هو الدهر فينا خليع اللجام — Alsharif Alradi

هُوَ الدَهرُ فينا خَليعُ اللِجامِ

فَطَوراً يُغيرُ وَطَوراً يُحامي

Time runs unbridled among us:

at times it raids, at times it defends.

وَإِنّي أُرَوِّعُهُ بِالوَدا

عِ حَتّى يُخادِعَني بِالسَلامِ

And I frighten it with farewell,

until it beguiles me with peace.

فَمَن عَرَفَ العَيشَ خَبَّت بِهِ

عَزائِمُهُ في طَريقِ الحِمامِ

Whoever knows life is borne swiftly

by his resolves along the road to death.

أُريدُ مِنَ الدَهرِ حَظَّ الجَبا

نِ لا قَدرَ حَظِّ الشُجاعِ الهُمامِ

I want from Time the coward's lot,

not the measure of the brave, high-hearted man's lot.

فَأَيُّ مُنىً لَم يَسُمها نَوالي

وَأَيُّ عُلىً لَم يَطَأها اِعتِزامي

What wish has my bounty not sought,

and what height has my resolve not trodden?

قَطَعتُ مَفازَةَ هَذا الرَجاءِ

وَلَكِنَّ جَدّي بَعيدُ المَرامِ

I have crossed the wilderness of this hope,

yet my fortune lies far beyond reach.

أُخَفِّضُ عَزمِيَ عَن رُتبَةٍ

أُبَلِّغُها بِالحُظوظِ السَوامي

I lower my resolve beneath a station

to which I bring it through lofty fortunes.

لَعاً لِمُنايَ وَإِن لَم تُصِب

فَما عَثَرَت بِرَجاءِ اللِئامِ

Rise again, my wishes, though you miss your mark:

you have not stumbled by placing hope in the base.

وَما اِحتَشَمَت مِن يَدَيَّ النُصو

لُ إِلّا مَهَزَّةَ نَصلٍ كَهامِ

The blades have never shrunk from my hands,

save in the trembling of a blunted blade.

أَما عانَقَتني صُدورُ السُيوفِ

أَما قَبَّلَتني نُصولُ السِهامِ

Have not the breasts of swords embraced me?

Have not arrowheads kissed me?

أَلَم يَشرَبِ الصَبرُ قَلبي وَلا اِن

ثَنى مَرَحاً وَالعَوالي ظَوامي

Has endurance not drunk my heart? Nor did it turn back,

exultant, while the lofty spears thirsted.

أَلَم أَسرِ في لَيلِها وَالعَجا

جُ يُلحِمُ بَينَ الرَعيلِ اللُهامِ

Have I not journeyed through its night, while dust

welded the mighty troop together?

أُكَلِّلُ بِالطَعنِ يَومَ النِزالِ

خُدوداً تَشُفُّ لِغَيرِ اللِطامِ

On the day of combat I crown with spear-thrusts

cheeks whose delicacy calls for something other than blows.

إِذا عَصفَرَ الخَوفُ ماءَ الوُجوهِ

رَآها مِنَ الدَمِ حُمرَ الوِسامِ

When fear dyes the freshness of faces saffron,

it sees them red-marked with blood.

عَدُوِّيَ أَقعِ عَلى ذِلَّةٍ

فَكَم زَلَّ مِن أَخمَصٍ عَن مَقامي

My enemy, crouch in abasement:

how many a foot has slipped from my station!

شَمَختَ عَلَيَّ بِأَنفٍ رَأَي

تُ مَعطِسَهُ دامِياً مِن زِمامي

You turned up at me a nose I saw

with its nostril bloodied by my rein.

وَأَصبَحتَ تَعطو بِعَينِ الأَبِيِّ

وَذِفراكَ مَقروحَةٌ مِن لِجامي

And now you gaze with the eye of the defiant,

while your poll is sore from my bridle.

