نبئاني إن كنتما تعلمان — Hafez Ibrahim

نَبِّئاني إِن كُنتُما تَعلَمانِ

ما دَهى الكَونَ أَيُّها الفَرقَدانِ

Tell me, you two, if you know:

what has befallen the world, O two Farqad stars?

غَضِبَ اللَهُ أَم تَمَرَّدَتِ الأَر

ضُ فَأَنحَت عَلى بَني الإِنسانِ

Has God grown angry, or has the earth rebelled

and turned upon the children of humankind?

لَيسَ هَذا سُبحانَ رَبّي وَلا ذا

كَ وَلَكِن طَبيعَةُ الأَكوانِ

It is neither this—glory to my Lord!—nor that,

but the nature of the worlds:

غَلَيانٌ في الأَرضِ نَفَّسَ عَنهُ

ثَوَرانٌ في البَحرِ وَالبُركانِ

a seething within the earth, vented

by upheaval in the sea and the volcano.

رَبِّ أَينَ المَفَرُّ وَالبَحرُ وَالبَر

رُ عَلى الكَيدِ لِلوَرى عامِلانِ

Lord, where is escape, when sea and land

both conspire against humankind?

كُنتُ أَخشى البِحارَ وَالمَوتُ فيها

راصِدٌ غَفلَةً مِنَ الرُبّانِ

I used to fear the seas, where death

lies in wait for a captain's lapse,

سابِحٌ تَحتَنا مُطِلٌّ عَلَينا

حائِمٌ حَولَنا مُناءٍ مُداني

swimming beneath us, looming over us,

circling around us, keeping far off, drawing near.

فَإِذا الأَرضُ وَالبِحارُ سَواءٌ

في خَلاقٍ كِلاهُما غادِرانِ

And now, behold, the earth and seas are alike

in character: both are treacherous.

ما لِمَسّينَ عوجِلَت في صِباها

وَدَعاها مِنَ الرَدى داعِيانِ

Why was Messina struck down in her youth,

and summoned by two heralds of destruction?

وَمَحَت تِلكُمُ المَحاسِنَ مِنها

حينَ تَمَّت آياتُها آيَتانِ

Why were those beauties blotted out from her,

just as her marvels were complete, by two portents?

خُسِفَت ثُمَّ أُغرِقَت ثُمَّ بادَت

قُضِيَ الأَمرُ كُلُّهُ في ثَواني

She sank into the earth, then drowned, then perished;

the whole affair was settled in seconds.

وَأَتى أَمرُها فَأَضحَت كَأَن لَم

تَكُ بِالأَمسِ زينَةَ البُلدانِ

Her doom came, and she became as though she had not

been, only yesterday, the ornament of cities.

لَيتَها أُمهِلَت فَتَقضي حُقوقاً

مِن وَداعِ اللِداتِ وَالجيرانِ

Would she had been given time to fulfill the duties

of farewell to her peers and neighbors:

لَمحَةً يَسعَدُ الصَديقانِ فيها

بِاِجتِماعٍ وَيَلتَقي العاشِقانِ

one moment in which two friends might rejoice

in reunion, and two lovers meet.

بَغَتِ الأَرضُ وَالجِبالُ عَلَيها

وَطَغى البَحرُ أَيَّما طُغيانِ

The earth and mountains assailed her,

and the sea raged beyond all bounds.

تِلكَ تَغلي حِقداً عَلَيها فَتَنشَق

قُ اِنشِقاقاً مِن كَثرَةِ الغَلَيانِ

The earth seethes with hatred against her, then splits

apart from the intensity of its boiling.

فَتُجيبُ الجِبالُ رَجماً وَقَذفاً

بِشُواظٍ مِن مارِجٍ وَدُخانِ

The mountains answer with pelting and bombardment,

with blazing tongues of swirling flame and smoke.

وَتَسوقُ البِحارُ رَدّاً عَلَيها

جَيشَ مَوجٍ نائي الجَناحَينِ داني

And the seas drive against her, in reply,

an army of waves, far-flung of wing, yet near.

فَهُنا المَوتُ أَسوَدُ اللَونِ جَونٌ

وَهُنا المَوتُ أَحمَرُ اللَونِ قاني

Here death is black in hue, pitch-dark;

and here death is red in hue, deep crimson.

جَنَّدَ الماءَ وَالثَرى لِهَلاكِ ال

خَلقِ ثُمَّ اِستَعانَ بِالنيرانِ

He marshaled water and earth to destroy

creation, then enlisted the fires.

