إلام أكتم فضلا ليس ينكتم — Sibt Ibn Altaawithy

إِلامَ أَكتُمُ فَضلاً لَيسَ يَنكَتِمُ

وَكَم أَذودُ القَوافي وَهِيَ تَزدَحِمُ

How long shall I conceal a merit that cannot be concealed?

And how often shall I drive back rhymes as they crowd together?

وَكَم أُداري اللَيالي وَهِيَ عاتِبَةٌ

وَكَم تُعَبِّسُ أَيّامي وَأَبتَسِمُ

And how often shall I placate the nights while they reproach me?

And how often do my days frown while I smile?

ما لِلحَوادِثِ تُصميني بِأَسهُمِها

رَمياً وَلَكِنَّها تُصمي وَلا تَصِمُ

Why do calamities strike me down with their arrows,

shooting to kill? Yet they kill, not disgrace.

شَيَّبنَ فَودي وَإِن راقَتكَ صَبغَتُهُ

إِنَّ الشَبيبَةَ في غَيرِ العُلى هَرَمُ

They have grayed my temple-locks, though their dye may please you;

youth without lofty glory is old age.

لِكُلِّ يَومٍ خَليلٌ لا أُفارِقُهُ

وَعَزمَةٌ مِن حَبيبٍ دارُهُ أَمَمُ

Each day brings a friend whom I never leave,

and an earnest summons from a beloved whose dwelling is near.

يا قَلبُ ما لَكَ لا تَسلو الغَرامَ وَلا

يُنسيكَ عَهدَ الهَوى بُعدٌ وَلا قِدَمُ

O heart, why do you not forget passion? Neither

distance nor time makes you forget love's covenant.

قَد كُنتَ تَبكي وَشَعبُ الحَيِّ مُنصِدَعٌ

فيمَ البُكاءُ وَهَذا الشَعبُ مُلتَئِمُ

You once wept when the tribe's union was sundered;

why weep when this union is now restored?

وَحُلوَةِ الريقِ ما زالَت تُجِنِّبُني

عَن رَشفِهِ وَشِفائي ماؤُهُ الشَبِمُ

And a woman with sweet saliva kept holding me back

from sipping it, though its cool water was my cure.

وَلَّت تُشيرُ بِأَطرافٍ مُخَضَّبَةٍ

يَظُنُّ مَن فَتَنَتهُ أَنَّها عَنَمُ

She turned away, gesturing with dyed fingertips;

one she had enchanted thought them ʿanam twigs.

تَروقُهُ وَهُوَ لا يَدري لِشَقوَتِهِ

أَنَّ الخَضابَ عَلى ذاكَ الَبَنانِ دَمُ

They charmed him, while, to his misfortune, he did not know

that the dye upon those fingertips was blood.

ضَنَّت عَلَيَّ بِزورٍ مِن مَواعِدِها

فَجادَ مِن غَيرِ ميعادٍ بِها الحُلمُ

She grudged me even the falsehood of her promises,

so a dream freely granted me her, without an appointment.

فَبِتُّ أَشكو رَسيسَ الشَوقِ تُظهِرُني ال

شَكوى وَيَستُرُني عَن طَيفِها السَقَمُ

So I lay lamenting longing's lingering ache, laid bare by my

lament, while sickness hid me from her phantom.

فَنِلتُ مِن وَصلِها ما كُنتُ آمُلُهُ

بَعِدتَ مِن زَمَنٍ لَذّاتُهُ حُلُمُ

Thus I gained from union with her what I had hoped for.

Away with you, age whose pleasures are a dream!

