لا بتماديك على هجري — Abdul Mohsen Al Suri

لا بِتماديكَ على هَجري

ولا بإكثارِكَ من ذِكري

Neither by your persisting in forsaking me,

nor by your frequent mention of me—

فهاتِ قل لي أيُّ أمرَيكَ إن

عَلِقتُ عَلقت به أَمري

so come, tell me: to which of your two ways, if

I grow attached, should I attach my fate?

ربَّ لِسانٍ فمُه مقلةٌ

تختصُّ بالشكوى عن الشُّكرِ

Many a tongue has an eye for its mouth,

devoted to complaint rather than gratitude,

من أدمعٍ صدَّرنَ في وجنَتي

نسخة ما سطَّرتُ في صَدري

made of tears that published upon my cheek

a copy of what I inscribed within my breast.

عاتَبني فيه وأجرَيتُه

والعتبُ في الجاري على المُجري

He reproached me for it, and I made it flow;

and blame for what flows rests upon the one who makes it flow.

كدأب أصحابِ الجُفون الَّتي

توازَرَت فاحتَملَت وِزري

Like the custom of the owners of those eyelids which

joined forces and bore my burden.

أكثر ما بَيني وبينَ الهَوى

ما بَينَها من نَظرٍ شَزرِ

Most of what lies between me and love

is the sidelong glance exchanged among them.

عهِدتُكم من حيثُ عاهَدتُكم

لم تَعرِفوا شيئاً سِوى الغَدرِ

I have known you, ever since I pledged myself to you,

to know nothing but betrayal.

فما لكُم لما نَذَرتُم دَمي

صِرتُم من الموفينَ بالنذرِ

So why, when you vowed to shed my blood,

did you become faithful fulfillers of the vow?

يا صاحِبَ الحانةِ أصبحتَ قُم

فافتَح عن العانِسةِ البِكرِ

O tavern-keeper, morning has come—rise,

and unveil the long-unwed virgin.

قد طالتِ الصُّحبةُ ما بَيننا

وهي من الحِشمةِ في خِدرِ

Our companionship has lasted long,

while she, out of modesty, stays in her secluded chamber.

فانتقلَت منه إلى أبيضٍ

شفَّ فأشفَينا على السكرِ

Then she moved from it into a white vessel

that was transparent, and we came to the brink of drunkenness.

الحمرُ في البيضِ وإنا لَفي

شَكٍّ بأن البيضَ في الحُمرِ

The reds are in the whites, and we are indeed in

doubt whether the whites are in the reds.

ثم تنادَينا وطفنا بها

وقد تحالَفنا على الصبرِ

Then we called to one another and made the rounds with her,

though we had sworn together to hold firm.

فآذنت إمَّا بكفارةٍ

منَّا على الحِلفةِ أو كُفرِ

So she announced either an expiation

from us for the oath, or unbelief.

كم جمعتنا حيثُ نَدري وكم

قد فرَّقَتنا حيثُ لا نَدري

How often she united us when we knew, and how often

she parted us when we did not know!

حتى أتى الصومُ على فِتيةٍ

لم يعرفوا الصومَ من الفِطرِ

Until fasting came upon young men

who could not tell fasting from breaking the fast.

فأَذكرُوني حُرماتٍ لهُ

أوكدُ منها حُرمةُ الشهرِ

Then they reminded me of its sacred obligations,

with the month's sanctity more binding than these.

وَحادثٍ حَدث في نفسِه

حديثَ ذي نابٍ وذي ظُفرِ

And a misfortune spoke within itself

the talk of one with fangs and claws,

حتَّى إِذا ما اعتَدَّ واحتَدَّ في

سَطوتِه واشتَدَّ في أَمري

until, when it made ready and grew fierce in

its onslaught, and pressed hard upon my affairs,

وقلتُ لما قصرَت خَطوَتي

أدرَكَني أدرَكَهُ النضري

and I said, when my stride fell short,

'It has overtaken me!'—al-Nadri overtook it.

فصار يَستَشفِعُ بي عنده

يا لِلمقادير وما تَجري

Then it began to seek my intercession with him.

Ah, fate's decrees and how they run their course!

بالأمسِ أستَعدي على الدهرِ من

أعطِفُه اليومَ علَى الدهرِ

Yesterday I sought aid against Time from one

whom today I move to pity Time.

كأنَّ هَذا الشافِعَ المُنحني

لم يكُ ذاك الحَنِقَ المُغري

As though this bowed intercessor

had never been that furious inciter.

لقد تلوَّنتُ على ذا الذي

طالَبَه بالكَسرِ والجَبرِ

Indeed, I changed my colors toward this one,

who demanded of him both breaking and mending.

وكلُّ هذا وهو مستَحسنٌ

مستَعذِبٌ ذلك مُستَمري

And through all this he finds it pleasing,

finds it sweet, and relishes it.

خلائقٌ تُطمعُ من لم يَجد

في بشرٍ ما فيه من بِشرِ

Traits that give hope to one who has never found

in any human the cheerfulness that is in him.

والعزماتُ الحُمر لونُ الردى

كامنةٌ في الشيم الخُضرِ

And red resolves, the color of death,

lie hidden within his green virtues.

ليس بذي مكرٍ ولكنَّه

يحسِنُ دفعَ المكرِ بالمكرِ

He is not a man of guile, but he

knows how to repel guile with guile.

وجدتُ عبد اللَه في جُوده

يَسترُ ما ليس بذي سترِ

I found Abd Allah, in his generosity,

concealing what cannot be concealed.

يَندى ويستكتمُنا والندى

نعمَ مُنادي البَدو والحَضرِ

He gives and bids us keep it secret; yet generosity—

what a fine herald to nomads and townsfolk!

ما الجود بخلٌ فيغطَّى ولا ال

مُنبي عليه عائبٌ مُزرِ

Generosity is no miserliness to be hidden, nor is the

one who proclaims it a fault-finding disparager.

لو استَطاعَ الليلُ مع طوله

وهَولِه كرَّ على الفَجرِ

If night could, for all its length

and terror, it would charge against the dawn.

هَبنا تَماسَكنا فمن ذا الذي

يردُّ أسفاراً مع السَّفرِ

Suppose we held ourselves back: who, then,

could turn back books borne by travelers?

جاءَت عطيَّاتُك مطويَّةً

فلم يكن عندي سِوى النَّشرِ

Your gifts arrived folded up,

so I could do nothing but spread them abroad.

مقرونةً بالعُذر إنِّي لفي الت

تَقصير أولى منكَ بالعُذرِ

They were accompanied by an apology; indeed, in my

shortcoming I deserve an excuse more than you.

إني لألفي كلَّ مُستَخبرٍ

عنك أبا القاسِم ذا خُبرِ

I indeed find every person who asks

about you, Abu al-Qasim, already well informed.

يعلمُ ما أعلمُ لكنَّه

يعجبُه ذكرُكَ في شِعري

He knows what I know, but

he enjoys your mention in my verse.

كأنني شادٍ مقيمٌ على

ذي لوعةٍ ثاوٍ على الجمرِ

It is as though I were a singer staying beside

one burning with longing, settled upon embers.

هل عند خُطَّاب العُلى أنني

وكيلُها في طَلب المَهرِ

Is it known to glory's suitors that I

am her agent in seeking the bridal gift?

وذو الغِنى عندي سَواءٌ إذا

لم يُغنِ من فَقرٍ وذو الفَقرِ

And a wealthy man, to me, is equal—if

he offers no relief from poverty—to a poor man.