تَرومُ اِبتِزازِيَ فَضلي وَذاكَ

إِذاً فَكُّ أَطواقِ وُرقِ الحَمامِ

You seek to rob me of my excellence—and that

would mean unfastening the neck-rings of gray doves.

أَما يَحلَمُ الدَهرُ في فِتيَةٍ

أَماتوا المَلامَ بِجَهلِ المُدامِ

Will Time not show forbearance toward youths

who killed reproach with wine's folly?

عُقارٌ يُلاحِظُ مِنها الكُؤو

سَ أَفواهُنا بِجُفونٍ دَوامِ

Wine—its cups are eyed

by our mouths with blood-red eyelids.

وَأَيّامُنا مِن خُمارِ الشَبابِ

نَشاوى تَجُرُّ ذُيولَ العُرامِ

And our days, from the drunken haze of youth,

are drunken, trailing the skirts of wildness.

أُعيذُكَ مِن خَجَلاتِ الهَوى

إِذا رَمَقَتهُ عُيونُ المَلامِ

I seek protection for you from love's blushes

when the eyes of reproach watch it,

وَأَن يَرشُفَ الهَجرُ ماءَ الوِصالِ

وَأَن يَهتِكَ العَذرُ سُجفَ الذِمامِ

and from estrangement sipping away union's water,

and from excuses rending the veils of the covenant.

مَنَحتُكَ صِدقَ وِدادٍ يَتوقُ

إِلى رَنقِهِ كُلُّ هَذا الأَنامِ

I gave you sincere affection, yearned for

even in its cloudiness by all this humankind.

وَكَم لَيلَةٍ قَبلُ أُثكِلتُها

وَأَثكَلتَها فِيَّ طَيفَ المَنامِ

How many a night before was I bereaved of,

while you robbed it, through me, of the phantom of sleep,

إِلى أَن بَدا فَجرُها مُسفِراً

يُمَزِّقُ عَنها فُضولَ اللِثامِ

until its dawn appeared, radiant,

tearing from it the trailing folds of the veil.

تُخادِعُنا نَفَحاتُ النَسيمِ

إِذا عَبِقَت بِحَواشِ الظَلامِ

The puffs of the breeze beguile us

when they grow fragrant at darkness's fringes.

وَقَد شَمَلَتهُ شُفوفُ الشَمالِ

وَرَصَّعَ قُطرَيهِ قُطرُ الرِهام

The north wind's fine veils have enfolded it,

and drops of light rain have jeweled both its sides.

تَثورُ إِلَيهِ سَوامُ اللِحاظِ

وَتَسرَحُ مِن حُسنِهِ في مَسامِ

The grazing herds of glances surge toward it,

and graze in the pastures of its beauty.

وَلَو وَجَدَ الزَهرُ وَجدي عَلَيكَ

لَاِصفَرَّ فيهِ خُدودُ الثَغامِ

If the flowers felt my yearning for you,

the cheeks of thagham among them would turn yellow.

ذَعَرتُ الهُمومَ بِخَطّارَةٍ

تَسيلُ بِها في قُلوبِ الإِكامِ

I frightened my cares away with a swaying she-camel

that flows with them through the hearts of hills.

تُلَثِّمُ مَنسِمَها بِالدِماءِ

إِذا ما اِطمَأَنَّ بِقَرعِ السَلامِ

She veils her toe-pad in blood

whenever it lands with a blow on hard stones.

خَلَطتُ بِمَنسِمِها في الثَرى

عَلى الرَكضِ ميسَمَ أَيدي النَعامِ

I mingled her toe-pad's marks in the dust,

at a run, with the imprint of ostriches' feet.

وَأَنكَحتُ أَخفافَها سَيرَها

لِعَزمِ وَلودٍ وَأَمرٍ عُقامِ

I married her padded feet to her journeying,

for a fertile resolve and a barren undertaking.

تَخايَلُ بَينَ غَريرِيَّةٍ

زَوافِرَ تَكسو الثَرى بِاللُغامِ

She struts among Ghariri camels,

panting ones that clothe the earth in foam.

