لائمي قد سددت باب التعزي — Ibn Munir Trabelsi

لائمي قد سَدَدْتُ بابَ التعزّي

كلّ لَوْمٍ في لوعتي غيرُ مُجْزِ

My reproacher, I have barred the door to solace.

Every reproach is useless against my anguish.

لَستُ أُصغي إِلى ملامِك فَاِعمد

غير وانٍ إلى هجائي وبزّي

I do not heed your blame; so set yourself

unflaggingly to lampooning and despoiling me.

أنا ممَّنْ أعاره الدَّهرُ ثوبَ ال

عَيْشِ حِيناً وبزّه شرّ بَزِّ

I am one to whom Time lent the garment

of life a while, then stripped it off most cruelly.

كُنتُ يَوماً في بابِ جَيْرُون أَتلو

آيةَ الدّين عند بيّاعِ خُبْزِ

One day I stood at the Gate of Jayrūn, reciting

the Verse of Debt before a bread seller.

فإذا وقْعُ بَغْلَةٍ وغُلامٌ

يُفَرِّجُ الناسَ بين دَفْعٍ ولَهْزٍ

Suddenly, a mule’s hoofbeats—and a servant boy

clearing the crowd with shoves and jabs.

وعليها فتىً ضئيلُ المُحيَّا

مُكْثِرٌ من مُلَوّنَاتٍ وطرزِ

Upon it rode a young man, slight of face,

lavish in colored garments and embroidery.

قلت مَنْ ذا فقيل قاضٍ جليلٌ

لقَّبُوهُ في بيته بالأعزِّ

I asked who he was; they said, “An eminent judge,

called al-Aʿazz in his own household,

وَهوَ يَأوي إِلى ذكاءٍ وفضلٍ

قلت يا نفسُ قد ظَفِرْتِ بِكَنْزِ

who possesses intelligence and merit.”

I said, “My soul, you have found a treasure!”

فتدانَيْتُ ثمَّ سلَّمْتُ فاسْتَف

رسَ حَتّى اِستَبانَ جَمعي وفَرْزي

I drew near and greeted him; he scrutinized me

until my whole and my parts were clear to him.

ثمَّ نادى بِيا بخانا فَبادَر

تُ كأنّيَ ذِئبٌ تَلاقَى بعَنزِ

Then he called, “Come home!” and I hurried

like a wolf that has come upon a she-goat.

عادِياً كالمجنون أصدم مَن ألقى

بوَثْبٍ من النَّشاطِ وجَمْزِ

Running like a madman, I collided with everyone I met,

leaping and bounding in my eagerness.

وهو ثانٍ إليَّ عِطْفاً فلا يط

رُفُ طَرْفاً عَنِ اِحتِشائي وحَفْزِي

He turned toward me, never averting

his eyes from my bustling and my haste.

فدخلنا الدِّهْليزَ وابتدر الإذ

نَ فَغَرِقْتُ في دِمَقْسٍ وخزِّ

We entered the vestibule; he hastened to obtain

admission, and I sank into fine silk and brocade,

بين دَسْتٍ وسَلَّةٍ ودَوَاةٍ

ورقيقٍ من تُسْترِيٍّ وقَزِّ

amid a dais, a basket, and an inkwell,

and delicate Tustar fabrics and silk.

ودعا بالطّعام فامْتَرْتُ من حُلْوٍ

ومن حامضِ المَذَاقِ ومزِّ

He called for food, and I stocked myself with sweets,

with sour-tasting food and sweet-and-sour.

قَالَ لمّا أنْ قد اِكتفيتُ وقَد أَي

قَنَ أنّي قد صرت زاداً بكرزِ

He spoke when I had eaten enough, and he was sure

that I had become provisions stuffed in a sack:

ما تُعاني من الصَّنائع قلت

النَّحْوُ والشِّعْرُ والتَرَسُّلُ خُبْزي

“What crafts do you practice?” I replied,

“Grammar, poetry, and letter-writing are my bread.”

قال أحسنْتَ وافَقَ الطَّبْقُ لشن

نٍ وزَجَّ القناةَ موضع رِكْزِ

He said, “Well done! The lid has found Shann,

and the lance has been driven where it belongs.

