ar,en
ولهاذا الباب ببن الناس من الشهرة والتعارف، والظهور والتكاشف، ما يُغني عن إقامة الدليل على صُعوبته، وتقوية الشاهد على صِفَته،,"All this is so familiar to people, and so openly acknowledged and recognized, that it is not necessary to prove how painful it is or to adduce further evidence of its nature."
وربّما قادَ الفراغ إلى التشاغل بغير مُهِمّ، ودعا التفرّدُ إلى مُقاربة النَّغَصِ، وحملت الحاجةُ على تورّط الحُتوف، وسهّلت المحن ركوبَ كُلِّ مخوف.,"Now idleness is apt to make people preoccupied with unimportant matters; loneliness tends to put an end to joy; and the need to earn a living induces people to risk their lives by perilous (journeys), for tribulations make it easier to do all sorts of things that one normally fears."
والذي بي من تقسُّم القلبِ، وَحَرَج الصَدْر، يسومانني إلى مثل ما ذكرتُه، ويبعثانني على مثل ما قَدّمْتُه.,"The conflict in my heart and the anguish in my breast cause me to behave in this fashion, and to react as described."
فأشغَلُ النفْسَ في بعض الأوقات بالنظر في أخبارِ الماضين، وأحاديثِ السالفين، فربّما أسلَتْ ذا شَجَن، وتأسّى بمُتَضَمَّنِها مُمْتَحَن،,"So every now and again I occupy myself by reading accounts of bygone generations and stories about the ancients, which sometimes comfort the distressed and give solace by their contents to the person tried (by God)."
فأنا في ذالك كغريقِ اللُّجّة بما يجدُ يتعَلّقُ، ويَتَشَبّثُ طلباً للحياة بما لحق.,In this I am like a drowning man in the depth of the sea who will cling to anything he finds and grasp at anything he can reach in order to survive.
وقد جمعتُ في هاذا الكتاب ما وقَع إلَّي وعرفتهُ، وسمعتُ به وشاهدتُه، من أخبار مَنْ قال شعراً في غُرْبَة، ونَطَقَ عمّا به من كُرْبَة، وأعلنَ الشكوى بوَجْدهِ إلى كُلِّ مُشرَّدٍ عن أوطانه، ونازحِ الدار عن إخوانه، فكتبَ بما لقىَ على الجدران، وباح بسرّه في كل حانةٍ وبستان،,"I have gathered in this book what I have heard or seen for myself, or learnt in other ways, about those who composed poetry when they were in the position of strangers, who gave expression to the grief they fell, and who revealed their complaints of love to every person driven from his home and far removed from his friends, by writing of their sufferings on walls and disclosing their secrets in every tavern and garden;"
إذْ كان ذالك قد صار عادةَ الغرباء في كُلّ بلدٍ ومَقْصَد، وعلامةً بينهم في كُلِّ مَحْضَرٍ ومَشْهَد،,"for this has become the custom of strangers in every country and destination, and a distinguishing feature of theirs in every place and site."
فأرى الحال تدعو إلى مُشاكلتهم وحَيْفَ الزمان يقودُ إلى التحلّي بسَمْتهم.,"I think that (my) situation calls for imitation of them, and that the injustice of time leads (me) to adorn (myself) with their badge."
ونسألُ اللهَ خيْرَ ما قَدّرَ وقضى، والمعونةَ على الدين بالدنيا، وعلى الآخرةِ بالتقوى، إنّهُ على كلِّ شيءٍ قدير.,"We ask God to bestow on us the best of what He decrees and determines, and to help us live by our religion by means of (wealth in) this world and to achieve the next by piety; for He has power over everything."
1-  فمن ذلك ما حدّثني به أبو عبد الله أحمد بن جيش التمّار,1. Among these stories there is the one that Abu ‘Abdallah Ahmad ibn Jaysh al-Tammar told me.
قال: حدثني أبي، عن بعض ولد أحمد بن هشام ، عن أبيه قال:,He said that his father told him on the authority of a son of Ahmad ibn Hisham that Ahmad ibn Hisham said:
كنتُ في جملة عَسْكر المأمون حين خرج إلى بلد الروم، فدخل وأنا معه إلى كنيسةٍ قديمةِ البناءٍ بالشام، عجيبةِ الصُّوَر، فلم يَزَلْ يطوفُ بها،,"I was in the army of (the caliph) al-Ma’mun when the latter marched to Byzantium. He and I entered an old church in Syria which had marvellous paintings, and in which he walked around at length."
فلما أراد الخروج قال لي: مِنْ شأنِ الغرباءِ في الأسفار ومَنْ نَزَحَتْ به الدارُ عن إخوانه وأترابه، إذا دَخَل موضعاً مذكوراً، ومَشْهداً مشهوراً، أن يجعل لنفسه فيه أثراً، تبرُّكاً بدُعاءِ ذوي الغُرْبةِ، وأهلِ التقطُّع والسياحة.,"When it was time to leave, he said to me, “When strangers on journeys and people far removed from their friends and companions enter a well-known place and famous site, it is their habit to leave behind a record of their presence in order to seek blessing in the prayers of (other) strangers, travellers, and people bereft of their kith and kin (on their behalf)."
