خليلي عوجا اليوم حتى تسلما — Jamil Buthaina

خَليلَيَّ عوجا اليَومَ حَتّى تُسَلّما

عَلى عَذبَةِ الأَنيابِ طَيِّبَةِ النَشرِ

My two friends, turn aside today so that you may greet

Her with sweet canine teeth and lovely fragrance.

فَإِنَّكُما إِن عُجتُما لِيَ ساعَةً

شَكَرتُكُما حَتّى أُغَيَّبَ في قَبري

For if you two turn aside for me for an hour,

I shall thank you both until I am laid away in my grave.

أَلِمّا بِها ثُمَّ اِشفِعا لي وَسَلِّما

عَلَيها سَقاها اللَهُ مِن سائِغِ القَطرِ

Visit her, then intercede for me and offer greetings

To her—may God water her with refreshing rain.

وَبوحا بِذِكري عِندَ بُثنَةَ وَاِنظُرا

أَتَرتاحُ يَوماً أَم تَهَشَّ إِلى ذِكري

And speak openly of me before Buthna, and see

Whether she ever rejoices or brightens at the mention of me.

فَإِن لَم تَكُن تَقطَع قُوى الوُدّ بَينَنا

وَلَم تَنسَ ما أَسلَفتُ في سالِفِ الدَهرِ

For if she has not severed the bonds of affection between us,

And has not forgotten what I gave in days gone by,

فَسَوفَ يُرى مِنها اِشتِياقٌ وَلَوعَةٌ

بِبَينٍ وَغَربٌ مِن مَدامِعِها يَجري

Then yearning and anguish will be seen in her

At separation, and a torrent will flow from her eyes.

وَإِن تَكُ قَد حالَت عَنِ العَهدِ بَعدَنا

وَأَصغَت إِلى قَولِ المُؤَنِّبِ وَالمُزري

And if she has turned from the pledge since we left,

And listened to the words of the reproacher and disparager,

فَسَوفَ يُرى مِنها صُدودٌ وَلَم تَكُن

بِنَفسِيَ مِن أَهلِ الخِيانَةِ وَالغَدرِ

Then aversion will be seen in her, though she was not—

My soul be her ransom—one given to treachery and betrayal.

أَعوذُ بِكَ اللَهُمَّ أَن تَشحَطَ النَوى

بِبَثنَةَ في أَدنى حَياتي وَلا حَشري

I seek refuge in You, O God, lest separation carry off

Bathna, in my present life or at my resurrection.

وَجاوِر إِذا ما متُّ بَيني وَبَينَها

فَيا حَبَّذا مَوتي إِذا جاوَرَت قَبري

And when I die, make me and her neighbors;

How welcome my death would be if she dwelt beside my grave!

عَدِمتُكَ مِن حُبٍّ أَما مِنكَ راحَةٌ

وَما بِكَ عَنّي مِن تَوانٍ وَلا فَترِ

May I be rid of you, love! Is there no relief from you?

And you neither relent toward me nor abate.

أَلا أَيُّها الحُبُّ المُبَرِّحُ هَل تَرى

أَخا كَلَفٍ يُغرى بِحُبٍّ كَما أُغري

O tormenting love, do you see

A lovesick man as captivated by love as I am?

أَجِدَّكَ لا تَبلي وَقَد بَلِيَ الهَوى

وَلا يَنتَهي حُبّي بُثَينَةَ لِلزَجرِ

Is it true you do not wear out, though passion has worn away?

And my love for Buthayna will not yield to rebuke.

هِيَ البَدرُ حُسناً وَالنِساءُ كَواكِبٌ

وَشَتّانَ ما بَينَ الكَواكِبِ وَالبَدرِ

She is the full moon in beauty, and women are stars,

And how far apart are the stars and the full moon!

لَقَد فضّلَت حُسناً عَلى الناسِ مِثلَما

عَلى أَلفِ شَهرٍ فُضِّلَت لَيلَةُ القَدرِ

She has indeed surpassed all people in beauty, just as

The Night of Decree was favored above a thousand months.

عَلَيها سَلامُ اللَهِ مِن ذي صَبابَةٍ

وَصَبٍّ مُعَنّىً بِالوَساوِسِ وَالفِكرِ

God's peace be upon her, from one filled with yearning

And a lovesick man tormented by anxious thoughts and brooding.

وَإِنَّكُما إِن لَم تَعوجا فَإِنَّني

سَأَصرِفُ وَجدي فَأذَنا اليَومَ بِالهَجرِ

And if you two do not turn aside, then I

Will turn my love away; take notice today of estrangement.