أنت منّا فما تقول بدسّ ال

حرف في الحرف باصطكاكٍ ولِزِّ

You are one of us; what do you say to inserting

one letter into another, with clashing and close pressing?”

قلت هذا شُغُلي فما زال يُدْ

ني ويحتال لي بفَرْكٍ ولَكْزِ

I said, “That is my work.” He kept drawing me near,

coaxing me with rubbing and nudges.

ثمَّ أَهوى وَقالَ دونَكَ والتَغ

ميز من بعد كَسْرِ جَفْنٍ وغَمْزِ

Then he bent down and said, “Here!”—with suggestive gestures,

after a lowered eyelid and a wink.

فَتَناولته وقَد قامَ شاقو

لي قيامَ الحبابِ هَمَّ بِنكزِ

I took hold of it, while my plumb-line stood erect,

like a snake rearing, about to strike.

فرماني بطَرْفه ثم نادا

ني حملتَ أمْ لتّ شكزِ

He shot me a glance, then called

to me, “Have you mounted, or ‘latt shakz’?” [phrase unclear]

فَاِعتَراني مِثلَ الحَيا وجمعت

ثيابي فحين أيقن عجزي

Something like shame came over me; I gathered

my clothes together, and when he knew my inability,

صاح يا نصف سيبَوَيْه لقد أح

رَزتَ عِلمَ الإِعراب في غَيرِ حرزِ

he cried, “Half a Sībawayh! You have stored

the science of inflection in no safe place.

أنا خفْضٌ وأنت رَفْعٌ وذا

نصْبٌ فلِم تخفِّف هَمزي

I am genitive, you are nominative, and this

is accusative—why soften my hamza?

قَد صَحِبتُ النُّحَاةَ قَبلَكَ وَاِستَو

عَبتُ ما كان من مُعَمَّى ولُغْزِ

I kept company with grammarians before you, and mastered

all their riddles and enigmas.

وَأراهُم قَد أَدخلوا ألِفَ الوَصلِ

على وأنتَ كالمشمئِزِّ

And I see they have inserted the joining alif

into me, while you shrink in disgust.”

قلت هذَاك للضَّرورة فاسْتَضْ

حَكَ تِيهاً وقال كالمُستهزي

I said, “That is for necessity.” He laughed

haughtily and said, mockingly:

فَاِحسِبنها ضرورةً واِتبعِ القَو

مَ فَقَد بانَ فيك مَعنى التَّنَزِّي

“Then count this a necessity, and follow the company;

your urge to leap is plain enough.

ما مَدَدْتَ المقصورَ في بابِ عين ال

فِعْلِ إلّا وَأَنتَ تَطلُب طعزي

You lengthened the shortened form under the middle radical

of the verb only because you wanted to penetrate me.

فاجْزُمْ الآنَ سينَ جعسي وسكّنْ

راءَ ناري وِاِفتحْ بِهِ دالَ دَرْزي

Now make the sīn of my dung jussive, and still

the rāʾ of my fire; with it open the dāl of my seam.

لا تهابَنَّ مُرَقَّعتي ودواتي

وفرائي المُسَنْجَبَاتِ وطَرْزي

Do not be awed by my patched cloak and my inkwell,

my squirrel-lined furs and my embroidered robes.

أَنا بَيتٌ أَنا العَرُوض فلا يش

بِهُ صَدري لِمَن تَأمَّل عَجُزِي

I am a verse, I am prosody; my forepart is not

like my rear, for anyone who examines it.

لي قُبُلٌ عَفٌّ وطَمُوحُ ال

عينِ مُغْزىً بكلّ جأشِ المهزِّ

I have a chaste front, but an upward-looking

eye, enamored of every bold thruster.”

فإذا بشَعْرٍ عليه مَن أَح

سبه ما لم يَكُن لِقصر المعزِ

And there was hair upon him whom I reckoned

to have what even al-Muʿizz’s palace never had:

جوسقٌ مشرفٌ وزلاقةٌ مل

ساء مرصوفةٌ بطينٍ ومَزِّ

a lofty pavilion and a slide, smooth

and paved with clay and maz;

وَرواقٌ وبادَهنج وَسابا

طٌ وكَرْمٌ معرِّشٌ فوق نَشْزِ

a portico, a windcatcher, a covered

passage, and a vine trellised over a mound.

