أسائقها للبين وهو عجول — Usama Ibn Munqidh

أسائقَها للبينِ وهوَ عَجولُ

تَأَنَّ فَما هَذا المسيرُ قُفولُ

O driver urging them toward separation, in haste,

Go slowly: this journey is no homecoming.

وقل لي فإنَّ المُستهامَ سَئُولُ

لِمَنْ طالعاتٌ في السّرابِ أُفولُ

Tell me, for the love-stricken ask many questions:

Whose are these rising shapes, sinking into the mirage?

يقوِّمُها الحادونَ وَهْيَ تَميلُ

تَجانَفْنَ عَنْ وَعْثِ الطّريقِ وسَهْلِهِ

The camel-drivers straighten their course while they lean aside.

They turn aside from the road's roughness and smoothness,

وأَعْرَضْنَ عن خِصْبِ المَرادِ ومَحْلِهِ

فَهُنَّ على جَوْر الغَرامِ وعَدْلِهِ

And disregard the grazing ground's abundance and barrenness.

Whether love wrongs them or deals fairly with them,

نَواصلُ من جَوٍّ خَوائضُ مثلِهِ

صُعودٌ على حكمِ الطّريقِ نُزولُ

They emerge from one expanse to wade through another like it,

Ascending and descending as the road dictates.

إذا أجْفَلَتْ في البيدِ جُفْلَ نَعامِها

كأنَّ أفاعي الرّمْلِ ثِنْيُ زِمامِها

When they rush through the wastes like startled ostriches,

The loops of their reins seem like serpents of the sand.

ثَنَتْ لِيتَها نَحو الصَّبا وانتسامِها

هَواها وَراها والسُّرى عَن أَمامِها

They turn their necks toward the east wind and its breath;

Their desire lies behind them, their nightward course ahead.

فهنَّ صَحيحاتُ النَّواظر حُولُ

بِها مثلُ ما بالظاعِنينَ كآبةٌ

Their eyes are sound, yet they look askance.

They bear a sadness like that of the departing travelers,

وصبرُهُما بعدَ الفراق خِلابةٌ

وللشّوقِ منها ما دعاها إِجابةٌ

And the patience of both after separation is an illusion.

Whenever longing calls them, they answer it.

تَضاغى وفي فَرْطِ التّضاغي صَبابةٌ

وتَرغو وفي طولِ الرُّغاءِ غَليلُ

They cry plaintively, their excessive cries full of yearning,

And bellow, their prolonged bellowing full of burning thirst.

أَهلّةُ بيدٍ والأَهِلَّةُ فَوْقَها

إذا لَمَحَتْ أجْبالَ سَلمى ورَوْقَها

Crescents of the wastes, with crescents above them:

When they glimpse Salma's mountains and their heights,

كفى شوقُها شلَّ الحُداة وسَوْقَها

تُرادُ على نجدٍ ويَجْذِبُ شَوْقَها

Their longing suffices for the drivers' urging and driving.

They are urged toward Najd, but their longing is drawn by

مَظَلٌّ عِراقيُّ الثَّرى ومَقيلُ

أَلا قَلَّما تصفو مع البينِ عيشةٌ

A shaded shelter and noonday resting place on Iraqi soil.

Ah, life with separation is seldom unclouded.

وفي الشّوْقِ للنّائي هُمومٌ مُطيشةٌ

ولو أنّ أوطانَ المُفارِقِ بِيشَةٌ

Longing for one far away brings mind-unsettling cares,

Even if the departing one's homeland is Bisha.

وما جَهِلَتْ أن العراقَ معيشةٌ

وروضٌ تُربِّيهِ صَباً وقَبولُ

Nor have they failed to know that Iraq offers a living,

And meadows nurtured by the east wind and the easterly breeze.

وفي الرَّكبِ مسلوبُ العزاءِ فقيدُهُ

يزيدُ إذا هبَّ النَّسيمُ وَقُودُهُ

Among the caravan is one robbed of consolation, bereft of it,

Whose fire gains fuel whenever the breeze blows.

وما كلُّ أسبابِ الغَرامِ تقودُهُ

ولكنَّ سِحراً بابِليّاً عُقودُهُ

Not every bond of love leads him,

But a Babylonian spell whose knots

تُحَلَّلُ ألبابٌ بهِ وعُقولُ

وقد حَمَلَتْ لَدْنَ القوامِ رشيقَهُ

Unravel minds and reason.

They have carried one supple and graceful in stature;

حكى المسكُ فاهُ والمُدامةُ ريقَهُ

فأضحى بها نائِي المحلِّ سحيقَهُ

Musk resembles his mouth, and wine his saliva.

Thus, borne by them, he became remote in dwelling, far away:

نجائبُ إنْ ضلَّ الحِمامُ طريقَهُ

إلى أَنْفُسِ العُشّاقِ فَهْيَ دَليلُ

Noble camels that, if death loses its way

To lovers' souls, serve as its guide.

