لقد ضل من يسترق الهوى — Sharif Al Murtaza

لَقَد ضَلّ مَن يَسترقّ الهَوى

وَعَبدُ الغَرامِ طَويلُ الشَّقا

Truly astray is he whom passion enslaves,

and love's slave endures long misery.

وَكَيفَ أَحلُّ بِدارِ الصَّواب

وَلي همّةٌ تزدري بالذُّرا

And how shall I dwell in the abode of sound judgment,

when mine is an ambition that scorns the summits,

وتُظْلِمُ دونِيَ طُرْقُ الصّواب

وَمِنّي اِستَعارَ النَّهار السَّنا

and the paths of sound judgment darken before me,

though daylight borrowed its radiance from me?

رُويدَكِ يا خُدُعاتِ الزّمانِ

كَفاني فِعالُكِ فيمَن مَضى

Hold back, O deceits of time!

Your deeds toward those gone before suffice me.

جَذبتِ عَنانَ شَديد الجُموحِ

وَراوَدتِ مُستَهزِئاً بالرُّقى

You have tugged the rein of one fiercely unbridled,

and sought to beguile one who scoffs at charms.

يَعُدُّ الغِنى منك غُرمَ العقولِ

وَأَنّ ثَراءك مِثلُ الثرى

He deems wealth from you a loss of reason,

and your riches no different from dust.

ومَنْ مَلأت سَمعَه الذابلاتُ

وَقَرعُ الظبا لَم يَرُعْه الصَّدى

And he whose ears are filled by slender lances

and the clash of blades is not alarmed by an echo.

رَمى الدَهرُ بي في فَمِ النائباتِ

كأنِّيَ في مُقلَتيهِ قَذى

Time cast me into the jaws of calamities,

as though I were a mote in its eyes.

وَلَم يَدرِ أنّيَ حتفُ الحُتوف

وَأَردَيتُ بِالسّيف عُمْرَ الرّدى

It did not know that I am the death of deaths,

and with the sword I slew Death's very life,

وَأَنّي لَبِستُ ثِيابَ العَراء

وَلا مُؤْنسٌ لِيَ غيرُ المَها

and that I have worn the garments of the wilderness,

with no companion but the oryx.

وَقَلبٌ نَبا عَنهُ كَيدُ الزّمانِ

فَما للمُنى في رُباهُ خُطا

And I have a heart from which time's guile rebounds,

so wishes never set foot upon its heights.

إِذا نازَعَتني خُطوبُ الزَّمان

مَلأتُ بِهِ فُرُجاتِ المَلا

When time's calamities contend with me,

with it I fill the gaps of the open plain.

أُلوِّحُ بِالنَّقعِ وَجهَ النهارِ

وَأَحسرُ بالبيضِ وَجهَ الدجى

I darken day's face with battle-dust,

and with white swords unveil the face of night,

عَلى سابِحٍ في بِحارِ المنونِ

كفيلٍ بِوَطء الشَّوى بالشّوى

astride a steed swimming through the seas of death,

sure to trample heads beneath its hooves.

أَنالُ بِهِ فائِتاتِ الوُحوش

وَأَلمسُ مِن صَفحَتيه السُّها

With it I overtake the swiftest beasts,

and from its flanks touch the star Suha.

إِذا ما نَظَرتُ إِلى لَونِهِ

رَأيتُ الدُّجى قَد تردّى الضُّحى

Whenever I look upon its color,

I see night's darkness cloaked in morning light.

عَذيريَ مِن مدّعٍ لِلعُلى

وَلَم يَحنِ السَّير ظهرَ السُّرى

Who will vindicate me against a claimant to greatness

who has never bent night-travel's back through journeying,

وَلا حَملتهُ ظُهورُ الجِياد

ولا رَوِيتْ في يَديهِ الظّبا

nor been carried on the backs of noble steeds,

nor had sword blades drink their fill in his hands?

وَما كلُّ ذي عَضُدٍ باطشٌ

ولا كلُّ طرفٍ سليمٍ يرى

Not everyone with an arm can strike,

nor can every sound eye see.

وَبَعض الأَنامِ الّذي تَرتَضيهِ

وَبَعض الرؤوسِ مَغاني الحِجى

And only some of mankind win your approval,

and only some heads are abodes of reason.

فَكَم مِن طَريرٍ يَسوء الخبيرَ

وَكَم فَرَسٍ لا يُجارى العَفا

How many a fine-looking man displeases the discerning,

and how many a horse cannot keep pace with an ass's foal!

دَعِ الفِكرَ فيمَن أَعَلَّ الزّمانُ

وَإِلا فَقُم بِاِعتِدال الشِّفا

Give no thought to those whom time has sickened,

or else undertake a properly balanced cure.

فما غيّرت كفُّ ذي صنعةٍ

بِأَخفى التحلّي مَكانَ الحُلى

For no craftsman's hand has ever changed,

through the subtlest adornment, the place of jewels.

