لأي حبيب يحسن الرأي والود — Abu Tammam

لِأَيِّ حَبيبٍ يَحسُنُ الرَأيُ وَالوُدُّ

وَأَكثَرُ هَذا الناسِ لَيسَ لَهُ عَهدُ

Which beloved deserves esteem and affection,

When most of these people keep no pledge?

أَرى ذَمِّيَ الأَيّامَ ما لا يَضِرُّها

فَهَل دافِعٌ عَنّي نَوائِبَها الحَمدُ

I see that my blaming the days does them no harm;

So will praise ward off their calamities from me?

وَما هَذِهِ الدُنيا لَنا بِمُطيعَةٍ

وَليسَ لِخَلقٍ مِن مُداراتِها بُدُّ

This world is not obedient to us,

And no mortal can avoid humoring it.

تَحوزُ المَعالي وَالعَبيدُ لِعاجِزٍ

وَيَخدُمُ فيها نَفسَهُ البَطَلُ الفَردُ

It gathers high honors and slaves for an inept man,

While the peerless hero must serve himself in it.

أَكُلُّ قَريبٍ لي بَعيدٌ بِوِدِّهِ

وَكُلُّ صَديقٍ بَينَ أَضلُعِهِ حِقدُ

Is every kinsman of mine distant in affection,

And every friend harboring a grudge between his ribs?

وَلِلَّهِ قَلبٌ لا يَبُلُّ غَليلَهُ

وِصالٌ وَلا يُلهيهِ عَن خِلِّهِ وَعدُ

What a heart, by God! Its burning thirst is not quenched

By union, nor does a promise distract it from its dear friend.

يُكَلِّفُني أَن أَطلُبَ العِزَّ بِالمُنى

وَأَينَ العُلى إِن لَم يُساعِدنِيَ الجَدُّ

It bids me seek glory through wishes,

But where is high attainment if fortune does not help me?

أَحِنُّ وَما أَهواهُ رُمحٌ وَصارِمٌ

وَسابِغَةٌ زُعفٌ وَذو مَيعَةٍ نَهدُ

I yearn, and what I love is a spear and a sharp sword,

And full-length, supple mail, and a vigorous, stout-built steed.

فَيا لِيَ مِن قَلبٍ مُعَنّىً بِهِ الحَشا

وَيا لِيَ مِن دَمعٍ قَريحٍ بِهِ الخَدُّ

Alas for a heart that torments my inward parts,

And alas for tears that wound my cheek!

أُريدُ مِنَ الأَيّامِ كُلَّ عَظيمَةٍ

وَما بَينَ أَضلاعي لَها أَسَدٌ وَردُ

I desire from the days every great achievement,

And what lies between my ribs is a tawny lion ready for it.

وَلَيسَ فَتىً مَن عاقَ عَن حَملِ سَيفِهِ

إِسارٌ وَحَلّاهُ عَنِ الطَلَبِ القِدُّ

No true warrior is one whom, from bearing his sword,

Captivity has barred, and rawhide bonds have held back from the quest.

إِذا كانَ لا يَمضي الحُسامُ بِنَفسِهِ

فَلِلضارِبِ الماضي بِقائِمِهِ الحَدُّ

If the keen sword does not cut by itself,

Then its edge belongs to the resolute striker wielding its hilt.

وَحَولِيَ مِن هَذا الأَنامِ عِصابَةٌ

تَوَدُّدُها يَخفى وَأَضغانُها تَبدو

Around me is a band from among these people,

Whose affection is hidden, while their grudges show.

يَسُرُّ الفَتى دَهرٌ وَقَد كانَ ساءَهُ

وَتَخدُمُهُ الأَيّامُ وَهوَ لَها عَبدُ

Time gladdens a young man, though it had once distressed him,

And the days serve him, while he is their slave.

وَلا مالَ إِلّا ما كَسَبتَ بِنَيلِهِ

ثَناءً وَلا مالٌ لِمَن لا لَهُ مَجدُ

And there is no wealth except that by whose acquisition you earn

Praise; and there is no wealth for one without glory.

وَما العَيشُ إِلّا أَن تُصاحِبَ فِتيَةً

طَواعِنَ لا يَعنيهِمُ النَحسُ وَالسَعدُ

Life is nothing but keeping company with young men,

Spear-fighters whom ill fortune and good fortune do not concern.

إِذا طَرِبوا يَوماً إِلى العِزِّ شَمَّروا

وَإِن نُدِبوا يَوماً إِلى غارَةٍ جَدّوا

When glory stirs them one day, they gird themselves,

And when summoned one day to a raid, they strive in earnest.

