من منقذي من منصفي — Ibn Daniyal

مَنْ مُنْقِذي مَنْ مُنصفي

مِنَ القِوامِ الأهيفِ

Who will rescue me? Who will grant me justice

against that slender figure?

غُصْنُ نَقَا تَيَمني

بِقَدِّهِ المَهفْهَفِ

A bough upon a sandhill has enthralled me

with his delicate stature.

يا واوَ صَدْغيهِ ألا

على المحبِّ تعطفي

O waw-shaped curl at his temples, will you not

bend tenderly toward the lover?

فقد رجوت الوَصَل من

هذا القوم الألفي

For I have hoped for union from

this alif-like company [uncertain wording].

أسَفَ قَلبي طائراَ

منَ الأسى والأسَفِ

My heart grieved as it flew,

from sorrow and regret.

قالوا أختفى قُلتْ لَهم

بدرُ الدُّجى ما يَختفي

They said, 'He has vanished'; I told them,

'The full moon of darkness does not vanish.'

لكنْ بدا ذابَهْجَةٍ

كالشّمسِ عندَ الشّرَفِ

Rather, he appeared in splendor,

like the sun at its exaltation.

أقسَمْتُ منْ ريقتهِ

باردٍ كالقَرْقَف

I swore by his saliva,

cool as wine,

وَعَنْبَرُ الخالِ الذي

في خَدِّهِ قد عامَ فِي

and the ambergris of the beauty mark that

on his cheek has floated in—

ودُرّ ثغْرٍ في عَقيقٍ

مطبقٍ كالصّدَف

and the pearls of a mouth set in carnelian,

closed like a shell;

وَوَرْدَة في خَدِّهِ

بِناشري لم تُقْطَفِ

and a rose upon his cheek,

unplucked by my nashir [unclear].

كم بِتُّ من عِشقي لَهُ

بَجَمرةٍ لم تُقْطَفِ

How many nights, out of love for him, I have spent

with an ember that was never plucked.

رَشا مِنَ التُّركِ لَهُ

لَحظُ غَزالٍ أوطَفِ

A young gazelle among the Turks, he has

the glance of a long-lashed gazelle.

رَمى بِنَبْلِ جفنهِ

قَلباً غدا كالهَدَفِ

He shot the arrows of his eyelid

at a heart that became a target.

واكَلَفي والبدرُ لا

بُدَّ لَهُ مِن كلَفِ

Oh, my infatuation! And the full moon cannot

be without dark spots.

ماتَ يا قومُ فجأةً إبليسُ

وَخَلا منهُ رَبعُه المأنوسُ

Iblis died suddenly, my people,

and his familiar dwelling stands empty of him.

وَنَعاني حَدسي بهِ إذْ تُوُفّي

وَلَعَمري مماتُهُ مَحدوسُ

My intuition announced my death in his when he died;

and, by my life, his death is inferred.

هَوَ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ كما قلتُ مَيْتاً

لم يُغَيّرْ لُحكمِه ناموسُ

Had he not been dead, as I said,

no law of his dominion would have changed.

أينَ عيناهُ تنظُرُ الخمرَ إذ عُطّلَ

منهُ الرَّاووقُ والمجريسُ

Where are his eyes to see the wine, now that

its strainer and crusher lie idle?

والبواطي بها تَكَسّرْنَ والخمّا

رُ مِن بَعْدِ كَسْرِها محبوسُ

The wine bowls there were shattered, and the wine-sell-

-er, after their smashing, is imprisoned.

وذَوو القَصفِ ذاهلونَ وقد كا

دَتْ على سَلها تسيلُ النّفوسُ

The revelers are stunned; their souls have near-

-ly flowed away as they were drawn forth.

كم خَليعٍ يقولُ ذا اليومُ يومٌ

مِثَلَما قيلَ قمطريرٌ عبوسُ

How many a libertine says, 'This day is a day—

as it was said—fiercely grim and scowling!'

وفتى قائلٍ لقد هانَ عندي

بعدَ هذا في شُربِها التَجريسْ

And many a young man says, 'For me it has become easy,

after this, to endure public shaming for drinking it.'

أينّ عيناهُ ينظُرُ المزرَ إذا أو

حشَ منهُ المأجورُ والقادوسُ

Where are his eyes to see the beer, now that deso-

-late without it stand the earthen basin and bucket?

وَعجينُ البقولِ قد بَدَّدوهُ

وَهوَ بالتُّربِ خَلْطُهُ مَبسوس

The dough of herbs has been scattered,

and its mixture lies crumbled in the dust.

واللفاتي مكسّرات كما قَدْ

كُسّرَتْ في رَحَى البدورِ الكؤوسُ

The lafati [unclear term] lie broken, just as

the cups were shattered in the full moons' mill.

