وافت فأرجت الأرجاء والأفقا — أبو المعالي الطالوي

وافَت فَأَرَّجَتِ الأَرجاءَ وَالأُفُقا

أُمنيّةٌ مِن شَذاها قُطرُنا عَبِقا

She arrived and perfumed the surroundings and the horizon—

A cherished wish, whose fragrance has perfumed our land.

وافَت كَأَنَّ الصَبا باتَت تعلِّلُها

بِالشَجرِ بَينَ رياضٍ طَلعُها بَسَقا

She arrived as though the east wind had spent the night soothing her

With the trees, amid gardens whose shoots rose tall.

أَو نَفحَةٌ مِن رُبى دارين عاطِرَةٌ

أَهدَت لَها أَرجاً جنحَ الدُجى غَسَقا

Or a fragrant breath from the hills of Dārīn

Had bestowed perfume on her beneath the pitch-dark wing of night.

هَيفاءُ تَزهُو بِقَدٍّ زانَهُ هَيفٌ

كَخوطِ بانٍ غَضيضٍ مُثمِرٍ بَنَقا

A slender beauty, glorying in a figure graced by a narrow waist,

Like a tender bān shoot bearing its fruit.

تَرنُو إِلَيَّ بَطَرفٍ كُلُّهُ حَوَرٌ

مَهما اِنبَرَت لِفُؤادٍ هامَ أَو عَشِقا

She gazes at me with eyes of brilliant white and deepest black,

Whenever she appears before a heart love-maddened or enamored.

لَو شاهَدَ اِبنُ عُنَين حسنَ طَلعَتِها

لأَذكرتُهُ زَماناً يَبعَثُ الحُرَقا

Had Ibn ʿUnayn seen the beauty of her countenance,

I would surely have reminded him of a time that kindles burning grief.

يا حُسنَها حينَ زارتنا مُحَبَّرةً

قَد نُظم الدُرُّ في لبّاتِها نَسَقا

How beautiful she was when she visited us, richly adorned,

With pearls strung in ordered rows at the hollows of her throat.

أَوِ اِنبَرَت لِحَبيبٍ وَهوَ ذُو لسنٍ

أَزرَت بِهِ وَكَذا سَحبان إِن نَطَقا

Or if she confronted Ḥabīb, eloquent though he was,

She would put him to shame, and Saḥbān too, should he speak.

أَهدَت تَحيَّة وُدٍّ مِن أَخي ثِقَةٍ

يُزري شَذاهُ بِرَيّا المِسكِ إِذ فَتَقا

She brought a greeting of affection from a trusted brother,

Whose fragrance puts freshly opened musk's aroma to shame.

لا غَروَ أَنّي مَشوقٌ في الأَنامِ لَهُ

فَالحُرُّ يَشتاقُ إِخوان الصِبا خُلُقا

No wonder that I, among humankind, yearn for him;

For a noble man naturally longs for the companions of youth.

أَشتاقُ طَلعَتهُ الغَرّاء ما طَلَعَت

شَمسُ النَهارِ وَأَبدى صُبحُهُ شَفَقا

I long for his radiant face as long as there rises

The sun of day, and its dawn reveals a rosy glow.

وَكُلَّما سَحَراً هَبَّت شآميةٌ

بِسفحِ جِلَّقَ أَو بَرقِ الحِمى خَفَقا

And whenever, at dawn, a Syrian breeze blows

At Jillaq's foot, or the sanctuary's lightning flickers.

أَحبابُنا وَالَّذي أَرجُوهُ مُبتَهِلاً

بِأَن يَمُنَّ عَلى مُضناكُمُ بِلِقا

Our beloved friends, by Him whom I beseech imploringly

To favor your pining lover with a meeting,

ما إِن تَذَكَّرتُ مَغنىً راقَ لي بِكُم

إِلّا وَرُحتُ بَدَمعي جازِعاً شَرقا

Never have I recalled a dwelling that delighted me because of you

Without becoming distraught and choking on my tears.

وَلا شَدَت بِرِياضِ الغُوطَتينِ ضُحىً

وَرقاءُ تَندب إِلفاً نازِحاً شَفَقا

Nor has there sung, at forenoon, in the gardens of the two Ghoutas

A gray dove, tenderly lamenting a distant mate,

إِلّا وَغاضَ اِصطِباري أَو وَهى جَلَدي

وَفاضَ مِن مُقلَتيَّ الدَمعُ وَاِنطَلَقا

Without my patience ebbing or my fortitude weakening,

And tears overflowing from my eyes and pouring forth.

سُقيا لِأَيّامِنا وَالشَملُ مُجتَمِعُ

والضِدُّ مُنصَدِعٌ لا نَختَشي فَرَقا

May rain bless our days when we were all together,

And the foe was broken, and we had no fear.

إِذ جانبُ العَيشِ طَلقٌ رائِقٌ بِهجٌ

وَالدَهرُ قَد غَضَّ عَنّا الجفن مُنطَبِقا

When life's aspect was cheerful, serene, and joyous,

And Time had lowered its eyelid, turning a blind eye to us.

نَلهُو بِكُلِّ كَحيلِ الطَرفِ ساحِرِه

يُزري بِغُزلان عُسفانٍ إِذا رَفَقا

We dallied with every charmer of kohl-dark, bewitching eyes,

Who shamed the gazelles of ʿUsfān whenever he was gentle,

لا سِيّما إِن غَدا بِالكَأسِ مُصطَبِحاً

أَو راحَ في دلِّهِ بِالكاسِ مُغتَبِقا

Especially if he took his morning drink from the cup,

Or, in his coquetry, took an evening drink from the cup.

لَيتَ الزَمانَ الَّذي فينا غَداهُ قَضى

بشتّ مَلمُومنا في الدَهرِ لا خُلِقا

Would that Time, whose morrow decreed for us

The scattering of our gathered company, had never been created!

يا هَل أُوَيقاتُنا اللّاتي بِكُم سَلَفَت

تَعُودُ يَوماً فَأَجني مِنكُم بِلِقا

Ah, will our brief hours once spent with you

Return one day, so I may reap a reunion with you?

إِنّي لَأَرجو مِن الرَحمن عَودَكُم

يَوماً فَننظم شَملي بَعدَما اِفتَرَقا

I surely hope the Most Merciful will grant your return

One day, so we may reunite my company after it scattered.

سَقى العَواصم سَحّاً غَيرَ مُفسِدها

وَجادَها مِن رَوايا المُزنِ ما غَدَقا

May He water al-ʿAwāṣim with a downpour that does not harm them,

And lavish on them copious rain from the clouds' waterskins.

عَلَيكَ مِنّي سَلامُ اللَهِ ما بَقِيَت

صُبابَةٌ تَبعَثُ الأَشجانَ وَالحُرَقا

Upon you, from me, be God's peace, as long as there remains

A longing that stirs sorrows and burning anguish.

تَهديهِ ريحُ النُعامى نَحوَ أَرضِكُم

كَمِسكِ دارينَ يَزكو كُلَّما نُشِقا

The Nuʿāmā wind bears it toward your land,

Like musk from Dārīn, growing sweeter whenever inhaled.