أماط والليل أثيث الجناح — Alabywrdy

أماطَ والليلُ أثيثُ الجَناحْ

عنْ مَبْسِمِ الشّمْسِ لِثامَ الصّباحْ

He drew aside, while night had luxuriant wings,

The veil of dawn from the sun's smiling mouth—

أغَنُّ يَعْروهُ مِراحُ الصِّبا

ويَنْثَني فالقَدُّ نَشْوانُ صاحْ

A sweetly nasal-voiced youth, seized by youth's exuberance,

And he sways, his figure drunken yet sober.

كالفَنَنِ المَهْزوزِ تَعْتادُهُ

على لُغوبٍ نَسَماتُ الرّياحْ

Like a shaken bough, visited again and again

In languor by the breezes of the winds.

يَطْوي الفَلا وَهْناً وقد نَشَّرَتْ

ذَوائِبَ النّارِ قُرَيْشُ البِطاحْ

He crosses the wastes late at night; already unfurled

Are the fire's tresses by Quraysh of al-Bitah.

حيثُ القِبابُ الحُمْرُ مَحفوفَةٌ

بالأسَلِ السُّمْرِ وبِيضِ الصِّفاحْ

Where the red tents are surrounded

By dark lances and white sword-blades.

حَلَّ الدُّجى حُبْوَتَها إذ سَرَى

والليلُ للبَدْرِ حِماهُ مُباحْ

Darkness loosened its binding wrap as he traveled by night,

And night's sanctuary is open to the full moon.

إذا الكَرى رنَّقَ في عَيْنَيهِ

رَنا بأجْفانٍ مِراضٍ صِحاحْ

When drowsiness hovered in his eyes,

He gazed with eyelids ailing yet sound.

وإنْ وَشى الحَلْيُ بهِ راعَهُ

بَعْدَ وَفاءِ الخُرْسِ غَدْرُ الفِصاحْ

And if his jewelry gave him away, he was alarmed

By the eloquent ones' betrayal after the mute ones' fidelity.

وكيفَ يَستَكْتِمُ خَلْخالَه

سِرّاً وقد نَمّ عليهِ الوِشاحْ

And how can he ask his anklet to conceal

A secret, when his jeweled sash has already informed on him?

إذا رَنا لَفَّ الرّدى حاسِراً

بِدارِعٍ فاللحْظُ شاكي السِّلاحْ

When he gazes, death folds the unarmored

Together with the armored; his glance bristles with weapons.

وما أضاءَ البَرْقُ منْ ثَغْرِهِ

إلا تَجَلّى حَبَبٌ فوقَ راحْ

And never did lightning flash from his mouth

Without bubbles gleaming upon wine.

كأنّهُ الرّوْضَةُ مَطْلولَةً

لَها اغتِباقٌ بالندىً واصْطِباحْ

As though he were a meadow drenched with dew,

With an evening draught of dew and a morning draught.

إن مَطَرَتْ فيها دُموعُ الحَيا

ظلّتْ بأنْفاسِ النُّعامى تُراحْ

If the rain's tears shower within it,

It stays refreshed by the south wind's breaths.

فالطَّرْفُ إن مرَّضَهُ نَرْجِسٌ

والخَدُّ وَرْدٌ والثّغورُ الأقاحْ

So the gaze may be made languid by narcissus;

And the cheek is a rose, and mouths are daisies.

صَغا إِلى اللاحي وصَغْوُ الهَوى

إليهِ لا رُوِّعَ صَبٌّ بِلاحْ

He heeded the reprover, while love's inclination

Was toward him—may no lover be frightened by a reprover!

كالمُهْرِ إنْ طامَنْتَ منْ غَرْبِهِ

أشَمَّهُ المَيْعَةَ جِنُّ المِراحْ

Like a colt: if you temper his impetuosity,

The jinn of exuberance make him scent fresh vigor.

أُنْصِفُ إنْ جارَ وأعْنو إذا

سَطا وألْقى بالخُشوعِ الجِماحْ

I deal justly if he wrongs me, and bow when

He assails me, and I meet defiance with submission.

فالغِيُّ رُشْدٌ وهَواني لهُ

في الحُبّ عِزٌّ وفَسادي صَلاحْ

For error is right guidance, and my abasement before him

In love is honor, and my corruption righteousness.

وربّما تَجْمَحُ بي نَخْوَةٌ

تَلْهَجُ عَيْنايَ لها بالطِّماحْ

And sometimes pride bolts away with me,

My eyes, at its urging, persist in gazing high.

سأطْلُبُ العِزَّ ولوْ رَفْرَفَتْ

على حَواشيهِ عَوالي الرِّماحْ

I shall seek glory, even if there flutter

Along its borders the high points of spears.

بضَرْبَةٍ رَعْلاءَ أو طَعْنَةٍ

تَخاوَصَتْ منها عُيونُ الجِراحْ

With a ragged, gaping blow, or a thrust

From which the wounds' eyes narrow.

مَتى أراها وهْي مُزْوَرَّةٌ

تَعْدو بآسادِ الشّرى كالسَّراحْ

When shall I see them, swerving aside,

Racing with the lions of al-Shara like a wolf,

واليومُ مُحْمَرُّ أديمِ الضُّحى

بالمَشْرَفيّاتِ صَقيلُ النّواحْ

And the day's forenoon skin is crimson,

Its flanks bright-polished by Mashrafi swords.

