دع مجلس الغيد الأوانس — Ibrahim Al Yaziji

دَع مَجلس الغِيدِ الأَوانِسْ

وَهَوى لَواحِظِها النَواعِسْ

Leave the gathering of graceful maidens,

and passion for their drowsy glances.

واسلُ الكُؤوسَ يُديرُها

رَشأٌ كَغُصنِ البانِ مائِسْ

And forget the cups passed round

by a fawn, swaying like a bough of the bān tree.

وَدَعِ التَنَعُّمَ بِالمَطا

عِمِ وَالمَشاربِ وَالمَلابسْ

And abandon indulgence in food,

and drink and clothing.

أَيُّ النَعيمِ لِمَن يَبي

تُ عَلى بِساط الذُلِّ جالسْ

What pleasure is there for one who spends the night

seated on the carpet of humiliation?

وَلِمَن تَراهُ بائِساً

أَبداً لِذَيلِ التُركِ بائسْ

Or for one you see wretched,

forever kissing the hem of the Turks?

وَلِمَن أَزمّته بِكَفْ

فِ عِداهُ يَظلمُ وَهُوَ آئسْ

Or for one whose reins lie in the hand

of his enemies, wronged and despairing?

وَلِمَن غَدا في الرِّقِ لَيْ

سَ يَفوتُهُ إِلّا المناخِسْ

Or for one now reduced to slavery,

lacking nothing but the goads?

وَلِمَن تُباعُ حقُوقُهُ

وَدِماؤُهُ بَيع الخَسائِسْ

Or for one whose rights are sold,

and whose blood is traded like worthless wares?

وَلِمَن يَرى أَوطانَهُ

خَرَباً وَأَطلالاً دَوارِسْ

Or for one who sees his homelands

as ruins and effaced remains,

كُسِيَتْ شُحوبُ الثاكِلا

تِ وَكُنَّ قَبلاً كَالعَرائِسْ

clothed in the pallor of bereaved women,

though once they were like brides?

عُجْ بي فَدَيتُكَ نادِباً

ما بَينَ أَرسُمِها الطَوامِسْ

Turn aside with me—may I be your ransom—mourning

what lies among their obliterated traces.

وَاِستَنطِقِ الآثارَ عَمْ

ما كانَ في تِلكَ البَسابِسْ

And make the relics speak of

what once was in those wastes:

مِن عِزّةٍ كانَت تَذِلْ

لُ لَها الجَبابِرةُ الأَشاوِسْ

of a might before which

the fierce tyrants once bowed;

وَكَتائبٍ كانَت تَها

بُ لِقاءَ سَطوَتِها المَتارِسْ

and battalions whose onslaught

the ramparts feared to face;

وَمَعاقِلٍ كانَت تُعَزْ

زُ بِالطَلائعِ وَالمحارِسْ

and strongholds once fortified

with advance guards and watchposts;

وَمَدائنٍ غَنَّاءَ قَد

كانَت تَحفُّ بِها الفَرادِسْ

and luxuriant cities that

were once encircled by gardens of paradise.

أَينَ المَتاجِرُ وَالصَنا

ئِعُ وَالمَكاتبُ وَالمَدارِسْ

Where are the shops and the crafts,

the offices and the schools?

بَل أَينَ هاتيكَ المُرو

جُ بِها المَزارعُ وَالمَغارِسْ

Nay, where are those meadows,

with their farms and planted groves?

بَل أَينَ هاتيكَ الأُلو

فُ بِها فَسيحُ البرِّ آنِسْ

Nay, where are those thousands

with whom the wide countryside was alive?

هَلِكوا فَلَستَ تَرى سِوى

عِبَرٍ تَثور بِها الهَواجِسْ

They perished; you see nothing but

lessons that stir uneasy thoughts.

بيدٌ صَوامَتُ لَيسَ يُس

مَعُ في مَداها صَوتُ نابِسْ

Silent wastes: not a sound

of a speaker is heard throughout their expanse,

إِلّا رِياحَ الجورِ تَكْ

سَحُ وَجهَها كَسحَ المَكانِسْ

except the winds of tyranny,

sweeping their face as brooms sweep.

أَمسَت بَلاقِعَ لا تُرى

إِلّا بِأَبصارٍ نَواكِسْ

They have become desolate wastes, beheld

only with downcast eyes.

ضَحِكَت زَماناً ثُم عا

دَت وَهيَ كالحةٌ عَوابِسْ

They laughed for a time, then turned

grim-faced and scowling.

غَضِبَت عَلى الإِنسانِ وَاِتْ

تَخَذَت عَلَيها الوَحشَ حارِسْ

They grew angry with mankind and

set wild beasts over them as guards.

فَإِذا أَتاها الإِنس را

ح يَدوسها دَوسَ المُخالِسْ

So when a human comes to them,

he goes treading them like a stealthy thief.

هَذِهْ مَنازلُ مَن مَضَوا

مِن قَومنا الصِّيدِ القَناعِسْ

These are the dwellings of those who passed away,

of our proud and mighty people.

دَرَست كَما دَرَسوا وَقَد

ذَهَبَ النَفيسُ مَعَ المُنافِسْ

They were effaced as their people were, and

what was precious went with those who vied for it.

ماذا نُؤمِّلُ بَعدَهُم

إِلّا مُقارَعَةَ الفَوارِسْ

What can we hope for after them

but battle with the horsemen?

فَإِلَيكُمُ يا قَوم وَاِطْ

طَرِحوا المُدالِس وَالمُوالِسْ

Forward, my people, and cast

aside the deceiver and the schemer!

