Читать книгу Brains Confounded by the Ode of Abū Shādūf Expounded - Yūsuf al-Shirbīnī - Страница 5
Оглавление(ذكر نسب الناظم وما حواه * وذكر الموضع الّذي ضمّه وآواه * وسبب سعادته وحصولها * وصفة لحيته هل كانت طويلة أو قلّ طولها * وكيف مال عليه الدهر في آخر الزمان * حتّى أنشأ هذا القصيد واشتهر عنه وبان) *
An Account of the Lineage of the Poet and Its Components, and of the Place That Took Him to Its Bosom and Gave Him Shelter from His Earliest Moments, and of the Origins of His Fortune and How It Was Brought, and of the Nature of His Beard, Whether It Was Long or Short, and of How, at the End, by Fate He Was O’erthrown, as a Result of Which He Composed This Ode for Which He Became Famous and Well Known.
His Lineage
١،١٠10.1
فنقول أمّا نسبه فعلى أقوال فمنهم من صرّح أنّه أبو شادوف بن أبو جاروف بن شقادف بن لقالق بن بحلق بن عفلق بن عفر بن دعموم بن فلحس بن خرا الحس فإذا ذقت الكلام بمعقول * عرفت انتهاء نسبه على هذا القول * وقيل أبو شادوف بن أبو جاروف بن بردع بن زوبع بن بحلق بن عفلق بن بهدل بن عوكل بن عمره بن كل خرا فانتهى نسبه على القول الأوّل لابن خرا الحس وعلى الثاني لابن كل خرا والثاني أصحّ لأنّ أكل الخرا أبلغ من لحسه
We declare: opinions differ concerning his lineage. Some state that he was Abū Shādūf son of Abū Jārūf son of Shaqādif son of Laqāliq (Storks) son of Baḥlaq (Goggle-Eye) son of ʿAflaq (Big Flabby Vagina) son of ʿAfr (Dust) son of Duʿmūm son of Falḥas1 son of Kharā Ilḥas (Lick-Shit). If you ingest these words with your rational faculty, you will realize that this is the end of his ancestry. Others, however, say he was Abū Shādūf son of Abū Jārūf son of Bardaʿ (Donkey Saddle) son of Zawbaʿ (Dust Storm) son of Baḥlaq son of ʿAflaq son of Bahdal (Disheveled) son of ʿAwkal son of ʿAmrah2 son of Kul Kharā (Eat-Shit). Thus, according to the first version, his genealogy ends with “son of Lick-Shit” and according to the second with “son of Eat-Shit”; however, the second is more correct because to eat shit is more eloquent than to lick it.
His Village
٢،١٠10.2
(وأمّا قريته) ففيها خلاف قيل إنّه من تَلّ فندروك وقيل من كفر شمرطاطي وهو الصحيح لأنّ الناظم صرّح بذلك في بعض أشعاره فقال [وافر]
As for his village, it is a matter of dispute. Some say that he was from Tall Fandarūk and others from Kafr Shammirṭāṭī,3 the latter being correct, for the poet himself says so in some verses of his, to wit:
١،٢،١٠10.2.1
| أَنَا يَا نَاسُ فِي قَوْلِي دَلَايِلْ | وَنَظْمِي حَقُّ مَاهُوشِي هَبَايِلْ |
| أَبُو شَادُوفْ أنَا قَالْلِي أَبُويَهْ | عَلَيْهِ وَجِدَّتِي دِيكْ أُمُّ نَايِلْ |
| بِأَنِّي قَدْ تَرَبَّيْتْ يَا جَمَاعَهْ | بِكَفْرٍ يَعْرِفُوهْ نَاسٌ أَوَايِلْ |
| يُسَمَّى كَفْرَ شَمِّرْ لِي وَطَاطِي | فَكُنْ صَاحِبْ فَهَامَهْ يَا فَسَاقِلْ |
| وَذَا قَوْلِي وَٱبُو شَادُوفِ إسْمِي | وَشِعْرِي حَقُّ مَنْ جَانِي يُسَايِلْ |
Me, good people, my words are a guide
And my verses speak true, no tomfooleries hide.
Abū Shādūf am I. My dad told me the tale,
And likewise my grandma, old Umm Nāyil,
Of how, good folk, I was raised
In a hamlet known since olden days
Called Kafr Shammir-lī wa-Ṭāṭī4—
So, Fasāqil,5 be a wise laddie!
These are my verses, Abū Shādūf’s my name,
And any who comes to inquire my verse can claim.
٢،٢،١٠10.2.2
وسمعتُ شعرًا لبعض أهل الريف يدلّ أنّه من تلّ فندروك وهو هذا [وافر]
| سَمِعْنَا مِنْ قَدِيمِ وْمِنْ جَدِيدِ | كَلَامًا مَاكِنًا شِبْهَ ٱلْحَدِيدِ |
| أَبُو شَادُوفِ عَنْهُ خَبَّرُونَا | بِقَوْلٍ حَقِّ جَانَا بَٱلْوَكِيدِ |
| بِتَلِّ فَنْدَرُوكْ فِيهِ تَرَبَّى | وَعَاشْ يَا قَوْمْ وَأَنْشَأْلُو قَصِيدِ |
| وَذَا قَوْلِي وَٱنَا غِنْدَافُ إِسْمِي | وَكَمْ مِنْ نَظْمْ أَجِيبُو مِنْ بِعِيدِ |
وقد يُجْمَع بين الروايتين فيقال إنّه وُلِدَ في كفر شمرطاطي وتربّى في تلّ فندروك
And I heard verses by a country person that indicate that he was from Tall Fandarūk, as follows:
We have heard in days old and new
Speech strong as iron and as true—
Of Abū Shādūf they did us tell,
In words very trusty and confirmed as well,
That Tall Fandarūk was his childhood abode,
And there he lived, good people, and composed an ode.
These are my verses, Ghindāf’s my name,
And verse far-fetched is the name of my game!
The two versions may be reconciled by saying that he was born in Kafr Shammirṭāṭī and raised in Tall Fandarūk.
The Shape of His Beard
٣،١٠10.3
(وأمّا صفة لحيته) فقال بعضهم كانت طويلة جدًّا وقال آخر كانت معتدلة في الطول والقصر وقد يجمع بين القولين فيقال إنّه لمّا كان في ابتداء عمره في سعادة كاملة ونعمة وافرة كما سيأتي كانت طويلة لكثرة ما كان يتعهّدها بدهن الفراخ والزيت الحارّ والتمشّط وإصلاح الشعر ونحو ذلك فلمّا كبر وتغيّر عليه الزمان واعتراه الهمّ والأحزان قَلَّ طُولُهَا من أكل الطبوع والصئبان ونحو ذلك أي إنّها نشأت في الأوّل طويلة ثمّ إنّها عَرُضَتْ فعرضُها ضَرَّ طُولهَاَ فلا تعارض بين الروايتين كما قال الشاعر [خفيف]
| ذَقَنٌ طالَتْ فأَفسَدَت | عِندَما ضَرَّ طولُها |
| قَصَّروها فأصلَحَت | عِندَما قَلَّ طولُها |
As for the shape of his beard, some say it was very long, while others say it was moderate in both length and shortness. The two accounts may be reconciled by saying that, at the beginning of his life—when, as we shall see, he enjoyed perfect good fortune and abundant blessings—his beard was long because he groomed it frequently with chicken fat and linseed oil and combed it and tended its hairs and so on; however, when he grew old and his fortunes changed and care and sorrows overtook him, it became less commode-ious6 because of his eating dirt and nits and so on. In other words, it grew long at first and then later it grew wide, with the result that its width rendered its length odious, and, as such, there is no contradiction between the two versions. As the poet says:
A beard grew long and got quite nasty,
So that its length became quite odious.
They cut it short and it got much nicer,
When its length was less commode-ious.
