سافر بطرفك واشترف هل تعرف — Mihyar Al Daylami

سافرْ بطرفك واشترف هل تعرفُ

أَنَّى سرى برقٌ بوجرةَ يخطِفُ

Let your gaze roam and look out: do you know

whence lightning flashed at Wajrah, snatching sight?

هبَّ اختلاساً ثم غمَّض موهناً

وعلى الرحال نواظرٌ ما تطرِفُ

It flashed in a stolen instant, then closed its eye late at night,

while upon the saddles were eyes that never blinked.

يشتاق صحبي أن يُضيء ودونه

من شملةِ الظلماء سِتر مسدَفُ

My companions long for it to shine, but before it

hangs a darkened veil from night's encompassing cloak.

فكأنما ضحكت لهم بوميضه

خنساءُ فهو بكلّ لحظٍ يُرشفُ

It was as though, through its glimmer, there smiled at them

a snub-nosed gazelle, and every glance sipped its light.

حملوا الخدود على أكفٍّ موطلت

بالنوم فهي عن المخاصر تضعُفُ

They rested their cheeks on palms weighed down

by sleep, too weak to wield their staffs.

بعث الغرامُ المدلجين جرت لهم

طير الفراق بوارحاً فتعيّفوا

Passion sent the night travelers forth; there flew before them

the birds of parting as ill omens, and they augured ill.

لما استقام بعيسهم لَقَمُ السُّرى

عثرَ الكرى بدليلهم فتحرَّفوا

When the night road ran straight beneath their pale camels,

sleep tripped their guide, and they veered aside.

يتهافتون على الرحال كأنما

لعبت بما تحت الشعور القرقفُ

They toppled over their saddles, as though

wine had toyed with what lay beneath their hair.

يا سائق الأظعان إنّ مع الصَّبا

خبراً لوَ انك للصَّبا تتوقّفُ

O driver of the camel-litters, the east wind carries

news, if only you would stop for the east wind.

هبَّت بعارفة تسوقُ من الصَّبا

أرجاً بريّاً أهله يتعرَّفُ

It blew with a welcome gift, bearing from the east wind

a desert fragrance that its own people recognize.

فكأنما حبس التّجارُ لطيمةً

في الركب أو سكب السلافَ مصرِّفُ

It was as though merchants had detained a perfume caravan

among the riders, or a wine-server had poured the vintage.

فبرَدتَ بين عَنِيزتين وصارةٍ

كبداً إلى زمن الحمى يتلهَّفُ

So, between Anizatayn and Sarah, you cooled

a liver yearning for the days of the protected pasture.

ومن العقائل بالغضا سعديّة

تفنَى الصفاتُ وحسنُها لا يوصفُ

Among the noble women at al-Ghada is a woman of Sa'd:

descriptions run out, but her beauty remains beyond description.

كالريم لو كانت تصاد بحيلة

والبدرِ إلا أنها لا تُكسفُ

Like a white gazelle—if she could be caught by a ruse—

and the full moon, except that she is never eclipsed.

بيضاءَ يُقعدِها كثيبٌ أهيلٌ

طوراً ويُنهضها قضيبٌ أهيفُ

A fair woman whom a soft sand dune seats

at times, and a slender wand raises upright.

في صدرها حَجَرٌ وتحت صِدارها

ماءٌ يشِفُّ وبانةٌ تتعطَّفُ

A stone lies in her breast, yet beneath her bodice

are water shining through and a swaying ban tree.

زارت من البلد الحرام وبيننا

عنقا زرودَ ومن تهامةَ نفنفُ

She visited from the sacred land, though between us lay

the two necks of Zarud and a wilderness of Tihamah.

تتعسّف الشقَّ العدوَّ لقومها

فعجبت للساري وما يتعسّفُ

She forced her way through country hostile to her people;

I marveled at the night traveler and what she braved.