وَتَرى زَنَكلونَ يزعَقُ زينو

نُ وناتو يَصيحُ يا جاموسُ

You see Zankalun shouting, 'Zinu-

-n!' and Natu cries, 'O buffalo!'

نَهَبوا الكَلَّ والطّراطيرَ والطا

رَ وضاعَتْ خَريطتي والفلوسُ

They looted everything, the pointed caps, and the tam-

-bourine; my pouch and coins are lost.

أينَ سَنكولي وطاجنة والسفا

رضي الله عنه وأينَ المزراقث والدَّبّوسُ

Where are Sankuli, the frying pan, and al-Safa—

may God be pleased with him—and where are the lance and mace?

أينَ نَمشي يا بنتَ عَمٍّ وزينو

نُ أخي من قَضيّتي محبوسُ

Where shall we go, cousin, while Zinu-

-n, my brother, is imprisoned over my case?

أينَ عَيناهُ والحشائشُ يُحْرَق

نَ بنارٍ تُراعُ منها المجوسُ

Where are his eyes, while the herbs are burn-

-ed in a fire that frightens the Magians?

قَلَعوهخا منَ البساتينِ إذ ذا

كَ صغاراً خُضْراً وَهُنَّ غروسُ

They uprooted them from the gardens when, at tha-

-t time, they were small and green, still young plantings.

والحرافيشُ حولهَا يَتَباكو

نَ دموعاً يُطفَى بهنَّ الوطيسُ

The rabble around them make a show of weep-

-ing tears that quench the furnace.

ذا يُنادي رفيقَهُ يا عنيكير

وهذا يصيحُ ما محلوس

This one calls to his companion, 'O 'Unaykir!'

and that one cries, 'Ma mahlus!' [obscure cant]

أسمُرا لَرْكزَكَّ بينَ الأكواشِيْ

بسعي وهو كَرْ لَكَلْ خَشنى يموسُ

Asmura larkazakka, among the akwashi [obscure cant],

with striving; he is kar lakal khashna yamus [obscure cant].

لَيْسَ تُصمي كَشَّ المَزِيةِ إلاَّ

مِنْ مَها الرَّصفِ أو فَتىً سالوسُ

None mortally strikes the kashsh al-maziyya [unclear], except

one of the street gazelles, or a hypocritical youth.

ارحلوا هذهِ بِلادُ عَفاف

وَسعُودُ الخلاَعِ فيها نُحوسُ

Depart! This is a land of chastity,

where the libertines' lucky stars are ill-starred.

أينَ عَيناه تَنْظُرُ والحا

نةَ قَدْ هَدَّمَتْ ذَراها الفؤوس

Where are his eyes to look, while the tav-

-ern's upper walls have been demolished by axes?

وَقَضيبٌ وَزَينَبٌ وَكهارٌ

باكياتٌ وَنُزْهَةٌ وَعَروسُ

Qadib, Zaynab, and Kahar

are weeping, along with Nuzha and 'Arus.

ذي تُنادي حريفَها لِوَداع

لا عناقٌ لا ضَمُّ لا تَبويسُ

This woman calls to her regular customer for a farewell:

'No embracing, no clasping, no kissing!'

انقضى كل ذاكَ والعهدُ في حل

قيَ لم يَبْقِ بعدَها لي أنيسُ

All that has ended, and the pledge is at my thro-

-at; after her, no companion remains to me.

أينَ زامَرْ دازَ عقّي لي بَرَامَزْ

دَ والأحمَدونَ يا طاووسُ

Where are zamar daza 'aqqi, for me, baramaz-

-da, and the Ahmads, O Tawus? [obscure wording]

فَيُنادي شُهْ عَلَينا

نجمُ سِتي قد عَكَسَتْهُ النحوسُ

Then he cries, 'Shame upon us!'

The unlucky stars have overturned my lady's star.

عَكَسَ اللهُ نجمَ ستي ففي سا

بعِ ضربِ رَملها أَنكيس

God has overturned my lady's star; in the sev-

-enth casting of her sand appears Ankis.

أينَ نَمشي حُزناً خُراخِتْ زَمانِ

لا فيهِ ولا خَنْدَريس

Where shall we go in sorrow—khurakhit of the times [unclear]?

Not in it [unclear], nor any vintage wine.

مَنْ لنا بعدَ ذلكَ الشيخِ خِدْنٌ

وسميرٌ ومؤنسٌ وَجَليس

Who, after that old man, will be our intimate,

our evening companion, comforter, and friend?

