ما تعيف اليوم في الطير الروح — Al Asha

ما تَعيفُ اليَومَ في الطَيرِ الرَوَح

مِن غُرابِ البَينِ أَو تَيسٍ بَرَح

What omen do you read today in the birds returning at dusk,

from the raven of parting or a he-goat crossing on the ill-omened side,

جالِساً في نَفَرٍ قَد يَئِسوا

مِن مُحيلِ القِدِّ مِن صَحبِ قُزَح

as you sit among men who have despaired

of the thong-turner among Quzah's companions,

عِندَ ذي مُلكٍ إِذا قيلَ لَهُ

فادِ بِالمالِ تَراخى وَمَزَح

before a ruler who, when told,

'Take money as ransom,' delays and jests?

فَلَئِن رَبُّكَ مِن رَحمَتِهِ

كَشَفَ الضيقَةَ عَنّا وَفَسَح

For if your Lord, out of His mercy,

lifts our distress and gives us room,

أَو لَئِن كُنّا كَقَومٍ هَلَكوا

ما لِحَيٍّ يا لَقَومي مِن فَلَح

or if we are like a people who have perished—

no living man, O my people, has lasting success—

لَيَعودَن لِمَعَدٍّ عَكرُها

دَلَجُ اللَيلِ وَتَأخاذُ المِنَح

Ma'add's old ways will surely return to it:

night journeys and the exchange of milk-giving animals.

إِنَّما نَحنُ كَشَيءٍ فاسِدٍ

فَإِذا أَصلَحَهُ اللَهُ صَلَح

We are only like something spoiled;

when God sets it right, it becomes sound.

كَم رَأَينا مِن أُناسٍ هَلَكوا

وَرَأَينا المَرءَ عَمراً بِطَلَح

How many people we have seen perish!

And we saw the man 'Amr at Talah,

آفِقاً يُجبى إِلَيهِ خَرجُهُ

كُلَّ ما بَينَ عُمانٍ فَمَلَح

preeminent, with his tribute gathered to him

from all that lies between Oman and Malah.

وَهِرَقلاً يَومَ سا آتيدَمى

مِن بَني بُرجانَ في البَأسِ رَجَح

And Heraclius, on the day of Satidama,

of the sons of Burjan, excelling in battle.

وَرِثَ السُؤدَدَ عَن آبائِهِ

وَغَزا فيهِم غُلاماً ما نَكَح

He inherited lordship from his forefathers

and campaigned among them as a youth not yet married.

صَبَّحوا فارِسَ في رَأدِ الضُحى

بِطَحونٍ فَخمَةٍ ذاتِ صَبَح

They attacked Persia early in the forenoon

with a mighty, grinding host, gleaming white.

ثُمَّ ما كاؤوا وَلَكِن قَدَّموا

كَبشَ غاراتٍ إِذا لاقى نَطَح

Then they did not falter, but sent forward

a ram of raids, who butted whenever he met a foe.

فَتَفانَوا بِضِرابٍ صائِبٍ

مَلَأَ الأَرضَ نَجيعاً فَسَفَح

So they slew one another with unerring blows

that filled the earth with fresh blood, spilling freely.

مِثلَ ما لاقَوا مِنَ المَوتِ ضُحىً

هَرَبَ الهارِبُ مِنهُم وَاِمتَضَح

Such was the death they faced at forenoon:

the fugitive among them fled and sped away.

أَم عَلى العَهدِ فَعِلمي أَنَّهُ

خَيرُ مَن رَوَّحَ مالاً وَسَرَح

Or does he keep his pledge? For I know that he

is the best to bring herds home at dusk and send them to pasture.

وَإِذا حُمِّلَ عِبئاً بَعضُهُم

فَاِشتَكى الأَوصالَ مِنهُ وَأَنَح

And when one of them was made to bear a burden

and complained of his limbs under it and groaned,

كانَ ذا الطاقَةِ بِالثِقلِ إِذا

ضَنَّ مَولى المَرءِ عَنهُ وَصَفَح

he was the one strong enough for the weight, when

a man's protector withheld help and turned away.

وَهُوَ الدافِعُ عَن ذي كُربَةٍ

أَيدِيَ القَومِ إِذا الجاني اِجتَرَح

And he wards off, from one in distress,

the people's hands when an offender commits a wrong.