وإنّي لأَشْكو مِنْ فراقِكَ هَزّةً

ورَوْعَةَ شَوْقٍ للحَشا مُسْتَفِزّةً

I complain of the tremor caused by separation from you,

And the terror of longing that shakes my heart.

وقَدْ وَقَرَتْ في القلبِ عيسُكَ حَزّةً

حملْنَ وُجوهاً في الخدورِ أَعزَّةً

Your pale camels have gouged a wound in my heart;

They carried precious faces within curtained chambers,

وكلُّ عزيزٍ يومَ رُحْنَ ذَليلُ

كَتَمْتُ هَوى ظَمياءَ كِتمانَ مُعْلِنِ

And every proud one was humbled the day they departed.

I concealed my love for Zamya as one proclaiming it conceals.

ونَهْنَهْتُ دمعاً عاصياً غير مُذْعِنِ

وقَدْ قالت الأظعانُ للسَّلوةِ اظعَني

I checked rebellious tears that would not submit.

The departing litters said to consolation, 'Depart!'

قسَمْنَ العُقولَ في السُّتورِ بأعينِ

قواتلَ لا يُودى لَهُنَّ قَتيلُ

Behind the curtains, they shattered minds with eyes

That kill; no blood money is paid for one they slay.

محبٌّ إذا ما اللّيلُ غارَت نجومُهُ

تأوَّبَه بثُّ الهَوى وهمومُهُ

A lover: when night's stars sink,

Love's anguish and cares return to visit him.

وفي الخِدرِ بدرٌ آفِلٌ لا يَريمُهُ

وفيهنَّ حاجاتٌ ودَيْنٌ غريمُهُ

Within the curtained chamber is a hidden full moon that never leaves it.

Among them are desires, and a debt whose debtor

مَليٌّ ولكنَّ الملولَ مَطُولُ

لُبَانةُ نفسٍ مستمرٍّ عناؤُها

Is solvent, but the fickle debtor keeps delaying.

A soul's desire, whose suffering continues:

عياءٌ على مرِّ الليالي دواؤُها

قَضى حبُّها ألاّ يصابَ شِفاؤُها

Its cure remains intractable as the nights pass.

Love for her decreed that its healing should never be found.

يَخِفُّ على أهلِ القِبابِ قضاؤُها

لَنا وهيَ مَنٌّ في الرِّقابِ ثقيلُ

For those dwelling in the pavilions, granting it is easy

To us, yet it is a heavy favor laid upon our necks.

وَقَفْتُ على ربعٍ لظمياءَ أقفرا

سقتْهُ دُموعي ما أراضَ ونوَّرا

I stood at Zamya's deserted dwelling.

My tears watered it until it grew verdant and blossomed.

فقلتُ لخدنَيَّ الخلِيّيْنِ أَعْذِرا

أبى الرّكبُ بالبيضاءِ إلاّ تنَكُّرا

I said to my two carefree companions, 'Excuse me.'

At al-Bayda, the caravan would only deny recognizing it,

وقد تُعْرَفُ الآثارُ وهي مُحولُ

سَأَلْتُ سَيالات الحمى فَتَمايَلَت

Yet traces may be recognized even when barren.

I questioned the acacias of the protected pasture, and they swayed

كمُوحَدَةٍ من جيرَةٍ قد تَزايَلَتْ

ففاضَتْ دموعٌ كالغُروبِ تَساجَلَتْ

Like a woman left alone among neighbors who had parted.

Tears overflowed like buckets, pouring one after another.

ولمَّا وقَفْنا بالدّيارِ تَشاكَلَتْ

جُسومٌ بَراهُنَّ البِلَى وطُلُولُ

When we stopped at the dwellings, there resembled one another

Bodies wasted by decay and the remnants of dwellings.

دعانا الهَوى واستوقَفَتْنا المَعارِفُ

وأَدَمى الحَشا والشَّوقُ للكَلْمِ قارِفُ

Love called us, and familiar landmarks made us stop.

And made my heart bleed—longing lays open the wound—

حمائمُ وُرُقٍ في الغصونِ هواتفُ

فباكٍ بداءٍ بينَ جَنْبيهِ عارفُ

Gray doves calling in the branches.

One weeper knows the ailment between his ribs;

وباكٍ بما جرَّ الفِراقُ جَهولُ

نَعَمْ هذهِ الأطْلالُ قَفْرٌ فَأَرْبعِ

Another weeper knows not what separation has wrought.

Yes, these ruins are deserted: halt here,

وجَدّدْ بِها عَهْدَ المَشوقِ المودِّعِ

سأَسْقي ثَراها الرِّيَّ من سُحْبِ أَدْمُعي

And renew there the memory of the yearning one who bade farewell.

I shall drench their soil from the clouds of my tears,

وأسألُ عن ظمياءَ صمَّاءَ لا تَعي

فأرضى بما قالَتْ ولَيْسَ تَقولُ

And ask about Zamya of a deaf thing that cannot understand;

Then be content with what it says, though it says nothing.