٤،١٠10.4
(وقيل) من الدليل على قلّة عقل الرجل صِغَرُ رأسه وطول لحيته وإن كان اسمه يحيى فقد فقد العقل بالكليّة وفي المثل طويل ذقن قليل عقل (كما اتّفق أنّ بعضهم كان له صاحب طويل اللحية يؤدّب الأطفال) ففقده أيّامًا فسأل عنه فقيل هو منقطع في بيته حزين قال فظنّ صديقه أنّه مات له ولد أو أحد من أقاربه فذهب إليه فرآه في حالة الحزن وهو يبكي وينوح فقال له يا أخي عظّم الله أجرك وأحسن عزاك ورحم ميّتك كلّ نفس ذائقة الموت فقال له أتظنّ أنّه مات لي أحد فقال له فما الخبر فقال له الشيخ اعلم أنّي كنت جالسًا ذات يوم فسمعت رجلًا ينشد ويقول [بسيط]
| يا أُمَّ عمروٍ جزاك الله مَكْرُمَةً | رُدّي عَليَّ فُؤادي أَينَما كانا |
| لا تُأخُذينَ فؤادي تَلعْبينَ بِهِ | فَكَيفَ يَلعَبُ بالإِنسانِ إِنسانا |
فقلت في نفسي لولا أنّ أمّ عمرو هذه من أحسن الناس وأجملهم ما قيل فيها هذا الشعر فشغفت بها أيّامًا وانقطعت بحبّها ثمّ إنّي جلست يومًا من الأيّام زمانًا فسمعت قائلًا يقول [وافر]
| إِذا ذَهَبَ الحِمارُ بِأُمِّ عَمروٍ | فلا رَجَعَتْ ولا رَجَعَ الحِمارُ |
فقلت لولا أنّ أمّ عمرو ماتت ما قيل فيها هذا البيت فداخلني الحزن واعتراني الأسف قال فتحقّق صاحبه قلّة عقله وتركه ومضى
Some say that it is sign of a lack of brains when a man’s head is small and his beard long, and if his name is Yaḥyā as well, he hasn’t a hope of brains at all; and the proverb says, “Long beard, little brain.” Thus it came about that a man had a friend with a long beard who was a teacher of young children.7 On one occasion, after he had failed to see him for some days, the man asked after his friend and was told, “He has shut himself up in his house to grieve.” The man thought that he must have lost a child or one of his relatives, so he went to see him and found him grief-stricken and weeping and wailing. “My brother,” said the first, “may God make great your recompense and make good your consolation and have mercy on the departed! Every soul must taste death!” “Think you that one of mine has died?” said the other. “What then?” said the first. “Know,” said the shaykh, “that I was sitting one day when I heard a man recite the following verses:
O Umm ʿAmr, God reward you well,
Give me back my heart, wherever it may be!8
Don’t take my heart to make of it your toy—
How can a girl with a young man’s heart make free?
“—so I said to myself, ‘Were not this Umm ʿAmr one of the best and most beautiful of people, these verses would not have been said of her!’ and I fell madly in love with her and shut myself away with her love. Then one day I sat for a while and I heard someone say:
When the donkey went off with Umm ʿAmr,
She never came back, and neither did the donkey
“—so I thought, ‘If Umm ʿAmr were not dead, they would not have made up this verse about her’ and I was overcome with grief and afflicted by sorrow.” This made his friend realize how stupid the man was and he left him and went his way.
٥،١٠10.5
(وقيل مرّ بعضهم في يوم شديد البرد) فرأى رجلًا صغير الرأس طويل اللحية وعليه قميص واحد وهو يرتعد من شدّة البرد ورأى تحت إبطه حِرام أبيض من الصوف مطويّ فقال له لأيّ شيء لا تضع هذا الحرام عليك يقيك ألم البرد فقال أخشى من نزول المطر عليه فيبتلّ فيذهب حسنه وتزول بهجته قال فتحقّق الرجل قلّة عقله وتركه ومضى
And the story is told that one extremely cold day a certain person was going along when he saw a man with a small head and long beard wearing nothing but a shift and shivering from the cold. Noticing that the man had a white woolen mantle folded under his arm, he asked him, “Why don’t you put on the mantle to protect yourself from the cold?” The man replied, “I’m afraid that the rain will get on it and make it wet, and then it won’t be lovely and new-looking anymore.” This made the man realize how stupid he was and he left him and went his way.
٦،١٠10.6
وأجود اللحاء ما كان معتدلة متساوية الشعر لا طويلة ولا قصيرة (فإن قيل) إنّ فرعون كانت لحيته تزيد عن طوله شِبْرًا أو شبرين على ما قيل ومع هذا كان عارفًا فطنًا (قلنا الجواب) أنّ الله تعالى كان قد أعطاه ثلاث آيات منها طول لحيته وأنّها كانت خضراء اللون ولم يكن لمثله ذلك وكان له جواد يضع قدمه عند منتهى بصره وترتفع رجلاه إذا صعد ويداه إذا هبط أو يقال إنّه وإن كان على غاية من المعرفة فهو في حكم مسلوب العقل لادّعائه الإلهيّة وارتكابه الأمور الشنيعة ونحو ذلك فالكلام على حقيقته كما تقدّم انتهى
The finest beard is middling, with hairs of even length, neither long nor short. If it be said, “Pharaoh’s beard was longer than he was tall, by one or two spans, or so it is reported, and even so he was wise and full of insight,” we respond, “The explanation is that the Almighty gave him three miraculous signs, one of them being the length of his beard, which was also green and the like of which was vouchsafed to no other of his sort. He also had a steed that placed its front foot at the farthest point that it could see and raised its hind legs when it ascended and its front legs when it descended. Or it may be said that, even though he possessed extraordinary knowledge, he was effectively bereft of intelligence because he claimed to be divine and perpetrated heinous acts and so on. Thus what we have said is correct as stated above. End.”
٧،١٠10.7
(وقيل أحذر الناس وأشطنهم الأجاردة) فينبغي لمن صاحبهم أن يكون منهم على حذر لشدّة حذقهم وقوّة معرفتهم وكثرة محاورتهم للأمور (كما اتّفق أنّ بعض الملوك قال لوزيره مَنْ أشطن الناس وأحذرهم قال الأُجْرود) قال أريد أن تطلّعني على حقيقة ذلك فقال تصنع طعامًا وتصنع له ملاعق كلّ ملعقة ثلاثة أذرع وتأمر الناس يحضروا لأكل الطعام فإذا حضروا وجلسوا تأمرهم أن لا يأكلوا إلّا بالملاعق وأنّ الرجل منهم لا يمسك الملعقة إلّا من طرفها ويأكل وتنظر ما يظهر لك قال ففعل الملك ما أمره به الوزير وحضر الناس للطعام فلمّا جلسوا أمرهم أن لا يأكلوا إلّا بالملاعق وأن لا أحد يتجاوز بالمسك طرف الملعقة كما مرّ قال فأرادوا الأكل فلم يقدروا وأرادوا القيام فمنعهم الملك وأمرهم بالجلوس فصار الرجل منهم يملأ الملعقة وأراد أن يدخل ما فيها فمه فتطول عن فمه وتفوت قفاه فتحيّروا في أمره فبينما هم على هذه الحالة إذ دخل عليهم رجل أجرود فقال لهم ما بالكم لا تأكلون من الطعام فأخبروه بالقضيّة فقال هذا أمر سهل أنا أدلّكم على حيلة تأكلون بها ولا تخالفوا أمر الملك كلّ رجل منكم يُطْعِم الّذي قبالة وجهه وكذلك الآخر يمدّ ملعقته يطعم من أطعمه حتّى تكتفوا من الطعام والملاعق على حالها فصار هذا يُلْقِم هذا بملعقته والآخر يفعل مع الآخر مثل ما فعل معه حتّى اكتفوا جميعًا قال فتعجّب الملك من حيلة هذا الأجرود وقوّة شيطنته وشدّة فراسته وأمر له بِصِلَةٍ وأخلع على الوزير
It is said that the most quick-witted and devilishly clever of men are those who have no beard at all. Anyone associating with them must be on guard, because of their great intelligence, breadth of knowledge, and finesse. Thus it happened that a certain king once asked his minister, “Who are the most devilishly clever and quick-witted of men?” and the minister answered, “Those who have no beard.” “I want you,” said the king, “to demonstrate the truth of that for me.” Said the minister, “You must prepare some food and make spoons for the food, each spoon three cubits in length, and order people to come and eat. When the people have come and sat down, order them to eat with nothing but those spoons and tell them that no one may touch the spoon except by the handle and that he may eat in no other way. Then watch what happens.” The king did as the minister instructed him, and the people came for the food. When they sat down, he ordered that they eat only with the spoons and told them that no one should touch any part of the spoon but the handle, as described. They wanted to eat but could not, and they wanted to leave, but the king stopped them and ordered them to sit. One of them would fill the spoon and try to put what was in it in his mouth, but it would miss his mouth and stick out over his shoulder, and no one knew what to do. While they were thus engaged, a man with no beard entered. “How is it that you are not eating the food?” he asked, so they told him the problem. “That’s easy,” he said, “I will show you a stratagem that will allow you to eat without disobeying the king’s command: each one of you will feed the man sitting opposite him, and that man likewise will feed the one who feeds him. That way you will eat your fill with the spoons as they are.” So this man started feeding morsels to that one and likewise that man to this one till all had eaten their fill. The king was amazed at the beardless man’s stratagem and the force of his cunning and his great insight and ordered that he be given a gift and bestowed a robe of honor on the minister.