تَشتَري الحَمدَ بِأَغلى بَيعِهِ

وَاِشتِراءُ الحَمدِ أَدنى لِلرَبَح

You buy praise at its highest price,

and buying praise brings one nearer to profit.

تَبتَني المَجدَ وَتَجتازُ النُهى

وَتُرى نارُكَ مِن ناءٍ طَرَح

You build glory and pass beyond the utmost bounds,

and your fire is seen by one far, far away.

أَو كَما قالوا سَقيمٌ فَلَئِن

نَفَضَ الأَسقامَ عَنهُ وَاِستَصَح

Or, as they say, he is ill; yet if

he shakes off his ailments and regains his health,

لَيُعيدَن لِمَعَدٍّ عِكرَها

دَلَجَ اللَيلِ وَإِكفاءَ المِنَح

he will surely restore Ma'add's old ways:

night journeys and the lending of milk-giving animals.

مِثلَ أَيّامٍ لَهُ نَعرِفُها

هَرَّ كَلبُ الناسِ فيها وَنَبَح

Like those days of his we know,

when the people's dog snarled and barked.

وَلَهُ المُقدَمُ في الحَربِ إِذا

ساعَةُ الشِدقِ عَنِ النابِ كَلَح

And his is the foremost place in war, when

the hour comes for the mouth to grimace and bare its fang.

أَيُّ نارِ الحَربِ لا أَوقَدَها

حَطَباً جَزلاً فَأَورى وَقَدَح

What fire of war has he not kindled

with thick logs, making them blaze and striking sparks?

وَلَقَد أَجذِمُ حَبلي عامِداً

بِعَفَرناةٍ إِذا الآلُ مَصَح

And indeed I deliberately sever my cord,

on a stout she-camel, when the mirage fades.

تَقطَعُ الخَرقَ إِذا ما هَجَّرَت

بِهِبابٍ وَإِرانٍ وَمَرَح

She crosses the open waste when she travels at midday,

with bounding speed, vigor, and exuberance.

وَتُوَلّي الأَرضَ خُفّاً مُجمَراً

فَإِذا ما صادَفَ المَروَ رَضَح

And she sets against the earth a hard, compact foot-pad;

whenever it encounters flint, it crushes it.

فَثَداهُ رَيَمانُ خُفِّها

ذا رَنينٍ صَحِلَ الصَوتِ أَبَح

Her foot-pad is like Rayman's twin breasts,

ringing hoarsely, with a husky sound.

وَشَمولٍ تَحسِبُ العَينُ إِذا

صُفَّقَت وَردَتَها نَورَ الذُبَح

And wine whose rosy hue the eye thinks, when

it is decanted, resembles the blossoms of dhubh.

مِثلُ ذَكيِ المِسكِ ذاكٍ ريحُها

صَبَّها الساقي إِذا قيلَ تَوَح

Its fragrance is keen, like potent musk;

the cupbearer pours it when told, 'Hurry!'

مِن زِقاقِ التَجرِ في باطِيَةٍ

جَونَةٍ حارِيَّةٍ ذاتِ رَوَح

From the merchants' wineskins into a wine-bowl,

dark, from Hira, with a broad mouth,

ذاتِ غَورٍ ما تُبالي يَومَها

غَرَفَ الإِبريقِ مِنها وَالقَدَح

deep enough not to mind, throughout the day,

pitcherfuls and cupfuls drawn from it.

وَإِذا ما الراحُ فيها أَزبَدَت

أَفَلَ الإِزبادُ فيها وَاِمتَصَح

And whenever the wine foams within it,

the foam subsides within it and disappears.

وَإِذا مَكّوكُها صادَمَهُ

جانِباهُ كَرَّ فيها فَسَبَح

And when its measuring-cup is struck

by the two sides, it turns back and floats within it.

فَتَرامَت بِزُجاجٍ مُعمَلٍ

يُخلِفُ النازِحُ مِنها ما نَزَح

So well-used glass cups are passed around,

the drawer replenishing whatever he has drawn from it.

وَإِذا غاضَت رَفَعنا زِقَّنا

طُلُقَ الأَوداجِ فيها فَاِنسَفَح

And when it sinks low, we raise our wineskin,

its neck-veins open into the bowl, and it pours out.

وَنُسيحُ سَيَلانَ صَوبِهِ

وَهوَ تَسياحٌ مِنَ الراحِ مِسَح

And we let the stream of its outpouring flow,

as it pours wine freely, a lavish torrent.

