أرى الأيام صيغتها تحول — Sibt Ibn Altaawithy

أَرى الأَيّامَ صيغَتُها تَحولُ

وَما لِهَواكِ مِن قَلبي نُصولُ

I see the days changing their form,

yet love for you never fades from my heart.

وَحُبٌّ لا تُغَيِّرُهُ اللَيالي

مُحالٌ أَن يُغَيِّرَهُ العَذولُ

A love that nights cannot change

cannot possibly be changed by a reproacher.

بِنَفسي مَن وَهَبتُ لَها رُقادي

فَلَيلي بَعدَ فُرقَتِها طَويلُ

My life for her to whom I gave my sleep!

My night is long after parting from her.

وَما بَخِلَت عَلَيَّ بِيَومِ وَصلٍ

وَلَكِنَّ الزَمانَ بِها بَخيلُ

She did not begrudge me a day of union,

but Time begrudges me her.

فَتاةٌ في مُوَشَّحِها قَضيبُ

وَتَحتَ إِزارِها حِقفٌ مَهيلٌ

A maiden, a slender branch within her sash,

and beneath her waist-wrapper, a loosely heaped dune.

يُريكَ قَوامَها خوطُ الأَراكِ ال

قَويمُ وَجيدَها الظَبيُ الخَذولُ

An arak branch shows you her stature—

upright—and a gazelle lingering behind, her neck.

تَميلُ عَلى القُلوبِ بِذي اِعتِدالٍ

لَهُ مِن نَشوَةٍ وَصِبىً مَميلُ

She sways hearts with a well-balanced form,

whose swaying comes of rapture and youthful ardor.

وَيُقعِدُها إِذا خَفَّت نُهوضاً

لِحاجَتِها مُؤَزَّرُها الثَقيلُ

When she rises lightly, she is held seated

by her heavy, girdled hips as she would attend her needs.

سَقا دارَ الحَبيبِ وَإِن تَناءَت

مُلِثٌّ مِثلُ أَجفاني هَطولُ

May the beloved's home, though distant, be watered

by a lingering raincloud, pouring like my eyelids.

وَلا بَرِحَت تُسَحَّبُ لِلغَوادي

وَطوراً لِلصَبا فيها ذُيولُ

May morning rainclouds never cease to trail

their skirts there, and at times the east wind too.

فَجَفني وَالغَمامُ لَها غَزيرٌ

وَقَلبي وَالنَسيمُ لَها عَليلُ

My eyelid and the clouds overflow for it,

and my heart and the breeze are languid for it.

وَعَنَّفَني عَلى العَبَراتِ صَحبي

عَشِيَّةَ قَوَّضَ الحَيُّ الحُلولُ

My companions rebuked me for my tears

the evening the encamped tribe struck camp.

وَقالوا اِستَبقِ لِلأَحبابِ دَمعاً

فَقَد شَرِقَت بِأَدمُعِكَ الطُلولُ

They said, "Save some tears for your loved ones:

the ruins have already choked on your tears."

مَعاذَ الحُبِّ أَن أُلفى حَمولاً

وَقَد سارَت بِمَن أَهوى الحُمولُ

Love forbid that I should be found patient

when laden camels have borne away the one I love!

وَعارٌ أَن تُزَمَّ لِيَومِ بَينٍ

جِمالُهُمُ وَلي صَبرٌ جَميلُ

It is shameful that, for a day of parting,

their camels should be haltered while I keep noble patience.

فَلا رَقَتِ الدُموعُ وَقَد تَوَلَّت

رِكابُهُم وَلا بَرُدَ الغَليلُ

So may tears never dry after the departure

of their riding camels, nor my burning thirst grow cool.

وَفي الأَظعانِ مَن لَولا اِعتِلاقي

بِهِم لَم يَعتَلِق جَسَدي النَحولُ

Among the departing litters are those: but for my attachment

to them, wasting would not have clung to my body.

وَلَولا الكِلَّةُ السيراءُ ما ها

جَ وَجدي بَرقُ سارِيَةٍ كَليلُ

Were it not for the striped silk canopy, no

faint lightning of a night-cloud would have stirred my yearning.

وَيَومٍ بِالصَراةِ لَنا قَصيرٍ

وَأَيّامُ التَواصُلِ لا تَطولُ

And a short day of ours at al-Sarat—

days of union do not last long—

سَرَقناهُ مُخالَسَةً وَداعي ال

نَوى عَن شَملِ أُلفَتِنا غَفولُ

we stole it furtively, while the summoner of

parting was heedless of our intimate togetherness.

