سل ما لسلمى بنار الهجر تكويني — Ibn Alkhatib

سَلْ مَا لسلمَى بنَارِ الهجْرِ تَكْوِينِي

وَحُبُّهَا فِي الْحَشَى مِنْ قَبْلِ تَكْوِينِي

Ask why Salma sears me with the fire of separation,

And love for her was in my breast before my creation.

وَفِي مُنَاهَا تَمَنَّيتُ الْمُنَى فَغَدا

قَلْبِي كَئِيباً بِبَلْوَاهُ يُنَاجِينِي

And in hopes of her I wished for every wish; then grew

My heart sorrowful, confiding its affliction to me.

وَفِي قِبَابِ قُبا قاَمَتْ لَنَا بِقَبَا

طِرَازُهَا مذْهَبٌ فِي حُسْنِ تَزْيِينِ

And among Quba’s domes she stood before us in a robe,

Its embroidery gilded in exquisite adornment.

لَمَّا انْثَنَتْ فِي الحُلَى تَزْهُو بِبَهْجَتِهَا

وَبِالغَزَالَةِ تُزْرِي وَالسَّرَاحِينِ

When she swayed in her jewels, proud of her radiance,

She put the gazelle and the wolves to shame.

لَمَّا تَفَنَّنْتُ فِي أَفْنَانِ قَامَتِهَا

تَفَنَّنَتْ بِفُنُونِ الصَّدِّ تُفْنِينِي

When I practiced my arts amid the boughs of her stature,

She practiced the arts of rejection, destroying me.

وَتَحْسَبُ الصَّدّ يُسلِينِي مَحَبَّتَهَا

هَيْهَاتَ لَوْ أَنَّ جَمْرَ النَّار يُصْلِينِي

And she thinks rejection will make me forget my love for her—

Far from it, even if the fire’s embers were to scorch me!

النَّار فِي كَبِدِي وَالشَّوْقُ يُقْلِقُني

وَالْقُرْبُ يَنْشُرُنِي والبُعْدُ يَطْوِينِي

Fire is in my liver, and longing unsettles me;

And nearness unfolds me, and distance folds me away.

وَرُكْنُ صَبْرِي تَخَلَّى فِي الْغَرَامِ وَقَدْ

تَمَكَّنَ الحُبّ مِنِّي أَيّ تَمْكِينِ

The pillar of my patience has given way in passion, and

Love has gained mastery over me—what mastery!

وَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ مَسِيرِي عَزَّ مَطلبُهُ

وَالطَّرفُ وَالظَّرفُ يُبْكِينِي ويَكْوِينِي

And I found my journey’s goal hard to attain,

And the gaze and grace make me weep and scorch me.

نَصَبْتَ حَالِي لِرَفْعِ الضَّمِّ مُنْجَزِما

بِالْكَسْرِ عَلَّ بَرشْفِ الضّمَ تُحْيِينِي

You left me weary by withdrawing the embrace, cut off

By heartbreak; perhaps you will revive me with a sip to quench thirst.

يَا صَاح عُجْ بالحِمَى وَانْزِلْ بِهِمْ سَحَراً

وَانْظُرْ لعَجْبٍ أثِيلاَتِ الْبَسَاتِينِ

O friend, turn toward the sanctuary and alight among them before dawn,

And look in wonder at the gardens’ little tamarisks.

وَفَوْقَ سَفْحِ عَمِيق الدَّمْعِ عُجْ لِتَرَى

جَآذِرَ الْحَيِّ بَيْنَ الخُرَّدِ الْعِينِ

And above a slope deep with tears, turn aside to see

The encampment’s young oryx among the wide-eyed maidens.

وَمِلْ عَلَى أَثْلاَثِ الْبَانِ مُنْعَطِفاً

وَحَيّ سَلْعاً وَسَلْ عَنْ حَالِ مِسْكِينِ

And turn toward the thirds of the ban grove, bending your course,

And greet Sal‘, and ask after a wretched man’s condition.

