لآلئ الشعر — Adnan Alnahwi

يَقولُ : تَرْتَجِلُ الأَشْعَار تُنْشِدُها

وَزْناً وَقَافِيةٍ قَيْداً وإِعسارا

He says: You improvise poems and recite them,

with meter and rhyme—a fetter and hardship.

دَعِ القْوافيَ والأَوْزَانَ ! إِنَّ بِهَا

رَجْعَ التُّراثِ وأَغلالاً وأَوضارا

Abandon rhymes and meters! Indeed, in them lie

the echo of heritage, shackles, and stains.

ودَعْ بَلاغَةَ أَجْدَادٍ وقَدْ غَبَروا

واتْبَعْ هواكَ ومَا قَدْ شاءَ واخْتارا

And abandon the eloquence of forefathers who have passed,

and follow your desire and whatever it has willed and chosen.

و " اغْسلْ " كَلامَك أو "طهّره" إِنّ به

مِنْ السِّنين، مِنَ التّاريخ ، وإِغبارا

And "wash" your speech, or "purify it," for it contains

traces of the years, of history, and dust.

واتْركْ قَواعِدَهمْ واهْدِمْ دَعائِهُمْ

واجعل " حديثك " بينَ الناس أَسرارا

And abandon their rules and demolish their invocations,

and turn your "speech" into secrets among people.

واجْعَلْ مِنَ الشّعرِ ألغازاً تدورُ بِهِمْ

لا يَفْقَهُ القومُ ما قَدْ قِيلَ أو دارا

And make poetry into riddles that whirl around them;

the people do not understand what was said or circulated.

حُرّاً يُعِيدُ أَساطيرَ الخَيالِ بِهِ

ويَنتَشي بِضَلالٍ حَيْثُما سَارا

Free, he retells imagination's myths through it,

and revels in error wherever he goes.

يَهيمُ في كلِّ وادٍ مِنْ ضلالَتِه

مَعَ الشياطينِ إِقْبَالاً وإِدْبَارا

He wanders in every valley of his error,

with the devils, coming and going.

كُلُّ القَدِيم قَدِيمٌ لا يُبَالِ بِهِ

وجَدِّدِ اليوم أَهْوَاءً وأَفْكارا

Everything old is old; he pays it no heed.

And today renew desires and ideas.

ومَزِّقِ "الشَّكلَ" لَيْسَ "الشَّكْلُ" ذا صِلَةٍ

بالدِّينِ ! أَنْشِبْ بهِ ناباً وأَظفَاراً

And tear apart "form"; "form" has no connection

with religion! Sink a fang and claws into it.

كلُّ الشياطين جَالَتْ في مَنَازِلِهِ

تُغْري وتُطلِقُ أَعواناً وأَنْصَارا

All the devils roamed in his dwellings,

tempting and unleashing helpers and supporters.

فَكَمْ جَذَبْنَا بأَلْوانِ الخِدَاع فَتىً

هَوَى يُرَدِّدُ أعذاراً وإِعْذارا

And how many a youth we have lured with varied deceits,

who fell, repeating excuses and self-justification!

فَقُلْتُ : وَيْحَكَ ما قَدْ قُلْتَ إِنَّ بِهِ

مِنْ فِتْنَةِ الشَّرِّ أو مِنْ وقْدِه نارا

So I said: Woe to you! What you have said contains

a fire from evil's temptation, or from its blaze.

الشِّعْرُ حُرُّ بِأَوْزَانٍ وقَافِيةٍ

ملءَ المَيَادينِ دفَّاقاً وزَخَّاراً

Poetry is free with meters and rhyme,

filling the arenas, gushing and surging.

إذا تَجَرَّدَ مِنْها غابَ في ظُلُمٍ

بَيْنَ المَجَاهِل إِجْداباً وإِقْفارا

When stripped of them, it vanishes into darkness,

among unknown wastes, barren and desolate.

كَأَنَّهُ هَذَرٌ لمُ يُبْقِ آصِرَةٍ

لَهُ مَعَ الشِّعْرِ لا صَحْباً ولا جَارا

As though it were babble that retained no bond

with poetry—neither companions nor a neighbor.

لَمَ يَتْرُكُوا نَسَباً للشِّعْرِ أَو رحِماً

يَاوَيْلَ مَنْ قطَّعَ الأرْحام أَو جَارا

They left poetry neither lineage nor kinship;

woe to whoever severed kinship or acted unjustly!

لاّلئُ الشِّعْرِ أَوْزانٌ وقافِيةٌ

تَشِعُّ مِنْ وَهَجِ الإِبْداعَ أَنْوارا

Poetry's pearls are meters and rhyme,

radiating lights from creativity's glow.

الشِّعْرُ فَنُّ وآلافُ السِّنين بَنَتْ

لآلئَ الوزنِ أو صَاغَتْ لَه الغَارا

Poetry is an art; thousands of years have built

meter's pearls, or fashioned laurels for it.

لِسَانُهُ لُغةُ القُرْآنِ آيَتُها

إِعْجازُه دَارَ إِجْلالاً وإِكْبارا

Its tongue is the Qur'an's language; its sign

is its inimitability, circling in reverence and exaltation.

وَعَبْقَرِيُّ عَطاءِ الشعْرِ قَافِيةٌ

تَجْري مَعَ " البَحْر " إِنشاداً وإِبْحارا

And the genius of poetry's gift is rhyme,

flowing with the "sea" of meter in recitation and voyaging.

