هل ينفعنك إن جربت تجريب — Jarir

هَل يَنفَعَنَّكَ إِن جَرَّبتَ تَجريبُ

أَم هَل شَبابُكَ بَعدَ الشَيبِ مَطلوبُ

Will experience benefit you, if you try?

Or can your youth be sought after grey hair?

أَم كَلَّمَتكَ بِسُلمانينَ مَنزِلَةٌ

يا مَنزِلَ الحَيِّ جادَتكَ الأَهاضيبُ

Or has a dwelling at Sulmanayn spoken to you?

O dwelling of the tribe, may the downpours drench you!

كَلَّفتُ مَن حَلَّ مَلحوباً فَكاظِمَةً

أَيهاتَ كاظِمَةٌ مِنها وَمَلحوبُ

I fell in love with one who dwelt at Malhub, then Kazimah;

how far from her are Kazimah and Malhub!

قَد تَيَّمَ القَلبَ حَتّى زادَهُ خَبَلاً

مَن لا يُكَلَّمُ إِلّا وَهوَ مَحجوبُ

My heart has been enslaved, its madness made still worse,

by one who can be spoken to only while veiled.

قَد كانَ يَشفيكَ لَو لَم يَرضَ خازِنُهُ

راحٌ بِبَردِ قَراحِ الماءِ مَقطوبُ

It could indeed have cured you, had its keeper not been content—

wine blended with the coolness of pure water.

كَأَنَّ في الخَدِّ قَرنَ الشَمسِ طالِعَةً

لَمّا دَنا مِن جِمارِ الناسِ تَحصيبُ

As though her cheek held the rim of the rising sun,

when the crowds' halt on the pebbled ground drew near.

تَمَّت إِلى حَسَبٍ ما فَوقَهُ حَسَبٌ

مَجداً وَزَيَّنَ ذاكَ الحُسنُ وَالطيبُ

She attained a lineage surpassed by no lineage

in glory, and beauty and fragrance adorned it.

تَبدو فَتُبدي جَمالاً زانَهُ خَفَرٌ

إِذا تَزَأزَأَتِ السودُ العَناكيبُ

She appears, revealing beauty adorned by modesty,

when the black spiders shrink away.

هَل أَنتَ باكٍ لَنا أَو تابِعٌ ظُعُناً

فَالقَلبُ رَهنٌ مَعَ الأَظعانِ مَجنوبُ

Will you weep for us, or follow the departing women?

For the heart is a hostage, led beside the departing caravans.

أَما تَريني وَهَذا الدَهرُ ذو غِيَرٍ

في مَنكِبَيَّ وَفي الأَصلابِ تَحنيبُ

Do you not see me—this age is full of changes—

with my shoulders and spine bowed?

فَقَد أُمِدُّ نِجادَ السَيفِ مُعتَدِلاً

مِثلَ الرُدَينِيُّ هَزَّتهُ الأَنابيبُ

For once I lengthened the sword-baldric, standing straight,

like a Rudayni spear whose shaft-sections made it quiver.

وَقَد أَكونُ عَلى الحاجاتِ ذا لَبَثٍ

وَأَحوَذِيّاً إِذا اِنضَمَّ الذَعاليبُ

And I would be deliberate in pursuing my needs,

and quick and capable when the ragged folk huddled together.

لَمّا لَحِقنا بِظُعنِ الحَيِّ نَحسِبُها

نَخلاً تَراءَت لَنا البيضُ الرَعابيبُ

When we caught up with the tribe's litters, thinking them

palm trees, the fair, full-bodied women appeared to us.

لَمّا نَبَذنا سَلاماً في مُخالَسَةٍ

نَخشى العُيونَ وَبَعضُ القَومِ مَرهوبُ

When we slipped a greeting furtively,

fearing watchful eyes, for some of the people were feared.

وَفي الحُدوجِ الَّتي قِدماً كَلِفتُ بِها

شَخصٌ إِلى النَفسِ مَوموقٌ وَمَحبوبُ

And in the litters I had long ago grown fond of

was a figure cherished and beloved by my soul.

قَتَلنَنا بِعُيونٍ زانَها مَرَضٌ

وَفي المِراضِ لَنا شَجوٌ وَتَعذيبُ

They slew us with eyes adorned by languor,

and in those languid eyes lie grief and torment for us.

حَتّى مَتى أَنتَ مَشغوفٌ بِغانِيَةٍ

صَبٌّ إِلَيها طَوالَ الدَهرِ مَكروبُ

How long will you remain enthralled by a beauty,

lovesick for her through all time, distressed?

هَل يَصبُوَنَّ حَليمٌ بَعدَ كَبرَتِهِ

أَمسى وَأَخدانُهُ الأَعمامُ وَالشيبُ

Will a wise man still fall in love after growing old,

now that his intimates are uncles and grey-haired men?

إِنَّ الإِمامَ الَّذي تُرجى نَوافِلُهُ

بَعدَ الإِمامِ وَلِيُ العَهدِ أَيّوبُ

Indeed, the imam whose gifts are hoped for

after the imam is Ayyub, the heir apparent.

مُستَقبَلُ الخَيرِ لا كابٍ وَلا جَحِدٌ

بَدرٌ يَغُمُّ نُجومَ اللَيلِ مَشبوبُ

He welcomes goodness, neither faltering nor stingy,

a blazing full moon that veils the stars of night.

قالَ البَرِيَّةُ إِذ أَعطوكَ مُلكَهُمُ

ذَبِّب وَفيكَ عَنِ الأَحسابِ تَذبيبُ

The people said, when they gave you their sovereignty,

'Defend our ancestral honors; their defense lies in you.'

