منى كن لي أن البياض خضاب — Al Mutanabbi

مُنىً كُنَّ لي أَنَّ البَياضَ خِضابُ

فَيَخفى بِتَبيِيضِ القُرونِ شَبابُ

I once wished that white hair were a dye,

So that youth might be hidden by whitening the locks.

لَيالِيَ عِندَ البيضِ فَودايَ فِتنَةٌ

وَفَخرٌ وَذاكَ الفَخرُ عِندِيَ عابُ

In the nights when my two temple-locks bewitched fair women,

And were a source of pride—yet to me that pride was a fault.

فَكَيفَ أَذُمُّ اليَومَ ما كُنتُ أَشتَهي

وَأَدعو بِما أَشكوهُ حينَ أُجابُ

So how can I condemn today what I used to desire,

And ask for what I lament when my prayer is answered?

جَلا اللَونُ عَن لَونٍ هَدى كُلَّ مَسلَكٍ

كَما اِنجابَ عَن ضَوءِ النَهارِ ضَبابُ

One color cleared away, revealing one that guides along every path,

As fog clears from the light of day.

وَفي الجِسمِ نَفسٌ لا تَشيبُ بِشَيبِهِ

وَلَو أَنَّ ما في الوَجهِ مِنهُ حِرابُ

And within the body is a soul that does not gray as it grays,

Even if the gray hairs upon the face were spears.

لَها ظُفُرٌ إِن كَلَّ ظُفرٌ أُعِدُّهُ

وَنابٌ إِذا لَم يَبقَ في الفَمِ نابُ

She has a claw if the claw I keep ready grows blunt,

And a fang when no fang remains in the mouth.

يُغَيِّرُ مِنّي الدَهرُ ما شاءَ غَيرَها

وَأَبلُغُ أَقصى العُمرِ وَهِيَ كَعابُ

Time changes whatever it wishes in me, except her,

And I reach life's furthest limit while she remains a budding maiden.

وَإِنّي لَنَجمٌ تَهتَدي بِيَ صُحبَتي

إِذا حالَ مِن دونِ النُجومِ سَحابُ

And I am indeed a star by which my companions find their way,

When clouds come between them and the stars.

غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الأَوطانِ لا يَستَفِزُّني

إِلى بَلَدٍ سافَرتُ عَنهُ إِيابُ

I need no homelands; I feel no urge

To return to a land from which I have traveled.

وَعَن ذَمَلانِ العيسِ إِن سامَحَت بِهِ

وَإِلّا فَفي أَكوارِهِنَّ عُقابُ

And I need no trotting of pale camels, if that is freely allowed;

Otherwise, an eagle rides their saddles.

وَأَصدى فَلا أُبدي إِلى الماءِ حاجَةً

وَلِلشَمسِ فَوقَ اليَعمُلاتِ لُعابُ

And I grow thirsty, yet show no need for water,

While the sun drools above the hardy she-camels.

وَلِلسِرِّ مِنّي مَوضِعٌ لا يَنالُهُ

نَديمٌ وَلا يُفضي إِلَيهِ شَرابُ

And a secret has a place within me that cannot be reached

By a drinking companion, nor can wine find its way there.

وَلِلخَودِ مِنّي ساعَةٌ ثُمَّ بَينَنا

فَلاةٌ إِلى غَيرِ اللِقاءِ تُجابُ

And a fair maiden has an hour of me; then between us

Lies a desert, crossed for something other than reunion.

وَما العِشقُ إِلّا غِرَّةٌ وَطَماعَةٌ

يُعَرِّضُ قَلبٌ نَفسَهُ فَيُصابُ

Love is nothing but heedlessness and greed:

A heart exposes itself, and so is struck.

وَغَيرُ فُؤادي لِلغَواني رَمِيَّةٌ

وَغَيرُ بَناني لِلزُجاجِ رِكابُ

A heart other than mine is a target for lovely women,

And fingers other than mine are mounts for wineglasses.

تَرَكنا لِأَطرافِ القَنا كُلَّ شَهوَةٍ

فَلَيسَ لَنا إِلّا بِهِنَّ لِعابُ

We have left every desire to the tips of spears;

So we have no play except with them.

نُصَرِّفُهُ لِلطَعنِ فَوقَ حَوادِرٍ

قَدِ اِنقَصَفَت فيهِنَّ مِنهُ كِعابُ

We wield them for thrusting, astride stout steeds,

In which joints of their shafts have already snapped.

أَعَزُّ مَكانٍ في الدُنى سَرجُ سابِحٍ

وَخَيرُ جَليسٍ في الزَمانِ كِتابُ

The noblest place in the world is the saddle of a swimming steed,

And the best companion of all time is a book.

وَبَحرٌ أَبو المِسكِ الخِضَمُّ الَّذي لَهُ

عَلى كُلِّ بَحرٍ زَخرَةٌ وَعُبابُ

And Abu al-Misk is a sea, a vast ocean whose

Surging and swelling surpass every sea.

تَجاوَزَ قَدرَ المَدحِ حَتّى كَأَنَّهُ

بِأَحسَنِ ما يُثنى عَلَيهِ يُعابُ

He has surpassed the reach of praise, so that he seems

Disparaged by the finest praise bestowed upon him.

وَغالَبَهُ الأَعداءُ ثُمَّ عَنَوا لَهُ

كَما غالَبَت بيضَ السُيوفِ رِقابُ

His enemies fought him, then bowed before him,

As necks have contended with the gleaming blades of swords.

