أدر المدامة بالكبير — Ibn Masum

أَدرِ المُدامَةَ بالكَبير

فالوَقتُ ضاقَ عَن الصَغيرِ

Pass the wine around in the large cup,

for time has grown too short for the small.

واِستَجلها في كأسِها

كالشَمسِ في البَدرِ المُنيرِ

And behold it in its cup,

like the sun within the shining full moon.

نَزلت من الفَلَك المُدا

رِ تَلوحُ في كفِّ المُديرِ

It descended from the revolving sphere,

gleaming in the cupbearer's palm.

لَولا شِباكُ حَبابها

كادَت تَطيرُ من السُرورِ

Were it not for the nets of its bubbles,

it would almost fly away with joy.

بِكرٌ تتيحُ لك المَسَر

رة في المَساءِ وفي البُكورِ

Virgin wine, granting you joy

in the evening and in early morning.

صدرَت بأنسِ ورودها

خَيلُ الهموم من الصُدورِ

At the delight of its arrival, there departed

the steeds of sorrow from the breasts.

تُعشي العيونَ إذا اِنجَلَت

بالضوءِ من نارٍ وَنورِ

It dazzles the eyes when unveiled,

with a radiance of fire and light.

ذَهَبيَّةٌ لهبيَّةٌ

عُصِرت بأَحقابِ العُصورِ

Golden, flame-like,

pressed in the epochs of ages past.

وافَت بسَورَة نشوَةٍ

ذهبت بأَلباب الحضورِ

It came with a surge of intoxication

that swept away the wits of those present.

يَسقيكَها ساقٍ أَغَر

ر يَميسُ كالظَبي الغَريرِ

A radiant cupbearer serves it to you,

swaying like a guileless gazelle.

وَيُريكَ من إِشراقِه

قمراً على غُصنٍ نَضيرِ

In his radiance he shows you

a moon upon a verdant bough.

يَرتاحُ من مَرَحِ الصِبا

وَيتيهُ من فَرطِ الغُرورِ

He exults in youth's gaiety

and struts with excessive vanity.

نَشوانُ يَمزجُ أنسَه

عند التكَلُّم بالنُفورِ

Tipsy, he mingles his friendliness,

when speaking, with aloofness.

يَرنو إليكَ بمقلةٍ

وَسنى الجُفون من الفُتورِ

He gazes toward you with an eye

whose lids are drowsy with languor.

لَو قيلَ من سَلَبَ النُهى

لَم تعدُهُ كفُّ المُشيرِ

If asked, 'Who has stolen reason?'

the pointing hand would not pass him by.

في رَوضَةٍ مَطلولَةِ ال

أزهارِ في اليوم المَطيرِ

In a garden with dew-bathed

flowers, upon a rainy day,

تَثني الرياحُ غصونَها

ثنيَ المعاطِفِ والخُصورِ

the winds bend its branches

as torsos and waists are bent.

وَالغيثُ يَسكبُ دمعَه

والزَهر مفترُّ الثُغورِ

The rain pours out its tears,

while the flowers smile with parted lips.

قد غرَّدت فيها المَثا

نِي قبلَ تَغريد الطّيورِ

The paired strings had already sung there

before the singing of the birds.

ولربَّ لَيلٍ بِتُّهُ

بين النُحور إِلى السُحورِ

And many a night I spent

among bosoms until the predawn hour,

من غانياتٍ كالرَّبا

رِب قاصرات الطَرفِ حورِ

of beautiful women like herds of oryx,

modest of gaze, with lovely dark eyes.

طلعَت به كأسُ المُدا

مَةِ مطلعَ الشِّعرى العَبورِ

The wine-cup rose that night

as Sirius, the Crossing One, rises.

وَالبَدرُ في كَبِدِ السَّما

ءِ كَسابِحٍ وَسطَ الغَديرِ

And the full moon, in the heart of the sky,

was like a swimmer amid a pool.

وَسَنى المجرَّة في الدُجى

كالنَهر ما بَينَ الزَهورِ

And the Milky Way's radiance in the darkness

was like a river among flowers.

وَاللَيلُ شَمَّرَ للسُرى

وَالصبحُ آذَنَ بالسُفورِ

The night girded itself for its journey,

and dawn announced its unveiling.

في فتيةٍ عَقدوا مآ

زرهم على خَيرٍ وَخيرِ

Among young men who tied their waistbands

for virtue and generosity,

وَتَراضَعوا درَّ المُدا

مِ من المَسَرَّة في حُجورِ

and suckled together on the milk of wine

in the laps of joy.

من كُلِّ أَروع ماجِدٍ

عَفِّ الشَبيبَةِ وَالضَميرِ

Each was a splendid, noble man,

chaste in youth and conscience.

لم تَرضَ همَّتُهُ الكَبي

رَةُ غَيرَ شِربٍ بالكَبيرِ

His great aspiration would settle

for nothing but drinking from the large cup.

فالراحُ في لهَواتِهِ

كالشَمسِ تَغربُ في ثَبيرِ

For wine within his throat

was like the sun setting into Thabir.

كانَت لَيالي عَهدِهم

غُررَ اللَيالي والشُهورِ

The nights of my time with them were

the choicest of nights and months.

خِلّانُ صِدقٍ إِن عرا

خَطبٌ بِمَكروهِ الأُمورِ

True friends whenever there befell

a calamity fraught with bitter things.

ذَهَبوا فأخلفَتِ اللَّيا

لِي عَنهم خلّانَ زورِ

They departed, and the nights supplied instead

false friends in their place.

