ألم يأن يا صاح أم قد أنى — Alarjani

ألم يَأنِ يا صاح أم قد أَنَى

بأمر المُتَيَّم أن يُعتَنى

Has the time not come, my friend—or has it come—

to attend to the plight of the love-stricken man?

فعُجْ بالمطيّة لي عَوجةً

على العَلَمِ الفَرْدِ بالمُنْحنى

Turn aside your mount for me once

toward the solitary landmark at the bend.

وحَيِّ مِن الحَيِّ مَن عندَه

فؤادي أسيرٌ ولا يْفْتَدى

And greet, among the tribe, the one who holds

my heart captive, with no ransom.

مضَى العُمْرُ أجمعه في البِعادِ

فَموْعُدَنا للتّداني متى

My whole lifetime has passed in separation;

so when is our appointed time to draw near?

ولم يُبْقِِ مُفتَرقُ الظّاعني

نَ باقيةً فِيّ للملْتقى

The parting of those who journeyed away has left

nothing remaining in me for a reunion.

فأهْدِ ولو رَدّةً للسلامِ

وأَوْلِ ولو زَوْرةً في الكرَى

Then send me even a greeting in reply,

and grant me even a visit in sleep.

عَذيرِيَ من شادنٍ عَهدُهُ

قضى بالصّبابةِ لي وانقضَى

Who will defend me against a young gazelle whose pledge

decreed longing for me, then expired?

يُعَذِّبُ أحبابه ظالماً

وما ذا على غادرٍ لو وَفى

He torments his lovers unjustly;

what would it cost a faithless man to keep faith?

وحَلَّ الغضا فهْو في نارِهِ

إذا شاءيُضرِم لي في الحشا

He dwells among the ghada trees, and their fire

he kindles in my breast whenever he wishes.

ولم يتَعلّمْ سوىالهجرِ قط

فلو شاء وَ صْلَ فتىً مادَرى

He has never learned anything but estrangement;

were he to wish to unite with a young man, he would not know how.

فَدَى سحْرَ عينيْك ظبيُ الصّريمِ

وغُرّةَ وجهك شمسُ الضُّحى

May the thicket's gazelle be a ransom for your eyes' enchantment,

and the forenoon sun for your face's radiance.

ولو لم تكنْ أنت نَفْسي هوىً

جعلْتُ إذَنْ لك نَفْسي فِدى

Were you not my very soul in love,

I would then make my soul your ransom.

وكم مَوعدٍ بات طَرْفي عليه

لَطيْفِك مُرتَقباً لو سَرى

How many a tryst has kept my eye awake,

watching for your phantom, should it come by night!

وليلٍ تَسربَلْتُ منه الجديدَ

إلى أن تَمزَّقَ عنّى بِلى

And how many a night have I put on as a new robe,

until it tore away from me, worn out!

فلم يَعرَ خَدّي من الدّمعِ فيه

ولا ناظري بالجفونِ اكتسى

My cheek was never bare of tears in it,

nor was my eye clothed in its lids.

تَذكّرتُ عهدَ الحمى فاستَهل

فللّهِ ذِكريَ عهْدَ الحِمى

I recalled the days at the protected grounds, and tears streamed;

God be praised for my remembrance of those days at the protected grounds!

ولم يعُدِ الصُّبْحُ لكنّني

غَسلْتُ بدَمْعيَ ثوبَ الدُّجى

Dawn had not returned; rather, I

had washed the robe of darkness with my tears.

وفتّانةٍ سلَبتْني الفؤادَ

بعَيْنٍ لها سلَبْتها المَها

And many an enchantress has robbed me of my heart

with an eye she had stolen from the oryx,

كما يَنتضِي سيفَه غاضبٌ

وأوّلُ ما غَضِب المُنتضى

as an angry man unsheathes his sword—

and the first to rage is the unsheathed blade.

تَمَنّيتُ عَودةَ أيامِها

وهل راجعٌ زمَنٌ قد مضى

I wished for her days to return;

but can a time that has passed return?

