لامية السموأل بن عادياء: إذا المرء
ترجمة: محمود عباس مسعود

If One's Honor
By: as-Samaw’al bin ‘Ādiyā’
Translated by: Mahmoud Abbas Masoud

إِذَا الْمـرْء لَم يُدْنَس مِن الْلُؤْم عِرْضُهُ
فَكـلُّ رِدَاءٍ يَـرتـدَيـهُ جـميلُ

If one's honor is not by meanness smeared
Every apparel he dons is beautiful indeed

وَإِن هُو لَم يَحْمِل عَلَى الْنَّفْس ضَيْمَهَا
فليـسَ إِلَى حُسْن الْثِّنـاءِ سَبيـلُ

And if he trains not himself to suffer and endure
Sweet praise is an impossibility for sure

تُعيّـرُنـا أَنـا قليـلٌ عَـديدُنـا
فَقُلـتُ لـهَا إِن الْكِـرامَ قليـلُ

She taunts us that we are few in number
I said to her: few are those noble in character

وَمَا قَلَّ مَن كَانـت بَقَايـاهُ مِثْلَنـا
شَبَابٌ تَسامـى لِلْعُلـى وكُهـولُ

No few people whose surviving traces resemble us
Both young men and old aspired for eminence

وَمَا ضَرَّنـا أَنـا قَليـلٌ وجارُنـا
عزيـزٌ وَجـارُ الْأَكْثَريـنَ ذُليـلُ

No harm in being few when our neighbor with might endued
While the neighbor of the numerous is defeated and subdued

لَنـا جَبـلٌ يـَحتلّـهُ مَن نُجِيـرُهُ
مَنِّيـعٌ يَرُدُّ الَطـرْفَ وَهْوَ كَليـلُ

Those we protect occupy our mountain, ever unassailable stays
Even the eye tires looking at it and reverts its gaze

رَسَا أَصلُهُ تَحْتَ الثـرَى وَسـمَا بِهِ
إِلَى الْنَّجـمِ فَرْعٌ لَا يُنالُ طُويـلُ

Its base, under the soil, securely fixed in place
Its tall, unscalable stature seeks the stars in the vast space


هُو الْأَبْلَقُ الْفَرْدُ الَّذِي شَاعَ ذِكـرُهُ
يَعزُّ عَلـى مَن رَامَـهُ وَيَطـولُ

It is the unique, stark white, famed mountain
That no one has yet been able to attain


وَإِنـا لَقـومٌ لَا نَرَى الْقَتـلَ سُبَـةً
إِذَا مـا رَأَتـهُ عَامِـرٌ وَسَلُــولُ

Being killed brings no shame to our soul
Even if it does to Amer and Saloul

يُقَرِّبُ حُبُ الـمَوْتِ آجَالَنـا لَنـا
وَتَكرَههُ آَجـالُهـم فَتَطــوَلُ

Our love for death brings it closer to us
While they hate it, living longer thus

وَمَا مَاتَ مِنَّا سَيـدٌ حَتـفَ أَنْفـهِ
وَلَا طُلَّ مِنَّا حَيـثُ كـانَ قَتيـلُ

A natural death is alien to our noblemen
Nor do we fail to avenge those of us who are slain

تسيـلُ عَلَى حَدّ الْظباتِ نُفوسُنـا
وَلَيْسَتْ عَلَى غَيـر الظباتِ تسيـلُ

Our souls on sword blades stream forth thither
And never by any other means flow, ever

صَفْوَنَا فَلَم نَكـدُر وَأَخلَصَ سرّنـا
إِنـاثٌ أَطَابـت حِـملْنَا وُفُحـولُ

We have maintained our origin undefiled, pure
Thanks to our chaste women and noble men, for sure

عَلَوْنَا إِلَى خَيـر الْظهـوَرِ وَحَطّنـا
لُوِّقـتٍ إِلَى خَيـر الْبطونِ نـُزولُ

To the best and greatest backs upward we ascended
Then to the greatest and best wombs downward we descended

فَنُحـن كَمَاء الْمُـزِن مَا فِي نِصابْنـا
كـهامٌ وَلَا فيْنـا يُعـَدُّ بـَخيـلُ

We are like pure rain, our substance of blemishes exempt
And no stingy niggard is ever found in our midst

ونُنكِـرُ إِن شِئْنَا عَلَى الْنَّاس قَوْلـَهم
وَلَا ينكـروْنَ الْقَوْلَ حَيـنَ نَقـولُ

We deny what others say, if we so choose
But they reject not our words, nor ever refuse


إِذَا سَيـدٌ مِنـّا خـلَا قـامَ سَيـدٌ
قـؤُولٌ لمـا قـالَ الْكِـرَامُ فَعـولُ

When one of our lords departs, another one takes his place
Articulate in word and action, like the nobility of the race

وَمَا أُخـمِدَتْ نَارٌ لَنَا دوْنَ طـارقٍ
وَلَا ذْمّنـا فـي الَنـازلِيـنَ نَزيـلُ

Our fire was never put out in face of a visitor at night
Nor a guest of ours ever deemed us lacking in esteem and might

وأَيـامُنـا مَشَهورَةٌ فـي عَدوّنا
لـهَا غُـرَرٌ مَعلـومَـةٌ وحُجـولُ

Our heroic days are well known to our foes
They bear distinguishing marks on heads and toes

وَأَسْيافُنـا في كُلّ شـرقٍ ومَغـربٍ
بِـها مِن قـراع الدّارْعيـنَ فلولُ

And our swords, whether in west or in east
Are blunted, striking enemies' protective coat

مُـعوَّدَة أَلَا تسَـلّ نِصـالُـهـا
فتُغمـَد حَتـى يُسْتَبـاحُ قَبيــلُ

Their blades are trained, that once drawn
Not to be sheathed again before letting the blood run

سَلِي إِن جَهِلـتِ الْنَاسَ عَنَّا وَعَنْهـمُ
فلَيـسَ سـوَاءً عـالـِمٌ وَجَهـوَلُ

Ask others, if you don't know, about us and them
A man of knowledge and the ignorant are not the same

فَإِنَّ بنـي الرَّيـان قطـبٌ لِقَومِهـم
تـدَوْرُ رَحَاهـم حَوْلَـهم وَتـجولُ

The Banu Arrayyan are the Polaris of their own
And their grinding mill ever revolves round their stone














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