أعيذ صفاء الود من كدر العتب — Mahmoud Qabadu

أُعيذُ صفاءَ الودّ من كدرِ العتبِ

وَوجهَ الرّضى من عثير اللّوم والثربِ

I seek protection for affection's purity from the murk of reproach,

And for contentment's face from the dust of blame and censure.

وَأَستودعُ الرحمنَ عهداً مبرءاً

تجنّت له عينُ الجفا وصمة الذنبِ

I entrust to the Merciful a blameless pledge

Upon which estrangement's eye falsely cast the stain of guilt.

وَأَشكو إِليه البثّ من معجمٍ عرا

يجرّ لسان المصقع المدره الذربِ

And I complain to Him of anguish from an obscurity that befell,

Dragging the tongue of the eloquent, persuasive, sharp-spoken advocate.

وَإِيّاه أَستَهدي لتسديدِ منطقٍ

تَوجّس أن يُردى بمقتحمٍ صعبِ

And from Him alone I seek guidance to set right a speech

That fears being dashed down in a difficult venture.

تَهيّب أن يُسدي ويلحم مفصِحاً

بِصمّاءَ إن يَستنبها الرأي لا تنبي

It dreaded weaving its warp and woof in plain speech

Against a mute calamity that gives no answer when judgment questions it.

فَها أَنا ذا في لجّها متقحّمٌ

عَلى خطرٍ بين السلامةِ والعطبِ

Yet here I am, plunging into its depths,

At risk between safety and destruction.

أَقولُ ولم أَملك أعنّة عبرةٍ

سَوابقها تستنّ بالشفر والشهبِ

I speak, unable to hold the reins of tears

Whose racers gallop along eyelashes and shooting stars.

أيا مُصمياً قلبي بسهمٍ ألوتهُ

لَعمري لقد أبعدتَ مرماكَ عن قربِ

O you who struck my heart dead with an arrow you directed,

By my life, from nearby you sent your shot far.

أَتخربُ بيتاً لَستَ تبرح حلّه

وَتُضرِم صدراً ضمَّ ودّك للخلبِ

Do you demolish a house whose dwelling you never leave,

And kindle a breast that held your affection within the heart's membrane?

أَتاني كتابٌ لا أجيز اِعتزاءه

إِليك وإِن حاكى نقوشك في الكتبِ

A letter came to me whose attribution I cannot allow

To you, though its markings imitated your writing.

أتاني بعرفٍ عنبريٍّ مخلّقاً

فقلتُ حديثُ العهد من راحة الحبِّ

It came anointed with an ambergris fragrance,

And I said, 'Fresh from the beloved's palm.'

وهزّ لفرطِ الإرتياح جوانحاً

تشايعها منّي الجوارح بالهبِّ

In overwhelming delight it stirred my inward heart,

With all my limbs joining its eager rising.

وَما خلتُ أنّ المسكَ بالعتب حالمٌ

وَللمسك في عنوانه نفحة تُصبي

I never thought that musk was pregnant with reproach,

While the musk upon its heading breathed an entrancing fragrance.

وَما راعَني إِلّا اِنحسار لثامهِ

عَنِ المنظرِ الجهمِ المكافح بالرعبِ

Nothing startled me but the drawing back of its veil

From a grim sight confronting me with terror.

فَقضّيتُ منه العجب أنّى تصوّرت

سِفارَته عن مُسفرٍ سافرِ الحجبِ

I wondered at it: how could its embassy be imagined

As coming from a radiant one who lifts the veils?

وَما كدتُ أَقضي العجب حتّى تناومت

جُفوني عسى أَن يَغتدي حُلُم الجلبِ

Scarcely had I finished wondering when my eyelids feigned sleep,

Hoping the tumult might become a dream.

وَمن يقضاتِ المرءِ ضربٌ يعدّهُ

مِن النومِ في تأويل مرآه بالقلبِ

Among a person's waking experiences are some he reckons

As sleep when interpreting their vision in his heart.

فيا لك مِن كتب جلا عن كتائبٍ

وَيا لك من خطٍّ تكشَّف عن خطبِ

What writing, unveiling battalions!

What script, uncovering a calamity!

حَكى سلّة الحاوي فطيُّ رقومهِ

أَراقم لمّا فضّ بادَرنَ للوثبِ

It resembled a snake-charmer's basket: within its folded markings

Were vipers that sprang to strike when it was opened.

فَوا أسَفي منه على متلمّسٍ

صَحيفة لين فَوق مخشوشنٍ وشبِ

Alas for anyone feeling upon it

A soft surface over a rough, tangled core!

وَوا جَزعي مِنها إذا ما تسرّبت

فَأعيت من الحاوين صارئةَ الدبِّ

And oh, my terror of them when they slipped loose

And baffled the charmers' remedies against their creeping!

