غني الّذي من واهج الضيم والنيا — Shibli Al Atrash

غني الَّذي من واهج الضيم وَالنيا

يرسم عَلى صَرف الزَمان قوال

He sings who, from the blaze of oppression and separation,

composes verses on the reversals of time.

يَرسم على صَرف الزَمان الَّذي غَدر

فينا وَدَعانا كُل ناس بِحال

He writes of the reversals of time, which betrayed

us and left each company in a different plight;

فينا وَدعانا كُل ناس بديره

كَما الغيم لا جاه النَسيم شَمال

betrayed us and left each company in a different land,

like clouds when a north wind reaches them.

كَما الغيم لا جاه الشَمالي جَرى بِنا

قَطايع لحايا بِالجَناب ذلال

Like clouds when the north wind comes, it swept us away:

scattered bands of refugees, abased in distant places;

قَطايع لجايا بالهَفا مع عِيالنا

وَحاك الشبك عالكل منا حال

bands of refugees in exile with our children.

And the net closed around every one of us.

البَعض مِنا يم غرب الزناني

وَالبَعض في بلاد التُرك حوال

Some of us went westward to prisons;

and some wander in the lands of the Turks.

وَالبَعض ضمتهم لحود الدوارس

عَلَيهُم تراب الغراب حيف انهال

And some were clasped by forgotten graves;

alas, alien earth poured down upon them.

وَمِنا عَلى الطرقان ماتوا من الظَما

هفوا مثل حربد يُوم دش بجال

And some died of thirst upon the roads,

falling like young locusts rushing onto a bank.

وباكريت ترب كريت وَسدربوعنا

وَمنا برودس مات موت وبال

In Crete, Crete's soil became our people's pillow;

and some in Rhodes died a dreadful death.

وَمِنا رَموه في لجة البَحر عالميا

وَكلاهم هَوام المايع السيال

And some they cast into the sea's deep waters;

the creatures of the flowing waters devoured them.

وَمنا ببر الترك تحت عظامهم

وَمِنا بجلق مات بِأَوشم حال

And some in Turkish lands—their bones lay beneath;

and some in Jilliq died in the worst plight.

وَمِنا مؤبد بِالسُجون عذابهم

وَمصفدين رقابهم بغلال

And some suffer lifelong torment in prisons,

their necks fastened in shackles.

وَمِنا كلاه الطير وَالوَحش بِالخَلا

بحوران دمو بِالمعامع سال

And some were eaten by birds and beasts in the wilderness;

in Hauran their blood flowed amid the battles.

لا ما غدينا للمخاليق وَالمَلا

مَعاره بِنا تضرب الناس أَمثال

Until we became, before all people and the multitude,

a disgrace through which people frame their proverbs:

معارة بَعد ما حنا مثل ذروة العلا

مَنادر وَمِنا بِالحِساب قيال

a disgrace, after we had been like the summit of glory,

rare men, with princes counted among us.

وَخانت الأَيام مخبث عمالهم

وَخان الزَمان الغادر الميال

The days betrayed them through their officials' wickedness;

and treacherous, wavering time betrayed them.

الأَيّام بيهم مثل شَهد الخَلايا

وَالأَيام بيهم مرمرة وَنكال

Some days are like honey from the combs;

and some days bring bitterness and punishment.

الأَيّام فيهم بِالمَلذات وَالطَرَب

وَالأَيام مِنهم للرجال هوال

Some days hold delights and rejoicing;

and some days bring terrors to men.

الأَيام مِنهُم مَرتع الكيف وَالصَفا

وَالأَيام مِنهُم للرِجال جفال

Some days are a pasture of pleasure and serenity;

and some days send men fleeing.

الأَيام مِنهُم عز بِالسيف وَالقَنا

وَالأَيام مِنهُم لِلعَزيز سقال

Some days bring glory through sword and spear;

and some days burden even the mighty.

الأَيام مِنهُم رَغد بالعيش وَالرَخا

وَالأَيام مِنهُم للرِجال قحال

Some days bring comfortable living and abundance;

and some days bring men drought.

الأيام مِنهُم بيض أَبيض مِن اللَبن

وَمِنهُم سَواد وَلِلرِجال هزال

Some days are white, whiter than milk;

and some are black, bringing men wasting.

الأَيام لا مالو على طود عالي

يَدعو مَعاصيه الشناع سهال

When the days turn against a lofty mountain,

they make its formidable crags into plains.

يَدعو الصُخور العاليات الشَوامخ

مثل قاع خنا وَالزَمان حوال

They make its high, towering rocks

like a desolate plain; time is ever-changing.

من عاند الأَيام مَغلوب جانبو

لَو كان جيشو ميت أَلف خيال

Whoever defies the days will have his side defeated,

even if his army numbers a hundred thousand horsemen.

