ألية بانعطاف القامة النضرة — Ibn Masum

أَليَّةً باِنعطافِ القامةِ النَضِرَة

وَنَظرَةٍ لاِختطاف العَقلِ مُنتظِرَه

I swear by the sway of that fresh, lovely figure,

and a glance lying in wait to snatch the mind,

وَغرَّةٍ كضياءِ الصُبحِ مشرقةٌ

وَطُرَّةٍ كظَلام اللَيلِ مُعتكرَه

and a forehead radiant as the light of dawn,

and a forelock thick and dark as the night:

ما مالَ قَلبي المعنّى بعدَ فُرقتها

عنها لمعرفةٍ كلّا ولا نَكِرَه

My tormented heart, since parting from her, has never turned

away from her to anyone known—no, nor anyone unknown.

ظنَّت سلوّي فَراحَت وهي عاتِبَةٌ

وَلَو درَت لأتَتني وهي مُعتذِرَه

She thought I had forgotten, and went away reproachful;

had she known, she would have come to me apologizing.

إِن تَعتَبن فَلَها العُتبى وإن نقمت

منّي على غير ذَنبٍ فَهي مُقتَدِرَه

If she reproaches, hers is the right to appeasement; and if she takes offense

at me without a fault, she has the power.

أَما وَعَهدِ الهوى ما ساءَها خُلقي

ولا تنمَّرتُ من أَخلاقِها النَمِرَه

Indeed, by love's covenant, my character never displeased her,

nor did I grow fierce at her fierce ways.

لكن كتمتُ عَن الواشينَ بي وَبها

محبَّةً هي في الأَحشاءِ مُستَتِرَه

But I hid from those who slandered me and her

a love concealed deep within my breast.

فأَرجفوا أَنَّني سالٍ وما عَلِموا

بأَنَّ نارَ الهوى في القَلب مُستَعِرَه

So they spread rumors that I had forgotten, not knowing

that love's fire was blazing in my heart.

هَيهات أَينَ من السُلوان مكتئِبٌ

قد ملَّه لَيلُه من طولِ ما سَهِرَه

Far from it! How far from solace is a grieving man,

whose night has wearied of him for his long vigil through it!

أَنفاسُه بزفير الشَوقِ صاعدةٌ

لكنَّ أَدمعَه بالوَجدِ منحَدرَه

His breaths rise in sighs of longing,

but his tears descend in love's anguish.

آهٍ لأَيّام وصلٍ بالحِمى سَلَفَت

إِذ كنتُ من طيبها في جنّةٍ خَضِرَه

Ah, for bygone days of union in the sanctuary,

when, through their sweetness, I dwelt in a green paradise.

أَيّامَ لا صفو عيشي بالنَوى كَدِرٌ

ولا نجومُ سماءِ الوَصلِ مُنكدِرَه

Days when my life's serenity was unclouded by separation,

and the stars in union's sky were undimmed,

حيث الصَبابةُ باللَذّات آمرةٌ

وَالنَفسُ طوعاً لما تهواهُ مُؤتمِرَه

where passion commanded pleasures,

and the soul willingly obeyed whatever it desired.

ما عَنَّ لي ذكرُها في كُلِّ آونةٍ

إِلّا وَلي كَبِدٌ بالوَجدِ مُنفَطِرَه

Never, at any moment, did her memory come to me

without my liver being torn by love's anguish.

ولا تذكَّرتُ ذاكَ الشَمل مُجتَمِعاً

إِلّا اِستَهَلَّت دُموعي وهي مُنتَثِرَه

Nor did I recall that company gathered together

without my tears pouring forth in scattered drops.

وما عَلى دون هَذا الخَطب مُصطَبَرٌ

لكنَّ نَفسي عَلى الحالات مُصطَبِرَه

Even a lesser calamity than this is beyond endurance,

yet my soul remains patient through all circumstances.

باللَه يا صاحبي قُل للصَبا سَحَراً

إِذا أَتَت وهي من أَنفاسِها عَطِرَه

By God, my friend, speak to the east wind before dawn,

when it comes, fragrant with her breath:

هَل عَهدُ سُعدى كَما قد كان أَم خَفَرت

عهدَ الأَحِبَّة تلك الغادة الخَفِرَه

Is Su'da's pledge as it once was, or has she broken

the lovers' covenant, that graceful, bashful maiden?

وَهَل تراها بطيبِ الوَصل جابرَةً

منّا قُلوباً بطول الهَجرِ مُنكسِرَه

And do you think she will mend, with the sweetness of union,

our hearts, broken by long estrangement?

أَما كَفى البين لا دارَت دوائرهُ

نَوى الحُباب وتلك الخطَّة الخطرَه

Was separation not content—may its misfortunes never return—

with the departure of dear ones and that perilous plight,

حَتّى قَضى بنَوى الأَحباب كلِّهم

فَلَم أَزَل بعدهم في عيشةٍ كدِرَه

that it must decree the departure of all my loved ones?

Since their departure, I have never ceased to live a troubled life.

إِخوانُ صدقٍ كأَنَّ اللَهَ أَطلعَهُم

كَواكِباً في سماءِ المجد مُزدَهِرَه

True brothers, as though God had made them rise

as radiant stars in the sky of glory.

