دوام الهوى في ضمان الشباب — Alsharif Alradi

دَوامُ الهَوى في ضَمانِ الشَبابِ

وَما الحُبُّ إِلّا زَمانُ التَصابي

Passion's endurance is in youth's keeping.

And love is only the season of youthful dalliance.

أَحينَ فَشا الشَيبُ في شَعرِهِ

وَكَتَّمَ أَوضاحَهُ بِالخِضابِ

Is it when gray has spread through his hair,

and he has hidden its white patches with dye,

تَروعينَ أَوقاتَهُ بِالصُدودِ

وَتَرمينَ أَيّامَهُ بِالسِبابِ

that you frighten his hours with rejection

and pelt his days with abuse?

تَخَطّى المَشيبُ إِلى رَأسِهِ

وَقَد كانَ أَعلى قِبابِ الشَبابِ

Gray hair has advanced upon his head,

which once was the highest of youth's domes.

كَذاكَ الرِياحُ إِذا اِستَلأَمَت

تَقَصَّفَ أَعلى الغُصونِ الرِطابِ

So too, when the winds put on armor,

the tops of tender branches splinter.

مَشيبٌ كَما اِستَلَّ صَدرُ الحُسا

مِ لَم يَروَ مِن لِبثِهِ في القِرابِ

Gray hair, like a sword's point drawn,

not sated by its stay within the sheath.

نُضي فَاِستَباحَ حِمى المُلهِياتِ

وَراعَ الغَواني بِظِفرٍ وَنابِ

Unsheathed, it overran the sanctuary of pleasures

and frightened beauties with claw and fang.

وَأَلوى بِجِدَّةِ أَيّامِهِ

فَأَصبَحَ مَقذىً لِعَينِ الكَعابِ

It swept away the freshness of his days,

so he became an eyesore to the young maiden.

تُسَتِّرُ مِنهُ مَجالَ السِوارِ

إِذا ما بَدا وَمَناطَ النِقابِ

She hides from him where her bracelet moves,

whenever he appears, and where her face-veil hangs.

وَكانَ إِذا شَرَدَت نيَّةٌ

يَرُدُّ رِقابَ الخُطوبِ الغِضابِ

Once, whenever an intention strayed afar,

he turned back the necks of furious calamities.

وَكُنتُ أُرَقرِقُ ماءَ الوِصالِ

وَبَحرُ الشَبيبَةِ طاغي العُبابِ

I used to make the water of union ripple,

while youth's sea overflowed with surging waves.

وَكَأسي مُعَوِّدَةٌ بِالسَماعِ

تَركُضُ بَينَ القُلوبِ الطِرابِ

And my cup, well-versed in song,

raced among enraptured hearts.

إِذا نُصِفَت فَهيَ في مِئزَرٍ

وَتَبرُزُ إِن أُترِعَت في نِقابِ

When half-filled, it wore a waist-wrapper;

when brimful, it emerged in a veil.

سَمائي مُذَهَّبَةٌ بِالبُروقِ

وَأَرضي مُفَضَّضَةٌ بِالحِبابِ

My sky was gilded with lightning,

and my earth silvered with bubbles.

وَرَوضي مَطارِفُهُ غَضَّةٌ

تُطَرِّزُ أَطرافَها بِالذِهابِ

My garden's mantles were fresh,

their edges embroidered with gentle showers.

وَلَيلٌ تَرى الفَجرَ في عِطفِهِ

كَما شابَ بَعضُ جَناحِ الغُرابِ

And a night in whose folds you see dawn,

as though part of a raven's wing had grayed.

يَغارُ الظَلامُ عَلى شَمسِهِ

إِلى أَن يُوارِيَها بِالحِجابِ

Darkness jealously guards its sun

until it hides her behind a veil.

وَتَصقُلُ أَنجُمَهُ العاصِفاتُ

إِذا صَدِيَت مِن غُمودِ السَحابِ

The gales polish its stars

when they rust in the scabbards of clouds.

وَبَرقٌ يُنَفِّضُ أَطرافَهُ

كَما رَمَحَت بُلقُ خَيلٍ عِرابِ

And lightning shakes out its extremities,

as piebald Arabian horses kick.

وَماءٌ يُضارِعُ خَيطَ السَقاءِ

وَيُرمى بِهِ في وُجوهِ الشِعابِ

And water resembling a waterskin's thread

is flung into the faces of ravines.

تُزَعزِعُ ريحُ الصَبا مَتنَهُ

كَما لَطَمَ المَزجُ خَدَّ الشَرابِ

The east wind shakes its back,

as mixing-water slaps the cheek of wine.

وَذَودٌ يُغادِرُ وَجهَ الصَعي

دِ مِن حِلَّةِ العُشبِ عاري الإِهابِ

And a small camel-herd leaves the earth's face

bare-skinned, stripped of its robe of grass.

فَما تَطلُبُ البيدُ مِن ساهِمٍ

يُثيرُ عَلَيها رِقابَ الرِكابِ

What do the deserts demand of a gaunt man

who urges camel-necks across their expanse,

يُساعِدُها في اِحتِمالِ الصَدى

وَيَشرَكُها في وُرودِ السَرابِ

who helps them endure thirst

and joins them in seeking water at mirages?

يُذَكِّرُهُ أَخذَ أَوتارِهِ

صَهيلُ السَوابِقِ حَولَ القِبابِ

He is reminded to take his vengeance

by swift steeds neighing around the domed tents.

دَفَعنَ بِخَضخَضَةٍ لِلمَزادِ

نَجاءً وَخَشخَشَةٍ لِلعِيابِ

They pressed onward, waterskins sloshing,

at speed, and baggage sacks rustling.

