ما للمحب على الصدود قرار — Abdullaziz Al Alji

ما لِلمُحِبِّ عَلى الصُّدُودِ قَرَارُ

فهَلِ الأَحِبَّةُ آذَنُوا فَيُزَارُوا

The lover finds no rest amid rejection.

Have the beloved given leave, then, to be visited?

ما بالهُم جَهِلُوا عُهُوداً بالحِمى

شَهِدَت بِها مِن بَعدِنا الآثارُ

Why have they failed to recognize pledges in the sanctuary,

To which the traces bore witness after our departure?

رَعياً لِناسٍ بعدَ عِلمٍ أَنكَرُوا

عَهدِي وَلمّا يَحسُنِ الإِنكارُ

Blessings upon people who, after knowing it, denied

My pledge, though such denial is not fitting.

هُم وَجَّهُوا قَلبِي إِلى سُبُلِ الهَوى

حتَّى استَقامَ عَلى الطَّريقِ وَجارُوا

It was they who guided my heart to the paths of love,

Until it kept to the straight path, while they strayed.

آهاً لأَيّامٍ مَضَت لي عِندَهُم

في القَلبِ مِن وَجدٍ بِها إِعصَارُ

Ah, for days I spent in their company!

In the heart is a whirlwind of longing for them.

أَيّامَ يَظهَرُ لي مَلِيحٌ أَحوَر

الصُّبحُ مِن طَلَعاتِهِ إِسفارُ

Days when a handsome, dark-eyed one appeared to me;

Dawn takes its brightness from his radiant face.

مُستَطرِقٌ ما عِيبَ إِلا أَنَّهُ

بِطِباعِهِ عَن عاشِقيهِ نِفَارُ

With lowered gaze, he was faulted for nothing save that

By nature he shies away from his lovers.

غَنِجُ الدَّلالِ كأنَّ في أَجفانِهِ

خَمراً عَلى شَبحِ القُلُوبِ تُدارُ

Coquettishly coy, as though within his eyelids

Wine were passed around over the forms of hearts.

يا لَيتَ شِعرِي هَل لِعَودِ وِصالِهِ

سبَبٌ وَتَجمَعُ بَينَنا الأَقدارُ

Oh, would that I knew: is there, for renewed union with him,

A means, and will the fates bring us together?

أَتُراهُ ما نَسِيَ العُهودَ وَإِنَّما

أَلهَاهُ عَن آرابِهِ الأَغيارُ

Could it be he has not forgotten the pledges, but only

Others have distracted him from his desires?

وَالدَّهرُ قد يُثنِي الفَتَى عَن عَزمِهِ

وَتَجيشُ في كَرّاتِهِ الأَكدارُ

And time may turn a young man from his resolve,

And sorrows surge in its repeated assaults.

أَشكُو مُصارَمَة الزَّمانِ وَما رَمى

بِيَدِ الحَوادِثِ جَيشُهُ الجَرّارُ

I lament time's estrangement and what has been hurled

By its vast army through the hand of calamities.

كَشِكايَةِ الأحساءِ عِندَ مُسَوَّدٍ

جَمعُ العَظائِم في يَدَيهِ صِغارُ

Like al-Ahsa's complaint before a lord,

In whose hands all great hardships are small.

قَرمٌ إِذا ما حَلَّ داراً حَلَّها ال

إِقبالُ وَالإِعظامُ وَالإيسارُ

A noble chief: when he settles in a dwelling, there settle

Prosperity, reverence, and affluence.

جَمَعَ السَّعادَةَ وَالمَهابَةَ وَالبَها

جُنداً فهُنَّ لِجُندِهِ أَنصارُ

He has mustered happiness, awe, and splendor

As troops, so they stand as allies to his army.

مِن آلِ هاشِمٍ الذينَ تَمَوَّلُوا ال

كَرَمَ الأَصِيلَ وَلِلكِرامِ أَعارُوا

From the house of Hashim, who took as their wealth

Deep-rooted generosity, and lent it to the generous.

البَأسُ فيهم وَالنَّدَى فَعِقابُهُم

تَلَفٌ وَنائِلُ جُودِهِم مِدرَارُ

Might and generosity dwell in them: their punishment

Is destruction, and the bounty of their generosity pours forth.

يَتَجَمَّلُ الملكُ الخِضَمُّ بفضلِهِم

وَبِذكرِهِم تَتَجَمَّلُ الأَخبارُ

The munificent king is graced by their excellence,

And accounts are adorned by the mention of them.

وَإِذا عَرَى عَرشُ المَمالِكِ خِفةً

فَلَهُ ثَباتٌ مِنهُمُ وَقَرارُ

And when the throne of kingdoms grows unsteady,

It gains firmness and stability from them.

أَمِنَت بِهِ نَجدٌ وكانَت قَبلَهُ

رَوعَاءَ مِلءُ أَدِيمِها أَخطارُ

Through him Najd became secure, though before him she was

Terror-stricken, her surface filled with dangers.

نَجمٌ تَجَلّى في مَطالِعِ سَعدِهِ

مِن خَلفِهِ وَأَمامِهِ الأَنوَارُ

A star that shone where his good fortune rises,

Behind him and before him are lights.

رَجَمَ الإِمامُ بِهِ شَياطِينَ الوَرى

فَالكلُّ مِنهُ لِوَجهِهِ خُرّارُ

With him the Imam pelted the devils of humankind,

So all fall face-down because of him.

يا ابنَ النَّجابَةِ وَالنَّقابَةِ إِنَّما

أَنتُم نُجُومُ الأَرضِ وَالأَقمارُ

O son of nobility and leadership, indeed,

You are the earth's stars and moons.