٨،١٠10.8
(ووقف رجل أجرود بين يدي بعض الملوك) يشكو خصمه فقال له الملك إنّي متعجّب من شكواك يعني إنّك أجرود لا يغلب عليك أحد فقال له العفو يا ملك إن كان في وجهي بعض شعرات فإنّ خصمي أملس لا شعر بوجهه قال فضحك الملك وأنصفه من خصمه وأمر له بصلة
And once a beardless man stood before a certain king and brought a complaint against an opponent. The king said to him, “I am amazed at your complaint. After all, you are beardless, and no one should be able to get the better of you.” “Pardon, O king,” replied the man, “but my face has the odd hair, while my opponent is completely smooth, without a single hair on his face!” The king laughed and gave the man his due against his opponent and ordered that he be given a gift.
The Origins of His Good Fortune in His Early Days and How Fate Came to Turn Against Him
٩،١٠10.9
(وأمّا سبب سعادته في ابتداء أمره وكيف مال عليه الدهر) فعلى أقوال أحدها إنّه لمّا نشأ وصار له من العمر عشر سنين كان في قوّة وشهامة ومعرفة في رعي الغنم والنطّ في الغيط والمشي في الحرّ حافي عريان وكان يشيل الجلّة الخضراء على رأسه من الغيط إلى داره في أسرع زمن حتّى أنّ الرطوبة المتحلّلة منها كانت تسيل على وجهه وربّما عطش فشرب منها وربّما عمّ ما يسيل منها بقيّة جسده كما هو عادة أولاد الأرياف وكان يمكث الشهر والشهرين لا يغسل له وجهًا إلّا أن صادفه رشاش بول عجلة أو بقرة وهو سارح إلى الغيط أو مروّح فيمعكه بيده فيكون قائمًا مقام الماء لغسل وجهه وكان مع هذه النظافة الفشرويّة لا يغفل عن ضرب الأولاد ولعب الكورة حول الحارات والنطّ على المزابل والأجران ولعب الدارة * والطبلة والزُّمّاره * والعياط والغاره * وضرب الكلاب * والسخام والهباب * حتّى أنّه من دون رفاقته صار يومه بيومين * وشهره بشهرين * كما قال فيه شاعر القريتين * شع [وافر]
As for the origins of the poet’s good fortune in his early days and how fate came to turn against him, accounts differ. One says that, when he was grown and had reached ten years of age, he was strong, lusty, and well versed in pasturing flocks, gamboling in fields, and walking barefoot and naked in the heat, and that he would haul wet manure on his head from the field to his house in the shortest time imaginable, so that the liquid released would run over his face, and from this, if he ever got thirsty, he would drink; and sometimes what ran down from it would cover the rest of his body, as is typically the case among country boys. And he would go for a month or even two without giving his face a wash, unless he should happen to get doused in urine by a calf or a cow as he was on his way to or from the fields, in which case he would rub it in with his hand, using it in place of water to wash his face. Despite this fatuous cleanliness, he never passed up an opportunity to beat up the other children, play ball around the village quarters, gambol on the dung heaps and threshing floors, play at dārah and on the drums and zummārah, making a tumult and wild sounds, and beating the hounds, and other crud and crap, to the point that he was the one among his companions who knew best how to make two days of every one and of every month two. As the Bard of the Two Villages9 put it:
١،٩،١٠10.9.1
| أَبُو شَادُوفِ مِنْ يَوْمُو مُجَعْمِصْ | شَبِيهُ ٱلْجَرْوِ يِتْنَطَّطْ بِقُوَّهْ |
| وَيَسْرَحْ غَيْطْ أَبُو مَعْرَهْ يُجَمِّعْ | مِنَ ٱلجلَّه ٱلطَّرِيَّهْ فِي ٱلْقُرُوَّهْ |
| وَهُوْ عُرْيَانْ وَشَايِلْ فَوْقَ رَاسُو | وَوَجْهُو صَارْ كَمَا وَجْهِ ٱلْبَعَوَّهْ |
| وَمَا قَدْ سَالْ مِنَ ٱلجلَّه ٱلطَّريّهْ | يَسِيلُ عَلَيْهْ وَمِا عِنْدُو مُرُوَّهْ |
| وَيَقْعُدْ شَهْرَ مَا يَغْسِلْ لِوَجْهُو | وَلَا شَهْرَيْنْ وَجِسْمُو فِيهِ قُوَّهْ |
Abū Shādūf from day one’s been cocky—
Like a puppy he bounces all over
And goes to Abū Maʿrah’s field and gathers
Fresh dung on a platter.
He’ll be naked, with a load on his head,
And his face like the face of an ogre,
And the wet dung that’s gone runny
Will have run down upon him, and there’s nothing brave in his manner.
He goes for a month without washing his face,
Or for two, and his body’s still got power:
٢،٩،١٠10.9.2
| يُسَرِّحْ لِلضُّحَى فِي ٱلْجُرْنِ يَكْنُسْ | وَيَطْرُدْ شِبْهَ كَلْبَتْنَا ٱمِّ صَرْوهْ |
| وَيَا زَيْنَكْ يَٱبُو شَادُوفِ لَمَّا | يَجِى ٱلْجَامُوسْ يَقَعْ فَي وَسْطِ رَبْوَهْ |
| وَيَنْزِلْ يَنْغَرِزْ فِيهَا وَرَاهُمْ | تَقُولُ ٱنْتَا كَمَا عِفْرِيتِ خَلْوَهْ |
| أَبُو شَادُوفِ مِنْ صُغْرُو مُدَلَّلْ | تَرَبَّا عِنْدَنَا كَلْبَ ٱبْنِ جَرْوَهْ |
| أَبُو شَادُوفْ عَطَاهُ اللهُ نِعْمَهْ | لَبِسْ لِبْدَهْ وَعِنْدُو ٱلْيَوْمَ فَرْوَهْ |
| وَٱبُوهُ ٱلْيَوْمَ شَيْخُ ٱلْكَفْرِ قَاعِدْ | حِدَا ٱلصَّرَّافِ رُكْبَهْ جَنْبَ حِدْوَهْ |
After sweeping the threshing floors all morning long,
He’ll still dash about like our bitch Umm Ṣarwah.
How fine you look, Abū Shādūf (when
He comes to the buffaloes and falls into ordure
And gets down and wallows there behind them).
You’d say you were the afreet of some cloister!
All his life Abū Shādūf’s been pampered:
Like a puppy dog he grew up among us and scampered.
Abū Shādūf, God grant him ease,
Put on a cap and today has a sheepskin fur.
Today his father’s shaykh of the hamlet and sits
Knee to sandal with the tax collector.
٣،٩،١٠10.9.3
| يَقُولْ سِيدِي١ يَقُولْ لُهْ يَا مُعَرَّصْ | تَحُطُّ ٱلْمَالَ أَوْ أُخَلِّيكَ دَعْوَهْ |
| وَهُوْ مِنْ مِتْلْ أَبُو شَادُوفْ وَجَدُّهْ | وَٱبوهُ وْعَمَّتُو بِنْتِ ٱمِّ فَسْوَهْ |
| وَنَخْتِمْ قَوْلَنَا بِمَدِيحْ مُحَمِّدْ | رَسُول اللهِ كَمْ زَاحَ كُلَّ بَلْوَهْ |
| عَلَيْهْ٢ يَا رَبَّنَا صَلَّي وَسَلَّمْ | وَأَصْحَابُو ٱلْكِرَامْ أَهْلُ ٱلْفُتُوَّهْ |
١ بي: يا سيّدي. ٢ بي: عليهِ.
The first says, “Master!” The other, “You pimp!
Cough up the taxes or I’ll use you others to deter.”