لَو كان جيشو مثل جيش الزناتي

مشوف القَدر سلط عليه هلال

Even if his army were like al-Zanati's army:

have you not seen how fate set Hilal against him?

صَبراً جَميل الصَبر أَحلى من العَسَل

هَنيئاً لرجل للبلا حمال

Beautiful patience! Patience is sweeter than honey.

Blessed is the man who bears affliction.

مِن بَعد ذا يا نار قَلبي توقدي

وَهاتي عَلى صَرف الزَمان قوال

After this, O fire of my heart, blaze up,

and bring forth verses on time's reversals.

هاتي عَلى صَرف الزَمان الَّذي غَدا

عَلينا وَخَلانا رَماد ذفال

Bring forth verses on the reversals of time, which turned

against us and left us cold, spent ashes.

صار القلم يَرسم قَوافي جَنيتها

مِن فَوق مَصقول الطَلاحي سال

The pen began tracing verses I gathered,

flowing over polished acacia wood.

مِن فَوق طَلحية ينقح كَلامها

وَيُبدي قَوافي لِلسموع مثال

Over an acacia tablet, it refines its words

and presents verses as examples for the ears.

يُبدي عَلى ما حاق فينا من البَلا

يَومن سَعدنا غاب عَنا وَمال

It tells of the affliction that befell us

when our good fortune disappeared and turned away.

يُوم سعدنا غاب عَنا وَاِنثَنى

وَادَعى سباع البر بِأوشم حال

The day our good fortune disappeared and withdrew,

it left the wilderness's lions in the worst plight.

كُنا بحوران العَذية بِلادنا

بِنعمة جَزيلة وَالغبوق زلال

We were in lovely Hauran, our homeland,

in abundant blessing, our evening draught pure and clear.

وَكُنا كِرام النَفس بِالجُود وَالعَطا

مَن خاص روس الغانمين سآل

We were noble-hearted, generous and giving,

among the choicest leaders of worthy men—ask about us.

كُنا نَجود وَنقضب الناس بالحشم

وَبالسَيف اللي يَشتَهون فعال

We gave generously and held people through respect,

and with the sword performed the deeds they desired.

سناجق بَني مَعروف نطاحة العِدا

عَناتر ليوث من الرِجال جِبال

The banners of Bani Ma'ruf charged against the enemy:

Antars, lions, mountains among men;

مَنادر مَعاني لِلمَخاليق وَالمَلا

زبن المَجنا وَالطَنيب إِن حال

rare men, refuges for all people and the multitude,

a shelter for the fugitive and the protection-seeker who arrived;

ملجا مثل سنجار من قبل لِلوَرى

رَمايا وَعَلى متن الحَريب ثقال

a refuge like Sinjar of old for humankind,

marksmen, heavy upon the enemy's back.

ياما شيُوخ من البَداوي وَغَيرَهُم

جونا يَدوروا من السُموم ظلال

How many sheikhs, Bedouin and others,

came to us seeking shade from scorching winds!

جونا يدوروا العز وَالطيب عِندَنا

وَمِن غَيرِنا ما من ذَرى وَظلال

They came seeking honor and goodness among us;

outside us there was no shelter or shade.

لَو يَطلبوهم دَولة التُرك يَنهفوا

لَو الدَم يَجري عالوطا شلال

Even if the Turkish state pursued them, they could flee here,

even if blood flowed over the ground in torrents.

لَو الدَم يَجري ما نخلي نزيلنا

لَو الزلم تَغدي عَالحضيض تِلال

Even if blood flowed, we would not abandon our guest,

even if men's bodies became heaps upon the low ground.

وَكُل العَشاير وَالبَوادي وَغَيرَهُم

تَراهُم إِذا عَدوا الدروز زَوال

And all the tribes, the desert peoples, and others:

you see them vanish when they assail the Druze.

فَعلا شهدوا التُرك وَالبَدو وَالحَضَر

وَكُل الطَوايف بَعد بِالأجمال

The Turks, Bedouins, and townspeople witnessed our deeds,

and all the other communities together.

القَصد خاص الخاص نَخبي مِن المَلا

أَماني وَمَعروف وَكَمال وَمال

In short, the choicest of the choice, an elite among men:

security, kindness, excellence, and wealth.

لا ما قَضى رَبك عَلينا وَاِنتَهى

ظهر بَيننا من جنسنا فَسال

Then your Lord decreed against us, and it was done:

base men of our own kind appeared among us.

ظَهر بَيننا فيئة رَدية مخامرة

باعوا الأَمانة وَوَرطوا السفال

A vile, scheming faction appeared among us;

they sold their trust and embroiled the rabble.

وَعابوا بحوران العذية وَعيبوا

صج النَحو لا عاب زيته سال

They disgraced lovely Hauran and were themselves disgraced:

truly, when an oilskin fails, its oil runs out.

