بما لدى موقف التوديع قد كانا — Abu Al Maali Al Talawi

بِما لَدى مَوقف التَوديع قَد كانا

يا دارُ إِلّا أَبنتِ القَولَ تبيانا

By what took place at the scene of farewell,

O dwelling, will you not make your speech plain?

ما غالَها الفِكرُ حَتّى صرتِ مَألفةً

لِلرامسات تُعَفّي مِنكِ أَركانا

What havoc has thought wrought upon her, that you became a haunt

for burying winds that efface your corners?

فَأَينَ عَهدُ الحِمى كُنّا نَلوذ بِهِ

مِمَن عَهدتُ وَأَينَ الحَيُّ مُذ بانا

So where are the old days of the sanctuary in which we sought refuge

among those I knew? And where is the tribe since it departed?

حَيثُ المَعالِمُ وَالأَطلالُ مُشرِقَةٌ

لا تَرتَضي أَنجمَ الجَوزاءِ سُكّانا

Where the landmarks and old dwellings shone,

deeming even Orion's stars unworthy dwellers;

أَيّام أَهصِرُ غُصنَ القَدِّ فَينانا

وَأَجتني مِن ثِمارِ الوَصلِ أَلوانا

in days when I bent the luxuriant bough of her figure,

and plucked many kinds of fruit from union.

يا مَنزِلاً بِجَنوب الغُوطَتينِ غَدا

يَهيجُ للصَبِّ بِالتِذكارِ أَشجانا

O dwelling south of the two Ghutas, now come

to stir the yearning lover's sorrows through remembrance,

هَل راجعٌ ليَ ماضٍ مِن جَديد هَوىً

أَبليتُهُ في رُبى مَغناك رَيعانا

will a bygone time of fresh love return to me,

whose prime I wore away on the hills of your abode?

إِن أَخلَفت مِنكَ أَخلافُ السَحابِ رُبىً

فلي دُموعٌ تُروّي رَسمَك الآنا

If the clouds' udders fail the hills about you,

then I have tears to water your traces now.

كَأَنَّها في عِراصِ الدارِ هامِيَةٌ

نَوءَ السِماكَينِ تَسقي الرَبعَ تَهتانا

As though, pouring through the dwelling's courts,

in the two Simaks' rain-season, they watered the camp in torrents.

وَيا شَباباً كَطيفٍ زارَني وَمَضى

هَل كُنتُ إِلّا لِعَينِ اللَهوِ إِنسانا

And O youth, like a phantom that visited me and passed,

was I anything but the pupil of pleasure's eye?

عَهدي بربعك حُسّانُ المَرابع مِن

حُسّانَةِ الجيدِ تُولي الحُسنَ إِحسانا

I recall at your abode the beauties of those haunts, among them

a fair-necked one, bestowing further grace on beauty.

ساجِيَّةُ الطَرف مِن أَتراب غافِلَةٍ

تَرنو إِلَيكَ بِلَحظ الرِيم وَسنانا

Tranquil-eyed, carefree among companions her own age,

she gazes at you with the gazelle's drowsy glance.

هَيفاءُ صَبَّ الصِبا ماءَ الشَباب عَلى

أَعطافها وَكَساها الحُسنُ فَتّانا

Slender-waisted, early youth poured the water of youth over

her curves, and beauty clothed her in enchantment.

رُعبُوبةٌ ذاتُ فَرقٍ لَو يُقابِلهُ

بَدرُ الدُجى لاختفى في الأُفق خَجلانا

A tender beauty with a hair-parting—were it faced by

night's full moon, the moon would hide on the horizon in shame.

تَفتَرُّ عَن ذي لَمىً أَشهى إِلى كَبدي

مِن الزُلال وَقَد وافيتُ ظَمآنا

She smiles, revealing dusky lips, sweeter to my liver

than limpid water when I have arrived thirsty.

لَم أَنسَها إِذ خَطَت نَحوي تُعانِقُني

وَالبينُ يَبعثُ في الأَحشاءِ نيرانا

I have not forgotten her when she stepped toward me to embrace me,

while parting kindled fires in my entrails.

أَهوَت بِقامَتِها عِندَ الوَداع إِلى

صَبٍّ غَدا لِفراقِ الإِلف حيرانا

At farewell she leaned her tall form toward

a lover bewildered by separation from his beloved.

وَقَد تَساقط دُرُّ الدَمعِ مُنتَثِراً

بَينا يُرى لُؤلؤاً إِذ صارَ مرجانا

And the pearls of tears fell, scattered,

one moment seen as pearls, the next transformed to coral.