وكنتُ أرجّي منه روضاً مفوّفاً

بِكافورةِ القرطاسِ حيّت على غبِّ

I had hoped for a striped and flowered garden from it,

Greeting me after an absence through the paper's camphor whiteness.

فَأرشفُ راحاً من ثغورِ أقاحها

ببردِ الرضابِ العذبِ في اللؤلؤ الرطبِ

I would sip wine from the mouths of its daisies,

With cool, sweet nectar among moist pearls.

وَأوردُ شَوقي مترعاتِ حياضها

فَأُبردهُ بالكرعِ منهنّ والعبِّ

And lead my longing to its brimming pools,

Cooling it by drinking and gulping from them.

وَأَلثِم خدّ الوردِ يُخضله النّدى

وَقد عمّ نقطُ الخال ديناره الذهبي

And kiss the rose's cheek, which dew moistens,

While beauty-spots spread across its golden dinar.

وَأهصرُ عطفَ الغصنُ يعطفه الصبا

لِتقبيل خدٍّ خُدَّ من نهرها الصبِّ

And bend the branch's supple side, which the east wind bends,

To kiss a cheek furrowed by its pouring river.

وَتَسرحُ أَلحاظي بها في خمائلٍ

فتجني جلاء مِن حَدائِقها الغلبِ

And let my glances wander through its thickets,

Gathering brightness from its luxuriant gardens.

وَيُشهدني مرّ النسيمِ بسروها

ترنّح غيدٍ في غلائِلها القشبِ

The breeze passing through its cypresses would show me

Slender beauties swaying in their fresh gowns.

وَتنشقُ أَنفاسي عطير شميمهِ

وَقد جرّ فضل البرد في مسكة التربِ

And my breaths would inhale its fragrant scent,

As it trailed its robe's hem through the soil's musk.

وتُطرب أسماعي سواجعُ أيكِها

ببثّ اللّحونَ العجم في نغمٍ عربِ

The cooing birds of its groves would delight my hearing,

Pouring forth wordless melodies in eloquent notes.

وُعوداً أرى الإنجازَ منهنّ مكثباً

بوارقَ مِن صدقِ العيانِ على نصبِ

Promises whose fulfillment I saw drawing near,

Flashes of truthful vision set before me.

فَما اِرتدّ عنها الطرف حتّى تضرّمت

بِنارٍ لها شبٌّ بإعصار ذي هبِّ

My gaze had scarcely turned from them when they blazed

With a fire fanned by a gusting whirlwind.

فَثُبتُ وَقد أملقتُ فيها من الرجا

أقلّب صفر الكفّ واللّحظ والقلبِ

I returned, impoverished of all hope in them,

Turning over my empty hand, my gaze, and my heart.

فَوا عجبي للنارِ كيفَ تأجّجت

وما اِحترقَ القرطاس من زفر اللّهبِ

How strange that the fire flared up,

Yet the paper did not burn beneath the flame's hot breath!

ووا عَجبي للنارِ كيفَ تمدّدت

عَلى عُمُدِ الأقلامِ عمداً إلى قلبي

How strange that the fire stretched

Along the shafts of pens, deliberately toward my heart!

فَبتّ لَها في ليلةٍ نابغيّةٍ

وَلكنّ رُقشي حسبُها اللحظ بالسلبِ

For it I spent a Nabighan night,

Yet my speckled snakes need only a glance to ravage.

تخطّى إلى قلبي كتابُكَ مجملاً

فَما حلّ حتّى حلّ عقراً عن اللحبِ

Your letter passed into my heart in its entirety,

And scarcely arrived before it wounded, straying from the clear road.

وجاوَز حُرّاساً من الفضلِ يتّقي

تقحّمها بِاللّحظ ذو الدهيِ والأربِ

It passed guards of noble virtue whose ranks

Even a cunning, discerning man fears breaching with his gaze.

كِتابٌ كريمُ المُنتمى غير أنّه

بِغيرِ كريمِ الخلق عُلّق والنسبِ

A letter of noble origin, except that

It was joined to ignoble character and lineage.

أَتاني وَما وطّنتُ نَفسي لمثلهِ

وَما جاءَني بِالصاعقاتِ من العتبِ

It came when I had not prepared myself for its like,

Or for the thunderbolts of reproach it brought me.

مَلكتُ له نَفسي وَكانت عصيّةً

وَقلتُ وقَد ريعت رويدك للحبِّ

I mastered myself for it, though my self was rebellious,

And said, when it took fright, 'Gently, for love's sake.

أَلَم تَعلَمي أنّ الكتاب قَدِ اِنتمى

لِمَن لَيس يَعدو الجفن إلّا إلى القلبِ

Do you not know that the letter claims kinship

With one who passes beyond the eyelid only into the heart?

