أذاب التبر في كأس اللجين — Safi Al Din Al Hilli

أَذابَ التِبرَ في كَأسِ اللُجَينِ

رَشاً بِالراحِ مَخضوبَ اليَدينِ

He melted gold in a cup of silver—

a gazelle whose two hands were stained with wine.

وَطافَ عَلى السَحابِ بِكَأسِ راحٍ

فَطافَت مُقلَتاهُ بِآخَرَينِ

And he went round upon the clouds with a cup of wine,

so his two eyes went round with two others.

رَخيمٌ مِن بَني الأَعرابِ طِفلٌ

يُجاذِبُ خَصرُهُ جَبَلَي حُنَينِ

A soft-voiced child of the Bedouin clans,

whose waist contends with the two mountains of Hunayn.

يُبَدِّلُ نُطقَهُ ضاداً بَدالٍ

وَيُشرِكُ عُجمَةً قافاً بِغَينِ

His speech replaces ḍād with dāl,

and, through imperfect articulation, mixes qāf with ghayn.

يَطوفُ عَلى الرِفاقِ مِنَ الحَمَيّا

وَمِن خَمرِ الرُضابِ بِمُسكِرَينِ

He makes the rounds among his companions with strong wine

and the wine of his saliva—two intoxicants.

إِذا يَجلو الحَمِيّا وَالمُحَيّا

شَهِدنا الجَمعَ بَينَ النَيِّرَينِ

When he reveals the wine and his face,

we witness the conjunction of the two luminaries.

وَآخَرَ مِن بَني الأَعرابِ حَفَّت

جُيوشُ الحُسنِ مِنهُ بِعارِضَينِ

And another of the Bedouin clans was surrounded

at his two cheeks by the armies of beauty.

إِلى عَينَيهِ تَنتَسِبُ المَنايا

كَما اِنتَسَبَ الرِماحُ إِلى رُدَينِ

Deadly fates trace their lineage to his two eyes,

as spears trace theirs to Rudayn.

تُلاحِظُ سَوسَنَ الخَدَينِ مِنهُ

فَيُبدِلُها الحَياءُ بِوَردَتَينِ

You gaze at the lilies of his two cheeks,

and bashfulness replaces them with two roses.

وَمَجلِسُنا الأَنيقُ تُضيءُ فيهِ

أَواني الراحِ مِن وَرَقٍ وَعَينِ

And in our elegant gathering there shine

wine vessels of silver and gold.

فَأَطلَقنا فَمَ الإِبريقِ فيهِ

وَباتَ الزَقُّ مَغلولَ اليَدَينِ

So there we unbound the ewer's mouth,

while the wineskin spent the night with both hands fettered.

وَشَمعَتُنا شَبيهُ سِنانِ تِبرٍ

تُرَكَّبَ في قَناةٍ مِن لُجَينِ

Our candle resembles a spearhead of gold,

mounted in a shaft of silver.

وَقَهوَتُنا شَبيهُ شَواظِ نارٍ

تَوَقَّدُ في أَكُفِّ الساقَيَينِ

And our wine resembles a blaze of fire,

kindled in the palms of the two cupbearers.

إِذا مُلِئَ الزُجاجُ بِها وَطارَت

حَواشي نورِها في المَشرِقَينِ

When the glass is filled with it, and there fly

the fringes of its light across the two easts,

عَجِبتُ لِبَدرِ كَأسٍ صارَ شَمساً

يُحَفُّ مِنَ السُقاةِ بكَوكَبَينِ

I marvel at a cup's full moon turned sun,

flanked by two stars among the cupbearers.

وَنَحنُ نَزُفُّ أَعيادَ النَضارى

بِشَطِّ مُحَوِّلٍ وَالرَقمَتَينِ

And we usher in the Christians' feasts,

on the bank of Muhawwil and at al-Raqmatayn.

نُوَحِّدُ راحَنا مِن شِركِ ماءٍ

وَنولَعُ في الهَوى بِالمَذهَبَينِ

We keep our wine one, free of water's partnership,

and in love we delight in both schools.

وَقَد صاغَت يَدُ الأَزهارِ تاجاً

عَلى الأَغصانِ فَوقَ الجانِبَينِ

And the hand of the flowers has fashioned a crown

on the branches above the two sides,

بِوَردٍ كَالمُداهِنِ في عَقيقٍ

وَأَقداحٍ كَأَزرارِ اللُجَينِ

with roses like unguent bowls in carnelian,

and cups like buttons of silver.

وَقَد جُمِعَت لِيَ اللَذّاتُ لَمّا

دَنَت مِنها قُطوفُ الجَنَّتَينِ

All pleasures were gathered for me when

their fruit—the clusters of the two gardens—drew near.