أنى تصرَّم قلبُها لك بعد ما

كانت تُراعُ بظلّها وتخوَّفُ

How did her heart steel itself for you, after

she had been frightened by her own shadow and made afraid?

ولقد سترتُ عن الوشاة طروقَها

ومكانُها لنبالهم مستهدَفُ

I concealed her night visit from the slanderers,

though her dwelling was a target for their arrows.

وطويته حتى تحدّث غدوةً

عنها النصيفُ به وغنّى المُطرَفُ

I kept it folded away, until at dawn

the veil told of her through it, and the bordered cloak sang.

ولئن وشوا فلقد تنزّه بيننا

ذاك المبيتُ وعفَّ ذاك الموقفُ

Even if they slandered us, pure between us was

that night's lodging, and chaste was that meeting.

أنا من علمتِ ومن أُحبّ عزوفةٌ

عما يعاب بعيبه ويعنَّفُ

I am the man you know, and she I love turns away

from whatever brings blame for its fault and rebuke.

لا المال يغلبني على حبسي ولا

دِيني بمأثم لذّةٍ يتحيّفُ

Wealth cannot overcome my restraint, nor

is my faith eroded by the sin of a pleasure.

ولقد أصدّ عن المطامع مُعرِضاً

ووجوهُها للطالبين تُزخرَفُ

I turn away from objects of desire, shunning them,

while their faces are adorned for those who seek them.

وتُجمّ أودية النوال ودونها

ضيمٌ وبي ظمأ فلا أتنطَّفُ

The valleys of bounty brim, but before them lies

humiliation; though thirsty, I will not sip a drop.

خُلُقٌ فطرتُ عليه كانَ سجيّةً

والعِرضُ يسمَنُ والمعيشةُ تعجَفُ

A character I was born to: it was an innate disposition,

while honor grows fat and livelihood grows lean.

والمالُ أهون أن تُضيع لحفظه

إن كنتَ حراً ماءَ وجهٍ يُنزفُ

Wealth is too paltry for you to squander, to preserve it,

if you are free, your face's water, drained away.

فاركب جَناح العزّ لست بمخلِفٍ

عِرْضاً مضى ولكلّ مالٍ مخلفُ

So ride honor's wing: you cannot replace

honor once lost, while every fortune has a replacement.

وإذا لقيتَ المجدَ فاصحب أهله

واكثر فأنت بمن تكاثر تُعرفُ

When you encounter glory, keep company with its people,

and gather many: you are known by those you gather.

واستملِ من شرف المعالي عادةَ ال

خُلُقِ الكريم فإن نفسَك تشرُفُ

Learn from the nobility of lofty deeds the habit of the

generous character, for your soul will grow noble.

قرمٌ تجودُ بوصلها الدنيا له

حُبّاً وتقرُب وهو عنها يصدِفُ

A lord upon whom the world lavishes its companionship

in love, drawing near while he turns away from it.

وتطيعه الدولُ الفواركُ غَيرةً

فيعزُّ عما في يديه ويظلِفُ

Fortunes that spurn their husbands obey him jealously,

yet he rises above what lies in his hands and keeps aloof.

ويعفُّ عن تبعاتها عن قدرة

ومن الغرائب قادرٌ متعفّفُ

Though able, he abstains from their liabilities;

among rarities is a powerful man who restrains himself.

لولا العلا ما كلّفتْه نفسُه

من شقَّةِ الإعياء ما يتكلَّفُ

Were it not for greatness, his soul would not demand

the exhausting hardship he takes upon himself.

غيران أن يرعى لمصلحة حمى

أو أن يبيت سياسة يتخطّفُ

Jealous lest a preserve be grazed for someone's advantage,

or one be ambushed at night and snatched away for political ends.

كلِفٌ بأن يُوفى الأمانةَ حافظٌ

للعهد تعرفه الحقوقُ وتعسِفُ

Devoted to seeing trust fulfilled, a guardian

of the pledge; rights know him and press him hard.