لِمَن لَو على الأجفانِ أَوطأ نعلهُ

وَقَد أرّقت قُرّت ببرد كرىً كثبِ

With one who, if he set his sandal upon my eyelids,

Would cool their sleeplessness with nearby slumber?

ولو رام إشجائي اِعتراض عتابه

توهّمته السلسالَ من سائغٍ عذبِ

Even if his reproach sought to grieve me by confronting me,

I would imagine it a clear stream of sweet, palatable water.

لَه نِسبةٌ تَقضي بِرَعيِ حقوقهِ

وَإن أكذبت فَحواه دعواه في النسبِ

It has a kinship that requires observance of its rights,

Though its contents belie its claim to that lineage.

فَقَد يُسفرُ الإدلال عَن فجأةِ الجفا

وَيُسفر سهلُ الدعبِ عن وعرٍ صعبِ

Fond familiarity may reveal a sudden estrangement,

And easy playfulness may disclose rough, difficult ground.

هبي أنّه سهمٌ عنِ الحبّ صادرٌ

إِذا قلتِ جزماً إنّه ليس بالقربِ

Suppose it is an arrow issuing from love,

If you insist with certainty that it does not come from closeness.

وَقولي إِذا إِحدى اليدينِ تخدّشت

بِأظفارِ أخرى حاكت الجذل للجربِ

And say, when one hand is scratched

By the other's nails, that it resembles a scratching-post for mange.'

أَما وَحقوقِ الودّ لولا مهابةٌ

لِمُنشئهِ الإبنِ المغلغل في الحبِّ

Indeed, by affection's rights, were it not for reverence

For its author, the son deeply rooted in love,

لَجال بناني في مطاويه بالقنا

وأَنحى لساني فيه بالصارم العضبِ

My fingers would have ranged through its folds with lances,

And my tongue attacked it with a keen, cutting sword.

وَشُنّت عليه غارةٌ من بلاغةٍ

يَسيرٌ بها أن تُلحق التبر بالتربِ

An assault of eloquence would have been launched against it,

Easily reducing its gold to dust.

وَما عثَرات القولِ يوماً مقالة

بِعذر ولا كلم الكلام بذي رأبِ

Slips of speech are never pardoned

By an excuse, nor are speech's wounds readily mended.

لَعَمري لقد أوطا اليراعة كاتبٌ

لأحرُفه عشوا من المركب الصعبِ

By my life, a writer mounted his reed pen

Blindly, for its letters, upon a difficult steed.

أَرام عزوب الحلمِ عنّي مزلزلاً

بأرجلِ نمل دبّ راسية الهضبِ

Did he seek to drive my forbearance away, shaking

A firmly rooted mountain with the feet of creeping ants?

أَم اِستام بالإغضاب أن يَستفزّني

لِبادرةٍ لا تستردّ من العطبِ

Or did he seek, by angering me, to provoke me

Into a rash act that cannot be recalled from ruin?

مَعاذ الّذي أوعى بصدري علومه

فَجالَت بواع منه مُنفسحٍ وعبِ

I seek refuge in Him who stored His knowledge in my breast,

Where it ranged within a spacious, encompassing vessel.

معاذاً به من أن تحوم عزائمي

عَلى غيرِ مُرضٍ للصديق وللربِّ

I seek refuge in Him lest my resolutions hover

Over anything displeasing to friend or Lord.

أَأَنكُث حبلَ الودّ بعد توافقٍ

وَلي حيلة في حمل بادرة الصحبِ

Shall I unravel affection's cord after harmony,

When I have a way to bear my friends' rashness?

يهونُ على الغرم اِنصرام مودّةٍ

لخلّ فَيجزيه بذنبٍ على الذنبِ

An aggrieved man finds it easy to let affection end

For a friend, repaying his offense with another offense.

وأمّا وتجريبي خبير مصدّقٌ

فإنّ مداراة الصديق من الأربِ

But my experience is a trustworthy, confirming witness:

Handling a friend gently is wisdom.

إِذا ظفرت كفّاك يوماً بصاحبٍ

فَأودعه في جفنِ الرعاية والهدبِ

If your hands one day gain a companion,

Place him within the eyelid and lashes of your care.

وَمهّد له أكناف برّك وثرةً

فَإن شمتَ منه الخلب فاِكتُمه في الخلبِ

Spread the soft shelter of your kindness for him,

And if you glimpse deceit in him, conceal it within your heart.

وَأجرِ على الإدلالِ كلّ أمورهِ

وَلا تتعنّته بتنقيرِ ذي رقبِ

Interpret all his affairs as familiar confidence,

And do not harass him with a watcher's prying.

وَخُذ منه عفو الفعل والقول واِطّرح

مراءً ولوماً حين ينبو وإذ يُنبي

Accept his unforced deeds and words, and cast aside

Disputation and blame when he recoils or causes hurt.