تُصَدِّقُ ظمياءَ العَذولَ إذا افْتَرى

وأُكَذِّبُ سَمْعي في هَواها وما أَرى

Zamya believes the reproacher when he fabricates lies,

While in my love for her I disbelieve my hearing and what I see.

وأَقْنَعُ منها بالخَيالِ إذا سَرى

ويُعْجِبُني منها بُزخْرُفِها الكَرى

I am content with her phantom when it visits by night.

Sleep delights me with her adorned image:

دُنُوٌّ إلى طولِ البِعادِ يَؤولُ

مَلِلْتِ فَما تُدْني إليكِ شَفاعَةٌ

A nearness that ends in long separation.

You have grown weary; no intercession brings me near you.

وعندَكِ للواشينَ سمْعٌ وطاعةٌ

وحفظُ عهودِ الغادِرينَ إضاعةٌ

For slanderers, you have a listening ear and obedience.

Keeping faith with the treacherous is a waste.

وما أنتِ يا ظمياءُ إلاّ يَراعَةٌ

تَميلُ مع الأَرْواحِ حيثُ تَميلُ

You, O Zamya, are nothing but a reed,

Swaying with the winds wherever they sway.

لأنْتِ لِنَفْسي داؤُها ودَواؤُها

وراحَتُها لَوْ نِلْتُها وشِفاؤُها

Indeed, you are my soul's illness and its cure,

Its comfort, could I attain it, and its healing.

إذا بِنْتِ ضاقَتْ أرضُها وسماؤُها

فإنْ كان سؤلاً للنّفوسِ بلاؤُها

When you depart, its earth and sky grow narrow.

If souls' affliction can be something they desire,

فإنّكِ للْبَلْوَى وإنَّك سُولُ

تَوَهمٌ ما أراني الدَّهرُ أمْ حُلُمُ

Then you are indeed affliction, and you are desire.

Is what time has shown me illusion, or a dream?

وصَبْوَةٌ كلُّ هذا الوجدِ أمْ لَمَمُ

أحببتُ قوماً وإفراطُ الهَوى نَدَمُ

Is all this passion infatuation, or a touch of madness?

I loved a people; excessive love brings regret.

ولَّوُا فَلَما رجوْنا عدلَهم ظلموا

فليتَهم حكموا فينا بِما علِموا

They turned away; when we hoped for their justice, they wronged us.

Would that they judged us according to what they knew.

ساوَى حُضورَهُمُ عِندي مغيبهُمُ

وصنتُهم فيهما عَمّا يَعيبُهمُ

Their presence and absence were alike to me,

And in both I shielded them from what might disgrace them.

ومُنذُ قالَ الوَرى هذا حبيبُهمُ

ما مرَّ يوماً بفكري ما يَريبُهمُ

Ever since people said, 'This is their lover,'

Not once has a thought that might trouble them crossed my mind,

ولا سَعَتْ بي إلى ما ساءَهُمْ قَدَمُ

كَمْ رُضْتُ نفسيَ بالسُّلوانِ فامتَنَعَتْ

Nor has a foot carried me toward what would hurt them.

How often I trained my soul in consolation, but it refused!

وكَمْ أضاعوا مواثيقَ الهَوى ورعَتْ

فما نقمتُ عليهمْ غَدَرةً فَضَعَتْ

How often they squandered love's covenants, while my soul guarded them!

I never reproached them for a betrayal, however monstrous,

ولا أضَعْتُ لهم عهداً ولا اطَّلَعَتْ

على وَدائِعِهِمْ في صَدْريَ التُّهَمُ

Nor broke a pledge to them, nor have

Suspicions discovered their secrets entrusted within my breast.

مِنْ فَرْطِ وجدي بِهمْ أحبَبْتُ غَدْرَهُمُ

واللّومُ فيهم لسَمْعي مِنهُ ذِكْرهُمُ

From the excess of my passion for them, I loved their treachery.

In reproach concerning them, my ears find mention of them.

وصنْتُ حتّى عن الأوْهامِ سِرَّهُمُ

فليتَ شِعري بِما استَوْجَبْتُ هَجْرَهُمُ

I guarded their secret even from passing fancies.

Would that I knew how I deserved their abandonment.

مَلّوا فَصَدّهُمُ عن وَصْلَيَ السّأَمُ

ما صَرَّحوا لي بأسبابِ القِلى وكَنَوْا

They wearied; boredom kept them from union with me.

Never did they tell me openly why they hated me, or hint at it,

إلاّ وَقال الهَوى مَهْلاً سواكَ عَنَوْا

وكُلّما أَهْمَلوا حِفْظَ الهَوى وَوَنَوا

Without love saying, 'Gently—they meant someone else.'

Whenever they neglected to preserve love and grew slack,

حَفِظْتُ ما ضيّعوا أَغْضَيْتُ حين جنَوْا

وَفَيْتُ إذ غَدَرُوا واصَلْتُ إذ صَرَموا

I preserved what they squandered and overlooked their offenses.