وقد أحْبَبْتُ أنْ أدخُلَ في الجملة، فابغ لي دواةً. فكتبَ على ما بين باب المذبح هاذه الأبيات:,"I want to join in, so get me a pot of ink”. He then wrote the following verses midway on the altar gate:"
يا معشرَ الغُرباءِ رَدّكُمُ         ولقيتُمُ الأخبارَ عَنْ قُرْبِ,"Strangers! May God grant you safe return, and may you soon meet your loved ones."
قلبي عليكم مُشْفِقٌ وَجِلٌ        فشفا الإلهُ بحِفْظِكم قلـبي,My heart has been afflicted with pity and fear for you; may God heal it by bringing you to safety.
إنّي كتبتُ لكيْ أساعدكم        فإذا قرأتم فاعرفوا كتبي,"I wrote in order to support you; so when you read it, know that it was I who wrote it."
2- ورُوي لنا عن إسحاق بن عبد الله قال:,2. The following was related to us on the authority of Ishaq ibn ‘Abdallah:
كنتُ في خَدَمِ أبي جعفر. فدخل قَصْرَ عَبْدَويْه وأنا معه. فقال: اعطيني فَحْمةً. فناولتُه، وكتب هاذا الشعر على الحائط:,"I was one of (the caliph) Abii Ja’far’s servants. Once when he went with me to the palace of Abdawayh, he told me to get him a piece of charcoal, which I did. He then wrote this poem on the wall:"
"المرءُ يأملُ أنْ يعيشَ            وطولُ عيْشٍ قد يَضُرُّهْ
          تُودي بشاشتُه ويعقبُ            بَعْدَ حُلْوِ العيْـشِ مُـــرَّهْ","Man hopes to live, though a long life may harm him, For his smile will die and the sweetness of his life will give way to bitterness."
"وتَسوؤه الأيّـامُ حـتـى             لا يـَرى شيئـاً يـسُــــرُّه
             كـمْ شـامـــتٍ بــي إنْ             هلكـتُ وقائـــلٍ لله دَرُّه","Time will hurt him so much that he will see nothing to please him. How many will rejoice in my misfortune if I die, while others protest what an excellent man I was."
قال: فما لبث إلّا قليلًا.,"Ishaq said, He died soon after."
والشعرُ للبيد.,The poem is by Labid.
3- وحدّثني أحمد بن زياد الكاتب، شيخ لقيتُه ببغداد، من أهل همَذان قال: حدثني أبو الحسن علي بن يحيى المنجّم، عن أبيه قال:,"3. The secretary Ahmad ibn Ziyad, an old man from Hamadhan whom I met in Baghdad, told me that Abu ‘I-Hasan Yahya al-Munajjim narrated the following on the authority of his father:"
أخذ الواثقُ يوماً بيدي يتكئ عليها، ويطوفُ على الأبنية بسرّ مَنْ رأى ليختار منها بيتاً يشربُ فيه في ذالك اليوم.,One day (the caliph) al-Wathiq took my hand to support himself while he was touring the buildings in Surra Man Raa to choose a palace in which to drink that day.
فلما انتهى إلى البيت المعروف بالمختار استحسنه، وجعل يتأملُه وقال لي: هلْ رأيتَ أحسنَ من هاذا البيت؟,"When he got to the palace known as al-Mukhtar, he was pleased with it, so he began to inspect it more closely and asked me whether I had seen anything more beautiful than this building."
قلت: يُمتِّعُ اللهُ أميرَ المؤمنين به، وتكلَّمتُ بما حَضَرني.,"I replied, “May God make the Commander of the Faithful enjoy it”, and expressed whatever (praise) came to my mind."
وكانتْ فيه صُوَرٌعجيبة، من جملتها صورةُ بَيْعةٍ فيها الرهبانُ، وأحسنُها صورة شهّار البيعة،,"It had some wonderful paintings. One of them was of a church with monks in it, and the best was of the priests who officiate at night."
ثم أمر بفرْشِ الموضعِ وإصلاحِ المجلس، وحضَر الندماءُ والمغنّون، وأخذنا في الشُّرْب،,"Then he gave orders for the place to be furnished and preparations to be made for the gathering. The boon companions and singers arrived, and we began to drink."
فلمّا انتشى أخذ سِكّيناً لطيفاً كانتْ بين يديْه، وكتب على الحائط كأني أراه:,"When he became intoxicated, he took a small knife he found in front of him and wrote the following on the wall. I can still see him do it."
