رد الخليط الجمال فانتقلا — Al Arji

رَدَّ الخَلِيطُ الجِمالَ فَانتَقَلا

رامُوا رَواحاً وأَبَكَرُ وَالثَقَلا

The companions brought back the camels, then departed.

They planned an evening departure, and went early with the baggage.

لَم أَدرِ حَتّى رَأَيتُ عِيرَهُمُ

تُحدى سِراعاً قَد قارَبَت مَلَلا

I knew nothing until I saw their caravan

driven swiftly by chants, already nearing Malal.

بِحَيث أُخرى الرِكابِ مُرتَجِزٌ

يُسمِعُ أُولى رِكابِهِم زَجَلا

At the rear of the riding-camels, a rajaz chanter

made the foremost of their camels hear his ringing chant.

أَمُّوا لِدُورِ البِلاطِ مَنزِلَةً

لَيتَ سِواهُم بِتلكُمُ نَزَلا

They headed for a lodging by the houses of al-Bilat;

would that others had settled there instead of them!

يا لَهفَ نَفسي هَلّا بِغَيرِهِمِ

ما كُنتُ أَبغي بِجِيرَتي بَدَلا

Oh, my soul's anguish! Why not others instead?

I never sought replacements for my neighbors.

غَفَلتُ عَمّا أَرادَ قَيِّمُهُم

إِنَّ أَخا الحُبِّ رُبَّما غَفَلا

I was heedless of what their overseer intended;

indeed, a man in love may sometimes be heedless.

وَلَم يُربِني وَقَد أُرى فِطِناً

أَعقِلُ ما مِثلَهُ الفَتى عَقَلا

Nor did it arouse my suspicion—though I am deemed perceptive,

understanding the kinds of things a young man understands—

مَقالُ هِندٍ مَرَرتُ بِها

تُرِيدُ صرمي وَتَبتَغي العِلَلا

Hind's words when I passed her by,

wanting to cut me off and seeking excuses:

أَسمَعُ ذا عَنكَ في مُخافَتَةٍ

لَيسَ كَما كُنتَ تُعمِلُ الرُسُلا

“I hear this about you in whispers,

not as when you used to set messengers to work.

قَد كُنتُ لا أُخبِرُ النِساءَ بِما

فِيكَ وَأَعصى إِلَيكَ مَن عَذَلا

I used not to tell the women of what

was in you, and for your sake defied whoever reproached me.

قَد لاحَ شَيبُ القَذالِ فَاِشتَعَلا

مِنكَ وَبانَ الشَبابُ فَاِحتَمَلا

Gray hair at your nape has appeared and flared up

upon you; youth has departed and gone away.

حَتّى مَتى أَنتَ في مُعَصفَرَةٍ

عَلى جَوادٍ وَتَلبَسُ الحُلَلا

How long will you remain in a safflower-dyed robe,

on a fine steed, wearing splendid garments?”

قُلتُ انظِريني أُخبِركِ مِن خَبَري

أَراحَني اللَهُ مِنكُمُ عَجَلا

I said, “Give me time; I will tell you of my plight:

may God quickly deliver me from you,

بِالمَوتِ لا بِالسُلُوِّ عَنكِ فَقَد

حَمَّلتِني ما قَد اِنقَضَ الإِبلا

through death, not through forgetting you; for

you have burdened me with what has weighed camels down.

فَما أُبالي إِذا نَطَقتُ بِذا

مَن جَدَّ مِنهُنَّ بَعدُ أَو هَزَلا

So, once I have said this, I do not care

which of those women is earnest afterward, or jesting,

أَو صَرَمَ الحَبلَ ما حَيِيتُ فَلَم

يَصِلهُ أَو مَن سِواهُمُ وَصَلا

or cuts the bond while I live and does not

restore it, or who besides them joins it.

رُدى فُؤادي كَما ذَهَبتِ بِهِ

مِنّي سَلِيماً وَلَيسَ مُشتَغِلا

Return my heart, just as you took it

from me, whole and not engrossed

لِحَيِّكُم تَعلَمِينَ يَتبَعُكُم

أًو يَأَمَلُ الدَهرَ مِنكُمُ أَمَلا

in following you to your clan's camp, as you know,

or forever cherishing hope from you.

