حمى النوم أجفان صب وصب — Abn Hius

حَمى النَومَ أَجفانَ صَبٍّ وَصِب

غُرابٌ عَلى غُصُنٍ مِن غَرَب

Sleep was barred from an ailing lover's eyelids

by a crow on a willow branch.

وَأَغرى الفُؤادَ بِأَشواقِهِ

وَقَد كانَ أُعتِبَ لَمّا عَتَب

And it roused the heart to its yearnings,

though the heart had been appeased when it complained.

فَلَو كانَ يَدري غُرابُ النَوى

بِما جَرَّ تَنعابُهُ ما نَعَب

Had the crow of separation known

what its cawing caused, it would not have cawed.

لَذَكَّرَنا يَومَ زَمّوا الجِمالَ

وَأَبدى لَنا البَينُ سِرَّ الحُجُب

It surely recalled for us the day they haltered the camels,

and parting disclosed to us the secret behind the veils.

فَخِلنا شُموسَ وَجاراتِها

شُموساً سَحايِبُهُنَّ النُقُب

So we thought Shumus and her neighbors

suns whose clouds were their face-veils.

عَقَدنَ لِواءً غَداةَ اللِوى

عَلى سِربِ عينٍ يَصِدنَ السُرَب

They raised a banner that morning at al-Liwa

over a wide-eyed herd that hunted other herds.

نَوافِرُ تَألَفُهُنَّ القُلوبُ

فَيَترُكنَها نُصبَ عينِ النَصَب

Skittish creatures whom hearts grow fond of,

they then leave those hearts before the very eye of anguish.

خَليلَيَّ عُوجا نُحَيِّ الدِيارَ

وَنَندُبُ أَوقاتَنا بِاللَبَب

My two friends, turn aside: let us greet the dwellings,

and mourn our times at al-Labab.

وَنَسأَلُ عَمَّن طَواهُ الرَسيمُ

رُسومَ الدِيارِ وَإِن لَم تُجِب

And let us ask, about those whom the swift camel-trot swept away,

the traces of the dwellings, though they do not answer.

وَلَم أَنسَ قَولَ اِبنَةِ المالِكِيِّ

لِسَلمى وَأَدمُعُها تَنسَكِب

Nor have I forgotten what al-Maliki's daughter said

to Salma, as her tears poured down:

أَيا أُختِ ما بالُ ذا الأَعصُرِيِّ

سَلا حينَ بَلَّغتِهِ ما طَلَب

'O sister, what ails this al-A'suri?

He grew indifferent when you granted him what he sought.

عَهِدناهُ يَرغَبُ في الزَاهِدينَ

مَتى صارَ يَزهَدُ فيمَن رَغِب

We knew him to desire those who disdained him;

when did he come to disdain one he desired?

تَجَنَّبَني وَهوَ يَشكو الهَوى

عَذيري مِنَ العاشِقِ المُجتَنِب

He shuns me, though he complains of love—

who will defend me against the lover who keeps away?'

وَكَم لَيلَةٍ نامَ عَنّي الرَقيبُ

وَنَبَّهَني القَمَرُ المُرتَقَب

And how many a night the watcher slept, heedless of me,

and the eagerly awaited moon awakened me.

جَمَعتُ بِها بَينَ ماءِ السَحابِ

وَماءِ الرُضابِ وَماءِ العِنَب

On it I mingled the water of clouds

with the water of lips and the water of grapes,

وَقَد جَلَّلَ الأَرضَ غَيمُ القِطارِ

وَجادَ الثَرى عارِضٌ مُنسَكِب

while rain clouds had mantled the earth,

and a pouring cloud drenched the soil,

كَجودِ المُظَفَّرِ سَيفِ الإِمامِ

وَعُدَّتِهِ المُصطَفى المُنتَجَب

like the bounty of al-Muzaffar, the Imam's sword

and his mainstay, the chosen, the elect:

مَقَرُّ المَعالي وَعِزُّ الهُدى

وَكَنزُ الأَماني وَتاجُ الحَسَب

the seat of high deeds and the glory of guidance,

the treasury of hopes and the crown of ancestral honor.

هُمامٌ غَدا عِرضُهُ في حِمىً

وَلَكِنَّ أَعراضَهُ تُنتَهَب

A noble lord whose honor rests in a sanctuary,

yet whose possessions are freely plundered:

فَمَن جامِلٍ مَرَّ صَوبَ الجَميلِ

وَمِن ذَهَبٍ في العَطايا ذَهَب

among them, camel herds gone the way of kindness,

and gold that has gone in gifts.

يُبيحُ التِلادَ فَعالَ اِمرِئٍ

يَرى الحَمدَ أَنفَسَ ما يُكتَسَب

He makes ancestral wealth freely available, as does a man

who deems praise the most precious thing to earn.

وَيَأبى الغِناءَ وَلَكِنَّهُ

لِوَقعِ السُيوفِ كَثيرُ الطَرَب

He rejects singing, yet

the clash of swords fills him with delight.

