أحادي نوق العشق كم أنت جالس — Mufti Fathallah

أَحادي نوقِ العِشقِ كَم أَنت جالِس

أَعَنْ سوقِها يَحلو لَديكَ التّقاعسُ

O driver of love's she-camels, how long will you sit?

Does hanging back from driving them please you?

أَلا اِرمِ بِها صَدرَ الفَيافي فَإِنّها

شَماليل مِثلُ البرقِ شوس دَلاعسُ

Come, cast them into the breast of the deserts, for they are

swift as lightning, fierce-eyed, mighty camels.

تَخوضُ إِذا اِهتاجَت بحورَ مَفاوزٍ

وَتَسهلُ إِدلاجاً لَديها البسائسُ

When roused, they plunge through seas of trackless wastes,

and desert tracts grow easy for them in night travel.

وَأَلقِ بِها فَوقَ الهَجيرِ فَإِنّها

عَلى جَمرِ نيرانِ الهَجيرِ دَوائسُ

And cast them upon the noonday blaze, for they are

treaders on the embers of the noonday fires.

وَأُمَّ بِها رَبع الحِسانِ مِنَ الظّبا

فَفيه لِغزلانِ المِلاحِ مَكانسُ

And steer them toward the dwelling of the lovely gazelles,

for there the lovely gazelles have their sheltered lairs.

فَثَمَّ المُلوك الصِّيدُ أَسرى مِنَ الهَوى

وَثَمَّ ضَراغيمُ العَرينِ فَرائسُ

There proud kings are captives of love,

and there the lions of the den are prey.

رِياضٌ بِماءِ الحُسنِ تُسقى محاسناً

فَطابَت بِماءِ الحُسنِ فيها المَغارِسُ

Gardens watered with beauty's water into loveliness;

so through beauty's water their planted beds grew fair.

بِها تَرتَعُ الغزلانُ وَهيَ بَواسم

وَتَلقى أهيلَ العِشقِ وَهيَ عَوابِسُ

There the gazelles graze with smiles,

and meet love's folk with frowns.

وَفيها تَفوق الشّمس بِالحُسنِ ظَبيةٌ

لَكلِّ بُدورِ الحُسن حُسناً تنافسُ

Among them is a gazelle surpassing the sun in beauty,

vying in beauty with every full moon of loveliness.

وَتزري بِبَدرِ الأُفقِ لَيلةَ تِمِّهِ

فَلِلغَربِ يَهوي وَهوَ وَاللَّه ناكِسُ

She puts the horizon's moon to shame on the night of its fullness,

so westward it falls, by God, its head bowed.

رَشْيقَة قَدٍّ تَزدري خوطَ بانةٍ

وَيُحتَقر الخَطِّيُّ حينَ تنافسُ

Slender of stature, she puts a bān-tree shoot to shame,

and the Khatti spear is scorned when she rivals it.

مِنَ القاصِراتِ الطّرف بارِعة البها

لَها حلل الحُسنِ البهيِّ ملابسُ

One of the modest-eyed, surpassing in splendor,

the robes of radiant beauty are her garments.

لَطيفة طَيّ الكشحِ مَهضومة الحَشا

مُعَسجَدة الأَلفاظِ هَيفاء آنسُ

Delicate in the fold of her waist, slender-bellied,

golden in speech, slim-waisted and winsome.

سَكارى بِصَهباءِ النعاسِ عُيونها

وَكَم أَسهَرت وَلهانَ وَهيَ نَواعِسُ

Her eyes are drunk on the tawny wine of drowsiness,

and how many a lovesick man they have kept awake while themselves drowsy!

وَلَمياء لَو قيسَ الرّحيقُ بِريقِها

لَأَخطا بِلا ريبِ قِياسٌ وقائسُ

And dark-lipped: were pure wine compared with her saliva,

the measure and the measurer would err without doubt.

فَذُبت بِها وَجداً وَهِمتُ صَبابَةً

وَزادَت عَلى التهيامِ فيَّ الوَساوسُ

So I melted in passion for her and grew love-mad with yearning,

and obsessive thoughts within me grew beyond love's frenzy.

طَرَقتُ حِماها وَالنُّجوم زَواهر

وَضاءَ مِنَ البدرِ المنيرِ الحنادسُ

I came by night to her sanctuary while the stars shone,

and the radiant full moon lit the deep darkness.

وَمُذ أَنّني قارَبت مِنها كناسَها

وَجَدت الظّبا تَلهو وَهنَّ كَوانسُ

And when I approached her sheltered lair,

I found the gazelles at play, sheltered in their lairs,

وَأَن لُيوثَ الغابِ حَولَ كناسِها

بِسمرِ العَوالي لِلكناسِ حَوارِسُ

and that the lions of the thicket around her lair

stood guard over it with tawny, lofty spears.

فَجُدتُ بِنَفسي لا أُبالي مِنَ الرّدى

وَأَيدي المَنايا لِلنُّفوسِ تخالِسُ

So I gave my life freely, heedless of death,

while the hands of doom stealthily snatched souls.

هَجمتُ وَمِن قَصدي دخولُ كِناسِها

وَصُلتُ كَأنّي اللّيث وَاللّيث عابِسُ

I attacked, intent on entering her lair,

and pounced like a lion—a lion scowling.

دَخلتُ إِليهِ باسِمَ الثّغرِ ضاحِكاً

وَما المَوت لَو قَتلاً بِفكرِيَ هاجِسُ

I entered it with smiling lips, laughing,

and death—even being slain—never crossed my mind.

فَقالَت لَدى التّرحيبِ كيفَ دَخلته

وَدونكَ آسادُ الحُروبِ الفَوارسُ

Welcoming me, she said: How did you enter it,

with the lions of war—the knights—barring your way?