قادر أَقول فلان فلان باسمهم

لَكن رَأَيت الاختصار كَمال

I could name this man and that man by name,

but I considered brevity a virtue.

لَكن رَأَيت الصَمت ميزان للفَتى

وَالترك راحة وَالعِتاب وَبال

But I considered silence a young man's balance;

leaving things alone brings rest, while reproach brings trouble.

وَكثر الفَساد بِنقطة العز وَالصَفا

وَصاروا يَروها الناقدين هبال

Corruption multiplied in that place of honor and serenity,

and critics came to see it as madness.

لجاجة بحوران العذية بلادنا

مثل نابلس من قبل واردى حال

Strife arose in lovely Hauran, our homeland,

like Nablus before it, and in a worse plight.

وَصارَت عَداوي بَين أَهل القَرايا

حَرايب هوال تَشيب الأَطفال

Hostilities arose among the villagers:

terrible wars that turn children's hair white.

وَلا طايفة إِلا كلت لَحم وَاِكتَفَت

مِن طايفه وَصار الحَرام حَلال

No faction failed to eat its fill of flesh

from another faction; the forbidden became permitted.

يَوم السويدة وَالبثينة وَلاهثة

وَعرمال وَعراجي حروب هوال

On the day of al-Suwayda, al-Buthayna, and Lahitha,

and Armal and Araji, there were dreadful wars:

وقعات ما يحصى تَفاصيل شرحها

من غير ذبح الزلم شل حلال

battles whose details cannot be counted,

besides slaughtering men and carrying off livestock.

وَعملوا الرَدايا المفسدين ذَواتهم

وَشاخوا عَلى البوهاشيوخ ظلال

The vile corrupters made themselves men of rank,

and lorded over the rabble as misguided sheikhs.

شاخوا وفاشوا في جبلنا وَتلشوا

وَصار الغيل بقريته راسمال

They became sheikhs, spread through our mountain, and ran wild;

each brute became his village's chief asset.

اليُوم جَمعية بعتيل وجوارها

وَبكرا انقلوها من سَليم شَمال

Today an assembly in Atil and its surroundings;

tomorrow they move it north of Salim.

وَمضمونهم يَهفو المَشايخ من الجبل

هذا الملخص ما عليه سؤال

Their purpose was to drive the sheikhs from the mountain:

that is the summary, beyond question.

يحكوا بَعض مرات بدنا الأَراضي

وَمَرات بدنا أَرضهم وَالمال

Sometimes they said, 'We want the lands,'

and sometimes, 'We want their land and wealth.'

ليش المَشايخ بالجبل حقروهم

نحنا مَشايخ عال عال العال

'Why should the mountain's sheikhs belittle them?

We are sheikhs, high above the highest!

نحنا كبار العاميد المبخرة

وَنحنا كفاية نسدر الصوال

We are the elders, the pillars wreathed in incense,

and we suffice to meet the attackers.'

وَحاروا بحوران العذبة وَحيروا

وَقلت النذال هجارها وشكال

They wandered bewildered in fair Hauran and bewildered others;

the restraints and fetters on the base grew scant.

وَفلتوا النذال اللي بقوا يهجرونها

وَصاروا المهامل والوباش رجال

The base broke loose and began depopulating it;

the worthless and the rabble became men of standing.

وَصاروا عَلى الجيري يغاروا ويكسبوا

وَالبَعض مِنهُم قال أَن نزال

They began raiding their neighbors and taking booty;

some of them said, 'I am a warrior.'

سرادل خيول مجدولة عالقباحة

وَتشاليح للدراب وَالجَمال

Mounted bands, their horses arrayed for villainy,

and robbers stripping roadgoers and camel caravans:

لا ما السوابل ربعنا قطعوها

في حكم بر الشام بالاجمال

until our people severed the caravan routes

throughout the lands of al-Sham.

حوران والغوطة وَنواحي خلافهم

حطوا عَلَيها الوَسم وَسم حَلال

Hauran, al-Ghuta, and the other surrounding districts:

they branded them with the brand of their own livestock.

وَدانَت لَهُم بِالكذب كُل النَواحي

دَولة عرس حكامها الجهال

Through lies, all the districts submitted to them:

a wedding-feast state, ruled by the ignorant.

وَباعوا الديانة وَالأَمانة بسعيهم

وَمَشوا بلا جادي ضروب وَظلال

They sold religion and trust through their endeavors

and walked without a guide along paths of error.

وَأَما الَّذي غَطى السَوالف جَميعها

وَدَعا الجيد مِنا وَالسَفيه بحال

But what overshadowed all these tales

and left our good men and fools in the same plight

يَوم إِن طَغاهم طاغي الناس وَالمَلا

وَنَفخ خشوم العيث وَالجهال

was the day the people's tyrant drove them to excess

and puffed up the noses of the marauders and the ignorant.