I kept faith when they betrayed; I maintained union when they severed it.

كَمْ قَدْ سَعَيْتُ حريصاً في مُرادِهِمُ

وكَمْ رَعَيْتُ هَواهُمْ في بِعادِهِمُ

How often I strove eagerly to fulfill their wishes!

How often I tended their love during their absence!

فَحينَ أصبَحْتُ طَوْعاً في قِيادِهمُ

حُرِمْتُ ما كنْتُ أرْجو من وِدادِهِمُ

Yet when I became obedient to their leading,

I was denied the affection I had hoped for from them.

ما الرِّزقُ إلاّ الذي تجري بهِ القِسَمُ

أوْطَنْتُهم خِلْبَ قَلبي دونَ مَوْطِنِهِم

One's portion is only what the allotted shares bestow.

I gave them my heart's sheath for a home instead of their own;

فأحْرَجوا بِالتَجنّي رَحْبَ مَسْكَنِهِم

حَتّى لعنْد مُسيئيهِم ومُحسنهِم

Their false accusations cramped their spacious dwelling,

Until, even among those who wronged them or treated them well,

مَحاسِني مُنْذُ مَلّوني بِأعيُنِهِمِ

قَذىً وذكْري في آذانِهِم صَمَمُ

My virtues, since they wearied of me, became in their eyes

A speck of grit, and mention of me, deafness in their ears.

هُم أباحوا الضَّنى جِسْمي وكانَ حِمى

وأمْطروا مُقْلَتِي بعدَ الدُّموعِ دَمَا

They laid my body open to wasting sickness, though it was protected ground.

They rained blood from my eye after tears.

ومَا رَعَوا في الهَوى عَهْداً ولا ذِمَمَا

وبعدُ لو قيلَ لي ماذا تُحِبُّ وما

In love they honored neither pledge nor obligations.

Yet, if I were asked, 'What do you love, and what

مُناكَ من زينةِ الدّنيا لَقُلْتُ هُمُ

راعُوا فُؤادي بالهِجرانِ حينَ أمِنْ

Do you desire of this world's adornment?' I would say, 'Them.'

They terrified my heart with abandonment just when it felt secure,

وكانَ بالوصْلِ منهُم لَوْ رَعَوْه قَمِنْ

ولَوْ تعوَّضَ عنهُم بالشّباب غُبِنْ

Though, had they cared for it, it deserved their union.

Had it taken youth in exchange for them, it would have been cheated.

هُمُ مجالُ الكَرى من مُقْلَتَيَّ ومِنْ

قَلبي محلُّ المُنى جاروا أو اجْتَرَموا

In my eyes they occupy the realm of sleep, and in

My heart, the place of wishes, whether they wrong me or offend.

لَمْ يَتْرُكِ الوَجْدُ لي في غيرِهمْ أَمَلا

ولَم أُطِعْ فيهِمْ نُصْحاً ولا عَذَلا

Passion has left me no hope in anyone but them.

Concerning them, I obeyed neither advice nor reproach.

وبعدَ ما أشعروني في الهَوى خَبَلا

تبدّلوا بي ولا أبغي بِهم بَدَلا

After they made me feel love's madness,

They took another in my place, while I seek no replacement for them.

حَسْبي بهم أَنصفوا في الحُكمِ أوْ ظَلَموا

فَقُلْ لساري الدُّجى تهديه ظُلْمَتُهُ

They suffice me, whether they judge fairly or unjustly.

Tell the traveler by night, guided by its darkness,

واللّيلُ كالبحرِ تعلو الأرضَ جُمّتُهُ

تُغْري الفَلا والدُّجى والهولَ عزْمَتُهُ

While night is a sea whose flood rises above the earth:

His resolve challenges wilderness, darkness, and terror.

يا راكِباً تقطَعُ البيداءَ هِمُّتُهُ

والعيسُ تعجِزُ عمَّا تدركُ الهِممُ

O rider whose determination crosses the desert,

While pale camels fall short of what high resolves attain—

إذا وصلتَ وقاكَ اللهُ مَهلكَةً

وذادَ عنكَ الرَّدى إن خُضتَ مَعركةً

When you arrive—may God shield you from destruction,

And repel death from you if you plunge into battle;

فَما سلمتَ فقدْ مُلِّكْتَ مملكَةً

بلّغْ أَميري معينَ الدّين مَأْلُكَةً

For while you are safe, you have been granted a kingdom—

Deliver to my prince, Mu'in al-Din, a message

منْ نازحِ الدّار لكنْ وُدُّهُ أَمَمُ

لَمّا وَليتَ الرّعايا سُرَّ كلُّ ولي

From one whose home is distant, but whose affection is near.

When you took charge of your subjects, every friend rejoiced.

وسُسْتَهُم بالتُّقى في القولِ والعَملِ

تُمْضي القضايا بِلا حَيْفٍ ولا زَلَلِ

You governed them with piety in word and deed.

You decide cases without injustice or error.

