إن أقمر الليل للسارين في حضن — Alarjani

إنْ أقمرَ اللَّيلُ للسّارينَ في حَضَنِ

فلْيَعلَمِ الرَّكْبُ أنّ البدْرَ في الظُّعُنِ

If the night becomes moonlit for travelers in Hadan,

Let the riders know that the full moon is in the departing caravan.

ليس ابْنُ مُزْنةَ في عيني فأرمُقَهُ

ولا المُقنَّعُ في صَحبي فيَسْحرَني

It is not Ibn Muzna before my eyes, that I should gaze at him,

Nor is al-Muqanna among my companions, that he should enchant me.

وإنّما طلعَتْ واللّيلُ مُعتكِرٌ

من خِدْرِها بالفلا لَيْلَى لِتَفْتِنَني

Rather, while the night was thick with darkness, there rose

From her curtained chamber in the wilderness Layla, to bewitch me.

ما لِلَّذينَ سَرَتْ لَيْلاً حُمولُهمُ

ساروا ولم يُشْرجوا عَيْني على وَسَن

What ails those whose laden camels traveled by night?

They departed without lacing my eye shut upon slumber.

قد حَلَّلوا من عُراها فهْيَ ناثِرةٌ

لِلُؤْلُؤٍ منْذُ غابَ الحَيُّ لم يُصَن

They loosened its ties, and now it scatters

Pearls left unguarded since the clan disappeared.

باتَتْ جُفوني وراء الظّاعِنِينَ به

كأنّما فُتِّقَتْ عن وابلٍ هَتِن

My eyelids spent the night behind the departing ones, shedding those pearls,

As though split open to release an unceasing downpour.

كم من قِطارٍ لها خلْفَ القطِارِ لهمْ

تَسْتَنُّ والعِيسُ والحادي على سَنَن

How many trains of drops they have behind the travelers' train,

Racing onward, while the pale camels and their driver keep their course!

أجْرَى دموعي وحتّى اليومَ مارقأَتْ

سِرٌّ به الإلْفُ لمّا سارَ حَدَّثني

What set my tears flowing—they have not ceased to this day—

Was a secret my beloved told me at parting.

كأنّما خرَقتْ كفُّ الوَداعِ إلى

عَيْني طريقاً لِذاكَ الدُّرِّ من أُذُني

It is as though farewell's hand had pierced a path to

My eye for those pearls, from my ear.

قد قُلْتُ للنّاسِ لَمّا أنْ قَضْوا عَجَباً

أنْ لم أمُتْ بعدَ إلْفي حينَ ودَّعني

I said to the people, when they marveled

That I had not died after my beloved bade me farewell:

هُمْ في فؤادي ويَبْقَى للفتَى رَمَقٌ

ما دامتِ الرُّوحُ في جُزْءٍ منَ البَدَن

They are in my heart, and a man retains a breath of life

So long as his soul remains in any part of his body.

لولا هِلاليّةٌ هام الفؤادُ بها

لم أُمسِ بعدَ رحيلِ الحَيِّ ذا شَجَن

Were it not for a woman of Hilal, with whom my heart is madly in love,

I would not, after the clan's departure, be full of sorrow.

تُعزَى بمُنْتَسبٍ منها ومُنْتقَبٍ

إلى هِلالَيْنِ كُلٌّ مُضْرِمُ الفِتَن

Through her lineage and her veiled face, she is traced

To two crescents, each kindling temptation.

فلَيْتَهُ لم يَبِنْ ذلك الهلالُ لنا

أوْ لَيْتَهُ بعدَ أن قد بانَ لم يَبِن

If only that crescent had never appeared to us,

Or, having appeared, had never departed.

إجمَعْ بجُهْدِكَ شَمْلَ القومِ تَصْحَبُهمْ

ما دام دَهْرُكَ بالتَّفريقِ ليس يَني

Gather the people together with all your effort, to keep their company,

So long as your time never wearies of scattering them.

واجْعَلْ بماء ندىً تَجري يَداكَ به

رِداءَ عِرضكَ مَرْحوضاً من الدَّرَن

And with the water of bounty flowing from your hands, make

The cloak of your honor washed clean of stains.

وافْخَرْ بمَغْناكَ في الدُّنيا وكنْ رَجلاً

إنْ شئْتَ من مُضَرٍ أو شئتَ من يَمَن

Take pride in your abode in this world, and be a man,

Whether you choose to be of Mudar or of Yemen.

بيتُ العَلاء كبيتِ الشِّعرِ صاحبُه

إنْ لم يَزِنْه بإحسانٍ له يَشِن

A house of nobility is like a line of verse: its owner,

If he does not measure it with good deeds, brings it shame.

بَيْتانِ يُكسِبُ كلٌّ منهما شَرَفاً

بقَدْرِ ما فيه من مَعْنىً عليه بُنِي

Each of these two houses confers honor

In proportion to the meaning within it upon which it is built.

