Sol 6.1

  1. بَلاني الحبُّ فيكَ بما بَلاني

    فشاني أن تَفيضَ غُروبُ شاني

    Love has afflicted me through you with all its afflictions;

    So my lot is for my tear-streams to overflow.

  2. أَبِيتُ اللَّيلَ مُرتَفِقاً أُناجي

    بصدِقِ الوَجْدِ كاذبةَ الأماني

    I spend the night propped on my elbow, communing

    In true longing with deceitful hopes.

  3. فتَشهَدُ لي على الأَرَقِ الثُّرَيَّا

    ويَعْلَمُ ما أُجِنُّ الفَرقدانِ

    The Pleiades bear witness to my sleeplessness,

    And the two Farqad stars know what I conceal.

  4. إذا دَنَتِ الخِيامُ بهِمْ فأهلاً

    بذاكَ الخِيمِ والخِيَمِ الدَّواني

    If the tents draw near with them, then welcome

    To that nature and those nearby tents!

  5. فبينَ سُجوفِها أقمارُ تَمٍّ

    وبينَ عِمادِها أغصانُ بانِ

    For amid their curtains are full moons,

    And among their tent poles, boughs of the ban tree.

  6. ومُذهَبَةِ الخُدودِ بجُلَّنارٍ

    مُفَضَّضَةِ الثُّغور ِبأُقحوانِ

    And beauties whose cheeks are gilded with pomegranate blossom,

    Their mouths silvered with daisies.

  7. سَقانا اللهُ من رَيَّاكِ رَيّاً

    وحَيَّانا بأوجُهِكِ الحِسانِ

    May God give us our fill of your fragrance,

    And greet us with your beautiful faces.

  8. ستُصرِفُ طاعتي عمَّنْ نَهاني

    دموعٌ فيكَ تَلْحِي من لَحاني

    My obedience to him who forbade me will be turned aside

    By tears for you that chide the one who chided me.

  9. ولم أجهَلْ نصيحتَه ولكنْ

    جنونُ الحُبِّ أحلى في جِناني

    I was not ignorant of his counsel, yet

    Love's madness is sweeter within my heart.

  10. فيا وَلَعَ العواذلِ خَلِّ عنّي

    ويا كَفَّ الغَرامِ خُذي عِناني

    O zeal of the women who reproach me, leave me alone!

    And you, hand of passion, take my reins.

  11. وصائِنَةٍ ببُرقُعها جَمالاً

    يروحُ له الهَوى ربَّ الصَّيانِ

    And many a woman guarding with her veil a beauty

    For which desire itself becomes the guardian.

  12. إذا أَفْنَتْ سَجايا الخَصْرِ منها

    ذَمَمتُ لها سَجايا الخَيزُرانِ

    When her waist's own nature wastes her away,

    I blame the nature of bamboo for her sake.

  13. تُراوِحُني بأرواحِ الأغاني

    وتصحَبُني بأرواحِ الدِّنانِ

    She refreshes me with the spirits of songs,

    And keeps me company with the spirits of wine jars.

  14. على رَوْضٍ كأنَّ صَباه بُلَّتْ

    غَلائِلُها بماءِ الزَّعْفَرانِ

    In a garden whose east wind seems drenched—

    Its gauzy robes steeped in saffron water.

  15. تُعَنُّ رياحُهُ حَسرَى ويَجري

    جَموحُ المُزْنِ فيه بلا عِنانِ

    Its winds are reined in, exhausted, while there courses

    The headstrong rain cloud, without a rein.

  16. كأنَّ يدَ الأميرِ دَنَتْ إليه

    بأوطَفَ من سجالِ العُرْفِ دَانِي

    As though the emir's hand had reached toward it

    With a low-hanging, heavy-fringed cloud of bounty's showers.

  17. فَتىً حُلوُ النَّوالِ إذا استُمِيحَتْ

    أنامِلُ كَفِّه مُرُّ الطِّعانِ

    A young man sweet in bounty when favors are sought from

    The fingers of his hand, but bitter in spear-thrusts.

