Nooniyah Al-Mutanabbi نونية المتنبي

بِمَ التَّعَلُّلُ لَا أَهْلٌ وَلَا وَطَنُ * وَلَا نَدِيمٌ وَلَا كَأْسٌ وَلَا سَكَنُ

With what can I console myself? There is neither family nor homeland.
Neither companion, nor cup, nor place of rest.

أُرِيدُ مِن زَمَنِي ذَا أَنْ يُبَلِّغَنِي * مَا لَيسَ يَبلُغُهُ مِن نَفْسِهِ الزَّمَنُ

I ask of this time of mine to take me
that which time itself cannot reach on its own

لَا تَلْقَ دَهْرَكَ إِلَّا غَيْرَ مُكْتَرِثٍ * مَا دَامَ يَصْحَبُ فِيهِ رُوحَكَ الْبَدَنُ

Spend your time without being concerned,
as long as your body still accompanies your soul.

فَما يَدُومُ سُرُورُ مَا سُرِرْتَ بِهِ * وَلَا يَرُدُّ عَلَيْكَ الْفَائِتَ الْحَزَنُ

For the joy you rejoice in does not last,
nor does sorrow return what has been lost.

مِمَّا أَضَرَّ بِأَهْلِ الْعِشْقِ أَنَّهُمُ * هَوَوا وَمَا عَرَفُوا الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فَطِنُوا

Among what has harmed the people of [excessive] love is that they
fell in love and did not know the world, nor comprehend it.

تَفْنَى عُيُونُهُمُ دَمْعًا وَأَنْفُسُهُمْ * فِي إِثْرِ كُلِّ قَبِيحٍ وَجْهُهُ حَسَنُ

Their eyes perish in tears, and their souls
chase after every ugly thing whose face appears beautiful.

تَحَمَّلُوا حَمَلَتْكُمْ كُلُّ نَاجِيَةٍ * فَكُلُّ بَيْنٍ عَلَيَّ الْيَوْمَ مُؤْتَمَنُ

Depart, then — let every swift mount carry you away,
For every separation is today harmless to me.

مَا فِي هَوادِجِكُم مِن مُهْجَتِي عِوَضٌ * إِن مِتُّ شَوْقًا وَلَا فِيهَا لَهَا ثَمَنُ

In your howdahs there is no replacement for my heart,
if I die of longing for it— nor is there any price in it for my [heart].

يَا مَنْ نُعِيتُ عَلَى بُعْدٍ بِمَجْلِسِهِ * كُلٌّ بِمَا زَعَمَ النَّاعُونَ مُرْتَهَنُ

Oh you at whose gathering I was announced dead from afar,
Everyone is destined to what the announcers of death announce.

كَمْ قَدْ قُتِلْتُ وَكَمْ قَدْ مِتُّ عِندَكُمُ * ثُمَّ انتَفَضْتُ فَزَالَ القَبْرُ وَالكَفَنُ

How many times I was killed, and how many times I died among you,
then I rose up, and the grave and the shroud vanished.

قَدْ كَانَ شَاهَدَ دَفْنِي قَبْلَ قَوْلِهِمُ * جَماعَةٌ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا قَبلَ مَا دَفَنُوا

A group had witnessed my burial before their claim,
then they died before the one they buried.

ما كُلُّ ما يَتَمَنَّى المَرْءُ يُدرِكُهُ * تَجْرِي الرِّيَاحُ بِمَا لَا تَشْتَهِي السُّفُنُ

Not everything a person wishes he attains;
the winds blow contrary to what the ships desire.

رَأَيْتُكُم لَا يَصُونُ الْعِرْضَ جَارُكُمُ * وَلَا يَدِرُّ عَلَى مَرْعَاكُمُ اللَّبَنُ

I have seen that your neighbour does not protect honour,
nor does milk flow upon your pasture.

جَزَاءُ كُلِّ قَرِيبٍ مِنكُمُ مَلَلُ * وَحَظُّ كُلِّ مُحِبٍّ مِنكُمُ ضَغَنُ

The reward of those who are close to you is boredom
and the share of every lover among you is resentment.

وَتَغْضَبُونَ عَلَى مَنْ نَالَ رِفْدَكُمُ * حَتَّى يُعَاقِبَهُ التَّنْغِيصُ وَالمِنَنُ

You become angry at anyone who receives your aid,
until annoyance and reproach punish him for it.

فَغَادَرَ الْهَجْرُ مَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمُ * يَهْمَاءَ تَكْذِبُ فِيهَا الْعَيْنُ وَالْأُذُنُ

So separation has left what lies between me and you
A barren wasteland, where eye and ear deceive.

تَحْبُو الرَّوَاسِمُ مِن بَعْدِ الرَّسِيمِ بِهَا * وَتَسْأَلُ الأَرْضَ عَنْ أَخْفَافِهَا الثَّفِنُ

The camels crawl there after once moving swiftly,
Asking the earth about their worn hooves.

إِنِّي أُصَاحِبُ حِلمِي وَهْوَ بِي كَرَمٌ * وَلا أُصَاحِبُ حِلْمِي وَهْوَ بِي جُبُنُ

I keep company with forbearance when it is generosity in me,
but I do not keep company with it when it is cowardice.

وَلا أُقِيمُ عَلَى مَالٍ أُذِلُّ بِهِ * وَلَا أَلَذُّ بِمَا عِرْضِي بِهِ دَرَنُ

I do not remain with wealth by which I am humiliated,
nor do I delight in what stains my honour.

سَهِرْتُ بَعْدَ رَحِيلِي وَحْشَةً لَكُمُ * ثُمَّ اسْتَمَرَّ مَرِيرِي وَارْعَوَى الوَسَنُ

After my departure, I stayed awake in loneliness because of you,
then my bitterness endured, and sleep was driven away.

وَإِنْ بُلِيتُ بِوُدٍّ مِثْلِ وُدِّكُمُ * فَإِنَّنِي بِفِرَاقِ مِثْلِهِ قَمِنُ

And if I were tested with love like yours,
then I would surely be fit to part from the like of it.

أَبْلَى الأَجِلَّةَ مُهْرِي عِندَ غَيْرِكُمُ * وَبُدِّلَ العُذْرُ بِالفُسْطَاطِ وَالرَّسَنُ

My steed wore out its saddle-cloths in service to others except you.
and the reins and halter were exchanged for residence in Fustat [Egypt].

عِندَ الهُمامِ أَبِي الْمِسْكَ الَّذِي غَرِقَتْ * فِي جُودِهِ مُضَرُ الحَمْرَاءُ وَاليَمَنُ

With the noble Abu al-Misk
in whose generosity the tribes of Mudar and Yemen are drowned.

وَإِن تَأَخَّرَ عَنِّي بَعْضُ مَوْعِدِهِ * فَمَا تَأَخَّرُ آمَالِي وَلَا تَهِنُ

And if some of his promise is delayed from me,
then my hopes are not delayed, nor do they weaken.