وَكَم لِيَ في يَومِ الثَوِيَّةِ رَقدَةٌ

يُضاجِعُني فيها المُهَنَّدُ وَالغِمدُ

How many a slumber was mine on the day of al-Thawiyya,

With the Indian-forged sword and its scabbard lying beside me.

إِذا طَلَبَ الأَعداءُ إِثري بِبَلدَةٍ

نَجَوتُ وَقَد غَطّى عَلى أَثَري البُردُ

When enemies sought my trail in a town,

I escaped, my cloak having covered my tracks.

وَلَو شاءَ رُمحي سَدَّ كُلَّ ثَنِيَّةٍ

تُطالِعُني فيها المَغاويرُ وَالجُردُ

Had my spear wished, it would have blocked every mountain pass

Where raiders and sleek steeds came into my view.

نَصَلنا عَلى الأَكوارِ مِن عَجزِ لَيلَةٍ

تَرامى بِنا في صَدرِها القورُ وَالوَهدُ

We emerged on camel saddles from the tail end of a night,

In whose first hours hills and hollows had tossed us about.

طَرَدنا إِلَيها خُفَّ كُلِّ نَجيبَةٍ

عَليها غُلامٌ لا يُمارِسُهُ الوَجدُ

Toward it we drove the padded foot of every noble she-camel,

Bearing a youth whom longing does not assail.

وَدُسنا بِأَيدي العيسِ لَيلاً كَأَنَّما

تَشابَهَ في ظَلمائِهِ الشيبُ وَالمَردُ

With the forefeet of pale camels we trod a night, as though

Gray-haired men and beardless youths were alike in its darkness.

أَلا لَيتَ شِعري هَل تُبَلِّغُني المُنى

وَتَلقى بِيَ الأَعداءَ أَحصِنَةٌ جُردُ

Ah, would that I knew: will my wishes bring me to my goal,

And will sleek horses bear me to meet the enemies?

جِيادٌ وَقَد سَدَّ الغُبارُ فُروجَها

تَروحُ إِلى طَعنِ القَبائِلِ أَو تَغدو

Noble steeds, the dust having filled the gaps between them,

They ride out at evening or morning to spear the tribes.

خِفافٌ عَلى إِثرِ الطَريدَةِ في الفَلا

إِذا ما جَتِ الرَمضاءُ وَاِختَلَطَ الطَردُ

Light-footed on the quarry's trail in the wilderness,

When the scorching ground [verb unclear] and the chase grows tangled,

كَأَنَّ نُجومَ اللَيلِ تَحتَ سُروجِها

تَهاوى عَلى الظَلماءِ وَاللَيلُ مُسوَدُّ

As though the stars of night beneath their saddles

Were tumbling into the darkness, while the night is pitch-black.

يُعيدُ عَلَيها الطَعنَ كُلُّ اِبنِ هِمَّةٍ

كَأَنَّ دَمَ الأَعداءِ في فَمِهِ شَهدُ

Every son of high resolve renews his spear-thrusts from their backs,

As though the enemies' blood were honey in his mouth.

يُضارِبُ حَتّى ما لِصارِمِهِ قِوىً

وَيَطعَنُ حَتّى ما لِذابِلِهِ جَهدُ

He trades sword-blows until his sharp sword has no strength,

And thrusts until his slender spear has no force left.

تَغَرَّبَ لا مُستَحقِباً غَيرَ قوتِهِ

وَلا قائِلاً إِلّا لِما يَهَبُ المَجدُ

He went abroad, carrying nothing behind him but his sustenance,

And speaking only for what bestows glory.

وَلا خائِفاً إِلّا جَريرَةَ رُمحِهِ

وَلا طالِباً إِلّا الَّذي تَطلُبُ الأُسدُ

Fearing nothing but the consequences of his spear,

And seeking only what lions seek.

إِذا عَرَبيٌّ لَم يَكُن مِثلَ سَيفِهِ

مَضاءً عَلى الأَعداءِ أَنكَرَهُ الجَدُّ

If an Arab is not like his sword

In cutting force against the enemies, his grandsire disowns him.

وَما ضاقَ عَنُه كُلُّ شَرقٍ وَمَغرِبٍ

مِنَ الأَرضِ إِلّا ضاقَ عَن نَفسِهِ الجِلدُ

No man finds every east and west too narrow

Across the earth, unless his skin is too narrow for his soul.

إِذا قَلَّ مالُ المَرءِ قَلَّ صَديقُهُ

وَفارَقَهُ ذاكَ التَحَنُّنُ وَالوُدُّ

When a man's wealth dwindles, his friends dwindle,

And that tenderness and affection leave him.