وَأَكثَرُ ما تَلقى أَبا المِسكِ بِذلَةً

إِذا لَم تَصُن إِلّا الحَديدَ ثِيابُ

And you find Abu al-Misk most ready to risk himself

When clothing shields nothing but iron.

وَأَوسَعُ ما تَلقاهُ صَدراً وَخَلفَةٌ

رِماءٌ وَطَعنٌ وَالأَمامَ ضِرابُ

And you find him broadest of heart, while behind him

Are arrow-fire and spear-thrusts, and ahead, sword-blows.

وَأَنفَذُ ما تَلقاهُ حُكماً إِذا قَضى

قَضاءً مُلوكُ الأَرضِ مِنهُ غِضابُ

And you find him most decisive in judgment when he gives

A ruling that enrages the kings of the earth.

يَقودُ إِلَيهِ طاعَةَ الناسِ فَضلُهُ

وَلَو لَم يَقُدها نائِلٌ وَعِقابُ

His excellence brings people's obedience to him,

Even if neither bounty nor punishment brought it.

أَيا أَسَداً في جِسمِهِ روحُ ضَيغَمٍ

وَكَم أُسُدٍ أَرواحُهُنَّ كِلابُ

O lion, whose body holds a fierce lion's soul,

How many lions have dogs for souls!

وَيا آخِذاً مِن دَهرِهِ حَقَّ نَفسِهِ

وَمِثلُكَ يُعطى حَقَّهُ وَيُهابُ

And O you who take your own due from Time,

One like you is granted his due and held in awe.

لَنا عِندَ هَذا الدَهرِ حَقٌّ يَلُطُّهُ

وَقَد قَلَّ إِعتابٌ وَطالَ عِتابُ

We have a due owed by this age, which it withholds,

And amends are few, while reproach has grown long.

وَقَد تُحدِثُ الأَيّامُ عِندَكَ شيمَةً

وَتَنعَمِرُ الأَوقاتُ وَهِيَ يَبابُ

And the days may acquire a new disposition in your presence,

And times may grow prosperous, though they lie desolate.

وَلا مُلكَ إِلّا أَنتَ وَالمُلكُ فَضلَةٌ

كَأَنَّكَ سَيفٌ فيهِ وَهُوَ قِرابُ

There is no kingship but you; the kingdom is a mere appendage,

As though you were a sword within it and it a scabbard.

أَرى لي بِقُربي مِنكَ عَيناً قَريرَةً

وَإِن كانَ قُرباً بِالبِعادِ يُشابُ

I find my eye content in my nearness to you,

Though it is a nearness mingled with distance.

وَهَل نافِعي أَن تُرفَعَ الحُجبُ بَينَنا

وَدونَ الَّذي أَمَّلتُ مِنكَ حِجابُ

And will it benefit me if the veils between us are lifted,

While a veil still bars what I have hoped for from you?

أُقِلُّ سَلامي حُبَّ ما خَفَّ عَنكُمُ

وَأَسكُتُ كَيما لا يَكونَ جَوابُ

I keep my greetings few, wishing to spare you trouble,

And I keep silent so that there may be no reply.

وَفي النَفسِ حاجاتٌ وَفيكَ فَطانَةٌ

سُكوتي بَيانٌ عِندَها وَخِطابُ

The soul has needs, and you have discernment;

To that discernment, my silence is clear expression and speech.

وَما أَنا بِالباغي عَلى الحُبِّ رِشوَةً

ضَعيفٌ هَوىً يُبغى عَلَيهِ ثَوابُ

I am not one to seek a bribe for love;

Weak is a love for which a reward is sought.

وَما شِئتُ إِلّا أَن أَدُلَّ عَواذِلي

عَلى أَنَّ رَأيِي في هَواكَ صَوابُ

I wished only to show those who reproach me

That my judgment in loving you was right,

وَأُعلِمَ قَوماً خالَفوني فَشَرَّقوا

وَغَرَّبتُ أَنّي قَد ظَفِرتُ وَخابوا

And to inform people who opposed me and went east,

While I went west—that I have succeeded and they have failed.

جَرى الخُلفُ إِلّا فيكَ أَنَّكَ واحِدٌ

وَأَنَّكَ لَيثٌ وَالمُلوكُ ذِئابُ

Disagreement reigns, except over you—that you are unique,

And that you are a lion, while kings are wolves,

وَأَنَّكَ إِن قُويِستَ صَحَّفَ قارِئٌ

ذِئاباً وَلَم يُخطِئ فَقالَ ذُبابُ

And that, if you are compared with them, a reader might misread

"Wolves" as "flies" without making a mistake.

وَإِنَّ مَديحَ الناسِ حَقٌّ وَباطِلٌ

وَمَدحُكَ حَقٌّ لَيسَ فيهِ كِذابُ

Praise of people contains truth and falsehood,

But praise of you is truth, with no lie in it.

إِذا نِلتُ مِنكَ الوُدَّ فَالمالُ هَيِّنٌ

وَكُلُّ الَّذي فَوقَ التُرابِ تُرابُ

If I gain your affection, wealth is a trifling thing,

And all that lies above the dust is dust.

وَما كُنتُ لَولا أَنتَ إِلّا مُهاجِراً

لَهُ كُلَّ يَومٍ بَلدَةٌ وَصِحابُ

Were it not for you, I would be only a wanderer,

For whom each day brings a town and companions.

وَلَكِنَّكَ الدُنيا إِلَيَّ حَبيبَةً

فَما عَنكَ لي إِلّا إِلَيكَ ذَهابُ

But you are the world I hold dear,

So I have no departure from you except toward you.