نظرتُ إلى أخْرَياتِ الشّبابِ

وقد كاد أن يتَناهَى المَدى

I looked toward the last days of youth,

when its span was almost at an end.

وعهدُ التّصابي كأنّي به

يَمُرُّ كما مَرَّ عهدُ الصِّبا

And the season of playing at youth—I seem to see it

passing as the days of youth once passed.

أقولُ لرَكْبٍ غَدَوا مُعرِقينَ

على العيسِ نافخةٌ في البُرى

I say to riders who set out toward Iraq,

on pale camels snorting through their nose-rings:

قِفوا لي أُسايرْكُمُ وَقْفَة

فَعَنْسيَ مرحولةٌ للنّوى

Halt for me, so I may travel beside you awhile;

my sturdy she-camel is saddled for departure.

وضُمُّوا إليكم صغيراً كما

بَنو النّعْشِ يَستصحبونَ السُّها

And take a little one along with you, just as

Banu al-Na'sh take al-Suha along.

وإنْ طَوَّفوا حولَ قُطْبِ السّماءِ

فَسِيروا نطُفْ حولَ قٌطْبِ العُلا

And if they circle the pole of heaven,

then journey on: let us circle the pole of exalted rank.

وما هو إلاّ حريمُ الإمام

فقد ظَلَّ مَقْصدَ كُلِ الورى

That is none other than the imam's sacred precinct,

which has become the destination of all mankind.

فلمّا أملْنا إليه الرِّكابَ

مُواصلةً سَيْرَها بالسرى

When we turned our mounts toward him,

keeping them moving with journeys through the night,

ذَرَعْنَ بنا البِيدَ ذَرْعَ الرِّداءِ

بأيدٍ سريعةِ رجَعِ الخُطا

they measured out the deserts with us as one measures a robe,

on forelegs swiftly repeating their strides.

فلمّا بدا من سوادِ العراقِ

لأعيُنهنَّ بَياضُ الصَّوى

When, from the dark cultivated plains of Iraq, appeared

the whiteness of the waymarks before their eyes,

وغَنّى الحُداةُ وراء المَطِي

وقالوا وصلْتَ فماذا تَرى

and the camel-drivers sang behind the mounts,

and said, 'You have arrived—what do you see?'

تَنَفّسَ في الجَوِّريحَ الجَنوبِ

بُكوراً معَ الصُّبْح لمّا بَدا

A south wind breathed through the air

early, with the dawn, as it appeared,

بناشئةٍ من رقيقِِ الغَمامِ

بها الأفْقُ عند الصّباح احتَبى

with a rising bank of delicate cloud,

in which the horizon wrapped itself at daybreak.

فلم تُطْرفِ العين حتّى استطار

سَناها وحتّى استدارَالرَّحا

The eye had not blinked before there spread

its radiance, and the millstone wheeled round.

وراقَ العيونَ لها عارِضٌ

إذا ضَحِك البرق فيه بكَى

Its rain-cloud delighted the eyes:

when lightning laughed within it, it wept.

فظَلَّ كأنَّ ارتقاصَ القِطارِ

بوَجْهِ الصّعيدِ افْتِحاصُ القَطا

And all the while the dancing of the raindrops seemed

on the earth's face like the scratching of sandgrouse.

وحارَ له الرَّكبُ فوقَ الرَكابِ

وقد أصبحَ السّيل ُ مِلءَ المَلا

The riders were bewildered by it upon their mounts,

with the flood now filling the open expanse.

فقلتُ وقد حالَ دونَ المَسيرِ

ألا ما أقَلَّ حياءَ الحيا

I said, when it had blocked our journey,

'Ah, how little modesty the rain has!

ألم تَدْرِياغيثُأم قد درَيْتَ

بأنّا وفودُ إمامِ الهُدى

Did you not know, O rain—or did you know—

that we are delegations to the imam of guidance?