مــا رأينـــــا كَبَهْجَـــةِ المختـــارِ         لا ولا مثلَ صورة الشَهّـارِ,"We never saw anything like the splendor of al-Mukhtar, nor anything like the painting of the night priest."
مجلسٌ حُفَّ بالسرورِ والنرجس         والآسِ والغِنـــا والبٓهـــــارِ,"A gathering surrounded by delight, narcissi, myrtle, singing, and sweet aroma!"
ليـــس فيــــه عَيْـــبٌ ســوى أنّ         ما فيه سيفنيه نازِلُ المقـدارِ,"It is perfect, except that the reverses of fate will destroy what is in it."
فقلنا: يُعيذُ اللهُ أميرَ المؤمنين ودولتَه من هاذا. وَوَجَمْنا.,"We said, “May God preserve the Commander of the Faithful and his dynasty from that” and felt dejected."
فقال: شأنكم وما واتاكم فما يقدّمُ قولي خيْراً ولا يؤخر شرّاً.,"He said, “Think what you like. What I say will not make good come any sooner or evil any later”."
4- قال: واجتزتُ منذ سُنيّاتٍ بسرّ مَنْ رأى، فرأيتُ بقايا هاذا البيت وعلى حائطٍ من حيطانه مكتوب:,"4. He said, Some years ago I passed by Surra Man Ra’a and saw the remains of this room. On one of its walls somebody had written"
"هاذي ديارُ ملوكٍ دَبّـروا زمنـــاً
                                          أمْرَ البلادِ وكانوا سادةَ العَــرَبِ",This is the abode of kings who managed the affairs of countries for a time and who were the chiefs of the Arabs.
"عصى الزمانُ لهمْ من بعد طاعته
                                         فانظر إلى فِعْلِه بالجوْسَقِ الخَرِبِ
     وبَرْكَوَارا وبالمختـــار قد خَلَيـــا
                                        من ذالكَ العِزِّ والسلطانِ والرُّتَــبِ","Having first obeyed them, time rebelled against them. See what it has done to the ruined palace of Jawsaq and Barkuwara and al-Mukhtar, which have all been emptied of that glory, power, and rank."
5- وحدّثني أبو عبد الله الواسطيّ الشاعرُ المعروف بابن الآجرّي قال:,"5. Abu Abdallah alWasiti, the poet known as Ibn al-Ajurri, told me the following."
كنت أعاشرُ جماعةً من أهل الظرف وأولاد الرؤساء ونجتمعُ على الشراب دائماً.,I used to frequent a group of sophisticated people and sons of leading men. We were constantly getting together to drink.
فدعانا فتىً منهم إلى العُمْر الذي في أسْفَلِ مدينة واسط، ويُعرف العُمْرُ بعُمْرِ سفر يشوع.,"A young man from among them invited me to visit the monastery in the lower part of the city of Wasit known as
the Monastery of the Book of Joshua."
فمضينا ومعنا من الغناء والآلةِ والشراب كلُّ شئٍ ظريف، وأقمنا بالعُمْرِ ثلاثةَ أيّام، ومضت لنا به أوقاتٌ طيبة،,"We went there accompanied by everything elegant in the way of singers, musical instruments, and wine and stayed at the monastery for three days, having a good time."
وانصرفنا في اليوم الرابع وتفرقنا بعد ذلك للمعايش والمتصرِّفات.,"On the fourth day we left, and thereafter we separated to pursue our livelihood and our occupations."
فلما كان بعد ذلك بشهور دُعينا إلى العُمْر، فلما حصلنا في القلّاية التي كنا شربْنا فيها في تلك الدُفْعَة قال لنا الفتى: ألا أخبرُكم بحالي بعدكم؟,"Some months later we were invited to the monastery again. When we got to the cell in which we had done our drinking on the previous occasion, the priest said to us, “May I tell you what happened to me after you left?”"
قلنا: بلى. قال: إنكم لما انصرفتُم من عندنا جائني شابٌ له رواءٌ وَمنظرٌ حَسَن، ومعه غلامُ نظيفُ الوجه في مثل زيّه، أحسبُه حبيباً له.,"We said yes. He said, “When you left, a young man of comely looks and handsome appearance came here together with a good-looking boy who was wearing clothes {similar to} his and whom I assumed to be his beloved."
فقال لي: أين الفتيان الذين كانوا عندك مجتمعين؟ فقلتُ: غَلَّسوا في الانصرافِ.,He asked me where the young men who had been gathering here had gone and I told him that you had left before daybreak.
فحزن وتَبَيَّنْتُ الكآبةَ في وجهه.,He was saddened and his unhappiness showed in his face.
ثم سألني عن حالكم، وما صنعتم، وكم أقمتم. فحدّثتُه، فانبسط، واستدعى ما أكلَ هو وصاحبُه،,"Then he asked me about you, what you did and how long you had stayed, so I told him. He cheered up and called for food for himself and his companion."