وحرّره عن رقّ التكاليف تَلفهُ

أخاً مسترقّاً ذا اِنتدابٍ إلى الحبِّ

Free him from the bondage of demands, and you will find him

A devoted brother, eagerly answering love's call.

وَأَنت ترى التكليف جدّ مشقّةٍ

وَلو كان يُفضي للسعادة عن كثبِ

You know that imposing demands is great hardship,

Even if it leads directly to happiness.

وَإيّاك إن أسديتَ للخلّ منّةً

وَمنّاً فإنّ المنّ كالنار في الحطبِ

Beware, if you bestow a favor upon a friend,

Of reminding him: reminders are fire in firewood.

إِذا كنت تعلوه يداً فَاِنخفَض له

مقالاً وإلّا اِستبدل الشكر بالثلبِ

If your giving hand stands above his, lower yourself to him

In speech, or he will exchange gratitude for disparagement.

وَصن سرّه والعيب واِنشر ثناءه

وَصله دوالاً بالزيارة والكتبِ

Guard his secret and his fault, and spread his praise;

Keep contact with him through visits and letters in turn.

بِذا تَستديمُ الودّ من كلّ صاحبٍ

وَتستلّ أعراقَ السخيمةِ من خبِّ

Thus you perpetuate affection from every companion,

And draw resentment's roots from a deceitful heart.

وَلا تَستزلنَّ الحبيب شهادةً

ولا تَكُ جاسوساً على الغيبِ بالعيبِ

Do not provoke your beloved into a lapse before witnesses,

Nor spy upon his hidden life in search of faults.

وَقيّد بلينِ القولِ شاردة الرضا

وأكّد بفرطِ الإحترام عرى الحبِّ

Bind fleeing contentment with gentle speech,

And strengthen love's bonds with abundant respect.

وَأَخجل جفوّاً بالمداراة واِطّرح

رعونة نفسٍ في المكافاة بالريبِ

Shame a harsh man through tact, and cast aside

The soul's folly in repaying him with suspicion.

فَلا راحةٌ إن قوبل الذنبُ بالجفا

وَلا سُؤددٌ إن جُوزي الذنبُ بالذنبِ

There is no ease if a fault is answered with estrangement,

Nor nobility if a fault is repaid with a fault.

وَكُن وسطاً بينَ الشقاق وضدّه

فإنّ نفاقاً أَن توافق عن عقبِ

Take a middle course between discord and its opposite,

For agreement after turning back is hypocrisy.

وَإيّاك والإدلال واِحذر معادهُ

وَلا تأمَنن وشك التقلّب من قلبِ

Beware of overfamiliar presumption, and fear its outcome;

Never trust a heart against swift change.

نصائح جاريتُ الكتاب ببثّها

مُجاراة مغضٍ مغمضِ الطرف عن رجبِ

These are counsels with whose expression I answered the letter,

As one who overlooks and lowers his eyes out of reverence.

فدونك نُصحاً في عتابٍ ومدحةً

تُؤلّف بين الشاةِ في اللطفِ والذئبِ

Take counsel within reproach, and praise

Joining the lamb's gentleness with the wolf.

فأدمجتُ فيه المدح ثمّ مَحَضتهُ

كما صيغَ تبراً غمد ذي زخرفٍ عضبِ

I folded praise into it, then made praise pure,

As an adorned keen sword's sheath is cast in gold.

فإن يكُ قبل اليومِ خامرك اِمترا

فقد برح اليوم الخفاءُ بلا حجبِ

If doubt had mingled with you before today,

Today concealment has departed, with no veils remaining.

حَباكَ لسانُ المجدِ خالصةَ الثنا

وَأَولتك أبصار العلى غاية الرجبِ

Glory's tongue bestowed pure praise upon you,

And greatness's eyes granted you the utmost reverence.

وغيرُك من تُبدي الجفاء طباعه

ويعدل في جدٍّ وهزلٍ عن اللحبِ

It is others whose natures show estrangement,

And who stray from the clear road in earnest and in jest.

وَلُطفك يأبى أن تروع موالياً

وَيستأثر السرّاء فيك عن الصحبِ

Your graciousness refuses to frighten a loyal friend,

Or to reserve happiness for yourself, withholding it from companions.

فَلا تَكسفَن بالعتبِ نظرة ودّهِ

فإنّ مثار العتب مربدة الحبِّ

Do not eclipse with reproach the gaze of his affection,

For reproach's stirring darkens love.

وإن قلتُ إلّا أنّها عمد زلّة

فَهل لك إلّا الصفح عن زلّة تكبي

And if I say, 'Yet it was a deliberate lapse,'

What can you do but pardon a stumbling lapse?

فدىً لك من ناوى الّذين يودّهم

ولو قلت من ناواك رعت ذوي الحبِّ

May whoever fights those he loves be your ransom;

Had I said, 'Whoever fights you,' I would alarm those who love you.