وأنتَ أعدلُ من يُشكى إليهِ ولي

شَكِيَّةٌ أنتَ فيها الخصْمُ والحَكَمُ

You are the fairest of those to whom complaints are brought, and I have

A grievance in which you are both defendant and judge.

فاسمَعْ قضيّةَ مَأخوٍذ بخُلَّتِهِ

وفاؤُه لكَ أرْداهُ بغُلَّتِهِ

So hear the case of one ensnared by his friendship:

His loyalty to you destroyed him through its burning anguish.

ولَمْ يكُن عالماً في طِبِّ عِلَّتِهِ

هَلْ في القضيّةِ يا مَنْ فضلُ دولتِهِ

He had no knowledge of how to treat his illness.

Is it part of justice, O you whose rule's excellence

وعدلُ سيرتِهِ بينَ الوَرى عَلَمُ

أمْ في كريمِ السَّجايا وهيَ قَدْ فُقِدَتْ

And the fairness of whose conduct are a beacon among mankind,

Or of noble qualities—which have now been lost—

أمْ في العُلا وهي بالعُدوانِ قد عُدمَتْ

وساءَها فَلَحتْ من بعد ما حَمِدَتْ

Or of lofty honor—which aggression has destroyed

And harmed, so it reproached after once praising—

تَضييعُ واجِب حقِّي بعد ما شهِدتْ

به النّصيحةُ والإخلاصُ والخِدَمُ

To neglect my rightful due, after it was attested

By counsel, sincerity, and service?

يا لهفَ نفسي ولهفٌ طالَما شَفَتِ

لم تُغنِ عنّي تجاريبي ومعرِفَتي

Alas for my soul, and the anguish that has so long wasted it!

My experience and knowledge did not avail me,

حتى اغتررْتُ بآمالٍ مزَخْرَفَةِ

وما ظننتُكَ تنسى حقَّ معرفتي

Until I was deceived by embellished hopes.

I did not think you would forget the claims of knowing me.

إنّ المعارِفَ في أهلِ النُّهى ذِمَمُ

يا مَنْ إذا استأذَنَ السّاعي عَلَيه أَذِنْ

Among people of understanding, acquaintanceship creates obligations.

O you who grants the slanderer entry when he asks leave to approach:

إِذا الغَديرُ أقامَ الماءُ فيهِ أجِنْ

وَلَمْ يطلُ مكثُ ميثاقي فكيف أَسِنْ

When water stays in a pool, it turns foul.

My covenant has not remained long—how has it grown stale?

ولا اعتقدتُ الذي بيني وبينَك مِنْ

وُدٍّ وإنْ أجلبَ الأعداءُ يَنْصَرِمُ

Nor did I believe that what lies between us of

Affection would be severed, even if enemies raised an outcry.

وكم رَماني العِدا بَغياً بِإفكِهِمُ

فلَمْ أَرقَّ ولم أفرَقْ لبَغْيِهِمُ

How often enemies assailed me unjustly with their lies!

I did not weaken, nor fear their oppression.

وكم سَعَوْا بي فلَمْ أحفِل بسعْيِهِمُ

لكنْ ثِقاتُكُ ما زالوا بغشِّهِمُ

How often they slandered me, yet I paid their slander no heed!

But your trusted men persisted in their deceit,

حتّى استوتْ عندكَ الأنوارُ والظُّلَمُ

ما كان أبعَدَهُم فهماً وأجهَلَهُمْ

Until light and darkness became alike to you.

How remote they were from understanding, how ignorant!

مالوا ومالَوْا عَلى من كانَ مَوَّلَهُمْ

وقبلَهُ خَوَلا كانوا فخَوَّلَهُم

They turned aside and conspired against the one who enriched them.

Before him they were servants; he endowed them.

باعوكَ بالبَخسِ يرجون الغنى ولَهُمْ

لو أنَّهم عَدِموكَ الويلُ والعَدَمُ

They sold you cheaply, hoping for wealth, although for them,

If they lost you, there would be misery and destitution.

كيفَ اغتررتَ بِهِمْ فيما أَمَرْتَهُمُ

حتى كأنَّك يوماً ما خبرتَهُمُ

How were you deceived by them in what you commanded them,

As though you had never once known them?

وغورُهمْ كان يبدو لو سَبَرتَهُمُ

واللهِ ما نصحوا لمَّا استشرتَهُمُ

Their depths would have shown themselves if you had sounded them.

By God, they gave no honest counsel when you consulted them.

وكلُّهم ذو هوىً في الرأيِ متَّهَمُ

كان التحاملُ منهمْ في إشارَتِهِم

Each is swayed by desire, suspect in his judgment.

Their advice was marked by hostility,

والنّقصُ في دينِهم أو في عِبارتِهِم

وكلُّ ذلكَ نوعٌ من تجارتِهِم

And by deficiency in their faith or their expression.

All of that was a kind of trade for them.

كم حرَّفوا من مقالٍ في سِفارتِهم

وكم سَعَوْا بفسادٍ ضلُّ سعيُهُمُ

How often they distorted statements in their embassies!