شدوا بَيارق حَرب من ساير الجبل

مجاهلي وَقالوا باطل العذال

They raised war banners from all over the mountain,

recklessly, and declared the reprovers wrong.

رصالوا عَلى حوران يدووا مغرب

بِالسَيف وَالبارود وَالعسال

They charged against Hauran, thundering westward,

with sword, gunpowder, and spears.

من ركننا القبلي الزغابا يزعزعوا

عاكحيل يحدو مثل مزنا سال

From our southern quarter the Zaghaba surged,

driving toward Kahil like a pouring raincloud.

هدوا كحيل يغموها وَشرقوا

وَادعوا هروش كحيل بأوشم حال

They fell upon Kahil, engulfed it, and went east,

leaving Kahil's rams in the worst plight.

وركن الشمالي من جميع القَرايا

عالحراك جوها من العما صوال

And the northern quarter, from all the villages,

came charging blindly upon al-Hirak.

بوق وَسواد يخيب اللَه شويرهم

خسرنا ترى يُوم الحراك شبال

Treachery and darkness—may God frustrate their counsel!

We lost lion cubs, indeed, on al-Hirak's day.

نهبوا الحراك وعفشوها وَشنعوا

هدوا الحراك وَشعلوها شعال

They looted al-Hirak, stripped its furnishings, and committed atrocities;

they demolished al-Hirak and set it ablaze.

لحق الدرك عاناحِته وَالمليحا

وعفش الحريك عجمال شعال

The gendarmes followed to Nahita and al-Maliha;

al-Hirak's furnishings rose high upon camels.

وَجابوا البقر وَالخيل وَالزمان وَالمعز

حَتّى الرحى وَالباب وَالغربال

They brought cattle, horses, pack animals, and goats,

even the millstone, the door, and the sieve.

غَنيمة بني مَعروف مَلَئوا بُطونهم

غَنوا عَلَيها وَشرقوا يالال

Bani Ma'ruf filled their bellies with booty,

sang over it, and went east crying, 'Ya lal!'

وَاوي بلع منجل حصيدة مثالهم

عِندَ الهَوى تسمع بكاه شكال

They are like a jackal that swallowed a harvesting sickle:

when it howls, you hear its cries of complaint.

يومن غمر كل النَواحي فَسادهم

سُكان سُوريا عَلى الاجمال

When their corruption engulfed all the districts,

the inhabitants of Syria altogether,

ضجت أَهل حوران وَالشام وَالقُرى

وَالبَدو وَالرِحال وَالنِزال

the people of Hauran, Damascus, and the villages cried out,

as did the Bedouins, the wanderers, and the settled.

وَاستنصروا في دَولة الترك وَاحتموا

وَقالوا الوحا هالحمل ما ينشال

They sought help and protection from the Turkish state,

saying, 'Hurry! This burden cannot be borne.

أَما تفكونا وَتحموا شوالكم

وَأَما ندين لَهُم بغير قتال

Either free us and protect what is yours,

or we will submit to them without a fight.'

نَزلت حَريم أَهل العبيطة وَشكبت

بِالشام شقوا الجيب وَالأَغلال

The women of al-Ubayta's people came down and wept;

in Damascus they rent collars and fetters.

حَينئذ ضجت جَميع الأَكابر

وَتآمروا وَتجالسوا العمال

Then all the notables raised an outcry,

and the officials conferred and sat together.

قالوا صحيح الربع ملان مدهم

وَمد انتلا لا بُد ما يَنهال

They said, 'Truly, the people's grain-measure is full,

and a measure filled must inevitably spill.'

وَدقوا عَلى دار السَعادة بتبلهم

وَاسترخصوا انا نريد نكال

They beat their drums at the House of Felicity

and requested permission: 'We want punishment.'

وَجاهم من المَولى إِرادة سنية

حوران تخضع بِأي وَجه وَحال

Their lord sent them an august decree:

'Hauran must submit, by any means and in any circumstance.'

وَجروا عراضي تدهك الرَمل وَالحَصى

وَمِن غَيرِها كرات لجوا صوال

They brought army columns that crushed sand and gravel,

and other contingents came rushing to attack:

شوام مع كردوشر اكس وغيرهم

وبدوان مثل القيق يوم أَن حال

Damascenes with Kurds, Circassians, and others,

and Bedouins like jays when they gather.

وَطوابهم مثل الكواير بوابها

وَزخرات فَوق الوف عده جمال

Their cannon mouths were like the openings of beehives,

and ammunition rode upon thousands of laden camels.

وَسالوا عَلى حوران بالسيف وَالقَنا

في فعل ما هوَ في محاكي عيال

They poured upon Hauran with sword and spear,

in deeds, not in children's chatter.

