دعينا من بعادك أو عدينا — Omar Onsi

دَعينا مِن بعادك أو عِدينا

بِوَصلك أَو بصدّك أَوعِدينا

Spare us your estrangement, or promise us

union with you—or threaten us with your rejection.

لَئن دَنَت المَنازل بَعدَ بُعدٍ

فَإِنّا بِالصُدود لَقَد رَضينا

Even if the dwellings have drawn near after distance,

we have indeed become content with rejection.

أَلا يا ظبية الجَرعاء رِفقاً

فَقَد فَتَكت ظُبى الأَلحاظ فينا

O gazelle of al-Jar‘a, be gentle!

For the sword-edges of your glances have struck us down.

أَماناً مِن لحاظك وَالتَجنّي

وَتيهٍ قَد أَهاج بِنا شُجونا

Grant us safety from your glances and unjust reproaches,

and haughtiness that has stirred sorrows within us.

بِروحي مَن عَهدت لَها بروحي

فَأَمسى القَلب في يَدِها رَهينا

My soul be ransom for her to whom I pledged my soul,

and my heart became a hostage in her hand.

مَهاة كُلَّما خَفقت بُنودا

وَجَدت القَلب قَد منعَ السُكونا

An oryx doe—whenever she waves banners,

I find my heart denied repose.

بَدَت فَتمايلت فاِزددت هَتكا

عَلى هَتك فَشمتُ سناً مَصونا

She appeared and swayed, and I incurred disgrace

upon disgrace, as I glimpsed a guarded radiance.

وَنادَوا بِالصَبوح لَنا فَقُلنا

ألا هبّي بِصحنك فَاِصبحينا

They called us to morning wine, and we said:

Come, rise with your bowl and give us morning wine!

فَأَسفر وَجهها عَن رَوض حُسنٍ

أَرانا الوَرد توّج ياسمينا

Then her face unveiled a garden of beauty,

showing us roses crowning jasmine.

وَلاح جَبينها فَنَظرت شَمساً

فَهَل شَمس الضُحى تُدعى جَبينا

Her brow shone forth, and I beheld a sun;

can the midmorning sun be called a brow?

وَخَطّ الحسن نُقطة مسك خال

فَصار الحاجب المقرون نونا

And beauty traced a mole, a dot of musk,

so her joined brows became a nūn.

فَلا كَالثغر مِنها شمت ميماً

وَلا كَالطرّة الحَسناء سينا

Never have I glimpsed a mīm like her mouth,

nor a sīn like her lovely forelock.

وَلا خطَّ ابنُ مُقلةَ قَطُّ صاداً

تُشابه مِن لَواحظها عُيونا

Nor did Ibn Muqla ever write a ṣād

that resembled her glancing eyes,

وَلا واواً كواو الصدغ عطفاً

وَلا أَلفاً كَغُصن القدّ لينا

nor a wāw curved like the wāw of her temple-lock,

nor an alif as supple as her branch-like form.

أَقول لَها وَقد نَفرت دَلالاً

قفي قَبل التَفرّق وَدّعينا

I say to her, as she draws away in coquetry:

Stop before we part, and bid us farewell.

فَما أَنا مَن عَلى ذا البَين يَقوى

وَلا أَن لا أَرى المَولى الأَمينا

For I am not one who can endure this parting,

nor bear not seeing the trusted lord, Amin.

أَمين الدولة العَلياء فيما

يشيّد أَمرَها دُنيا وَدينا

Amin al-Dawla, the exalted state's trustee, as

he strengthens its affairs in worldly life and religion.

أَمين الدولة الغَرّاء لَولا

أَمانته لَما دُعيَ الأَمينا

Amin al-Dawla, trustee of the illustrious state—were it not for

his trustworthiness, he would not be called Amin.

حَليم في المَعارف لَستَ تَلقى

سِوى الرَأي السَديد لَهُ قَرينا

Judicious in learning; you find

no companion for him but sound judgment.