تَحسِبُ الزِقَّ لَدَيها مُسنَداً

حَبَشِيّاً نامَ عَمداً فَاِنبَطَح

You would think the wineskin, propped beside it,

an Abyssinian who chose to sleep and lay face-down.

وَلَقَد أَغدو عَلى نَدمانِها

وَغَدا عِندي عَلَيها وَاِصطَبَح

And indeed I go at dawn to its drinking-companion,

and he comes to me at dawn for it and drinks his morning draught.

وَمُغَنٍّ كُلَّما قيلَ لَهُ

أَسمَعِ الشَربَ فَغَنّى فَصَدَح

And a singer, whenever he is told,

'Let the drinkers hear you,' sings and raises his voice,

وَثَنى الكَفَّ عَلى ذي عَتَبٍ

يَصِلُ الصَوتَ بِذي زيرٍ أَبَح

and bends his hand over the fretted instrument,

joining his voice to its husky treble string.

في شَبابٍ كَمَصابيحِ الدُجى

ظاهِرُ النِعمَةِ فيهِم وَالفَرَح

Among young men like lamps in darkness,

with prosperity and joy plain among them,

رُجُحُ الأَحلامِ في مَجلِسِهِم

كُلَّما كَلبٌ مِنَ الناسِ نَبَح

weighty in judgment in their assembly,

whenever a dog among men barks.

لا يَشِحّونَ عَلى المالِ وَما

عُوُّدوا في الحَيِّ تَصرارا اللِقَح

They are not miserly with wealth, nor

were they taught among the tribe to bind their milk-camels' udders.

فَتَرى الشَربَ نَشاوى كُلَّهُم

مِثلَ ما مُدَّت نِصاحاتُ الرُبَح

Then you see the drinkers, all of them drunk,

like nets stretched out for monkeys:

بَينَ مَغلوبٍ تَليلٍ خَدُّهُ

وَخَذولِ الرِجلِ مِن غَيرِ كَسَح

some overcome, their cheeks laid on the ground,

some with legs that fail, though not from lameness.

وَشَغاميمَ جِسامٍ بُدَّنٍ

ناعِماتٍ مِن هَوانٍ لَم تُلَح

And large, full-figured, plump women,

soft from ease, unworn by hardship,

كَالتَماثيلِ عَلَيها حُلَلٌ

ما يُوارينَ بُطونَ المُكتَشَح

like statues with robes upon them

that do not hide the bellies beneath their sashes.

قَد تَفَتَّقنَ مِنَ الغُسنِ إِذا

قامَ ذو الضُرِّ هُزالاً وَرَزَح

They have swelled to bursting from rich living, when

a man in distress stands emaciated and sinks exhausted.

ذاكَ دَهرٌ لِأُناسٍ قَد مَضَوا

وَلِهَذا الناسِ دَهرٌ قَد سَنَح

That was an age for people who have passed away;

for these people an age has now appeared.

وَلَقَد أَمنَحُ مَن عادَيتُهُ

كُلَّ ما يَحسِمُ مِن داءِ الكَشَح

And indeed I grant the man I have made my enemy

all that cauterizes the sickness of hidden rancor.

وَقَطَعتُ ناظِرَيهِ ظاهِراً

لا يَكونُ مِثلَ لَطمٍ وَكَمَح

And openly I have slashed his two eyes,

with something unlike a slap or a blow:

ذا جُبارٍ مُنضِجاً ميسَمُهُ

يُذكِرُ الجارِمَ ما كانَ اِجتَرَح

an injury without redress, its brand burning deep,

reminding the offender what wrong he had done.

وَتَرى الأَعداءَ حَولي شُزُّراً

خاضِعي الأَعناقِ أَمثالَ الوَذَح

And you see the enemies around me, glaring sideways,

their necks bowed, like dung-clots on wool.

قَد بَنى اللُؤمُ عَلَيهِم بَيتَهُ

وَفَشا فيهِم مَعَ اللُؤمِ القَلَح

Baseness has built its house over them,

and foul teeth spread among them along with baseness.

فَهُمُ سودٌ قِصارٌ سَعيُهُم

كَالخُصى أَشعَلَ فيهِنَّ المَذَح

So they are black and short; their striving

is like testicles set aflame by chafing.

يَضرِبُ الأَدنى إِلَيهِم وَجهَهُ

لا يُبالي أَيَّ عَينَيهِ كَفَح

The nearest man strikes one of them in the face,

not caring which of his eyes he hits.