ولو جاز في الفادين أنّك حائزٌ

لأعمارهم أدخلتُ نفسي في الحسبِ

If it were possible among your ransomers for you to possess

Their lifetimes, I would include myself in the count.

لَئن كانَ ما يُرضيك يَمنعُني الكرا

فَجافى الكرا جنبي وأنبى الوطا جنبي

If what pleases you denies me sleep,

May sleep shun my side and the bedding repel it.

وَإن كانَ ما يُرضيك يمنعني الروا

عَلى ظمأٍ عفتُ الورود من الشربِ

And if what pleases you denies me satisfaction of thirst,

While thirsty I would shun approaching water to drink.

لِيهنيك أنّي قد حسوتُ مراره

ولا زال منه بي مساورة الرعبِ

May it please you that I have swallowed its bitterness,

And may its assault of terror remain upon me.

وَيُهنيك أنّي لا أزالُ لوقعها

وَمن نزعها ألقى الأليم من الكربِ

And may it please you that, from its impact, I continually

Suffer painful distress, and from its withdrawal too.

وَهب أنّها كانت كضربةِ لازبٍ

فهلّا على حسن التلطّف في الربِّ

Suppose it was an unavoidable blow:

Why not administer it with kindly, gentle care?

فضنّ بمن جرّبته وهو مغضبٌ

فَألفَيته في البعدِ خلّاً وفي القربِ

Cherish one whom you tested while he was angry,

And found a friend both far away and near.

وخصّصه بالودّ الّذي أنت أهلهُ

وَأَعلن لَه فضل المزيّة في الصحبِ

Single him out for the affection of which you are worthy,

And proclaim his special distinction among companions.

تَجد منه حرّاً للصنيعة شاكراً

وفيّاً ولو جرّ الوفاء إلى العطبِ

You will find him noble, grateful for kindness,

And faithful, even if fidelity leads to destruction.

أَضاع عبيرّ الودّ إضرامُ صدرهِ

وَكشّف عن إبريزه عاشي الحبِّ

The kindling of his breast dispersed affection's perfume,

And love's seeker at the fire laid bare his pure gold.

فَكم قَرع الأقوامُ من قبل مروتي

فشحّت ولم تطب بسقطٍ ولا شكبِ

How often people before have struck my flint,

And it withheld, yielding neither spark nor outpouring!

فأمّا وفي يمناك قد هزّت العصا

فقد فجّرت منها ينابيع كالثعبِ

But when the staff was shaken in your right hand,

It burst springs from it like torrents.

وَأَفضت سَجاياهم لأبناءِ فكرتي

سحاباً ليستعلمن منقطع النسبِ

Their qualities poured out, for the children of my thought,

Clouds through which they might learn where lineage ends.

وظنّي وفوقَ الظنّ عهدك أن ترى

شَحيحاً بعرض الخلّ من ماضغ الصحبِ

My expectation—and above expectation, your pledge—is that you prove

Jealous of a friend's honor against one who chews upon companions.

وَعاينتُ إذ عهدي بكفّك لجّةً

مِنَ الآيِ تَسجيرُ البحارِ من الزعبِ

I witnessed, though I had known your palm as a deep sea,

The wonder of seas set ablaze by their surging.

فإن أتّهم فيك العيان فبالحرى

وإلّا فما لي في البقا بعد من أربِ

If I distrust what my eyes see in you, it is fitting;

Otherwise, I have no further desire to remain alive.

أحاشيك أن ألوي بعهدك زلّةً

وَأكبر أن تستنزل الحرّ بالثلبِ

I hold you above attaching a lapse to your pledge,

And deem you too great to abase a noble man through disparagement.

أَما في كريم العهدِ والودّ شافعٌ

لذنبي إنّ الذنب يَمنع من ثربي

Is there not, in a noble pledge and affection, an intercessor

For my fault? Indeed, the fault should prevent my censure.

أَما في جريِّ الرأيِ والعزمِ والحِجا

مِن الرفق ما يبقي على ذمّةِ الحبِّ

Is there not, in bold judgment, resolve, and understanding,

Enough gentleness to preserve love's covenant?

أيا جيرةً جاروا عليَّ بذلّةٍ

إِليّ منهم أستنيم إلى حبِّ

O neighbors who wronged me through a lapse

Toward me, yet in whose love I find repose!

حَنانيكمُ بعد الجفاء وإن يكن

بِعيشي لكم رأيٌ فعندكمُ طبّي

Your mercy after estrangement! And if

You have concern for my life, my cure lies with you.

أحاول منّي بعث ودٍّ بحربةٍ

وَمِن عبثٍ بعث المودّة بالحربِ

Is affection to be roused from me with a spear?

It is folly to awaken affection through war.

أَدرتم لنا كأسَ العتاب مريرةً

فَعودوا مِن العتبى بنقل لها عذبِ

You passed us the bitter cup of reproach;

Return with reconciliation's sweet accompaniment for it.