This is from the likes of Abū Shādūf and his grandfather10
And his father and his father’s sister, Umm Faswah’s11 daughter,
And we close our words with praise for Muḥammad—
How many a calamity he has swept away, God’s Messenger!
On him, O Lord, pour blessings and peace,
As on his noble companions, of knightly order!
١٠،١٠10.10
وكان الناس يحسدوا والده عليه وعلى قوّته وشطارته وشدّة معرفته في نقر الطبلة وصوت الزُمّارة وكان أبوه قد ملك في حال حياته حمارًا أعرج وعنزين وحِصّة في ثور الساقية ونصف بقرة وعشر فرخات وديكهم وأربع كيلات نُخال ورُبْعَين شعير وملك نحو أربعمائة قرص جلّة ومطمورة يخزن فيها الزبل أيّام الشتاء وكان عنده قُلّة مكسورة وزير أقلم وجيروانة يكنس بها الجرن وكلب يحرس الدار فلمّا تمّت له هذه السعادة توفّى إلى رحمة الله تعالى كما في الغالب أنّ الفقير يوم يسعد يموت وما أحسن ما قال الشاعر [متقارب]
| إِذا تَمَّ شَيءٌ بَدا نقْصُهُ | تَوَقَّعْ١ زَوالًا إذا قِيلَ تَمْ |
١ بي: تَوفّي.
Indeed, people used to envy his father for having a son so strong and so smart and such an expert at banging the drum and playing the zummārah. Now, his father had acquired, in the course of his life, a lame donkey, two goats, a share in the ox that turned the waterwheel, half a cow, ten hens with their rooster, four bushels of bran, and two quarterns of barley. He also owned about four hundred dung cakes and a bin in which he stored chicken droppings during the winter, and he had a broken water jug, a striped earthenware water butt, a besom to sweep the threshing floor, and a dog to guard the house. Once he had achieved this state of luxury, he died and passed into the mercy of the Almighty, in keeping with the common rule that the day a poor man gets rich, he dies—a point well made by the poet12 who said:
When a thing’s complete, decline sets in.
Expect extinction when men say, “Done!”
١١،١٠10.11
فكفّنه ولده أبو شادوف في رداء من محر الكتّان ودفنه في تربة تعرف بتربة ابن خاروق بسنط كفر١ شمرطاطي وقيل بكفر تلّ فندروك وقد يجمع بين القولين فيقال مات في كفر شمرطاطي ودفن في كفر تلّ فندروك وقبره الآن يعرف بقبر أبو جاروف تزوره الفلّاحون ويلعبون بجانبه الكورة وربّما تبول عليها البهائم في بعض الأوقات وقد رثاه بعض شعراء الأرياف بأبيات فقال [وافر]
١ بي: سنط بكفر.
So his son Abū Shādūf wrapped him in a cloak of combed linen and buried him in a grave known as “the grave of Ibn Kharūf” at the acacia trees of Kafr Shammirṭāṭī, or, as some say, at Kafr Tall Fandarūk; but the two statements may be combined, in which case one would say, “He died in Kafr Shammirṭāṭī and was buried in Kafr Tall Fandarūk.” His grave is now known as “the grave of Abū Jārūf,” and the peasants visit it and play ball next to it, and the animals urinate on it from time to time. A country poet elegized him in the following lines:
١،١١،١٠10.11.1
| أَلَا كُونُوا ٱسْعِفُونِي يَا جَمَاعَهْ | وَإِبْكُوا يَا مُشَاهْ فِي كُلِّ سَاعَهْ |
| أَبُو جَارُوفُ وَلَّى ٱْليَوْمَ عَنَّا | وَخَلَّى ٱلْعَنْزَ وَٱلْبَقْرَهْ بِتَاعَهْ |
| وَخَلَّى بَنْتَ عَمُّو أُمَّ فَلْحَسْ | عَلَيِهِ ٱلْيَوْمَ تَبْكِي وَسْطَ قَاعَهْ |
| وَٱبُو شَادُوفْ يُعَيِّطْ مَلْوَ رَاسُو | أَبُويَا مَاتْ وَعُدْنَا فِي بَشَاعَهْ |
| وَرَاحْ مَنْ كَانَ شَيْخَ ٱلْكَفْرِ يُحْكُمْ | عَلَى الجِدْعَانْ وَدَوْلِيكَ ٱلرِّبَاعَهْ |
Ah come, good people, to my aid,
And weep, mushāh, time and again!
Abū Jārūf today away from us has turned,
While his goat and cow remain.
He’s left his father’s brother’s daughter, Umm Falḥas,13
In an empty chamber today to weep and complain,
And Abū Shādūf bawls fit to burst,
“My father’s dead and it’s all gone awful again!”
Gone is the hamlet’s shaykh who ruled
O’er the brave lads and all those men!
٢،١١،١٠10.11.2
| وَلَمَّا كَانَ يَرْكَبْ يَوْمَ غَارَهْ | عَلَى كَلْبُهْ وَيَدَّلِّعْ دِلَاعَهْ |
| وَيَلْبِسْ لِبْدَتُو مِنْ فَوْقِ رَاسُو | وَدَقْنُو بَارِدَهْ فِيهَا سَقَاعَهْ |
| وَحَوْلُو جَرْوِ إِبْنِ خَرَا ٱنْتَ فَلْحَسْ | وَمُشَاةُ ٱلْكَفْرِ مَا مِنْهُمْ نَجَاعَهْ |
| تَقُولْ رَيِّسْ عَلَى جَوْقِ ٱلْمَغَانِي | أَوِ ٱلْخَلْبُوصُ جَا يَشْفَعْ شَفَاعَهْ |
| وَجِيصُو رَاحَ يَا ٱلله ارحم عِضَامُو | وَبَشْبِشْ طُوبَتُو فِي كُلِّ سَاعَهْ |
And when, to go raiding, he used to mount
His dog and primp and preen,
And put his cap atop his head—
His beard sticking out and looking mean—
And about him were Jarw Ibn Kharā Inta Falḥas14
And the mushāh of the hamlet, none worth a bead,
You’d have said he was head of a band of musicians,
Or the buffoon who’d come to plead!
Gone now is his fart, God bless his bones
And moisten his head-brick15 time and again!
٣،١١،١٠10.11.3
| وَٱبُو شَادُوفِ يَا ٱلله أبقي شبابو | وَيُصْبِحْ شَيْخَنَا صَاحِبْ نَفَاعَهْ |
| وَيَبْقَى مِثْلْ أَبُوهْ رَاكِبْ وَحَوْلُو | جَمَاعَهْ فِي جَمَاعَهْ فِي جَمَاعَهْ |
| وَيِتْعَنْطَزْ وَيَسْرَحْ فِي ٱلضَّهَارِي | وَيَجَّعْمَصْ وَيَقْعُدْ فِي ٱلشِّرَاعَهْ |
| وَنَخْتِمْ قَوْلَنَا وَٱلدَّائِمُ اللهْ | وَدَا ٱلْكَاسْ حَقَّ مَا فِيهِ ٱنْدِفَاعَهْ |
| وَٱنَا شَاطِرْ وَشَاعِرْ طُولَ عُمْرِي | وَأَلْضُمْ لَضْمَ يِتْلَمَّعْ لِمَاعَهْ |
As to Abū Shādūf, God preserve his youth
And make him our shaykh, to rule to our gain,
Like his father mounted, and may his army
Troop after troop after troop contain,
And may he buck like a donkey and set off around noon
And lounge about pompously and sit in the shirāʿah.16
Thus we end our words, and God alone endures,
And death’s a cup from which none may abstain!
And I’m a smart guy and all my life a poet,
And I string together verses that shimmer and shine.
٤،١١،١٠10.11.4
| جَعَلْتُو فِيهِ يَحْزَنْ مَنْ يَشُوفُو | وَوَدَّعْتُو بِقَوْلِي ٱلْيَوْمْ وَدَاعَهْ |
| وَٱضَالْ عَالزَّيْنْ أُصَلِّي طُولَ عُمْرِي | نَبِيِّ ٱللهْ وَأَطْلُبْ لِي شَفَاعَهْ |
| وَمِنْ بَعْدَ ٱلصَّلَاةِ اسْمَعْ لِقَوْلِي١ | وَضَرْبَةْ دَمِّ تَكْتَمْ دِي ٱلْجَمَاعَهْ |
١ الأصل: قولي.
