بكر العاذلون في وضح الصب — عدي بن زيد

بَكَرَ العاذِلُونَ في وَضَحِ الصُّب

حِ يَقُولُونَ لي أَلاَ تَستَفيقُ

The reproachers came early in the bright light of

dawn, saying to me, “Will you not come to your senses?”

ويَلُومُونَ فيك يَا أبنَةَ عَبد ال

لَّه والقَلبُ عندَكُم مَوهُوقُ

And they blame me for you, O daughter of Abd

Allah; my heart is snared with you.

لَستُ أَدري وقَد بَدَأتُم بِصُرمي

أَعَدُوُّ يَلُومُني أَم صَديِقُ

I do not know, now that you have begun to cut me off,

whether an enemy reproaches me or a friend.

أَطيَبُ الطِّيبِ طِيبُ أُمِّ عَليٍّ

مِسكُ فَأرٍ وعَنبرٍ مَفتُوٌ

The sweetest perfume is the perfume of Umm Ali:

musk from pods and blended ambergris.

خَلطَتهُ بآخَرٍ وبِبَانٍ

فَهوَ أَحَوى عَلَى اليَدَينِ شَرِيقُ

She mixed it with another perfume and with ben-tree oil;

it is dark and gleaming upon both hands.

زانَها وارِدُ الغَدائرِ جَثلٌ

وأَسِيلٌ عَلَى الَجبِينِ عَبيقُ

Long, thick, flowing tresses adorned her,

and a smooth, fragrant lock upon her brow,

وَثنايا كَالأُفُحوانِ عِذابٌ

لا قِصارٌ كُسرٌ ولا هُنَّ رُوقُ

and sweet front teeth like chrysanthemum blossoms,

neither short and broken nor long and jutting forward.

مُشرقاتٌ تَخَالُهُنَّ إذا مَا

حانَ مِن غائرِ النُّجُومِ خُفُوقُ

Gleaming—you would think that, when

the sinking stars are due to disappear,

باكَرتَهُنَّ قَرقَفٌ كَدَمِ الَجو

فِ تُرِيكَ القَذَى كُمَيتٌ رَحِيقُ

strong wine greeted them at dawn, like blood from the body's

depths, showing you a mote—dark-red and pure.

صانَها التَّاجِرُ اليَهُودِيُّ حَولَي

نِ فأَذكى مِن نَشرِها التَّعتيقُ

The Jewish merchant kept it safe for two

years; aging heightened its fragrance.

ثُمَّ فُضَّ الخِتَامُ عَن حاجِبِ الدَّ

نِّ وحانَت مِنَ اليَهُودِيِّ سُوقُ

Then the seal was broken from the rim of the

wine jar, and the Jewish merchant's time to sell had come.

فاستَباها أَشَمُّ خِرقٌ كَرِيمٌ

أَريحِيُّ غَمَندَرٌ غِرنيقُ

So an aquiline-nosed, deft, noble man bought it,

openhanded, stout, a handsome youth.

ثُمَّ نادُوا على الصَّبُوحِ فجاءَت

قَينَةٌ في يَمينِها إبرِيقُ

Then they called for the morning draught, and there came

a singing-girl with a ewer in her right hand.

قَدَّمتُه على سُلافٍ كَعَينِ الدِّ

يكِ صَفَّى سُلافَها الرَّاوُواقُ

I offered it over choice wine, like the eye of a

rooster; the strainer had clarified the wine's choicest portion.

مُزَّةً قبلَ مَزجِها فإِذا ما

مُزِجَت لذَّ طَعمُها مَن يَذُوقُ

Tart before mixing; but when

mixed, its taste delights whoever tastes it.

وطَفَا فَوقَها فَقاقِيعُ كَال

ياقُوتِ حُمرٌ يَزينُها التَّصفيقُ

And bubbles floated upon it, like

red rubies, made lovely by pouring between vessels.

قَتَلتهُ بِسَيبِ أَبيَضَ صافٍ

طَيِّبٍ زانَ مَزجهُ التَّصفيقُ

I killed its strength with a white, clear stream,

sweet, its mixing made lovely by pouring between vessels,

فَوقَ عَلياءَ ما يُرامُ ذُراها

يَلغَبُ النَّسرُ فَوقَها والأَنُوقُ

atop a height whose peaks cannot be reached:

the vulture and the Egyptian vulture grow weary above it.

ثُمَّ كانَ المِزاجَ ماءَ سَحابٍ

لا صِرً آجِنٌ ولا مَطروقُ

Then the mixing water was water from clouds,

neither stagnant and foul nor trodden through.

كانَ في مسِحِها يَكنُفُها الصَّخ

رُ إذا فيهِ أَنيقُ

It lay in its expanse, enclosed by

rock; behold, within it was a lovely sight:

أَسَفلٌ حُفَّ بالعِضاهِ وأَعلا

هُ صَفَا يُلغِبُ الوُعُولَ دَلُوقُ

a lower part ringed with thorn trees, and its upper

part smooth, slippery rock that exhausts the ibex.

مَسقَطُ الظِّلِّ مَن تَكنَّفَهُ الحِق

فُ وَتنفي قَذاهُ ريحٌ خَريقُ

A place where shade falls, encircled by the curved sand

dune, while a fierce wind sweeps away its debris.