مدوا مثل عمد الدهامي وشرقوا

عالضلع يبغوا يأدبو العيال

They stretched like pillars of dark clouds and went east

toward the mountainside, seeking to discipline its sons.

وحطوا أَمان اللَه على اللي مؤامن

لكن أَمان الخاينين محال

They pledged God's protection to those who trusted them,

but protection from traitors is impossible.

الطبع تحت الروح وَالخون طبعهم

وَمن قبل عَنهم كُل عاقل قال

Nature lies beneath the soul, and treachery is their nature;

every sensible man had said of them before:

التركواتي زاد ملحو عذيلو

خوان لو يعطي ديان ثقال

'For the Turk, his bread and salt are his enemy:

treacherous, even if he offers solemn oaths.'

من آمن النادوس يمشي عَلى البدن

يَرى عِندَ نَزع الرُوح كُل وبال

Whoever trusts the serpent creeping upon his body

will see every calamity as his soul departs.

أَما الملامة اليَوم أَعظَم من البَلا

عَسى اللَه يجازي الخاين المحتال

But today's reproach is greater than the affliction:

may God requite the scheming traitor.

وَصارَت وَقايع دَم شنعة مهولة

وَحروب تَدعي العاقلين هبال

There were hideous, dreadful blood-battles

and wars that drove sensible men mad.

وَكسرت بَني مَعروف من بَعد عزها

من قلة الشوار وَالعذال

Bani Ma'ruf were broken after their glory

through a lack of counsel and reprovers.

داسوا العِدى حوران عاثوا وَشنعوا

وَجرت فضايح في الجبل وهوال

The enemies trampled Hauran, ravaged it, and committed atrocities;

disgraces and horrors unfolded in the mountain.

وَجرى الجَري ما صار بالعُمر مثله

وَلا سولفوا عَنهُ الكبار مثال

What happened had never happened in a lifetime,

nor had the elders told of anything like it.

يومن برد حر البلاد وَلهيبها

ساقوا المؤامن في عزا العيال

When the country's heat and flames had cooled,

they drove away those who had trusted them, amid their children's lament.

مشوا البري وَالغش دَرب القباحة

وَتوازن الخنزير وام ظلال

They led the innocent and the guilty down the road of disgrace,

and the pig was put on equal footing—[unclear] error.

وَضموا القرايا بِالعَساكر جَميعها

من طاح راح وَدم ربقت بحبال

They surrounded all the villages with soldiers;

whoever fell was lost; those remaining were tied with ropes.

وَزجوا الجَميع بسجن واحد وَشنعوا

لا ما غَدَت شخص الرجال هزال

They thrust everyone into one prison and maltreated them,

until men's frames became wasted.

بَعدين ساقونا قلايد وَربقوا

عالشام ساقونا حقار ذلال

Then they drove us in chained rows and bound us;

to Damascus they drove us, despised and abased.

عالدرب ذُقنا النكر من شدة العَنا

تَلقى دِمانا عَالطريق شلال

On the road we tasted horrors from severe suffering:

you would find our blood streaming along the road.

لَقونا أَهل الفَيحا يهوشوا وَينتخوا

عَلَينا وَحنا باردين ذفال

The people of al-Fayha met us, attacking and rallying

against us while we were cold and exhausted.

ستين منا مات من فعل أَهلها

وَاللي سلم فيه مية جرح نصال

Sixty of us died through its people's deeds;

whoever survived bore a hundred blade wounds.

من الصُبح لاوضح النجم بالسَما

وَحنا نشالش وَالدما سيال

From morning until the stars appeared in the sky,

we struggled while blood streamed.

وَصار الأَمان الحبس من شدة البَلا

عَلينا وَزجوا عَالجَميع قفال

Prison became our safety from the severity of affliction

upon us, and they locked everyone away.

وَما طولوا حَتّى لَفوا سرطوننا

عَلى العَسكرية سفروا الجهال

Before long they rolled up our papers

and sent the young men away into military service.

البَعض منا يم روس مؤبد

وَالبَعض في بلاد التُرك حوال

Some of us went toward Russia for life;

and some wander in the lands of the Turks.

وَتَوهيم حتى آمنوا الناس عندنا

كزوا على حوران بعض نذال

After deceiving our people into trusting them,

they dispatched some base men to Hauran.

صاروا يجوروا في جبلنا ويقلموا

وذاقوا الأَهالي ألف أَلف نكال

They began oppressing and fleecing our mountain;

the inhabitants tasted a thousand thousand punishments.

عدوا الحلال وطوبوا الأرض كلها

وَشالوا عقب مشي العساف حمال

They counted the livestock and registered all the land,

and hauled off loads in the wake of oppression's march.

