بدا هاجسي يرسم قوافي جنيتها — Shibli Al Atrash

بَدا هاجسي يرسم قَوافي جنيتها

من فكر تيار الهُموم حداه

My inspiration began tracing rhymes that I gathered,

From thought driven by a torrent of worries,

من فكر خامل خبثو البين وَالنيا

ابعد بديران الهَفا مشحاه

From a dulled mind embittered by separation and distance,

Whose course strayed far into lands of desolation.

ابعد وَبان وَشط عن مَوطن الهَنا

وُكُل ما رَجا قَلبي الوصال جَفاه

It went far, departed, and withdrew from the homeland of happiness;

Whenever my heart hoped for reunion, reunion shunned it.

كُل ما رجا قَلبي مشاهد ولا يفه

يبعد وَمجدول البَلا يَنعاه

Whenever my heart hoped for a sight, its hope went unfulfilled;

It receded, while braided affliction mourned it.

يبعد بنا عن ديرة العز وَالسَخا

وَيَألف بِنا من لانود هَواه

It took us far from the land of honor and generosity,

And brought us among those whose affection we do not desire.

يَألف بِنا مَن لا الجَوارح تطيقه

وَلا خاطِري المَكسور يَوم دعاه

It brought us among those whom our very limbs cannot bear,

Nor did my broken heart ever call for them.

وَلا راودته النَفس في مهرج الرضى

أَيضاً وَلا نَفهَم رُموز لغاه

Nor did my soul seek them in a gathering of contentment;

Nor do we understand the signs of their language.

يا قَلب يا مأَلوم ما هاذ وَلفنا

وَلا هاذ موطننا وَلا نَبغاه

O heart, O wounded heart, this is not our beloved;

This is not our homeland, nor do we want it.

وَلا هاذ مشحانا وَلا هاي ارضنا

وَلا هي وحي الغانمين سِواه

This is not our destination, nor is this our land;

Nor is it a dwelling of worthy men like our own.

وَلا ظنتي عاد الَّذي يذكرونها

تشبه لحوران الكَريمة وَماه

I do not think the lands they speak of

Resemble generous Hauran and its waters,

وَتشبه لحوران العذية بلادنا

ما ظنتي بالملك مثل هَواه

Or resemble pleasant Hauran, our homeland;

I doubt that any realm has air like its air.

أَرض بها النوار فرش رياضها

يبري العليل الصُبح يَوم نَشاه

A land where blossoms carpet its meadows,

Healing the sick who breathe its morning air.

زَهر البختري وَالموصل رَبيعها

يسمن مهازيل الشناح كِلاه

Bakhtari and mawsil blossoms fill its spring;

Eating its pasture fattens the lean grazing beasts.

وَريح الخَزيمة مع نَوابي حيورها

وَريضان من كل الشكال جَناه

The scent of lavender mingles with its rising tracts,

And gardens yield produce of every kind.

وَهِيَ بِلاد العز وَالجُود وَالكَرَم

زين المجنا لَو الطَليب قَفاه

It is the land of honor, bounty, and generosity,

A fine refuge when a pursuer follows a man.

ينفه وَينسى الخَوف وَالضيم وَالبَلا

اليا لفا حوران زال شَقاه

He finds relief and forgets fear, oppression, and affliction;

When he reaches Hauran, his misery disappears.

يا ما درق فيها من الخَوف وَالشَقا

شيخان ينحسبوا مُلوك فَلاة

How many have hidden there from fear and misery—

Shaykhs reckoned kings of the wilderness!

أَمارا أَثقال الروز جونا يسكسكوا

ياتوا حماها يلتجوا بحماه

Princes of weighty standing came hurrying to us,

Seeking its sanctuary and sheltering in its protection.

اليا لفوا حوران عزوا وَانفهوا

يرتاح مَطلوب المُلوك إِن جاه

When they reached Hauran, they gained honor and relief;

A man hunted by kings rests if he reaches it.

وَتقضب عيونو النوم من بعد سهدها

في عرن من داناه ذاق حلاه

His eyes regain sleep after their sleeplessness,

In a stronghold whose sweetness is tasted by those who approach.

