Sol 6.1

  1. خُذا مِن بُكاءٍ في المَنازِلِ أَو دَعا

    وَروحا عَلى لَومي بِهِنَّ أَوَ اَربَعا

    Take your share of weeping at the dwellings, or leave it;

    and go on reproaching me there, or hold back.

  2. فَما أَنا بِالمُشتاقِ إِن قُلتُ أَسعِدا

    لِنَندُبَ مَغنىً مِن سُعادَ وَمَربَعا

    For I am no true lover if I say, 'You two, help me

    so we may mourn Suʿad's dwelling and springtime camp.'

  3. وَلي لَوعَةٌ تَستَغرِقُ الهَجرَ وَالنَوى

    جَميعاً وَدَمعٌ يُنفِدُ الحُبَّ أَجمَعا

    I have an anguish that engulfs estrangement and distance

    altogether, and tears that exhaust all love.

  4. عَلى أَنَّ قَلبي قَد تَصَدَّعَ شَملُهُ

    فُنوناً لِشَملِ البيضِ حينَ تَصَدَّعا

    Yet my heart's unity has already shattered

    into many fragments, as the fair women's company dispersed.

  5. ظَعائِنُ أَظعَنَّ الكَرى عَن جُفونِنا

    وَعَوَّضنَها مِنهُ سُهاداً وَأَدمُعا

    Women in litters drove slumber from our eyelids

    and gave them sleeplessness and tears in its stead.

  6. نَوَينَ النَوى ثُمَّ اِستَجَبنَ لِهاتِفٍ

    مِنَ البَينِ نادى بِالفِراقِ فَأَسمَعا

    They resolved on departure, then answered a caller

    of separation who called for parting and made himself heard.

  7. وَحاوَلنَ كِتمانَ التَرَحُّلِ بِالدُجى

    فَنَمَّ بِهِنَّ المِسكُ حينَ تَضَوَّعا

    They sought to hide their departure in night's darkness,

    but the musk betrayed them as its fragrance spread.

  8. أَمولَعَةً بِالبَينِ رُبَّ تَفَرُّقٍ

    جَرَحتِ بِهِ قَلباً بِحُبِّكِ مولَعا

    O woman enamored of parting, many a separation

    has seen you wound a heart enthralled by love for you.

  9. وَمِن عاثِرٍ بِالشَيبِ ضاعَفَ وَجدَهُ

    عَلى وَجدِهِ أَن لَم تَقولي لَهُ لَعا

    And many a man tripped by gray hair had grief heaped

    upon his grief because you did not tell him, 'May you recover!'

  10. فَأَثقِل عَلَينا بِالمَشيبِ مُسَلِّماً

    وَأَحبِب إِلَينا بِالشَبابِ مُوَدِّعا

    How burdensome to us is gray hair as it greets us,

    and how dear to us is youth as it bids farewell!

  11. أَلَم تَرَيا البَرقَ اليَمانِيَّ مُصلَتاً

    يُضيءُ لَنا مِن نَحوِ يَبرينَ أَجرَعا

    Have you two not seen the Yemeni lightning, unsheathed,

    lighting a sandy plain for us toward Yabrin?

  12. تَرَفَّعَ حَتّى لَم أُرِد حينَ شِمتُهُ

    مِنَ الجانِبِ الغَربِيِّ أَن أَتَرَفَّعا

    It rose so high that, when I watched it

    from the western side, I did not wish to climb higher.

  13. فَكَم بَلقَعٍ مِن دونِهِ سَوفَ تَقتَري

    إِلى طَيِّهِ العَنسُ العَلَنداةُ بَلقَعا

    For many a waste short of it will be followed,

    as the sturdy, mighty she-camel crosses it, by another waste.

  14. إِلى آلِ قَيسِ بنِ الحُصَينِ وَلَم تَكُن

    لِتَبلُغَهُم إِلّا فَقاراً وَأَضلُعا

    Toward the house of Qays ibn al-Ḥuṣayn; she could not

    reach them except as vertebrae and ribs.

  15. فَلا بُدَّ مِن نَجرانِ تَثليثَ إِن نَأَوا

    وَإِن قَرُبوا شَيئاً فَنَجرانِ لَعلَعا

    There is no avoiding Najran of Tathlith if they are far away,

    and if they draw somewhat nearer, Najran of Laʿlaʿ.

  16. مُلوكٌ إِذا اِلتَفَّت عَلَيهِم مُلِمَّةٌ

    رَأَيتُهُمُ فيها أَضَرَّ وَأَنفَعا

    Kings: when a calamity closes around them,

    I have found them in its midst most deadly and most helpful.

  17. هُمُ ثَأَروا الأُخدودَ لَيلَةَ أَغرَقَت

    رِماحُهُمُ في لُجَّةِ البَحرِ تُبَّعا

    They avenged the Trench on the night

    their spears drowned Tubbaʿ in the depths of the sea.

  18. صَناديدُ يَلقَونَ الأَسِنَّةَ حُسَّراً

    رِجالاً وَيَخشَونَ المَذَلَّةَ دُرَّعا

    Champions who meet spearheads bareheaded,

    on foot, yet fear humiliation even clad in mail.

  19. إِذا اِرتَفَعوا في هَضبَةٍ وَجَدوا أَبا

    عَلِيِّهِمِ أَعلى مَكاناً وَأَرفَعا

    When they ascend a height, they find their Abu

    ʿAli higher in station and loftier still,

  20. وَأَقرَبَ في فَرطِ التَكَرُّمِ نائِلاً

    وَأَبعَدَ في أَرضِ المَكارِمِ مَوقِعا

    and nearer in bounty through his abundant generosity,

    and farther-reaching in the land of noble deeds.