وَما أَنا مِن هَوى الفَيحاءِ خالٍ

وَلا مِمَّن أُحِبُّ قَضَيتُ دَيني

I am not free of love for al-Fayha,

nor have I collected my due from the one I love.

إِذا ما قَلَّبوا في الحَشرِ قَلبي

رَأوا بَينَ الضُلوعِ هَوى حُسينِ

When they turn my heart over at the Resurrection,

they will see love for Husayn between my ribs.

تَمَلَّكَ حُبُّهُ قَلبي وَصَدري

فَأَصبَحَ مِلءَ تِلكَ الخافِقَينِ

His love possessed my heart and breast,

and came to fill those two horizons.

وَأَعوَزَ مَع ذُنُوّي مِنهُ صَبري

فَكَيفَ يَكونُ صَبري بَعدَ بَينِ

My patience fails even when I am near him;

so how could I have patience after parting?

إِذا ما رامَ أَن يَسلوهُ قَلبي

تَمَثَّلَ شَخصُهُ تِلقاءَ عَيني

Whenever my heart tries to forget him,

his figure appears before my eyes.

أَلا يا نَسمَةَ السَعديَّ كوني

رَسولاً بَينَ مَن أَهوى وَبَيني

Ah, breeze of al-Sa'di, be

a messenger between the one I love and me.

وَيا نَشَرَ الصِبا بَلَّغ سَلامي

إِلى الفَيحاءِ بَينَ القَلعَتَينِ

And O fragrance of the east wind, convey my greeting

to al-Fayha, between the two citadels.

وَحَيَّ الجامِعَينِ وَجانِبَيها

فَقَد كانَ لِشَملي جامِعَينِ

And greet al-Jami'ayn and both its sides,

for those two once reunited my scattered company.

وَقُل لِمُعَذِّبي هَل مِن نَجازٍ

لِوَعدَي سالِفَيكَ السالِفَينِ

And tell my tormentor: is there any fulfillment

of the two earlier promises of your two temples?

سَمِيُّكَ كانَ مَقتولاً بِظُلمٍ

وَأَنتَ ظَلَمتَني وَجَلَبتَ حَيني

Your namesake was unjustly slain,

and you have wronged me and brought about my death.

وَهَبتُكَ في الهَوى رَوحي بِوَعدٍ

وَبِعتُكَ عامِداً نَقداً بِدَينِ

I gave you my soul in love for a promise,

and knowingly sold you cash in exchange for credit.

وَجِئتُ وَفي يَدي كَفَني وَسَيفي

فَكَيفَ جَعَلتَها خُفّي حُنَينِ

I came with my shroud and sword in my hand;

so how did you turn them into Hunayn's two boots?

وَلِم صَيَّرتَ بُعدَكَ قَيدَ قَلبي

وَكانَ جَمالُ وَجهِكَ قَيدَ عَيني

Why did you make your absence my heart's fetter,

when the beauty of your face had fettered my eyes?

فَصِرنا نُشَبِّهُ النَسرَينِ بُعداً

وَكُنّا أُلفَةً كَالفَرقَدَينِ

We have become as far apart as the two Eagles,

though in closeness we were like the two Farqad stars.

عَلِمتُ بِأَنَّ وَعدَكَ صارَ مَيناً

لِزَجري مُقلَتَيكَ بِصارِمَينِ

I knew your promise had become a lie,

for I read your two eyes as two keen swords.

وَقُلتُ وَقد رَأَيتُكَ خابَ سَعيي

لِكَونِ البَدرِ بَينَ العَقرَبَينِ

And when I saw you, I said: my quest has failed,

since the full moon lies between two scorpions.

فَلِم دَلَّيتَني بِحِبالِ زورٍ

وَلِم أَطعَمتَني بِسَرابِ مَينِ

Why did you lower me on ropes of falsehood,

and why did you feed me a mirage of lies?

وَهَلّا قُلتَ لي قَولاً صَريحاً

فَكانَ المَنعُ إِحدى الراحَتَينِ

Why did you not speak plainly to me?

Then refusal would have been one of the two reliefs.

عَرَفتُكَ دونَ كُلِّ الناسِ لَمّا

نَقَدتُكَ في المَلاحَةِ نَقدَ عَينِ

I knew you as none of the others did, when

I appraised your beauty with a discerning eye.

وَكَم قَد شاهَدَتكَ الناسُ قَبلي

فَما نَظَروكَ كُلُّهُمُ بِعَيني

How many people had seen you before me,

yet none of them saw you through my eyes.