يخسا طليبو وَالمَعادي وَغلمتو

وَلا هوَ بحال اللي الرطين لَفاه

His pursuer, his enemy, and the enemy's servants are humbled;

He is not like one whom the foreign-tongued man has reached.

ويعوسجوا عنهُ البشاوات والوزر

وَمقبول عذر ومن لَفى وَشاحاه

Pashas and ministers turn away from him,

And the excuse of whoever arrives seeking refuge is accepted.

تزغر ذنوبو الضلع كانت بعلمنا

وَاليوم ما نَدري المطب إِياه

His mountain-sized sins grew small, as we once knew;

Today we do not know what plight has befallen it.

اليُوم ما نَدري مواقع ربوعنا

عَالطيب يما حال شين حداه

Today we do not know where our people are settled,

Whether honor remains, or an ugly change has overtaken it.

إِن كان حال الطيب خلوه وَارمكوا

عزي لِمَن شاحا الجَناب أَنعاه

If honor has changed, leave it and settle down;

Alas for one who journeyed from the homeland—I mourn him.

عزي لِمَن مثلي بسيناب موقعو

جوات قلعة في بُحور مياه

Alas for one whose lot, like mine, lies in Sinab,

Inside a fortress amid seas of water.

وَلا من فرج يرجاه إلا بلادنا

لتشويش وتصرخ بنوع حداه

He hopes for no deliverance except from our homeland,

To raise a battle cry and shout a stirring chant.

وَإِذا جزت مِنهُم تَراها معرقبي

وَمجدوع ساقه وَالعسيب مَعاه

If you get through them, you find it hamstrung,

Its leg cut off, its tail along with it.

رُحنا عوار بديرة الترك وَالخزر

خنة كسيرة وَالغَريب أَسلاه

We became cripples in the land of the Turks and Khazars,

A broken moan, and the stranger has forgotten him.

صلوا عَن اللي بديرة الترك مننا

جناز موت واقطعوا طرياه

Pray for those of us in the land of the Turks,

A funeral prayer, and cease mentioning them.

اريح لِمَن يرجى وَليفاً مطردا

من الوَطَن مَقطوع حبل رَجاه

It is easier for one awaiting a banished loved one,

Cut off from the homeland, his cord of hope severed.

مِن بَعد ذار اودت نَفسي عَلى الجَفا

وَشجعتها يُوم الزَمان بَلاه

After that, I accustomed my soul to estrangement,

And strengthened it when time put it to the test.

شجعتها عَالضيم وَالويل وَالشَقا

وَقُلت لَها يا نَفس رَأيك تاه

I strengthened it against oppression, anguish, and misery,

And told it, 'O soul, your judgment has strayed.

وَاللَه طمس سعدك وفتت عَزايمك

وَاللَه عمي رَأيك وَقل هَداه

By God, your fortune is blotted out and your resolve shattered;

By God, your judgment has gone blind and its guidance dwindled.

حَتّى جَرى يا نَفس ما كان مُنتَظَر

مِن مَوقعك من قبل حين وَفاه

Until, O soul, what had been expected came to pass,

Foreseen from your plight before the time of its arrival.'

عَيني تُواخيني وَتسمع مَواعظي

وَقالت غَرامي بِالضَمير لَظاه

My dear one befriends me and hears my admonitions,

And says, 'My longing burns within my heart.'

قُلت لَها يا نَفس قرين وَاهجَعي

لِلهَجر غَير الصَبر ماش دَواه

I told it, 'O soul, be still and rest;

Separation has no remedy but patience.

الهَجر هَجر الحَجز وَالضيم وَالنَوى

وَلا المنفه بِالفَلا ذرواه

This separation is confinement, oppression, and distance,

Not banishment to the desert's far reaches.

يعمد هوا نفسو يدور مرادها

لو هو وَرا لج البُحور اتناه

There, a man follows his soul's desire and seeks its wish,

Even beyond the depths of the seas, he reaches it.

