زارَنا إلّا كَما زار الكرى

    باللّيل جَفْنَ الخائفِ المُترَوِّعِ

    It visited us only as sleep visits

    by night the eyelid of one frightened and alarmed.

  39. وَلَقد رمى الرّحمنُ في أوصالهِ

    لمّا أتى بتبدّدٍ وتَذَعْذُعِ

    The Merciful indeed cast into its limbs,

    when it came, dispersal and shattering,

  40. وَتقطّعٍ لولا سعادتُك الّتي

    مَلأتْ حريمك كان غيرَ مقطَّعِ

    and severance; but for your good fortune, which

    filled your precinct, it would have remained unsevered.

  41. وَلَقد نَفعتَ بأنْ ضررتَ وكم لنا

    نفعٌ يزور رباعَنا لم ينفعِ

    You have indeed benefited us by suffering harm; how often we have

    a benefit that visits our dwellings yet does no good.

  42. ولو اِطّلعتَ على ضميرٍ فيك لِي

    أبصرتَ منه تقسُّمِي وتروُّعِي

    If you could look into the feelings I keep for you,

    you would see my being torn apart and my terror,

  43. وبلابِلاً شوهِدنَ لولا أنّني

    غطّيتُها بتجمُّلِي وتصنُّعِي

    and anxieties that would have been seen, had I not

    covered them with composure and a studied show.

  44. فبأيّ سِرٍّ ما رأيت كآبةً

    أم أيُّ قلبٍ فيك لم يتطلّعِ

    In what inward soul did you not see sorrow,

    or what heart did not yearn toward you?

  45. فاِشكرْ جَميلاً نلتَه ومُنِحْتَه

    فالشّكرُ رَبْطُ تفضُّلٍ وتبرّعِ

    So give thanks for the favor you received and were granted,

    for gratitude binds graciousness and freely given bounty.

  46. ولوَ اِنّنِي أعطي الخيارَ لكان في

    رَبْعٍ حَلَلْتَ تقلُّبِي وتربُّعِي

    Were I given the choice, it would be in

    a home where you reside that I would live and settle.

  47. واِعتَضتُ عندك من شبابٍ فاتني

    بمصايرٍ وأواصرٍ لم تُجمعِ

    With you I would make up for the youth I have lost

    through destinies and ties not yet brought together,

  48. وأخذتُ ثاراتي من الزّمنِ الّذي

    قَد طال منهُ تألُّمي وتوجُّعِي

    and take my vengeance upon time, from which

    my suffering and pain have lasted so long.

  49. فأحقُّ بابٍ بابُك المعمورُ بِي

    وعليه طولُ توقُّفِي وتضرُّعي

    The worthiest door is yours, frequented by me,

    where I linger long and make my pleas.

  50. فهو العَتادُ لآمنٍ أو خائفٍ

    إنْ زاره وهو المُرادُ لمُزمِعِ

    For it stands ready for the secure man or the fearful,

    if he visits it, and is the goal of one firmly resolved.

  51. فمتى ألِفْتُ فمن فِنائِك مَأْلَفِي

    وإذا رتعتُ ففي رياضك مَرْتَعِي

    Whenever I seek company, your courtyard is my familiar haunt;

    and when I graze, your gardens are my pasture.

  52. وَلو اِنّ شملِي بات ملتفّاً به

    ما كان شَمْلِي قطُّ بالمتصدِّعِ

    If all that is mine spent the night gathered there,

    my unity would never be torn apart.

  53. وحللتُ عندك رُتبةً لا تُرتَقى

    في خير منزلةٍ وأشرفِ موضعِ

    I would attain beside you a rank none can reach,

    in the finest station and the noblest place.

  54. ولو اِستطعتُ نفضتُ كلّ إقامةٍ

    إلّا على الكَنَفِ الرّحيب الأوسعِ

    If I could, I would shake off every place of residence,

    except beneath your broadest, most spacious shelter,

  55. في حيثُ لا تسرِي الأذاةُ بمضجعي

    طولَ الحياةِ ولا القَذاةُ بمدمعي

    where no harm would creep into my bed

    throughout my life, nor any mote into my tear duct.

  56. وَلئِنْ بَعُدتُ محلّةً فتقرّبي

    بتودُّدي وتشوُّقي وتطلُّعِي

    Though my dwelling be far away, I draw near

    through my affection, longing, and yearning.

  57. وَلقد دُعيتُ فما سمعتُ ولم يكنْ

    إلّا نِداؤك وحده في مَسْمعي

    I have been called, but did not hear; there was

    only your call alone within my hearing.

  58. فإذا نطقتُ أبى عليَّ تكلُّمِي

    وَإذا جرعتُ أبى عليَّ تجرُّعي

    When I try to speak, speech refuses me,

    and when I try to swallow, swallowing refuses me.

  59. يا رافعَ الآدابِ رفّعني إلى

    حيثُ اِقتضاهُ تصعُّدي وترفُّعِي

    O you who elevate letters, raise me to

    the height my ascent and aspiration demand.

  60. لا تمزِجنَّي بالّذين تراهُمُ

    فالنّبعُ ممزوجٌ بغير الخِرْوَعِ

    Do not mingle me with those you see,

    for nabʿ bow-wood is mixed with wood other than castor.

  61. كم بين قولٍ في الصّدور وقولةٍ

    هبّتْ بها نكباءُ ريحٍ زَعْزَعِ

    How far apart are words held in hearts and a saying

    swept away by a veering, blustering wind!

  62. وإذا رضيتَ مقالتي فَلَهَيِّنٌ

    من صمّ عنها مُعرِضاً لم يسمعِ

    If my words please you, of little account is

    whoever turns away from them, deaf and unhearing.

  63. وإذا رضيتَ فضيلةً لِي لم أُبَلْ

    من نام عنها بالعيونِ الهُجَّعِ

    If a merit of mine pleases you, I care nothing for

    whoever sleeps through it with slumbering eyes.

  64. خذها كما وَضَحَ النّهارُ لمبصرٍ

    واِفْتَرَّ روضٌ غِبَّ غيثٍ مُقلِعِ

    Take it, clear as daylight to one who sees,

    and like a meadow smiling after rain has ceased:

  65. غرّاءَ تحسبها نجاحَ لُبانةٍ

    هبّتْ عليك من النّواجي النُّسَّعِ

    radiant—you would think it the fulfillment of a cherished wish,

    wafted to you by swift, long-striding she-camels.

  66. ومتى أراد رواتُها طيّاً لها

    نمّتْ على إحسانها بتضوّعِ

    Whenever its reciters seek to fold it away,

    its spreading fragrance betrays its beauty.

  67. كم لِي عليها من حسودٍ شاعرٍ

    شَغَفاً بها أو من خطيبٍ مِصْقَعِ

    How many an envious poet I have on its account,

    passionately enamored of it—or an eloquent orator!

  68. والشّعرُ ما قُضِيَتْ حقوقٌ جَمّةٌ

    فيه لسامِي الكبرياءِ سمَيْدَعِ

    Poetry is that in which many duties are fulfilled

    toward a lofty, high-minded, generous lord.

  69. وَالخيرُ فيه إذا اِنزوى عن مَنْكِبٍ

    والشّرُّ فيه متى يُقَلْ في مطمعِ

    Its good lies in drawing back from a shoulder,

    and its evil when it is uttered out of greed.

  70. ولأنتَ أولى بالقريضِ من الورى

    وبطوقِهِ وبتاجهِ المترصِّعِ

    You, above all mankind, are most worthy of poetry,

    of its necklace and its jewel-studded crown.