شطت لليلى باللوى — Kashajim

شَطَّتْ لِلَيْلَى بِالَّلوَى

دَارٌ وَكَانَتْ لاَ تَشُطْ

Far off at al-Liwa is now Layla's

home, which once was not far away.

وَطَالَمَا عِشْنَا مَعَاً

كُلٌّ بِكُلِّ مُغْتَبِطْ

And long we lived together,

each delighting in the other.

أَيَّامَ لا تَسُومُنَا الأَ

يَّامُ فِي العَيْشِ شَطَطْ

In days when we were not burdened by

time with hardship in our life.

والغُصْنُ نَضْرٌ والشَّبَا

بُ شَعْرُهُ جَعْدٌ قَطَطْ

The bough was fresh, and youth's

hair was curly, tightly curled.

وَكَوكَبُ السُّرُورِ فِي اسْ

تِقَامَةٍ لَمْ يَنْهَبِطْ

And the star of joy stood in

steady course, never sinking.

والدَّهْرُ لَمْ يَنْشَطْ لِمَا

لَهُ مِنَ الغَدْرِ نَشِطْ

And time had not yet stirred toward

the treachery it grew eager for.

ذَاكَ وَقَدْ أَغَدُو وَلِي

فِي الغَدَوَاتِ مُغْتَبَطْ

That was when I would set out at dawn, with

delight in my morning outings.

واللَّيْلُ كَالشَّعْرِ فَشَا

فِيْهِ مِنَ الشَّيْبِ وَخَطْ

And night was like hair through which had spread

a sparse sprinkling of gray.

والصُّبْحُ كَالْقَسِّ بَدَا

مِنْ فَتْقِ مَسْحَيْهِ الشَّمَطْ

And dawn was like a priest: there appeared

through a slit in his two haircloth robes some gray hair.

وَالنَّجْمُ كَالْقُرْط وَهَى

عِنْدَ العِنَاقِ فَسَقَطْ

And the star was like an earring that came loose

during an embrace and fell.

فِي فِتْيَةٍ غُرٍّ لَهُمْ

فِي المَجْدِ بَاعٌ مُنْبَسِطْ

Among noble young men who had

a far-reaching grasp of glory.

لا زَلَلاً يَخْشَى النَّدِيْ

مُ مِنْهُمُ وَلاَ سَقَطْ

No companion feared any misstep

from them, nor any shameful word.

وَلاَ حِجَابَاً دَونَهُ

حَوَاجِبُ القَوْمِ تُمَطْ

Nor, as a barrier before him,

were the company's eyebrows drawn taut.

كَالأُسْدِ بَأْسَافِي الوَغَى

والغَيْثِ إِنْ عَمَّ القَحَطْ

Like lions in their prowess in battle,

and like rain when drought prevailed;

والدُّرِّ والزَّهْرِ مَعَاً

شِعْرَاً وَأَلْفَاظَاً وَخَطْ

like pearls and flowers together

in poetry, speech, and handwriting.

تَنْفَسِحُ الآمَالُ فِي

أَمْثَالِهِمْ وَتَنْبِسِطْ

Hopes find ample room in

men like them, and spread wide.

مَا فِيْهِمُ عَيْبٌ سِوَى الإِ

فْرَاطِ فِي الجُودِ فَقَطْ

They have no fault except

excess in generosity, and that alone.

تَشَاكَلُوا فَأَشْكَلُوا

فَهُمْ كَأَسْنَانِ المُشُطْ

So alike are they that one cannot tell them apart;

they are like the teeth of a comb.

تَرَى حَدِيْثَ الشَّرْبِ يُطْ

وَى بَيْنَهُمْ طَيَّ البُسُطْ

You see the drinking companions' talk

folded away among them like rugs.

وَإِنْ هَفَا خِلٌّ تَلاَ

فَوْا وَأَقَالُوهُ الغَلَطْ

And if a friend slips, they set things

right and pardon his mistake.

وَعَنْ يَسَارِي مِنْ سُيُو

فِ الهِنْدِ ذُو شَطْبِ سَبْطِ

And at my left, among the swords

of India, one with straight grooves.

كَأَنَّ بَرْقَاً لاَمِعاً

مِنْ جَفْنِهِ إِذَا اخْتُرِطْ

As though a gleaming lightning flash

came from its sheath when it was drawn.

كَأَنَّ نَمْلاً دَارِجاً

صَاعَدَ فِيْهِ وانْهَبَطْ

As though creeping ants

climbed along it and descended.

مَاضٍ تَرَى فِي مَتْنِهِ

مَاءً بِنَارٍ مُخْتَلِطْ

Keen-edged: in its blade you see

water mingled with fire.

كَأَنَّمَا دِيْفَ بِهِ

سُمٌّ الضَّئِيْلاَتِ الرُّقُطْ

As though mixed into it were

the venom of small, speckled snakes.

يَقُدُّ إِنْ أَعْمَلْتَهُ

طُوَلاً وَإِنْ عَارَضَ قَطْ

It slices, if you wield it,

lengthwise; turned crosswise, it cuts across.

وَتَحْتَ سَرْجِي سَابِحٍ

أَجْرَدُ رَهْوٌ ذُو مَعَطْ

And beneath my saddle, a steed swimming along,

sleek, smooth-gaited, with scant hair.

تَقْصُرُ عَنْهُ الرِّيْحُ فِي

إِعْنَاقِهِ وَمَا انْبِسَطْ

The wind falls short of matching it in

its swift stride, and whenever it stretches out.

يَرَاهُ مُسْتَقْبِلُهُ

أَوْفِى عَلَى الطَّوْدِ الأَشَطْ

One who faces it sees it

standing high upon a lofty mountain;

حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَدْبَرَهُ

ظَلَّ يَرَاهُ مُنْهَبِطْ

then, when he looks after it,

he keeps seeing it descend.