ثُمَّ آتِ جَزْعاً وَجُزْ عَنْ حَيِّ كَاظِمِةٍ

وَأقْر السَّلاَمَ عَلَى خَيْرِ النَّبِييِنِ

Then come to the valley bend and pass by Kazima’s encampment,

And convey greetings of peace to the best of prophets:

مُحَمَّدٌ الْمُصْطَفَى الْمُخْتَارُ مَنْ ظَهَرَتْ

آياتُهُ فَتَسَلَّى كُلُّ مُحْزُونِ

Muhammad, the Chosen, the Elect, whose

Signs appeared, bringing solace to every grieving soul.

مَنْ خَصَّهُ اللهُ بِالْقُرْآنِ مُعْجِزَةً

مَا نَالَهَا مُرْسَلٌ قَدْ جَاءَ بِالدِّينِ

He whom God singled out with the Qur’an as a miracle

That no messenger who brought the faith had attained.

وَمِنْ شِهَابٍ بَدَا مِنْ نُورِهِ رَجَعَت

شُهْبُ الدَّياجِي رُجُوماً لِلشَّيَاطينِ

And through a meteor that appeared from his light, were turned

The meteors of dark nights into missiles against the devils.

وَفَوْقَ رَاحَتِهِ صُمُّ الْحَصَى نَطَقَتْ

وَالْمَاءُ مِنْ كَفِّهِ يُزْرِي بِجَيْحُونِ

And upon his palm the hard pebbles spoke;

And water from his hand put the Jayhun to shame.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي اخْتَارَهُ البَارِي وَأَرْسَلَهُ

بَرّاً رَؤُوفاً رَحِيماً بِالْمَسَاكِينِ

He is the one the Creator chose and sent,

Virtuous, compassionate, merciful toward the needy.

إِنْ سَارَ فِي الرَّمْل لَمْ يَظَهَر لَهُ أَثَرٌ

وَإِنْ عَلاَ الصَّخْرَ عَادَ الصَّخْرُ كَالطِّينِ

If he walked upon the sand, no trace of him appeared;

And if he stepped upon rock, the rock became like clay.

كَأَنْ بالرَّمْلِ مَا بِالصَّخْرِ مِنْ جَلَدٍ

شَوْقاً وَبِالصَّخْرِ مَا بِالرَّمْلِ مِنْ لِينِ

As though the sand had the rock’s hardness,

Out of longing, and the rock had the sand’s softness.

وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ أَنَّ الجِذْعَ حَنَّ لَهُ

وَالْعِذْقَ أَنَّ إِلَيْهِ أَيَّ تَأَنِينِ

And in the two Sahihs it is told that the trunk yearned for him,

And the date cluster moaned for him—what moaning!

وَقَدْ سَمِعْنَا بِأَنَّ الطَّيْرَ خَاطَبَهُ

فِي منْطِقٍ مُفْصِحٍ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَلْكِينِ

And we have heard that the birds addressed him

In articulate speech, without any prompting.

وَالظَّبيَ وَالضبَّ جَاءَا يَشْهَدَانِ بِأَنْ

لاَ شَيْءَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ طَهٍ وَيَاسِينِ

And the gazelle and the desert lizard came, bearing witness that

Nothing is greater than Ta-Ha and Ya-Sin.

فَكَيْفَ أُحْسِنُ مَدْحاً فِي مَحَاسِنِهِ

لَكِنَّ لِي قَبُولاَ مِنْهُ يَكْفِينِي

How, then, can I do justice in praising his virtues?

Yet his acceptance of me is enough for me.

أُقَبِّلُ الأَرْضَ إِجْلاَلاً لِهَيْبَتِهِ

وَأَلْثِمُ التُّرْبَ عَلَّ الوَصْلَ يُحْيِينِي

I kiss the earth in reverence for his majesty,

And kiss the dust, hoping reunion will revive me.

