تذكر أيام الحمى ولياليه — عبد اللطيف بن إبراهيم آ…

تَذَكَّرَ أيامَ الحِمى وليالِيهِ

وأَوقاتِ أُنسٍ قَد مَضَت بِمَغانيهِ

He remembered the days of the protected pasture and its nights,

And times of companionship that had passed in its dwellings.

فَهاجَت لِذكراهم بلابِلُ شَجوهِ

وأَصبحَ يَجرِي دَمعهُ مِن مآقيهِ

So remembrance of them stirred the tumults of his sorrow,

And his tears began to flow from the corners of his eyes.

ومازالَ يُخفي سِرَّهُ عن وُشاتِهِ

ودَمعُ الأَسى يُبدي الذي كان يُخفيهِ

And he kept hiding his secret from his tale-bearers,

And the tears of grief reveal what he was hiding.

رَعى اللَه مَن أَهوى عَلى القُربِ والنَوى

ولا زالَ مُنهَلُّ السُرورِ يُوَاليهِ

May God guard the one I love, near or far,

And may the downpour of joy never cease to attend him.

وَحَيّا الحَيا حَيّاً أقامَ بسُوحِهِ

يُراوِحهُ مَسكوبُهُ وَيُغاديهِ

And may rain greet a tribe in whose grounds he dwelt,

Its downpour visits him evening and morning.

فلِله أيامٌ تَقَضَّت بقُربه

سَقاني بها خَمرَ الصَفا من تَدَانِيهِ

God be praised for the days that passed near him,

In them he poured me the wine of serenity from his nearness.

فيا ليتَ أنَّ البينَ زُمَّت ركابُهُ

وأَضحى بَديلاً وَصلُهُ مِن تَجافيهِ

Oh, would that separation's riding camels were bridled,

And union with him replaced his estrangement!

فواحَرَّ قَلبي مِن فراقِ مُحجَّبٍ

حكى البدرَ بل أَزرى بِهِ في تَناهِيهِ

Oh, how my heart burns at parting from a veiled beloved,

Who resembled the full moon—nay, put it to shame in his perfection.

تعلَّمَ غُصنُ البانِ منهُ اعتدالَهُ

وَشابَهَهُ في لِينِهِ وَتَثنِّيهِ

The branch of the ban tree learned its upright grace from him,

And resembled him in its suppleness and swaying.

فَما الدُرُّ إِلّا ما تضمَّنَ ثَغرُهُ

ولا الراحُ إِلّا دونَ ما كانَ يَحويهِ

Pearls are nothing but what his mouth contains,

And wine falls short of what it holds.

لهُ اللَه ظَبياً قَد تصَدَّى لجَفوَتي

وأعرضَ عني جانباً منهُ بالتِيهِ

God bless him, a gazelle who has set himself to shunning me,

And turned his side away from me in haughtiness.

تَجَنَّى وَأبدى لي الصُدُودَ تَجنِّياً

وما كانَ أَحلَى صَدَّهُ وَتَجَنِّيهِ

He falsely accused me and showed me rejection without cause,

Yet how sweet were his rejection and his false reproaches!

أُمَنِّي فُؤادي بالوصالِ تعلُّلاً

وَهيهاتَ أن يَشفي المُعنىَّ تَمَنِّيهِ

I comfort my heart with hopes of union, seeking solace,

Yet far are his wishes from healing the tormented lover.

وَإني لأرعَى سِرَّهُ وأَصونُهُ

وأُكبرُهُ مِن أَن أكونَ أُسَمِّيهِ

And indeed I guard his secret and preserve it,

And hold him too high to utter his name.

كَتَمتُ الهَوى عن كلِّ واشٍ يُذِيعُهُ

وَأَخفَيتُ من شكوايَ ما لستُ أُبدِيهِ

I hid my passion from every tale-bearer who would spread it,

And concealed what I do not reveal of my lament.

فيا لائِمي في الحبِّ رِفقاً وَخَلِّني

وَشأني فلو أًنصفتَ ما لُمتَنِي فيهِ

So, you who blame me for love, be gentle and leave me

To my own affairs; had you been fair, you would not have blamed me for it.

