هو ما ترى فأقل من تعنيفي — Alabywrdy

هُوَ ما تَرى فأقِلَّ منْ تَعنيفي

وحَذارِ منْ مُقَلِ الظِّباءِ الهِيفِ

It is as you see, so lessen your reproach of me.

And beware the eyes of slender gazelles.

ولهٌ يَبيتُ لهُ المُتَيَّمُ ساهِراً

بحَشىً على ألَمِ الجَوى مَوْقوفِ

A yearning for which the love-enslaved lies awake all night,

With a heart held captive to the pain of burning love.

ويظَلُّ حِلْفُ الدّمعِ مِلْءَ جُفونِهِ

والوَجْدُ مِلْءَ فُؤادِهِ المَشْغوفِ

And by day he is tears' sworn companion, his eyelids brimming,

And yearning fills his passion-stricken heart.

عَرَضَتْ ونَحْنُ على الحِمى ومَطيُّنا

كالسّمْهَريِّ أُقيمَ بالتّثْقيفِ

She appeared while we were at the protected pasture, our camels

Like a Samhari spear set straight by shaping.

نَشوانَةُ اللّحَظاتِ تُرْسِلُ نَظْرَةً

عَجِلَتْ بِها كالشّادِنِ المَطْروفِ

With drunken glances, she casts a look,

Hastening it like a young gazelle struck in the eye.

يَهْفو بِها مَرَحُ الصِّبا فتَهُزُّ مِنْ

قَدٍّ كَما جُدِلَ العِنانُ قَضيفِ

Youth's exuberance sets her swaying, and she sways a

Slender figure, like a rein twisted into a braid.

وتُراعُ عندَ قِيامِها حَذَراً على

خَصْرٍ يَجولُ بهِ الوِشاحُ لَطيفِ

And as she rises she takes fright, fearing for

A delicate waist around which the sash moves freely.

ووراءَ ذَيّاكَ اللّثامِ مَباسِمٌ

حامَتْ عليْها غُلّةُ المَلْهوفِ

And behind that veil are smiling lips,

Over which the anguished lover's thirst hovered.

تَفْتَرُّ عن بَرَدٍ يكادُ يُذيبُهُ

قُبَلٌ تَرَدَّدُ في اللَّمى المَرشوفِ

They part to reveal hailstones, almost melted by

Kisses recurring upon the dusky lips one sips.

لمّا رأتْ رَحْلي يُقرَّبُ للنّوى

عَلِقَتْ سُوادُ بِحِنْوِهِ المَعطوفِ

When she saw my saddle brought near for departure,

Suwad clung to its curved bow.

وجَرَتْ أحاديثٌ تَبيتُ قَلائِدٌ

مِنْ أجْلِهِنَّ حَواسِداً لشُنوفِ

And conversations flowed, while necklaces spent the night

On their account, envying earrings.

أَأُمَيْمَ كُفّي مِنْ دُموعِكِ وانْظُري

خَبَبي إِلى أمَدِ العُلا ووَجِيفي

O Umaym, hold back your tears, and watch

My trotting and galloping toward glory's farthest reach.

وتبرَّضي النُّغَبَ الثِّمادَ وجاوِري

سَرَواتِ حَيٍّ بالبِطاحِ خُلوفِ

And sip small draughts of scant water, and dwell beside

The chiefs of a tribe left behind in the broad valleys.

أنا مَنْ عَرَفْتِ وبَعْدَ يَومِهِمُ غَدٌ

وعليَّ بزّةُ أجْدَلٍ غِطْريفِ

I am the one you knew; after their day comes tomorrow.

And I wear the garb of a noble falcon.

لا يعلَمُ اللُّؤَماءُ أينَ مُعَرَّسي

وبأيّ وادٍ مَرْبَعي ومَصيفي

The ignoble do not know where I halt for the night,

Nor in which valley lie my spring and summer quarters.

لَفَظَتْ دِيارُهُمُ الكِرامَ فما لَوى

طَمَعٌ إِلى عَرَصاتِهِنَّ صَليفي

Their lands cast out the noble; nothing turned

My neck toward their courtyards in hope of gain.

وأبى عُرَيقٌ فيَّ منْ عَرَبيّةٍ

أنّي أخَيّمُ والهَوانُ حَليفي

And a little vein of Arab blood within me forbade

That I should camp with humiliation as my ally.

ونَجيبَةٍ مَمْغوطَةٍ أنْساعُها

تَخْدي بمَعْروقِ العِظامِ نَحيفِ

And many a fine-bred she-camel, her girths stretched taut,

Strides swiftly with a lean rider, his bones stripped of flesh.

فزَجَرْتُها والوِرْدُ يَضْمَنُ رِيَّها

ولَها على الظّمأِ ازْوِرارُ عَيوفِ

So I urged her on, while the watering place assured her a full drink,

Yet despite her thirst, she turned aside, refusing the water.

