ما استحسن الحب حتى استقبح العذل — Tamim Al Fatimi

ما اسْتُحسِنَ الحُبُّ حتى اسْتُقْبِحَ الْعَذَلُ

فاكْفُفْ فَلُوْمُك كُحْلٌ والهَوَى كَحَلُ

Love was not deemed beautiful until reproach was deemed ugly.

So desist: your reproach is kohl, while passion is the eyes' natural dark beauty.

إنّ اللّواتي غَدَا حِنَّاؤُهن دَمِي

هُنّ الّلواتي عليهنّ الحشَا كِلَلُ

Indeed, the women whose henna became my blood

are those over whom the heart's depths form canopies.

كَأَنَ كلَّ فَتيقٍ يومَ بَيْنِهِم

بأَسوِد القلبِ والعينينِ مُنْتَعِل

As though every great camel, on the day of their departure,

were shod with the black cores of the heart and both eyes.

أَتْبَعْتُهُمْ من دُموعي كُلِّ مُنهمِر

يُرْضي الغَرامَ وإنْ لَمْ تَرْضَهُ المُقَلُ

I sent after them every torrent of my tears,

pleasing love's torment, even though the eyes did not welcome it.

حتّى سَقَى دارَهُمْ من صَوْبِه دِيَماً

فِيها لغُلَّةِ أكبادِ الثَّرَى عَلَلُ

Until its downpour watered their home with steady rains,

with repeated draughts for the earth's thirsty livers.

ما في الخُدورِ سِوى الأَقمارِ طالعة

من البراقِعِ والأَغْصانِ تَنْتَقِل

In the secluded chambers are only moons, rising

from face-veils, and boughs moving about.

أَبْدَيْنَ بْرقَ ثُغورٍ دُون مَلْثِمَها

لحظٌ جِراحٌ ظُباهُ لَيْسَ تَنْدَمِلُ

They revealed the lightning of mouths; barring their kiss

stood a glance whose blade-wounds never heal.

ولُثْنَ أَردِيَةَ الْوَشِي الرِّقاقَ علَى

قَناً تَمِيلُ بِكُثْبانٍ وتَعْتَدِلُ

And they wrapped fine brocade robes around

spear-shafts that sway beneath sand dunes and stand upright.

أَثقَلْنهنّ فلا الأَرْدَاف مائدةٌ

ولا الخُصُورُ من التَّهْييفِ تَنْخزِل

They weighed them down, yet their hips do not totter,

nor do their waists collapse from their extreme slenderness.

تَضادد الحُسْنُ في أَبْشَارهنّ بما

تَمَّتْ لهنّ بِه الأَوصاف والجُمَل

Beauty held contrasts in their complexions, through which

their individual features and their whole forms were perfected.

فلا العيونُ من التّفْتِير فاترةٌ

ولا الخدودُ من التَّضْرِيج تَشْتَعِل

Thus their eyes are not weakened by their languor,

nor do their cheeks blaze from their crimson flush.

أَلْثَمْننا بَرَداً زادَ الجوى لَهَباً

كَأّنما بَرْدُه في حَرّه شُعَلُ

They let us kiss hail that made love's anguish blaze still higher,

as though its coldness, amid its heat, were flames.

فما ارْتَشَفنا شِفاهاً قَبْلها كَشَرَتْ

عن لُؤْلُؤٍ يُجْتَنَى من لَثْمِه عَسَلُ

Never before theirs had we sipped lips that parted

to reveal pearls from whose kissing honey is gathered.

ولا رأَينا رِماحَ الخَطّ تُثْمِرُ ما

يصبو إلى قَطْفِهِ التَّجْمِيشُ والقُبَل

Nor had we seen spears of al-Khatt bear what

caresses and kisses yearn to pluck.

مالِي وللِدّهر يَهْوَى ما أُساءُ به

فكلّ يومٍ لِمن أَهواه مُرْتَحَل

What have I to do with Time, which loves what hurts me?

For every day brings a departure for someone I love.

وأَعظُم الُّرزْءِ عِندي أَن أُصاب بما

ينأَى بِه عنِّيَ الخُلاّن والخلل

And my greatest affliction is to suffer what

sends friends and bonds of friendship far from me.