منهم حسينٌ أَدام اللَهُ بهجَتَه

وَصانَه ربُّه عن كلِّ ما حذِرَه

Among them is Husayn—may God perpetuate his joy,

and may his Lord shield him from all he fears.

الهاشميُّ الَّذي جلَّت مكارمُه

عن كلِّ حَصرٍ فراحت غير مُنحصِرَه

Al-Hashimi, whose noble deeds are too exalted

for any reckoning, and so remain beyond all count.

وَالحاتميُّ الَّذي أَضحَت عوارفُه

لمُغتَفي نَيله كالسُحبِ منهمِرَه

And al-Hatimi, whose benefactions have become

like pouring clouds for whoever seeks his bounty.

جنابُهُ كعبةٌ للفَضلِ ما بَرِحت

لها الوفودُ من الآفاقِ مُتعمِرَه

His court is a Kaaba of excellence; unceasingly

delegations from every horizon make pilgrimage to it.

وَكفُّه كم كَفَت باليُسر إِذ وَكَفَت

بمستهلِّ الندى ذا عُسرةٍ عَسِرَه

And how often his hand has granted ease, as it rained

showers of bounty on one in grievous hardship.

قَرَّت به أَعينُ الراجينَ حين رأت

من راحَتَيهِ عيونَ الجود مُنفجِرَه

The eyes of the hopeful were gladdened by him when they saw

springs of generosity gushing from his two palms.

هو الهمامُ الَّذي أَعلَته همَّتهُ

مراتباً لذُرا الأَفلاكِ مُحتَقِرَه

He is the great-hearted man whose ambition raised him

to ranks that scorn the summits of the celestial spheres.

وَهو النَسيبُ الَّذي يَروي مناقبَهُ

عن نِسبة بصَميم المَجدِ مُشتَهِرَه

And he is the noble-born man whose virtues are handed down

from a lineage renowned in the very heart of glory.

لَو شاهَدَت فخرَه الزاكي عشيرَته

أَضحَت على جُملة الأَسلافِ مُفتَخِرَه

If his clan beheld his flourishing glory,

it would boast over all the forebears.

له خَلائقُ لو مَرَّ النَسيمُ بها

أَغنته عَن نَفَحات الرَوضَةِ النَضِرَه

He has virtues which, if the breeze passed over them,

would leave it needing no fragrance from the verdant garden.

إِذا تأَمَّلتِ الأَبصارُ رُتبتَه

أَو البصائرُ عادت وهي مُنبهرَه

When eyes contemplate his rank,

or the eyes of insight do, they return dazzled.

ما أَطنبت فكرتي في نعت شيمَتِهِ

إِلّا وكانَت عَلى الإِطناب مُختَصِرَه

Never has my thought dwelt at length on his character

without remaining brief, for all its elaboration.

يا سَيِّداً لم تَزَل طولَ المدى مِقَتي

عليه دونَ جميع الخلقِ مُقتَصِرَه

O master, my affection has ever, throughout all time,

been fixed on you alone, to the exclusion of all creation.

وافت قصيدتُك الغَرّاءُ حاسرةً

للعتبِ وَجهاً وَبالإحسانِ مُعتَجِرَه

Your radiant ode arrived, baring

its face in reproach, yet turbaned in kindness.

فَقُلتُ أَهلاً بها شُكراً لمُنشِئها

بِكراً أَتَت لجميل العَتبِ مُبتَكِرَه

So I said, 'Welcome to her! Thanks to her composer!'

A virgin, she came, original in her gracious reproach.

أَوردتُها حين جاءَت تَشتَكي ظمأ

منّي مَناهلَ ودٍّ عذبة خَصِرَه

I led her, when she came complaining of thirst,

to my affection's watering places, sweet and cool.

فَلَم أَرَ العُذرَ إِلّا الاعتراف بما

عدَّتهُ ذنباً فكن لا زلتَ مُغتفِرَه

So I found no excuse but to acknowledge what

she deemed a fault; so may you ever be its forgiver.

أَمّا الوِدادُ فَلا وَاللَه ما برحَت

راياتهُ في صَميم القَلب مُنتشِرَه

As for affection—no, by God!—unceasingly

its banners have remained unfurled in my heart's very core.

حاشا لمثليَ في دَعوى محبَّتِه

أَن يبخسَ الودَّ من يَهواهُ أَو يَتِرَه

Far be it from one like me, in professing his love,

to stint affection toward the one he loves, or wrong him.

فكن عل ثِقَةٍ منّي فلست تَرى

إلّا عهودَ ودادٍ غيرَ مُنَبتِرَه

So trust in me, for you will see nothing

but unbroken pledges of affection.

وَخذ إليكَ عَروساً حَليُها دُرَرٌ

لها نَحورُ الغَواني الغيدِ مُفتقِرَه

And receive a bride whose ornaments are pearls,

which the necks of graceful beauties need.

مذ اِلتزمتُ بها كسر الرويِّ غدت

بِالانكسارِ على الحسّادِ منتصِرَه

Since I bound her rhyme-letter to kasra, she has become

through that 'breaking,' triumphant over the envious.

واِسلم ودُم راقياً في عزَّةٍ رُتباً

من دونها أَنفسُ الأَعداءِ مُنقهِرَه

And be safe, and ever ascend in honor to ranks

beneath which the souls of enemies lie subdued.