مَنْ تُرى بعدَ موتهِ يُضحكُ المع

شوقَ لي إنْ بدا بهِ تعبيسُ

Who, I wonder, after his death, will make my belov-

-ed laugh, should a frown appear upon him?

فأبكيهِ أرمدَ العينِ حتى

لِشقائي يَعيشُ جالينوس

I shall weep for him, sore-eyed, until,

to my misfortune, Galen comes to life.

وسأعوي لهُ حَياتي وأغوي

مَنْ لَهُ الكيشُ بعدَهُ والكيسُ

I shall howl for him all my life, and lead astray

whoever, after him, has guile and wit.

وَلَقَدْ قلت يومَ أنكرَ من أن

كر قَولي لمّا تَوى إبليسُ

I said indeed, the day my words were challenged by one who de-

-nied them, when Iblis perished:

هُوَ لولا عدلُ الوزيرِ لما ما

تَ ولا ضَمَّ جِسمَهُ ناووسُ

Had it not been for the minister's justice, he would not have di-

-ed, nor would a sarcophagus have enclosed his body.

كيفَ يحيي في عصرِ من ليس يخَفى

عنهُ مَينٌ كلا ولا تلبيسُ

How could he live in the age of one from whom nothing is hidden—

no lie, certainly not, nor any deception?

طَهرَ اللهُ بالمطهرِ تاجِ الدينِ

دينَ الورى فلا تدنيسُ

Through al-Mutahhar, Taj al-Din, God purified

the faith of humankind: no defilement remains.

وعلا جَسدهُ بجَدٍّ لهُ العلياءَ

زُفّتْ كما تُزَف العروس

His person rose through good fortune; to him high honor

was led in procession, as a bride is led.

عتْرَةٌ منهُم العطاءُ طليقٌ

وَعَليهم كل الفخارِ حَبيسُ

A lineage from whom generosity flows free,

while all glory is held captive with them.

فَهُمُ إنْ دَجى الظلامُ بدورٌ

وَهُمُ إنْ بدا النهارُ شموسُ

When darkness deepens, they are full moons;

when daylight appears, they are suns.

تاجُهُمْ تاجُهم ولستُ أباهي

كلهم في ذرى المعالي رُؤوسُ

Their Taj is their crown; I am not boasting:

all of them are heads on the summits of excellence.

يا جواداً إذا سرى بجواد

ذي شياةٍ كأنّهُ الطاووس

O generous one, when you ride by night on a steed

with markings like a peacock,

قالتِ الناسُ قَبلها ما بلغنا

أنّ بحراً يحوزهُ قَربوسُ

people say, 'Before this we never heard

that an ocean could be contained by a saddle-bow.'

ويقول الحسّادُ ما قبل هذا

لا ولا بعدَهُ يُعَدُّ رئيسُ

Even the envious say, 'Before this man,

no chief is reckoned, nor after him.'

نجمُ هذا آيُ النجومِ وَلمْ لا

أخبرَ الناسَ عنْهُ بطليموسُ

This man's star is the marvel of the stars; why did not

Ptolemy tell people of him?

الهلالُ الجبينُ والديمةُ الوط

فاءُ كفّاهُ والرياضُ الطروسُ

The crescent is his brow; the dense, steady raincl-

-oud is his hands, and the gardens his pages.

يا عيونَ الحسّادِ عنه تَوَلّيْ

وأخسأى إنَّ عزَّهُ مَحروس

O eyes of the envious, turn away from him,

and slink away: his glory is guarded.

دُمتَ يا أيّها الوزيرُ المرجَى

وإذا دُمْتَ زالَ عنا البوس

May you endure, O minister in whom hope is placed,

and if you endure, our misery departs.

سالماً من يُحب سَعْدَك مسعو

دٌ ومن لا يُحبُّهُ مَنحوسُ

Safe and sound; whoever loves your fortune is fortun-

-ate, and whoever does not love it is ill-starred.

وحمى الله منزلاً أنتَ فيهِ

فلقد طابَ عندهُ التعريسُ

May God protect a dwelling in which you reside;

for it is indeed pleasant to halt there.

وَلَقّد قسْتهُ بَجنةِ عَدْنٍ

وحماهُ بغَيْرهِ لا أقيس

I have compared it to the Garden of Eden,

and I compare its precincts with nothing else.

ليس عندي المعشوقَ بل كل غُصنٍ

فيهِ عندي المعشوقُ حينَ تميس

To me it is not al-Ma'shuq, 'the Beloved'; rather, every bough

within it is my beloved when you sway.

آنَسَ الله رَبْعَهُ بكَ دهراً

فهوَ رَيعٌ مباركٌ وأنيس

May God gladden its dwelling with you for ages;

for it is a blessed, welcoming place on high.