ملقيه بحسنك المأجور — Elias Abu Shabaki

مُلّقيهِ بِحُسنِكِ المَأجورِ

وَاِدفَعيهِ لِلاِنتِقامِ الكَبيرِ

Cajole him with your beauty for hire,

and drive him toward the great vengeance.

إِنَّ في الحُسنِ يا دَليلَةَ أَفعى

كَم سَمِعنا فَحيحَها في سَرير

Indeed, in beauty, Delilah, there is a serpent;

how often we have heard its hiss in a bed.

أَسكَرَت خدعَةُ الجَمالِ هرقَلاً

قَبل شَمشونَ بِالهَوى الشِرّيرِ

Beauty's deception intoxicated Hercules,

before Samson, with wicked passion.

وَالبَصيرُ البَصيرُ يُخدَع بِالحُس

نِ وَينقادُ كَالضَريرِ الضَريرِ

And the keen-sighted man, the keen-sighted man, is deceived by beauty,

and is led like the blind man, the blind man.

ملقيهِ فَاللَيلُ سَكرانُ واهٍ

يَتَلّوّى في خِدرِهِ المَسحورِ

Cajole him: the night is drunken and weak,

writhing in its enchanted bower.

وَنسورُ الكُهوفِ أَوهنها الحُ

بُّ فَهانَت لَدَيهِ كَالشَحرورِ

And love has weakened the eagles of the caves,

so before it they were humbled like a blackbird.

وَعنا اللَيثُ لِلبوءَةِ كَالظَب

يِ فَما فيهِ شَهوَةٌ لِلزَئيرِ

And the lion submitted to the lioness like a gazelle,

with no desire in him to roar.

شَبِقَ اللَيثُ لَيلَةً فَتَنَزّى

ثائِراً في عَرينِه المَهجورِ

The lion lusted one night, and leapt about,

raging in his deserted den.

تَقطر الحمّة المسعّرة الشَهّ

اءُ مِنهُ كَأَنَّهُ في هَجيرِ

Blazing, lustful venom drips

from him, as though he were in noonday heat.

يَضربُ الأَرضِ بِالبَراثِن غَضَبا

نَ فَيُصدي القنوط في الديجورِ

He strikes the earth with his claws in anger,

making despair echo through the pitch-darkness.

وَوَميضُ اللَظى يُغلف عَينَيهِ

فَعَيناهُ فوهَتا تنّورِ

And the flash of flame shrouds his eyes,

so his eyes are two mouths of a furnace.

وَنَزا مِن عَرينه تَشَظّى

حممٌ مِن لَظاه في الزمهريرِ

He sprang from his den; there splintered

lava from his blaze in the bitter cold.

وَاللهاثُ المَحمومُ مِن رِئَتَيه

يُشعل الغابَ في الدُجى المَقرورِ

And the fevered panting from his lungs

sets the forest ablaze in the chilled darkness.

فَسَرى الذُعرُ في الذِئابِ فَفَرَّت

وَتَرامى إِلى عشاش النُسورِ

Terror spread among the wolves, and they fled,

and swept into the eagles' nests.

وَإِذا لبوة مخدِّرَة الحُس

نِ تَرَدَّت من كَهفِها المَحدورِ

Then suddenly a lioness of intoxicating beauty

descended from her sloping cave.

تنضح اللّذةُ الشَهِيَّةُ مِنها

خَمرَةٌ من جَمالِها المَأثورِ

Delectable pleasure exudes from her,

a wine from her fabled beauty.

فَتنثّ العَبيرَ في مخدع اللَي

لِ فَتَشهى حَتّى عروقُ الصُخورِ

She wafts fragrance through night's chamber,

and even the veins of rocks grow desirous.

فَتَلاشى اللَهيبُ في سَيِّدِ الغا

بِ أَميرِ المغاوِرِ المَنصورِ

So the blaze faded within the lord of the forest,

the victorious prince of lairs.

وَالعَظيمُ العَظيمُ تُضعِفُهُ أَن

ثى فَينقادُ كَالحَقيرِ الحَقيرِ

And the mighty man, the mighty man, is weakened by a woman,

and is led like the lowly man, the lowly man.

ملّقيهِ فَفي أَشِعَّةِ عَينَي

كِ صباحُ الهَوى وَلَيلُ القُبورِ

Cajole him, for in the rays of your eyes

are passion's morning and the night of graves.

وَعلى ثَغرِكِ الجَميلِ ثِمارٌ

حَجَبَت شَهوَةَ الرَدى في العَصيرِ

And upon your lovely mouth are fruits

that have hidden death's lust within their juice.