وَقَدْ أَقُولُ ابْن حَمْدَان الْغَرِيبَ أَتَى

مُنَادِياً بِفُؤَادٍ مِنْهُ مَحْزُونِ

And I may say: Ibn Hamdan, the stranger, has come,

Calling out with a sorrow-stricken heart:

يَاأَكْرمَ الخَلْقِ مِنْ عُرْبٍ وَمِنْ عَجَمِ

وَأَحْسَنَ النَّاسِ مِنْ حُسْنٍ وَتَزيِين

O noblest of creatures, among Arabs and non-Arabs,

And fairest of people in beauty and adornment,

إِنِّي أَتَيْتُكَ فَأقْبَلْنِي وَخُذْ بِيَدِي

وَمِنْ لهِيبِ لَظَى جِرْنِي وَسجِّينِ

I have come to you; accept me and take my hand,

And protect me from Laza’s blazing fire and Sijjin.

وَقَدْ مَدَحتُكَ فَارْحَمْنِي وَجُدْ فَعَسَى

مِنْ هَوْلِ يَوْمِ اللِّقَا وَالْحَشْرِ تُنْجِينِي

I have praised you; have mercy on me and be generous, that perhaps

You may save me from the terror of the Day of Meeting and Gathering.

وَكُنْ شَفِيعِي فِي النَّارِ يَاأَمَلِي

لَعَلَّ أَحْظَى بِأَجْرٍ غَيْر مَمْنُونِ

And be my intercessor in the Fire, O my hope,

That I may attain an unending reward.

صَلَّى عَلَيْكَ إِلاَهُ الْعَرْشِ مَا صَدَحَتْ

قُمْرِيَّةٌ فَوْقَ أَفْنَانِ الرَّيَاحِينِ

May the God of the Throne bless you as long as sings

A turtledove upon the boughs of fragrant plants.

صَلَّى عَلَيْكَ إِلاَهُ الْعَرْشِ مَا غَرَّدَت

حَمَائِمُ فَوْقَ أَغْصَانِ الْبَسَاتِينِ

May the God of the Throne bless you as long as warble

Doves upon the gardens’ branches.

صَلَّى عَلَيْكَ إِلاَهُ الْعَرْشِ مَا وَفَدَتْ

نُوَيْقَةٌ لِحِمَى الأَطْلاَلِ تَبْرِينِي

May the God of the Throne bless you as long as arrives

A little she-camel at the sanctuary of the ruins, wearing me thin.

صَلَّى عَلَيْكَ إِلاَهُ الْعَرْشِ مَا هَطَلَتْ

مَدَامِعُ السُّحْبِ أَوْ عَيْنُ المُحِبِّينِ

May the God of the Throne bless you as long as pour down

The clouds’ tears, or the eyes of lovers.

صَلَّى عَلَيْكَ إِلاَهُ الْعَرْشِ مَا ضَحِكَتْ

مَبَاسِمُ الزَّهْرِ فِي ثَغْرِ الأَفَانِينِ

May the God of the Throne bless you as long as smile

The blossoms’ mouths at the lips of the boughs.

وَأَلفُ أَلفِ صَلاَةٍ لاَ نَفَادَ لَهَا

مَضرُوبَةٌ فِي ثَمَانِ أَلْفِ تِسْعِينِ

And a thousand thousand blessings, never exhausted,

Multiplied by eight thousand ninety,

عَلَيْكَ يَاخَيْرَ خَلْقِ اللهِ قَاطِبَةً

وَأَلْفُ أَلْفِ سَلاَمٍ فِي ثَمَانِينِ

Upon you, O best of all God’s creatures,

And a thousand thousand greetings of peace, multiplied by eighty,

وَآلِكِ الْغُرِّ وَالأَصْحَابِ كُلِّهِم

وَتَابِعِيهِمْ لِيَوْمِ الْحَشْرِ وَالدِّينِ

And upon your radiant family and all the companions,

And their followers until the Day of Gathering and Judgment,

مَا عطَّرَ الرَّوْضُ فِي الأَسْحَارِ عَرفَ صبَا

وَفَاحَ نَشرُ خُزَامَى مِنَّةَ نِسْرِينِ

As long as the garden perfumes the east wind’s scent before dawn,

And lavender’s fragrance wafts—a gift of wild rose;

وَمَا شَدَا مُنْشِدٌ صبٌّ لِفَرْطِ جَوىً

سَلْ مَا لسَلْمَى بِنَارِ الهَجْرِ تَكْوِينِي

And as long as a lovesick singer sings from overwhelming heartache:

Ask why Salma sears me with the fire of separation.