إنّي امْرؤٌ أضَعُ الأقوالَ مَوْضعَها

فإنْ أرابكَ منّي ذاك فامْتَحِن

I am a man who puts words in their proper place;

If that claim of mine gives you doubts, put me to the test.

مَظِنَّتي حيثُ حَلَّ العِزُّ حُبْوتَه

والذُّلُّ لم أرهُ يوماً ولم يَرَني

My place is where honor has loosened its sitting-band;

As for humiliation, I have never seen it, nor has it seen me.

ولا تَرَى مِدْحتي كُفْؤاً إذا نُظِرَتْ

إلاّ إذا أصبحَتْ تُجْلَى على حَسَن

Nor, when appraised, will you find my praise a fitting match

Unless it is unveiled before Hasan.

أعنْي الإمامَ ابْنَ سَلْمانَ الَّذي طلعَتْ

عُلياهُ شادِخةً في بُهْمَةِ الزَّمَن

I mean the imam, Ibn Salman, whose

Lofty glory rose, blazing white in the darkness of the age.

إذا مدَحْنا جمالَ الدّينِ أطْرَبنا

إهداءُ مَدْحٍ له بالصِّدْقِ مُقْتَرِن

When we praise Jamal al-Din, we are delighted

By presenting him with praise joined to truth.

قاضي قُضاةِ بلادٍ قد أُتيحَ لها

منه مُقيمُ فُروضِ المَجْدِ والسُّنَن

Chief judge of a land that has been granted

In him an upholder of glory's duties and sacred traditions.

مُهَذَّبٌ وُقيَتْ فينا خلائقُه

من شائبِ الوَصْمَتيْنِ البُخلِ والجُبُن

A refined man, whose character among us has been guarded

From the taint of those two blemishes, avarice and cowardice.

يُمناهُ واليُمْنُ إن لاقَيْتَهُ وكذا

يُسراهُ واليُسْرُ مَقْرونانِ في قَرَن

His right hand and good fortune, if you meet him, and likewise

His left hand and ease, are paired in a single bond.

في كلِّ رَجْعةِ طَرْفٍ منه من كَرمٍ

إنجادُ ألْفِ فتىً بالدّهرِ مُمْتَحَن

In every return of his glance, generosity brings

Aid to a thousand young men tried by time.

إن قاسَ سَدَّدَ نحْوَ الحقِّ نَظْرتَه

أَو ساس أصبح لم يَخْشُنْ ولم يَلِن

If he reasons by analogy, he directs his scrutiny toward truth;

Or if he governs, he is neither harsh nor soft.

المَلْكُ كالعَبْدِ إنْصافاً إذا اخْتَصما

لدَيهِ في حادثٍ والعِيُّ كاللَّسَن

King and slave are equal in justice when they dispute

Before him over a case; the tongue-tied equals the eloquent.

يُدني مُحِقّاً ويُقْصي مُبْطِلاً أبداً

فهكذا مَن يُعينُ الدّينَ فَلْيُعَن

He brings the rightful claimant close and always keeps the false one far;

Thus let whoever aids religion be aided.

كأنّ أقلامَه المُصماةَ إذ طَعنَتْ

في ثُغرةِ الخَطْبِ أطرافُ القنا اللُّدُن

It is as if his solid pens, when they thrust

Into calamity's throat, were the tips of supple spears.

مِثْلُ السّهامِ نَفاذاً في مَقاصدِها

لكنَّهنَّ على الإسلامِ كالجُنَن

They pierce their targets like arrows,

Yet over Islam they are like shields.

تَجِلُّ عن زُخْرُفِ الدُّنْيا فلو أُمرَتْ

بكَتْبِ سَطْرٍ لغَيرِ الدِّينِ لم تَدِن

They rise above this world's glitter; were they ordered

To write one line for anything but religion, they would not obey.

إليكَ تَرْجِعُ حُكّامُ البِلادِ إذا

ما أشكَل الأمرُ عند الحازمِ الفَطِن

The country's judges turn to you when

A matter puzzles even the resolute, discerning man.

كأنّك الشَّمسُ للدُّنْيا إذا طلعَتْ

تقاسمَ النُّورَ منها ساكنو المُدُن

You are like the sun for the world: when it rises,

The inhabitants of cities share its light.

كأنّما أنت بيتُ اللهِ بينهُمُ

فوجْهُ كلِّ امرئٍ منهمْ إلى رُكُن

You are as though God's House among them,

And each one's face turns toward a corner of it.

فَلْيَهْنِ أعمالَ خُوزِسْتانَ إذ رُزِقَتْ

إقبالَ طَبٍّ بأسرارِ العُلا طَبِن

May the districts of Khuzistan rejoice, for they have been granted

The arrival of an adept, versed in the secrets of eminence.

وِلايةٌ كان من مَيْلٍ إليه بها

ما بالغربيةِ من شَوْقٍ إلى الوطَن

A province whose inclination toward him

Matched the western woman's longing for her homeland,

حتّى استقرَّتْ على ذي مِرَّةٍ يَقظٍ

تُقاهُ قِسمانِ من بادٍ ومُكْتَمِن

Until it settled upon a man of strength and vigilance,

Whose piety has two portions: the outward and the hidden.