كَأَنَّ مَتْنَيْهِ إِذَ

مَاعَنْهُمَا الجُلُّ كُشِطْ

As though the two sides of its back, when

the saddlecloth is stripped from them,

مُلاَءَةٌ مَوْشِيَّةٌ

فِيْهَا مِنَ التِّبْرِ نُقَطْ

were an embroidered cloth

dotted with specks of gold.

كَأَنَّ أُذْنَيْهِ إِذَا

رِيْعَ بِشَخْصٍ فَاخْتَلَطْ

As though its ears, when

startled by a figure and thrown into alarm,

أَحْسَنُ مَا يُكْتَبُ فِي ال

قِرْطَاسِ مِنْ لا إِذْا تُخَطُّ

were the loveliest thing penned upon

paper: 'lā,' when it is traced.

فَحَبَّذَا مُسْتَصْحِبَاً

ذَاكَ وَهَذَا مُرْتَبَطْ

How fine to take along

that blade, and this tethered steed,

بِأكْلُبٍ مَنُوطَةٍ

بِهَا السُّيُورُ والمُقُطْ

with hounds to which

leather straps and cords are fastened.

كَأَنَّمَا ضُلُوعُهَا

قِسِيُّ نَبْعٍ لَمْ تُخَطْ

As though their ribs

were unstrung bows of nabʿ-wood.

كَأَنَّمَا أَحْدَاقُهَا

لَمْعُ الدُّبَالِ المُسْتَلِطْ

As though their eyes

were the gleam of oil-lit wicks.

مُضْمَّرٌ أَحْشَاؤُهَا

كَأَنَّهَا لَمْ تَغْدَ قَطْ

Their bellies are drawn lean,

as though they had never breakfasted.

كَأَنَّمَا آذَانُهَا

أَنْصَافُ دِرَّاتِ الشُّرَطْ

As though their ears

were halves of the constables' whips.

فَمِنْ خَلَنْجِيِّ كَمِثْ

لِ العَضْبِ مَوْمُوقِ الخُطَطْ

Among them, a mottled one, like

a keen blade, with pleasing markings;

وَأَصْفَرِ اللَّونِ كَمَا

أُشْبِعَ بالوَرْسِ النَّمَطْ

and a yellow-coated one, as though

a carpet had been saturated with wars dye;

وَأَحْمَرٍ مِثْلَ الذَّبِيْ

حِ فِي الدِّمَاءِ مُنْشَحِطْ

and a red one, like a slaughtered beast

wallowing in blood;

عَبْلِ الذِّرَاعَيْنِ عَظِيْ

مِ الزُّوْرِ مَخْطُوفِ الوَسَطْ

stout of foreleg, massive

of chest, with a pinched waist.

كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ مَرَحٍ

بِعَاتِقِ الرَّاحِ اسْتُعِطْ

As though, from sheer high spirits,

it had been dosed through the nose with aged wine;

أَوْ شَخْصُ مَجْنُونٍ رَأَى

عَارِضَ جِنٍّ فَاخْتَلَطْ

or the figure of a madman who had seen

an apparition of jinn and gone wild.

كَأَنَّمَا نَعِيْمُنَا

فَرْضٌ عَلَيْهِ مُشْتَرَطْ

As though our enjoyment

were a duty expressly laid upon it.

تَبَلَّدُ الوَحْشُ إِذَا

عَايَنَّهُ وَتُرْتَبَطْ

Wild beasts grow bewildered when

they behold it, and are held fast.

وَتُوقِنُ العُصْمُ إِذَا

رَأَتْهُ أَنْ سَوْفَ تَحُطْ

And white-legged ibex are certain, when

they see it, that they will come down.

يَنْثُرُ مَا يُنْفَى وَمَا

يُخْتَارُ مِنْهَا يُلْتَقَطْ

It strews what is rejected; what

is chosen from them is picked up.

تُوسِعُنَا صَيْدَاً فَمَطْ

بُوخٌ وَمَشْوِيٌّ خَمِطْ

They heap game upon us: some

cooked, and some roasted in the skin.

وَبَاشِقِ ذِي نَخْوَةٍ

عَلَى الطُّيُورِ ذُ سَخَطْ

And a proud sparrowhawk,

full of wrath toward the birds,

كالْكَوْكَبِ المُنْقَضِّ أَوْ

سَهْمٍ مِنَ القَوْسِ انْخَرَطْ

like a star plunging down, or

an arrow darting from a bow.

كأنما جؤجؤة

وشي محوك في نمط

As though its breast were

brocade woven into a patterned rug.

كَأَنَّمَا مُقْلَتُهُ

فَصٌّ مِنَ التِّبْرِ خُرِطْ

As though its eye

were a gem cut from gold.

يَهْبِطُ بِالطَّيْرِ مَعَاً

إِذَا عَلاَ ثُمَّ هَبَطْ

It brings the birds down with it

when it rises, then descends.

غَزَا فَأَرْدَى حَجَلاً

مِنْهَا وَدُراَّجَاً وَبَطْ

It attacked and felled partridges

among them, and francolins and ducks,

وَفَائِقاً مِنَ الإِوَزِْ

والحَمَامِ والحَبَطْ

and choice specimens of geese,

pigeons, and ḥabaṭ birds.

حَتَّى إِذَا نِلْنَا بِهِ

أَوْطَارَ لَهْوٍ وَغِبَطْ

Until, when through it we had gained

our desires for sport and delight,

أُبْنَا بِغَيْمٍ لَمْ يَشُبْ

رَجَاءَنَا فِيْهِ قَنَطْ

we returned with a cloud; our hope

in it was never tainted by despair.