يا لقوم للحبيب المذكر — Bashar Ibn Burd

يا لَقَومٍ لِلحَبيبِ المُذَّكَر

وَخَيالٍ زارَني قَبلَ السَحَر

O people, help me with the remembered beloved,

And a phantom that visited me before daybreak.

قَمَرُ اللَيلِ سَرى في قَرقَلٍ

يَتَصَدّى لِي فَأَهلاً بِالقَمَر

The moon of night traveled in a sleeveless gown,

Appearing before me—welcome to the moon!

يا اِبنَ موسى لا تَلُمني في الهَوى

وَاِسقِني الراحَ بِسَلسالٍ خَصِر

O son of Musa, do not blame me for love,

And give me wine mixed with cool, limpid water.

عَلَّقَت نَفسي بِسَلمى نَظرَةٌ

رُبَّما أَهدى لَكَ الحَينَ النَظَر

A glance bound my soul to Salma;

Sometimes a look brings you doom.

وَاِبلُ لي مِن ذاكَ أَو لا تَلحَني

صَعِدَ الشَوقُ بِقَلبي وَاِنحَدَر

Experience some of that for my sake, or do not reproach me;

Longing has taken my heart up and down.

وَصَحيحُ القَلبِ مِن داءِ الهَوى

لَو بِهِ ما بي مِنَ الحُبِّ عَذر

And one whose heart is free from love's sickness

Would excuse me if he felt the love I feel.

قُل لِمَن غارَ عَلَينا في الهَوى

طالِعِ المَكتومَ مِنّا ثُمَّ غَر

Tell whoever is jealous of us in love:

Look into what we conceal, then be jealous.

وَأَخٍ يَلحى وَلا أَعبا بِهِ

حَلَبَ اليَومَ لَها وُدّي فَدَر

And a friend who scolds, though I pay him no heed,

Milked my love for her today, and it flowed.

مَرحَباً وَاللَهِ لا أَكتُمُهُ

إِنَّ حُبّي عَلَنٌ لَيسَ يُسَر

Welcome! By God, I do not conceal it:

My love is public, not kept secret.

لَم أَزُر سَلمى وَلَم تُلمِم بِنا

غَيرَ رُؤياها أَنِم عَيناً تُزَر

I have not visited Salma, nor has she called on us,

Except in dreams of her: put your eye to sleep, and you will be visited.

ثُمَّ قالَت أَنا في عُلِّيَّةٍ

يَسهَرُ العَينُ وَأَنتَ المُشتَهر

Then she said: I am in an upper chamber;

The watcher stays awake, and you are well known;

لا يُبالي غَيرَ مَن يَعرِفُهُ

وَأَرى الناسَ لَهُم فيكَ أَثَر

He pays heed only to those he knows,

And I see that people leave their mark on you.

فَاِحمِلِ النَفسَ عَلى مَكروهِها

إِنَّ حُلوَ العَيشِ مَحفوفٌ بِمُر

So force your soul to bear what it dislikes;

The sweetness of life is surrounded by bitterness.

وَإِذا الأَمرُ اِلتَوى مِن بابِهِ

فَاِرضَ ما أُعطيتَ مِنهُ وَاِستَقِر

And when a matter twists from its proper course,

Accept what you are given of it, and settle.

وَلَقَد قاسَيتُ مِن جَورِ الَّتي

عَجَبَ الدَهرِ وَمِن كَأسِ السُكُر

Indeed, I suffered from that woman's cruelty—

A marvel of the age—and from the cup of intoxication.

فَاِنقَضى ذاكَ حَميداً عَهدُهُ

وَحَسَرتُ اللَهوَ عَنّي فَاِنحَسَر

Then that ended, its days praiseworthy,

And I stripped amusement from myself, and it fell away.

وَلَقَد قُلتُ لِزَورٍ زارَني

بَعدَما أَعرَضَ حيناً وَهَجَر

Indeed, I said to a visitor who came to me,

After he had turned away for a while and deserted me:

مَنحَ الدَهرُ شَبابي كَبرَةً

وَكَذاكَ الدَهرُ مِن حُلوٍ وَشَر

Time has bestowed old age upon my youth;

Such is time, with its sweetness and evil.