These I’ve made so all who behold them may mourn,
And today with my words I’ve sent him off fine,
And for the rest of my days I’ll praise the Beauteous,
God’s Prophet, and pray his intercession to gain.
Now the blessing’s done, so hear what I say:
I hope you’re all snuffed by a clot on the brain!
١٢،١٠10.12
قال فلمّا فرغ العزا وراق الزمان * وأخذ خاطر أبو شادوف المشايخ والجدعان * وتصدّق على والده بالفطير * المعمول بالنخالة والشعير * وليّس قبره بالوحل والجلّه * وعمل بجانبه مدود العجله * سحب النَبّوت * وتمشّى كالنُعوت * واتمشيخ على الكفر * وأطاعه زيد وعمرو * وجلس على ركبة ونصف مورّط * وعيّط واتنطّط * وغنّا وقال * وافتخر بهذا المقال * وأنشد وجعل يقول شعر [وافر]
And when the wake was over and the dust had settled and Abū Shādūf had received the condolences of the shaykhs and the brave lads, and he had distributed bran-and-barley pastries as alms for the repose of his father’s soul and had plastered his grave with mud and dung, and built the calf’s trough next to it, he put his cudgel over his shoulder and stepped out like a fine steed, and played the shaykh over the hamlet, and every Zayd and ʿAmr17 obeyed, and he sat on his ass with one knee up and one knee on the ground, and shouted and jumped, both up and down, and sang and made up poetry, of which he was proud, declaiming and saying out loud:
١،١٢،١٠10.12.1
| أَبُو شَادُوفِ عُمْرِي يَا سَلَامَهْ | أَقُولُ ٱلْقَوْلْ وَٱنَا صَاحِبْ فَهَامَهْ |
| وَلَوْلَا أَنْ أَبُويَهْ فِي تُرَابُو | أَنَا فِي ٱلْكَفْرِ شَيْخُ بِلَا مَلَامَهْ |
| وَأَحْكُمْ عَٱلْمُشَاهْ وَٱسْرَحْ وَٱرَوِّحْ | وَٱخُوضُ ٱلْبَحْرْ إِلَى حَدِّ ٱلْحِزَامَهْ |
| وَٱشِدُّ عَلَى ٱلْحِمَارْ وَٱرْكَبْ وَحَوْلِي | جَمَاعَهْ شِبْهُ شَمْعَهْ فِي ضَلَامَهْ |
| أَبُو عُنْطُوزْ وَٱبُو بُزْبُوزْ وَعَفْلَقْ | وَدَمْ إِلْحَسْ قَفَاكْ وَأَبُو عِمَامَهْ |
Me, Abū Shādūf—O Salāmah18—
All my life I’ve made up verses and I’m a bright guy,
And now my father’s in his grave19
I’m shaykh of the hamlet, which none can decry!
And I rule the foot soldiers and come and go,
And I wade in the river up to my thigh,
And I saddle my donkey and mount, around me
A company like to a candle in the night sky,
With Abū ʿUntūz and Abū Buzbūz20 and ʿAflaq,
While Blood-Lick-the-Back-of-Your-Neck and Abū ʿimāmah21 are nigh.
٢،١٢،١٠10.12.2
| وَٱنَا مَا عَادَ كَيْفِي ٱلْيَوْمَ وَاحِدْ | وَٱضَالْ إنِّي مُجَعْمِصْ فِي شَهَامَهْ |
| وَأَطْحَنْ قَرْنَ مِنْ خَالَفْ كَلَامِي | بِنَبُّوتِي وَأكْسِرْ بُو عِضَامَهْ |
| أَبُويَهْ كَانَ قَبْلِي شَيْخْ عَلَيْكُمْ | فَخَلُّونِي وَرُوحُوا بِالسَّلَامَهْ |
| وَنَخْتِمْ قَوْلَنَا بِمَديحْ مُحَمَّدْ | وَأَصْحَابُو ٱلمِلَاحْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكَرَامَهْ |
These days the world doesn’t hold my like,
And I’ll boss you forever and go on being a helluva guy,
And with my cudgel I’ll break the bones and smash the pate
Of any who disobey.
My father before me was shaykh over you,
So let me be, and be on your way!
And we close our words with praise of Muḥammad
And his dandy companions, the people of generosity!
١٣،١٠10.13
قال فعند ذلك حسدوه المشايخ والجدعان على مشيخة الكفر الّتي حصلت له بعد والده على التَرِكة فأغْرَوْا عليه الحكّام فأرسلوا إليه وعارضوه في جانب منها وقيل فيها كلّها ولم ينفعه إلّا مطمورة الزبل الّتي ادّخرها وهي الّتي كانت سبب سعادته بعد موت أبيه على ما قيل ثمّ صار يداري الناس ويتملّق لهم بالكلام إلى أن تناست القضيّة ودخل فصل الشتاء ففتح المطمورة ليلًا وباع الزبل وكثر عليه الرزق على هذا القول وقيل إنّه اقترض عشرين نصفًا وأخذ بهم بيضًا وطلع مصر فصادف عيد النصارى فباع البيض بزيادة عن تَمَنه فكان هذا السبب لسعادته وقد يجمع بين القولين فيقال إنّه باع الزبل وأخذ بثمنه بيضًا فكانت سعادته من مجموع الزبل وثمن البيض فلا تعارض في ذلك وكان يعطي ويتكرّم فقصدته الشعراء والأدباء من أطراف البلاد حتّى أنّه أجاز شاعرًا بخمسين بيضة وكيلة شعير وأعطى آخر مائة قرص جلّة وجاءه آخر بغِرارة فملأها زبل من أوّلها إلى آخرها ودفعها له وكان قد أقبل عليه الرزق بزيادة عن والده فكان عنده وزّتين وعشرين ديك وقَفَص فراخ جريد ونَبّوت أعوج ولِبْدة وخَلَقة زرقاء وقُفّة ملانة نخال وعشر حِزَم عروق جزر ناشف وغير ذلك ولم يزل على هذه الحالة يبارك له المولى في رزقه فإنّما الرزق من الله تعالى
At this the shaykhs and the brave lads envied him the shaykhdom of the hamlet, to which he had succeeded after his father’s death, and they incited the authorities against him, and the latter sent for him and deprived him of a part or, as some say, of all of it, and he had nothing to fall back on but the binful of droppings, which he had kept out of sight and which had been the source of his prosperity after his father’s death, or so they say. However, he set about sucking up to people and flattering them, until the matter was forgotten and the winter came and he opened the bin one night and sold the droppings and made a good living, according to this version of events. Others, however, say that he borrowed twenty silver pieces and bought eggs with them and went to Cairo, where he happened to arrive on the feast of the Christians,22 so he sold the eggs for more than they were worth, and this was the source of his prosperity. The two versions may be reconciled by saying that he sold the droppings and bought eggs with the proceeds, so that his prosperity was the sum of the price of the droppings and the price of the eggs, and from this perspective there is no contradiction. And he took to handing out money and dispensing hospitality, and poets and men of letters from the farthest hamlets sought him out. One poet he rewarded with fifty eggs and a measure of barley, and to another he gave a hundred dung cakes, and yet another brought him a sack, which he filled with droppings from top to bottom and gave him in payment. He became even richer than his father, for he had two geese, twenty roosters, a chicken hutch made out of palm ribs, a crooked staff, a felt cap, a tattered blue shift, a basket full of bran, ten bunches of dry carrots, and other stuff too, and he continued thus, with the Lord blessing his prosperity—for prosperity comes from the Almighty alone.
