حتام أسألها الدنو فتنزح — Abn Matouk

حتّامَ أسألُها الدُّنوَّ فتنزَحُ

وأروضُ قلبي بالسّلُوِّ فيجْنَحُ

How long shall I ask her to draw near, while she withdraws?

And train my heart to forget, while it inclines toward her?

وإلامَ لا أنفكُّ أُصرَعُ للهوى

وتَتيهُ في عزّ الجمالِ وتمرَحُ

How long must I keep being felled by love,

While she struts in beauty's glory and revels?

وعلامَ تمطُلُني فيحسُنُ مطلُها

وتَسومُني الصّبرَ الجميلَ فيقبُحُ

Why does she put me off, making her delay seem beautiful,

And demand beautiful patience of me, which turns ugly?

تَجفو وما حُنِيَتْ عليه أضالعي

يحنو علَيْها والجوانحُ تجنَحُ

She shuns me, while what my ribs enclose

Bends tenderly toward her, and my inner ribs incline.

قلبي يضنُّ بها عليّ ومنطِقي

عنها يُكنّي والجفونُ تصرّحُ

My heart begrudges her to me, and my speech

Refers to her obliquely, while my eyelids speak plainly.

يا لائِمي فيها وعُذريُّ الهَوى

من وجهِها الوضّاحِ عُذري أوضحُ

O you who blame me for her—my love is chaste—

My excuse is clearer than her radiant face.

خُنتُ التُّقى وقطعتُ أرحامَ العُلا

إن لمْ أَعُقْ في حبِّها مَنْ ينصَحُ

I would betray piety and sever kinship with nobility

If I did not defy whoever advises me in my love for her.

لا تعذُلوا الدَّنِفَ المَشوقَ فقلبُه

كالزَّندِ يقرَعُه المَلامُ فيقدَحُ

Do not reproach the yearning, lovesick man, for his heart

Is like a fire-stick: reproach strikes it, and it sparks.

ما بالُ تَضعُف عن ملامِك طاقَتي

وأنا الحَمول لكلِّ خطبٍ يَفدَحُ

Why does my strength fail before your reproach,

When I bear every crushing calamity?

لا يسنَحُ الأجَلُ المُتاحُ بفِكرَتي

إلّا إذا إجْلُ الجآذِرِ يسنَحُ

Allotted death does not cross my mind

Except when a herd of young oryx comes into view.

يا ساكِني الجرْعاءِ لا أقوى الغَضا

منكُم ولا فقدَتْ مَهاكُم توضَحُ

O dwellers of al-Jar‘a, may al-Ghada never lie deserted

Of you, nor Tawḍaḥ lose your oryx.

هل في الزّيارةِ للنّسيمِ أذِنتُمُ

فلقد أشمُّ المِسكَ منه ينفَحُ

Have you given the breeze permission to visit?

For I smell musk wafting from it.

لم تَحْسُنِ الأقمارُ بعدَ وجوهِكُم

عندي ولا نظَري إلَيها يطمَحُ

After your faces, the moons no longer seem beautiful

To me, nor does my gaze aspire to them.

لا تُنكِروا قتلَ الرُّقادِ ببَينِكم

أوَ لَيسَ ذا دمُه بخدّي يسفَحُ

Do not deny that your parting has slain sleep:

Is this not its blood spilling down my cheek?

عُذراً فكم قلبي بلَيلى حيِّكُم

قد ماتَ عُذريٌّ وجُنَّ ملوَّحُ

Pardon me: how often, for the Layla of your quarter, has my heart

Died an Udhri lover and gone mad a Mulawwah!

للّه كم في سربِكُم من مُقلةٍ

تمضي وبيضُ صِفاحِها لا تجرَحُ

By God, how many an eye within your flock

Pierces, though its gleaming blades inflict no wound!

ولكُم بزندِكُمُ سِوارٌ أخرَسٌ

أوحى الكلامَ إلى وِشاحٍ يُفصِحُ

On your wrist you have a mute bracelet

That imparted speech to an eloquent sash.