فَما هو إِلّا حَلىُ فَضلٍ وَسُؤددٍ

ولا اللومُ إِلّا اللُؤمُ في شَرعِ أَهليهِ

For it is but an adornment of virtue and nobility,

And blame is merely baseness in the code of its devotees.

فَخُذ مِن مَجاني اللَهو ما طابَ واغتَنِم

زَمانَ الصِّبا فالدهرُ لا بُدَّ يُفنِيهِ

So take what is sweet from pleasure's fruits, and seize

The season of youth, for time must surely consume it.

ويا راكِباً عَني تَحمَّل رِسالةً

يُضاهِي شَذاها المِسكَ نَشراً وَتُحذِيهِ

And, O rider, carry a message on my behalf,

Its wafting fragrance rivals musk, and you shall present it to him.

وَحَيِّ بِها شَمسَ الزَمانِ وَبَدرَهُ

وحسبُكَ فَخراً أن تَكونَ مُحيِّيهِ

And with it greet the sun of the age and its full moon,

And it is glory enough for you to be the one who greets him.

حَلِيفَ الوَفا عَبدَ العَزيزِ أخا العُلا

مُشَيِّدَ بَيتِ المَكرُمَاتِ وَمُعلِيهِ

The ally of fidelity, Abd al-Aziz, brother of eminence,

Builder of the house of noble deeds and the one who raises it high,

خِضَمَّ النَدى نَجمَ الهُدى ضَيغَمَ العِدا

حَميدَ المَساعي طيِّبَ الجَدِّ زاكيهِ

Vast sea of generosity, star of guidance, lion to his enemies,

Praiseworthy in his endeavors, of good and pure lineage.

كَريمٌ غَذاهُ المَجدُ مُذ كانَ دَرُّهُ

فأصبَحَ لمّا أَن دَعاهُ يُلبِّيهِ

A noble man whom glory nourished from his suckling days,

So when it called him, he answered its call.

سَما لسَماءِ الفَضلِ حتَّى سَما بهِ

فَلا عَجبٌ إِذ كانَ مِن طبقِ ناديهِ

He rose to the heaven of excellence until he carried it aloft,

No wonder, for it belonged to the ranks of his assembly.

لَهُ خُلُقٌ يَحكي النَسيمَ لطافةً

بِنَفسِيَ ممّا يشتَكيهِ أُفدِّيهِ

He has a character that resembles the breeze in gentleness,

With my own life I would ransom him from whatever troubles him.

عَلى دَرجاتِ العِلمِ والحلمِ والتُّقى

فسادَ وفضلُ اللَهِ مَن شاءَ يُؤتِيهِ

On the steps of knowledge, forbearance, and piety,

He became preeminent; God grants His bounty to whomever He wills.

أيا سيِّدي إِنَّ الليالي كَما تَرى

لتُنفِذُ حُكمَ البَينِ فينا وَتُمضِيهِ

O my lord, indeed the nights, as you see,

Surely enforce separation's decree upon us and carry it out.

وتَصدعُ منّا الشَملَ بعدَ التِآمِهِ

وتحرِمُنا من صَفوِها ما نُرَجِّيهِ

And shatter our union after it has been knit together,

And deny us the unclouded joy we hope for from them.

فَمُنَّ حَبيبي بِالوصالِ تَعطُّفاً

فَطعمُ المَنايا دونَ ذا ما نُقاسِيهِ

So, my beloved, favor me with reunion out of compassion,

For the taste of death is gentler than this suffering we endure.

وعجِّلهُ يا ذا الفَضلِ منكَ تَفَضُّلاً

عَلَينا وجانِب سيِّدي مَن لَحا فِيهِ

And hasten it, O man of bounty, as your gracious favor

To us; and, my lord, shun whoever censures it.

وَدونَكَ عِقداً من قَريضٍ نظمتُهُ

وأسبِل عليهِ ذيلَ سِترٍ يُوارِيهِ

And take this necklace of verse that I have strung,

And let the hem of a veil fall over it to conceal it.

فَلا زلتَ محرُوسَ الجَنابِ موفَّقاً

وللشَّرعِ يا نجلَ الأَفاضِلِ تُحييهِ

May you ever be guarded in your precinct and granted success,

And may you keep the sacred law alive, O son of the virtuous.