يلفى وَلَو يسهج فجوجا خَواليا

أَما رَجل مَقهور لا تَرجاه

He arrives, though he must traverse deserted passes;

But expect nothing from a man held powerless,

بلعون مطروح التراك وَقضيبهم

يَشبه لحربي اللي طمس ما لفاه

In a cursed plight, cast before the Turks and their rod,

Like a foe whose place of refuge has been erased.

قوماً عَلى الندعات ابنوا خيامهم

وَاسيرهم ما هو أَسير حَياة

A people who built their tents upon bare rises,

Whose captive is not a captive destined to live.'

وَدي اقتصر عن لَوم نَفسي وَغيرها

وَانظم قَوافي للسمع بشهاه

I wish to cease blaming myself and others,

And compose rhymes pleasing to the ear.

مِن فُوق طَلحية يلالي بياضها

نقدتها وَرضع اليراع لباه

Upon a sheet whose whiteness gleams,

I selected it, and the reed pen drank its first milk.

وَبدا يَرسم القاف مِن فَوق متنها

هدوة لِمضن يوعي رُموز لغاه

It began tracing rhyme upon its surface,

A gift to a careworn one who understands its language's signs.

يا غادياً مني تحمل رسالَتي

عَلى هيزعية وَالطَريق فَضاه

O you departing from me, carrying my letter,

Upon a swift she-camel, with the road open before her,

شعلا شرارية أَصيلة مذيرا

من ساس عيرات الركاب غياه

A light-red Sharari, purebred and fleet,

From the finest stock of riding she-camels,

مثل الظَليم اللي مسهي جوانحو

نور عليه من القعود رَماه

Like a male ostrich with its flanks relaxed,

When someone springs upon it and fires from a crouch.

انسف عليها الكور من فوق متنها

من فوق دل من الحرير سواه

Throw the riding saddle onto her back,

Over a saddlecloth fashioned from silk.

ما هود من تحت السفايف زهالها

وَغزلان من حمر الذهب يطلاه

Her trappings hang beneath the tassels,

And gazelles of red gold adorn them.

وَالميركة مثل الوسادة مطرزة

وَمغلبه بيريش ربد فلاة

The saddle cushion is embroidered like a pillow,

And covered with feathers of dusky desert ostriches.

وَخرجاً بديع الشَكل من ديرة الحَسا

مرقوم بِأَلف ريال عد شراة

A beautifully shaped saddlebag from al-Hasa,

Embroidered—its purchase price a counted thousand riyals.

لواليح اليازوملت في مسيرها

مثل الشوح من تحت قُوس حَشاه

Her limbs swing when she strides upon her journey,

Like arrows released from a bow's inner curve.

مَرسونة وَمخرمات خشومها

حرة مثل قطع السَراب أَخطاه

She is haltered, her nostrils pierced,

A purebred whose strides resemble streaks of mirage.

يا رُسل كرب لي عليها شدادها

لا بُد دَربه ما يَطول مَداه

O messenger, tighten her saddle for me;

Surely his road will not stretch too far.

وَزهب تَرى ماضن يهدف طَريقها

خَيراً يشايع للضيوف نَباه

Prepare provisions: I doubt her road will bring her

To a generous man whose fame travels with his guests.

وَتحزم بحدبا قَديمة مخضرة

وَسَيفاً مسقط بِالذَهاب جَواه

Gird yourself with an old curved, green-patinated dagger,

And a sword inlaid within with gold,

وَبارودة ممن معمل كروب طرزها

وَفَرداً يكف العاليين نَباه

And a rifle fashioned in the Krupp works,

And a pistol whose report checks the haughty.

يا طارشي وَلم عليها وَهينها

واحفظ وَصاتي يا لغلام وَهاه

My messenger, make her ready and handle her gently;

Remember my instructions, lad, and heed them.

قبل النَصايح بالثمن يَشترونها

يا غلام من لَم يَنتصح قَد تاه

In former times, advice was bought for a price;

Lad, whoever refuses counsel has gone astray.

حذراك غج الترك تأمن بجالهم

أَما الموظف ما عدو سِواه

Beware the Turkish rabble; do not trust their company.