يا طالِبَ الجودِ يَشكو بُعدَ مَطلِبِهِ

وَتَشتَكيهِ سُراها الأَينُقُ الرُسُمُ

O seeker of bounty, who complains of his distant goal,

of whom swift she-camels complain on their night journeys,

عُج بِالمَطِيِّ عَلى الزَوراءِ تَلقَ بِها

مُبارَكَ الوَجهِ في عِرنينِهِ شَمَمُ

turn your riding camels toward al-Zawra; there you will find

a man of blessed countenance, his nose nobly raised,

مُؤَيَّدَ العَزمِ مِن آلِ المُظَفَّرِ مَح

مودُ الخَلائِقِ تُرعى عِندَهُ الذِمَمُ

strong in resolve, of the house of al-Muzaffar, praised

for his character; in his keeping, pledges are honored.

رَحبُ الذِراعِ طَويلُ الباعِ لا حَرِجٌ

يَوماً إِذا سُئِلَ الجَدوى وَلا سَئِمُ

Broad of arm, long of reach, never constrained

on any day when asked for bounty, nor weary.

بِكُلِّ حَيٍّ لَهُ آثارُ مَكرُمَةٍ

وَكُلُّ أَرضٍ بِها مِن جودِهِ عَلَمُ

In every tribe he has left traces of noble deeds,

and every land bears a landmark of his generosity.

تُصمي قُلوبَ العِدى بِالرُعبِ سَطوَتُهُ

وَتَقشَعِرُّ إِذا سُمّي لَها الصِمَمُ

His might strikes his enemies' hearts dead with terror,

and solid rocks shudder when his name is spoken to them.

ما ضي العَزيمَةِ لا تَثنيهِ عَن أَرَبٍ

سُمرُ العَوالي وَلا الهِندِيَّةِ الحُذُمُ

Keen in resolve, he is not turned aside from a goal

by brown-shafted lances, nor by sharp Indian swords.

يُستَلُّ مِن عَزمِهِ في الرَوعِ ذو شُطَبٍ

ماضي الغِرارَينِ لا نابٍ وَلا فَصِمُ

From his resolve, amid terror, a grooved sword is drawn,

keen on both edges, neither blunted nor cracked.

إِذا عَصَتهُ قُلوبُ الناكِثينَ أَطا

عَت سَيفَهُ مِنهُمُ الأَعناقُ وَاللِمَمُ

If oath-breakers' hearts disobey him, then

their necks and locks of hair obey his sword.

أَمسى يُحَمِّلُ عِزُّ الدينِ هِمَّتَهُ

عِبئاً إِذا حَمَلَتهُ تَظلَعُ الهِمَمُ

Izz al-Din now lays upon his resolve

a burden that makes other resolves limp when they bear it.

لا تَستَميلُ هَواهُ الغانِياتُ وَلا

تَشغَلُ هِمَّتَهُ الأَوتارُ وَالنَغَمُ

Beautiful women do not sway his desire, nor

do strings and melodies distract his resolve.

ما رَوضَةٌ أُنُفٌ بِكرٌ بِمَحنِيَةٍ

نَدٍ ثَراها بِجودِ نَبتِها سِنَمُ

No fresh, virgin meadow in a curving hollow,

its soil moist with copious rain, its growth tall,

خَطَّ الرَبيعُ لَها مِن نورِ بَهجَتِهِ

رَقماً وَحَطَّت بِها أَثقالَها الديمُ

where spring has traced, from the blossoms of its splendor,

an embroidered pattern, and steady rains have laid down their loads,

تُضحي ثُغورُ الأَقاحي في جَوانِبِها

ضَواحِكاً وَدُموعُ المُزنِ تَنسَجِمُ

where by day the daisies' mouths along its borders

laugh, while the rainclouds' tears stream down,

يَوماً بِأَطيَبَ نَشراً مِن خَلائِقِهِ ا

لحُسنى وَأَحسَنَ مِنهُ حينَ يَبتَسِمُ

is ever sweeter in fragrance than his finest qualities,

or lovelier than he when he smiles.

يَكادُ يَقطُرُ مِن نادي أَسِرَّتِهِ

ماءُ الحَياةِ وَمِن أَعطافِهِ الكَرَمُ

From the dewy lines of his brow there almost drips

the water of life, and from his sides, generosity.

