خدع الشوق فؤادي فانخدع — Ibn Alkhatib

خدَعَ الشّوْقُ فؤادي فانخَدَعْ

أفَلا أقْصَرَ شَيْئاً وارتَدَعْ

Longing beguiled my heart, and it was beguiled.

Could it not have desisted a little and taken heed?

ثمّ لمّا حَلّ في فخِّ الهَوى

طَيْرُهُ بعْدَ حِذارٍ ووَقَعْ

Then, when there alighted in passion's snare

its bird, and it fell after all its caution,

قيّضَ اللّهُ لهُ يوْمَ النّوى

اشْعَلَ النّارَ بهِ حتى انْصَدَعْ

God appointed for it the day of parting,

and kindled fire within it until it split.

يا عُرَيْبَ الشِّعْبِ منْ وادِي النّقا

أخْضَلَ الغَيْثُ رُباكُمْ ونَقَعْ

O little Arab tribe of the pass, from Wadi al-Naqa,

may the rain make your hills lush and soak them.

أخْلَقَ الصّبْرُ فَما في ثوْبِه

أبَداً واللّهِ لي مِنْ مُنتَفَعْ

Patience has worn threadbare; in its garment

there is never, by God, any use for me.

قُلْتُ فارقْتُ شَبابي وحْدَهُ

فإذا الدُنْيا ومَا فِيها تبَعْ

I said: I have parted with my youth alone;

but behold, the world and all within it followed.

هلْ لهَذا البَيْنِ منْ مُجتَمَع

أوْ لهَذا المُرْتَجى منْ مُرْتَجَعْ

Can this parting lead to any reunion,

or can what I hope for be regained?

طمَعَتْ نَفْسي بزَوْرٍ غرَّها

فهْيَ تجْني بعْدَهُ عُقْبَى الطّمَعْ

My soul set its hopes on a falsehood that deceived it;

so afterward it reaps the consequence of desire.

والّذي أظْمأ لوْ شاءَ سَقَى

والذي فرّقَ لوْ شاءَ جمَعْ

And He who made me thirst could, if He willed, give drink;

and He who divided could, if He willed, unite.

يا نَسيمَ الرّيحِ إنْ جِئْتَ الحِمَى

بعدَما طبّقَ غيْمٌ وارتفَعْ

O breeze of the wind, if you reach the sanctuary,

after a cloud has spread its cover and lifted,

وتلوّمْتَ بأكْنافِ سَلا

ترْفَعُ الدّوْحَ قَليلاً وتضَعْ

and linger about the outskirts of Salé,

lifting the great trees a little and setting them down,

قُلْ لَوادي الغَبْطِ هلْ منْ عوْدَةٍ

يصِلُ الأنْسُ لدَيْها ما قطَعْ

say to Wadi al-Ghabt: Is there a return

in which companionship will mend what was severed?

أوْ على مرْجِ حَمامٍ خطْرَةٌ

ما سرَتْ في خاطِري إلا انْجَمَعْ

Or a passing visit to Marj Hamam—

whenever it crosses my mind, my mind contracts.

أوْ بأَسْمِيرَ لَنا منْ سمَرٍ

أو علَى ناظورِها منْ مُجتمَعْ

Or in Asmir, some nighttime conversation for us,

or a gathering at its watchtower?

وسَقَى شَلّةَ عهْدٌ مُغْدِق

هَمى في الرّبْعِ منْها وهَمَعْ

And may a bounteous shower water Chellah,

pouring over its dwellings and streaming down.

ورِباطَ الفَتْحِ يا حَيَّ الحَيا

ما بَنى المَنْصور فيهِ واخْتَرَعْ

And Rabat al-Fath—hail to the rain!—

all that al-Mansur built and devised there.

ورِياضُ الشّيْخ كمْ مرْأى لَنا

فيهِ يُزْري بالنُهَى أو مُسْتَمَعْ

And Riyad al-Shaykh—how many a sight for us

there, or sound to hear, put reason to shame!

دبّجَ الغيثُ بهِ خُضْرَ الرُّبى

كيْفَما شاء ووشّى ووشَعْ

There the rain brocaded the green hills

as it wished, and embroidered and patterned them.

فإذا جاءَتْ تحيّاتُ الصَّبا

سجَدَ الدّوْحُ خُشوعاً وركَعْ

And when the east wind's greetings came,

the great trees prostrated humbly and bowed.

سئِمَتْ أغْصانُه دَيْنَ الصَّبا

فهْيَ تقْضي دُفَعاً بعْدَ دُفَعْ

Its branches grew weary of their debt to the east wind,

so they repay it, installment after installment.

تَنْشُرُ الزّهْرُ علَيْنا ورَقًا

نقَشَ الكوْنُ علَيْها وطَبَعْ

The blossoms scatter silver coins over us,

on which creation has engraved and stamped.

سكّةُ اللهِ فسُبْحانَ الذي

قدّرَ الصّرْفَ وأعطى ومنَعْ

God's coinage! Glory be to Him who

ordained exchange, and gave and withheld.

وأطاعَتْ بأبي العاصِي المُنَى

فلَكَمْ بابٍ الى الأُنْسِ شرَعْ

At Abu al-'Asi, wishes were fulfilled;

how many a door to companionship was opened!

وعلى المَلْحَد منْ شرْقِيِّه

رَحْمَةُ اللهِ فكمْ فضْلٍ جمَعْ

And upon the tomb on its eastern side,

may God's mercy rest—how much virtue it held!