لكن محال الديك ما يحمل الجمل

وإياك تدعس عاقفا الزلال

But it is impossible: a rooster cannot carry a camel.

Beware of treading on slippery ground.

عادوا الأَهالي يوم عافت رواحها

من كثر ما حطوا ذهب وَأَموال

The inhabitants rose again when they grew sick of living,

from all the gold and money they had paid.

ساووا شماطه بعض أَهل القرايا

عَلى مشرف آغا الفاسق الهبال

Some villagers raised an uproar

against Mushrif Agha, the wicked fool.

مشرف وعبده ذبحوهم جميعهم

ومعهم قدر خمسة عشر خيال

They killed Mushrif and his servant, both of them,

and with them about fifteen horsemen.

هاجَت وماجَت بالسويده العساكر

وَممدوح مثل الفيصل الفعال

The soldiers surged and seethed in al-Suwayda;

Mamduh was like a decisive man of action.

وَساقوا الأَرط وَالمفرزي وَالصَواري

وَجروا مدافع عاكدش الفعال

They brought battalions, detachments, and cavalry,

and dragged cannon on working horses.

وَساقوا الأَرط وَالمفرزي وَالصَواري

وَجروا مدافع عاكدش وَعجال

They brought battalions, detachments, and cavalry,

and dragged cannon on workhorses and wheels.

وصالوا على صلخد وعرمان بالقنا

وَلا حسبوا أن بالسويدة رجال

They charged Salkhad and Arman with spears,

not reckoning that al-Suwayda held men.

وَصار اللقا بعيون وَالحَرب وَالبَلا

وَباعوا عليهم غانمين الفال

The clash came face-to-face: war and affliction,

and warriors of fortunate omen struck against them.

وَصاروا بني عثمان مثل الضحايا

وَاللي سلم ضيع عَلى السروال

The sons of Uthman became like sacrificial victims;

whoever survived fouled his trousers.

من بعدها حوران شالت وَاظعنت

وَخلوا القَرايا وَالبلاد غلال

Afterward Hauran packed up and departed;

they left the villages and the land desolate.

وَعادوا عَلى حوران جرو اعراضي

وَصارَت حروب تشيب الأطفال

They returned to Hauran, bringing army columns;

there were wars that turned children's hair white.

بوقايع مهولة الدَم يَجري عالوطا

وَحمر الجثث تخت بلا دمال

In dreadful battles blood flowed over the ground,

and blood-red bodies fell, unburied.

وَقالوا الدروز إنهم على الضد شوبشوا

وَاقفى العدو وذاق مية نكال

They said the Druze raised war cries against the enemy;

the enemy retreated and tasted a hundred punishments.

وَبعدين قالوا خانَت الناس بعضها

وَتراجلوا وطاعوا بغير قتال

Then, they said, people betrayed one another

and dismounted and submitted without fighting.

لموا السلاح وضيعوا الباس وَالشيم

وَصاروا بريده بعد ما هم عال

They gathered up the weapons and lost courage and honor;

they became easy prey after standing high.

وبعدين أَهل اخون خانوا وقبضوا

ميات غير اللي ذبح وَاغتال

Then still more treacherous people betrayed them and seized

hundreds, besides those they slaughtered and assassinated.

جابوا الذي حالوا عليهم مثالنا

بعيالهم وولادهم وطفال

They brought those they had assailed, like us,

with their families, sons, and children.

وَالبَعض في بر الترك فرقوهم

وَالبَعض عسكر وَالبَعض طبال

Some they scattered through the lands of the Turks;

some became soldiers, and some drummers.

وَللحين اِحنا بديرة الترك كلنا

وَلا من فرج غير العلي المتعال

To this day we are all in the land of the Turks,

with no deliverance except from the High, the Exalted.

يا للَه ياللي خالق الأَرض وَالسَما

يا مَن مرادك ما عليه ظلال

O God, You who created earth and heaven,

O You whose will is free from error,

تفرج لمن لا يَرتَجي غير رحمتك

بجاه النبي المصطَفى وَالآل

grant relief to one who hopes for nothing but Your mercy,

by the standing of the Chosen Prophet and his family.

وتلم جمع الشمل يا جامع الوَرى

يُومن تحاسبهم عَلى المثقال

Reunite our scattered company, O Gatherer of humankind,

on the day You call them to account for every weight.

إِنك كَريم وَقادر إِنك تفكنا

ومن غير بابك مالنا مدخال

You are generous and able to free us;

apart from Your door, we have no entrance.

ولا فرج نرجاه إِلا مَراحمك

يا اللَه تغيرها بأَحسن حال

We hope for no deliverance except Your mercies:

O God, change this to a better condition.