بَني الرَقيلِ لَكُم في كُلِّ مَكرُمَةٍ

يَدٌ وَفي كُلِّ مَجدٍ باذِخٍ قَدَمُ

Sons of al-Raqil, in every noble deed you have

a hand, and in every towering glory, a foothold.

عَصائِبُ المُلكِ مِن كِسرى وَخاتِمُهُ

لَكُم وَتيجانُهُ وَالسَيفُ وَالقَلَمُ

The royal diadems from Kisra, and his signet,

are yours, along with his crowns, the sword, and the pen.

حَلَلتُ فيكُم بِآمالي عَلى ثِقَةٍ

بِالنُجحِ لَمّا بَلَوتُ الناسَ كُلَّهُمُ

I settled among you with my hopes, confident

of success, after I had tested all people.

وَكَم بُليتُ بِأَغمارٍ وُجودُهُم

لَمّا بَلَوتُهُم سِيّانِ وَالعَدَمُ

And how often I was plagued by fools whose existence,

when I tested them, was no different from nonexistence.

تَأبى عَلَيَّ القَوافي إِن أَرَدتُ لَهُم

مَدحاً وَتَنقادُ لي فيكُم وَتَنتَظِمُ

Rhymes resist me if I seek to give them

praise; for you, they submit to me and fall into order.

أَبا الفُتوحِ اِجتَلِ البِكرَ العَقيلَةَ لَم

يُفتَح بِمِثلٍ لَها عِندَ المُلوكِ فَمُ

Abu al-Futuh, unveil this noble virgin; never

has a mouth opened before kings to utter her like.

لَيسَت كِفاءً لِما تولي يَداكَ عَلى

أَنَّ الخَواطِرَ في أَمثالِها عُقُمُ

She is no match for what your hands bestow, although

imaginations are barren of her like.

وَكَيفَ يَبلُغُ فيكَ المَدحُ غايَتَهُ

ما دونَ ما رُمتُ مِنهُ تَنفَدُ الكَلِمُ

And how can praise of you reach its utmost?

Words run out short of what I seek from it.

أَم كَيفَ أَشكُرُ ما أَولَيتَ مِن نِعَمٍ

قُبولُ شُكري عَلى إِسدائِها نِعَمُ

Or how can I thank you for the favors you have granted,

when your acceptance of my thanks for bestowing them is itself further bounty?

ما لي ظَمِئتُ وَهَذا البَحرُ مُعتَرِضاً

دوني وَتَيّارُهُ بِالمَوجِ يَلتَطِمُ

Why am I thirsty when this sea lies spread

before me, its current crashing with waves?

تُذادُ عَنهُ السَراحيبُ الجِيادُ وَتَغ

شاهُ فَتَنهَلُ مِنهُ الشاءُ وَالنَعَمُ

Fine, long-bodied horses are driven from it, while

sheep and livestock approach it and drink their fill.

يا مَن لَنا عارِضٌ مِن جودِهِ هَيِنٌ

مُجَلجِلٌ بِالعَطايا صَيِّبٌ رَذِمُ

O you, whose bounty grants us a gentle raincloud,

rumbling with gifts, rain-laden, pouring abundantly,

أَما لِأَرضٍ غَدَت حَصباءَ مُجدِبَةً

سِحابَةٌ ثَرَّةٌ أَو مَطرَةٌ شَبِمُ

is there not, for a land turned stony and barren,

a cloud of abundant rain, or a cool shower?

لَقَد رَعَيتُ المُنى دَهراً وَمَربَعُها

كَما عَلِمتُ وَبيلٌ رَعيُهُ وَخِمُ

I have grazed on hopes for an age; their pasture,

as I have learned, is harmful, its grazing unwholesome.

فَإِن ظَفِرتُ فَعُقبى الصَبرِ صالِحَةٌ

أَو أَخفَقَ السَعيُ قُلتُ الرِزقُ مُقتَسَمُ

If I succeed, patience ends well;

or if the effort fails, I shall say, 'Sustenance is apportioned.'