نسيرُ إلى ابْنِ الّذي أطلقَتْكَ

يَداهُ لدى المَحْلِ لمّا دَعا

We journey to the son of him who released you

by his hands in the drought, when he prayed.

رأى زمَناً حبسَ اللهُ في

ه قَطْر الغمامِ بما قد جَنى

He witnessed an age in which God withheld

the clouds' rain for the wrongs it had done,

على حينَ ضَجّتْ بلادُ الحِجازِ

إلى رَبِّها ضَجّةً من ظَما

when the lands of the Hijaz cried out

to their Lord with a cry of thirst.

فقام إلى القطْرِ فافتكَّهُ

من الأَسْرِ صِنْوُ أبى المُصطَفى

Then he rose to the rain and freed it

from captivity—the brother of the Chosen One's father—

بأنْ يَلِيَ الأرضَ أبناؤه

إلى الحَشْرِ يَرْوونَها بالنّدى

so that his sons might govern the earth

until the Resurrection, watering it with bounty.

فما الغيثُ مثْلَكَ في شِيمةٍ

ولكنّه عَبْدُك المُفْتَدى

The rain is not your equal in character;

rather, it is your ransomed slave.

وما يَنْزِلُ الغيثُ إلا لأنْ

يُقَبِلَ بين يَديْك الثّرى

Rain descends for no other reason than

to kiss the dust in your presence.'

فللّهِ دولةُ مُستَخلَفٍ

به راحَ مسظهِراً واغتَدى

God be praised for the reign of a caliph,

through whom strength is found at evening and morning.

غدا الدّينُ والملكُ في ظِلِّه

وكُلٌّ مَنيعٍ رفيعٌ الذُرا

Faith and kingship thrive beneath his shade,

each impregnable, its heights exalted,

يُشافُ ويُشْفَى بآرائه

إذا مَسّه صَدأُ أو صَدى

polished and healed by his judgments

if rust or thirst should touch it.

أعارَ الاعاديَ هاماً متى

أبَوا شُكْرَهُ ارتجعَتْها الظُّبى

He lent his enemies their heads; whenever

they refused to thank him, the sword-blades reclaimed them.

وأعطَتتْ زكاةَ النّدَى كفُّه

فنالَتْ يَدُ البحر منها الغِنى

His palm paid the alms-tax of generosity,

and the sea's hand gained wealth from it.

وأُقسِمُ ما مثْلُه في السّخا

ءِ إلا زمانٌ به قد سَخا

I swear that none equals him in generosity

except the age that bestowed him so generously.

وَلاؤك أوفَى أبٍ لامْرىءٍ

فَخاراً إذا ما إليه اعتَزى

Allegiance to you is a man's truest father,

a source of pride when he traces his lineage to it.

وما جعل الدّهْرَ صَعْبَ الإباءِ

سوى أنَّه بذُراكَ احتمى

Nothing has made Time so stubborn in its defiance

but that it has taken refuge in your heights.

وما جاد بالطّبعِ كفُّ السحا

بِ بلْ بمِثالِ يدَيْكَ احتذى

The clouds' hand did not give generously by nature;

rather, it followed the example of your two hands.

فلله مَلْكٌ بكِلْتا يدَيْهِ

يُحيِي الهُدَى حينَ يُردي العِدا

God be praised for a king who, with both his hands,

gives life to guidance as he deals death to foes!

كإلْفِ مَواهبِه للأكُفْ

ف إلْفُ قَواضبِه للطُلى

As his gifts are familiar to palms,

so are his cutting swords familiar to necks.

فلو ضافَه كُلُّ وَحْشِ الفلاة

تَكَفّلَ صَمصامُه بالقِرى

If every wild beast of the desert came to him as a guest,

his keen sword would provide the feast.

ولو قَلَستْ سُمْرُه ما احتسَتْ

بَلغْنَ سُيولُ الدماء الزُّبى

If his brown spears vomited what they had drunk,

torrents of blood would reach the high mounds.