تَقول وَالبَينُ قَد زُمّت رَكائِبُهُ

وَالدَمعُ يَجري عَلى الخَدَّينِ طُوفانا

She says, with parting's mounts now haltered,

and tears flowing over both cheeks in a flood:

بِما لَدَى مَوقف التَوديع قَد كانا

إِلّا عَمرتَ برُجعى مِنكَ أَوطانا

"By what took place at the scene of farewell,

will you not revive our homes by your return?"

فَقُلتُ لا وَالَّذي سَوّاكَ إِنسانا

أَو تلجئ لِحِمى ظِلِّ اِبنِ بُستانا

So I said, "No, by Him who fashioned you a human being,

until you seek refuge beneath Ibn Bustan's protecting shade."

قاضي قُضاة دمشق الشام سَيّدُنا

كنزُ الهُدى عَلَمُ الإِفضالِ مَولانا

Chief judge of Damascus in al-Sham, our master,

treasure of guidance, standard of generosity, our lord.

وافى حمى رَوضها الزاهي فحلَّ بِها

أَمنٌ وَيُمنٌ حِمى سُكّانَها صانا

He came to the sanctuary of its radiant garden, and there settled

safety and good fortune; he guarded its people's sanctuary.

وَغَرَّد الطَيرُ في أَرجائِها سَحَراً

بِرَوضةٍ أَنبَتَت وَرداً وَرَيحانا

And birds sang throughout its reaches before dawn,

in a garden that brought forth roses and sweet basil.

فَأَصبَحَت مِن جِنان الخُلدِ جادَ بِها

رَضوانُ يَبغي مِن الرَحمَنَ رِضوانا

So it became one of eternity's gardens, bestowed by

Ridwan, seeking the All-Merciful's good pleasure.

لَما رَسا طودُ عِلمٍ في مَعالِمِها

أَقَرَّ كُلٌّ لَهُ بِالفَضلِ إِذعانا

When a mountain of learning settled among its landmarks,

all submissively acknowledged his excellence.

بِحَبوتيهِ يَبيتُ الحِلم مُعتَصِماً

إِذا أَطارَت رِياحُ الطَيشِ ثَهلانا

In his lap, forbearance passes the night secure,

when the winds of rashness send Thahlan flying.

لا تَزدَهيهِ مِنَ الدُنيا مَطامِعُها

وَلا يُرى بِسِوى الإِحسان جَذلانا

The world's temptations do not puff him up,

nor is he seen rejoicing in anything but kindness.

يَجُرُّ ذَيلَ فَخارٍ ما تعلَّقَهُ

سِوى العَفاف بِرَأيٍ لُبُّهُ صانا

He trails a train of glory to which nothing has clung

but chastity, with a judgment his intellect has guarded.

بِهمّةٍ في سَماءِ المَجدِ سامِيَةٍ

لا تَرتَضي أَنجُم الأَفلاكِ أَخدانا

With resolve soaring in the heaven of glory,

unwilling to accept the stars of the spheres as companions;

وَطَلعةٍ زانَها الباري بِقُدرَتِهِ

فَخَطَّها لِكِتابِ الحُسنِ عُنوانا

and a countenance the Creator adorned by His power,

so He inscribed it as the title of the book of beauty;

وَراحَة كَالسَحابِ الغُرِّ وَقع نَدىً

لَو لَم يَكُن خُلَّب الأَنواءِ خَوّانا

and a palm like radiant white clouds in its showering of bounty,

if the rain-stars' false lightning were not treacherous;

وَحُسنِ خُلقٍ كَزَهرِ الرَوضِ مُزدانا

لَو كانَ حُلو الجَنا بِالبِشرِ مَلآنا

and fine character, adorned like the garden's blossoms,

if they were sweet of fruit and filled with cheer;

وَخاطِرٍ لَو سَرى في لَيل غامِضَةٍ

أَعيَت مِنَ القَومِ أَلباباً وَآذانا

and a mind that, should it travel through the night of an obscure problem

that has baffled people's minds and ears,

أَضحت تُجَلّى لَدى الأَفهامِ مُسفِرَةً

عَن وَجهِ أَوطَف ساجي الطَرفَ نَعسانا

would leave it unveiled before their understanding, revealing

the face of a long-lashed beauty, tranquil-eyed and drowsy.

وَمَنطِقٍ لَو وَعى سَحبانُ مَنطِقَه

يَوماً لأَسحَب ذَيلَ العِيِّ سحبانا

And eloquence that, had Sahban taken in his speech

one day, would have made Sahban trail the train of inarticulacy.

حَلّالُ مُشكلةٍ فَتّاحُ مُقفَلةٍ

كَشّافُ مُعضِلَةِ الأَفهامِ عِرفانا

A solver of problems, an opener of locked mysteries,

a dispeller, through knowledge, of what baffles minds.

