دعاه يعج في حبه لمعاجه — Alkadawi

دعاه يعجّ في حبّه لمعاجه

وَيركب إِلى الأهواء رأس محاجهِ

Leave him to cry out in his love [final phrase unclear],

and plunge headfirst along his paths toward desire.

فَإن أَنتما تفقتماه عناقه

تزايدَ وجداً واِنثنى في اِعوجاجهِ

If you two [unclear wording concerning his embrace],

his yearning grows, and he bends back into his crookedness.

فعلّته لو أَنّ عيسى ابن مريم

يُعالجها لَم يشفها بعلاجهِ

For his malady—even if Jesus, son of Mary,

were to treat it, he would not cure it with his treatment.

كئيب دعاهُ الحبُّ حتّى أجابهُ

سريعاً وفي أتباعه لم يلاجهِ

A sorrowful man: Love called him until he answered,

swiftly, and did not contend with him as he followed.

يَنوحُ على الدنيا ويُبدي تَأسّفاً

على أَنّه لم تَنقضي بعض حاجهِ

He laments this world and shows regret

that some of his needs remain unfulfilled.

تَمادى لجاجاً في الغرامِ وَما صَحى

وَما ملّ في الأشواقِ طول لجاجهِ

He persisted stubbornly in passion, never sobering,

and never tired of his long obstinacy in longing.

وأَدلى إِلى ماءِ الأحبّةِ دلوهُ

فَجاءته من سيلِ الرجا بحداجهِ

He lowered his bucket to the water of the beloved,

and it returned laden from the torrent of hope.

أَعاذله مهلاً لَقد شارفه الرّدى

وَفاجأه منَ الأسقامِ ما لم يفاجهِ

O you who blame him, gently! Death has drawn near him,

and illnesses he had never faced have taken him unawares.

وَسرب نعاجٍ خصّني منه العسى

بِأَسهمه في الرمي دون نعاجهِ

And a herd of does—from it, the [unclear] singled me out

with his arrows, aiming at me rather than at his does.

تَناجَت قلوبٌ بيننا وخواطرٌ

بِأهوائنا سرّاً وإِن لم أُناجهِ

Hearts and thoughts whispered between us

secretly of our desires, though I did not whisper to him.

حَكى الغصنَ غصنَ البان هزّ قوامه

نسيمُ الصبا في مَرّهِ واِندراجهِ

He resembled a branch, a ban-tree branch, his figure swayed

by the east wind's breeze as it passed and glided on.

يقلّ قضيباً في كثيبٍ أَقامهُ

منَ الساقِ ما لم تقتصر في اِندماجهِ

He bears a slender bough upon a dune, held upright

by a leg whose firm-knit fullness lacks nothing.

وَيسفر عَن وجهٍ يبرقعه الحيا

حَكى الصبحَ في إِسفارِه واِنبلاجهِ

He unveils a face that modesty veils,

resembling dawn as it brightens and breaks.

يشابهُ في ثديه حقّ عاجهِ

بَياضاً ويحكي كفّه مشط عاجهِ

His breast resembles his ivory casket

in whiteness, and his palm resembles his ivory comb.

دَخلت عليه بعد ما اِستعذب الكرى

وأريج هدوا بينه برياجهِ

I entered his presence after he had found sleep sweet,

and a fragrance [the remainder is unclear as written].

فَضاء لنا نوران نورٌ لوجهه

مُضيءٌ ونورٌ من ضياءِ سراجهِ

Then two lights shone for us: the light of his face,

radiant, and a light from his lamp's glow.

وَأَقبل نحوي وَالسرور يهزّه

لِفرحته عندَ اللقا واِبتهاجهِ

He came toward me, joy making him sway,

in his happiness and delight at our meeting.

فَعاطيته مسترقصَ الروح صافياً

إِذا شحّ أبدى نوره باِنشجاجهِ

So I shared with him the clear wine that sets the soul dancing;

when it grew grudging, it revealed its light as it was broached.