مِن بَعد ذا يا راكِباً هَيزعية

نَهية حرا زعاع حيال

After this, O rider of a swift she-camel,

a choice, purebred, fleet, unladen one,

من ساس هجنا يقطع الدو وَالفَلا

وَمشية عَلى طُول النَهار جفال

of our riding-camels' stock, crossing desert and wilderness,

whose gait all day long is a swift rush:

لاذ وَملت بالدوح وَتبين الخَلا

تشدا خَبيب الديب خَلف غَزال

she turns among the groves and surveys the open country,

resembling a wolf's trot behind a gazelle.

وَشديت أَنا مِن فوق نابي سَنامها

كور يَماني بالذهَب شعال

I fastened above her lofty hump

a Yemeni saddle gleaming with gold,

مَنسوف عادل من الخز غالي

وَريش القَلب فَوق الحَرير ظَلال

spread evenly with costly silk cloth;

soft down cast shade above the silk.

وَالميركة مثل الوسادة مصنعة

وَما هودها من خاص ترمي شال

The saddle cushion was fashioned like a pillow,

and its covering was a shawl of choice Tirma cloth.

وَخرج العقيلي رقم بعهون للغوا

من سوق صنعا بخمس مية ريال

Aqili saddlebags, patterned with wool for ornament,

came from Sanaa's market for five hundred riyals.

أَيا راكِباً من فوق نابي شدادها

دُونك سلاحاً باتعاً فصال

O rider above her raised saddle,

take mighty, decisive weapons:

سيفاً مهند مثل نجم الياهوى

يبري العظم لَو هوَ بغير صقال

an Indian-steel sword, like a star when it falls,

shaving bone even without polishing.

وَتحزم بحدبا عريضة مخضرا

وَفرد بست رواح اخف مشال

Gird yourself with a broad, green-hued curved blade,

and a six-shot pistol, lightest to carry.

وَتفنكتك من معمل كروب طرزها

لا ثورت دم الضَريبة سال

Your rifle is a model from the Krupp factory:

when fired, the target's blood flows.

زهب تَرى لا بد يبعد مجالها

ترى ضيف بر الترك بات عيال

Make ready: its journey must reach far;

the guest in Turkish lands has become helpless.

دركتكم لِلّه رَبي وَخالِقي

وَالمُصطَفى وَالأَربعة الأَبطال

I entrust you to God, my Lord and Creator,

and to the Chosen One and the four heroes.

الصُبح مِن سيناب ثور مطيتك

يا ريت من ساساتها تَنهال

At dawn, from Sinab, rouse your mount:

would that it collapsed from its foundations!

أَجمح عَليها الصُور لا تَنحر الحرس

تر الباب من دُونه الحَرس بوفال

Make her leap the wall; do not head toward the guards:

the gate has plentiful guards before it.

عبيواط نحرها طريقك مغرب

عنا بوليا تبلى بِأَلف زلزال

Send her by boat; your way runs westward;

may Inebolu be struck by a thousand earthquakes.

عَلى مدن ما نعرف أَسامي بلادهم

وحث النضا مع كل جال وَجال

Through cities whose lands' names we do not know,

urge the riding-camel past every stretch and bank.

دربك عَلى أَسكي دار قءع هجينتك

من فوق دانيزه لثاني جال

Your road is through Uskudar; send your riding-camel

across the sea to the other shore.

وكت عَلى استنبول دغري مغرب

عَلى اِبن غازي كان ابن حلال

Then dash straight westward toward Istanbul,

to Ibn Ghazi, if he is an honorable man.

وَمِنها عَلى طلجة وهك النَواحي

وَعالغرب ياما بالطريق هوال

From there, toward Talja and those districts,

and westward—how many terrors lie along the road!

إِن جيت بر الغرب يَعني طرابلس

تَلقى سباع يخادمون نذال

If you reach the western land, meaning Tripoli,

you will find lions serving base men.

ملفاك أَسداً ينطحوا الضد بِالقَنا

من طرح نامر أَربعا انجال

Your destination is lions who meet the foe with spears:

four sons from Namir's offspring.

أَهل الكَرم وَالمَرجلة وَالسَماحة

وَعز الدَخيل وَلا لفى سلال

Men of generosity, manliness, and magnanimity,

who honor the protection-seeker when he comes destitute;

زبن المجنا لا لفاهم من البَلا

يَنفه وَلا هوَ مِن الطَليب بحال

a refuge for the fugitive who comes to them from affliction:

he breathes freely, no longer in the pursuer's grasp.

صوارم صواقع يكرموا الضيف لا لفا

مَناصب ذراهم للضعيف ظلال

Keen swords, thunderbolts, honoring the guest when he arrives;

men of rank whose shelter shades the weak.

عناتر بيوم الكُون مايرهبوا اللقا

جوارح شبال الغانمين عيال

Antars on battle day, unafraid of the encounter;

raptors, lion cubs, sons of worthy men.