يا أَيُّها الفاضل المُعيي بِمَنطِقه

مَصاقعَ العُربِ عَدناناً وَقَحطانا

O excellent one, whose eloquence confounds

the Arab orators, of Adnan and Qahtan.

لَكَ اليَراعُ الَّذي يَحكي تسارعُه

وَقَد مَشى فَوقَ مَتنِ الطرس ثُعبانا

Yours is the reed pen whose swift motion mimics—

as it travels over the parchment's back—a serpent.

طَوراً نَراهُ عَلى الأَرواح مُحتَكِماً

وَتارَةً يَهَبُ الأَرواحَ منّانا

At times we see it holding sway over lives,

and at others it generously grants life.

مَولاي يا كَعبة الفَضلِ الَّذي وَقفت

بِبابِها نُجُب الآمالِ رُكبانا

My lord, O Kaaba of excellence, at whose

gate hope's swift camels have halted, bearing riders;

وَخَير مُنتَجع أَمَّت نَداهُ عَلى

نَأي الدِيار مَطايا العَزمِ أَظعانا

and finest pasture, to whose bounty came, despite

far-distant homes, the mounts of resolve in caravans.

ما البَحرُ مُلتَطِماً وَالدَهرُ معوانا

وَالليث مُنتَقِماً وَالغَيثُ هتّانا

Neither the sea when surging, nor time when helpful,

nor the lion when avenging, nor rain when pouring,

أَندى يَداً مِنكَ أَولى مِنكَ عارِفَةً

أَمضى شَباةً أَدنى مِنكَ إِحسانا

is more generous-handed than you, readier than you with favor,

sharper of point, or nearer than you with kindness.

وَهاكها غادةً صِغر الوشاح خَطَت

إِلى حِمى عالِمٍ لَم يَرضَ أَقرانا

And receive her, a maiden narrow at the sash, who has stepped

toward the sanctuary of a scholar who accepts no peers:

حِمَىً غَدا مَعقل الأَهواء متّشحاً

بِالبيضِ وَالسُمرِ أَسيافاً وَمُرّانا

a sanctuary become the stronghold of desires, girded

with white blades and brown shafts, with swords and supple spears.

ذُخرٌ لِقاصِدِهِ رَوضٌ لِرائِده

بَحرٌ لِوارده وافاه عَطشانا

A treasure for its seeker, a meadow for its scout,

a sea for one who comes to it, arriving thirsty;

مَأوىً لِعارفةٍ مَثوىً لِعاطفةٍ

مَغنىً لِسالفَةٍ عَيشي بِها لانا

a refuge for kindness, a dwelling for compassion,

an abode for an earlier favor through which my life grew easy.

خَوطيّة ما اِنثَنى خَطِّيُّ قامَتها

إِلّا وَأَخجَل وَسط الرَوضِ قُضبانا

A shoot-slender maiden, whose stature's Khatti lance never bends

without shaming the branches in the garden's midst.

تَبغى قَبَولا وَتَرجُو مِنكَ عاطِفَةً

نَحو اِمرئٍ وُدُّه بِالمَذق ما شانا

She seeks acceptance and hopes for compassion from you

toward a man who has not tainted his affection with insincerity:

عُبَيدُ بابك نجلُ الطالويِّ فَقَد

أَخنَت عَلَيهِ يَدُ الدَهرِ الَّذي خانا

your threshold's humble servant, the son of al-Talawi; for

the hand of treacherous time has laid him low.

وَلَيسَ شَكواي إِلّا مِن بَنيه وَإِن

كَنَّيتُ عَنهُم بِهِ فَاِفطَن لَما كانا

My complaint is only against its sons, although

I have alluded to them through it; discern what happened.

وَمَن سِواكَ لِهَذا الأَمرِ يا أَمَلي

فَاِمنُن وَكُن لي عَلى الأَحداثِ مِعوانا

Who but you can meet this need, O my hope?

So bestow your favor and help me against misfortunes.

وَالأَب لَما أَثأَتِ الأَيّام مِن دَنفٍ

لا زِلتَ تَرفعُ لِلمَعروفِ بُنيانا

And heal the sickness that the days have inflicted;

may you ever raise the edifice of kindness.

وَاِسلَم وَدُم ما سَرى نَجمٌ وَما طَلَعَت

شَمسٌ وَهَزَّ نَسيمُ الرَوضِ أَغصانا

Stay safe and endure while a star journeys, and while there rises

a sun, and the garden breeze sways branches,

وَناحَ بَينَ رِياضِ الغُوطَتَينِ ضُحىً

قَمريُّ مُقرىً لِإِلفٍ وَاِمتَطى بانا

and at forenoon, amid the gardens of the two Ghutas, mourns

Muqra's turtledove for its mate, and mounts a ban-tree.