As for the official, you have no enemy but him.

وَابعد عن اللي به مراكز من القرا

وَارض المراكز بالظَلام أَغشاه

Keep away from villages containing official posts;

Cross the territory of those posts in darkness.

وَإِذا وصلت لديرة البَدو وَالعَرَب

أَحكي لِسانك ما يَتيه لغاة

When you reach the land of the Bedouin and Arabs,

Speak in your own tongue, without your speech going astray.

ما دُون مَقسوم العلي لك من البَلا

سَهم القَدر ما عمر خَوف نحاة

Nothing bars the affliction the Most High has allotted you;

Fear has never deflected the arrow of fate.

ما غَيرَها عَالصبح ثَور مطيتك

من دار سيناب البخال أَعداه

At dawn, simply rouse your mount,

And pass beyond Sinab, the abode of misers.

اجمح عليها الصور أَشلك بِبابها

تَرى بابها الحُراس دُوم حَذاه

Dash her past the wall—what business have you at its gate?

The guards are always beside its gate.

وَمِنها عَلى كرزي وَمرزي ومدها

وبيواط باليمنى الطَريق يلاة

From there, onward to Karzi and Marzi; press her on,

With Biwat adjoining the road on the right.

وَاسند عَلى صمسون واحذر من البَطا

وَسيواس خُذها باليسار قَفاه

Head toward Samsun and beware of delay;

Take Sivas to the left, leaving it behind.

عَلى قسطموني الدَرب لازم يمرها

عَلى أَنقرة يهدم رَفيع بَناه

The road must pass through Kastamonu,

Then on to Ankara—may its lofty buildings fall!

سلم عَلى اللي بِأَنقرة مِن رُبوعنا

وَإِن ضفت أَبو فارس لَذيذ قَراه

Greet those of our people who are in Ankara;

If you visit Abu Faris, his hospitality is delightful.

وَالصُبح يَوم الضويشعق من العلا

إِجلس عَلَيها وَالطَريق إِياه

At morning, when the light breaks from above,

Mount her and take that same road,

عَلى مدن ما نَعرف اسلمي بِلادهم

فيها الغشيشين التراك فَناه

Through towns whose names we do not know in their land,

Whose precincts hold the deceitful Turks.

عَلى قَيسرية عقب ستة وَأَربعة

عَلى أَدنا وَالنَضو طابَ سَراه

On to Kayseri after six and four,

Then to Adana, with the worn camel's night journey pleasant.

عَلى ماردين دِيار بَكر بجالها

وَالشَر عقب يا لغلام وَراه

On to Mardin, with Diyarbakir beside it;

Then, lad, leave evil behind.

عاحلب الشَهبا العَرب في ركونها

وَلا دُون جلق غَير حمص وَحَماه

To gray Aleppo, with Arabs in its quarters;

Between you and Jilliq lie only Homs and Hama.

عَلى حمص حث النَضو يا راكب النَضا

أَرخى المشكم وَالخزام أَعزاه

Urge the lean camel toward Homs, rider of lean camels;

Loosen the bit and ease its nose-rein.

دَربك عَلى الفَيحا دمشق المعطره

حيي هَلا الفَيحا الكِرام ثَناه

Your road leads to fragrant Damascus, al-Fayha.

Greet al-Fayha's generous people, worthy of praise.

حيي دمشق الشام وَحيي أَرضَها

أَما أَكابرها كِبار الجاه

Greet Damascus of Syria, and greet its land;

Its great men are great in standing.

حذراك لا طبيت بالشام تلتهي

تَرى غرضنا ما وفيت أَخطاه

Beware, when you enter Damascus, of distraction;

Our errand remains unfulfilled—do not miss it.

من جلق الفَيحا ترشد مع الهدى

وَانحر سهيل اليا بداك أَنصاه

From spacious Jilliq, follow the guidance,

And head toward Canopus when it appears before you.

ما من بعايد بس جدي طَريقها

مخبط يديها قبل حين غَداه

It is not far; just press along her road,

Letting her forelegs strike onward before the midday meal.