أين تلك العهــودُ يا غــدّاره        والكلامُ الرقيقُ تحت المنارهْ,"Where are all those pledges, 0 traitor, and the sweet talk under the minaret!"
فلما كان في اليوم الرابع ودّعني وأخذ فحمة وكتب على حائط البيت شعراً، وقال: إنْ عادوا أوقِفْهم عليه، وانصرف.,"On the fourth day he said goodbye to me, took a piece of coal and wrote some verses on the wall of the house, saying, ‘If they come back, show it to them’. Then he left”."
"وسألتُ القَسَّ ما فعلـوا            فأجـاب القَــسُّ بالعَـجـــبِ
           فَفَعلنـا مثـلَ فِعْـلِكــُـــمُ             وشرَبْنـا مـن دَمِ العِنـَــــبِ
           بنتَ كَرْمِ عُتّقتْ زمنـاً             مُنْذُ عَهْدِ اللّاتِ والنُصُــبِ","I asked the priest what you did and he gave an amazing answer. So we followed suit and drank from the blood of grapes, a daughter of vine who had been left to mature since the time of Allat and the sacrificial stones."
"وجنَيْنا الحلوَّ من ثمـرٍ             وأكلنــا يانـــعَ الــرُّطَــــبِ
           وتفرَّقَنا على مَضَضٍ              كُلّنـا يدعـــــو بواحَرَبـــي","We gathered sweet fruit and ate ripe dates, and we dispersed unwillingly, each one of us lamenting loudly."
فلما عُدنا إلى واسط بحثنا عن الرجل فلم نعرفْ له خبراً، فعلمنا أنّه غريبٌ اجتاز بالبلد.,"When we returned to Wasit we made enquiries about this man, but we did not find out anything about him, so we knew that he was a stranger who had passed by the city."
قد علمنـا بأنــه كــان زوراً        واختلاقــاً ونَغْشــةً وعِيــاره,"We know that it was all falsehood, fabrication, lying, and swindling."
"وإذا على صدر الطلسم كتابةٌ يَلوح فيها هاذان البيتان:
   تَعَبٌ يطولُ لطامعٍ في نَيْل ما        أمسيتَ جامعة فقل لا تطمع
   واسترزقِ اللهَ العلــيّ مكانــه        وَدَعِ التطلّبَ للمطالبِ واقنعِ","On the chest of the talisman there was an inscription of which these two verses were visible:
It is a long toil for him who covets the acquisition of what you have come to gather. So say: do not covet. Seek your daily bread from God, whose abode is elevated; leave off the search for treasures and be content."
"تَجِــدِ اللهَ عنــدَ كُــلِّ مخـــوفٍ         كاشفـــاً للهـمــــومِ والآلامِ
       فلهُ الحمــدُ والخلائـــقُ طُـــراً         وهو ربُّ الدهورِ والأعوام","and you will find, whenever you are afraid, that God will remove your anxieties and pain. To Him is the praise, and His is all the creation.
He is the lord of time, and of eternity."
7- حدثني أبو الطيّب أحمد بن محمد المخرّمي قال: حدّثني بعضُ بني نَوْبَخْت قال: لمّا اجتاز الرشيدُ في طريقه إلى خراسان أقام بحلوان أياماً، ثم رحل فوجد بخط على حجر كان بالقُرْب منه:,"Abu ‘l-Tayyib Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Mukharrimi told me that a member of the Nawbakht family told him that (the caliph) al-Rashid stayed in Hulwan for some days on his way to Khurasan and that when he left, the following was found in his handwriting on a stone in his vicinity:"
"حتى متى أنا فـي حـلِّ وتَرْحــالَ
                                         وطــولِ سَعْـيٍ وإدبــــــارٍ وإقبـــــــالِ
      ونــازح الــدارِ لا أنفـكُّ مُغْتَرِبــاً
                                        عن الأحبّــةِ لا يـــدرونَ ما حالـــــــي","How long will I be arriving at places and departing, continuing the long struggle in bad luck and in good, far removed from my home, forever distanced from the loved ones who do not know my plight,"
"بمَغْرِبِ الأرضِ طَوْراً ثم مَشرِقِها
                                       لا يخطرُ الموتُ من حِرْصي على بالي
    ولو قنِعْتُ أتانـي الرزقُ في دَعَــةٍ
                                       إنّ القُنــوعَ الغِنـى، لا كثــــرة المــــالِ","now in the western part of the earth and now in the eastern? My desire for wealth is such that not even death preys on my mind.
If only I could be content, my livelihood would come to me in tranquility.
It is contentment that is wealth, not a lot of money."
8- وحدثني أيضاً قال: قال لي رجلٌ من أهل الشام: اجتزتُ بمنارة الإسكندرية فدخلتُها لأرى عجيبَ بنائها وما أسمعُ من صِفتها، فإني لَأطوفُ فيها فمررتُ بموضعٍ في أعلاها فيه خطوطُ الغرباء والمجتازين قديمةُ وحديثة.,"He also said that a Syrian told him the following.