فإِذا العُصَاةُ تَعَصَّبَت وَتَمَرَّدَت

فَلَها نَكالٌ مِنكُمُ وَدَمارُ

So when rebels band together and revolt,

Their lot from you is chastisement and destruction.

يا ابنَ الأَكارِمِ قَد مَلَكتَ رِقابَنا

وَبِمِثلِ سَعيكَ تُملَكُ الأَحرارُ

O son of the noble, you have won mastery over our necks;

And by endeavors like yours, free men are won.

فَعَلامَ تَترُكُها وَأَنتَ أَمِيرُها

مَن لا يُبالِي إِن عَرَاهُ العارُ

Why then leave her, though you are her ruler, to

One who cares not if disgrace befalls him?

قَد عادَ لِلأَحساءِ داءٌ مُعضِلٌ

حارَت بِهِ الآراءُ والأَنظارُ

An intractable disease has returned to al-Ahsa;

Opinions and deliberations are baffled by it.

وَبَغَى عَلَيها مِن وُلاةِ أُمُورِها

مَن لا يُبالِي إِن عَرَاهُ العارُ

And among those governing her affairs, she is wronged by

One who cares not if disgrace befalls him.

كُنَّا نَخافُ مِنَ البُغاةِ خَرابَها

وَالآنَ قادَ خَرابَها العُمّارُ

We feared that rebels would bring her ruin,

And now her builders have led her to ruin.

في كلِّ يَومٍ لِلنِّكايَةِ وَالأَذَى

يَبدُو بِها مِن حالِهِم أَطوَارُ

Each day, for harm and injury,

Various forms of their conduct appear within her.

حُكَّامُها رَجُلانِ إِمَّا مُسلِمٌ

وَاهٍ وَإِمَّا مُسرِفٌ جَبّارُ

Her governors are two sorts of men: either a Muslim

Who is weak, or a tyrant exceeding all bounds.

إِن دامَ هَذا فَالحِساءُ مَصِيرُها

خَبَرٌ تَقُومُ بِنَقلِهِ السُّمارُ

If this continues, al-Ahsa's fate will be

A tale passed on by companions in nighttime conversation.

يا سَيِّداً تَشقَى العِداةُ بِخَوفِها

مِنهُ وَيَسعَدُ في حِماهُ الجارُ

O lord, enemies suffer from their fear

Of him, while the neighbor thrives within his protection.

يا نِعمَةَ السُّلطانِ أَنتَ عَلى الوَرى

تَحيَى بِسَعيِكَ أَنفُسٌ وَدِيارُ

O you, the sultan's blessing upon humankind,

Through your efforts, souls and homes are revived.

حاشاكَ أَن تَرضَى عَلَى بَلَدٍ لَها

نَظَرٌ عَلى حُسناكَ وَاستِبشارُ

Far be it from you to accept this for a town that

Looks to your goodness with glad expectation.

وَإِذا دَهَتها الحادِثاتُ فَما لَها

إِلا إِلَيكَ تَلَفُّتٌ وَقَرارُ

And when calamities strike her, she has nothing

But recourse to you and repose.

وَالحُبُّ أَكسَبَها لِفَضلِكَ نِسبَةً

فَلَها بِذاكَ تَشَرُّفٌ وَفَخارُ

And love has granted her a bond with your excellence,

Through which she gains honor and pride.

أَوَ ما علِمتَ بأنَّ مُعظَمَ أَهلِها

لمّا أَذاعَت سيرَكَ الأخبارُ

Have you not learned that most of her people,

When reports announced your departure,

ما بينَ كاظِمِ غيظِهِ مُتَقَطِّعٍ

أَسَفاً وَحُرٍّ دَمعُهُ مِدرارُ

Were either men stifling their rage, torn apart

By grief, or freeborn men whose tears poured down?

فاغضَب لَهَا يا ابنَ الأَكارِمِ غَضبَةً

تَنأى بِها عن سُوحِها الأَكدارُ

Then rage for her, O son of the noble, with an anger

That sends sorrows far from her precincts.

إِن لَم تَكُن لِمقامِها ذا غَيرَةٍ

تَحمي حِماها مِن أَذى وَتَغارُ

If you have no protective zeal for her standing,

Defending her sanctuary from harm and guarding her jealously,

فَمنِ الَّذي يُرجَى لِدَفعِ كُرُوبِها

عَنها وَأَنتَ السَّيِّدُ الأَمّارُ

Then who can be hoped for to drive her troubles

Away from her, while you are the commanding lord?

هُم أَرسَلُوني شافِعاً وَمُقدِّماً

جاهِي وَأَنتَ المَقصِدُ المُختارُ

They sent me as an intercessor, putting forward

My standing, and you are the chosen destination.

إِذ كُنتَ أَنتَ أَخا النَّجابَةِ وَالعُلا

وَسِواكَ فيهِ عَنِ العُلا إِقصَارُ

For you are a brother to nobility and high honor,

While anyone but you falls short of high honor.

وَلَقَد أَتيتُكَ وافِداً بِنَجِيبَةٍ

شُهَداؤُها بِوِدَادِكُم أَبرَارُ

And I have come to you as a visitor, bearing a noble-born one,

Whose witnesses to love for you are righteous.

حَسناءُ لا تَبغِي سِواكَ مِنَ الوَرى

وَلَها النَزاهَةُ وَالعَفافُ شِعارُ

A beauty who seeks none but you among humankind,

And purity and chastity are her emblem.

وَمُرادُها الأَسنَى قَبُولُكَ وَالرِّضا

فَإِذا رَضِيتَ انقادَتِ الأَوطارُ

And her highest wish is your acceptance and approval;

Then, if you are pleased, all desires submit.