إِذا ما بَغى حَربَ أَعدائِهِ

فَأَيقِن لَهُم عاجِلاً بِالحَرَب

Whenever he seeks war against his foes,

be certain they will soon be despoiled.

وَقُل لِمُيَمِّمِ مَعروفِهِ

تَناوَلتَ ما تَبتَغي مِن كَثَب

Tell whoever seeks his beneficence:

'What you seek lies close within your reach,

بِشَيمِكَ رَبَّ نَدىً لَم يُشَب

بِمَنٍّ وَتِربَ عُلىً لَم تَشِب

by looking to a lord of bounty untainted

by reminders of favors, a peer of glories that never grow old.

سَيَكفيكَ بِالبِشرِ ذُلَّ السُؤالِ

وَيَسأَلُكَ الجَلبَ فيمَ جَلَب

His cheerful welcome will spare you the humiliation of asking,

and he asks you about the wares and why they were brought.'

مَعالٍ يُحَسِّنُ نَظمَ القَريضِ

ثَناها وَيَرفَعُ نَثرَ الخُطَب

Lofty deeds—the weaving of poetry is adorned

by their praise, and the prose of orations exalted.

وَبَأسٌ كَبا عامِرٌ دونَهُ

وَقَصَّرَ عَنهُ اِبنُ مَعدي كَرِب

And valor before which 'Amir stumbled,

and Ibn Ma'di Karib fell short.

أَرى دَولَةَ الحَقِّ أَضحَت رَحىً

تَدورُ بِسَعدٍ وَأَنتَ القُطُب

I see the reign of truth become a millstone,

turning with good fortune, while you are its axle.

وَما قَارَنَ العِزَّ مَلكٌ ثَنى

قَرونَتَهُ عَن طَريقِ العَطَب

No king ever joined with glory who turned

his soul away from the road to peril.

لَقَد سَلَّ مِنكَ إِمامُ الهُدى

حُساماً يَقُدُّ إِذا ما ضَرَب

The Imam of guidance has indeed drawn from you

a keen blade that cleaves whenever it strikes.

قَصَمتَ العِدى بَعدَما اِستَحوَذوا

عَلى الشامِ وَاِستَملَكوهُ حِقَب

You crushed the foes after they had seized control

of al-Sham and possessed it for ages.

أَزَرتَ شَعوبَ شُعوباً طَغَت

وَفَرَّقتَ شَملَهُمُ المُنشَعِب

You sent Sha'ub—Death—to visit peoples who rebelled,

and scattered their far-flung host.

وَلَمّا بَغوا غالَهُم بَغيُهُم

وَمَن غالَبَ الحَقَّ جَهلاً غُلِب

When they transgressed, their transgression destroyed them;

whoever ignorantly contends with truth is overcome.

فَظَنّوا قَليبَ الرَدى مَنهَلاً

قَراحاً وَجِدَّ المَنايا لَعِب

They mistook the well of death for a watering place

of clear water, and death's grim earnestness for play.

فَحينَ أَتوكَ يَجُرّونَها

كَتائِبَ مِثلَ سُطورِ الكُتُب

So when they came against you, dragging them forward—

battalions like the lines of books—

بَرَزتَ لَها فَمَضَت كَالنَعامِ

ثَناها الغَضَنفَرُ لَمّا وَثَب

you came out against them, and they fled like ostriches

turned back by a lion when it sprang.

وَقَد كاَنَ نَجمُهُمُ طَالِعاً

فَلَمّا طَلَعتَ عَلَيهِم غَرَب

Their star had been rising,

but when you rose upon them, it set.

قَتَلتَ حُماةَ الوَغى مِنهُمُ

وَعَفَّت سُيوفُكَ عَمَّن هَرَب

You slew their champions of battle,

while your swords spared those who fled.

تَرَكتَهُمُ يَحمَدونَ الفِرارَ

وَلَو طُلِبوا لَم يَفُتكَ الطَلَب

You left them praising flight;

had they been pursued, your pursuit would not have failed.

وَلا مَهرَبٌ مِنكَ إِلّا إِلَيكَ

وَأَنّى مِنَ المَوتِ يُنجي الهَرَب

There is no escape from you except to you;

and how can flight save anyone from death?

وَلَو شِئتَ ما مُدَّ لِلمارِقينَ

وَأَشياعِهِم دونَ قافٍ طُنُب

Had you wished, no tent-rope would have been stretched for the renegades

or their followers anywhere short of Qaf.

وَلَو رُمتَهُم لَم يَعِزّوا عَلَيكَ

وَلَو أَنَّهُم في مُتونِ السُحُب

Had you sought them, they would not have been beyond your power,

even upon the backs of clouds.

وَقَد سَكَنَت ريحُهُم مِن سُطاكَ

وَإِن لَم تَهَب جُرمَهُم لَم تَهُبّ

Their wind has stilled before your onslaught,

and unless you pardon their crime, it will not blow.