وَلَلطبعُ أَقهرُ مِن طابعٍ

وَطرف الهَوى ما خَلا من عمى

And nature is surely mightier than any shaper,

and passion's eye is never free of blindness.

سَقى اللَّهُ مَنزلَنا بِالكثيب

بِكَفِّ السّحائِب غَمْرَ الحيا

May God water our dwelling by the sand dune

with abundant rain from the clouds' palm:

مَحلّ الغيوثِ وَمَأوى اللّيوث

وَبحرُ النّدى وَمَكان الغِنى

the home of rains and the refuge of lions,

a sea of generosity and a seat of wealth.

فَكَم قَد نعمت بِه ما اِشتهيْ

تُ مشتملاً بإزار الصِّبا

How often there I enjoyed all I desired,

wrapped in the garment of youth.

تُعانِقُني منهُ أَيدي الشّمال

وَيَلثِمُ خدّي نَسيمُ الصَّبا

From there the north wind's hands embrace me,

and the east wind's breeze kisses my cheek.

وَكَم وَردتهُ رِكابُ العُفاةِ

فَأَصدرتها بِبلوغِ المُنى

And how often petitioners' mounts came to water there,

and I sent them back with their wishes fulfilled.

إِذا ما طَمَتْ بِيَ أَشواقُه

دَعوتُ الحُسينَ فَغاضَ الأسى

Whenever longing for it floods over me,

I call upon al-Husayn, and sorrow ebbs.

فتىً لا تعثّر آراءَه

بِطرقِ المَكارم صمّ الصَّفا

A youth whose plans are never tripped up

by solid rocks on the paths of noble deeds.

يَجودُ بِما عَزَّ مِن مالِهِ

فإنْ سِيلَ أَدنى علاهُ أَبى

He gives freely of his dearest wealth,

but if asked for the least of his glory, he refuses.

وَيَوماهُ في الفَخرِ مُستَيقنان

فَيومُ العَطاءِ ويومُ الوغى

And his two days of glory are beyond doubt:

namely, the day of giving and the day of battle.

يُفيض بِهذا جزيلَ الحِباءِ

وَيُقري بِهذا القَنا في القَرا

On this one he pours forth lavish gifts,

and on that one gives lances lodging in backs.

تَعرّف في الخلقِ بِالمَكرُمات

فَأَغنَتهُ عَن رائِقاتِ الكُنى

He became known among mankind through noble deeds,

which freed him from the need for splendid bynames.

وَأَخرَسَ بِالمجدِ قَولَ العُداة

وَأَنطقَ خُرسَ اللَّها باللُّها

And with glory he silenced his enemies' speech,

and with gifts made mute throats speak.

أَيا مَن كَبا فيهِ طِرفُ الحسود

فأمّا جوادُ مديحٍ فلا

O you before whom the envier's steed has stumbled,

the courser of praise, however, has not.

تَمنّى أَعادِيكَ ما فارَقوه

وَمِن دونِ ما أمَّلوه العُلى

Your enemies wished for what they had forsaken,

and greatness stood between them and what they hoped for.

وَعِرضٌ يمزِّقُ مِرْطَ العُيوب

وَيَهتِكُ عَنهُ برودَ الخَنا

And yours is an honor that rends the cloak of faults

and tears from itself the robes of foulness.

وَلَولا عُلوُّك عَن قَدرِهم

لَحَكَّمتَ فيهِم طِوالَ القنا

Had you not stood so far above their station,

you would have made long lances judges over them,

وَأَلحَظْتَ أعيُنَهم غُرّةً

تفارقُ مِنها الجسومُ الطُلى

and shown their eyes a blaze

that parts bodies from their necks.

لَقَد عَصَمتهُمْ سفاهاتُهُمْ

وكهفُ السَّفاهة بِئسَ الحِمى

Indeed, their foolishness has protected them,

and folly's cave is a wretched refuge.

أَبَى اللَّه وَالمجدُ والمشرفيُّ

وسُمرُ الرّماح مُرادَ العدا

God, glory, and the Mashrafi sword have thwarted

the enemies' wish, as have the brown lances.

تهنّأْ بشهرٍ تهنّأ منك

بِصدقِ اليقينِ وصدقِ التُقى

Rejoice in a month that rejoices in you,

through true conviction and true piety.

فَهَذا بِه تَستَضيء السّنون

وَأَنتَ بِمَجدكَ فَخرُ الوَرى

For through this month the years receive their light,

and through your glory you are mankind's pride.

وَلَو فَطنَ الناسُ كنتَ السّوا

دَ مِن كلِّ طرفٍ مَكان المُقا

And if people understood, you would be the dark pupil

of every eye, occupying the eyeballs' place.

فَعِش عيشَةَ الدَّهرِ يا طرفَه

عَميمَ المَكارمِ ماضي الشَّبا

So live as long as time, O its noble steed,

far-reaching in noble deeds, keen of edge.

وَلا يَصبِرنَّكَ هَذا الزّمان

وأَنتَ المَطَا وَالأنام الصَّلا

And may this age never outlast you,

while you are the back and mankind the haunches.