  18. نَزورُ فِناءَهُ عُصَباً فنأوي

    إلى الجُنَنِ السَّوابغِ والجِنانِ

    We visit his courtyard in bands and take refuge

    Under all-enfolding shields, and in gardens.

  19. تَخرَّقَ في ابتذالِ الوَفْرِ حتَّى

    توهَّمْناه مخروقَ البَنانِ

    He broke all bounds in lavishing his wealth,

    Until we imagined his fingers full of holes.

  20. وراحَ وكَنزُهُ جُرْدُ المَذَاكي

    وأطرافُ المُثَقَّفَةِ اللَّدانِ

    He went forth, his treasure sleek, seasoned steeds,

    And the points of straightened, supple spears.

  21. مُنادَمَةُ القَنا أحلى لدَيْهِ

    وأعظمُ من مُنادَمَةِ القِيانِ

    Keeping company with lances is sweeter to him

    And grander than keeping company with singing girls.

  22. فَقُلْ لعَدُوِّهِ يَكفيكَ منه

    سَماعُكَ بالرَّدى دونَ العِيانِ

    So tell his enemy: it is enough for you

    To hear of death, without seeing it.

  23. فَرُزْتَ الأُفعُوانَ الصِّلَّ جَهْلاً

    فكيفَ وجدْتَ نابَ الأُفعُوانِ

    You tested the deadly serpent in ignorance;

    So how did you find the serpent's fang?

  24. بسطْتَ على الزَّمانِ يدي فأضحى

    وليسَ له بما فَعَلَتْ يَدانِ

    You stretched my hand over Time, and now

    It has no hands to counter what mine has done.

  25. وكنتُ أروضُ مِنْ دَهْري أماناً

    فعادَ الدَّهرُ يسألُني أماني

    I used to coax safety from my days,

    But now Time asks me for my protection.

  26. بسَيْفٍ حينَ يُنْدَبُ من سيوفٍ

    ورَعْنٍ حينَ يُنْسَبُ من رِعانِ

    Through a sword, when summoned from among swords,

    And a mountain peak, when reckoned among peaks.

  27. وإذ هو كاليَماني العَضْبِ يَسطُو

    فيَنقَعُ غُلَّةَ العَضْبِ اليَماني

    And when he strikes like a keen Yemeni sword,

    He slakes the thirst of the keen Yemeni blade.

  28. يُجَرَّدُهُ كبرقِ الثَّغْرِ صافٍ

    ويُغْمِدُه كوَرْدِ الخَدِّ قَانِي

    He unsheathes it, bright as the gleam of teeth,

    And sheathes it crimson as the rose of a cheek.

  29. كأنَّ الضَّرْبَ عَوَّضَ شَفْرَتَيْهِ

    بماءِ الطَّبعِ ماءَ الأُرجُوانِ

    As though the blows had given its two edges,

    In place of tempering-water, the liquid of crimson dye.

  30. أَتغِلبُ قد حَلَلْتِ به مكاناً

    يُريكِ النَّجمَ مُنْخَفِضَ المَكانِ

    O Taghlib, through him you have reached a station

    From which the stars seem lowly placed.

  31. فَضُلتِ بفَضْلِهش يَومَ العَطايا

    وفُزْتِ بسَبْقِه يَوْمَ الرِّهانِ

    You excelled through his bounty on the day of giving,

    And won through his lead on the day of the race.

  32. وقَصَّرَ شَأْوَ مَنْ يَرْجُو مَداه

    عِقالُ العَجْزِ أو قَيْدُ الحِرانِ

    And the course of those who hope to reach his range is cut short

    By the hobble of weakness or the fetter of balking.

  33. هِجانُ المَدْحِ يَطلبُهُ هَجينٌ

    وهل بلغَ الهَجينُ مَدى الهِجانِ

    A crossbred seeks the thoroughbred of praise;

    But has a crossbred ever reached a thoroughbred's range?

  34. أبا الهَيْجاءِ عِشْتَ قريرَ عَيْنٍ

    سَليمَ العَيْشِ من نُوَبِ الزَّمانِ

    Abu al-Hayja, may you live with a contented eye,

    Your life safe from the vicissitudes of Time.