إِلامَ تُسِرُّ لي يا دَهرُ غَدراً

أَما اِنقَضَتِ الضَغائِنُ وَالذُحولُ

How long will you conceal treachery against me, O Time?

Have grudges and vendettas not come to an end?

وَكَم يَتَحَيَّفُ النُقصانُ فَضلي

وَيَأخُذُ مِن نَباهَتيَ الخَمولُ

How often diminution eats away at my merit,

and obscurity takes from my renown!

فَيَلفِتُ وَجهَ آمالي وَيَلوي

دُيوني عِندَهُ الزَمَنُ المَطولُ

It turns aside the face of my hopes and withholds

my dues in its keeping—ever-procrastinating Time.

مَطالِبُ أَمسَت الأَيّامُ بَيني

وَبَينَ مَآرِبي مِنها تَحولُ

Aspirations—the days now stand between me

and the ends I seek through them.

سَأُدرِكُها وَشيكاً وَاللَيالي

مُخَزَّرَةٌ نَواظِرُهُنَّ حولُ

I shall soon attain them, though the nights

glower through narrowed, cross-eyed eyes.

وَلا سِيَما وَمَنصورُ بنُ نَصرِ بِن

مَنصورِ الجَوادِ بِها كَفيلُ

Especially since Mansur ibn Nasr ibn

Mansur, the generous, guarantees them.

فَتىً بِنَداهُ رُضتُّ جَموحَ حَظّي

فَأَصبَحَ وَهُوَ مُنقادٌ ذَلولُ

A young man through whose bounty I tamed my rebellious fortune,

so that it became obedient and docile.

وَهَزَّتهُ المَكارِمُ لِإِصطِناعي

كَما اِهتَزَّ السُريجِيُّ الصَقيلُ

Noble deeds stirred him to favor me,

as the polished Surayji sword quivers.

وَقَلَّدَني مِنَ الإِحسانِ عَضباً

عَلى نُوَبِ الزَمانِ بِهِ أَصولُ

He girded me with a keen sword of kindness,

with which I attack Time's reversals.

وَأَلبَسَني مِنَ النَعماءِ دِرعاً

تُناذِرُها الأَسِنَّةُ وَالنُصولُ

He clothed me in a coat of mail made of favor,

against which spearheads and blades warn one another.

إِذا قَلَصَت سَرابيلُ العَطايا

ضَفَت مِنها الذَلاذِلُ وَالفُضولُ

When the robes of gifts shrink back,

its trailing hems and ample folds spread wide.

فِناءَكَ يا ظَهيرَ الدينِ أَمَّت

بِنا طُلحٌ مِنَ الآمالِ ميلُ

Your courtyard, O Zahir al-Din, was sought

by weary, swaying mounts of hope bearing us.

وَأَنزَلنا الرَجاءُ عَلى رَحيبِ ال

قِرا وَالباعِ يَحمَدُهُ النَزيلُ

Hope lodged us with one of ample

hospitality and reach, whom the guest praises.

مُمَرِّ الحَبلِ مُحصَدَةٍ قُواهُ

وَحَبلُ سِواهُ مُنقَضِبٌ سَحيلُ

His rope is tightly twisted, its strands securely plaited,

while another's rope is severed, loosely twisted.

تَخافُ سُطاهُ أَحداثُ اللَيالي

وَيَهرُبُ مِن مَواهِبِهِ المُحولُ

The mishaps of nights fear his might,

and drought flees from his gifts.

حَمى ثَغرَ المَمالِكِ مِنهُ عَبلُ

الذِراعِ لَهُ القَنا الشِطِّيُ غيلُ

The kingdoms' frontier found in him a guardian, mighty

of arm, whose thicket is river-grown spears.

مَعاقِلُهُ الجِيادُ مُسَوَّماتٍ

وَخَيرُ مَعاقِلِ العُربِ الخُيولُ

His fortresses are his marked noble steeds,

and horses are the Arabs' best strongholds.

يَمَيلُ بِعَطفِهِ كَرَمُ السَجايا

كَما مالَت بِشارِبِها الشَمولُ

His noble character sways his frame,

as wine sways its drinker.