يقظانُ من دون الملوك إذا ونى

مستعمِل في الرأي أو مستخلِفُ

Wakeful on the kings' behalf, whenever there flags

one who employs counsel or appoints a deputy.

تَعِبٌ يزاحم ليلَه بنهاره

فيما يُجمُّ ظهورَهم ويخفّفُ

Weary, he crowds his night with his day,

in work that rests their backs and lightens their burdens.

كَم عالجوا خَطْباً به من بعد ما اس

تشرى يماطلُ داؤه ويسوِّفُ

How many a crisis they cured through him, after it grew

rampant, its malady stalling and procrastinating.

وتحطّمت عجماءُ تركبُ رأسَها

غشّامةٌ شيطانُها متعجرِفُ

And a dumb brute was shattered, charging headlong,

reckless, its devil overbearing.

كالسيل ليس لوجهه متحدَّر

نفص الربى عما يحاول مُصرفُ

Like a torrent plunging down, whose course cannot be diverted—

shaking the hills—from what it seeks.

لا تملك الحِيلُ النوافذ ضبطها

حتى إذا يدنو لها الكافي كُفُوا

Even penetrating stratagems cannot restrain it,

until al-Kafi draws near, and they are spared.

عزمٌ أشدّ من الصفا ووراءه

خُلُقٌ ألذّ من المدام وألطفُ

Resolve harder than rock, and behind it

a character sweeter than wine and gentler.

مرٌّ إذا غضِب استسلَّ لسانُهُ

كَلِماً من البيض الحدائدِ أرهفُ

Bitter when angry, his tongue unsheathes

words sharper than gleaming iron blades.

فإذا كشفتَ ضميرَه متنصِّلاً

ألفيتَ خيرَ بطانة تتكشَّفُ

But if you uncover his heart while making your excuse,

you find the finest inward nature laid bare.

ولربّما جار اللسانُ وتحته

قلبٌ منيبٌ واعتقادٌ منصفُ

Often the tongue transgresses, while beneath it lie

a penitent heart and a just conviction.

للّه درّك ضارباً بعروقه

في السبق إن وقف الهجينُ المقرِفُ

God bless your excellence, striking out with your roots

in the race, when the half-bred mongrel stands still.

ومهجِّناً حلمَ الكهول وعشرُهُ

في السنّ لم يركب مطاها نَيّفُ

And shaming the elders' forbearance, though his ten

years of age have no surplus riding on their back.

عوّدت مهجتَك السموَّ فما علا

كعبُ امرىء إلا وكعبك أشرفُ

You accustomed your soul to rising high; no man's

heel rises without your heel being higher.

وعربتَ فاسمك يوم تقضي عادلٌ

في الناس واسمك يومَ تعطي مسرفُ

You speak plainly: when you judge, your name is 'Just'

among people; when you give, your name is 'Lavish'.

وترى غنيَّ القوم يُصلحُ مالَه

شفَقاً وأنتَ بضعف مالك تُجحِفُ

You see the wealthy man tend his fortune

from fear, while you exhaust twice your own wealth.

لك راحتان كلاهما يُمنَى إذا

كانت شمالٌ عن يمين تضعُفُ

You have two palms, both right hands, when

a left hand would be weaker than a right.

فيدٌ إذا عاقبتَ لم تعجل بها

ويدٌ إذا أنعمتَ لا تتوقَّفُ

One hand, when you punish, you do not hasten to use;

another, when you bestow favors, never pauses.

أعيا الرجالَ طلابُ شأوك فاستوى

في العجز دونك سابقٌ وموقَّفُ

Seeking your pace exhausted men, making equal

in failure below you the frontrunner and the halted.

وركبت كلَّ مقطِّر بسواك من

ظهر الكفاية متنُه لا يُردَفُ

You mounted every steed that throws all riders but you, from

the mount of competence, whose back admits no second rider.