أَما إنّه واللّه لولا اِقتفاؤكم

لضلّ مُريد الوصل من مسلكٍ صعبِ

Indeed, by God, were it not for following you,

The seeker of union would lose his way on a difficult path.

فَلي رامحُ الأقلام لَيس يطيشهُ

تهيّبُ ذي بأسٍ إذا جال في حربِ

For I have a lancer of pens whom no

Dread of a mighty man unsettles when he ranges in war.

بِراحته ريّانُ يقذف أريهُ

عَلى أنّه النضناض عضّ على قشبِ

In his palm is a well-watered reed pouring out its honey,

Though it is a flickering-tongued serpent biting upon poison.

هو الرمحُ إلّا أنّه غير راعشٍ

هو السّهم لكن لا يَطيشُ ولا يجبي

It is a lance, except that it does not tremble;

It is an arrow, but neither misses nor falls short.

ردينيّ أخطارٍ شَروعٌ مثقّفٌ

بريٌّ نفوذٌ شدّ رائشة الندبِ

Rudayni in its strokes, leveled and straightened;

A sharpened penetrator whose feathers a skilled hand has bound.

يُجلّي البياضَ المحضَ من خرصِ أخرسٍ

وَيَجلو قذى الأجفانِ بالقذذ النشبِ

It brings pure brightness from a mute spearhead,

And clears eyelids' grit with lodging arrow-feathers.

يُقيمُ مِنَ المزورّ مذرى اِزوراره

وَمِن ذي صغى للعجب صاغية العجبِ

It sets upright the crest of one who turns aside,

And the inclination to vanity of one inclined to vanity.

ويُصمي من الصمّاء مخرت سمّها

وَمن خطبِ شكلٍ عصل شاكلة الخطبِ

It strikes dead the channel of a mute calamity's poison,

And the crooked frame of an entangled crisis.

كأنّ عيوناً رانياتٍ إِذا جرى

تُحابيه مكنون السواد على رقبِ

As though gazing eyes, when it runs,

Gifted it their hidden blackness, watching intently.

نَعم وقلوباً هامياتٍ تودّ لو

سُويداؤُها كانت له صبغةَ الخضبِ

Yes, and flowing hearts wished that

Their inmost black core might become its coloring dye.

إِذا رمتَ مِنه اللّهو ناغاك بلبلاً

وَإِن تدعُهُ العلياء كان من الشهبِ

If you seek amusement from it, it sings to you as a nightingale;

If greatness summons it, it becomes a shooting star.

تَرى ذنبَ الطاووسِ سهّم طرسه

يُحاكي بها منقاره الندف في العطبِ

You see a peacock's tail patterning his page,

Its beak imitating cotton-carding upon it.

يُغادر طرف البرقِ في الجوّ ضالعاً

وَيفضحُ وشيَ الودقِ في صفحةِ الهضبِ

It leaves the lightning's steed limping in the sky,

And puts rain's embroidery upon the mountain's face to shame.

هوَ الذابِلُ الذاوي الّذي إن ترشّحت

لَه نُطفةٌ في الطرسِ أورق بالخصبِ

It is the dry, withered stalk that, if

A drop seeps from it upon the page, puts forth fertile leaves.

هو السابقُ المُذكي عدا أنّ سبقهُ

لِمُجريهِ يُعزى ما له فيه من شعبِ

It is the mature racing steed, except that its victory

Is credited to its runner; it has no share in it.

تخيّر من جُردٍ عتاقٍ ضوامرٍ

مَراوحَ لا تذني سوابح لا تكبي

He chose from sleek thoroughbreds, lean-flanked,

Swift coursers that never weaken, swimming runners that never stumble.

مُعوّدةً ما إن تغبّ عنِ الونى

ولا تَنثني يوماً وصايا من اللغبِ

Trained, never keeping company with lassitude,

Nor ever turning back, worn out by fatigue.

تَوجّس إذا أَعطته يوماً يمينهُ

لِموقفةِ الألبابِ في ساحة العجبِ

Anticipate, when his right hand one day gives it its turn,

An arresting of minds in the arena of wonder.

وَأيقِن بأنّ البحر يطمو عبابهُ

فحدِّث عنِ البحرِ الغطمطم ذي العبِّ

And be certain that the sea's billows overflow;

Then speak of the roaring sea, full of surging,

بِما شئتَ مِن حليٍ يُطوّق لبّةً

وَما شئتَ مِن لجٍّ وما شئت من سحبِ

Of whatever ornaments you wish to encircle a throat,

Whatever depths you wish, and whatever clouds you wish,

وَما شئتَ مِن روضٍ يكلّله الحيا

وَتصدحُ منهُ الورق في فنن رطبِ

Whatever garden you wish, crowned by rain,

Where gray doves sing upon a moist bough,

وَما شئت من نهرٍ قد اِطّردت به

مُفاضة ماذيٍّ على صفحة العضبِ

And whatever river you wish, along which extends

An ample coat of gleaming mail upon a sword's flat.