وَيُشعِفُ قَلبَهُ لَمعُ المَواضي

إِذا اِنتُضِيَت وَيُطرِبُهُ الصَهيلُ

The gleam of keen blades enraptures his heart

when they are drawn, and neighing delights him.

بَغى قَومٌ لَحاقَكَ يا اِبنَ نَصرٍ

وَقَد سُدَّت عَلى الباغي السَبيلُ

Some sought to catch you, O son of Nasr,

though the seeker's way was barred.

وَراموا نَيلَ شَأوِكَ وَالمَعالي

لَها ظَهرٌ بَراكبِهِ زَليلُ

They sought to attain your height, but lofty greatness

has a back slippery beneath its rider.

فَأَتعَبَهُم مَدى خِرقٍ جَوادٍ

حُزونُ المَكرُماتِ لَهُ سُهولُ

The reach of a skillful, generous man exhausted them:

the rugged paths of noble deeds are plains to him.

وَأَينَ مِنَ الثَرى نَيلُ الثُرَيّا

وَكَيفَ تُقاسُ بِالغُرَرِ الحُجولُ

How can the Pleiades be reached from the dust?

How can white fetlock markings compare with forehead blazes?

حَلُمتَ فَسُفِّهَت هَضَباتُ قُدسٍ

وَجُدتَّ فَبُخِّلَ الغَيثُ الهَطولُ

Your forbearance made the heights of Quds seem foolish,

and your bounty made the pouring rain seem miserly.

وَطَوراً أَنتَ لِلضاحي مَقيلٌ

وَطَوراً أَنتَ لِلجاني مُقيلُ

At times you are a noonday refuge for one exposed to the sun,

and at times you grant the wrongdoer pardon.

بَلَغتَ نِهايَةً في المَجدِ عَزَّت

لَكَ الأَضرابُ فيها وَالشُكولُ

You reached a height of glory where scarce

are your peers and equals.

عَلى رِسلٍ فَما لَكَ مِن مُجارٍ

إِلى رُتَبِ العَلاءِ وَلا رَسيلُ

Take it slowly: none can race with you

toward the ranks of eminence, nor keep pace.

بَلا مِنكَ الخَليفَةُ ذا اِعتِزامٍ

يَذِلُّ لِبَأسِهِ الخَطبُ الجَليلُ

The caliph tested in you a man of firm resolve,

before whose might great calamity bows.

وَجَرَّبَ مِنكَ مَطروراً لِطولِ ال

تَجارِبِ في مَضارِبِهِ فُلولُ

He tried in you a honed blade, marked by long

trials with notches along its cutting edges.

فَفَلَّ بِعَزمِهِ حَدَّ الأَعادي

وَأَرآءُ الخَليفَةِ لا تَفيلُ

Thus, with his resolve, he blunted the enemies' edge,

and the caliph's judgments do not falter.

إِمامٌ هَذَّبَ الأَيّامَ رَأيٌ

لَهُ جَزلٌ وَمَعروفٌ جَزيلُ

An imam whose judgment has put the days in order,

his judgment sound, his beneficence abundant.

وَمَدَّ عَلى البِلادِ جَناحَ عَدلٍ

لَهُ ظِلٌّ عَلى الدُنيا ظَليلُ

He spread over the lands a wing of justice

whose deep shade shelters the world.

أَميرُ المُؤمِنينَ وَمِن إِلَيهِ

مَآثِرُ كُلِّ مَكرُمَةٍ نَؤولُ

Commander of the Faithful, and one toward whom

we turn for the glories of every noble deed.

حَباهُ اللَهُ بِالمُلكِ اِحتِباءً

وَوَرَّثَهُ خِلافَتَهُ الرَسولُ

God bestowed kingship upon him as a gift,

and the Messenger bequeathed him his caliphate.

صِفاتٌ لا يُحيطُ بِها بَيانٌ

وَمَدٌ لا تُكَيِّفُهُ العُقولِ

Qualities no eloquence can encompass,

and a tide whose nature minds cannot define.

وَمَن شَهِدَت لَهُ بِالفَضلِ آيُ ال

كِتابِ فَما عَسى بَشَرٌ يَقولُ

For one whose excellence is attested by verses of the

Book, what can any mortal hope to say?

أَبا بَكرٍ هَناكَ جَديدُ مُلكٍ

مُحالِفُهُ لَكَ العُمرُ الطَويلُ

O Abu Bakr, may your new dominion bring you joy,

with long life allied to it on your behalf.

