أحاد أم سداس في أحاد — Al Mutanabbi

أُحادٌ أَم سُداسٌ في أُحادِ

لُيَيلَتُنا المَنوطَةُ بِالتَنادِ

Is it one night, or six nights in one—

our little night, bound to the Day of Calling?

كَأَنَّ بَناتِ نَعشٍ في دُجاها

خَرائِدُ سافِراتٌ في حِدادِ

As though the Daughters of Naʿsh, in its darkness,

were unveiled maidens in mourning.

أُفَكِّرُ في مُعاقَرَةِ المَنايا

وَقودِ الخَيلِ مُشرِفَةَ الهَوادي

I ponder grappling with death,

and leading horses with their necks held high.

زَعيمٌ لِلقَنا الخَطِّيِّ عَزمي

بِسَفكِ دَمِ الحَواضِرِ وَالبَوادي

My resolve pledges to the spears of al-Khatt

to shed the blood of townsfolk and desert dwellers.

إِلى كَم ذا التَخَلُّفُ وَالتَواني

وَكَم هَذا التَمادي في التَمادي

How long this hanging back and slackness,

and how long this persisting in persistence,

وَشُغلُ النَفسِ عَن طَلَبِ المَعالي

بِبَيعِ الشِعرِ في سوقِ الكَسادِ

and distracting the soul from seeking high honors

by selling poetry in a stagnant market?

وَما ماضي الشَبابِ بِمُستَرَدٍّ

وَلا يَومٌ يَمُرُّ بِمُستَعادِ

And youth gone by cannot be reclaimed,

nor can a day that passes be recovered.

مَتى لَحَظَت بَياضَ الشَيبِ عَيني

فَقَد وَجَدَتهُ مِنها في السَوادِ

Whenever my eye notices the whiteness of gray hair,

it has already found it in its own dark pupil.

مَتى ما اِزدَدتُ مِن بَعدِ التَناهي

فَقَد وَقَعَ اِنتِقاصي في اِزدِيادي

Whenever I increase beyond my prime,

my decline occurs within my increase.

أَأَرضى أَن أَعيشَ وَلا أُكافي

عَلى ما لِلأَميرِ مِنَ الأَيادي

Would I be content to live and not repay

the favors bestowed by the emir?

جَزى اللَهُ المَسيرَ إِلَيهِ خَيراً

وَإِن تَرَكَ المَطايا كَالمَزادِ

May God reward the journey to him with good,

though it left the mounts like waterskins.

فَلَم تَلقَ اِبنَ إِبراهيمَ عَنسي

وَفيها قوتُ يَومٍ لِلقُرادِ

For my sturdy she-camel did not meet Ibn Ibrahim

with a day's sustenance for ticks still in her.

أَلَم يَكُ بَينَنا بَلَدٌ بَعيدٌ

فَصَيَّرَ طولَهُ عَرضَ النِجادِ

Was there not a distant land between us?

Yet he made its length the width of a sword-belt.

وَأَبعَدَ بُعدَنا بُعدَ التَداني

وَقَرَّبَ قُربَنا قُربَ البِعادِ

He drove our distance away, as nearness does,

and drew our nearness close, as distance does.

فَلَمّا جِئتُهُ أَعلى مَحَلّي

وَأَجلَسَني عَلى السَبعِ الشِدادِ

And when I came to him, he raised my station,

and seated me upon the seven mighty heavens.

تَهَلَّلَ قَبلَ تَسليمي عَلَيهِ

وَأَلقى مالَهُ قَبلَ الوِسادِ

He beamed before I greeted him,

and offered his wealth before offering a cushion.

نَلومُكَ يا عَلِيُّ لِغَيرِ ذَنبٍ

لِأَنَّكَ قَد زَرَيتَ عَلى العِبادِ

We blame you, Ali, for no fault,

because you have put mankind to shame;

وَأَنَّكَ لا تَجودُ عَلى جَوادٍ

هِباتُكَ أَن يُلَقَّبَ بِالجَوادِ

and because no generous man is allowed,

by your gifts, to be called generous.

كَأَنَّ سَخاءَكَ الإِسلامُ تَخشى

إِذا ما حُلتَ عاقِبَةَ اِرتِدادِ

As though your generosity were Islam, you fear,

if you change, the consequence of apostasy.

كَأَنَّ الهامَ في الهَيجا عُيونٌ

وَقَد طُبِعَت سُيوفُكَ مِن رُقادِ

As though heads in battle were eyes,

and your swords had been forged from sleep.

وَقَد صُغتَ الأَسِنَّةَ مِن هُمومٍ

فَما يَخطُرنَ إِلّا في فُؤادِ

And you have fashioned spearheads from worries,

so they pass nowhere but through a heart.