وَإِذا جزيت براق شوبش مع النيا

يَأتو هلا الوادي فزوع حِداه

When you pass Burraq, raise a cry with resolve;

The valley's people will come rushing at its call.

ملفاك حُوران العزية بلادنا

كُل من يشاحي بِالوَطَن مَشحاه

Your destination is proud Hauran, our homeland;

Everyone traveling home makes it his destination.

من براق للصرار لا دامة العُلا

وَما لَم حوران الكِرام أَنخاه

From Burraq to al-Sarar, to lofty Dama,

Wherever noble Hauran gathers, make her kneel.

كَيفَ ما وَصَلَت بِخَير يا طارش النَوا

وَانطي كِتابي للذي يَقراه

Whenever you arrive safely, messenger of far distances,

Give my letter to someone who can read it.

فهم إِذا رويوا مَعاني رِسالَتي

يَأتوك من غَير الحدا عَرضاه

When they have read the meanings of my letter,

They will come to you unbidden, in a welcoming display.

لا بُد نار الحَرب ما يوقدوتها

يا ضي لهبها للعُيون ضِياه

They will surely kindle the fire of war;

How bright its flame will shine before the eyes!

وَلا بد رخم الحدب ما يشهرونها

وَيعووا مثل ذيب يُريد عشاه

They will surely unsheathe the heavy curved blades,

And howl like a wolf seeking its supper.

وَلا بُد أَهل الجُود ما يطلبوننا

وَيدعون سوريا خَراب هباه

The people of generosity will surely demand our return,

And leave Syria ruined, scattered dust.

ذولي بَني مَعروف شَرابة الدما

عَلى الحَرايب ساسهم مَبناه

These are Bani Ma'ruf, drinkers of blood,

Whose foundations are built upon warfare.

كِرام اللحا عن دُون كُل البَوادي

صلفين يَنطون العَدو جَزاه

Men of noble beards, surpassing all the desert tribes,

Fierce men who give the enemy his due.

عَناتر بيوم الكُون ما يرهبوا العِدا

ضَريرين يَوم الحَرب بِالقواه

Antaras on battle's day, unafraid of foes,

Fierce on war's day, mighty in strength.

صبار لو كظ المَعادي غَريفهم

وَطَريحهم ما عمر حي وَلاه

Steadfast, even if the enemy crowds their lair;

None they strike down has ever survived afterward.

يا ما وطوا دار المَعادي وَشوبشوا

وَقفا مَعاديهم جَفيل وَتاه

How often they entered the enemy's homeland with battle cries,

And their enemy turned back, fleeing and bewildered!

خلوا حَلايلهم وَحلة بُيوتهم

وَحمر البَيارق يَزحَفون وَراه

They left their wives and the encampment of their homes,

And advanced behind the red banners.

فَعايل السوريين تبخن فعالهم

ما أحد عاندهم وَذاقَ هَناه

The Syrians' deeds proclaim the pride of their actions;

No one defied them and tasted happiness.

وَرثوا الحَرايب وَالشَهامة جَميعهم

من نسل هاني إِرث جد وَأَباه

They all inherited warfare and valor

From Hani's descendants, an inheritance from grandfather and father.

عمار بن ياسر تَرى من جدودنا

وهم السَلف وَحنا الغُصون أَتلاه

Ammar ibn Yasir is among our forefathers;

They are the ancestors, and we the branches following them.

دَع عَنكَ عيلات المَحاكي وَغَيرِها

تَرى الدروز ممنعين طَناه

Leave aside faultfinding talk and the like;

The Druze keep their domain inviolate.

وَلا خالطوا غج العَشاير بعرضهم

من نسل ذوك الغانمين غياه

They have not mingled their honor with the rabble of the tribes;

They descend from those men of utmost worth.

كَريمين يَنطون السَلايل مقلفع

وَينطوا الدَراهم وَالجمل وَالشاه

Generous, they give purebred stock unstintingly,

And give money, camels, and sheep.

أَهل المَضايف وَالقَهاوي معنبرة

وَالسَفَر من كُل الصُحون شهاه

People of guesthouses and amber-scented coffee,

With inviting feasts spread in every dish.