١٤،١٠10.14
(كما اتّفق أنّ بعض الصالحين كان فقيرًا جدًّا) فبينما هو نائم إذ هتف به هاتف يقول له يا فلان امض إلى محلّ كذا خذ منه ألف دينار فقال أفيهم بركة قال لا قال اذهب عنّي فأتاه ثاني مرّة وقال له اذهب إلى المحلّ الفلانيّ خذ منه خمسمائة دينار فقال أفيهم بركة قال لا قال اذهب عنّي ولم يزل يأتيه مرّة بعد أخرى حتّى قال له اذهب إلى محلّ كذا وخذ منه دينارًا واحدًا فقال أفيه بركة قال نعم فقال إذًا آخذه فذهب وأخذ الدينار وبورك له فيه وصار في نعمة زائدة وسعادة وافرة فالشخص إذا قَنِعَ شَبِعَ وبورك له في قليله قال الوليّ العارف بالله تعالى سيّدي يحيى البهلول رضي الله عنه ونفعنا به آمين [وزن غير معروف]
| واستقنع بقليلك | يأتيك الله بكثير |
وقال [وزن غير معروف]
| كم من عارض بعد رشاش | ينهلّ من المُزْن |
In illustration of which, we might mention that it happened that a certain righteous man was very poor. Once, while asleep, he heard a voice say to him of a sudden, “You! Go to such-and-such a place and take from there a thousand dinars!” “Has the Lord blessed them?” he asked. “No,” said the voice. “Leave me!” said the man. Then the voice came to him again and said, “Go to such-and-such a place and take from there five hundred dinars!” “Has the Lord blessed them?” he asked. “No,” said the voice. “Leave me!” said the man. The voice kept coming to him again and again, until it said to him, “Go to such-and-such a place and take from there one dinar!” “Has the Lord blessed it?” he asked. “Yes,” said the voice. “Then I will take it,” said the man, and he went and he took the dinar and was blessed in it and obtained great ease and abundant riches, for if a man is content with what he has he will not suffer want, and the little he has will be blessed. As says the Righteous Saint and Initiate of the Almighty, My Master Yaḥyā al-Buhlūl,23 may the Almighty be pleased with him and benefit us and all Muslims through him, amen:
Be content with the little you have
And God will give you much!
And he says:
How many a cloud after sprinkling
Lets fall a heavy shower!
١٥،١٠10.15
وقال الشافعيّ رضي الله عنه [متقارب مع كسر]
| وجدتُ القناعةَ كنزَ الغِنا | فصرتُ بأذيالِها ممتسكْ |
| فَلا ذا يَراني عَلى بابِهِ | ولا ذا يَراني لَه١ منهمكْ |
| أَمُرُّ عَلى النَّاس بلا درهمٍ | ولا لي مطالب كأنّي ملكْ |
١ بي (في جميع النسخ): عليه.
And al-Shāfiʿī,24 may God be pleased with him, has said:
I found acceptance of my lot a treasure house of riches,
And to its skirts began to cling.
Now no man finds me at his door
Or chasing him for anything.
I move among mankind without a single cent
And have no wants, just like a king.
١٦،١٠10.16
حتّى مال عليه الدهر والزمان * وجَفَتْه الأهل والخلاّن * ونَفِدَ جميع ما كان معه من المال * وصار في أكبر الهمّ وأشدّ الأحوال * ولم يجد له خِلًّا ولا مساعد * ولم يبق إلّا ما خلَفه له الوالد * وأخذ مشيخة الكفر من كان له خديم * ولم ير له مساعدًا ولا حميم * كما هو عادة الدهر في رفع السافل * وخفض السادة الأماثل * فهو كالميزان في فعله * أو المُنْخَل في حاله ونقله * كما قال الشاعر هذه الأبيات [وافر]
| رَأَيتُ الدَّهرَ يَرفَعُ كُلَّ وَغْدٍ | ويَخْفِضُ كُلَّ ذي شِيَمٍ شريفَهْ |
| كَمِثْلِ البَحرِ يُغْرِقُ كُلَّ حيٍّ | ولا يَنفَكُّ يَطفو فيه١ جِيفَهْ |
| أو الميزانِ يَخْفِضُ كُلَّ وافٍ | ويَرفَعُ كُلَّ ذي زِنَةٍ خَفِيفَهْ |
١ بي: فيه كل.
Thus it was till fate and fortune against him turned, and he was by relatives and boon companions spurned, and all that he had owned was spent, and he found himself in the greatest woe and severest predicament, of all friends and helpers bereft, no wealth remaining but what his father’d left, and those who were once his servants took over the shaykhdom of the hamlet, while he could find neither helper nor friend—for such is the way of Fate: it raises up the lowly, and brings down the noble and exemplary, it being like a balance in its action, or like a sieve in its working and extraction—as the poet25 says in the following verses:
I see Fate lifts every scoundrel high
And humbles those with noble traits—
Just like the sea, which drowns all living things
While every stinking carcass to its surface levitates,
Or like the scale, which raises all that’s light
But sinks with weights.
١٧،١٠10.17
وقال بعضهم [سريع]
| الدَّهرُ كَالمُنْخَلِ في فِعلِهِ | فَاعْجَبْ لِما يَصنَعُهُ المِنخَلْ |
| يَحطُّ لُبُّ اللُّبِّ مِن تحتِهِ | ويَرفَعُ القِشْرَةَ والفَشْوَلْ |
فحوادث الدهر تأتي على غَرَر * وتُذْهِب الشخص على خَطَر *
And another has said:
Fate’s like a sieve in how it works,
So wonder at what the sieve achieves—
The densest grains it puts below,
And on the top the husks and chaff it leaves
—for the accidents of Fate may be cause for alarm, and drive a man into the way of harm.
١٨،١٠10.18
وقد قلت في مطلع قصيدة من هذا المعنى هذه الأبيات [بسيط]
| حَوادِثُ الدَّهرِ قَد تَأتي عَلَى خَطَرٍ | فاحذَر عَواقِبَها تَنجو مِنَ الضَّرَرِ |
| واعدُد لها مِن دُروعِ الصَّبرِ سابِغةً١ | تَقيكَ شِدَّتَها٢ إِذ تُرْمَ بالشَّرَرِ |
| ودَعْ زَمانَ الصِّبا أَغصانُه يَبِسَتْ | مِن بَعدِ نَضْرَتِها في المَغْرِس النَّضِرِ |
| كانَت لَيالي بِها اللّذّاتُ مُثْمِرَةً | قَطَفتُ مِنها ثِمارَ العِزِّ في الصِّغَرِ٣ |
إلى آخر هذه الأبيات
١ بي: سابقةً. ٢ بي: شرتها. ٣ بي: الصَفَرِ.
In the opening lines of an ode of mine on the same theme I say:
The accidents of Fate may be to your peril—
So beware their outcome and escape any harm that might transpire.
Prepare against them an ample coat of mail from patience,
To protect you from their fierceness when showered with their fire
And leave behind the time of youth—its boughs have dried
That in the verdant nursery once were full of juice.
They were nights bowed down with pleasures
From which, when young, I gathered glory’s fruits
—and so on to the end of these verses.
١٩،١٠10.19
فليس لحوادث الدهر إلّا الصبر الجميل * والتسليم إلى الربّ الجليل * وممّن دهمه حادث الزمان * وانصرفت عنه الأهل والخلّان * (ما يحكى أنّ بعض الحسدة وشّى بالوزير الكاتب ابن مُقْلة) الذي انفرد في زمانه بعلوّ الخط وحسنه وادّعى أنّه دلس على الملك في بعض الأمور قال فأمر الملك بقطع يده فلمّا فعل به هذا الأمر لزم بيته وانصرفت عنه الأصدقاء والمحبّون ولم يأته أحد إلى نصف النهار فتبيّن للملك أنّ الكلام عليه باطل فأمر بقتل الرجل الّذي وشّى به وأعاد ابن مقلة إلى ما كان عليه وندم الملك على ما فعله معه من قطع يده فلمّا رأوا إخوانه عَوْد النعمة إليه عادوا له يهنّوه وأقبلوا إليه يتعذّرون له فعند ذلك أنشد يقول شعر [بسيط]
| تَخالَفَ النّاسُ والزَّمانُ | فَحَيثُ كانَ الزَّمانُ كانوا |
| عاداني الدَّهرُ نِصفَ يَومٍ | فانكَشَفَ النَّاسُ لي وبانوا |
| يا أَيُّها المُعْرِضون عنّي | عودوا فَقَدْ عادَ لِيَ الزَّمانُ |
وقيل مكث يكتب بيده اليسرى بقية عمره ولم يتغيّر خطّه حتّى مات
Nothing but “patience fair”26 against the accidents of Fate can remedy afford—that, and submission to the Majestic Lord; and apropos of those caught unawares by fate’s blows and abandoned by kin and fellows, is the story that is told of how a certain envious person slandered the vizier and calligrapher Ibn Muqlah—who was unique in his age for the sublime beauty of his hand—claiming that he had cheated the king in some matter. The king, in consequence, ordered Ibn Muqlah’s hand cut off. After the command had been carried out, Ibn Muqlah kept to his house, while his friends and dear ones abandoned him and up to the middle of the day no one came to see him. Then the king discovered that the accusation against him was false, ordered that the man who had slandered him be killed, and restored Ibn Muqlah to his previous position, repenting that he had had his hand cut off. When Ibn Muqlah’s brethren saw that he was returned to favor, they came back to him and visited him to make their excuses, at which he recited the following verses:27
Man and time succeed each other in reciprocity,
So, as time is, man must too be.