وَإِلّا فَما يُرضي الممالك من سطا

وَمِن غارةٍ شعواءَ في مأزقٍ صعبِ

Or else, of assaults that please kingdoms,

And fierce raids within a difficult strait,

وَمن غُررٍ وضّاحةٍ ما تطلّعت

عَلى الخطب إلّا اِنجاب محلولك الخطبِ

And radiant noble deeds that never rise

Over a crisis without its pitch-black darkness clearing,

وَمن فلِّ حدِّ الباترات بأبترٍ

وَقصفِ العوالي بالمطاعن عن وربِ

And blunting cutting swords' edges with a short blade,

And snapping lance-shafts with thrusts delivered obliquely.

وَحسبكَ في عزٍّ يماريك عوزهُ

بِقرملةٍ من طمّ منفجرِ الثعبِ

Let it suffice you, when someone disputes your wealth of might,

That a frail shrub is set against a bursting torrent's surge.

أَلم يدرِ ذاك الغرّ كنه مكانةٍ

عَلى حسنِ رأيٍ للوزير به تنبي

Did that inexperienced man not know the true worth of a station

That speaks of the minister's good opinion of him?

رَعى اللّه من ذاك الوزير فراسةً

وَلُطفَ تهدٍّ بالقوابل للعقبِ

May God preserve that minister's discernment,

And his subtle guidance from coming events to their outcomes.

تَوسّم سقطاً من ذكاءٍ وَرَت به

مَخائِله فَاِستضرم السقط بالشبِّ

He discerned a spark of brilliance, kindled by

Its signs, and fanned the spark into flame.

ضَواه لإِنشاءِ الكتابة فَاِعتزت

لَه رتبةُ الإنشا اِعتزاء القطا السربِ

He brought him near for the composition of correspondence, and proudly

The office of composition claimed him, as sandgrouse claim their flock.

فَما كذبت أَن فاخرت بِاِنتمائها

إِليه وَجادت منه بالشاهد الحسبِ

It did not speak falsely when it boasted of its affiliation

With him, and supplied sufficient witness from him.

فَلَيس لها كفؤٌ سواه وإنّه

لَفارسُ ميدانِ التكتّب والكتبِ

It has no equal fit for it besides him, and he

Is the knight of the arena of writing and correspondence.

يمدّ يراع الخطّ سلسالُ طبعهِ

بِأندى على الأكبادِ من بارد السكبِ

His flowing nature supplies the writing reed

With something more refreshing to hearts than a cool downpour.

وَيخطرُ إعطافاً فيبدي نثاره

بِأنضرَ مِن وشي الأزاهر في القضبِ

It sways in graceful turns, displaying its scattered gifts

More radiant than flowers' embroidery upon branches.

فَتلقطُ درّاً ساقَطَته حروفهُ

بِسمعك من نطق ولحظكَ من كتبِ

You gather pearls shed by his letters

With your hearing from speech, and your gaze from writing.

فللّه في بُردَي شبابٍ وعفّةٍ

مُحيّا يواري البدر في هالَتي عجبِ

How wondrous, within the two robes of youth and chastity,

A face concealing the full moon within two halos of wonder!

وَللّه محضا عزّةٍ وتواضعٍ

يُنتّجه حصنُ المجادة واللبِّ

How wondrous the two pure essences of dignity and humility,

Produced by the stronghold of nobility and understanding!

قَرين النديّين السماحةِ والتقى

مُعدٌّ من الفوزين في الحالِ والعقبِ

Companion of the two generous virtues, liberality and piety,

Prepared for two triumphs, in the present and the future.

لَه في سَوادِ العين والقلب منزلٌ

وَإِن كانَ لا يأوي سوى منزل القلبِ

He has a dwelling in the eye's blackness and the heart,

Though he shelters nowhere but the heart's dwelling.

تَبوّأ من نفس الوزير مكانةً

تُنافسهُ في نيلها أعينُ الشهبِ

He has taken a place within the minister's soul

For whose attainment the eyes of stars compete with him.

وَما هو إِلّا أهلُها وكفيؤها

وَأهلٌ لما عنه من الإِعتلا تنبي

He is nothing but worthy of it and equal to it,

And worthy of the elevation of which it speaks.

أَلا أيّها الصهميمُ والأوحد الّذي

محضتُ له مَدحي وَأَخلصته حبّي

O steadfast, peerless one, for whom

I made my praise pure and devoted my love wholly,

وَمن كلّما مرّت بذكري صفاته

تهلّل وجه الدهر لي بعدما قطبِ

And whose qualities, whenever they pass through my remembrance,

Make time's face brighten for me after frowning,

وَمن كلّما سمتُ القوافيَ مدحهُ

أَجابَ لها نطقي ولبّى لها لبّي

And whose praise, whenever I ask it of my rhymes,

My speech answers and my understanding gladly serves!