فالذّابِلُ الخَطّيُّ يَشكو الصّدى

حتّى يُرَوّى بالنّجيعِ المُفاحْ

So the slender Khatti spear complains of thirst

Until quenched with spilled blood.

يا سَرَواتِ الرَّكْبِ رِفْقاً بِنا

فالأرْحَبيّاتُ رَذايا طِلاحْ

O leaders of the caravan, be gentle with us,

For the Arhabi she-camels are spent and weary.

أسْمَعَها الرَّعْدُ بإرْزامِهِ

إهابَةَ الحادي وَراءَ اللِّقاحْ

Thunder, with its rumbling, made them hear

The camel-driver's urging call behind the milk-camels.

واعْتَرَضَ المُزْنُ وفي شَوْطِهِ

دونَ شَآبيبِ حَياهُ انْتِزاحْ

And the rain cloud loomed across, but in its course

It veered away before the downpours of its rain.

يومِضُ بالبَرْقِ وكمْ حارَدَتْ

بوَدْقِهِ أطْباؤُهُ حينَ لاحْ

It flashes lightning; how often there was scant yield

Of its rain from its udders when it came in view!

يَحْكي أبا المِغْوارِ في بِشْرِهِ

يا لَيْتَهُ أشْبَهَهُ في السَّماحْ

It resembles Abu al-Mighwar in his cheerful welcome;

Would that it resembled him in generosity!

سِيروا إِلى آلِ عَدِيٍّ نُقِمْ

في عَطَنٍ رَحْبٍ وحَيٍّ لَقاحْ

Travel to the house of Adi; we shall lodge

At a broad watering-ground, among a free clan,

حيثُ العِراصُ الخُضْرُ والأنْعُمُ ال

بيضُ وأنوارُ الوُجوهِ الصِّباحْ

Where there are green courtyards, and favors

White, and the radiance of fair faces.

لا المَنْهَلُ المَوْرودُ طَرْقٌ ولا ال

مَسْرَحُ مَمنوعٌ ولا الظِّلُ ضاحْ

The frequented watering-place is not fouled, nor is the

Pasture forbidden, nor the shade exposed to sun.

إذا بلَغْنا عَضُدَ الدِّينِ لمْ

نَثْلِمْ شَبا المَحْلِ بضَرْبِ القِداحْ

When we reach Adud al-Din, we shall not

Blunt dearth's edge by drawing lots with arrows.

نُهْدي إليهِ مِدَحاً نَمْتَري

بهِنَّ خِلْفَ النّائِلِ المُسْتَماحْ

We offer him praises, milking

With them the teat of the bounty we solicit.

أروَعُ طَلْقُ البُرْدِ لم يحْتَضِنْ

منَ التُّقى حاشِيَتَيْهِ جُناحْ

A majestic man, generous of cloak; never enfolded

By sin are its two hems, thanks to his piety.

نائي المَدى يَقْصُرُ عن شأْوِهِ

خُطاً أطالَتْها الأعادي فِساحْ

Far-reaching: short of his course fall

Broad strides stretched long by enemies.

لا يغْلِبُ الحَقَّ بهِ باطِلٌ

ولا يُداني الجِدَّ منهُ مِزاحْ

With him, no falsehood overcomes truth,

Nor does jest approach his earnestness.

ومأْزِقٍ أغْمَدَ فيه الظُّبا

لمّا انْتَضى عَزْمَتَهُ للكِفاحْ

And many a battle's strait, in which he sheathed the blades

When he unsheathed his resolve for combat,

ونازَلَ المَوْتَ بأرْجائِهِ

شَهْباءُ تَقْتادُ المَنايا رَداحْ

And death was met within its confines

By a vast gray host, leading deaths in its train.

وأنْصَتَ القِرْنُ لِداعي الرّدى

حيثُ العَوالي جَهَرَتْ بالصِّياحْ

And the adversary hearkened to death's summoner

Where spearpoints raised a clamorous cry,

حتى تولّى كالنّعامِ العِدا

مُقَنَّعي الهامِ ببَيْضِ الأداحْ

Until the enemies fled like ostriches,

Their heads helmeted with eggs from ostrich nests.

يا واهِبَ الأعْمارِ بعدَ اللُّها

وَرَتْ زِنادي بكَ قَبْلَ اقْتِداحْ

O giver of lives after largesse,

My fire-sticks spark through you before they are struck.

إليكَ أغْدو غيرَ مُستَلْفِتٍ

جِيدي إِلى رَشْحِ أكُفٍّ شِحاحْ

To you I go in the morning, without turning

My neck toward the trickle of stingy palms.

بهِمّةٍ تَفْتَرُّ عنْ مُنْيَةٍ

مَدَّ هَواديهِ إليها النّجاحْ

With ambition that smiles, revealing a wish

Toward which success has stretched its necks.

وبينَ طِمْرَيَّ فتًى ماجِدٌ

لمْ يجتَذِبْ عارِفَةً بامْتِداحْ

And between my two tattered garments is a noble youth

Who has never drawn a favor through panegyric.

وحاجةٍ دافَعَ عنْ نَيْلِها

وَجْهٌ حَيِيٌّ وزَمانٌ وَقاحْ

And a need whose attainment was held back

By a modest face and a shameless age.

وحاذَرَ المِنَّةَ منْ باخِلٍ

فطلَّقَ المِنْحَةَ قبلَ النِّكاح

And he feared indebtedness to a miser,

So he divorced the gift before the marriage.