يَأوي إِلَيكَ فَلا مَنٌّ وَلا جَحَدٌ

مَن ساقَهُ السِنَّةُ الحَصّاءُ وَالذَيبُ

He takes refuge in you, with neither reminders of favors nor refusal—

whoever the barren year and the wolf have driven forth.

ما كانَ يُلقى قَديماً في مَنازِلِكُم

ضيقٌ وَلا في عُبابِ البَحرِ تَنضيبُ

Never of old was there found in your dwellings

any want, nor any depletion in the ocean's surge.

اللَهُ أَعطاكُمُ مِن عِلمِهِ بِكُمُ

حُكماً وَما بَعدَ حُكمِ اللَهِ تَعقيبُ

God has bestowed on you, through His knowledge of you,

rule; and God's judgment admits no reversal.

أَنتَ الخَليفَةُ لِلرَحمَنِ يَعرِفُهُ

أَهلُ الزَبورِ وَفي التَوراةِ مَكتوبُ

You are the All-Merciful's caliph, recognized

by the people of the Psalms, and recorded in the Torah.

كونوا كَيوسُفَ لَمّا جاءَ إِخوَتُهُ

وَاِستَعرَفوا قالَ ما في اليَومِ تَثريبُ

Be like Yusuf, when his brothers came

and made themselves known; he said, 'No reproach today.'

اللَهُ فَضَّلَهُ وَاللَهُ وَفَّقَهُ

تَوفيقَ يوسُفَ إِذ وَصّاهُ يَعقوبُ

God has favored him, and God has granted him success,

as He granted Yusuf success when Yaqub counseled him.

لَمّا رَأَيتَ قُرومَ المُلكِ سامِيَةً

طاحَ الخُبَيبانِ وَالمَكذوبُ مَكذوبُ

When you saw the mighty stallions of kingship towering,

the two Khubaybs fell, and the deceived one was deceived.

كانَت لَهُم شِيَعٌ طارَت بِها فِتَنٌ

كَما تَطَيَّرُ في الريحِ اليَعاسيبُ

They had factions that tumults scattered,

as dragonflies flit about in the wind.

مُدَّت لَهُم غايَةٌ لَم يَجرِها حَطِمٌ

إِلّا اِستَدارَ وَعَضَّتهُ الكَلاليبُ

A finish line was set for them; no headlong runner ran its course

without wheeling round and being bitten by the hooks.

سَوَّستُمُ المُلكَ في الدُنيا وَمَنزِلُكُم

مَنازِلُ الخُلدِ زانَتها الأَكاويبُ

You governed the kingdom in this world, and your abode

lies in eternal mansions, adorned with goblets.

لَمّا كَفَيتَ قُرَيشاً كُلَّ مُعضِلَةٍ

قالَت قُرَيشٌ فَدَتكَ المُردُ وَالشيبُ

When you relieved Quraysh of every difficulty,

Quraysh said, 'May the beardless and grey-haired ransom you!'

إِنّا أَتَيناكَ نَرجو مِنكَ نافِلَةً

مِن رَملِ يَبرينَ إِنَّ الخَيرَ مَطلوبُ

We have come to you, hoping for a gift from you,

from the sands of Yabrin; indeed, bounty is sought.

تَخدي بِنا نُجُبٌ أَفنى عَرائِكَها

خِمسٌ وَخِمسٌ وَتَأويبٌ وَتَأويبُ

Noble camels stride swiftly with us, their endurance exhausted

by one five-day watering interval after another, and daylong march after daylong march,

حَتّى اِكتَسَت عَرَقاً جَوناً عَلى عَرَقٍ

يُضحي بِأَعطافِها مِنهُ جَلابيبُ

until they donned dark sweat, layer upon layer,

which by daylight formed cloaks upon their flanks.

عيدِيَّةٌ كانَ جَوّابٌ تَنَجَّبَها

وَاِبنا نَعامَةَ وَالمَهرِيُّ مَعكوبُ

Camels of the 'Id strain, bred nobly by Jawwab,

and Na'amah's two sons, and Ma'kub the Mahri.

يَنهَضنَ في كُلِّ مَخشِيِّ الرَدى قَذَفٍ

كَما تَقاذَفَ في اليَمِّ المَرازيبُ

They press on through every remote waste where death is feared,

as great ships are tossed upon the sea.

مِن كُلِّ نَضّاخَةِ الذِفرى عَذَوَّرَةٍ

في مِرفَقَيها عَنِ الدَفَّينِ تَحنيبُ

Each a huge, strong she-camel, her ear-roots streaming with sweat,

her elbows bowed outward, away from her flanks.

إِن قيلَ لِلرَكبِ سيروا وَالمَها حَرِجٌ

هَزَّت عَلابِيَها الهوجُ الهَراجيبُ

If the riders are told, 'Travel on,' while the oryx huddle close,

the headlong, long-legged camels shake their neck-sinews.

قالوا الرَواحَ وَظِلُّ القَومِ أَردِيَةٌ

هَذا عَلى عَجَلٍ سَمكٌ وَتَطنيبُ

They said, 'Depart!' Their shade was only cloaks,

a shelter hastily raised and fastened with guy-ropes.

كَيفَ المَقامُ بِها هَيماءَ صادِيَةً

في الخِمسِ جَهدٌ وَوِردِ السُدسِ تَنحيبُ

How can they stay there, thirst-maddened and parched,

with hardship in a five-day watering round and wailing at a sixth-day watering?

قَفراً تَشابَهُ آجالُ النَعامِ بِها

عيداً تَلاقَت بِهِ قُرّانُ وَالنوبُ

In a wilderness where ostrich flocks resemble

a festival where Qurran and the Nubians have gathered.