ولو وَرِثَ النّسرُ عُمْرَ القتيلِ

لما حَلّ بالفُتْخ صرْفُ الرَّدى

If the vulture inherited the slain man's lifespan,

no stroke of death would befall the broad-winged birds.

فأجدِرْ بنوركَ أن يُستضاءَ

وأكبَرْ بنارِك أن تُصطلَى

How worthy your light is to be sought for illumination,

and how mighty your fire is to warm oneself by!

بأدنَى الرِضا منك مَن يَرتجيك

ينالُ من الدَّهرِ فوقَ الرِضا

With the slightest favor from you, whoever hopes in you

wins from Time more than he could wish.

وما برِحَتْ بالوفود المَطِيْ

يُ تَفْلِي إليك نواصي الفَلا

The mounts have never ceased, bearing delegations,

to comb toward you the forelocks of the deserts.

حَملْنَ إليْك جميل الثّناء

وَيحمِلْنَ عنك جزيلَ اللُّها

They have carried to you beautiful praise,

and carry back from you lavish gifts.

وقد كادَ يَعْيا على النّاطقينَ

إلى مَدْحِ مثْلِكَ أن يُهتدَى

Speakers have almost found themselves unable

to find a way to praise one such as you.

فَعلّتَ بنا بمعاني عُلا

كَ كيفَ الثّناءُ على مَنْ عَلا

You have done this to us through your lofty qualities—

how can one praise someone so exalted?

هلِ العِلْمُ شَيءٌ سوى ما وَرِثْتَ

ومَن قال غيرَ مَقالي اعتدَى

Is knowledge anything but what you inherited?

Whoever says other than I say transgresses.

أما نشأ الوحيُ في بيِتكم

فهل سرّه لسِواكُم فَشا

Did revelation not arise in your household?

Has its secret spread to anyone but you?

ألم يَرَ جِبريلَ عند النّبِيّ

بِهْيئتهِ الحَبْرُ لَمّا هَوى

Did not the learned scholar see Gabriel beside the Prophet,

in his own form, when he descended?

أما قالَ فَقِّهْهُ في الدّينِ رَبّ

وعلّمْهُ تأويلَه المُبتَغى

Did he not say, 'Lord, give him understanding of religion,

and teach him its desired interpretation'?

أيُرتابُ أنّ دُعاءَ الرّسولِ

به حقَّق اللهُ ما قد رَجا

Can it be doubted that, through the Messenger's prayer,

God fulfilled what he had hoped for?

أخصَّ سِواهُ بعِلْمِ الكتاب

كما خَصَّ كُلاً بما قد رأى

Did he single out anyone else for knowledge of the Book,

as he favored each with what he saw fit?

أما كّلُّ شيءٍ بهذا الكِتا

ب ما فرط الله فيما حوى

Is not everything in this Book?

God omitted nothing from what it contains.

وجدكم ترجمان الكتاب

فهل فوق ذلك من مُرتقى

And your forefather is the interpreter of the Book;

is there any higher station than that?

وهل باطِنٌ بعد هذا العُمو

مِ باق فُيكشَفَ عنه تُرى

And after this all-embracing scope, is any hidden meaning

left to be uncovered, do you suppose?

سوى أنَّه مَرقَتْ فرقةٌ

من الدّينِ حين هَوتْ في الهوى

Except that a faction broke away

from religion when it fell into desire,

لتَشْرعَ دِيناً بلَهْوِ الحديثِ

فأولى لها لو نَهاها النُّهى

to institute a religion of idle tales;

how much better for it had reason held it back!

بدا الحقُّ يفترُّ للناظرين

فمالُوا إلى باطلٍ يُفْترى

Truth appeared, smiling before those who looked,

yet they turned toward a fabricated falsehood.

وما بحثوا عن هُدىً للنفوسِ

ولكنّهم بحثُوا عن مُدى

They did not search for guidance for souls,

but searched for knives.