أَيَبكي حَمامُ الأَيكِ مِن فَقدِ إِلفِهِ

وَأَصبِرُ ما لي عَن بُثَينَةَ مِن صَبرِ

Do the doves of the grove weep for the loss of their mate,

While I endure? I have no patience away from Buthayna.

وَما لِيَ لا أَبكي وَفي الأَيكِ نائِحٌ

وَقَد فارَقَتني شَختَةُ الكَشحِ وَالخَصرِ

And why should I not weep, when a mourner is in the grove,

And she, slender of flank and waist, has left me?

يَقولونَ مَسحورٌ يُجَنُّ بِذِكرِها

وَأُقسِمُ ما بي مِن جُنون وَلا سِحرِ

They say, "He is bewitched, driven mad at the mention of her."

And I swear there is neither madness nor sorcery in me.

وَأُقسِمُ لا أَنساكِ ما ذَرَّ شارِقٌ

وَما هَبَّ آلٌ في مُلَمَّعَةٍ قَفرِ

And I swear I shall not forget you as long as the sun rises,

And as long as a mirage rises over a gleaming, barren waste,

وَما لاحَ نَجمٌ في السَماءِ مُعَلَّقٌ

وَما أَورَقَ الأَغصانُ مِن فَنَنِ السَدرِ

And as long as a star shines, suspended in the sky,

And as long as the lote-tree's boughs put forth leaves.

لَقَد شُغِفَت نَفسي بُثَينَ بِذِكرِكُم

كَما شُغِفَ المَخمورُ يا بَثنَ بِالخَمرِ

My soul, Buthayn, is indeed enthralled by remembrance of you,

As the drunken man is enthralled, O Bathn, by wine.

ذَكَرتُ مَقامي لَيلَةَ البانِ قابِضاً

عَلى كَفِّ حَوراءِ المَدامِعِ كَالبَدرِ

I remembered standing on the night of the ban-tree, clasping

The hand of a dark-eyed woman, like the full moon.

فَكِدتُ وَلَم أَملِك إِلَيها صَبابَةً

أَهيمُ وَفاضَ الدَمعُ مِنّي عَلى نَحري

So I nearly—unable to master my yearning for her—

Wandered mad with love, and tears poured from me upon my breast.

فَيا لَيتَ شِعري هَل أَبيتَنَّ لَيلَةً

كَلَيلَتِنا حَتّى نَرى ساطِعَ الفَجرِ

Oh, would that I knew—shall I ever spend a night

Like our night, until we see the dawn's radiance?

تَجودُ عَلَينا بِالحَديثِ وَتارَةً

تَجودُ عَلَينا بِالرُضابِ مِنَ الثَغرِ

She lavishes conversation upon us, and at times

She lavishes on us sweet saliva from her mouth.

فَيا لَيتَ رَبّي قَد قَضى ذاكَ مَرَّةً

فَيَعلَم رَبّي عِندَ ذَلِكَ ما شُكري

Oh, would that my Lord had decreed that once,

Then my Lord would know, at that moment, what my gratitude would be.

وَلَو سَأَلَت مِنّي حَياتي بَذَلتُها

وَجدتُ بِها إِن كانَ ذَلِكَ مِن أَمري

And if she asked me for my life, I would surrender it,

And give it freely, if that were within my power.

مَضى لي زَمانٌ لَو أُخَيَّرُ بَينَهُ

وَبَينَ حَياتي خالِداً آخِرَ الدَهرِ

A time of mine has passed; were I given a choice between it

And my living forever to the end of time,

لَقُلتُ ذَروني ساعَةً وَبُثَينَةً

عَلى غَفلَةِ الواشينَ ثُمَّ اِقطَعوا عُمري

I would say: leave me for an hour with Buthayna,

While the talebearers are unaware, then cut short my life.

مُفَلَّجَةُ الأَنيابِ لَو أَنَّ ريقَها

يُداوى بِهِ المَوتى لَقاموا بِهِ مِنَ القَبرِ

Her canine teeth are spaced apart; if her saliva

Were used to heal the dead, they would rise through it from the grave.

إِذا ما نَظَمتُ الشِعرَ في غَيرِ ذِكرِها

أَبي وَأَبيها أَن يُطاوِعَني شِعري

Whenever I compose verse about anything but her,

My verse refuses—by her father—to obey me.

فَلا أُنعِمَت بَعدي وَلا عِشتُ بَعدَها

وَدامَت لَنا الدُنيا إِلى مُلتَقى الحَشرِ

May she be granted no happiness after me, nor may I live after her,

And may this world endure for us until the meeting at Resurrection.