فيهِ أوْدَعْتُ فؤادي في الثّرَى

ولبِسْتُ الحُزْنَ ثوْباً لوْ نفَعْ

There I laid my heart in the earth,

and wore grief as a robe—if only it helped.

إنْ سَلا قَلْبي منْ بعْدِ سَلا

فإلى الغَدْرِ بِلا شكٍّ نزَعْ

If my heart finds solace after Salé,

it surely inclines toward betrayal.

ثمَرُ القلْبِ بِها خلّفْتُهُ

هلْ لقَلْبي بعْدَها منْ مُنتَجَعْ

There I left the fruit of my heart;

has my heart any pasture to seek after her?

أمْتَعَ الدّهْرُ بِها لمّا سَها

ثمّ لمّا اسْتَشْعَرَ السّهْوَ رفَعْ

Time let me enjoy her when it was heedless;

then, sensing its heedlessness, it took her away.

وإذا جِئْتُ رُبوعاً بعْدَها

فعلَ اللّهُ بقَلْبي وصنَعْ

And if I visit other dwellings after her,

may God do with my heart whatever He will!

أبلغَنْ صَحْبي بِها مَمْحوضَةً

ناظَرَ المِسْكَ شَذاها فانْقَطَعْ

Convey to my companions there a pure greeting,

whose fragrance challenged musk and left it speechless.

بِوَلِيِّ اللهِ فابدَأ واقْتَصِدْ

واحِد الآحادِ في بابِ الوَرَعْ

Begin with God's saint, and be measured:

unique among the unique in the realm of piety.

وعلَى عبْدِ العزيزِ اعْطِفْ تجِدْ

ناسِكاً للّهِ والنّاسِ اتّضَعْ

And turn to Abd al-Aziz; you will find

an ascetic who humbled himself before God and people.

والى الزّاويةَ العُلْيا التَفِتْ

فهْيَ مثْوَى مَنْ عنِ الغَيِّ نَزَعْ

And turn toward the Upper Zawiya,

for it is the abode of one who turned away from error.

وأبْلِغِ الأحْبابَ عنّي أنّنِي

فَجَأ البَيْنُ فؤادِي وفجَعْ

And tell my loved ones, on my behalf, that

parting struck my heart unawares and bereaved me.

حَيِّ بالرّضْوان عنّي ابْنَ رِضي

فرْعَ مجْدٍ قُنّةَ المجْدِ فرَعْ

Greet Ibn Ridi for me with wishes of divine favor,

a scion of glory who scaled glory's summit.

سُنّةُ الفَضْلِ بهِ قامَتْ وقَدْ

أُحدِثَتْ منْ فضْلِهِ فِيها بِدَعْ

The tradition of excellence stands through him, and

his excellence has brought innovations into it.

حسَبٌ زاكٍ ونَفْسٌ حُرّةٌ

وطِباعٌ لمْ يُدنِّسْها الطّبَعْ

Pure ancestral honor, a noble soul,

and dispositions no baseness has defiled.

وابْنَ حَمْدين بحَمْدي فابْتَدرْ

أيَّ ندْبٍ رايَةَ السّورِ رفَعْ

And hasten to Ibn Hamdin with my praise:

what a noble champion, raising hospitality's banner!

بَيْتُ عِلْمٍ وقَضاءٍ وعُلَى

أوْتَرَ المَعْروفُ فيهِ وشَفَعْ

A house of learning, judgeship, and eminence,

where kindness has come singly and in pairs.

وابْنَ داوُودَ بودّي فابْتَدِرْ

فهْوَ في الخُلّةِ صُبْحٌ قدْ سَطَعْ

And hasten to Ibn Dawud with my affection,

for in friendship he is a dawn that has shone forth.

حَكَميُّ البيْتِ في مَكْمَنِه

نامَ ذو الحِكمَةِ فنّاً واضْطَجَعْ

Hakami by lineage; within his hidden depths

the master of wisdom has found sleep and repose in learning.

وابْنَ غِياثٍ غِياثٌ وشِفا

جُملةَ الخَلْقِ بهِ اللّهُ نفَعْ

And Ibn Ghiyath is succor and healing;

God has benefited all creation through him.

ولعُثْمانَ ارْوِ عنّي وابْنِه

حُسْنَ عهْدي دَرّةَ الرّعْي رضَعْ

And tell Uthman and his son, on my behalf,

of my faithful remembrance—he suckled care's rich milk.

واذكُرِ الصَّبّاغَ عبْدَ اللهِ إنْ

رجّعَ الشّدْوَ وبالذِّكْرِ سجَعْ

And mention al-Sabbagh, Abd Allah, if

he trills his song and chants remembrance in rhyme.

ولْتَصِفْ شَقْرونَ بالسّعْدِ وإن

قيلَ أيُّ السّعْدِ قُلْ سعْدُ بُلَعْ

And describe Shaqrun as fortunate; and if

asked which fortune, say: Sa'd Bula'.

يا لَهُمْ منْ سادَةٍ جرّعَني

بيْنَهُمْ منْ مضَض البَيْنِ جُرَعْ

Ah, what noble lords! I was made to swallow

by parting from them, draughts of separation's bitter pain.

زَرعُوا فيّ جَميلاً فجَنَوْا

يحْصِدُ الإنسانُ إلاّ ما زَرَعْ

They sowed kindness in me, and so they reaped;

does a person reap anything but what he sowed?

سلّم اللهُ علَى أهْلِ سَلا

ما صَباحٌ لاحَ أوْ برْقٌ لمَعْ

May God grant peace to the people of Salé,

as long as dawn breaks or lightning flashes.