ليس لي منه سوى لا — Ibn Sanaa Almalk

ليس لِي مِنهُ سِوَى لاَ

كلَّما زدتُ سُؤَالا

I get nothing from him but 'No,'

whenever I ask for more.

يَتَعالى ولقد حُقـ

ـق له أَنْ يَتَعالاَ

He holds himself high, and indeed he has the right

to hold himself high.

بِأَبِي منه هلاَلٌ

صيَّر الشمسَ هِلاَلاً

My father be ransom for the crescent that he is,

who made the sun a crescent.

وغزالٌ ما رأَيْنَا

مثلَ عَينيه غَزالا

And a gazelle—never have we seen

a gazelle to rival his eyes.

أَلْبَس البدرَ شُحوباً

وكسا الغصنَ هُزَالاً

He clothed the full moon in pallor,

and clothed the bough in leanness.

نَصَبَ الفخَّ عِذاراً

تَحتَه الحبَّةُ خَالا

He set his cheek-down as a snare,

with a mole beneath it as the grain of bait.

فبه أَضنى وأَصْبَى

وبه صَادَ وصَالا

So with it he made hearts languish and yearn,

and with it he hunted and attacked.

وبأَعطافٍ نِشاط

وبأَجْفانٍ كَسَالى

And with lively limbs,

and with languid eyelids.

تعلبُ الريحُ بصدغيـ

ـه يميناً وشمالا

The wind plays with his temple-locks,

to right and left.

فهما الظلُّ امتداداً

وهما الظَّلُّ انْتِقَالا

So both are shadow as they stretch,

and both are shadow as they shift.

أَنا فيه بِشَقَائِي

أَنعمُ العالَمِ حالا

In my misery over him,

I am the happiest in all the world.

ولَئن مِتُّ صُدوداً

فَلَكَمْ عِشْتُ وِصَالاَ

And though I have died of rejection,

how often I have lived in union!

ولكم قَصَّر لَيْلِي

بنعيمٍ منه طالا

And how often he shortened my night

with bliss from him that lasted long.

وتعانَقْنا قلوباً

وجدها النار اشتعالا

And we embraced with hearts

whose ardor was fire ablaze.

وتشاكينا دموعاً

طَلُّها الْوبْلُ انْهمَالا

And we shared our sorrows in tears

whose dew poured down as heavy rain.

أَخذ الرَّاح حَرَاماً

وتحاشَاهاَ حَلاَلاً

He took wine when it was forbidden,

and shunned it when it was lawful.

طبَّختها نارُ خَدّيـ

ـيهِ بنورٍ يَتَلاَلاَ

The fire of his two cheeks cooked it

with a light that sparkled.

أَيها المسترجعُ الوصـ

ـلَ دَلالاً أَوْ مَلالاً

O you who take back your union,

out of coyness or weariness,

أَنت كالشمسِ ولكن

دَهرُك الظُهْرُ زوالا

you are like the sun, but

your time is noon in its decline.

مُرَّ بي بين ثَنايا

كَ فقد صرتُ خِلاَلا

Pass me between your front teeth,

for I have become a toothpick.

أَوْ فأَحضرني بعينيـ

ـكَ فقد عُدْتُ خيالا

Or summon me before your eyes,

for I have become a phantom.

أَوْ فإِنِّي قد تَسيَّبْـ

ـتُ وقَطَّعْتُ الحبالا

Or indeed, I have broken free

and severed the ropes,

بمشيبٍ عَمَّ حتَّى

عمَّمَ الرأَسَ اشْتِعَالا

with gray hair that spread until

it turbaned my head in flame.

فَمَتى ما قال ساقي الـ

ـراحِ هَاهَا قلتُ لاَ لاَ

So whenever the wine-pourer says,

'Here, here!' I say, 'No, no!'

إِنَّ شَيْخاً يَتَصَابى

مثلَ غثٍّ يتحَالَى

Indeed, an old man who plays at youth

is like insipid fare feigning sweetness.