أبصارُنا مخطوفةٌ وعُقولُنا

بثُغورِكُم وبُروقُها لا تُلمَحُ

Our eyes are stolen, and our minds,

By your mouths, though their lightning goes unseen.

يُرْدى بحيِّكُمُ الهزَبْرُ مسَربَلاً

ويمرّ فيه الظّبيُ وهْو موشّحُ

In your quarter the lion is slain, though clad for battle,

While the gazelle passes through it wearing a sash.

لم يخشَ لولا مُهلِكاتُ صُدودِكم

بيضاً تُسَلُّ وعادياتٍ تضبَحُ

But for your deadly rebuffs, he would not fear

Drawn gleaming swords or panting chargers.

رِفقاً بمُنتَزِحٍ إليكُم رُوحه

تغدو بها ريحُ الصَّبا وترَوِّحُ

Be gentle with an exile, whose soul toward you

The east wind carries morning and evening.

يصبو إلى برقِ الحجونِ فتَلتَظي

ويصوّبُ الدّمعَ الهَتونَ فتسبَحُ

He yearns for lightning over al-Hajun, and his soul blazes;

He pours down streaming tears, and it swims.

رَعياً لأيّامِ الحِمى ورَعى الحِمى

وسقَتْ معاهدَهُ العِهادُ الرُوَّحُ

Blessings on the days of the sanctuary; may it be tended

And its familiar haunts watered by recurring evening rains.

وعَدا البِلادَ الرَّوْحَ من مغنًى فلا الْ

أرواحُ فيها والقُلوبُ تروَّحُ

And may relief bypass the dwelling-lands, so neither

Souls there nor hearts find rest.

كلُّ المواردِ بعدَ زمزَمَ حُلوُها

بفَمي يُمَجُّ وكلُّ عَذْبٍ يَملَحُ

At all watering places after Zamzam, their sweet water

Is spat from my mouth, and every fresh draught turns salty.

يا جِيرةً غلِطَ الزّمانُ بوصلِهم

فمحَوْهُ إذ وطَنوا إليه وصحّحوا

O neighbors whom Time joined to me by mistake,

They erased that bond once accustomed to it, and set things right.

لا تطلُبوا عندي الفؤادَ فدارُه

إمّا رُبوعُ مِنىً وإمّا الأبطَحُ

Do not seek my heart with me, for its home is

Either the dwellings of Mina or al-Abtah.

يا لَيتَنا بمنى حَوانا موسِمٌ

ولكُم به نُهدي القلوبَ ونذبَحُ

Would that a pilgrimage season gathered us at Mina,

Where we would offer you hearts and slaughter them.

خلّفتُمُ الوَجْدَ المبرِّحَ بعدَكُم

عِندي فروحي عندَكم لا تبرَحُ

You left agonizing passion behind you

With me, while my soul remains with you and never leaves.

ما لي وما للدّهْرِ بمُنجِزٍ

وعْدي ولا أمَلي لديْكُم ينجَحُ

What ails me? Time does not fulfill

The promise made to me, nor does my hope in you succeed.

أشكو الزّمانَ إلى بَنيهِ وإنّما

فسدَ الزّمانُ وليسَ فيهم مُصلِحُ

I complain of Time to its children, yet

Time has grown corrupt, and none among them reforms it.

ساءَتْ خلائِقُهم فساءَ فلا أرى

شيئاً به إلّا عليّاً يُمدَحُ

Their characters turned evil, so it did too; I see

Nothing in it praised except Ali.

الماجدُ العذْبُ الّذي في نفسِه

وبمالِه يَشْري الثّناءَ ويسمَحُ

The noble, gracious man who with his own person

And his wealth purchases praise and gives freely.

حُرٌّ يُريكَ البِشرُ منه لدى النّدى

شِيَماً كأزهارِ الرِّياضِ تفتّحُ

A freeborn man whose cheerfulness in giving reveals to you

Traits blossoming like flowers in gardens.