حَليف بَصيرَةٍ وَذكاءِ لُبٍّ

وَفكر يَمنَع الوَسنَ الجُفونا

An ally of insight and keenness of mind,

and thought that bars drowsiness from his eyelids,

وَإِقدام وَعَزم وَاِهتِمام

وَنور مَهابة يَغشى العُيونا

and courage, resolve, and care,

and a light of majesty that overwhelms the eyes.

وَحيد في مَناقبه فَريد

صِفات كَماله شَرفت شُؤونا

Peerless in his merits, unique,

his perfect qualities are exalted in standing.

لِكسب المَجد ما مَلَكت يَداه

أَفاد كَأَنَّما يَقضي ديونا

To win glory, all that his hands possessed

he bestowed as though repaying debts.

شمائل تَشمل العَلياء عزّاً

وَتَكسو الحاسدين عَناً وَهونا

Noble traits that envelop high distinction in honor

and clothe the envious in distress and humiliation.

وَأَخلاق صفت كَرَماً وَحلماً

فَأَصبَح وِردُها ماءً مَعينا

And virtues pure in generosity and forbearance,

so their draught became freely flowing water.

بِحكمته أبان لَنا عُلوماً

أَخَذنا مِن لَطائِفِها فُنونا

Through his wisdom he made sciences clear to us,

from whose subtleties we acquired varied arts.

رَوى عَنهُ أَرسطاليس حزماً

وَتَدبيراً وَلا طبُّ اِبن سينا

Aristotle drew from him resolve

and planning; not even Ibn Sina's medicine compares.

لَهُ في كلّ مُعضلةٍ وَخَطبٍ

دَواء يُبرئُ الداء الدَفينا

For every knotty problem and calamity, he has

a remedy that heals the hidden disease.

لَهُ خُلق الكَمال أَفادَ حَمداً

غَدا عَن طيب عُنصره مُبينا

His perfect character earned praise

that came to reveal the goodness of his origin.

لَهُ كَرم الخِصال أبان حُبّاً

بِأَفئدة الأَنام غَدا كَمينا

His nobility of character revealed a love

that lay hidden in the hearts of humankind.

لَقَد شَرفت بِهِ بَيروت حَتّى

تَقلّد جيدها عقداً ثَمينا

Indeed, Beirut was so honored by him that

her neck wore a precious necklace.

وَقَد عَزّت بِهِ رتبُ المَعالي

وَصادف عزّها حصناً حَصينا

Through him the ranks of high distinction grew mighty,

and their honor found an impregnable fortress.

بِتَوفيق العِناية نال سَعداً

كَما حازَ السَعادة طورُ سينا

With Providence's favor he attained good fortune,

as Mount Sinai attained blessedness.

أَلا يا أَيُّها المَلهوف شَوقاً

لِرُؤيَتِهِ وَقَد أَضحى ظَعينا

O you distressed by longing

to see him, now that he has become a traveler,

رُويدك سَوفَ نَنظر مِنهُ شَمساً

نَفوز بِنورها مُستَبشِرينا

be patient: we shall behold in him a sun,

whose light we shall gain, rejoicing.

فَلا تَيأس إِذا ما غابَ عَنّا

وَأبقى حَمدَهُ وَثَناه فينا

So do not despair if ever he is absent from us

and leaves his praise and acclaim among us.

فَعادات البُدور تَغيب حيناً

وَتُشرق بِالسُرور عَلَيكَ حينا

For full moons are wont to vanish for a time

and shine upon you with joy at another.

نَأى وَدِيارُنا تَلتاع وَجداً

وخلّى في حشاشتنا حَنينا

He went far away, while our dwellings burned with longing,

and left yearning in our innermost souls.

وَفَوقَ البَحر مِنهُ شَهدت بَحراً

يَميناً إِنَّهُ أَندى يَمينا

Upon the sea, I beheld in him a sea;

I swear: his right hand is more bountiful.

سَعى فيما بِهِ أَمر الرَعايا

يؤول إِلى النَجاح بِأَن يَكونا

He strove for that by which the subjects' affairs

might come to a successful outcome.

فَلا بَرحت مَساعيهِ بِخَير

وَلا زالَ الإلهُ لَهُ مُعينا

May his endeavors never cease to prosper,

and may God ever remain his helper.