  35. ولا زالَتْ رِباعُكَ مُخْصِباتٍ

    قَريباتِ الجَنى من كلِّ جانِي

    And may your dwellings never cease to be fertile,

    Their fruit within reach of every gatherer.

  36. يُغَنَّي الغّيْثُ كالنَّشوانِ فيها

    ويَعْثُرُ بينَ هَاتيكَ المَغاني

    Rain sings in them like a tipsy man,

    And stumbles among those dwellings.

  37. وإن أعرَضْتَ عن تَعْريضِ شُكْرٍ

    أُثَوِّبُ فيه تَثويبَ الأَذانِ

    And even if you turn away from hinted thanks,

    Which I repeat as the call to prayer is repeated,

  38. بناسٍ منك يُخْبِرُ عنه أني

    ظَمِئْتُ وفي يَدَيْكَ المِرزَمانِ

    Through forgetfulness on your part, shown by my having

    Thirsted while the two Mirzam stars were in your hands,

  39. أوانَ تَحامَتِ الأيامُ سِلْمي

    وعُدْنَ عليَّ بالحَرْبِ العَوانِ

    When the days shunned peace with me

    And returned against me with renewed war,

  40. وعَضَّ السَّيفُ منّي كُلَّ عُضْوٍ

    جَديرٍ بالكَرامَةِ لا الهَوانِ

    And the sword bit every limb of mine

    Worthy of honor, not humiliation,

  41. وأَلبَسَني الَقنا حُلَلاً تَلاقَتْ

    عليَّ تَهُزُّ أهداباً قَواني

    And the lances clothed me in robes that met

    Upon me, shaking crimson fringes.

  42. لقد عَلِمَتْ صُروفُ الدَّهْرِ ما اسمي

    بعَتْبِكَ واطَّلَعْنَ على مَكاني

    The vicissitudes of Time have surely learned my name

    Through your reproach, and discovered where I am.

  43. فلستُ لغيرِ حادثةٍ نَآدٍ

    وهَلْ كُرَةٌ لغَيْرِ الصَّولَجانِ

    So I am reserved for nothing but dire calamity;

    And is a ball meant for anything but the polo mallet?

  44. لَعَلَّ الدَّهْرَ يُسْعِفُني بِعَطْفٍ

    يُعيدُ عليَّ عَطْفاً في لَيَانِ

    Perhaps Time will help me with a kindly turn,

    Bringing kindness back to me with gentleness.

  45. ويُصبحُ بِشْرُكَ المحجوبُ عَنِّي

    يُبَشِّرُني بسَعْدِ إضحِيانِ

    And may your smile, now hidden from me,

    Herald moon-bright good fortune for me.

  46. وكَفٌّ منك شَاعِرَةُ العَطايا

    تُعَلِّمُني دَقيقاتِ المَعاني

    And a hand of yours, poetic in its gifts,

    Teach me the subtleties of meaning.

  47. رِضاكَ العيشُ يَعذُبُ مُجتَناه

    وسُخْطُكَ عاجلُ الحَيْنِ المُداني

    Your pleasure is life whose harvest is sweet,

    And your displeasure swift death drawing near.

  48. إذا تُرِكَ الشُّجاعُ بِغَيْرِ قَلْبٍ

    فكَيفَ يَكوُنُ في قلبِ الجَبانِ

    If the brave man is left without a heart,

    What then must be in the coward's heart?

  49. يُشَرَّدُ نَومُه عن مُقلَتَيْهِ

    ولو حَرَصَتْ عليه المُقلَتانِ

    His sleep is driven from his two eyes,

    Though both eyes long for it.

  50. تَهَذَّبَ في الثَّناءِ عليك فِكْري

    ورَقَّتْ فيه حَاشِيَتا لِساني

    My thought has been refined in praising you,

    And both edges of my tongue have grown delicate in it.

  51. ولو نَطَقَ الحَديدُ لنَابَ عنّي

    ذُبابُ السَّيفِ أو حَدُّ السِّنانِ

    And if iron could speak, there would speak for me

    The sword's tip or the spearhead's edge.