وَيَومَ جَلَبتَها شُعثَ النَواصي

مُعَقَّدَةَ السَبائِبِ لِلطِرادِ

And on the day you brought them, their forelocks disheveled,

their tail-locks knotted for combat,

وَحامَ بِها الهَلاكُ عَلى أُناسِ

لَهُم بِاللاذِقِيَّةِ بَغيُ عادِ

and destruction wheeled with them over a people

whose tyranny in Latakia was that of ʿAd,

فَكانَ الغَربُ بَحراً مِن مِياهٍ

وَكانَ الشَرقُ بَحراً مِن جِيادِ

the west became a sea of water,

and the east became a sea of steeds.

وَقَد خَفَقَت لَكَ الراياتُ فيهِ

فَظَلَّ يَموجُ بِالبيضِ الحِدادِ

Your banners had fluttered there,

so it kept surging with bright, sharp swords.

لَقوكَ بِأَكبُدِ الإِبلِ الأَبايا

فَسُقتَهُمُ وَحَدُّ السَيفِ حادِ

They met you with the livers of ailing, water-refusing camels,

so you drove them, the sword's edge their drover.

وَقَد مَزَّقتَ ثَوبَ الغَيِّ عَنهُم

وَقَد أَلبَستُهُم ثَوبَ الرَشادِ

And you had torn the robe of error from them,

and I had clothed them in the robe of right guidance.

فَما تَرَكوا الإِمارَةَ لِاِختِيارٍ

وَلا اِنتَحَلوا وِدادَكَ مِن وِدادِ

They did not relinquish rule by choice,

nor profess love for you out of love;

وَلا اِستَفَلوا لِزُهدٍ في التَعالي

وَلا اِنقادوا سُروراً بِاِنقِيادِ

nor did they lower themselves from disdain for high rank,

nor submit from delight in submission.

وَلَكِن هَبَّ خَوفُكَ في حَشاهُم

هُبوبَ الريحِ في رِجلِ الجَرادِ

But fear of you swept through their entrails,

as wind sweeps through a swarm of locusts.

وَماتوا قَبلَ مَوتِهِمُ فَلَمّا

مَنَنتَ أَعَدتَهُم قَبلَ المَعادِ

They died before their death; and when

you showed mercy, you restored them before the Resurrection.

غَمَدتَ صَوارِماً لَو لَم يَتوبوا

مَحَوتَهُمُ بِها مَحوَ المِدادِ

You sheathed keen swords; had they not repented,

you would have erased them with those blades, as ink is erased.

وَما الغَضَبُ الطَريفُ وَإِن تَقَوّى

بِمُنتَصِفٍ مِنَ الكَرَمِ التِلادِ

And newly roused anger, though it grow strong,

cannot prevail over long-inherited generosity.

فَلا تَغرُركَ أَلسِنَةٌ مَوالٍ

تُقَلِّبُهُنَّ أَفإِدَةٌ أَعادي

So let no loyal tongues deceive you,

turned by hostile hearts.

وَكُن كَالمَوتِ لا يَرثي لِباكٍ

بَكى مِنهُ وَيَروي وَهوَ صادِ

And be like death, which feels no pity for a weeper

who weeps because of it; it gives drink, yet remains thirsty.

فَإِنَّ الجُرحَ يَنفِرُ بَعدَ حينٍ

إِذا كانَ البِناءُ عَلى فَسادِ

For a wound reopens after a time

if the structure is founded on decay.

وَإِنَّ الماءَ يَجري مِن جَمادٍ

وَإِنَّ النارَ تَخرُجُ مِن زِنادِ

And water flows from lifeless matter,

and fire comes forth from firesticks.

وَكَيفَ يَبيتُ مُضطَجِعاً جَبانٌ

فَرَشتَ لِجِنبِهِ شَوكَ القَتادِ

And how can a coward spend the night lying down

when you have spread qatad thorns beneath his side?

يَرى في النَومِ رُمحَكَ في كُلاهُ

وَيَخشى أَن يَراهُ في السُهادِ

In sleep he sees your spear in his kidneys,

and fears to see it while awake.

أَشَرتَ أَبا الحُسَينِ بِمَدحِ قَومٍ

نَزَلتُ بِهِم فَسِرتُ بِغَيرِ زادِ

You counseled me, Abu al-Husayn, to praise a people

among whom I lodged, then departed without provisions.

وَظَنّوني مَدَحتُهُم قَديماً

وَأَنتَ بِما مَدَحتُهُمُ مُرادي

They thought I had praised them long ago,

but you were the one I meant in praising them.

وَإِنّي عَنكَ بَعدَ غَدٍ لَغادِ

وَقَلبي عَن فِنائِكَ غَيرُ غادِ

I shall indeed leave you the day after tomorrow,

but my heart will not leave your courtyard.

مُحِبُّكَ حَيثُما اِتَّجَهَت رِكابي

وَضَيفُكَ حَيثُ كُنتُ مِنَ البِلادِ

I love you wherever my riding-camels turn,

and am your guest in whatever land I may be.