أَيُّها الزاري عَلى أَيّامِهِ

رُبَّ يَومٍ لَكَ مَشهورٌ أَغَر

O you who disparage your days,

Many a day of yours was renowned and radiant.

رَقَّعَ العَيشَ فَأَبشِر بِالغِنى

عُقبَةُ الجارِ مِنَ العَيشِ النُكُر

He patched up life, so rejoice in wealth—

Uqba, who shelters you from wretched living.

وَأَميرٌ سادَةُ الناسِ لَهُ

خَوَلٌ يَنفُذُ فيهِم ما أَمَر

And a prince, to whom the leaders of men

Are servants, his commands carried out among them.

زُرتُهُ يَوماً فَأَدنى مَجلِسي

وَحَباني بِبُدورٍ وَغُرَر

I visited him one day, and he seated me close,

And favored me with full moons and radiant beauties.

وَفَتىً ذي نيقَةٍ قُلتُ لَهُ

قَلِّدِ الشِعرَ كَريماً ثُمَّ قَر

And to a young man of refined taste I said:

Adorn a generous man with verse, then rest.

ما يَسُرُّ الحَبشَ أَن تَمدَحَهُ

خَشيَةَ المَعروفِ ما الحَبشُ بِحُر

It does not please al-Habash that you praise him,

For fear of generosity; al-Habash is no noble man.

يَشتَهي الحَمدَ وَلا يَفعَلُهُ

فَلَهُ مِن ذا وَمِن ذاكَ عِبَر

He desires praise but does nothing to earn it;

So he has lessons to learn from this and that.

وَاِنبَرى لي عَجرَدٌ يوعِدُني

كَمُثيرِ اللَيثِ لَيلاً ما شَعَر

And Ajrad came forward, threatening me,

Like one who rouses a lion at night, unaware.

يَتَمَنّاني وَإِن لاقَيتُهُ

خافَ إِقدامي عَلَيهِ فَاِنكَسَر

He longs for me; yet if I meet him,

He fears my advance upon him and crumples.

شِيمَةَ البِكرِ تَشَهّى باهَةً

وَتَخَشّاهُ فَلا تَأتي الغَرَر

Like a virgin who longs for intercourse,

Yet fears it and will not risk danger.

مِن بَني نِهيا نَهاهُ والِدٌ

أَعقَفُ السَيفِ عَلى الجُرحِ مَقَر

From Banu Nihya; a father forbade him—

Crooked-sworded, bitter aloe upon a wound.

يَحسُرُ الذَمَّ عَلى أَعطافِهِ

وَتَرى الحَمدَ عَلَيهِ كَالعَوَر

He wears out blame upon his shoulders,

And praise on him looks like a blemish.

صَدَّني عَنهُ وَقَد واجَهتُهُ

عُقبَةُ الأَزهَرُ قَضقاضُ الحَجَر

He held me back from him, when I had faced him—

Radiant Uqba, the crusher of stone.

فَتَأَبَّيتُ عَلى مُستَأذِنٍ

مُشرِقِ المِنبَرِ فَضفاضِ الأُزُر

So I demurred before one who asked leave,

Radiant on the pulpit, in ample robes,

رَهبَةً أَو رَغبَةً في وُدِّهِ

إِنَّهُ إِن شاءَ أَحلى وَأَمَر

From fear, or longing for his affection:

If he wishes, he can sweeten and embitter.

مَلِكٌ يَسهُلُ إِذ ساهَلتُهُ

وَإِذا عاسَرتَهُ كانَ العَسِر

A king who is gentle when you treat him gently,

And harsh when you deal harshly with him.

سائِسُ الحَربِ وَمِفتاحُ النَدى

عِندَهُ نَفعٌ لِأَقوامٍ وَضَر

A director of war and a key to generosity,

He holds benefit for some peoples, and harm.

داءُ عاصٍ وَمُداوي فِتنَةٍ

سَفَرَت حَرباً وَلاحَت تَستَعِر

A scourge to a rebel and a healer of strife,

That unveiled itself as war and appeared ablaze.