وَدَعا السُحبَ عاتِياً فَأَمَدَّت

هُ بِجَيشٍ مِنَ الصَواعِقِ ثاني

In his fury he summoned the clouds, and they supplied

him with a second army of thunderbolts.

فَاِستَحالَ النَجاءُ وَاِستَحكَمَ اليَأ

سُ وَخارَت عَزائِمُ الشُجعانِ

Escape became impossible, and despair prevailed,

and the resolve of the brave gave way.

وَشَفى المَوتُ غِلَّهُ مِن نُفوسٍ

لا تُباليهِ في مَجالِ الطِعانِ

Death sated his rancor upon souls

that cared nothing for him on the field of spears.

أَينَ رِدجو وَأَينَ ما كانَ فيها

مِن مَغانٍ مَأهولَةٍ وَغَواني

Where is Reggio, and where is what she held

of inhabited dwellings and beautiful women?

عوجِلَت مِثلَ أُختِها وَدَهاها

ما دَهاها مِن ذَلِكَ الثَوَرانِ

She was struck down like her sister, and suffered

what her sister suffered from that upheaval.

رُبَّ طِفلٍ قَد ساخَ في باطِنِ الأَر

ضِ يُنادي أُمّي أَبي أَدرِكاني

Many a child has sunk into the bowels of the earth,

crying, 'Mother! Father! Save me!'

وَفَتاةٍ هَيفاءَ تُشوى عَلى الجَم

رِ تُعاني مِن حَرِّهِ ما تُعاني

and many a slender maiden is roasted on the embers,

suffering untold torment from their heat;

وَأَبٍ ذاهِلٍ إِلى النارِ يَمشي

مُستَميتاً تَمتَدُّ مِنهُ اليَدانِ

and many a distraught father walks into the fire,

desperate, both hands outstretched,

باحِثاً عَن بَناتِهِ وَبَنيهِ

مُسرِعَ الخَطوِ مُستَطيرَ الجَنانِ

searching for his daughters and his sons,

hurrying his steps, his heart wild with terror.

تَأكُلُ النارُ مِنهُ لا هُوَ ناجٍ

مِن لَظاها وَلا اللَظى عَنهُ واني

The fire consumes him: he has no escape

from its blaze, nor does the blaze relent toward him.

غَصَّتِ الأَرضُ أُتخِمَ البَحرُ مِمّا

طَوَياهُ مِن هَذِهِ الأَبدانِ

The earth choked; the sea was glutted with

the bodies the two had engulfed.

وَشَكا الحوتُ لِلنُسورِ شَكاةً

رَدَّدَتها النُسورُ لِلحيتانِ

The whale voiced a complaint to the vultures,

which the vultures echoed back to the whales.

أَسرَفا في الجُسومِ نَقراً وَنَهشاً

ثُمَّ باتا مِن كِظَّةٍ يَشكُوانِ

Both gorged on bodies, pecking and tearing,

then spent the night complaining of surfeit.

لا رَعى اللَهُ ساكِنَ القِمَمِ الشُم

مِ وَلا حاطَ ساكِنَ القيعانِ

May God not guard the dweller of the lofty peaks,

nor shelter the dweller of the depths!

قَد أَغارا عَلى أَكُفٍّ بَراها

بارِئُ الكائِناتِ لِلإِتقانِ

They fell upon hands fashioned

by the Creator of all beings for perfect craftsmanship.

كَيفَ لَم يَرحَما أَنامِلَها الغُ

رَّ وَلَم يَرفُقا بِتِلكَ البَنانِ

How could they not pity their radiant fingertips,

and show no gentleness to those fingers?

لَهفَ نَفسي وَأَلفَ لَهفٍ عَلَيها

مِن أَكُفٍّ كانَت صَناعَ الزَمانِ

Oh, my soul's grief—a thousand griefs for them,

those hands, the master hands of their age!