وَجَدٌّ ما لِطائِرِهِ رُقوعٌ

وَسَعدٌ ما لِطالِعِهِ أَفولُ

And good fortune whose bird never alights,

and auspiciousness whose rising star never sets.

وَلا عَدِمَت مَواطِنُكَ التَهاني

وَحَلَّ بِرَبعِ طاعَتِكَ القُيولُ

May your dwellings never lack congratulations,

and may kings lodge in the domain of your obedience.

شَكَوتُكَ قِلَّةَ الإِنصافِ عِلماً

بِأَنَّكَ مِنهُ لي كَرَماً بَديلُ

I complained to you of the lack of fairness, knowing

that your generosity would make it up to me.

لِتَحفَظَ مِن عُهودي ما أَضاعَ ال

صَديقُ وَما تَناساهُ الخَليلُ

So that you might preserve of my covenants what the

friend neglected and the intimate companion chose to forget.

وَإِن قَطَعوا حِبالَهُمُ جَفاءً

فَأَنتَ المُحسِنُ البَرُّ الوَصولُ

Though they cut their ties out of coldness,

you are the benefactor, kindly and faithful to bonds.

عَلَيكَ جَلَوتُها غُرّاً هِجاناً

أَوانِسَ في القُلوبِ لَها قَبولُ

Before you I unveiled them, radiant and noble-bred,

graceful maidens that find welcome in hearts.

كَرائِمُ لَم يُهَجِّنها اِبتِذالُ ال

رِجالِ وَلَم يُدَنِّسها البُعولُ

Noble maidens, not debased by the handling of

men, nor defiled by husbands.

لَها في قَومِها نَسَبٌ عَريقٌ

إِذا اِنتَسَبَت وَبَيتُ حِجىً أَصيلُ

Among their people they have an ancient lineage,

when they trace their ancestry, and a rooted house of wisdom.

فَعَمّاها المُرَّعَثُ وَاِبنُ أَوسٍ

وَجَدّاها المُبَرَّدُ وَالخَليلُ

Their two paternal uncles are al-Murra'ath and Ibn Aws,

and their two grandfathers, al-Mubarrad and al-Khalil.

مَدائِحُ مِثلُ أَنفاسِ الخُزامى

تَمشَّت في نَواحيها القَبولُ

Praises like the breaths of lavender:

the east wind has wandered through their reaches.

كَما طَرَقَت رِياضَ الحَزنِ وَهناً

شآمِيَةٌ لَها ذَيلٌ بَليلُ

As late at night the upland meadows are visited

by a Syrian cloud with a damp trailing skirt.

مُفَوَّهَةٌ إِذا هَدَرَت لِنُطقٍ

شَقاشِقُها تَقاعَسَتِ الفُحولُ

Eloquent: when they bellow into speech,

their throat-sacs make the stallions draw back.

تَعِزُّ قَناعَةً وَتَتيهُ صَوناً

وَبَعضُ الشَعرِ مُمتَهَنٌ ذَليلُ

They are exalted by contentment and proud in self-guarding,

while some poetry is debased and humiliated.

وَقَبلَكَ كُنتُ أُشفِقُ أَن يَراها

وَقَد مَدَّت إِلَيهِ يَداً مُنيلُ

Before you, I feared to let them be seen

by a giver, with their hand stretched out to him.

إِذا أَعيا عَلى الكُرَماءِ مَدحي

فَكَيفَ يَسومُهُ مِنّي البَخيلُ

If my praise proved too difficult for the generous,

how could a miser bargain for it with me?

رَأَيتُ الشِعرَ قالَتُهُ كَثيرٌ

عَديدُهُمُ وَجَيِّدُهُ قَليلُ

I find that those who utter poetry are many

in number, while good poetry is scarce.

فَلا تُحدِث لَها مَلَلاً وَحاشى

عُلاكَ فَغَيرُكَ الطَرِبُ المَلولُ

So do not grow weary of them—far be it

from your eminence! Others delight and quickly tire.

وَعِش ما حَنَّ مُشتاقٌ وَهاجَ ال

أَسى لِمُتَيَّمٍ طَلَلٌ مُحيلُ

And live as long as a longing lover yearns, and

a weathered ruin stirs grief in one enslaved by love.