إِذا صبّ منه في الزجاج مشعشعٌ

تَشعشعَ نوراً مِن وراءِ زجاجهِ

When a diluted draught of it is poured into glass,

it radiates light from behind its glass.

يمازج كأسَ الخمرِ لي برضابهِ

فَيعذُب لي في خلطه واِمتزاجهِ

He mixes the winecup for me with his saliva,

and it tastes sweet to me in its mingling and blending.

إِذا اِلتعج التبريح قبّلتُ خدّهُ

فَأطفأتُ بالتقبيل حرّ اِلتعاجهِ

When anguish blazed, I kissed his cheek

and quenched the heat of its blaze with kisses.

وَلمّا بَدا وجهُ الصباح لنا وقد

تقضّى دجاه مُسرعاً في اِنزعاجهِ

And when the face of morning appeared to us, while

the darkness of night had swiftly passed in retreat,

أَخذت بصدغي رأسهِ متودّعاً

بِلثمِ ثناياه ورشف مجاجهِ

I took hold of the temples of his head, bidding farewell

by kissing his front teeth and sipping his saliva.

فَأنهلني من ثغرِه بقرانه

وَأمطرته من مدمعي بأجاجهِ

He quenched my thirst from his mouth as he joined me,

and I showered him with the brine of my tears.

لعمر أَبي لولا عرار وسعيه

لَما اِنسدَّ سدُّ المجدِ بعد اِنفراجهِ

By my father's life, were it not for ‘Arar and his striving,

glory's dam would not have closed again after its breach.

مَليكٌ إِذا ما حطّ عنه لثامه

تلثّم من نسجِ الوغا بعجاجهِ

A king who, whenever he lowers his face-veil,

veils his face in the dust that battle weaves.

له مِن معاليه لواءٌ وحُجّةٌ

تؤيّده في قوله واِحتجاجهِ

From his lofty deeds he has a banner and a proof

that support him in his speech and argument.

سَرى في أقاليمِ البلادِ مواصلاً

لأعدائهِ تهجيره باِندلاجهِ

He traveled by night through the land's regions, joining

his midday marches against his foes to his night marches.

وَقادَ لَهم من كلّ جيشٍ عرمرمٍ

بهيمٍ به ضاقت بطونُ فجاجهِ

He led against them every mighty army,

pitch-dark, so vast that the hollows of its passes grew cramped.

وَقد ضجّ نصلُ السيفِ في جبهاتهم

فَلجّوا ضجاجاً من ملجّ ضجاجهِ

The sword's blade clamored against their foreheads,

and they clamored on at its unrelenting din.

وَكادت نجومُ الجوّ تَسبق بيضهُ

عَليهم إِذا أَومى لها بحجاجهِ

The stars of the sky almost outstripped his bright swords

against them, whenever he beckoned to them with his brow.

أملبس ثوبَ الذلِّ أعداءَه ومن

غدا العزّ منصوباً بدرّة تاجهِ

O you who clothe your foes in the garment of abasement, you for whom

glory is raised upon the pearl of your crown,

يستخجل من جدواك من مزنة الحيا

تبعّج واِنهلّ الحيا بانبعاجهِ

even the raincloud is shamed by your bounty,

bursting open as rain pours from its rending.

وَهاك نتاجَ الفكر من ذهن حاذقٍ

فَصيحٍ فَخُذ ما قد أَتى من نتاجهِ

Here is the fruit of thought from a skillful mind,

eloquent; take what has come of its yield.

بصيرٌ بعنوانِ القريض ونهجه

يخلّص منه محضَه من شجاجهِ

Discerning in poetry's hallmarks and path,

he separates its pure essence from its admixture.

حَليم ولو هاجاه من رسب حلمهِ

مهاج له في عصرهِ لم يهاجهِ

Forbearing: even if he were assailed in verse—so deep is his patience—

by a satirical foe in his day, he would not answer him in kind.

رَأى منك بحراً مُزبداً فاِكتفى به

بتيّارهِ عن قعرهِ وعناجهِ

He saw in you a foaming sea and was content with it,

its current sufficing, without its depths or its bucket-rope.