لَم يَبقَ لي خِلٌّ يتم

مُ بأنسِ صحبته سُروري

No friend remains for me to complete

my joy with the delight of his companionship,

إلّا حسينٌ عَينُ أَع

يان العُلى صَدر الصُدورِ

save Husayn, foremost among the notables

of exalted rank, chief of the chiefs.

السَيِّدُ الشَهمُ الهما

مُ الفَردُ مَفقودُ النَظيرِ

The gallant, magnanimous lord,

unique, without an equal.

فَخرُ المَفاخِرِ وَالمآ

ثِرِ والأَعاصرِ والدُهورِ

The pride of glories and noble deeds,

of ages and aeons.

نافَت مآثرُه العُلى

شَرَفاً على الفَلَكِ الأَثيري

His lofty deeds rose high,

in honor above the ethereal sphere.

وَزَها بِهِ دَستُ الوِزا

رَةِ منذ لُقِّبَ بالوَزيرِ

Through him the seat of the vizierate shone proudly,

since he was given the title of Vizier.

وَعَنا لمفخَرِهِ المؤث

ثَلِ كُلُّ مُختالٍ فَخورِ

Before his deep-rooted glory bowed

every swaggering boaster.

لَو جُسِّمَت أَخلاقُه

أَغنتكَ عن نور البُدورِ

If his virtues took bodily form,

they would spare you the light of full moons.

في كَفِّه كفُّ العدى

وَبفكِّه فَكُّ الأَسيرِ

In his palm lies the restraint of foes,

and through his jaw comes the captive's release.

كَم صاغ مِن مِننٍ له

أَضحَت قَلائدَ للنُحورِ

How many favors of his he fashioned

that became necklaces for necks!

وأَبانَ عَن عَزمٍ أَبا

دَ عَزائِم اللَّيث الهَصورِ

He revealed a resolve that destroyed

the resolves of the mighty lion.

أَغناهُ عَن مَدح الوَرى

ما حازَ من مَجدٍ شَهيرِ

He has no need of mankind's praise,

given the renowned glory he has won.

طالَت بيوتُ جُدودِه

وَهُمُ ذوو النَسب القَصيرِ

The houses of his forefathers rose high,

though their lineage was short.

قَومٌ بَنوا شرفَ العُلى

بين الخُورنقِ وَالسَديرِ

A people who built the honor of the heights

between al-Khawarnaq and al-Sadir.

وردوا الفراتَ فأَخجَلو

هُ بِبَحرِ جودِهُمُ الغَزيرِ

They reached the Euphrates and shamed

it with the sea of their abundant generosity.

قُل للمُكاثِر مجدَهم

أَينَ القَليلُ من الكثيرِ

Tell whoever would rival their glory:

how does the little compare with the much?

سَلِّم لجيرانِ الوصي

يِ وَسِر سَبيلَ المُستَجيرِ

Yield to the neighbors of the Legatee,

and follow the path of one seeking protection.

فَهمُ هُداةُ أولي الضَلا

لِ وَهم ضياءُ المُستَنيرِ

For they guide those astray,

and are light for those seeking illumination.

يا سَيِّدا كَلماتُه

شرفُ المَهارقِ والسُطورِ

O master, whose words

are the pride of parchments and written lines!

لِلَّه دَرُّكَ من خَطي

بٍ شاعِرٍ نَدبٍ خَطيرِ

God bless you—what an orator,

a poet, gallant and eminent!

أَهديتَ لي دُرَرَ الكَلا

مِ فخلتُها دُررَ النُحورِ

You gave me pearls of speech,

and I thought them pearls worn at the neck.

أَبيات شعرٍ كالقُصو

رِ وَلَيسَ فيها من قُصورِ

Verses of poetry like palaces,

with no shortcoming in them.

ما حازَ رقَّةَ لفظِها

شِعرُ الفَرَزدَقِ أَو جَريرِ

Their delicacy of wording was not attained

by the poetry of al-Farazdaq or Jarir,

بل لا مَقاماتُ البَدي

عِ وَلا مَقاماتُ الحَريري

nor even by the Assemblies of al-Badi',

nor by the Assemblies of al-Hariri.

وافَت كَما وافى النَّسي

مُ بِطيب أَنفاسِ العَبيرِ

They came as the breeze comes,

with sweet breaths of perfume,

وشفَت فؤاداً لم يَزَلِ

من حَرِّ شَوقِكَ في سَعيرِ

and healed a heart that was still

ablaze with the heat of longing for you.

فوردتُ من سَلسالها

أَحلى من العَذبِ النَميرِ

So I drank from their sweet-flowing waters,

sweeter than pure, fresh water.

وإِليكَها مَنظومةً

وافتكَ من فِكرٍ حَسيرِ

And here it is for you, in verse,

brought to you by a weary mind.

نظَّمتُها نظمَ العُقو

دِ وَصُغتُها صوغَ الشُّذورِ

I strung it as necklaces are strung,

and fashioned it as gold beads are fashioned,

تَروي مناقِبَكَ الَّتي

نُشِرَت إِلى يوم النُشورِ

recounting your virtues, which

are proclaimed until the Day of Resurrection.

وَاِسلَم ودُم في نِعمَةٍ

غرّاءَ في دارِ السُرورِ

Be safe, and remain in blessing,

radiant, in the abode of joy,

ما لاحَ طَيفٌ في الكَرى

أَو ناحَ طَيرٌ في الوكورِ

as long as a dream-vision appears in sleep

or a bird laments within its nest.