شِيمٌ تصرّحُ آيةُ التّطهيرِ عن

أنسابِها وبفضلِهنَّ تُلوّحُ

Virtues whose lineage the Verse of Purification declares

And whose excellence it indicates.

قِرنٌ إذا أجرى جداوِلَ قُطبِه

أذْكَتْ على الهاماتِ ناراً تلفَحُ

A champion: when he sets the channels of his frown flowing,

They kindle a scorching fire upon heads.

طلْقُ المحيّا والجيادُ سَواهِمٌ

والبيضُ تَبسِمُ في الوجوهِ فتكْلَحُ

Bright-faced while the horses look haggard,

And gleaming swords smile into faces, making them scowl.

فطِنٌ له علمٌ يَفيضُ ومنسَبٌ

من ضرعِه دَرُّ النّبوّةِ يرشَحُ

Keen-minded, with overflowing knowledge and a lineage

From whose udder the milk of prophethood trickles.

فرعٌ ذَكا من دوحةِ الشّرفِ الّتي

من فوقِها وُرْقُ الإمامةِ تصدَحُ

A flourishing branch of the great tree of honor,

Above which the gray doves of the Imamate sing.

علَمٌ على جعْلِ البريّةِ واحداً

للجاحدين هو الدّليلُ الأرجَحُ

A sign of all humankind embodied in one man;

To deniers he is the weightiest proof.

هو فوقَ علمِكُمُ به فتأمّلوا

فيه فللأنظارِ فيه مَطرَحُ

He surpasses your knowledge of him, so contemplate

Him, for he offers a field for the gaze.

هذا ملخّصُ نُسخةِ السّاداتِ من

آلِ النّبيّ ففضلُه لا يُشرَحُ

He is the distilled likeness of the noble masters of

The Prophet's house; his excellence defies explanation.

صَغُرَ المديحُ وجلّ عنه فكلُّ مَنْ

يُثني عليه فكأنّما هو يقدَحُ

Praise is small, and he towers above it, so whoever

Praises him seems only to disparage him.

إن شِئْتَ إدراكَ الفَلاحِ فوالِه

ولَكُلُّ مَنْ والى عليّاً يُفلِحُ

If you wish to attain success, befriend him;

Everyone who befriends Ali surely prospers.

تَهوي الجِبالُ الرّاسياتُ وحِلمُه

في الصّدرِ لا يهوي ولا يتزحزَحُ

Firmly rooted mountains may fall, but his forbearance

Within his breast neither falls nor budges.

لا مُبدياً جزَعاً لأعظَمِ فائِتٍ

منه ولا بحُصولِ ذلك يَفرَحُ

He shows no anguish at the greatest thing

He loses, nor rejoices in gaining it.

كم بينَ شِدّةِ خوفِه ورجائِه

عينٌ تسيلُ دماً وصدرٌ يُشرَحُ

How often, between the intensity of his fear and hope,

An eye streams blood, and a breast opens in relief.

أسدٌ لديه دمُ الأسودِ من الطِّلا

أحلى ومن ريقِ الغَواني أملَحُ

A lion, for whom the blood of lions, compared with wine,

Is sweeter, and more pleasing than lovely women's saliva.

تهوي مذاكِيه الصّباحَ كأنّه

لبَنٌ بخالِصِه تُعَلُّ وتُصبحُ

His seasoned steeds crave the dawn as though it were

Milk, whose pure draughts refresh them again at morning.

سبقَ الأنامَ وما تجاوزَ عُمرُه

حولاً ولم تَبلُغْ نَداهُ القُرَّحُ

He outstripped humankind before his age had passed

A year; even mature steeds have not reached his bounty.

كم من دُجىً أنضى أداهِمَها سُرىً

حتّى حميمُ الفجرِ منها يَنضَحُ

How many a night's black steeds he wore out with night travel,

Until dawn's hot sweat oozed from them.