مولَعاتٍ بِصَيدِ كُلِّ جَميلٍ

ناصِباتٍ حَبائِلَ الأَلوانِ

devoted to capturing every beauty,

setting the snares of colors,

حافِراتٍ في الصَخرِ أَو ناقِشاتٍ

شائِداتٍ رَوائِعَ البُنيانِ

carving in stone or engraving,

raising marvels of architecture,

مُنطِقاتٍ لِسانَ كُلِّ جَمادٍ

مُفحِماتٍ سَواجِعَ الأَفنانِ

giving every lifeless thing a speaking tongue,

silencing the songbirds of the boughs,

مُلهَماتٍ مِن دِقَّةِ الصُنعِ مالا

يُلهَمُ الشِعرُ مِن دَقيقِ المَعاني

inspired with a finesse of craft that

poetry is not granted in its finest meanings,

مِن تَماثيلَ كَالنُجومِ الدَراري

يَهرَمُ الدَهرُ وَهيَ في عُنفُوانِ

in statues like resplendent stars:

time grows old while they remain in their prime.

عَجَبٌ صُنعُها وَأَعجَبُ مِنهُ

صُنعُهُ تِلكَ قُدرَةُ الرَحمَنِ

Their workmanship is wondrous; more wondrous still

is His workmanship: such is the All-Merciful's power.

إيهِ مِسّينَ آنِسي اليَومَ بُمبِي

يَ فَقَد أَوحَشَت بِذاكَ المَكانِ

Ah, Messina! Keep Pompeii company today,

for she has grown lonely in that place.

آنِسي الدُرَّةَ الَّتي كانَتِ الحِل

يَةَ في تاجِ دَولَةِ الرومانِ

Keep company with the pearl that was the ornament

in the crown of the Roman realm.

غالَها قَبلَكِ الزَمانُ اِغتِيالاً

وَهيَ تَلهو في غِبطَةٍ وَأَمانِ

Time slew her treacherously before you,

as she reveled in happiness and safety.

جاءَها الأَمرُ وَالسَراةُ عُكوفٌ

في المَلاهي عَلى غِناءِ القِيانِ

Her doom came while her nobles were absorbed

in pleasure haunts, intent upon the singing of slave-girls:

بَينَ صَبٍّ مُدَلَّهٍ وَطَروبٍ

وَخَليعٍ في اللَهوِ مُرخى العِنانِ

among them the love-bewildered lover and the reveler,

and the libertine given free rein in pleasure.

فَاِنطَوَوا كَاِنطِواءِ أَهلِكِ بِالأَم

سِ وَزالَت بَشاشَةُ العُمرانِ

They vanished as your people vanished yesterday,

and civilization's cheerful aspect vanished.

أَنتِ مِسّينَ لَن تَزولي كَما زا

لَت وَلَكِن أَمسَيتِ رَهنَ الأَوانِ

You, Messina, will not vanish as she vanished;

but you have become time's hostage.

إِنَّ إيطاليا بَنوها بُناةٌ

فَاِطمَئِنّي ما دامَ في الحَيِّ باني

Indeed, Italy's sons are builders;

so rest assured while the community still has a builder.

فَسَلامٌ عَلَيكِ يَومَ تَوَلَّي

تِ بِما فيكِ مِن مَغانٍ حِسانِ

So peace be upon you on the day you departed,

with all your beautiful dwellings;

وَسَلامٌ عَلَيكَ يَومَ تَعودي

نَ كَما كُنتِ جَنَّةَ الطُليانِ

and peace be upon you on the day you return

as you were, the Italians' paradise.

وَسَلامٌ مِن كُلِّ حَيٍّ عَلى الأَر

ضِ عَلى كُلِّ هالِكٍ فيكِ فاني

And peace, from every living soul on earth,

upon all who perished and passed away within you;

وَسَلامٌ عَلى الأُلى أَكَلَ الذِئ

بُ وَناشَت جَوارِحُ العِقبانِ

and peace upon those whom the wolf devoured

and the eagles' talons seized;

وَسَلامٌ عَلى اِمرِئٍ جادَ بِالدَم

عِ وَثَنّى بِالأَصفَرِ الرَنّانِ

and peace upon the one who was generous with tears,

then followed them with ringing gold.

ذاكَ حَقُّ الإِنسانِ عِندَ بَني الإِن

سانِ لَم أَدعُكُم إِلى إِحسانِ

That is a human being's due from fellow humans;

I have not called you to charity.

فَاِكتُبوا في سَماءِ رُدجو وَمِسّي

نا وَكالَبرِيا بِكُلِّ لِسانِ

So write in the sky of Reggio and Messina

and Calabria, in every tongue:

هاهُنا مَصرَعُ الصِناعَةِ وَالتَص

ويرِ وَالحِذقِ وَالحِجا وَالأَغاني

Here fell craftsmanship and painting,

and skill, and intellect, and song.