وكم مُحَنقٍ من ولائي لكم

يَراني فيُطرَفُ بي من قلى

How many a man, enraged by my allegiance to you,

sees me, and his eyes smart at my sight from hatred!

وعِبْءٌ على جَفْنِ عينِ الجَهولِ

لِقاءُ أخى العلم مهما رأى

It is a burden upon the eyelid of the ignorant man's eye

to meet a man of learning, whenever he sees him.

سَلوا إن جَهِلتُم فإنّ السّؤا

ل يجلو عن النّاظرينَ العَمى

Ask, if you do not know, for questioning

clears blindness from the eyes of those who look.

أكانَ النّبِيُّ وراء السُّجو

ف يرمُز بالدّين لمّا أتى

Was the Prophet behind curtains,

hinting at religion when he came,

ويأخُذُ أَخْذَ المُريبِ العُهودَ

بكَتْمِ العقيدةِ إذ تُبتلَى

and taking pledges as one who arouses suspicion does,

to conceal the creed when it is tested?

أمِ الحَقُّ أبلَجُ مِثْلُ الصّباحِ

من مُبتداً وإلى مُنتَهى

Or was truth clear as the morning,

from its beginning to its end?

دعا الخَلْقَ دَعْوتَه ظاهراً

وليس سوى الله من مُتّقى

He called mankind to his message openly,

with none to be feared but God.

وطاف بها عارضاً نفسَه

على كُلِّ حيٍّ نأى أو دَنا

He went about with it, offering himself

to every tribe, far or near.

يُنادي بها مِلْءَ أذْنِ القَريبِ

ويُوصِي بتَبليغ مَن قد نأى

He proclaimed it to fill the nearby listener's ear,

and enjoined its delivery to those far away.

كذا عُهِدَ الشّرْعُ في بَدْئه

وما عُهِدَ الدهرَ إلاّ كَذا

Thus was religious law known at its beginning,

and through all time it has been known only thus.

إليك ابنَ ساقِي الحجيجِ الذي

به الله للخَلْق طُرّاً سقَى

To you, son of the pilgrims' water-giver,

through whom God gave drink to all creation,

دعاني الوَلاءُ وما زلتُ من

ه مُستَمْسِكاً بوَثيق العُرا

allegiance called me, and I have always

held fast to its steadfast bonds.

وما قلتُ من كلِمٍ تُستَجاَ

د صِدْقاً ومن مِدّحٍ تُرتَضى

And all the words I spoke, prized

as truthful, and all the praises deemed pleasing,

من الدُّررِ الرّائقاتِ الّتي

خلِقْنَ لجِيد المعالي حُلى

are among the lustrous pearls that

were made as ornaments for the neck of lofty deeds:

سَوائغَ كالماء لكنّها

بمَسْلَكِ أنفاسِ قومٍ شَجا

easy to swallow as water, yet

a choking bone in some men's airways;

سَوائرَ تَزهَرُ مثْلَ النُّجومِ

يَنالُ بها طالبٌ ما ابتغَى

travelling far, shining like stars,

by which a seeker attains what he desires.

فإن لم يكُنَّ نجومَ الدُّجَى

فما هُنّ إلا نجومُ الحِجا

If they are not the stars of darkness,

then they are nothing but the stars of reason.

فدُمْ للنّدى ما جرَى للرَّيا

ض في حَدَقِ النَّورِ دَمْعُ النَّدى

So live on for bounty, as long as in the gardens

tears of dew flow in the eyes of blossoms.

تَضوَّعُ مِسكاً مُتونُ البلاد

إذا ذِكْرُ مُلْككَ يوماً جَرى

The lands' broad backs exhale musk

whenever mention of your sovereignty passes through them.

فعَدْلُك أحسنُ حَلْيَ الزّمانِ

وحبُّكَ أنفَسُ ذُخْر الفتى

Your justice is Time's loveliest adornment,

and love of you a young man's most precious treasure.