I passed by the lighthouse of Alexandria and went inside to see its marvellous construction and other things that I had heard praised. In the course of walking around inside it I passed by a place in its upper parts in which there were graffiti, both old and recent, by strangers and passers-by."
"ولم أحب الانصراف عنه إلّا بعد أن يكون لي به أثَرٌ، فقلتُ هاذه الأبيات وكتبتُها فيه:
      شَرّدَتْنــي نـوائـــبُ الأيـّــــــامِ           ورمتْني بصائباتِ السهامِ","I did not want to go away without leaving a record behind, so I composed these verses and inscribed them here:
The calamities of time have driven me from place to place
and shot me with arrows that never miss."
وتحته مكتوبٌ: يقولُ فلان بن فلان – وقد محا الاسمين طولُ العهد – وصلتُ إلى هاذا الموضع في رجب سنة ثلاث وثلاث مئة، على مثل حال المشرَّدِ عن إخوانه، المطرودِ عن أوطانه، وقرأتُ الأبيات، وما أعرَفني بالغرض فيها وأوقعني بمعانيها إلّا أننّي جرّبتُ الدنيا فوجدتُها غروراً، والأحبابَ زوراً، والرجوعَ إلى الله تعالى في النائبات أولى بذوي العقول من ارتكاب التهْلُكات.,"Underneath somebody had written:
So-and-so, son of so-and-so — time had erased the two names — said, “I got to this
place in Rajab 303/January 916 in the state of this person who has been banished from his friends and expelled from his homeland. I read these verses. I understood their import and guessed their meaning because I have experienced this world and found it to be vanity, the loved ones to be false. Repentance unto God in misfortune is better for intelligent people than the pursuit of dangerous ventures."
9- وقرأتُ على فناء المسجد الجامع بمتّوث، وهى مدينةٌ بين سوقِ الأهواز وبين قُرْقوب، عند اجتيازي بها مكتوباً: حضر المؤمّل بن جعفر البندنيجي في شهر رمضان من سنة سبع وعشرين وثلاث مئة وهو يقول:,"When I passed by Mattuth, a town between Suq al-Ahwaz and Qurqub, I read an inscription in the courtyard of its Friday mosque which said: al-Mu’ammil ibn Ja’far al-Bandaniji was here in the month of Ramadan in the year 327/939, and he says,"
كنا نسمعُ أهلَ العلمِ يقولون: فَقْدُ الأحبّة في الأوطان غُرْبَة، فكيف إذا اجتمعتِ الغربةُ وفَقْدُ الأحبّة. وجملةُ الأمر أنّ الذي عرفته من حال الدنيا أنه لا يفي فَرَحُها بتَرَحِها، فقلتُ:,"We used to hear learned people say that the loss of loved ones in one’s homeland is exile. How much more so when exile and loss of the loved ones come together! The sum of it all, in my experience of the world, is {that} its pleasures do not make up for its griefs. So I said:"
"يا مَنْ على الدنيا يُجاذبْ            وعلى زخارفها يُغاضــبْ
         لا تطلبـــنَّ وِصالَــــــهـا            ليستْ لصاحِبها بصاحــبْ","you who contend for the (goods of this) world, quarreling over her tinsel, do not seek union with her, for she is not a friend to her friends."
"بَيْنـــا تراهـــــا عنـــــده            إذْ فارقَـتْــهُ ولــم تـراقـــبْ
         إنّــي خَبَــرْتُ حديثَهــــا            يا صاحِ من طولِ التجاربْ","While you are seeing her with someone, suddenly she will leave him, when she is not being watched.
I know how she talks, my friend, from long experience."
وإذا تحته مكتوبٌ بغير ذلك الخطّ:,Underneath it was written in a different hand:
"صَدَقْتَ صَدَقْتَ وعندي الخبرْ         سأحذرُ منها ركوبَ الخَطَرْ
       وأحملُ نفســي علـى حالـــةٍ          فإمّــا انتفاعٌ وإمّـــا ضَــرَرْ","You are right, you are right! I know for sure.
I shall beware of the risks she holds out
and force myself to accept any situation, whether it brings good or ill."