How often they pursued corruption—their efforts went astray!

قالوا الأميرُ وفيٌّ بالعهودِ فلُذْ

بِذي الحميَّةِ إن خَطْبٌ ألمَ وعُذْ

They said, 'The prince keeps his pledges: take refuge

With this man of protective zeal if disaster strikes, and seek shelter.'

والوصفُ في السمعِ قبلَ الامتحانِ يَلَذّ

أين الحميّةُ والنّفسُ الأبيّةُ إذْ

Praise pleases the ear before experience puts it to the test.

Where were protective zeal and the proud soul when

ساموكَ خُطَّةَ خسفٍ عارُها يصِمُ

لمَّا رأيتَ لصَرفِ الدّهرِ واعِظةً

They imposed on you a humiliation whose shame brands you?

When you saw that time's vicissitudes bear an admonition,

للخيرِ والشَّرِّ ما تَنفكُّ حافظةً

حتى تَشيعَ سماعاً أو ملاحظَةً

Unfailingly preserving both good and evil,

Until they become widely heard of or witnessed,

هلاّ أنِفْتَ حياءً أو محافظةً

من فعلِ ما أنكرَتْهُ العُربُ والعجمُ

Why did you not recoil, from shame or concern for honor,

From doing what Arabs and non-Arabs condemn?

أتيتَ فينا وما اقتادتْكَ مَوجِدةٌ

إساءةً هي للإحسانِ مُفسِدَةٌ

You committed against us, though no anger drove you,

An injury that spoils past kindness.

أغربْتَ فيها فجاءَت وهي مُفردةٌ

أسلمتَنا وسيوفُ الهند مغمَدةٌ

You outdid yourself in it: it came as something without parallel.

You surrendered us while Indian swords were sheathed,

ولم يُروِّ سِنانَ السمهرِيِّ دَمُ

ما شُبتُ حُسنَ ظُنوني فيكَ بالتُّهَمِ

And no blood had slaked the tip of the slender spear.

I never tainted my good opinion of you with suspicion,

ولم تَمُرَّ بِفِكْري خَجلةُ النَّدمِ

وأنَّ إفك الأَعادي مُخْفِرٌ ذمَمي

Nor did the shame of regret cross my mind,

Nor that enemies' lies would violate the pledges protecting me.

وكنتُ أَحسَبُ مَن والاكَ في حَرمٍ

لا يَعتريه به شَيْبٌ ولا هَرَمُ

I thought whoever allied himself with you was in a sanctuary

Where neither gray hair nor decrepitude could overtake him.

يأوي إلى حُسن عهدٍ مِنكَ ما ابتُذِلا

ولا ابْتَغى بصديقٍ صادِقٍ بَدَلا

He shelters beneath a fair pledge from you that has never been debased,

And seeks no substitute for a true friend,

ولا رأَى الخِلُّ منه ساعةً مَلَلا

وأَنَّ جارَك جارٌ للسموءَلِ لا

Nor does a companion ever find him bored.

And I thought your protected guest a guest of al-Samaw'al, who does not

يَخشى الأعادي ولا تَغتالُه النِّقَمُ

إساءةً جئتَها واللهُ يغفُرهَا

Fear enemies, nor fall prey to calamities.

An injury you committed—may God forgive it—

يُذيعُها الدَّهرُ في الدّنيا وينشُرُها

والخلقُ أجمعُ يأباها ويُنْكِرها

Time proclaims and spreads throughout the world.

All mankind rejects and condemns it.

هبنا جَنَينا ذُنوباً لا يُكَفِّرُها

عُذْرٌ فماذا جَنى الأطفالُ والحُرُمُ

Suppose we committed sins that no

Excuse could expiate: what did the children and women do?

ما زلتَ في كلِّ حالٍ مُحسناً وَرِعَا

ترى الإساءةَ في وجهِ العُلا طَبَعا

You have always been benevolent and pious in every circumstance.

You regard wrongdoing as a stain upon the face of honor.

لكنَّ فِعلَك فيهم جاءَ مُبتَدَعا

ألقَيتَهم في يدِ الإفرنج مُتَّبِعا

Yet your deed against them was unprecedented.

You cast them into the hands of the Franks, pursuing

رضا عِداً يُسخِطُ الرحمنَ فِعلُهُمُ

أَخفى الهوى عَنك بعد الكشفِ أمرَهُمُ

The approval of enemies whose deeds anger the Merciful.

Partiality hid their true state from you after it had been exposed,

حتّى لأنكرتَ يا مَخدوعُ مكرَهُمُ

وسوفَ تَعرِفُ بعد الفَوتِ غَدرهُمُ

Until, O deceived one, you denied their scheming.

You will recognize their treachery when it is too late.

همُ الأعادي وقاكَ اللهُ شرَّهُمُ

وهُم بزعمِهِمُ الأعوانُ والخدَمُ

They are the enemies—may God protect you from their evil—

Yet by their own claim they are helpers and servants.

