صاح في العاشقين بال كنانه — Shabrawy

صاحَ في العاشِقينَ بال كنانه

قَمر حفه الجَمال وزانَه

Among the lovers in Kinana cried out

a moon, surrounded and adorned by beauty.

وَرَمى بِالعُيون في القَلبِ سَهما

رَشَأ في الجُفون مِنهُ كنانَه

And shot, with his eyes, an arrow into the heart—

a young gazelle whose quiver lies in his eyelids.

بَدويّ بدت طَلائِعَ لَحظَي

هِ فَولت مِنها الظِبا خجلانه

A Bedouin: the vanguards of his glances appeared,

and the gazelles fled before them, ashamed.

وَغَزت في الحَشى فَواتك جَفني

ه فَكانَت فَتّاكَة فَتّانَه

And his eyelids’ deadly raiders invaded the heart,

and proved murderous and enchanting.

رَدّمنا القُلوب مُنكَسِرات

وَهيَ لا تَستَطيع تَلقى طعانَه

We mended the broken hearts,

though they could not withstand his thrusts.

وَغَدَت أَعيُن الوَرى شاخِصات

عِندَما راحَ كاسِرا أَجفانِه

And the eyes of all people stared,

when he began lowering his eyelids.

وَغَزانا بِقامَة وَبِعَين

تِلكَ يَقظانَة وَذي نَعسانَه

He attacked us with a figure and an eye:

that one wakeful, this one drowsy.

وَسَبانا بِجَبهَة وَلِحاظ

تِلكَ سِيافة وَذي طعانه

And he took us captive with a brow and glances:

the former sword-wielding, the latter spear-thrusting.

وَأَرانا وَقَد تَبَسَّم برقا

حازَ من درّ ثَغره لمعانه

Smiling, he showed us a flash of lightning

that drew its gleam from the pearls of his mouth.

فَظَنناه رامَ غَيث دُموع

فَأَرَيناهُ ديمَة هتانه

We thought he sought a rain of tears,

so we showed him a steady, pouring rain.

فَهو يَقضي عَلى النُفوس وَلَم تَق

تدر النَفس تَشتَكي هجرانَه

He slays souls, yet never could

the soul complain of his desertion.

وَقَضَت عُمرَها عَلَيهِ وَلَم تَق

ض مِنَ الوَصلِ في هَواهُ لبانه

It spent its lifetime on him, yet never fulfilled

its yearning for union in loving him.

سافَر الوَجه عَن مَحاسِنَ بَدر

بِلِحاظ غَدّارَة خَوّانَه

His unveiled face reveals the beauty of a full moon,

with glances treacherous and faithless.

ناعِس الطرف عَن صَريع هَواه

مائِس القَد عَن مَعاطِف بانَه

Drowsy-eyed, heedless of one slain by his love,

his figure sways with a ban tree’s curves.

لَست أَدري اِراكَه هز من أَع

جب رَوض زان الحَيا أَغصانه

I cannot tell: an arak tree shaken from the most wondrous

garden, whose branches rain has adorned,

أَم سُيوفا هندية سَلّ من أَع

طافَه الهيف أَم لَوى خيزَرانَه

or Indian swords unsheathed from his

flanks by slenderness, or a bent bamboo cane?

خَطَرات النَسيم تَجرح خَدّي

هِ وَتَروى من مائِها ريحانَه

Passing touches of the breeze wound his cheeks,

and their moisture waters his basil.

وَلَطيف الخطاب يَكسر جِفنَي

هِ وَلَمس الحَرير يُدمى بِنانَه

Gentle speech makes his eyelids droop,

and silk’s touch makes his fingertips bleed.

قالَ لي والدَلال يَعطِف مِنهُ

قَدّه السَمهَري وَيَلوى عنانَه

He said to me, his coyness bending

his spear-like figure and turning its reins:

يا مَعنى وَمد نفا رام منا

قامَة كَالقَضيب ذات لُبانَه

“O love-tormented, lovesick one, who sought from us

a bough-like figure, an object of longing,

هَل عَرَفت الهَوى فَقُلت وَهَل أَن

شَد في غَير فنه ميخانَه

have you known love?” I said, “Has

Mikhana ever sung outside his art?

أَنا مَضنى الهَوى وَوجدى لا يُن

كر دعواه قال فَاِحمِل هوانَه

I am wasted by love; my passion cannot

have its claim denied.” He said, “Then bear its humiliation.

فَاِجلّ العُشاق من لزم الصَب

وَة وَالوجد وَاِستَلذ الاهانَه

The noblest of lovers is he who clings to ardent love

and yearning, and finds humiliation sweet,

وَاِرتَضى بِالغَرامِ وَاِستَطيب الصَب

ر وَأَضحى مَكابِدا أَشجانَه

accepts passion and finds patience sweet,

and endures the struggle with his sorrows.”

زارَني وَالصَباحُ قَد هم أَن يو

قد في أَفق مهجَتي نيرانَه

He visited me as dawn was about to

kindle its fires on the horizon of my heart.

فَبَدا وَجهه وَقَد كادَ أَن يو

لج في مقتل الظلام سنانه

His face appeared, all but ready to

thrust its spearhead into darkness’s mortal spot.