تالله لا لُمُت أَيّاماً وآونةً

حَسَدنَها فِي العزيزِ الأَعصُرُ الأُوَل

By God, may I never blame days and seasons

that earlier ages envied for al-Aziz.

ألقتْ مَقاليدَها الدُّنيا لراحتِه

وأَمَّهُ المجدُ واستَعْلَى به الأَمل

The world cast its keys into his palm,

and glory sought him, while hope rose high through him.

إنّ الخلافةَ مُذْ لاذت بحَوْزَته

لم يطمع النقصُ فيها لا ولا الزَّلَل

Since the caliphate sought refuge in his domain,

no imperfection has hoped to enter it—no, nor any error.

نِيطَت بَأَحزَمِ مَن يُرْجَى لنائبةٍ

رأْياً وأَكرم من يعفو ومن يَصِلُ

It was entrusted to the most resolute of those relied upon in calamity,

in judgment, and the most generous of those who pardon and bestow.

أَلْفَتْهُ كُفْؤاً وأَلفاها مُشَرَّدةً

إذْ عَزّها عَدَمُ الأَكفاءِ والعضَلُ

She found him a worthy match, and he found her cast out,

when the lack of worthy matches and obstruction of marriage overcame her.

عادَتْ بلُقْيَاهما الدّنيا لرَوْنقِها

كالشمس لمّا تَلَقّى نورَها الحَمَلُ

Through their meeting, the world returned to its splendor,

like the sun when Aries received its light.

جَلاَ الزمانَ فما في ليلةِ غَسَقٌ

ولا لِشمسِ الضُّحى في أُفقْهِا طَفَل

He brightened Time, so no night holds darkness,

nor is there dusk on the morning sun's horizon.

ورَدَّ للدِّين والدّنيا شَبابَهُما

فالدِّين مستأْسِدٌ والدهرُ مُقْتَبِل

And he restored the youth of religion and the world,

so religion is lion-bold, and Time is young.

كأَنّما مُلْكُه في جِيده جَيَدٌ

وحُسْنُ سِيرتِهِ في عَيْنهِ كَحَلُ

It is as though his sovereignty were the graceful length of his neck,

and the beauty of his conduct the natural dark beauty of his eye.

خلافةٌ يُعْضُدُ القولَ الفَعالُ بها

ويسبِق الوعدَ للمستْصِرخ العَجَل

A caliphate in which deeds uphold words,

and swift action precedes the promise to one crying for help.

فإن تكن هاشِمٌ سادتْ وسادَهُمُ

آباؤك الخلفاءُ القادةُ الفُضُل

If Hashim held sway, and its people were ruled by

your forefathers, the caliphs, the noble leaders,

فأنت آخِرُهُم عَصْراً وَأفضلُهم

وبالأَواخِر يزكو القولُ والعملُ

then you are the latest of them in time, and the finest,

and through what comes last, words and deeds grow in worth.

سادُوا ولم يَبلُغوا ما أنتَ بالغُه

كذلِك الأرَض فيها السهل والجبل

They ruled, but never attained what you attain;

so too the earth contains both plains and mountains.

فقل لمن رام منهم نَيْلَ خُطّتِهِ

متى حوى ما حوتْ شمسُ الضّحى زُحَلُ

So tell whoever among them sought to attain his station:

When has Saturn encompassed what the morning sun encompasses?

لا يُبْطِرَنَّكُمُ أَنْ كان جَدُّكمُ

وَجَدُّهُ خَيْرَ من تَسْمُو به الرُّسُلُ

Do not let it make you arrogant that your forefather

and his was the best of those through whom messengers rise high.

فما ثُغورُ العَذَارى كُلُّها عَطِرٌ

ولا عيونُ الغوانِي كُلُّها نُجُلُ

For not all maidens' mouths are fragrant,

nor are all beautiful women's eyes wide.

خليفةَ الله سُدْ واشْرُفْ وَجُدْ كَرماً

وافْخَر وصِل واعْلُ واظْفرْ إنك البطلُ

O God's caliph, rule, be noble, and give generously;

take pride, bestow favors, rise high, and triumph—you are the hero.