يَتَّقي المَوتَ بِهِ أَشياعُهُ

حينَ جَفَّ الريحُ وَاِنشَقَّ البَصَر

His followers ward off death through him,

When the wind dries up and eyes stare wide.

أَسَدٌ يُرقِدُ نيرانَ الوَغى

وَإِذا زَلزَلَهُ الرَوعُ وَقَر

A lion who lulls the fires of battle to sleep;

When terror shakes him, he stands firm.

وَفَتى قَحطانَ في حَومَتِها

راجِحُ الحِلمِ كَريمُ المُعتَصَر

And a young man of Qahtan in its thick,

Sound in judgment, generous as a refuge.

يورِدُ الهَمَّ وَلا يُمرِضُهُ

حازِمٌ في الوِردِ مَحمودُ الصَدَر

He brings care to water and does not let it languish;

Resolute in approaching water, praised in departing.

وَجَوادٌ مُسهِبٌ حينَ غَدا

تَفتُرُ الريحُ وَيُمسي ما فَتَر

And a generous man, lavish when he sets out at dawn;

The wind flags, yet evening finds him unflagging.

لَو جَرى نائِلُهُ في حَجَر

قاحِلِ الصَفحَةِ لَاِبتَلَّ الحَجَر

If his bounty flowed through a stone

With a parched surface, the stone would be drenched.

كَم لَهُ مِن نِعمَةٍ في وائِلٍ

وَبَني أَفصى وَفي حَيِّ مُضَر

How many blessings he has bestowed on Wa'il,

And Banu Afsa, and the tribe of Mudar!

فَاِكتَسِب ناقِلَةً مِن وُدِّهِ

عَزَّ مَن وَدَّ اِبنُ سَلمٍ وَنُصِر

So win a share of his affection to carry away;

He whom Ibn Salm loves is honored and aided.

عُقبَ أَنتَ المَرءُ لا يَشقى بِهِ

غائِبٌ مِنّا وَلا دانٍ حَضَر

Uqba, you are the man through whom none suffers—

Neither an absent one among us nor one nearby and present.

جِئتَنا هَلكَى فَأَحيَيتَ النَدى

فَلَكَ الحَمدُ عَلى مَيتٍ نُشِرُ

You came to us dying, and revived generosity;

So praise is yours for a dead thing brought to life.

لا تَخَف غَدري وَإِن غَيَّبتَني

قَدَرٌ يَعرِضُ مِن بَعضِ القَدَر

Do not fear my betrayal, even if you send me away—

A fate arising among the decrees of fate.

أَنا مَن يُعطيكَ قُصوى نَفسِهِ

وَإِذا أَولَيتَهُ خَيراً شَكَر

I am one who gives you the utmost of his soul,

And, if you grant him good, he is grateful.

ما يَرى مِثلَكَ إِلّا مُزنَةً

بَكَرَت في يَومِ سَعدٍ بِمَطَر

He sees your like as nothing but a rain cloud,

Arriving early with rain on a fortunate day.

كُلَّ يَومٍ لَكَ عِندي فَضلَةٌ

وَيَدٌ بَيضاءُ فيها مُدَّخَر

Each day, I hold a further favor of yours,

And a white hand with bounty stored within.

قَد أَنى لِلغَيثِ أَن نُسقى بِهِ

أَو نَرى مِنهُ بِوادينا أَثَر

It is time for us to be watered by the rain,

Or to see its trace in our valley.

وَلَقَد كُنّا عَرَتنا جَفوَةٌ

أَكَلَت مِنّا السُلامى وَالقُصَر

Indeed, we had been struck by neglect,

That devoured our joint bones and the bases of our necks.

إِنَّما كُنّا كَأَرضٍ مَيتَةٍ

لَيسَ لِلرائِدِ فيها مَنتَظَر

We were only like a dead land,

With nothing in it for a pasture-scout to hope for.

فَحَيينا بِكَ إِذ وُلّيتَنا

وَكذاكَ الأَرضُ تَحيا بِالمَطَر

So we lived again through you when you were appointed over us,

Just as the earth comes to life through rain.