Fate savaged me for half a day,
And man’s nature was thus revealed and made clear to me.
O you who turned away,
Return, for time itself’s turned back to me.
It is said that he continued to write with his left hand for the rest of his life, and his writing did not change to the day he died.
٢٠،١٠10.20
(ومن النوادر الدالّة على فصاحة ابن مقلة) ما اتّفق أنّ رجلًا كتب رقعة وألقاها إليه بحضرة الملك ليقرأها عليه وكلّ لفظ منها فيه حرف الراء وكان ابن مقلة لا يقدر أن ينطق بهذا الحرف وصورتها أمر أمير الأمراء أن يُحْفَرَ بيرًا على قارعة الطريق يشرب منه الشارد والوارد قال فلمّا أن تأمّلها غيّر الألفاظ وأتى بالمعنى وقال حكم حاكم الحكّام أن يُجْعَلَ جُبًّا على شاطئ الوادي ليستقي منه الغادي والبادي وكان هذا من قوّة بلاغته رحمه الله تعالى وقيل أربعة يُضْرَب منهم المثل حسّان بن ثابت في الفصاحة ولُقْمان في الحكمة وابن أدهم في الزهد وابن مقلة في حسن الكتابة والخطّ قال الشاعر يصف هذه الأربعة بهذه الأبيات [طويل]
| فَصاحَةُ حَسّانٍ وَخَطُّ ابن مُقْلَةٍ | وحِكمَةُ لُقْمانٍ وزُهدُ ابنِ أَدْهَمِ |
| إِذا اجتَمَعوا في المَرءِ والمَرءُ مُفْلِسٌ | ونُودِي عَلَيه لا يُباعُ بِدِرهَمِ |
A curious anecdote attesting to Ibn Muqlah’s mastery of the language relates that a man once wrote something on a scrap of paper and tossed it to him in the presence of the king for him to read to him, and every word contained the letter r, which Ibn Muqlah could not pronounce. The message read as follows: “The ruler of rulers requires a spring drilled right by the road so every transient and traveler may drink.” After glancing at it, Ibn Muqlah changed the words and kept the meaning, saying: “The king of kings commands that a well be dug next to the wadi, so all who come and go may wet their whistles.” This was an example of his extraordinary skill with words, may the Almighty have mercy on him. It is said there are four men whose qualities have become proverbial: Ḥassān ibn Thābit for eloquence, Luqmān for wisdom, Ibn Adham for self-denial, and Ibn Muqlah for beauty of writing and script. Said the poet, describing these four:
Ḥassān’s tongue and Ibn Muqlah’s hand,
The wisdom of Luqmān and the self-denial of Ibn Adham,
Were these brought together in one bankrupt,
And he were hawked for sale, he’d not bring in one dirham.
٢١،١٠10.21
وأمّا ضدّ هذه الأربعة فلله درّ من قال فيها [طويل]
| سَماجَةُ أُطروشٍ وثُقْل ابن قَيْنةٍ | وغَفلَةُ قَرْنانٍ وعَكْسُ ابنِ أَيْهَمِ |
| إذا اجتَمَعوا في المَرءِ والمَرءُ مُوسِرٌ | لَكانَ فَصيحَ القَومِ عِندَ التَكَلُّمِ |
As for the opposites of these four,28 how well the poet put it in the following lines:
Uṭrūsh is odious, Ibn Qaynah discourteous,
Qarnān’s credulous, and Ibn Ayham’s obstreperous.
Were all these faults combined in one with wealth endowed,
He’d be “the people’s orator” whenever he made a sound!
٢٢،١٠10.22
وممّا دهمه حادث الدهر * وعلاه الهمّ والقهر * فأصبح بعد العزّ حقيرا * وبعد الغنا فقيرا * (كما اتّفق أنّ رجلًا ركبته الديون فترك عياله وخرج هائمًا على وجهه) إلى أن أقبل بعد أيّام على مدينة عالية الأصوار عظيمة البنيان فدخلها في حالة الذلّ والانكسار وقد اشتدّ به الجوع وآلمه السفر فمرّ في بعض شوارعها فرأى جماعة من الأكابر متوجّهين فذهب معهم إلى أن انتهوا إلى محلّ يشبه محلّ الملوك فدخلوا ذلك المكان وهو تابعهم إلى أن انتهوا إلى رجل جالس في هيبة عظيمة وحوله الغلمان والخدم كأنّه من أبناء الوزراء فلمّا رآهم قام لهم وأكرمهم قال فأخذ الرجل المذكور الوهم واندهش ممّا رأى من البنيان والخدم والحشم فتأخّر إلى ورائه وهو في حيرة وكربة وخائف على نفسه حتّى جلس في محلّ بعيد منفرد عن الناس بحيث لا يراه أحد فبينما هو جالس إذ أقبل عليه رجل ومعه أربع كلاب من كلاب الصيد وعليهم أنواع الخَزّ والديباج وفي أعناقها أطواق الذهب بسلاسل من الفضّة فربط كلّ كلب منهم في محلّ مُعَدّ له ثمّ غاب وأتى بأربع أصحن من الذهب ملآنين من الطعام المفتخر ووضع لكلّ واحد منهم صحنًا على انفراده ثمّ مضى وتركهم قال فصار هذا الرجل ينظر إلى الطعام من شدّة الجوع ويريد أن يتقدّم إلى كلب منهم يأكل معه فيمنعه الخوف منهم فنظر إليه كلب منهم فعرف حاله فامتنع عن الأكل وأشار إليه فدنا منه فأشار إليه ثانيًا أن كُلْ من هذا الصحن فتأخّر الكلب عن الصحن فأكل الرجل حتّى اكتفى وأراد أن يذهب فأشار إليه الكلب أن خُذ الصحن ببقيّة ما فيه من الطعام قال فأخذه ووضعه في كمّه ووقف ساعة فلم يأت أحد يسأل عن الصحن فمضى به إلى حال سبيله ثمّ سافر إلى مدينة أخرى فباع الصحن وأخذ بثمنه بضائع وتوجّه إلى بلده فباع ما معه وقضى ما عليه من الدين وكثر عليه الرزق وصار في نعمة كبيرة زائدة وبركة عميمة مدّة من الزمان ثمّ إنّه قال لنفسه لا بدّ أنّك تسافر إلى مدينة صاحب الصحن وتأخذ له هديّة سنيّة تكافئه بها وتدفع له ثمنه وإن كان أنعم به عليك كلب من كلابه ثمّ إنّه أخذ هديّة تليق بمقام الرجل وأخذ معه ثمن الصحن وسافر أيّامًا وليالي حتّى أقبل على تلك المدينة وطلع إليها يريد الاجتماع به حتّى أقبل إلى محلّه فلم ير إلّا طَلَلا باليا * وغرابًا ناعيا * وديارًا قد أفقرت * وأحوالًا قد تغيّرت * وحالًا للقلوب قد أَرْجَفَ * ومحلًا تركه الدهر {قاعًا صفصفا} * كما قال بعضهم [طويل]
| سَرَى طَيْفُ سُعْدى طارِقًا يَستَفِزُّني | سُحَيْرًا وصَحبى بالدِّيارِ رُقودُ |
| فَلَمّا انتَبَهنا للخَيالِ الّذي سَرَى | أَرَى الدّارَ قَفْرَا والمَزارُ بَعيدُ |
Concerning another who was caught unawares by Fate’s blows and overcome by oppression and woes—so that after he was exalted he became debased, and after riches saw his wealth effaced—is the story that is told of a man who was burdened with debts and left his children and wandered aimlessly until he came to a high-walled city, mightily built. He entered, abject and broken in spirit, devoured by hunger and exhausted by travel, and was walking along one of its streets when he saw a company of eminent persons proceeding together. He joined them and they came to a place like a king’s palace, and they entered, the man following, and they continued until they came to a man sitting in great state, with pages and servants around him, as though he were the son of a viceroy, and this man, when he saw them, rose to greet them and paid them great honor. The subject of our tale was overcome with amazement and taken aback by the magnificence of the place and the servants and retainers, and he retired in a state of perplexity and apprehension, afraid for his safety, and sat down in a spot far removed from the people, where none could catch sight of him. While he was thus seated, a man came towards him with four hunting dogs dressed in silks and brocades and with gold collars and silver chains around their necks. The man tied each dog in its appointed place and disappeared and returned with four golden dishes filled with sumptuous food and placed before each dog its own dish. Then he went away and left them. The man was so hungry that he started to eye the food, and wanted to go up to one of the dogs and eat with it, but fear prevented him from approaching them. One of the dogs, however, looked at him, understood his plight, and, ceasing to eat, signaled to him to approach. The man drew near, and again the dog made a sign, as though to say, “Eat from this dish,” and drew back from the dish, so the man ate until he was full and wanted to leave. At this, the dog made a sign to him as if to say, “Take this dish with the remaining food,” so the man picked it up and put it in his sleeve and waited a while, but no one came looking for the dish, so he took it and went his way. Then he journeyed to another city and sold the dish and bought goods with the proceeds and made his way to his own town, where he sold what he had and paid off his debts, and his business increased and he found himself in a state of the greatest ease and general good fortune. When some time had passed, he said to himself, “You must make a journey to the city of the owner of the dish and take with you a splendid gift in recompense and pay him back the price of the dish, even though one of his dogs made you a present of it.” So he took a gift befitting the man’s standing and took with him the price of the dish, and he journeyed by day and by night until he came to that city and went up into it, hoping to meet with the man. However, on approaching that place, he nothing saw but crumbling ruins and cawing ravens, dwellings reduced to desolation and all things in deterioration, a sight to leave the heart in a state of agitation and a place turned by Fate into «a scene of devastation».29 As the poet30 says:
Suʿdā’s ghost agliding came and woke me in alarm
At break of dawn, my fellows in their homes yet still asleep,
But when aroused by that night phantom gliding,
I found the house bereft, the tryst too far to keep.