حطَّني الشَّيْبُ ولكن

بِعليٍّ أَتَعالَى

Gray hair has brought me low, but

through Ali I rise high.

وبه أَسْطُو على الدَّهـ

ـر رضي الله عنه إِذا الدهرُ اسْتَطالا

And through him I overpower Time,

—may God be pleased with him—when Time grows overbearing.

وبه أَعْفُو عن الدَّهْـ

ـر رضي الله عنه إِذا الدَّهْر اسْتَقَالا

And through him I pardon Time,

—may God be pleased with him—when Time begs pardon.

وبه أَسْخُو إِلى القَطْـ

ـرِ إِذا القطر توالى

And through him I give freely to the rain,

when the rain falls in succession.

وبه أستلفت المـ

ـل إذا ما المالُ مَالاَ

And through him I draw wealth's gaze,

when wealth turns aside.

مَلِكٌ أَحْيَا نَوالاً

مِثْلَمَا أفْنَى نِصَالا

A king who gave new life to bounty,

just as he wore out blades.

شيَّدَ الإسلامَ لكن

بَعْدَ أَن هدَّ الضَّلالا

He built up Islam, but

only after tearing down error.

ولقد قامَ بنصر الـ

ـله حرباً ونِزَالا

And he rose in support of God,

in war and combat.

فَوقَى الدِّينَ الأَعَادِي

وكفى الخَلْقَ القِتالا

Thus he shielded the faith from its foes,

and spared mankind the fighting.

وله أَلفُ مجالٍ

حيث لا يَلْقَى مجالا

And he has a thousand openings

where no opening can be found.

كلَّتِ الحَرْبُ ولكن

ما شكا منها كَلاَلاَ

War grew weary, but

he never complained of weariness from it.

وخَلَتْ داراً ولكن

ما نَوى عنها انْتِقَالا

It became an empty dwelling, yet

he never intended to leave it.

حرْبُه بينَ عِدَاه

لم يَكُنْ قطُّ سِجَالا

His warfare against his foes

never alternated between victory and defeat.

بل له النَّصْرُ علَيهم

كُلَّ يوم يَتَوَالَى

Rather, victory over them was his,

recurring day after day.

ولقد جاءُوا جِبالاً

وبه عادُوا رِمالا

And indeed they came as mountains,

and through him returned as sand.

وبه صارُوا نِساءً

ولقد كَانُوا رِجَالا

And through him they became women,

though they had been men.

أَنْحلَ الهنديَّ حملا

والرُّدينيَّ اعتِقَالاَ

He wore the Indian sword thin by bearing it,

and the Rudayni spear by gripping it.

وله الضَّربُ ابْتِداراً

وله الطَّعْنُ ارْتِجَالا

His are the blows struck first,

and his the thrusts delivered spontaneously.

مَلَك الدهر اقتساراً

بالعوالِي لا احتيالا

He mastered Time by force,

with tall spears, not by guile.

ورأَينا الدهرَ في عِطْ

فَيْهِ بالملْك اختِيَالاَ

And we saw Time within his two flanks,

swaggering with kingship.

قد جعلتَ الدَّهر داراً

لك والخَلْقَ عِيَالا

You have made Time a dwelling

for yourself, and mankind your dependents.

وغدا الدِّنُ مَصوناً

بك والمالُ مُذَالا

And the faith has become safeguarded

by you, and wealth freely spent.

وَوسِعْت الخلقَ عَدْلاً

قوَّم الدَّهْرَ اعْتِدالا

And you encompassed mankind with justice

that set Time straight and balanced.

ولَكَمْ قُمْتَ مقَاماً

أَفْحَمَ الْخَلْقَ مقالا

And how often you took a stand

that silenced mankind with words.

مَنْ تَعَالى في معاليـ

ـكَ كَمَنْ لاَ يَتَعَالى

Whoever ascends among your heights

is like one who does not ascend.