وَطاوَعتُ الفُتوَّةَ فيكَ حَتّى

جَعَلتُكَ في العَلاءِ بِرُتبَتَينِ

I followed the code of chivalry toward you until

I raised you in eminence by two ranks.

فَلَمّا أَن خَلا المَغنى وَبِتنا

عُراةً بِالعَفافِ مُؤَزَّرَينِ

When the dwelling emptied and we spent the night

naked, girded with chastity,

قَضَينا الحَجَّ ضَمّاً وَاِستِلاماً

وَلَم نَشعُر بِما في المَشعَرَينِ

we fulfilled the pilgrimage with embraces and ritual touching,

unaware of what lay in the two sacred stations.

أَتَهجُرُني وَتَحفَظُ عَهدَ غَيري

وَهَل لِلمَوتِ عُذرٌ بَعدَ دَينِ

Do you forsake me yet keep faith with another,

and can death offer an excuse once a debt is owed?

وَقُلتُ الوَعدُ عِندَ الحُرِّ دَينٌ

فَكَيفَ مَطَلتَني وَجَحَدتَ دَيني

I said: a promise, to a noble man, is a debt;

so how have you stalled me and denied my due?

أَأَجعَلُ لي سِواكَ عَلَيكَ عَيناً

وَكُنتَ عَلى جَميعِ الناسِ عَيني

Shall I appoint another as my spy upon you,

when you were my eye upon everyone?

إِذا ما جاءَ مَحبوبي بِذَنبٍ

يُسابِقُهُ الجَمالُ بِشافِعَينِ

Whenever my beloved comes with a fault,

beauty races ahead of him with two intercessors.

وَقُلتُ جَعَلتَ كُلَّ الناسِ خَصمي

لَقَد شاهَدتُ إِحدى الحالَتَينِ

I said: you have made all people my adversaries;

I have indeed witnessed one of the two conditions.

فَكانَ الناسُ قَبلَ هَواكَ صَحبي

فَهَل أَبقَيتَ لي مِن صاحِبَينِ

Before I loved you, people were my companions;

so have you left me so much as two friends?

بُعادي أَطمَعَ الأَعداءَ حَتّى

رَأوكَ اليَومَ خُزرَ الناظِرَينِ

My absence emboldened the enemies, until

today they regarded you with two hostile, sidelong eyes.

وَهَلّا طالَعوكَ بِعَينِ سوءٍ

وَأَمري نافِذٌ في الدَولَتَينِ

Why did they not regard you with an evil eye

while my command held sway in both realms?

وَما خَفَقَت جَناحُ الجَيشِ إِلّا

رَأوني مِلءَ قَلبِ العَسكَرَينِ

No wing of the army ever fluttered without

their seeing me fill the heart of both armies.

لَئِن سَكَنَت إِلى الزَوراءِ نَفسي

فَإِنَّ القَلبَ بَينَ مُحَرِّكَينِ

Even if my soul has found repose in al-Zawra,

my heart lies between two movers:

هَوىً يَقتادُني لِدِيارِ بَكرٍ

وَآخَرُ نَحوَ أَرضِ الجامِعَينِ

one love leads me to Diyar Bakr,

and another toward the land of al-Jami'ayn.

سَأُسرِعُ نَحوَ رَأسِ العَينِ خَطوي

وَأَقصُدُها عَلى رَأسي وَعَيني

I shall hasten my steps toward Ra's al-'Ayn,

and make for it on my head and eyes.

وَأُسرِحُ في حِمى جَيرونَ طَرفي

وَأَربَعُ في رِياضِ النَيِّرَينِ

I shall let my gaze roam in Jayrun's sanctuary,

and dwell in the gardens of the two luminaries.

فَلَيسَ الخَطبُ في عَيني جَليلاً

إِذا قابَلتُهُ بِالأَصغَرَينِ

No calamity seems great in my eyes

when I confront it with the two lesser organs.

فَيا مَن بانَ لَمّا بانَ صَبري

وَحارَبَني رُقادُ المُقلَتَينِ

O you who parted when my patience departed,

and sleep from my two eyes made war on me,

تَنَغَّصَ فيكَ بِالزَوراءِ عَيشي

وَبُدِّلَ زَينُ لَذّاتي بِشَينِ

my life in al-Zawra grew bitter because of you,

and the beauty of my pleasures was exchanged for ugliness.

وَما عَيشي بِها جَهماً وَلَكِن

رَأَيتُ الزَينَ بَعدَكَ غَيرَ زَينِ

My life there was not grim, and yet

after you, I saw beauty as no beauty at all.