وَقالَت أَلِلغبراءِ غَيرك فارِس

يَمرُّ بِغيل الأُسدِ وَاللّيلُ دامِسُ

And she said: Has the dusty earth any knight but you

who passes through the lions' thicket while the night is pitch-dark?

فَقُلت لَها أَفديك لَستُ بِفارِسٍ

وَلَكِنْ أُخو بعدٍ مِن القُربِ آيسُ

I told her: My life for yours! I am no knight,

but one kept apart, despairing of nearness.

دَعاني الهَوى حَتّى رَميت بِمُهجَتي

إِلى أُسُدٍ بِالسُّمرِ فيها تداعسُ

Love called me until I cast my very life

among lions trading thrusts with tawny spears.

فَإِن رمتَ أَن تَدري لَها اليومَ فارِساً

عَلى وَجهِها يَبدو فَأَحمدُ فارِسُ

But if you seek to know a knight of that earth today,

who appears upon its face—Ahmad Faris is that knight.

أَخو الفَضلِ وَالمَعروفِ روض كياسة

أَزاهرهُ الآدابُ وَهيَ عَرائسُ

A man of excellence and kindness, a garden of discernment,

whose flowers are the arts of refinement, and they are brides.

تَميسُ بِهِ أَغصانُ كلّ بَراعَةٍ

وَأَبْدِع بِها حُسناً وَهُنَّ مَوائِسُ

Within him sway the branches of every accomplishment,

and how wondrous their beauty as they sway!

سَقَتهُ مِياهُ الحُسنِ رَونَقَ بَهجةٍ

فَفي مِثلها وَاللَّهِ يَسمو التّنافُسُ

Beauty's waters steeped him in the luster of delight,

for in such things, by God, rivalry reaches its heights.

وَقَد غُرِسَت فيهِ اللَّطافَةُ كلّها

وَهَل كانَ مثلَ اللّطفِ يغرسُ غارِسُ

And all refinement has been planted within him,

and has any planter ever planted the like of such grace?

وَأَنبتَ ذاكَ الغرسَ حُسن خِصالِهِ

أَلا فَاِحْمَدَنْها إِنّهنَّ نَفائسُ

And the beauty of his qualities made that planting grow;

come, praise them indeed: they are treasures.

فَصيح بَليغ لا يُجارى بَلاغَةً

بِسحرِ بَيان لَم يَنله المنافسُ

Articulate, eloquent, unequaled in eloquence,

with a magic of expression no rival has attained.

أَريب خَطيب مصقَع وَقَريضه

عَديمٌ لَه بَينَ القَريضِ المجانسُ

Discerning, an orator of ringing eloquence; his verse

has no counterpart among poetry.

فَلَو مِثل سَحبان رَآهُ لَما اِغتَدى

خَطيباً قَدِ اِنفَضَّت إِلَيهِ المَجالسُ

For if one like Sahban saw him, he would not be

an orator to whom assemblies flock.

هُوَ البدرُ بَدرُ المَجدِ بَينَ نُجومِهِ

وَلَكِن بِهامٍ مِن سِماكَيه جالسُ

He is the full moon, glory's full moon among its stars,

yet he sits upon the heads of its two Simak stars.

مِنَ الشّرفِ الأَعلى تَحَلَّى بِسُؤددٍ

وَمِن حُلل العَلياءِ كاسٍ وَلابسُ

From the highest nobility he has adorned himself with eminence,

and is clad and arrayed in the robes of exaltation.

لَهُ اللَّه مِن شَهمٍ عَديم مِثاله

وَضَنَّت بِهِ الأيّامُ وَهيَ شَوامسُ

God be with him—what a gallant man, without equal!

And the days, unyielding, were miserly with him.

تَحلّى كَمالاً في جَمالٍ بِرِفعَةٍ

لَها حيكَ مِن نَسجِ الوقارِ ملابسُ

He was adorned with perfection in beauty and with loftiness,

for which garments were woven from the fabric of dignity.

فَيا أَيّها النَّدْبُ الَّذي طابَ أَصلهُ

وَمَن فيهِ غُصن المَجدِ بِالفَخرِ مايسُ

So, O noble man, whose lineage is pure,

in whom glory's branch sways with pride,

إِلَيك رَداحاً بِنت فِكرٍ تَخَدَّرت

عَلى تَركِها لِلخدرِ عنك تعانسُ

to you comes a full-figured daughter of thought, once secluded;

though she left her chamber, she lingered unwed apart from you.

فَطاعَت وَقَد جاءَتك غيداء غادة

عَروساً بها تُنسى لَدَيك العرايسُ

Then she consented and has come to you, supple and tender,

a bride through whom other brides are forgotten before you.

أَتَتكَ لِتَقبيلِ الأَكفِّ وَمثلها

لِتِلكَ الأَكفِّ البيضِ لا شَكَّ بائسُ

She has come to kiss your hands, and one such as she

is in need of those white hands, without a doubt.

فَهَبها قَبولاً فَهيَ وَحشيّة أَتَت

وَمِنك لَها حسن القَبولِ يوانسُ

So grant her acceptance: she has come, shy and wild,

and your gracious acceptance will put her at ease.

وَدُم بِضَمانِ اللَّه ما البدرُ قَد بَدا

وَضاءَ بِه جنح الدّجى وَالحنادسُ

And endure in God's safekeeping as long as the full moon appears

and its light brightens night's wing and the deepest gloom,

وَما قالَ للحادي مَشوق يَحثّهُ

أَحاديَ نوقِ العشقِ كَم أَنت جالسُ

and as long as a yearning lover urges the camel-driver, saying:

O driver of love's she-camels, how long will you sit?