وطَفِقْتُ أفْرُقُ وهْيَ طائِشةُ الخُطا

لِمَمَ الدُّجى بِيَدِ الصّباحِ الموفي

And I began, as her steps flew wildly, to part

Night's tresses with the hand of rising dawn.

ونَصَلْتُ منْ أعْجازِهِ في غِلْمَةٍ

تَشْفي الغَليلَ بهِمْ صُدورُ سُيوفي

And I slipped from its last reaches among young men

Through whom the breasts of my swords slake their burning thirst.

فأتَتْ مُعاوِيَّ الفَخارِ وألْصَقَتْ

طَرَفَ الجِرانِ بمَبْرَكٍ مألوفِ

So she reached the Mu'awiya of glory, and pressed

The end of her lower neck against a familiar kneeling place.

نَزَلَتْ بمَغْشيِّ الرِّواقِ فِناؤُهُ

مَثْوى وفودٍ أو مَقَرُّ ضُيوفِ

She halted at one whose portico is thronged; his courtyard is

A lodging for delegations or a resting place for guests.

بالمُسْتَثيرِ المَجْدَ منْ سَكَناتِهِ

حتّى يوَشِّحَ تالِداً بطَريفِ

At him who rouses glory from its repose,

Until he girdles inherited honor with newly won glory.

وإِلى أبي العَبّاسِ يَجْتَذِبُ الندى

مِدَحاً هيَ الحِبَراتُ منْ تَفْويفي

And generosity draws toward Abu al-Abbas

Praise-poems, striped robes of my own weaving.

وإذا اعْتَرَكْنَ بمِسْمَعٍ قرَّطْنَهُ

فِقَراً كَسِمْطِ اللؤلُؤِ المَرْصوفِ

And when they jostle in an ear, they deck it with earrings:

Verses like a strand of closely strung pearls.

مدّت هَواديَها الرّئاسَةُ نَحوهُ

في حادثٍ يَلِدُ الشِّقاقَ مَخوفِ

Leadership stretched its necks toward him

In a fearful crisis that gives birth to discord.

وأقرَّ نافِرَةَ القُلوبِ فلَمْ يَثِبْ

أسَدٌ يُجيلُ الطّرْفَ حولَ غَريفِ

And he steadied the skittish hearts, so no leap came

From a lion sweeping its gaze around a thicket.

والضّرْبَةُ الأخْدودُ لم يُعْجَمْ لَها

سَطْرٌ بِعاجِلِ طَعْنَةٍ إخْطيفِ

And the trench-like blow had no dots added to

Its line by a sudden, darting spear-thrust.

قَرْمٌ يُجيرُ على الزّمانِ إذا اعْتَدى

ويُقيمُ زَيْغَ نَوائِبٍ وصُروفِ

A chieftain who grants refuge against Time when it assails,

And straightens the crookedness of calamities and reversals.

ويَلُفُّ كاشِحُهُ جَوانِحَهُ على

جُرْحٍ بعالِيَةِ القَنا مَقْروفِ

And his enemy wraps his ribs around

A wound laid open by the upper end of a spear.

ضمِنَ الحَياةَ لمُعْتَفيهِ يَراعُهُ

ورَمى العُداةَ حُسامُهُ بحُتوفِ

His reed pen guaranteed life to whoever sought his bounty,

And his keen sword hurled death at his enemies.

وقدِ امْتَطى رُتَباً مُنيفاتِ الذُّرا

حلَّ السُّها مِنها مَكانَ رَديفِ

And he has mounted ranks whose summits tower;

Suha, among them, took the seat of a pillion rider.

بخلائِقٍ نَفَحَتْ برَيّا رَوْضَةٍ

غَنّاءَ ذاتِ تبسُّمٍ ورَفيفِ

Through virtues that wafted the fragrance of a garden,

Lush, endowed with smiles and shimmering radiance.

وأنامِلٍ كَفلَتْ بصَوْبَيْ نائِلٍ

ودَمٍ بأطْرافِ الرِّماحِ نَزيفِ

And fingers that pledged two downpours: one of bounty,

And one of blood shed at the tips of spears.

تندى إذا جَمَدَتْ أكُفُّ مَعاشِرٍ

فكأنّها خُلِقَتْ منَ المَعْروفِ

They drip with bounty when the palms of others freeze,

As though they were created from generosity itself.

يا بْنَ الأكارِمِ دعوةً تَفْتَرُّ عنْ

أمَلٍ بأنديةِ الملوكِ مُطيفِ

O son of the noblest, a plea smiles to reveal

A hope circling the assemblies of kings.

وعَدَتنيَ الأيّامُ عنكَ برُتْبَةٍ

ووَفورِ حَظٍّ منكَ غَيرَ طَفيفِ

The days promised me, on your behalf, a rank

And an ample share from you, by no means small.

والعَبْدُ مُنْتَظِرٌ وهُنَّ مَواطِلٌ

ومنَ العَناءِ إطالَةُ التّسْويفِ

And your servant waits, while they keep stalling;

And dragging out delays is torment.