10- وكنتُ بجامع الرصافة في مدينة السلام يوم جُمُعة، وأظنُّ ذلك في سنة إحدى أو اثنتين وخمسين وثلاث مئة. فمرّتْ بي رقعةٌ قد حُذِفَ بها، كما تفعلُ العامَّةُ برقاع الدعاء. فأخذتُها غير معتمد، فإذا فيها بخطٍّ مليح في معنى خطوط الكتّاب:,"10.1 was in the Friday Mosque of Rusafa in eastern Madlnat al-Salam on a Friday, I think it was in the year 351/962f or 352/963f. A piece of paper flew by me, somebody having thrown it, as the common people do with notes in which they put their wishes. I picked it up without thinking, and lo, somebody had written on it in an elegant hand in the secretarial style:"
"بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
       رحم اللهُ مَــنْ دعا لغريــبٍ             مُدْنَفٍ قد جفـاه كـلُّ حبيــب
       ورماه الزمانُ من كلّ قطـرٍ            فهو لا شكّ ميّتٌ عن قريبِ","In the name of God, the merciful, the benevolent.
May God have mercy on him who prays for a stranger, who is crushed and shunned by every beloved, chased by time from every country, and who will surely soon be dead."
"11- وحدّثني شيخٌ لنا قال: قرأتُ على حائط مقبرة سيبويه مكتوباً:
       رحل الأحبّةُ بعد طولِ توجُّــعٍ       ونأى المزارُ فأسلموكَ وأوجعوا
       تركوكَ أوحشَ ما يكون بقَفْرَةٍ        لم يؤنسوكَ، وكربةً لـم يدفعــواَ","A teacher of ours told us that he read this, which someone had written on the wall of Sibawayh’s tomb:
The loved ones departed after long suffering, and the object of visits is far away.
They have forsaken you and intensified your pain, leaving you in the most deserted of wastelands instead of keeping you company and alleviating your grief."
"12- وقرأت على حائط مسجد الجامع بدسكرة الملِك: حضر فلان بن فلان الصرويّ في سنة ثلاث وخمسين وثلاث مئة وهو يقول:
        سقى اللهُ أيّامَ التواصِل غَيْثَـهُ       وردَّ إلى الأوطان كُلَّ غريـبِ
       فلا خَيْرَ في دُنْيا بغيْر تواصلٍ      ولا خَيْرَ في عَيْشٍ بغيرِ حبيبِ","I read the following on the wall of the Friday mosque in 34 Daskarat al-Malik.  So-and-so al-Saraw! was here in the year 353/964f, and he says:
May God water the days of togetherness with His rain and return every stranger to his homeland.
There is no good in this world without togetherness and no joy in life without a loved one."
13- وخرجتُ أنا وأبو الفتح أحمد بن إبراهيم بن عليّ بن عيسى رحمه الله، ماضيَيْن إلى دير الثعالب، في يوم من سنة خمس وخمسين وثلاث مئة للنزهةِ ومُشاهدةِ اجتماع النصارى هناك، والشربِ على نهلر يَزْدَجِرْد الذي يجري على باب هاذا الدير.,"One day in the year 355/965 I went out for an excursion with Abu *l-Fath Ahmad ibn Ibrahim ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Isa, may God have mercy upon them, to the monastery of al-Thaalib to watch the Christians gather there and to drink by the Yazdegerd Canal, which flows by the gate of this monastery."
فبينا نحن نطوفُ الديرَ، ومعنا جماعةٌ من أولاد الكتّاب النصارى وأحداثهم، وإذا بفتاة كانّها الدينارُ المنقوشُ كما يُقال، تتمايلُ وتتثنّى كغُصْن ريحان في نسيم شمال,"While we were walking around the monastery, accompanied by a group of sons of Christian secretaries and (other) young men of theirs, we saw a young woman with a face like an inscribed dinar, as the saying goes, who was swaying and swinging like a branch of basil in the breeze of the north wind."
فضربت بيدها إلى يد أبي الفتح وقالت: يا سيّدي، تعال اقرأْ هاذا الشعر المكتوب على حائط بيت الشاهد.,"She stretched out her hand to Abu ’l-Fath, saying, “Sir, come and read the poetry written on the wall of the martyrion”."
فمضيْنا معها، وبنا من السرورِ بها وبظَرفها وملاحةِ مَنْطِقها ما الله ُ به عالم.,"We went with her, filled with a pleasure in her and her grace and sweetness of diction that only God knows."
فلما دخلنا البيت كَشَفَتْ عن ذِراعٍ كالفضّةِ، وأومأت إلى الموضع، وإذا فيه مكتوب:,"When we entered the room, she pointed, unbaring a forearm like silver, to a place where somebody had written the following:"
"خرجَتْ يوم عيدِها             في ثيابِ الرواهبِ
           فَسَبَــتْ باختيالهـــا             كلَّ جـاءٍ وذاهـــبِ","She went out on the day of her feast, dressed as a nun, and captivated with her haughty walk everyone coming and going."
"لِشقائــي رأيتُـهــــا             يومَ ديــرِ الثعالـبِ
           تتهـــادى بنســــوةٍ             كاعبٌ في كاعــبِ
           هـي فيهــم كأنهـــا             البَدْرُ بيْن الكواكبِ","For my misery I saw her
on the feast of the Tha’alib monastery, swaying among women, a buxom girl among buxom girls, in whose midst she was like the full moon surrounded by stars."