وَماءٍ وَرَدتُ عَلى كورِها

وَعَرَّجتُ عَنهُ قَتيلَ الأُوامِ

And many a waterhole I reached upon her saddle,

then turned from it, slain by burning thirst,

مَريضِ المَشارِعِ مِمّا تُريقُ

عَلَيهِ الرِياحُ دُموعَ الغَمامِ

its drinking-places sickened by what is poured

upon it by the winds—the tears of clouds.

يُخَيَّلُ لي أَنَّ نَجمَ السَما

ءِ يَرعَدُ في صَفوِ تِلكَ الجِمامِ

It seems to me that heaven's star

trembles in the clarity of those pools,

وَطِفلَ الدُجى في حُجورِ البِلا

دِ يَطعَمُ بِالفَجرِ مُرَّ الفِطامِ

and the infant of darkness, in the laps of the lands,

tastes at dawn the bitterness of weaning.

تَزاحَمُ أَنجُمُهُ لِلأُفو

لِ وَالبَدرُ في إِثرِ ذاكَ الزِحامِ

Its stars jostle toward their setting,

and the full moon follows that throng.

وَيَهماءَ بِالقَيظِ مَحجوبَةٍ

تُطالِعُنا في هُبوبِ السَهامِ

And a trackless desert, veiled by summer heat,

looks out at us amid blasts of scorching wind.

تَعَقَّلَ شارِدُ وَهجِ الهَجيرِ

في جَوِّها بِخُيوطِ السُهامِ

The wandering blaze of midday heat is hobbled

in its air by the threads of heat-haze.

وَبِكرٌ مِنَ القَطرِ حَتّى كَأَنَّ

ما اِفتَضَّها غَيرُ غَيمٍ جَهامِ

And virgin to rain, as though

none but a rainless cloud had deflowered her,

مُماطِلَةٍ رَكبُها بِالوُرو

دِ إِلّا إِذا حانَ وِردُ القَطامي

putting off its caravan's access to water,

unless the hawk's turn to drink has come.

قَطَعتُ وَكالِئَتي هِمَّةٌ

إِذا أَسمَعَ الرُعبُ قالَت صَمامِ

I crossed it, with a resolve to guard me

that, when terror made itself heard, said: 'Be deaf!'

وَمُلتَهِبِ السَردِ عاري الرِما

حِ مُرتَعِدِ البيضِ دامي الحَوامي

And a host with blazing mail and naked spears,

quivering bright steel and bloodied hooves,

قَليلِ حَيا الرُمحِ عِندَ الطِعانِ

وَقورِ الجَوادِ سَفيهِ الحُسامِ

with a spear showing little shame in thrusting,

a stately steed and a reckless sword:

تُطَرِّزُ شَمسُ الضُحى بيضَهُ

إِذا اِنفَرَجَت عَنهُ سُجفُ القَتامِ

the forenoon sun embroiders its bright steel

when the curtains of dust part from it.

إِذا سارَ فَالشَمسُ مَستورَةٌ

وَوَجهُ الثَرى بارِزُ الخَدِّ دامِ

When it marches, the sun is veiled,

and earth's face is bare-cheeked and bloody.

حَلَلتُ حُبى نَقعِهِ بِالطِرا

دِ لَمّا اِحتَبى فَرَسي بِالحِزامِ

I loosened the bindings of its dust with mounted charges,

when my horse girded itself with its saddle-girth.

وَإِنّي شَقيقُ الوَغى وَالنَدى

رَضيعُ لِبانِ المَعالي الجِسامِ

And I am the brother of battle and bounty,

nursed on the milk of mighty honors.

إِذا مُضَرٌ ظَلَّلَتني القَنا

وَسالَت قَبائِلُها مِن أَمامي

When Mudar shades me with spears,

and her tribes stream forth before me,

لَبِستُ بِها جُنَّةً لا يُفَض

ضُ مَسرودُها بِنِبالِ المُرامي

I don through them armor whose

linked mail cannot be split by archers' arrows.