وإذا فتلتَ حبالَ عهدٍ لم يكن

يوماً ليُنكثَ حبلُك المستحصِفُ

When you twist the cords of a pledge, never

will your tightly woven cord be broken.

وإذا خلطتَ فتىً بودّك لم يكد

كرماً صديقُك من شقيقك يُعرَفُ

When you draw a young man into your affection, scarcely,

thanks to your generosity, can your friend be told from your brother.

أنا مَن جفاك لسانُهُ وفؤاده

بهواك مع طول البعاد مكلَّفُ

I am the man whose tongue has neglected you, while his heart

remains devoted to your love through the long separation.

وعَدَتْه عنك قوابضٌ من حشمةٍ

ومِكاسُ حظٍّ بالفتى يتصرَّفُ

Restraints of modest reserve have kept him from you,

and fortune's haggling, which toys with a young man.

فولاؤه بين الجوانح والحشا

لك واصلان وسعيه متخلِّفُ

His loyalty lies between his ribs and inward parts;

both are joined to you, though his striving lags behind.

كم تحت جنبي أن أزورك من جوىً

ذاكٍ ومن ريح اشتياقٍ تعصِفُ

Beneath my sides, how much heartache to visit you,

blazing, and how much wind of longing rages,

ومحبةٍ تصلُ الديانةُ حبلَها

بيني وبينك عِيصُها متلفّفُ

and love whose cord religion binds

between us, its thicket intertwined.

وإن اتهمتَ فمي فربَّ فِراسةٍ

في الوجه تشهد لي بذاك وتحلِفُ

If you distrust my mouth, many a discerning reading

of my face bears witness for me to this, and swears.

هذا وإن بسط انقباضي باعثٌ

نحوي بوجهك أو برأيك يعطفُ

This being so, if some summons eased my reserve,

inclining toward me with your regard or counsel,

لتأنَّست حُوشيّتي ولأصبحت

هممي الشذوذُ جوامعاً تتألّفُ

my wild reserve would grow tame, and

my scattered ambitions would gather into accord.

ولزرتُ عن ثقة فإن مكانتي

تُدنَى وإن زيارتي تُتَشوّفُ

I would visit in confidence, for my standing

is brought near, and my visit is eagerly awaited.

ولقد علمتَ وكلُّ مولى نِعمةٍ

أني إذا ثقل الحريصُ مخفِّفُ

You know, as does every lord of bounty,

that when the greedy man burdens you, I lighten the load.

لا تحت ضغطة حاجةٍ أنا طارحٌ

نفسي ولا أنا حين أسأل ملحفُ

I do not, under the pressure of need, cast

myself down; nor am I importunate when I ask.

يقتادني قَودَ الجنيبة موسعي

بِشراً ويملكُ رقِّيَ المتلَطِّفُ

He leads me like a spare mount, he who lavishes on me

a cheerful welcome; the gracious man owns my servitude.

تغشاك أو يُمحَى بما استقبلتَه

من حسنها تقريظِيَ المستسلفُ

She visits you—or what you encounter will efface,

through her beauty, the praise I borrowed in advance.

ومن العجائب أن كسرى والدي

وأنا بناتي في الفصاحة خِندِفُ

Among wonders is that Kisra is my father,

while my daughters, in eloquence, are Khindif.

فتملَّها والمهرجانُ يزفُّها

عذراءَ درُّ عقودها لك يُرصَفُ

Then savor her, as Mihrjan leads her bridal procession,

a virgin whose necklaces' pearls are strung for you.

وافنِ اللياليَ خالداً متسلِّطاً

حتى يقوَّمَ مَيْلُها ويثقَّفُ

Outlast the nights, immortal and commanding,

until their crookedness is straightened and set right,

ما حنَّ للوطنِ الغريبُ وما سعى

بحرامِ مكّةَ حاصبٌ ومعرِّفُ

as long as the stranger yearns for his homeland, and there hastens

through Mecca's sanctuary a stone-caster and one who stands at 'Arafat.