بات مكردناً منه في تنّور

نارٍ يشويه شَيَّ الأَرُزِّ

It spent the night held by the neck within his oven

of fire, which roasted it as rice is roasted.

ثُمَّ لَمّا أَخرجت متْحاً ونزْحاً

مِن قُشوري وَصَحَّ نَزوي ونقزي

Then, when I had been drawn out by hauling and draining

from my shells, and my mounting and leaping had proved sound,

قالَ لي قَد خَدمتني وَلَكَ الخد

مة هذه داري وخَزّي وبَزّي

he said, “You have served me, and yours is

service in return: here are my house, my brocade, my cloth,

وعيالي وأَعْبُدِي ودوابّي

لَكَ مِن غَيرِ لَهوٍ وطنزِ

my household, my slaves, and my beasts—

all yours, without jest or mockery.

يا صديقي ويا حَبيبَ قلبي

والِدي شاطَني فَأَنضج رُزّي

My friend, beloved of my heart,

my father scorched me and cooked my rice through.

أَنت يا شَيخَ الشُّعراءِ

اليَّومَ عِندي أظنُّك الخُبْزَأَرُزّي

You, chief of poets,

today I count you as al-Khubzāruzzī.

يا ضَعيفَ اليَقينِ عَطعط عَلى فَق

رِك مِن بَعدِها وَاِلغِ التجزّي

You of little certainty, clamor over your poverty

after this, and give up making do with scraps.

عِش غَنِيّاً ما دُمتَ تَذرّ حوضي

وتُنقّي بيري وَتقصر برزي

Live rich, so long as you sprinkle my basin,

clean my well and bleach my cloth [reading uncertain].

لا تَخَلْ أنَّني بَخيلٌ فجُودي

يَفجَأُ القاصدين مِن قَبلِ هزّي

Do not think me stingy; my generosity

surprises those who seek me before they shake me.

عَربيّ أبي تَميم بنِ مُرٍّ

خير بيتٍ يُعْزى إليه ونُعْزِي

I am Arab; my forefather is Tamīm ibn Murr,

the noblest house to which descent is traced—and we trace ours.

وهيَ عُرْسِي وَأمُّ اِبنَتي ورَيْحا

نة صدري وخير ما ضمّ حِرْزي

And she is my wife, my daughter’s mother, the sweet basil

of my breast, the best my keeping holds.”

قلت يا سَيِّدي أنا لَكَ كَالبِكْ

رِ زِمامي طَوعٌ لَدَيكَ وغَرْزي

I said, “My master, I am yours like a virgin;

my rein and my stirrup are at your command.

كَيفَ صَرَفتَني اِنسلَلت فَلا تَخْ

ش حِمامي ولا تؤثر فزّي

However you turn me, I shall slip along; do not fear

my death, nor choose to make me bolt.”

فَمَضى يَومُنا قَصيراً بِضمٍّ

والتزامٍ وَقرْص جِلْدٍ ونقْزِ

So our day passed swiftly, with embracing,

clasping, skin-pinching, and bouncing.

وَاِفتَرقنا فراق غير ثقالٍ

عن تَرَاضٍ والدهر يحنو ويُرْزي

We parted as men who did not weary one another,

in mutual content; Time is tender, and it brings loss.

وَجَرى بَينَنا اِجتِماعٌ مراراً

فمُهَنٍّ طوراً وطَوْراً مُعَزّي

We met again repeatedly,

sometimes offering congratulations, sometimes condolences.

فَهوَ إِنْ غابَ حَنَّ إِليهِ

وإذا غبت حنّ موضع حزّي

When he is absent, it yearns for him;

when I am absent, the place I cleave yearns.

يا صَديقاً أغلقت بابَ سُروري

مُذ تَناءَيْتَ وَضاعَ مِفتاحُ غزّي

My friend, you have closed the door of my joy

since you went far away, and the key to my thrusting is lost.

أتُرَى يسمح الزمان لنا يو

ماً فنشفي من الفراق ونجزِي

Will Time, I wonder, ever grant us

a day to heal from separation and make recompense?