ملقيهِ فَبينَ نَهدَيكِ غامَت

هُوَّةُ المَوتِ في الفِراشِ الوَثيرِ

Cajole him: between your breasts lies shrouded

death's abyss within the plush bed.

هوَّة أَطلَعَت جَهَنَّمُ مِنها

شَهواتٍ تَفَجَّرَت في الصُدور

An abyss from which Hell brought forth

lusts that burst within breasts.

ملّقيهِ فَفي مَلاغِمك الحُم

رِ مَساحيقُ معدنٍ مَصهورِ

Cajole him, for upon your crimson lips

lie powders of molten metal.

يُسَرِّبُ السمّ مِن شُفافَتِها الحَرّ

ى إِلى مَلمَسِ الرَدى في الثغورِ

It lets poison seep from their burning membranes

into death's touch upon mouths.

خَيَّم اللَيلُ يا دَليلَة في الغا

بِ وَأَغفى حَتّى الشَذا في الزُهورِ

Night has settled, Delilah, in the forest,

and even fragrance has fallen asleep in the flowers.

فَاِنشِقي فورَة الحَرارَةِ مِن جِس

مي وَغَذّي قواكِ مِن إِكسيري

So inhale the surge of heat from my body,

and nourish your strength with my elixir.

أَنتِ حَسناءُ مِثل حَيَّة عَدنٍ

كَورودِ الشارونِ ذاتِ العُطورِ

You are beautiful, like Eden's serpent,

like the fragrant roses of Sharon,

وَكغُفر الوَعل الوَديع وَإِن كُن

تِ تناجينَ عَقرَباً في الضَميرِ

and like a gentle ibex kid, though you

whisper to a scorpion within your conscience.

لَستِ زَوجي بَل أَنتِ أَنثى عُقاب

شرسٍ في فُؤاديَ المَسعورِ

You are not my wife, but a she-eagle,

savage within my frenzied heart.

فَاِشتَهي كُلّ لَيلَة مخلَبي

الدامي عَلى خزّ جِسمِكِ المَخمورِ

So desire my claw each night,

bloodied upon the silk of your drunken body.

وَأَتى الصُبحُ ضاحِك الوَجهِ يَرغي

زَبَدُ النورِ في ضحاه الغَريرِ

And morning came, its face laughing; there foamed

the froth of light in its guileless forenoon.

أَينَ شَمشونُ يا صَحارى يَهوذا

أَينَ حامي ضَعيفِك المُستَجيرِ

Where is Samson, O deserts of Judah?

Where is the protector of your helpless suppliant?

أَينَ قاضيكِ دافِعُ الضيم طاغي

المُستَبِدّينَ صائِنُ الدُستورِ

Where is your judge, who repels oppression, scourge

of tyrants, guardian of the law?

أَعوَرَت شَهوَةٌ من الحُبِّ عَينَي

هِ وَكَم أَعوَرَ الهَوى مِن بَصيرِ

A lust of love has blinded his eyes;

and how many keen-sighted men has passion blinded!

إِنَّ قاضي المُستَعبَدين لِعبدٌ

وَقضاةٌ عورٌ قضاةُ العورِ

Indeed, the judge of the enslaved is himself a slave,

and one-eyed judges are the judges of the one-eyed.

حَفَلَت قاعَة العِقابِ بِجَمعٍ

من سُراة المسوّدين غَفيرِ

The hall of punishment filled with a gathering,

a vast throng of nobles among the ruling lords.

هُم رموزُ الشقاق وَالفِتَن الحم

راءِ وَالغَدر وَالزِنى وَالغُرورِ

They are emblems of discord and blood-red strife,

of treachery, fornication, and conceit.

أَقبَلوا يَشهَدونَ مصرعَ شَمشو

نَ عَلى لَذَّةِ الطّلا وَالزمورِ

They came to witness Samson's death,

amid the pleasures of wine and piping.

أَيُدينُ الخاطي جناةٌ صَعالي

كُ وَيَقضي الفجورُ ذَنبَ الفجورِ

Do vagabond criminals condemn the sinner,

and does depravity judge depravity's sin?

وَسَرَت خَمرَةُ الوَليمَةِ في الحَف

لِ لِتَقديسِ ساعَةِ التَكفيرِ

The wine of the feast flowed through the gathering

to sanctify the hour of atonement.

وَكَأَنَّ النَسيمَ شُوِّقَ لِلخَم

رَةِ فَاِنسَلَّ مِن شُقوقِ الخدورِ

And as though the breeze had been made to crave wine,

it stole through the cracks of the chambers.

وَلِنَقرِ الدفوفِ صَوتٌ غَريب

يَتَحَدّى صَوتَ العِقابِ الأَخيرِ

The tapping of frame drums has a strange sound,

defying the sound of the final punishment.