يستصْحِبُ النّصرَ العزيزَ بسيفِه

وبرأيهِ فدُجى الوغى يستصْبحُ

He takes mighty victory as his companion with his sword

And his judgment, finding light in the darkness of battle.

لو تُنكَحُ الريحُ العَقيمُ برِفقِه

يوماً لَبِالبَرَكاتِ كادَتْ تُلقَحُ

Were the barren wind wed to his gentleness

For one day, it would almost be made pregnant with blessings.

وافى وقد نضَبَ النّوالُ وأصبحَتْ

غُدْرُ المَطالبِ وهْيَ ملأَى تطفَحُ

He arrived when bounty had run dry, and then

The pools of petitions brimmed, full to overflowing.

وسقى العُلا عزّاً فأصبحَ روضُهُ

خِصباً ولولاهُ لكادَ يصوِّحُ

He watered eminence with glory, and his garden became

Fertile; without him, it would almost have withered.

يُخفي النّدى فينمُّ عرْفُ ثنائِهِ

فيه وريحُ المِسكِ ممّا يفضحُ

He hides his bounty, but the fragrance of his praise tells tales

About him: musk's scent is a telltale sign.

أندى المُلوكِ يداً وأشرفُهُم أباً

وأبرُّهُم للمُذنِبين وأصفحُ

The most generous-handed of kings, the noblest in ancestry,

The kindest to sinners, and the most forgiving.

قُلْ للّذي حسداً يَعيبُ صِفاته

أعلِمْتَ أيَّ ضياء بدرٍ يقبُحُ

Tell the man who faults his qualities out of envy:

"Have you ever known any full moon's radiance to be ugly?"

اِنظُرْ جَميعَ خِصالِه وفِعالِه

فجميعُها عِبَرٌ لمنْ يتصفّحُ

Look at all his qualities and deeds;

They are all lessons for whoever examines them.

عجباً لقومٍ يكفُرونَ بها ولو

عقَلوا وما غفَلوا الصّوابَ لسبّحوا

How strange that people deny them, when, had they

Used reason and not overlooked what is right, they would have glorified God.

يا اِبْنَ الأُلى لولا جِبالُ حُلومِهم

لم يَرْسُ ظهرُ الأرضِ وهْو مسطَّحُ

O son of those but for whose mountains of forbearance

The earth's back would not be anchored, though it lies flat;

والكاسِب المِدَح الّتي لا تنتهي

والواهِبَ المنَحَ الّتي لا تُمنَحُ

And winner of praises that never end,

And giver of gifts otherwise never granted,

والثّابتَ الرأي المُسدَّدِ حيثُ لا

أسَدٌ يقرُّ ولا جَوادٌ يُكبَحُ

And steadfast in sound judgment where no

Lion stands its ground, nor any steed can be checked:

فُزْ بالعُلا واِنْعَمْ فإنّك أهلُها

ولَها سِواكَ من الورى لا يصلُحُ

Win eminence and rejoice, for you deserve it;

No one else among mankind is fit for it.

واِستَجلِ من نَظمي بدائِعَ فكرةٍ

بسِواكَ بكرُ ثنائِها لا تُنكَحُ

And unveil from my verse the marvels of a thought

Whose virgin praise is wed to no one but you.

واِسعَد بعيدٍ مثلِ وجهِك بهجةً

تروى برؤيتِه القُلوحُ اللُّوَّحُ

And rejoice in an Eid as radiant as your face,

Whose sight quenches the parched and wasted.

عيدٌ تكمّل بالسّعودِ هِلالُه

فبَدا وأنتَ أتمُّ منه وألْوَحُ

An Eid whose crescent is perfected by good fortune:

It appears, but you are fuller and brighter than it.

لا زالَ شهرُ الصّومِ يُختَمُ بالهَنا

لكَ والثّوابِ وفيهِما يُستَفْتَحُ

May the month of fasting always close in happiness

For you and with reward, and open with both.