قَد ذُدتِ قَلباً إِلَيكِ مَشرَعُهُ

حَرّانَ يَبغي إِلَيكُمُ السُبُلا

You have driven off a heart whose watering-place lies with you,

burning with thirst, seeking pathways to you,

كَما يَذُودُ البَخيلُ مُحتَزِماً

عَن حَوضِهِ قَبلَ مالِهِ النَهِلا

as a miser, tightly girded, drives away

the thirsty from his trough before his own livestock drink.

لَو أَنَّ ما بِيَ مِن حُبِّكُم عُدِلَت

بِهِ جِبالُ السَراةِ ما اِعتَدَلا

If the love for you within me were weighed

against the mountains of al-Sarat, the two would not balance.

لَخَرَّ بِالأَرضِ لا تَقُومُ لَهُ

يُسِيلُ مِنها الأَركانَ وَالقُلَلا

It would crash to the earth; they could not withstand it,

sweeping down their foundations and summits.

تَقُودُهُ نِيَّةٌ فَيَصحَبُكُم

قَودَ مُذِلٍّ مَخسُوسَةً ذُلُلا

A purpose leads it, and so it accompanies you,

as a tamer leads humbled, docile beasts,

لِحَيثُ ما شِئتِ فَهوَ مُعتَرِفٌ

قَد صارَ لِلحُبِّ في الهَوى مَثَلا

wherever you wish; it submits,

and has become a byword for passionate love.

إِن كُنتِ غَيري أَتَتكِ كاذِبَةٌ

أَو كاذِبٌ كانَ رُبَّما نَقَلا

If you are jealous, a lying woman has come to you,

or a lying man, who perhaps conveyed

مِنّي إِلَيكِ الحَديثَ مُبتَدِعاً

أَو مِن سِواهُ إِلَيكِ ما حُمِلا

a tale from me to you, inventing it,

or something brought to you from someone other than him.

هَذي يَمِيني بِاللَهِ مُجتَهِداً

بِحَيثُ يُرضى الإِيمانَ مَن نَفَلا

This is my oath by God, sworn earnestly,

where the Bestower is pleased with faith:

ما جِئتُ سُخطاً لَكُم عَلِمتُ بِهِ

وَلا تَبَدَّلتُ غَيرَكُم بَدَلا

I have done nothing I knew would displease you,

nor have I taken anyone else in your place.

فَارضي بِهَذا نَفسي الفِداءُ لَكُم

مِن كُلِّ أَمرٍ يُقَرِّبُ الأَجَلا

So be content with this; my life is a ransom for you

from every cause that brings death nearer.”

قالَت وَهَل كانَ ما زَعَمتَ مِنَ ال

وَجدِ لَنا أَنتَ تُحسِنُ الجَدَلا

She said, “Was what you claimed of the

passion for us real? You argue well!

إِستَمِعي أُختُ ما يَقُولُ وَقَد

أَعرِفُ أَن قَد تَمَلَّأَت جَذَلا

Listen, sister, to what he says”; and indeed

I know she has become filled with delight.

قالَت لَها قَد سَمِعتُ فَاِغتَنِمي

مِنهُ الَّذي قالَ أُختُ إِن فَعَلا

She said to her, “I have heard; so seize

from him what he said, sister, if he acts on it.”

قالَت فَوَاللَهِ لَو بَذَلتُ لَهُ

وُدّي مَعَ الخُلَّةِ اختُ ما قَبِلا

She said, “By God, even if I offered him

my love together with intimacy, sister, he would not accept,

وَلا هَناهُ حَتّى يَشُوبَ بِهِ

وُدّاً أُراهُ لِوُدِّنا دَخَلا

nor would it please him until he mingled with it

a love I see as corrupting our love.

هُوَ المَلُولُ الَّذي سَمِعتِ بِهِ

وَلا أُحِبُّ السَوابة المُلُلا

He is the fickle one you have heard of,

and I do not love roving, fickle people.”

فَاِنصَرَفَت وَالدُمُوعُ تَسكُبُ مِن

إِنسانِ عَينٍ مَحزُونَةٍ كُحُلا

Then she turned away, tears pouring from

the pupil of a grieving eye, spilling kohl.

وَخُرَّدٍ كَالمَها بِدائِرَةٍ

تَرعاهُ إِلا الدِماثَ وَالنَفَلا

And shy maidens, like oryx in a circle,

graze there only on soft ground and clover,

تَرشِفُ ماءَ الأَضاءِ مُترَعَةً

وَلا تَمُصُّ الثِمادَ وَالوَشَلا

sip the water of brimming pools,

and do not suck at scant pools or trickling water.