فَصَمتَ عُرى الإِفكِ في وَقعَةٍ

أَزالَت عَنِ المُستَريبِ الرِيَب

You severed falsehood's bonds in a battle

that banished doubts from the doubter,

وَرَوَّت ظُبى الهِندِ بَعدَ الظَما

وَأَشبَعَتِ الوَحشَ بَعدَ السَغَب

quenched the blades of India after thirst,

and sated the wild beasts after hunger.

وَقَد بَيَّضَ النَقعُ حُمرَ الجِيادِ

وَقَد حَمَّرَ الطَعنُ بيضَ العَذَب

Dust had whitened the chestnut steeds,

and spear-thrusts had reddened the white tassels.

جَعَلتَ هُناكَ لِبيضِ السُيوفِ

إِلى بَذلِ كُلِّ مَنيعٍ سَبَب

There you gave the bright swords

a means to make all that was inviolable yield.

فَكَم هامَةٍ لَم يَصُنها التَريكُ

وَكَم جَسَدٍ ما حَماهُ اليَلَب

How many a head its helmet failed to shield,

and how many a body its armor failed to guard!

عَزائِمُ تُظلِمُ صُبحَ العِدى

عَلى أَنَّها في الدَياجي شُهُب

Resolves that darken the enemy's morning,

though in the blackest nights they are shooting stars,

تَظَلُّ قَذىً في عُيونِ الخُطوبِ

وَتُمسي شَجاً في حُلوقِ النُوَب

remain grit in the eyes of calamities,

and become choking bones in the throats of misfortunes.

قَواطُعُ تورِدُ أُسدَ العَرينِ

رَداها وَتَثني الخَميسَ اللَجِب

Decisive resolves that bring the lions of the lair

to their doom, and turn back the clamorous army:

لَها مَنفَذٌ حَيثُ تُثنى الرِماحُ

وَمُنخَرَقٌ حَيثُ تَنبو القُضُب

they find a passage where spears are turned back,

and a way through where sharp swords rebound.

لَقَد خُنتَ في صَرفِ صَرفِ الخُطوبِ

قِيامَ المَلِيِّ بِكَشفِ الكُرَب

In averting fortune's reversals, you have indeed [stood firm; the text reads 'betrayed'],

as one fully able to dispel distress.

فَلولاكَ ما صارَتِ الحَادِثاتُ

حَديثاً وَفُلَّت نُيوبُ النُوَب

Were it not for you, calamities would not have become

mere tales, nor would misfortunes' fangs have been blunted.

فَلِلَّهِ ذَبُّكَ عَن دِينِهِ

مُشيحاً وَسَعيُكَ فيما أَحَبّ

God be praised for your defense of His faith,

ever resolute, and your striving for what He loves.

ذَراكَ أَميرَ الجُيوشِ اِنتَحَت

مُنىً إِن تَرِم عَنهُ يَوماً تَخِب

Your shelter, O commander of armies, is sought

by hopes that, should they ever leave it, must fail.

وَغُرُّ قَوافٍ قَوافٍ لُهاكَ

إِلَيكَ وَقائِلُها تَنتَسِب

And radiant rhymes, following your gifts,

claim kinship with you, as does their poet.

أَجَبتَ نِدائي بِبَذلِ النَدى

فَأَصبَحَ لي نَسَبٌ في النَسَب

You answered my call with freely given bounty,

and so I gained a lineage among lineages.

وَقَرَّبتَ مِن مَطلَبي ما نَأى

وَأَنأَيتَ مِن عَدَمي ما قَرُب

You brought near the distant objects of my quest,

and put far away the poverty that had drawn near.

وَجادَ نَوالُكَ تُربَ الثَنا

وَحَيثُ الغَمامُ يَكونُ العُشُب

Your bounty rained upon the soil of praise,

and where clouds are, grass grows.

أَلا أَيُها المَلِكُ المُبتَني

مَحَلاً مِنَ المَجدِ فَوقَ السُحُب

O king who builds

a dwelling of glory above the clouds,

لِيَهنِكَ عيدٌ إِذا ما حَضَرتَ

زَماناً سِوى وَقتِهِ لَم يَغِب

may you rejoice in a feast that, whenever you are present,

even at a time other than its own, is never absent.

جَعَلتَ لَهُ رُتبَةً في الفَخارِ

تَطولُ الفَخارَ وَتَعلو الرُتَب

You gave it a station in glory

that overtops glory and rises above all ranks.

وَأَلبَستَهُ حُلَلاً أَصبَحَت

عَلى السُحبِ أَذيالُها تَنسَحِب

You clothed it in robes that have come

to trail their hems across the clouds.

أَقَرَّ جَداكَ عُيونَ المُنى

وَأَحيا اِرتِياحُكَ مَيتَ الأَدَب

Your largesse has delighted the eyes of hopes,

and your eager generosity brought dead literature to life.

فَلا أَيتَمَ اللَهُ مِنكَ العُلى

فَأَنتَ لَها اليَومَ أُمٌّ وَأَب

May God never leave high glory orphaned of you,

for today you are its mother and its father.