وَإِذا قينَةٌ تَخالجها السك

رُ عَلى مَشهَد من الجُمهورِ

And suddenly a singing girl, stirred by drunkenness,

in full view of the crowd,

فَتَثنَّت تضاجِعُ الجَوِّ نَشوى

مِن تَلَوّي قَوامِها المَحرورِ

swayed, coupling with the air, intoxicated

by the writhing of her fevered figure.

رَقصَة المَوتِ يا دَليلَة هذي

أَم تُراها اِختِلاجَةً في الخمورِ

Is this death's dance, Delilah,

or is it, perhaps, a convulsion in the wine?

وَصغا الجَمعُ لِلأَسيرِ يُنادي

هِ بِشَتّى مَطاعِن التَحقير

The crowd turned toward the captive, calling him

with all manner of contemptuous taunts:

هيه شَمشونُ أَيُّها الفاجِر الزِنديقُ

يا عَبدَ يهوهَ المَقهورِ

Hey, Samson, you wanton heretic,

O slave of vanquished Yahweh!

أَحَكيمٌ مِن العتاة تذرّي

شَعرَهُ قينَةٌ من الماخور

Is he a sage among the mighty, whose

hair a singing girl from a brothel scatters?

فَتَلوّى شَمشونُ في القيدِ حَتّى

حَلَّ فيهِ روحُ الإله القديرِ

Samson writhed in his fetters until

the spirit of almighty God dwelt within him.

فَنَزا نَزوَة الوَميضِ من الغَ

لِّ وَدَوّى كَنافِخ في صورِ

Then he sprang like a flash of light from his fetters

and thundered like one blowing a trumpet:

بَدّدي يا زَوابِع النارَ أَعدا

ءَ إِلهي وَيا جَهَنَّمُ ثوري

Scatter, whirlwinds of fire, the enemies

of my God; and you, Hell, rise up!

وَتَنَفَّس يا مَوقد الثَأر في صَد

ري وَأَغرِق نَسلَ الريا في سعيري

And breathe, hearth of vengeance, within my breast,

and drown the spawn of hypocrisy in my blaze.

وَاِمصِصي يا دَليلَة الخُبثِ من قَل

بي فَكَم مَرَّة مصَصتِ قُشوري

And suck, Delilah of wickedness, from my heart,

for how often you have sucked my husks!

وَاِرقُصي إِنَّما البَراكينُ تَغلي

تَحتَ رجلَيكِ كَالجَحيمِ النَذيرِ

And dance: the volcanoes are boiling

beneath your feet like a warning hell.

وَتَغَنّي بِمَصرَعي فَكَثيراً

ما سَمِعتُ الفَحيحَ في المَزمورِ

And sing of my death, for often

I have heard the hiss within the psalm.

أَصبَحَ اللَيثُ في يَدَيكِ أَسيراً

فَاِطرَحيهِ سخرِيَّةً لِلحَميرِ

The lion has become a captive in your hands;

so cast him out as a laughingstock for the asses.

وَاِجعَلي الغَلَّ رَمزَ كلّ صَريح

وَاليَواقيتَ رَمزَ كلّ غدورِ

And make fetters the emblem of every forthright man,

and rubies the emblem of every treacherous man.

إِن أَكن سُقت في غَرامِكِ شَرّاً

فَالبَرايا مطيّة لِلشُرورِ

If I have brought evil in my passion for you,

for all creatures are mounts for evils.

غَير أَنّي أَجني مِن الجِيَفِ الجَر

داءِ مَهما قَذرتُ شَهدَ قَفيرِ

Yet I gather from the bare carcasses,

however much I loathe them, the honey of a hive.

هيكَلَ الإِثم لَم أُبِح لَكَ ذُلي

شَبحَ الرَقِّ لَم أُسَلِّمك نيري

Temple of sin, I have not granted you my submission;

phantom of bondage, I have not surrendered my yoke to you.

فَاِسقِطي يا دَعائِمَ الكَذِبِ الجا

ني وَكوني أُسطورَة لِلدُهورِ

So fall, pillars of criminal falsehood,

and become a legend for the ages.

محق اللَهُ فيَّ شرَّ ظَلامي

فَلتُضىء في الحَياةِ حِكمَةُ نوري

God has obliterated in me the evil of my darkness;

so let the wisdom of my light shine through life.

إِن تَكُن جَزَّتِ الخِيانَةُ شَعري

في ضَلالي فَقُوَّتي في شُعوري

If treachery has shorn my hair

in my waywardness, my strength lies in my awareness.