فكم سَرَيْت إلى الأَعداءِ إذْ جَنَبُوا

وكم غدوتَ رَبيطَ الجَأشِ إذ فَشِلوا

How often you marched by night toward enemies when they kept away,

and went out at dawn, steadfast of heart, when they lost courage.

وكم سبقتَهُمُ للمجد إذ فَتَروا

وكم هَدَيْتَهُمُ للحقّ إذ جهلوا

How often you outstripped them toward glory when they grew slack,

and guided them toward truth when they were ignorant.

وكم نهضتَ إلى العَلْياءِ إذ عَجَزُوا

وكم أَفضْتَ بِحارَ الجُودِ إذْ بَخلوا

How often you rose toward the heights when they were powerless,

and poured forth seas of generosity when they were miserly.

لولاك ما جَرَّدُوا البِيضَ التِي اشْتَمَلوا

ولا أَطالوا قَنَا الخَطّ التي اعْتَقَلوا

Without you, they would not have unsheathed the bright swords they wore,

nor extended the spears of al-Khatt they held.

بك استردَّ بنوا الزَّهراءِ حَقَّهُمُ

بعد اغْتِصابٍ وأُعطوا كُلَّ ما سأَلوا

Through you the sons of al-Zahra recovered their right,

after usurpation, and were granted all they asked for,

حتى مَشَوا فوقَ قَرْنِ الشمسِ فاهتبلوا

من العِدا فوق ما كان العِدا اهْتَبَلوا

until they trod above the sun's horn and seized

from their enemies more than those enemies had seized.

ما ضَرَّهمْ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ جدّهِمْ بعَدٌ

لما رَأَوك فأنت الجِدُّ لا الهَزَل

Distance from Ali, their forefather, did them no harm

when they saw you—for you are earnestness, not jest.

إن لم يكن رجلاً من أنت سابِقُه

فليس إلاّك في هذا الورى رَجُل

If the one whom you outstrip is not a man,

then no one but you in this world is a man.

إنّ الأُلَى من ذوِي التَفْضِيل لو نُشِروا

وعايَنوا مِنكَ هذا الفضلَ ما فَضَلوا

Indeed, if those men of distinction were resurrected,

and saw this excellence in you, they would not surpass you.

رُعْتَ الحوادثَ حتى لم تَرُعْ أحداً

واعتلتَها فهي سِلمٌ ما لها غِيَل

You terrified calamities until they terrified no one,

and mastered them, so they are peaceful, with no treachery.

وحُطْتَ مُلكَك حتى اشتدّ مَعقِلُه

عِزّا وطالت به في عصرِك الطِوَل

You guarded your kingdom until its fortress grew strong

in might, and through it the tethers stretched far in your age.

خلافٌ قد أذلّت من يخالفها

ودولةٌ عَبَّدتْ أَيَّامَها الدُّوَل

A caliphate that has humbled whoever opposes it,

and a dynasty that enslaved other dynasties in its days.

فبأسُ يُسْراك للأرواح محْترِمٌ

وجودُ يُمناك للأموال مبتذل

So the might of your left hand cuts lives short,

and the bounty of your right hand lavishes wealth.

رِضىً وسخط إذا دَرَّا لمُحْتَلِبٍ

تَخالَفا فاسْتُدِرّ الصاب والعسل

Favor and anger, when they yield to one who milks them,

differ, and bitter sap and honey are drawn forth.

جيشاك إمّا القنا والبِيضُ مُشْرَعَة

يومَ اللقاءِ وإِما الرأيُ والحِيَل

Your two armies are either spears and bright swords made ready

on the day of battle, or judgment and stratagems.

كم نِلتَ بالمَهْلِ ما تعيا السيوفُ به

ونلت بالسيف ما يَعيْا به المَهَلُ

How often, with patience, you gained what swords cannot accomplish,

and with the sword gained what patience cannot.

فليس إلاّ على جَدْواك مُتَّكَلٌ

وليس إلاّ إلى مَغناك مرتحَل

There is no reliance except upon your bounty,

and no journey except to your abode.