أشمس بهاء بالهلال تنقب — Abu Al Maali Al Talawi

أَشَمس بَهاءٍ بِالهِلالِ تَنَقَّبُ

أَمِ البَدرُ في لَألائِهِ لَيسَ يُحجَبُ

Is it a sun of splendor veiling itself with the crescent,

or the full moon in its radiance, never veiled?

أَمِ الأَنجُمُ الزُهرِ المُنيرَةُ بِالدُجى

جَلاها بِكُرسِيِّ المَجَرَّة غَيهَبُ

Or the bright stars, shining in the darkness,

revealed by deep night upon the Milky Way's throne?

أَعَرفٌ ذَكِيٌّ مِن عَرارٍ وَفى بِهِ

نَسيمُ الصَبا أَم مِسكُ دارينَ يَخبُبُ

Is it a heady scent of arar flowers, delivered

by the east wind's breeze, or Darin musk hastening by?

أَسلسالُ راحٍ أَم سَلاسِلُ عَسجَدٍ

أَسِمطُ لآلٍ أَم جُمانٌ يُثَقَّبُ

Is it smooth-flowing wine, or chains of pure gold?

Is it a strand of pearls, or pearl beads being pierced?

أَروضٌ أَريضٌ بِالأَقاحي مُنوَّرٌ

بِهِ المُزنُ تَهمِي وَالغَمائِمُ تُسكَبُ

Is it a lush meadow abloom with daisies,

where rainclouds pour and clouds are poured out?

أَمِ الزَهر يَبدُو مِن خِلالِ خَمائِلٍ

بِها السُحب أَذيال المَطارِفِ تُسحَبُ

Or do blossoms appear through thickets,

where clouds are drawn along like the hems of fine cloaks?

أَمِ الطَيفُ مِن أَسماء وَهوَ مُحَبَّبٌ

سَرى مَوهِناً وَالدارُ تَنأى وَتَقرُبُ

Or is it a dream-vision of Asma, so beloved,

that traveled late at night, while home grew far and near?

ذَكَرتُ بِهِ شَرخَ التَصابي وَجيرَةً

نَأَوا وَالحَشا مِن بَينِهِم يَتَلَهَّبُ

Through it I recalled the prime of youthful dalliance, and neighbors

who went far away, while my heart blazed at parting from them.

أَقولُ وَقَد عاينتُ شَيباً بِمِفرَقي

غَداةَ اِفتَرَقنا وَالمَدامِعُ تُسكَبُ

I say, having seen gray hair along my parting,

on the morning we parted, while tears poured down:

سَقى اللَهُ رَيعانَ الشَبيبَةِ وَالهَوى

وَجادَ الصَبا هامٌ مِن المُزنِ صَيّبُ

May God water the bloom of youth and love,

and may a streaming downpour from rainclouds drench youth.

فَكَم غادَةٍ لي فيهِ نازَعتُها ضُحىً

حَديثَ الهَوى كَالراحِ بَل هُوَ أَعذَبُ

With many a lovely girl of mine, in those days, I exchanged at forenoon

talk of love, like wine—nay, it was sweeter.

رَداحٍ تَهادى مِن شَبابٍ وَنِعمَةٍ

كَما يَتَهادى الرَوض وَالرَوض مُعشَبُ

Full-hipped, she sways in youth and luxury,

as a meadow sways—a meadow rich with grass.

بِرهرهةٍ تَرنو بِطَرفٍ كَما رَنا

إِلى سِربِهِ وَسَط الخَميلَةِ رَبرَبُ

Tender and delicate, she gazes with a glance like that cast

by a gazelle herd toward its fellows amid the thicket.

مِنَ الرُودِ أَمّا الخَصرُ مِنها فَمُجدِبٌ

نَحيلٌ وَأَمّا الرِدف مِنها فَمُخصِبُ

One of the gentle maidens: her waist is barren,

slender; her buttocks, though, are lush and fertile.