٢٣،١٠10.23
فلمّا شاهد تلك الأطلال الباليه * ورأى ما صنع الدهر بها علانيه * اعترته الحيرة عن يقين * والتفت فرأى رجلًا مسكين * في حالة تقشعرّ منها الجلود * ورؤية يحنّ إليها الجلمود * فقال له يا هذا ما صنع الدهر والزمان * بصاحب هذا المكان * وأين بدوره السافره * ونجومه الزاهره * وما هذا الحادث الّذي حدث على بنيانه * وما هذا الأمر الّذي لم يُبْقِ منه غير جدرانه * فقال له هذا المسكين * وهو يتأوّه من قلب حزين * أمّا في كلام الرسول عبرة لمن اقتدى به وسمعه * حقّ على الله أن لا يرفع شيئًا في هذه الدار إلّا وضعه * وإن كان سؤالك عن أمر وسبب * فليس مع انقلاب الدهر عجب * أنا صاحب هذا المكان ومُنْشيه * وساكنه وبانيه * وصاحب بدوره السافره * وأمواله الفاخره * وتحفه الزاهيه * وجواره الباهيه * ولكنّ الزمان قد مال * فأَذهب الخدم والمال * وصيّرني في هذه الحالة الراهنه * ودهمني بحوادث كانت عنده كامنه * وسؤالك هذا عن أمر وسبب * فأخبرني عنه واترك العجب * قال فأخبره بالقصّه * وهو في تألّم وغُصّه * وقال له قد جئتك بهديّة فيها النفوس ترغب * وثمن صحنك الّذي أخذتُه من الذهب * فإنّه كان سببًا لغنائي بعد الفقر * ولزوال ما كان عندي من الهمّ والحصر * قال فهزّ الرجل رأسه وبكى * وأنّ واشتكى * وقال يا هذا أظنّك مجنون * فإن هذا أمر لا يكون * كلب من كلابنا تكرّم عليك بصحن من الذهب * أَفَأَرْجِعُ فيه ولو كنتُ في أشدّ الهمّ والوَصَب * والله لم يأتني منك شيء يساوي قُلامه * فامض من حيث جئت بالسلامه * قال فقبّل الرجل أقدامه ويديه * وانصرف راجعًا يثني بالمديح عليه * ثمّ إنّه عند فراقه ووداعه * أنشد هذا البيت الّذي يُلْتَذّ بسماعه * فقال [خفيف]
| ذَهَبَ النّاسُ والكِلابُ جَميعًا | فَعَلى النَّاسِ والكِلابِ السَّلامُ |
When the man observed that wasted debris, and beheld what fate had wrought for all to see, perplexity assailed him for sure, and, turning, a pitiful man he saw, his state fit to make the skin creep, the sight of him enough to make a stone weep. “You there!” he said. “What have Fate and time made of the master of this facade? Where are those suns that shimmered and stars that glimmered? What blow upon his edifice could fall that would leave nothing standing but the wall?” That pitiful man responded for his part, moaning from a grieving heart, “Is there not guidance in the Messenger’s words for those who follow his example and heed his admonition that ‘It is God’s right to raise up naught in this Abode that He does not then subject to demolition’? If your question be for good reason and cause, know that there is nothing in the vicissitudes of Fate that calls for pause. I am the master of this place and its erector, its occupant and its constructor, the owner of its shimmering suns and overwhelming sums and master of this place replete with so many a brilliant bauble and slave girl adorable—but Fate turned its back, put servants and money to the sack, and drove me to this present state, catching me unawares with concealed blows with which it lies in wait. However, your question surely is for good cause and reason raised, so inform me of what they may be and cease to be amazed!” The other then related to him his tale, with a lump in his throat and great travail, telling him, “I have brought you a gift such as any might desire, plus the price of your golden dish that I did acquire, for it was a cause of my becoming rich after poverty and of my relief from dire straits and misery.” The man then wagged his head and wailed, and moaned and railed, and he said, “You are crazy, sir, it seems to me, for such a thing can never be. A dog of ours made you a gift of a dish of gold, and I should now go back on that? Never, though I were subject to woe and misery untold! By God, I will not take from you one fingernail sliver, so return in peace to the place whence you came hither!” The man then kissed his feet and hands, and, extolling the other’s worth, set off for his native lands, and, as he left him and was bidding him good-bye, spoke this verse on which the ear must love to dwell:
Gone are the men and the dogs together,
So to men and dogs alike, farewell!
٢٤،١٠10.24
(وقد ناب مؤلّف هذا الكتاب من كيد الدهر نائب) * ورمته الليالي بسهام الهموم من قُسِيّ المصائب * فأصبح بعد الجمع وحيدا * وبعد الأنس فريدا * يسامر النجوم * ويساور الهموم * يسكُب على فراق الأحِبّة الدموع * ويرجو عَوْد الدهر وهيهات الرجوع * قال الشاعر [بسيط]
| فَلَيتَ شِعري والدُّنيا مَفَرِّقةٌ | بَينَ الرِّفاقِ وأَيّامُ الوَرى دُوَلُ |
| هَل تَرجِعُ الدَّارُ بَعدَ البُعدِ آنِسةً | وهَل تَعودُ لَنا أَيّامُنا الأُوَلُ |
Likewise the author of this book from fortune’s plots has suffered blows, after the nights had shot him with woe’s arrows from disaster’s bows, so that he found himself, after companionship, on his own, after sweet intimacy, alone, conversing with the stars, wrestling with his cares, over the departure of his dear ones pouring his lament, and hoping—faint hope!—that Fate might yet relent. As the poet says:
Would that I knew—for the world tears friends apart
And the stars of men both wax and wane—
Will the house, after parting, fill once more with cheer,
And will those first days of ours return again?
٢٥،١٠10.25
لكن الصبر على غدوات الأيّام * من شِيَم السادة الكرام * شعر [بسيط]
| اصبر فَفي الصَّبرِ فَضلٌ١ لو عَلِمتَ به | لَكُنتَ بادَرتَ شُكرًا صاحِبَ النِّعَمِ |
| واعلَم بأَنَّكَ إن لَم تَصطَبِرْ كَرَمًا | صَبَرتَ قهرًا على ما خُطَّ بالقَلَمِ |
١ بي: فضلا.
However, patience with life’s perfidies is a mark of the noble man:
Patience! You’d rush to thank the Lord of Every Boon
If you but knew what benefits in patience lie!
And know that should you not endure with grace
What by the Pen is writ, you will, perforce, comply!