ياما عطوا سرد السلايل مقفلع

لو الحَسود يقول ذول أَصال

How often they left closely linked mail torn apart,

even the envious saying, 'These men are true-born!'

رماهم وخيم الدَهر بالويل وَالبَلا

وَلا يَعرفوا الوَحشة رَبات دَلال

Grim time struck them with woe and affliction;

those masters of coffee-pots had never known loneliness.

إِن قُلت مِن هم قُلت لَك بسميهم

إِخوان بلشمي يسدروا العيال

If you ask who they are, I will name them for you:

the brothers of Bilashmi, who lead the young men.

ما هم غبايا عالمخاليق وَالمَلا

ذَواري عَلى الجُودة رِماح طِوال

They are not unknown to people and the multitude:

peaks of generosity, long spears.

ذوقان مثل الزير بالحرب لا لفي

وَأَبو علي بة زيد مير هلال

Dhuqan is like al-Zir when he enters battle;

and Abu Ali is like Zayd, Hilal's emir.

وَنسيب قيدوم الزغابا ذبابها

وَسَلامي مثل زيدان عالجهال

And Nasib, leader of the Zaghaba and their defender;

and Salami, like Zaydan among the young men.

ذولي الذي أَطنب بهم في قصيدَتي

وَلا لَوم يَخشى الناظم القوال

These are those I praise at length in my poem;

the composing poet need fear no blame.

من غبرهم مالك دَواعي من المَلا

وَصل كِتاب بس يا مرسال

You have no business with anyone else among the people:

deliver a letter, that is all, O messenger.

وَأَهدي سَلامي وَأَلف أَلف تَحيتي

لِمَن في الغَرب مَأسور منا رِجال

I send my greetings and a thousand thousand salutations

to our men held captive in the West:

أَهل الشيم وَالمَرجلة وَالشَجاعة

عياب الحَمايل من فُروع طِوال

men of honor, manliness, and courage,

the vessels of their clans, sprung from lofty branches.

بَني قيس لا شدوا البَيارق وَشوبشوا

يَدعون ديران العَدو سمال

Bani Qays, when they raise banners and shout war cries,

leave the enemy's lands bare.

تَراني سَقيم الجسم مِن يَوم فقدهم

وَدائي عَلى هجرانهم قتال

You see me sick in body since the day I lost them;

my illness from their separation is deadly.

يا حيف عاتلك السباع البواصل

يضيعوا بديران التراك همال

Alas for those brave lions,

left to waste neglected in the lands of the Turks!

يا حيف عاتلك الصناديد باللقا

وَبالجود مثل العارض الهطال

Alas for those champions in battle,

in generosity like a pouring raincloud!

يا حيف عاربع المعزات وَالشيم

يصيروا خدم لسفال غج نذال

Alas for the men of honor and noble character,

becoming servants to low, coarse, base men!

أَهل المضايف وَالدَواوين وَالسَفَر

وَعوج المناسف وَالسَمن سيال

Masters of guesthouses, councils, and feast-spreads,

and curved feast-platters, with clarified butter flowing!

وَجدي عليهم وجد وَرقا على ابنها

وَدَمعي الياطرية يصير همال

My longing for them is a dove's longing for her young;

my tears pour whenever I remember them.

همي طفح من واهج القَلب وَالنَوى

لَو الهَم يَحمل ما تشيلو جمال

My grief overflowed from my heart's blaze and separation;

if grief could be carried, camels could not bear it.

يروحة افراط الحرص وَالبوق وَالخَنا

وَالمير جالس في الجبل ريبال

Its ruin was excessive greed, treachery, and baseness;

the emir sits in the mountain like a lion.

أَظن خايف يأخذ البيك منصبو

وَالبيك في الرتبة رضوه خبال

I think he fears the bey will take his position;

they placated the bey with rank—madness.

أَين المناصب روسهم عطلوهم

وَجثة بليا راس ما تنشال

Where are the men of rank? Their leaders were put out of action;

a body without a head cannot be lifted.

ما حيلة اللي مثلنا ضاق ذرعهم

وَلا من شفيع يعدل الميال

What resource have people like us, whose capacity is exhausted?

There is no intercessor to straighten what leans.

اللَه يصلحهم وَيلطف بحالنا

وَيفكنا من هلبلا العضال

May God set them right and be gentle with our plight,

and free us from this grievous affliction,

وَيفرج لنا وَاللي هفوا من ربوعنا

وَاختم لنا بالخير يا متعال

grant relief to us and those driven from our homes,

and give us a good ending, O Exalted One.

من بعد ما خطينا نصلي عَلى النَبي

المُصطَفى المَبعوث بدر الكَمال

After what we have written, we invoke blessings upon the Prophet:

the Chosen, the one sent forth, the full moon of perfection.