فَلَم أَنسَ إِذ جاءَت تَهُزُّ مَعاطِفاً

عَلَيها مِنَ الدِيباجِ وَشيَ مُذَهَّبُ

So I have not forgotten how she came, swaying her curves,

clad in brocade with gilded embroidery,

تُسائِلُ عَن مَعنىً خَفِيٍّ إِذا بَدا

أَراني زَفراتِ الحِسانِ تُرَحِّبُ

asking about a hidden meaning which, when revealed,

shows me beauties' sighs of welcome.

هُوَ اسمٌ رُباعِيٌّ إِذا رُمتَ عَكسَهُ

وَسَهَّلتَ مِنهُ هَمزَةً حينَ تَقلِبُ

It is a four-letter name; if you seek to reverse it,

and soften a hamza in it as you turn it round,

بَدا اسمٌ لِرَوضٍ بِالشآمِ كَجَنَّةٍ

إِلى مِثلِهِ يَصبو الفُؤاد وَيَرغَبُ

a name appears for a garden in al-Sham, like paradise,

for whose like the heart longs and yearns.

فَأَوَّلُ حَرفٍ مِنهُ مَع آخرٍ يُرى

أَداةً لِتَعريف بها النُطقُ يَعذُبُ

Its first letter, with its last, is seen

as a definite article that sweetens speech.

وَأَوَّلُ حَرفٍ مِنهُ إِن صارَ ثانياً

فَذاكَ اِسمُ طَيرٍ بِالرياضِ يُشبِّبُ

And if its first letter becomes the second,

then that is the name of a bird singing love songs in gardens.

وَإِن أَنتَ لَم تَعكسه يَوماً فَإِنَّهُ

يَلوح لَدى الأَفهام طَوراً وَيَعزُبُ

And if you never reverse it, then it

appears to the mind at times, then slips away.

فَثَانيه مَعَ تاليهِ ما دامَ صَبّكم

عَليهِ مَدى الأَيّام يَلهو وَيَلعَبُ

Its second letter, with what follows it, is what your lover keeps

amusing himself and playing with, throughout all his days.

وَثالِثُهُ مع رابِعٍ إِذا ما قَرنتَهُ

بِثانيهِ يَبدو وَجه حُبّي المُحَجَّبُ

And whenever you join its third and fourth

to its second, my love's veiled face appears.

فَما بَعدَهُ مَرأى يَروقُ لِناظِرٍ

أَبَعدَ سُلَيمى في الصَبابةِ مَطلَبُ

Beyond it no sight delights a beholder;

beyond Sulayma, is there any goal in ardent love?

تَراني وَقَد أَبصَرتُهُ مُتَهَلّلاً

أُغالِبُ فيهِ الشَوقَ وَالشَوقُ أَغلَبُ

You see me beaming, having beheld it,

struggling with longing for it—yet longing is stronger.

فَيا فاضِلاً شادَ القَريضَ بِفِكرِهِ

لَهُ في مَجالِ البَحثِ رَأيٌ مُصَوَّبُ

So, O man of merit, who built poetry with his thought,

whose judgment in the field of inquiry is held sound,

وَمَن فاقَ أَبناءَ الزَمانِ وَمَن غَدا

لَهُ هِمَّةٌ هامَ السِمَاكَينِ تصحَبُ

and you who surpassed the sons of the age, and came

to possess ambition consorting with the crowns of the two Simaks,

تَأَمّل جَواباً قَد جَلا غَيهَب الدُجى

يُخَبِّر عَن مَعنى حَبابٍ وَيُعرِبُ

consider an answer that has dispelled night's deepest gloom,

explaining and making plain Habab's meaning.

وَخُذها كَرَوضٍ جادَهُ سَبِل الحَيا

وَأَضحَت أَغصانها الوُرق تَخطُبُ

And take it as a meadow watered by falling rain,

where gray doves now orate upon its branches.

فَلا زِلتَ في أَمنٍ وَعِزٍّ وَرِفعَةٍ

تَجيدُ قَوافي الشِعرَ وَالضِد تُعطِبُ

May you ever remain in safety, honor, and high estate,

perfecting poetry's rhymes and destroying the foe,

مَدى الدَهر ما غَنَّت بِأَيكٍ حَمامَةٌ

وَدار عَلى أَعلى المَجَرَّةِ كَوكَبُ

for all time, as long as a dove sings in a grove,

and a star wheels above the Milky Way's highest reaches.