ما أنصفوكَ أتَوْا ما لستَ تَجهلَهُ

وما استَقَلّوا بعبءٍ أنت تحمِلُهُ

They did not deal fairly with you; they did what you know well.

Nor did they shoulder a burden that you carry.

وخالفوا كلَّ خيرٍ كنتَ تَفعلُهُ

إذا نهضتَ إلى مجدٍ تُؤثِّلُهُ

They opposed every good thing you used to do.

Whenever you rose to establish glory,

تَقاعدوا فإذا شيَّدتَهُ هَدَموا

صَدَّقْتَهمْ وعهودُ القومِ كاذبةٌ

They held back; once you built it, they tore it down.

You believed them, though their pledges were false.

وكلّ أحلامِهم في الغدرِ عازِبةٌ

لغيرِ دولتِكَ الغرّاءِ طالِبَةٌ

All their minds stray into treachery,

Seeking a rule other than your radiant rule.

وإن عَرَتكَ من الأيّامِ نائبةٌ

فكلُّهم للَّذي يُبكيكَ مُبتَسِمُ

If some calamity of the days befalls you,

Every one of them smiles at what makes you weep.

ضَلالَةٌ قد أظلّتهُم غَوايتُها

ودولَةٌ رُفعت بِالغدْرِ رايَتُها

A delusion whose seduction had overshadowed them;

A regime whose banner had been raised through treachery;

دَنت لِكُفرانِها النُّعمى نِهايَتُها

حتى إذا ما انجلَت عَنهُمْ غَيابَتُها

Its end drew near through ingratitude for blessings.

Until its gloom at last lifted from them

بِحِدِّ عَزمكَ وهو الصَّارِمُ الخَذِمُ

وأصبحوا في نعيمٍ ما له خَطرُ

By the edge of your resolve, the sharp, severing sword,

And they came to enjoy bliss beyond measure,

ما يعتري عَيشَهم بؤسٌ ولا ضَررُ

ولم يَرُعَ سَرحَهُم خوفٌ ولا حَذَرُ

With neither misery nor harm troubling their life,

And neither fear nor apprehension disturbing their grazing herds:

رَشفتَ آجنَ عيشٍ كلُّه كدَرٌ

وَوِرْدُهم من نداك السلسَلُ الشَّبِمُ

You sipped a stagnant life, wholly turbid,

While their drink from your bounty was smooth and cool.

أحلَتَهُمْ غَلطاً أعلى ذرى الأُفُقِ

فلم يَرَوْا حقَّ تلكَ الأنعُمِ الدُّفُقِ

Mistakenly, you lodged them on the horizon's highest peaks.

They did not acknowledge the claim of those streaming blessings,

وعامَلوكَ بِغِشِّ الغِلِّ والمَلَقِ

وإن أتاهُم بقَولٍ عنكَ مُختَلَقِ

And treated you with rancorous deceit and flattery.

If there came to them with a fabricated report about you

واشٍ فَذاك الذي يُحبى ويُحتَرَمُ

أَخفَوْا من الغِلِّ ما أخفَوْهُ ثمَّ عَلَنْ

A slanderer, he was the one rewarded and respected.

They hid such malice as they hid, then it came to light.

وأضمَروا مِحناً مِن غِشِّهم وإحَنْ

وأنكروا نِعَماً طوَّقْتَهُم ومِنَنْ

They harbored trials born of their deceit, and grudges.

They denied the blessings and favors you had hung about their necks.

وكلُّ مَن مِلْتَ عنهُ قرَّبوهُ مَنْ

والاك فَهو الذي يُقصى ويُهْتَضَمُ

Everyone you turned away from, they drew near; whoever

Was loyal to you was the one excluded and oppressed.

ما زلتَ في وُدِّهم تَجري على سَنَنِ

وهمْ عِداك فيا لله للغَبنِ

You have always followed a steady path in affection for them,

While they are your enemies—by God, what a loss!

أعوانُ عادِيةِ الأيّامِ والزّمنِ

بغياً وكُفراً لِمَا أوليتَ من مِنَنِ

Allies of the assaults of days and time,

Through oppression and ingratitude for the favors you bestowed.

ومَرتَعُ البغيِ لولا جَهلُهم وِخِمُ

أَخفيتَ بادي مَساويهم لِتَسْتُرَهُمْ

Oppression's pasture is noxious, though they are too ignorant to know.

You concealed their manifest faults to shield them.

ولو كشفتَهُمُ لم ترض مَكسِرَهُمْ

فاكشِفْ ببحثِك ما أخفَوْا لتُنكرَهُمْ

Had you laid them bare, their true mettle would not have pleased you.

Uncover through investigation what they hid, and you will disavow them.

جرِّبهُمُ مثل تجريبي لتَخْبُرَهُمْ

فلِلرّجالِ إذا ما جُرّبوا قِيَمُ

Test them as I tested them, so that you may know them.

For men have their worth when they are put to the test.