وَأَصبَحَ يُغضي الطَرفَ عَن كُلِّ مَنظَرٍ

أَنيقٍ وَيُلهيهِ التَغَرُّبُ وَالبُعدُ

He comes to lower his gaze from every sight

Of beauty, while life abroad and distance preoccupy him.

فَما لي وَلِلأَيّامِ أَرضى بِجَورِها

وَتَعلَمُ أَنّي لا جَبانٌ وَلا وَغدُ

What have I to do with the days, that I accept their injustice,

When they know I am neither coward nor a base man?

تَغاضى عُيونُ الناسِ عَنّي مَهابَةً

كَما تَتَّقي شَمسَ الضُحى الأَعيُنُ الرُمدُ

People's eyes turn away from me in awe,

As sore eyes shun the midmorning sun.

تَخَطَّت بِيَ الكُثبانَ جَرداءُ شَطبَةٌ

فَلا الرَعيُ دانٍ مِن خُطاها وَلا الوِردُ

A sleek, slender mare carried me across the dunes,

With neither grazing nor water near her path.

تُدافِعُ رِجلاها يَدَيها عَنِ الفَلا

إِلى حَيثُ يُنمى العِزُّ وَالجَدُّ وَالجِدُّ

Her hind legs drive her forelegs out of the wilderness,

Toward where honor, fortune, and earnest endeavor grow.

فَجاءَتكَ وَرهاءَ العِنانِ بِفارِسٍ

تَلَفَّتَ حَتّى غابَ عَن عَينِهِ نَجدُ

So she came to you, heedless of the reins, bearing a horseman

Who kept looking back until Najd vanished from his sight.

وَمِثلُكَ مَن لا تُوحِشُ الرَكبَ دارُهُ

وَلا نازِلٌ عَنها إِذا نَزَلَ الوَفدُ

A man like you has a home that never leaves travelers desolate,

Nor does anyone leave it when a delegation arrives.

فَيا آخِذاً مِن مَجدِهِ ما اِستَحَقَّهُ

نَصيبُكَ هَذا العِزِّ وَالحَسَبُ العِدُّ

O you who take from his glory what is your due,

Your share is this honor and ancient noble lineage.

أَبٌ أَنتَ أَعلى مِنهُ في الفَضلِ وَالعُلى

وَأَمضى يَداً وَالنارُ والِدُها زَندُ

A father—you rise above him in excellence and high standing,

And are more forceful of hand; fire's parent is a fire-stick.

وَما عارِضٌ عُنوانُهُ البيضُ وَالقَنا

أَخو عارِضٍ عُنوانُهُ البَرقُ وَالرَعدُ

No cloud whose signs are bright swords and spears

Is kin to a cloud whose signs are lightning and thunder.

وَكَم لَكَ في صَدرِ العَدُوِّ مَرَشَّةٌ

يُخَضِّبُ مِنهُ الرَمحَ مُنبَعِقٌ وَردُ

How many a spraying wound you have made in the enemy's chest,

A crimson torrent from him dyes the spear.

وَفَوقَ شَواةِ الذِمرِ ضَربَةُ ثائِرٍ

يَكادُ لَهُ السَيفُ اليَمانيُّ يَنقَدُ

And above a champion's scalp, an avenger's blow

At which the Yemeni sword nearly splits.

يَوَدُّ رِجالٌ أَنَّني كُنتُ مُفحَماً

وَلَولا خِصامي لَم يَوَدّوا الَّذي وَدّوا

Men wish that I had been silenced,

But without my disputing them, they would not have wished what they wished.

مَدَحتُهُمُ فَاِستُقبِحَ القَولُ فيهِمُ

أَلا رُبَّ عُنقٍ لا يَليقُ بِهِ عِقدُ

I praised them, and praise of them was deemed ugly:

Ah, many a neck is unfit for a necklace.

زَهِدتُ وَزُهدي في الحَياةِ لِعِلَّةٍ

وَحُجَّةُ مَن لا يَبلُغُ الأَمَلَ الزُهدُ

I turned away, and my renunciation of life has a cause;

Renunciation is the excuse of one who cannot attain his hopes.

وَهانَ عَلى قَلبي الزَمانُ وَأَهلُهُ

وَوِجدانُنا وَالمَوتُ يَطلُبُنا فَقدُ

Time and its people have become insignificant to my heart,

And all we gain, while death pursues us, is loss.

وَأَرضى مِنَ الأَيّامِ أَن لا تُميتَني

وَبي دونِ أَقراني نَوائِبُها النُكدُ

And I would be content if the days did not kill me

While I alone among my peers bear their baleful calamities.