لَبَلَّ أَنابيبَهُ بِالطِعانِ

وَأَنحَلَ أَسيافَهُ بِالضِرابِ

He has surely drenched his spear-shafts with thrusts

and worn his swords thin with blows.

يَبيتُ وَثَوبُ الدُجى شاحِبٌ

طَموحَ المَعالِمِ سامي الشِهابِ

He passes the night while darkness's robe is pale,

with soaring beacons and a lofty flame.

وَما كُنتُ أَجري إِلى غايَةٍ

فَأَسأَلَها أَينَ وَجهُ الإِيابِ

I never raced toward a goal

only to ask it where the homeward road lay.

إِذا اِستَنهَضَت هِمَمي عَزمَةٌ

عَصَفتُ بِأَيدي المَطيِّ العِرابِ

When a resolve roused my ambitions,

I stormed along on the forelegs of purebred Arab mounts.

تَحَرَّيتُ أَعجازَها بِالسِياطِ

فَخاضَت صُدورَ الأُمورِ الصِعابِ

I aimed at their rumps with whips,

so they plunged into the breasts of difficult affairs.

فَكَم قائِفٍ قَد هَدَت لَحظَهُ

بُدورٌ مَناسِمُها في التُرابِ

How many a tracker's gaze has been guided

by the full moons their hoofprints form in the dust!

إِذا ماتَ في وَخدِهِنَّ المَدى

لَطَمنَ خُدودَ الرُبى وَالرِحابِ

When distance died amid their swift strides,

they slapped the cheeks of hills and open spaces.

فِداؤُكَ نَفسِيَ يا مَن لَهُ

مِنَ القَلبِ رَبعٌ مَنيعُ الجَنابِ

My soul be your ransom, O you who possess

a dwelling in my heart with unassailable bounds.

فَلَولاكَ ما عاقَ قَلبي الهَوى

وَعَزَّ عَلى كُلِّ شَوقٍ طِلابي

But for you, love would not have held my heart,

and every longing would have found me hard to win.

إِذا ما صَدَدتَ دَعاني الهَوى

فَمِلتُ إِلى خُدُعاتِ العِتابِ

Whenever you turn away, passion calls me,

so I incline toward the deceptions of reproach.

فَيا جُنَّتي إِن رَماني الزَمانُ

وَيا صاحِبي إِن جَفاني صِحابي

O my shield, if Time should shoot at me,

and my companion, if my companions shun me!

دَفَعتُ بِكَفّي زِمامي إِلَيكَ

وَقَد كُنتُ أُبطي عَلى مَن حَدا بي

With my own hand I handed you my reins,

though I once held back from anyone who chanted me onward.

فَلا تَحسَبَنّي ذَليلَ القِيادِ

فَإِنّي أَبيٌّ عَلى كُلِّ آبي

So do not think me meek under the reins:

I am defiant toward every defiant man.

وَساعٍ إِلى الوُدِّ شَبَّهتُهُ

وَيَرتَعُ مَع أَهلِهِ في جَنابِ

And a seeker of friendship—I pictured him

grazing with his kin upon a tract of land,

يُؤَمِّنُ سَطوَةَ لَيثِ العَرينِ

وَمَضجَعُهُ بَينَ غيلٍ وَغابِ

secure from the den-lion's assault,

though his bed lay amid thickets and reeds.

حَمَتهُ مَذَلَّتُهُ سَطوَتي

وَكَيفَ يَنالُ ذُباباً ذُبابي

His abasement shielded him from my assault:

how should my sword's edge strike a fly?

وَمُلتَثِمٍ قالَ لي لَثمُهُ

عَذابُ الهَوى في الثَنايا العِذابِ

And a kiss-giver whose kiss told me:

"Love's torment lies in sweet front teeth."

نُعاقِرُ بِالضَمِّ كَأسَ العِناقِ

وَنَسفِكُ بِاللَثمِ خَمرَ الرُضابِ

Clasping, we drink deep from the cup of embrace,

and kissing, we spill the wine of sweet saliva.

عِناقٌ كَما اِرتَجَّ ماءُ الغَديرِ

وَلَثمٌ كَما اِستَنَّ وَلغُ الذِئابِ

An embrace like the quivering water of a pool,

and kissing like the swift lapping of wolves.

غَدَونا عَلى صَهَواتِ الخُطوبِ

جَوادَي رِهانٍ وَسَيفي قِرابِ

We rode forth on the backs of calamities,

two racing steeds, two swords in one sheath,

صَقيلَينِ تَستَلُّنا النائِباتُ

فَتُثلَمُ فيهِنَّ وَالدَهرُ نابِ

two polished blades that adversities unsheathe,

to be blunted against them, while Time recoils;

وَغُصنَينِ يَلعَبُ فينا النَسيمُ

وَتَنطِفُ عَنّا نِطافُ الرَبابِ

two branches through which the breeze plays,

from which the cloud-drops drip;

وَنَجمَينِ يَقصُرُ عَن نَيلِنا

مِنَ الطالِعاتِ الذُرى وَالرَوابي

and two stars beyond the reach

of soaring summits and hills.

وَكُنّا إِذا مَسَّنا حادِثٌ

نُقَلِّمُ بِالصَبرِ ظِفرَ المُصابِ

Whenever a calamity touched us,

we clipped misfortune's claw with patience.

إِلَيكَ تَخَطَّت فُروجَ القُلوبِ

بِكرٌ مِنَ الآنِساتِ العِرابِ

To you, through the gateways of hearts, has come

a virgin among the graceful Arab maidens.

أُشَبِّبُ فيها بِذِكرِ المَشيبِ

وَما اِستَيأَسَت لِمَّتي مِن شَبابي

In her I sing a love-prelude with mention of gray hair,

though my locks have not despaired of my youth.