عوج المَناسف والدفين بوسطها

وَمِن فَوقِها سمن الجَميد غشاه

Rounded mansaf platters, with meat buried in their centers,

And over them, ghee and jameed form a covering.

وَكَم رَبي في حيهم كُل جايع

في رَغد أَما في سنين غَلاه

How many hungry people were nourished among them,

In plenty, even through years of dear prices!

يَكسوا اليَتامى يَوم تَعرى ثِيابهم

ريف الضَعيف الما تَطول يَداه

They clothe orphans when their garments wear bare,

A refuge for the weak whose hands cannot reach far.

برباعهم ياما هفوا الحيل وَرغت

إِذا صار قُوت الناس عسر شَراه

How many she-camels they slaughtered in their camps, bellowing,

When people's sustenance became hard to buy!

يؤوو الغَريب وَيكرموا الضَيف لا لَفى

يَحموا النَزيل وَينَطحوا العيلاه

They shelter strangers and honor the guest who arrives;

They protect those in their care and confront assaults.

القَصد من خاص الطَوايف جَميعها

أَمانه وَمَعروف وَكَمال وَجاه

The choicest among all the communities,

In trustworthiness, kindness, perfection, and standing.

أَنا طنتي يا رسل ما يتركوننا

ربع السَخا وَالجُود وَالشوماه

I believe, messenger, that they will not abandon us—

Our people of generosity, bounty, and noble courage—

وَيَدعوا حلايلنا لجايا يوقفوا

بِأَرض التراك الخاينين رداه

Or leave our wives standing as refugees,

Abased in the land of the treacherous Turks,

وَيَدعوا حَرايرنا وَبَكر بناتنا

في بَر مُوحش وَالوُحوش أَعداه

Or leave our freeborn women and virgin daughters

In a desolate wilderness, with beasts as their foes.

لَكن مراد اللَه قصر شبارهم

وَلنا بِأَرض الظالمين مِياه

But God's will shortened their reach,

And we have waters in the land of the oppressors.

وَلا الَّذي إِذ دخروه رُبوعنا

لا بُد ما يَبلغ مراد رَجاه

As for the one our people have held in reserve,

He will surely attain the wish he hopes for.

لا بُد مِن يَوم الحَزينة مزغرتي

تَجلي عَن القَلب الضَعيف صَداه

A day will surely come when the grieving woman ululates,

Clearing the rust from the weakened heart.

لا بُد ما تَغدي حَكايا وَتَنجَلي

وَراعي الرَدا يَلقي سَواد رَداه

These troubles will surely become tales and pass away;

The evildoer will meet the darkness of his own evil.

عِندي عُلوم البَعض يَبغون بعدنا

وَقَلبي دليلي وَالضَمير أَتلاه

I have news that some desire our absence;

My heart is my guide, and my conscience follows it.

أَما مَلامي عالّذي انصاب مثلنا

رجلا يكازي بِالرُبوع بَلاه

But my reproach is for one afflicted like us,

A man who taunts his people over his affliction,

رَجلاً يربد الفود من عقب لزمتو

ما قَد صابنا لا بُد ما يَغشاه

A man whose temple has turned gray under his burden—

What befell us will surely overtake him.

عِندي بَعد جُملة محاكي مكمنه

وَإِن ردت حدث يَطول مَداه

I still have much talk held in reserve;

If I chose to speak, its telling would stretch far.

أَما اختصرت وَقُلت يَكفي عِتابنا

مَن ذاقَ طَعم الشَيء عَرَف جَناه

But I have kept it brief and said, 'Enough reproach.'

Whoever tastes a thing knows what it yields.

مِن بَعد ما خطينا نصلي عَلى النَبي

المُصطَفى المُختار دُون سِواه

After finishing our writing, we invoke blessings upon the Prophet,

The chosen, the elect, and no other.

يَختم لَنا بِالخَير وَيحسن خلاصنا

يَجعَل لَنا بَع الهَلاك نَجاه

May He grant us a good ending and a kindly deliverance,

And grant us salvation after destruction.