الشِّعْرُ فنُّ إّذا ما قُلْتُه انتفَضَتْ

مِنْكَ الجَوارح تَحْنَاناً وَتَذْكَارا

Poetry is an art: when I utter it, there tremble

your limbs, with yearning and remembrance,

في صُورةٍ جَمَعَتْ أَلْوانَها فَزَهتْ

وحرّكَتْ من بَدِيع اللَّحْنِ أوتارا

in an image that gathered its colors and so shone,

and stirred strings with wondrous melody;

وخفقَةٍ عَبْقرِيُّ الفَنِّ يُطلِقُها

رَوائِعاً مِنْ غَنِيِّ الشعْر أَبْكارا

and in a pulse that art's genius releases,

as virgin marvels from the riches of poetry.

كَأَنْها اسْتَلْهَمَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ قَافِيةٍ

لَحْناً تموحُ به الأَشْعَارُ أَشْعارا

As though it had found inspiration in every rhyme for

a melody with which poems surge into poems.

وعطّرَتْ بالقوافي كلَّ رَابِيَةٍ

وزيَّنَتْ بالقوافي السَّاح والدَّارا

And scented every hillock with rhymes,

and adorned courtyard and home with rhymes,

وأَطْلَقَتْ في سَماء الشِّعْر أَنْجُمَهَا

لآلِئاً وعَلى الآفاقِ أقْمارا

and released its stars in poetry's sky,

as pearls, and moons upon the horizons.

كَأنّما اتَّسَعَتْ للشِّعْر سَاحَتُه

فَكَانَ بَحْراً وهِاجَ البَحْرُ إِعْصارا

As though poetry's arena had expanded,

so it became a sea, and the sea raged into a hurricane.

لا يرْكَبَنَّ غَبَابَ البَحْرْ غيرُ فتىً

جَلْدٍ تمرَّس إِقلاعاً وإِبحارا

None shall ride the sea's deep waters save a youth

stalwart, practiced in setting sail and voyaging.

يَخُوضُهُ كُلُّ ذي عَزمٍ وموهِبَةٍ

ويَنْثَي العَاجِزُ المضطرُّ إِدْبارا

Everyone with resolve and talent ventures into it,

and the helpless, hard-pressed one turns away in retreat.

يَغُوصُ يَطْلُبُ مِنْ أَعْماقِه دُرَراً

ويَعْتَلي ظَهْرَهُ جُوْداً وإصْدارا

He dives, seeking pearls from its depths,

and rides its back, giving freely and bringing forth.

هذي " البُحورُ "بُحُورُ الشِّعْرِ ، واهِبَةٌ

للصَّادقين عُلاً يَزهو وأَعْمارا

These "seas," the seas of poetry, bestow

on the truthful a shining eminence and lifetimes.

وإِنّ فِيها لأَصْدافاً تُصَانُ بِهاَ

لآلِئُ الشِّعْرِ أوْزانا وَأقْدَارا

And indeed within them are shells that safeguard

poetry's pearls, in meter and in worth.

الشعْرُ بَابَانِ : بَابٌ منْ أَبالِسَةٍ

يُوحُون بالشَعْر آثاماً وأَوزَاَرا

Poetry has two gates: one from devils,

who inspire sins and burdens through poetry,

وزُخْرُفاً لم تَزَلْ تَرْضَاه أَفْئدَةٌ

تَلقَى به النَّارَ أو تَلْقى به العارا

and glittering ornament still favored by hearts

that meet through it the Fire, or meet through it disgrace.

وشاعَرٌ من هُدى الرَّحْمنِ خَفْقَتُه

مَعْنى ولفظاً وأشْواقاً وإيثارا

And a poet whose heartbeat comes from the Most Merciful's guidance,

in meaning, wording, yearnings, and selflessness.

يَطُوفُ في الكوْنِ يَلقَى مِنْ عَجائبه

آياً تُفَتِّح للأَلْبَابِ أَسْفارا

He roams the universe, finding among its wonders

signs that open volumes for discerning minds.

يهتزُّ من شَوْقِهِ للحقِّ ، يَخْشَعُ في

جَلاَلِه رَهَباً يَغْشَى وأَذكَارا

He trembles with longing for the Truth, and is humbled in

His majesty, in enveloping awe and remembrance.

ويُطلِقُ الشِّعْرَ أَنداءً مضمّخة

كالرّوضِ تلقاهُ أَنواراً وأَثْمارا

And he releases poetry as perfumed dewdrops,

like a garden you find full of blossoms and fruit.

يَفيضُ فِيه الجَنى في ظِلِّ وارِفةٍ

تُفجِّرُ الماء يَنبُوعاً وَ أَنْهَارا

Within it ripe fruit abounds beneath luxuriant shade,

making water gush as a spring and rivers.

هذا هو الشّعْرُ !شِعْرُ المُؤمنين جَرَى

يَرْوي مَعَ الدَّهْر أَمثالاً وأَخْبارا

This is poetry! The poetry of believers has flowed,

telling, through the ages, parables and accounts.

كَأنَّه يَهَبُ الأَحْداثَ خَفْقَتها

يَجْرِي فَيَمْلأُ أَسْماَعَا وأَبصاراً

As though it gives events their heartbeat,

it flows, filling ears and eyes.

حتَّى إِذا سَمِعَ الأَشعارَ أُطْلِقُها

رَوْضاً تفتَّح أوْراداً وأَزْهارا

Until, when he heard the poems I let loose,

a garden blossoming with roses and flowers,

فعادَ عن غَيِّه وارتَدَّ من عَجَبٍ

يُرَجّع الشّعرِ إِعْجاباً وإِكْباراً

he turned from his error and drew back in wonder,

repeating the poetry in admiration and reverence.

يَقُولُ هذا هُو الشّعْرُ الحَلالُ جَرَى

عِطراً يَمُوجُ وسِحْراً بَيْنَهُ دارا

He says: This is lawful poetry, flowing

as surging fragrance, and enchantment coursing within it.