فقلنا لها: أنتِ والله المقصودةُ بمعنى هاذه الأبيات. ولم نشكّ أنها كتبت الأبيات،,"We said, “By God, you are the girl that these verses are about!”, having no doubt that she had written them herself."
ولم تفارقنا بقية يومنا. وقلتُ فيها هاذه الأبيات، وأنشدتها إيّاها ففرحتْ:,"She stayed with us for the rest of the day, and I composed the following verses about her which I recited to her and which pleased her:"
"مرّتْ بنا تَخْطِـرُ فـي مَشْيهــا              كأنّمــا قامتُهـــا بَانـــــهْ
       هَبَّـتْ لهــا ريـحٌ فمالـتْ بهــا              كما تثنَّى غصنُ ريْحَانَه","She passed by us,
strutting in her gait as if her figure were a ben tree, bending in the wind that blew on her
and swaying like a basil branch."
فَتَيّمَـتْ قلبــي وهاجــتْ لـــه              أحزانَـه قُدْمــاً وأشجانَــه,"Thus she enslaved my heart, stirring up old sadness and grief."
وحصل بينها وبين أبي الفتح عِشْرة بعد ذالك. ثم خرج إلى الشام وتوفى بها، ولا أعرف لها خبر بعد ذلك.,"She and Abu ’l-Fath had an intimate relationship after that. Then he went to Syria and died there, and I don’t know what happened to her."
"14- حدثّني أبو محمد حمزة بن القاسم الشامي: قال:
اجتزتُ بكنيسة الرّها عند مسيري إلى العراق. فدخلتُها لأشاهدَ ما كنتُ أسمعه عنها.","Abu Muhammad Hamza ibn al-Qasim the Syrian told me the following.
I passed by the church in Edessa on my way to Iraq and, having heard about it, went inside to see it."
فبينا أنا في تطوافي، إذ رأيتُ على ركنٍ من أركانها مكتوباً بالحمرة: حضر فلان بن فُلان وهو يقول: من إقبال ذي الفِطْنة، إذا ركبَتْه المحنة انقطاعُ الحياة، وحضور الوفاة.,In the course of walking around in it I noticed an inscription in red on one of its pillars: So-and-so was here and he says: The good fortune of wise people when trials afflict them is to have their lives cut short and die;
"وأشدُّ العذابِ تطاوُلُ الأعمار في ظلّ الإدبار، وأنا القائل:
     ولـي هِمّةٌ أدنى منازِلِها السُّهــا       ونَفْسٌ تَعَالى في المكارم والنُّهـى","their worst suffering is to have a long life in the shadow of misfortune. I am the one who said,
I have ambitions so high that a star in Ursa Major
is their nearest station;
and my soul is lofty in intelligence and noble deeds."
"وقدْ كنتُ ذا حـالٍ بمروٍ قريبــة       فبلّغَـتِ الأيّـامُ بـي بِيعَــةَ الرُّهـــا
     ولو كنتُ مَعروفاً بها لم أُقِمْ بها       ولكنّني أصبحـتُ ذا غربـةٍ بهـــا","I was a man of substance and rank in Marw,
but time has driven me to the church of Edessa, where I would not stay if I were known.
But I have become a stranger here."
"ومن عادةِ الأيّام ابعادُ مُصْطفى      وتفريقُ مجموعٍ وتنغيصُ مُشتهي
فاستحسنتُ النظم والنثر وحفظتُهمتا.","Time has a habit of exiling chosen persons, scattering those who have gathered and spoiling the pleasure of what you want.
I liked both the prose and the poetry and learnt them by heart."
15- وكنتُ انحدرتُ إلى البصرة منذ سُنَيَّات. فلما وردتُها صعدتُ في الفيْضِ إلى سكَّةِ قُريش أطلبُ منزلاً أسكنُه، لأنني كنتُ غريباً لا أعرفُ أحداً من أهلها، إلا مَنْ كنتُ أسمعُ بذكره، ولا آنسُ به.,"I went down to Basra a few years ago and, when I got there, travelled upwards with the rising water of the tide to the street of Quraysh seeking a place to stay in; for I was a stranger and did not know anyone there, except for people I had heard about and never met."
فدلّني رجلٌ على خانٍ، فصِرْتُ اليه، واكترْيتُ منه بيتاً، وأقمتُ بالبصرةِ أياماً.,"A man guided me to an inn, so I went in and hired a room. I stayed in Basra for some days,"
ثمَّ خرجتُ عنها طالباً حِصْنَ مَهْدي، وكتبتُ هاذه الأبيات على حائط البيت الذي كنتُ أسكنه:,Then I left for Hisn Mahdi. On the wall of the room in which I had been staying I wrote the following verses:
الحمـــدُ لله علـى مـــا أرى        من ضَيْعتي ما بيْن هاذا الورى,Praise be to God for what I see of my being lost among these people.