وَتَشَبَّهوا بِفعَال غَيْ

رِكُمُ مِنَ القَومِ الأَحامِسْ

And emulate the deeds of others

among the valiant peoples:

بَعَصائبٍ أَنِفُوا فَجا

دوا بِالنُفوسِ وَبِالنَفائِسْ

bands who scorned abasement and so gave

their lives and their precious possessions.

هَبَتْ طَلائِعُهُم يَلِي

هَا كُلُّ صَنديدٍ مُمارِسْ

Their vanguards rose, followed

by every seasoned champion.

تَرَكوا جُموعَ التُركِ تَعْ

صِفُ فَوقَها النَكُبُ الرَوامِسْ

They left the Turkish hosts

beneath raging, obliterating crosswinds.

مَلأوا البطاحَ بِهِم فَدا

سَ عَلى الجَماجِمِ كُلُّ دائسْ

They filled the plains with them, so

every treader trod upon skulls.

فَخُذوا لِأَنفُسِكُم مِثا

لَ أولئِكَ القَومِ المَداعِسْ

So take for yourselves the example

of those spear-thrusting warriors.

أَوَلَستُمُ العربَ الكِرا

مَ وَمَن هُمُ الشمَّ المَعاطِسْ

Are you not the noble Arabs,

and those whose noses are held proudly high?

فَاِستَوقَدوا لِقتالِهِم

ناراً تَروِّعُ كُلَّ قابِسْ

Then kindle, to fight them,

a fire that terrifies every seeker of a spark.

وَعَلَيهِمُ اِتَّحِدوا فكُلْ

لُكُمُ لِكُلِّكُمُ مجانِسْ

And unite against them, for every one

of you is kin to all the rest.

وَدَعوا مَقال ذَوي الشِّقا

قِ مِنَ المَشايخِ وَالقَمامِسْ

And disregard the words of the sowers of discord,

among the sheikhs and the prelates.

فَهُمُ رِجالُ اللَهِ في

كُم بَل هُمُ القَومَ الأَبالِسْ

For they are God's men among

you—nay, they are a company of devils!

يَمشون بَينَ ظُهورِكُم

تَحتَ الطَيالِس وَالأَطالِسْ

They walk in your midst,

beneath mantles and satin robes.

فَالشَرُّ كُلُّ الشَرِّ ما

بَينَ العَمائِم وَالقَلانِسْ

For evil—all evil—is what lies

between the turbans and the caps.

دَبَّتْ عَقارِبَهُم إِلَيْ

كُم بِالمَفاسِدِ وَالدَسائِسْ

Their scorpions have crept toward

you with corruption and intrigues.

في كُلِّ يَومٍ بَينَكُم

يَصلى التَعَصُب حَربَ داحِسْ

Every day, among you,

fanaticism burns in a war of Dāḥis.

يُلقُونَ بَينَكُمُ التَبا

غُضَ وَالعَداوةَ وَالوَساوِسْ

They sow among you mutual hatred,

and enmity and whispering doubts.

نَثَروا اِتحادَكُمُ كَما

نُثِرَت مِن النَخلِ الكَبائِسْ

They scattered your unity as

date-clusters are scattered from the palms.

سادَ الفَسادُ بِهِمْ فَسا

دَ التُّركَ فيهِ بَلا مُعاكِسْ

Corruption prevailed through them; thus

the Turks ruled amid it, unopposed.

قَومٌ لَقَد حَكَموا بِكُم

حُكمَ الجَوارحِ في الفَرائِسْ

A people who have indeed ruled you

as predators rule their prey.

وَعدَتْ عَوادي البَغيِ تَعْ

رِقُكُم بِأَنيابٍ نَواهِسْ

And tyranny's predators attacked,

gnawing your flesh with biting fangs.

كَم تَأمَلونَ صَلاحَهُم

وَلَهُم فَسادُ الطَبعِ سائِسْ

How long will you hope for their reform,

when corruption of character governs them?

وَيَغرُّكُم بَرقُ المُنى

جَهلاً وَلَيلُ اليَأسِ دامِسْ

And the lightning of hopes deceives you

in your ignorance, though despair's night is pitch-dark.

أَو ما تَرونَ الحُكمَ في

أَيدي المَصادِرِ وَالمماكِسُ

Or do you not see authority in

the hands of confiscators and toll-gatherers?

وَعَلى الرِّشَى وَالزُّورِ قَد

شادوا المَحاكِمَ وَالمَجالِسْ

And upon bribes and falsehood

they have built the courts and councils.

وَالحَقُّ أَصبَحَ عِندَ مَن

أَلِفَ الخَلاعةَ وَالخَلابِسْ

And justice now rests with those

accustomed to debauchery and deceit,

مِن كُلِّ مَن يُمسي إِذا

ذَكَروا لَهُ الإِصلاحَ خانِسْ

with every man who, whenever

they speak to him of reform, turns evasive.

عَمّت قَبائِحَهُم فَأَمْ

سَتْ لا تُحيطُ بِها الفَهارِسْ

Their vile deeds have spread so far

that no catalogues can encompass them.

حالٌ بِها طابَ التَّبَسْ

سُمُ لِلوَغى وَالمَوتُ عابِسْ

A plight in which it is sweet to smile

at battle, though death is scowling.

وَحَلا بِها بَذلُ الدِما

ءِ فَسَفكُها لِلجورِ حابِسْ

And in it the sacrifice of blood is sweet,

for shedding it checks oppression.

برحَ الخَفاءُ وَمَن يَعِشْ

يَرَ ما تَشيبُ لَهُ القَوانِسْ

The veil is lifted; whoever lives

will see what turns helmet-crests gray.