يُقلِّدُ الشُّغْلَ نُوّاباً وقَلَّدَه

دُرّاً من المَدْحِ أقوامٌ ذوو فِطَن

He invests deputies with office, while he has been garlanded

With pearls of praise by men of discernment.

لكنْ لتَقْليدِنا الغالي من الثَّمَنِ ال

أوفَى وتَقليدهُ الخالي منَ الثّمَن

But our precious garlanding earns a price—the

Fullest—while his appointments are free of payment.

لكَ المدائحُ منّا دائماً ولنا

منكَ المنائحُ تتَرْى يا أخا المِنَن

From us you always have praises, and we have

Gift after gift from you, O giver of favors.

عَمْري لقد أحزنَ الماضي بفَجْعَتهِ

لكنْ بقاؤك أضحَى مُذْهِبَ الحَزَن

By my life, the departed brought grief through his loss,

But your remaining has come to dispel sorrow.

غُصْنانِ من دوحةٍ لمّا ذَوى غُصُنٌ

بعَصْفةٍ للرَّدَى مِلْنا إلى غُصُن

Two branches from a great tree: when one branch withered

In a gust of death, we turned to another branch.

أوهَتْ رزيئةُ هذا منّةً وأَتَتْ

أيّامُ هذا فأهدَتْ قُوّةَ المنَن

The loss of one weakened our strength; then came

The days of the other, bestowing vigor on our powers.

فاسعَدْ بتَوْليةٍ جاءتكَ راكضةً

عَجْلَى الخُطا مثْلَ ركضِ السّابقِ الأَرِن

So rejoice in an appointment that came racing to you,

Swift of step, like the gallop of a spirited front-runner.

أعطاكَها اللهُ عفْواً إذ رآكَ لها

أهلاً وإعطاءُ غيرِ اللهِ غيرُ هَني

God gave it freely to you, deeming you

Worthy of it; a gift from any but God brings no ease.

وبان للصّاحبِ الميمونِ طائرُه

حُسنُ اخْتيارٍ لدينِ اللهِ أعجبَني

And al-Sahib, whose omen is blessed, showed

A fine choice for God's religion that delighted me,

لمّا انْتضَى بكَ سيفَ الرّأي مُنْصلِتاً

على زمانٍ على الأحرار مُصْطَغِن

When, through you, he drew the sword of judgment, unsheathed,

Against an age bearing malice toward noble men.

يا ابْنَ الَّذي طالما قد كان أعجبَه

صفْوُ الولاءِ له منّي وشَرَّفني

O son of him who was long delighted

By my sincere loyalty to him, and who honored me,

نوعانِ وُدّيَ مَوْروثٌ ومُكْتَسَبٌ

لستُ البعيدَ فأبغي مَنْ يُقرِّبُني

My affection has two kinds: inherited and acquired;

I am not an outsider seeking someone to bring me near.

أستغفِرُ اللهَ إلاّ من مديحكمُ

فإنّني فيه لم أكذِبْ ولم أَهُن

I seek God's forgiveness—but not for praising you,

For in that I have neither lied nor demeaned myself.

أقسمتُ جُهداً بما طافَ الحجيجُ به

وما أهلُّوا وما ساقوا منَ البُدُن

I swore a solemn oath by that which the pilgrims circle,

By the invocations they proclaim and the sacrificial camels they drive,

وكُلَّ أروعَ عاري المَنكِبَيْنِ ضُحىً

يَهْوي إليه على رَوعاءَ كالفَدَن

And by every splendid pilgrim, shoulders bare at forenoon,

Hastening toward it on a magnificent she-camel like a palace,

لأشكُرَنَّ الّذي تُوليه من منَنٍ

ما عشتُ شكراً كشُكر الرّوضِ للمُزُن

I shall surely give thanks for the favors you bestow,

As long as I live, as gardens thank the rainclouds.

هذا على أنّه ما إن لديَّ سوى

شكرٍ بسابقِ ما أولَيْتَ مُرْتَهَن

This, although I have nothing but

Gratitude already pledged for what you bestowed before.

إنّي بحبلِك بعدَ اللهِ مُعْتَصمٌ

لدى الإقامةِ منّي أو لدَى الظَّعَن

After God, I cling for protection to your rope,

Whether I stay or journey.

فاسلَمْ لنا يا ابنَ سَلمانٍ سلامةَ ذي

دِينٍ على نَصْرِ أهلِ الدّينِ مُؤْتَمن

So remain safe for us, O Ibn Salman, with the safety of one

Of faith, entrusted with supporting the people of faith.

ودُمْ فأنت الإمامُ ابنُ الإمام لنا

في العِزِّ ما صدحَتْ ورقاءُ في فَنَن

And endure—for you are our imam, the imam's son—

In honor, as long as a gray dove sings on a bough.