إصاخة إقبالٍ عليّ فإنّه

بريقِ سلسالِ الحياةِ همى سكبي

Give me an attentive hearing, for

With the nectar of life's clear stream my outpouring has flowed.

وَإِصغاء إذعانٍ إليّ فإنّما

لإلقاءِ إكسيرِ الكلامِ سما لهبي

And listen to me with acceptance, for

My flame rose only to cast the elixir of speech.

وَدونك عذراء البلاغةِ أَقبَلت

تحيّي على اِستحيا وتغضي على رجبِ

Receive eloquence's maiden, who has come

Greeting shyly and lowering her gaze in reverence.

تَشوبُ بحرّ النصحِ بردَ مَديحها

كَما شبّ ومض البرق في صيّبٍ رضبِ

She mixes her praise's coolness with counsel's heat,

As lightning's flash flares within a sweet raincloud.

وَتُفرغ من تبرِ الثنا غمد مرهفٍ

سَجاياك تستنضيهِ من دلّها المُصبي

She casts from praise's gold the sheath of a keen blade

That your qualities draw from her captivating coquetry.

لَها منطقٌ يستوقفُ الشهب عن سرى

فَما تَستبين الشرق من موقع الغربِ

Her speech arrests the stars in their nightly journey,

So they cannot distinguish east from the place of west.

أَرقُّ من اللّحظ الفتون فتورهُ

دَعا لِلهوى صبّاً بإيماءةِ الهدبِ

More tender than a seductive glance whose languor

Calls a lover to passion with a motion of eyelashes;

وَأسحرُ من ثغر يُناغيك باسماً

بمنثورِ منضود من اللّؤلؤ الرطبِ

More enchanting than a smiling mouth speaking fondly to you

With scattered, ordered moist pearls;

وَأَوقع في الأسماعِ من لحن مطربٍ

بشجوٍ ومِن وعدٍ من الحبِّ للصبِّ

More stirring to the ears than a delightful melody

Of longing, or a beloved's promise to a lover;

وَأَندى على الأكبادِ من مسعفِ المنى

وَأعذبُ في الأفواه من رشفة الضربِ

More refreshing to hearts than the granting of wishes,

And sweeter in mouths than a sip of white honey;

وَأَفعل في الألباب من خمرِ بابلٍ

وأعجبُ للمرتادِ من موقع الخصبِ

More potent in minds than Babylon's wine,

And more wondrous to a seeker than a fertile resting-place.

فَأوسِع لها عُذراً فإنّي اِرتَجَلتها

ولبّي بخطبِ العتبِ ينقف في خطبِ

Allow her ample excuse, for I improvised her

While my mind, amid reproach's crisis, was battered by crisis.

وَلَم أَستَجِز إرجاءها لتأنّقٍ

عَلى وفق ما أرضى لمدحك من نحبِ

I did not deem it right to delay her for embellishment

In keeping with the pledged devotion I desire for your praise.

أَتيتُ بها في نحوِ حسوة طائرٍ

وَعدتُ عَليها بالزيادة والهذبِ

I brought her forth in about a bird's brief sip,

Then returned to her with additions and refinement.

فَجئتُ بنزرٍ منه عقداً منضّداً

أجادَ بِجيدٍ لم يغصّ ولم يربِ

I brought a little of that as an ordered necklace,

Adorning a neck without constricting it or causing unease.

وَإِن كان ذاك الجيد قد شبّ عمره

عَن الطوقِ فاِجعله التميمة للحجبِ

And if that neck has grown in years

Beyond a necklace, make it an amulet against harm.

فَلو ساجَلَتها المذهباتُ لأصبَحت

بِها مذهباتٍ من قلوب ومن كتبِ

If the gilded odes competed with her, they would become

Through her, driven away from hearts and books.

عَلى أنّها عتبُ الجنانِ تدفّقَت

تدفّق يعبوبٍ لمنحدرٍ ثعبِ

Yet she is the heart's reproach, flowing forth

Like a torrent pouring down a rushing slope.

فَظنّ بها عَن أن تدار كؤوسها

على غير ذي شكرٍ لموقعها ندبِ

Guard her jealously against her cups being passed

To anyone without grateful appreciation of her effect and discernment.

وَكرّر بها سُكراً حلالاً وسكّراً

حَلا لا يملّ الدهر ذائقه اللبّي

Repeat through her a lawful intoxication and a sweetness

Whose savor no discerning taster ever tires of.

وَدم يا قريع المجدِ والفخرِ راقياً

مدارج عزّ فوق مرقية الشهبِ

Remain, O lord of glory and pride, ascending

Steps of honor above the stars' ascent.