ما زلتُ مُذْ كنتُ في عينِ العَدوِّ قَذى

يَرى محلِّيَ فَوق النَّجمِ مُنتَبِذا

Ever since I existed, I have been grit in the enemy's eye.

He sees my station set apart above the stars.

فسلهمُ بي تَزِدهُم مِن جَوىً وأَذى

هل فيهِمُ رجلٌ يُغني غَنايَ إِذا

Ask them about me; you will add to their anguish and pain.

Is there a man among them who can serve as I do when

جلَّى الحوادِثَ حدُّ السَّيف والقَلَمُ

أم فيهِمُ من يُجلِّي حِندِسَ الشَّبَهِ

The edge of sword and pen clears away calamities?

Or one among them who clears the darkness of doubt

بِعَزمِ أروعَ مِدراكٍ لِمَطْلَبِهِ

ماضٍ على الهَولِ مُستوطٍ لمَركَبِهِ

With the resolve of a bold man who attains his aim,

Pressing on through terror, firmly seated on his mount?

أم فيهمُ مَن لَه في الخَطبِ ضاق به

ذَرعُ الرجالِ يدٌ يسطو بها وفَمُ

Or one among them who, in a crisis beyond

Men's endurance, has a hand to strike and a mouth to speak?

عرفتَ غِشَّهُمُ في السِّرِّ والعَلَنِ

وأنَّ نِيَّاتِهم ملأى مِن الدَّرَنِ

You knew their deceit, both hidden and open,

And that their intentions were full of corruption.

ولم تَزل عاكِفاً منهم على وَثَنِ

لكنَّ رأيَكَ أدناهُم وأبعَدني

Yet you remained devoted to an idol among them.

Your judgment brought them near and sent me away.

فليتَ أَنَّا بِقدرِ الحُبِّ نَقْتَسِمُ

لمَّا خَلَطْتَ يَقينَ الوُدِّ بالشَّبَهِ

Would that our shares were measured by our love.

When you mingled certain affection with doubts,

رَعيتَ عَهدي بطَرفٍ غَيرِ مُنتَبِهِ

ومِلتَ بالوُدِّ عن مَلْحوبِ مَذْهَبِهِ

You watched over my pledge with an inattentive eye,

And turned affection from its well-trodden course.

وما سَخِطتُ بِعادي إذْ رضيتَ بِه

ولا لجُرحٍ إذا أرضاكُمُ أَلَمُ

I did not resent my distance, since you were pleased with it.

Nor does a wound hurt, if it pleases you.

لا تَحسبَنَّ الرّزايا ضَعْضَعَتْ جَلَدي

ولا النّوى عن دمشقٍ فَتَّ في عَضُدي

Do not think calamities have shaken my endurance,

Or exile from Damascus has sapped my strength.

أنَّى ثَوى اللَّيْثُ فَهو الخِيْسُ للأسَدِ

ولستُ آسَى على التَّرحالِ عن بَلد

Wherever the lion settles, that is the lion's thicket.

I do not grieve to depart a land

شُهْبُ البُزاةِ سواءٌ فيه والرَّخَمُ

أقولُ إذ فاتَ حَزمي عزَمَةُ الرّشَدِ

Where gray falcons and vultures are held equal.

I say, when my prudence missed the resolve of sound judgment,

وقد بَدا ليَ ما لم يَجرِ في خَلَدي

لله درُّكَ لولا الغَبْنُ من بَلَدِ

And what had never crossed my mind became apparent:

God bless you—what a land, but for its disappointment!

تعلَّقَتْ بِحبالِ الشَمسِ مِنهُ يَدي

ثَمَّ انثَنَتْ وهي صِفرٌ مِلْؤُها نَدَمُ

From it my hand grasped at the sun's ropes,

Then returned empty, filled with regret.

كم عَزَّني أمَلي فيه وسوَّفَني

وكَم وثِقتُ بميعادٍ فأخْلَفَني

How often my hope there overpowered me and put me off!

How often I trusted a promise, and it failed me!

حتى تَلاشى رجائِي فيهِ ثمَّ فَنِي

لَكِنْ فِراقُكَ آسانِي وآسفَنِي

Until my hope in it dwindled, then perished.

Yet separation from you grieved me and filled me with regret.

فَفي الجوانِح نارٌ منه تَضْطَرِمُ

ومثلَ وجدِي لبُعدِي عنكَ لم أَجِدِ

Within my ribs a fire from it blazes.

I have never found grief like mine at being far from you.

وكَم شَجِيتُ بتَرحَالٍ ومُفْتَقَدِ

فَما تنكّر لِي صبْرِي ولا جَلَدِي

How often I have sorrowed over departures and lost companions!

Yet my patience and endurance never deserted me.

فاسلَم فما عِشتَ لي فالدَّهرُ طَوْعُ يَدِي

وكلُّ ما نَالَنِي من بُؤسِهِ نِعَمُ

Remain safe: so long as you live for me, time obeys my hand,

And every hardship it has brought me is a blessing.