  21. قَفا سُنَّةَ الدَيّانِ مَجداً وَسُؤدُداً

    وَلَم يَرضَ حَتّى زادَ فيها وَأَبدَعا

    He followed al-Dayyan's path in glory and lordship,

    and was not content until he added to it and wrought something new.

  22. لَمَرَّ عَلَينا غَيمُهُ وَهوَ مُثقَلٌ

    فَعَرَّجَ فينا وَبلُهُ وَتَصَرَّعا

    His cloud indeed passed over us, heavy-laden,

    and its downpour turned aside to us and fell headlong.

  23. وَسيلَ فَأَعطى كُلَّ شَيءٍ وَلَم يُسَل

    لِكَثرَةِ جَدوى أَمسِهِ فَتَبَرَّعا

    Asked, he gave everything; unasked—

    so abundant was yesterday's bounty—he gave unbidden.

  24. جَوادٌ يَرى أَنَّ الفَضيلَةَ لَم تَكُن

    تَجوزُ بِهِ الغاياتِ أَو يَتَطَوَّعا

    A generous man who believes that virtue cannot

    carry him past the farthest goals unless he gives unbidden.

  25. فَلَو كانَتِ الدُنيا يَرُدُّ عِنانَها

    عَلَيهِ النَدى خِلنا نَداهُ تَصَنُّعا

    Were the world's reins to be turned

    toward him by generosity, we would deem his giving mere pretense.

  26. أَصابَ شَذاةَ الحادِثِ النُكرِ إِذ رَمى

    وَأَدرَكَ مَسعاةَ الحُصَينَينِ إِذ سَعى

    He struck grim calamity's sharp edge when he shot,

    and matched the two Ḥuṣayns' noble striving when he strove.

  27. كَريمٌ تَنالُ الراحُ مِنهُ إِذا سَرَت

    وَيُعجِلُهُ داعي التَصابي إِذا دَعا

    A noble man whom wine takes hold of when it courses,

    and whom the call of youthful dalliance spurs whenever it sounds.

  28. وَأَبيَضُ وَضّاحٌ إِذا ما تَغَيَّمَت

    يَداهُ تَجَلّى وَجهُهُ فَتَقَشَّعا

    And fair and radiant: whenever clouds gather

    over his hands, his face shines forth and clears.

  29. تَرى وَلَعَ السُؤالِ يَكسو جَبينَهُ

    إِذا قَطَّبَ المَسئولُ بِشراً مُوَلَّعا

    You see the petitioners' eagerness clothe his brow—

    when others petitioned frown—with many-colored joy.

  30. تَخَلَّفَ شَيئاً في رَوِيَّةِ حِلمِهِ

    وَحَنَّ إِلَينا بَذلُهُ فَتَسَرَّعا

    He lingered a little in the deliberation of his calm judgment,

    but his bounty yearned for us and hurried ahead,

  31. تَغَطرُسَ جودٍ لَم يُكَلِّفهُ وَقفَةً

    فَيَختارُ فيها لِلصَنيعَةِ مَوضِعا

    with the proud assurance of generosity that never made him pause

    to choose, in that pause, a place for his benefaction.

  32. خَلائِقُ لَولاهُنَّ لَم تَلقَ لِلعُلا

    جِماعاً وَلا لِلسُؤدُدِ النَثرِ مَجمَعا

    Qualities without which you would find for greatness

    no unifying whole, nor for scattered lordship a gathering place.

  33. سَعيدِيَّةٌ وَهبِيَّةٌ حَسَنِيَّةٌ

    هِيَ الحُسنُ مَرأىً وَالمَحاسِنُ مَسمَعا

    Of Saʿid, Wahb, and Ḥasan—

    they are beauty to the eye and virtues to the ear.

  34. فَلا جودَ إِلّا جودُهُ أَو كَجودِهِ

    وَلا بَدرَ مالَم يوفِ عَشراً وَأَربَعا

    No generosity exists but his, or generosity like his,

    nor a full moon until it has completed ten nights and four.

  35. عَدَدتُ فَلَم أُدرِك لِفَضلِكَ غايَةً

    وَهَل يُدرِكُ السارونَ لِلشَمسِ مَطلَعا

    I counted, yet found no limit to your excellence;

    can night travelers reach the sun's rising place?

  36. وَما كُنتُ في وَصفيكَ إِلّا كَمُغتَدٍ

    يَقيسُ قَرا الأَرضِ العَريضَةِ أَذرُعا

    And in describing you, I was only like an early traveler

    measuring the broad earth's back in cubits.

  37. وَلي غَرسُ وُدٍّ في ذَراكَ تَتابَعَت

    لَهُ حِجَجٌ خُضرٌ فَأَثَّ وَأَينَعا

    I have a planting of affection in your shelter; in succession

    green years have passed over it, so it grew luxuriant and ripened.

  38. وَكُنتَ شَفيعي ثُمَّ عادَت عَوائِدٌ

    مِنَ الدَهرِ آلَت بِالشَفيعِ مُشَفَّعا

    You were my intercessor; then changes came round

    from time, making the intercessor one whose intercession was accepted.

  39. رَدَدتَ مُدى الأَيّامِ مَثنىً وَمَوحَداً

    وَقَد وَرَدَت مِنّي وَريداً وَأَخدَعا

    You drove back time's knives, in pairs and singly,

    although they had already reached my jugular and neck-vein.