في قَميص يجر اذياله عج

يا مَعنى به وَسل اِحسانه

In a shirt, trailing its hems—turn aside,

O love-tormented one, toward him, and ask his kindness.

وَتَأَمّل اِذ يَنثَني في القَبا عَج

با وَيُثنى في مشيه اردانه

And watch in wonder as he sways in his robe,

his sleeves folding as he walks.

وَوَشاحه جائِلان عَلى خَص

م أَطالا من وَجدِهِ جولانه

His sleeves and sash roamed over an adversary,

and both prolonged his lovelorn wandering.

أَنكَرا حبه وَجارا عَلى خَص

ر تَشكى أَردافَهُ المللآنه

They denied his love and wronged a waist

that complained of his full buttocks.

فَتَلقَّيته بِضَمّ وَلثم

حينَ وافى بِمُقلَة وَسنانه

I greeted him with an embrace and kisses,

when he arrived with a drowsy eye.

وَحباني بِمَبسَم وَقوام

سكنا من تَشَوُّقي خِفقانه

He gave me a smiling mouth and a figure

that together stilled my longing’s throbbing.

وَدَعَوت المَدامَ بِالكاسِ وَالطا

سِ لانَفى عَن الحشى أَجزائِه

I called for wine in the cup and bowl,

to banish its fragments from my heart.

وَأَدَرت الطلا بِشَجوى عَلى النا

سِ فَنادى دَع المَدام وَشانَه

I passed the wine among the people in my sorrow,

but he cried, “Leave the wine alone,

وَاِرتَشَف من فَمى وَمن رَشفاتي

قَرقفا يَفهَم الغَرام مَكانَه

and sip from my mouth and from my kisses

a chilled wine whose place love knows.

وَاِمتَصص من رَحيق قَطر لساني

قَهوات تُغنيكَ عَن بنت حانَه

Suck from the nectar dripping from my tongue

draughts that spare you the tavern’s daughter.

وَاقتَطِف وَرد جنتي طربا

اِن خَدّي عَن قطف غيرك صانَه

Pluck the roses of my garden in delight;

my cheek has guarded them from anyone else’s plucking.

وَاِغتَنِم بَرد سلسل من رِضابي

وَاِجن من زَهر مَبسمي اِقحُواني

Savor the cool, flowing sweetness of my saliva,

and gather my daisies from my smiling mouth’s flowers.

وَاِحتَكَم غَير خُصلة تَغضَب

اللَه فما فازَ ذو حجى قَد خانَه

Demand whatever you wish, except a deed that angers

God: no man of reason prospers who has betrayed Him.

وَاتق اللَه في المَحَبَّةِ وارِعا

ه وايّاكَ تَرتَضي عِصيانَه

Fear God in love, and heed

Him; beware of consenting to disobey Him.

فَوَحق الهَوى وَحبي ما حل

وَصالي لمن عَصى رُحمانُه

By love’s right and my affection, it is not lawful

to join with me if one disobeys his Merciful Lord.”

فَاِمتَثَلت المَقال مِنهُ وَما حل

ت يَدى بنده وَلا هميانه

So I obeyed his words, and never did

my hand untie his fastening or his money belt.

ثُم بِتنا مَعا ضجيعين من غي

هب لَيل الجَفا به في صيانِه

Then we lay together, two bedfellows, safe from the dark

of estrangement’s night, in chastity beside him.

بِسُرور قَد راقَ من غَير تَكدب

ر قَبيح ما بَينَنا وَخِيانَه

In clear delight, without a disturbance—

nothing foul between us, nor any betrayal.

وَعَجيب من عاشِق غَلَب الشَو

ب وَأَروى بِوَصلِهِ ظمآنَه

How wondrous a lover who overcame impurity

and quenched his thirsty lover through union!

ثم لما لم يكفه حثه الشَو

ق عَلَيه فَنازَعتَهُ الاِمانَة

Then, when it did not suffice him, longing drove him

toward him, but fidelity resisted him.

فَسَأُثني عَلى مَحاسِنُه اللا

ئِذَة المُستَهام مِمّا أَهانَه

I shall praise his beauties that give refuge

to the love-distraught from what has debased him.

كَم أَذى قد حَملت لكِن أَيا

تي أَراني في ضِمنِها اِحسانَه

How much hurt I have borne! Yet in my verses

he showed me his kindness,

بِقواف سيارة حَدّثت عَن

مَعهَد العاشِقين مَعطف بانه

through far-traveling rhymes that told of

the lovers’ haunt: the curve of a ban tree.

وَمَعاني أَسرارِها قَد رَوَت عَن

ها القَوافي في سَلاسَة وَمَتانَة

And the meanings of their mysteries, recounted

by the rhymes with fluidity and strength.

يَنثَني الضَدّ مُفحَما من مَعاني

سِرّها مُفزِعا لَدَيها جَنانَه

The opponent retreats, silenced by the meanings

of their mystery, which terrifies his heart before them,

ملجما مِن شَدا براغَة في

ها كانى بِها عقدت لِسانَه

bridling whoever sang with eloquence in

them, as though I had bound his tongue with them.