أصارني الدهـرُ إلـى حالـةٍ        يعدَمُ فيها الضّيْفُ عندي القِرَى,Time has reduced me to a state in which I cannot offer hospitality to guests.
أصبح أُدْمُ السوقِ لي مأكلًا        وصارَ خُبْزَ البيت خبزُ الشِــرا,"I have passed from being wealthy into being needy of dogs wearing fur.
The dips offered in the market have become my food; the bread of the house is now the bread that I buy;"
سبحان مَـنْ يَعْلَـم مـا خلْفنا         وتَحْـتَ أيْدينـا وتَحْـتَ الثــرى,Praise be to Him who knows what is behind us and what is in our hands and below the ground.
فما أدري أهو باقٍ إلى اليوم أم درس.,I do not know whether the inscription is still there or whether it has been effaced.
حدّثني أبو محمد حمزة بن القاسم، قال حدثني نصر بن أحمد الخبزأرزي الشاعر، قال:,Abu Muhammad Hamza ibn al-Qasim told me that the poet Nasr ibn Ahmad al-KhubzaruzzT told him the following.
كان عندنا بالبصرة فتى من أولاد التجَّار المياسير، وكانت لأبيه حالٌ كبيرة، فكان في كلّ سنة يظفرُ بمال ويُصعده إلى بغداد، فيُقيم بها يشربُ في الحانات ويُعاشر أهلَ الظَرْف.,"There was among us in Basra a young man from a family of rich merchants. His father was a man of great substance. Every year (this young man) would get money and go up to Baghdad and stay there, drinking in taverns and frequenting people of refinement."
وكان مُغْرَماً بالغلمان. فإذا نَفَذَت الدراهمُ عاد إلى البصرة. فكان يحدّثني بكلّ طريفة.,He was infatuated with young boys. When his money gave out he would return to Basra. He used to tell me all sorts of anecdotes.
فقال لي يوماً: حصلت بعكبرانيّ في بعض الحانات، فشربتُ..,"One day he said to me, “I arrived at some tavern in ‘Ukbara, so I drank"
اشْرَبْ وغَنِّ على صَوْتِ النواعيرِ    ما كنتُ أعرفُها لولا ابنُ منصـور,"Drink and sing to the tune of the waterwheels, I would not have known them but for Ibn Mansur."
لولا الرجاء بمن أمَّـلتُ رؤيتـَـــــه     ما جزتُ بغداد في خوفٍ وتغريرِ,"If I had not hoped to meet someone I wanted to see, I would not have passed through Baghdad in danger and in fear."
"وحدّثني انه قرأ في بعض سياحته على صخرةٍ
             وكُلُّ البلادِ بلادُ الفتى           وليس لأرضٍ اليه نَسَبْ
قال: فقلتُ: لا يموتُ صاحب هاذا البيت إلّا غريباً.","Al-AsmaT mentions that he read the following on a rock during one of his journeys.
Every country is a man’s country, and he is related to none of them.
He said: I said, the author of this verse will surely die as a stranger."
وكان يُحدِّثُنا بكل عجيبة، ويُتحفُنَا بكلّ غريبة.,He used to tell us all sorts of marvellous things and to regale us with all kinds of strange tales.
وطَرَحَنَا الماء إلى جزيرة فيها قومٌ على صورةِ الناس إلّا أنهم يتكلّمون بكلام لا يُفهم، ويأكلون من المأكل ما لم تَجْرِ به عادةُ الإنس.,"The waves cast us onto an island inhabited by people who looked human, but who spoke an unintelligible language and ate things that humans do not normally eat."
فاجتمعوا علينا، وأقبلوا يعجبون منا، وخِفْناهم على أنفسنا، واستشعرنا الهلاك من طمعهم في قلَّتنا مع كثرتهم، ثم توكّلنا على الله جَلَّ وعزَّ وخرجنا نطلبُ في تلك المدينة ما نأكله ونشربه.,"They gathered around us and gaped at us, and (al first) we feared for our lives, thinking that they would want to kill us because they so greatly outnumbered us. Then we relied on God, exalted and great is He, and went out to find something to eat and drink in that town."
"فوجدنا الطراميس من خبز الدُّخْن ولحوماً كثيرة لا ندري ما هي.
فاشترْينا من ذلك الخبز واللحم وأظنُّه من لحوم الحيتان، وصرنا إلى الساحل، وأجّجْنا ناراً، وأقبلنا نكبّب من ذلك اللحم،","We found millet bread and lots of meal that we did not know what was, so we bought the bread and meat — I reckon it was whale meat — and went to the coast, where we lit a fire and made kebabs of the meat."
ولهم أنبذةٌ لا ندري ما هي، يشربونها، ويضربون بطبلٍ عظيم، له في البحر دَويّ.,"They also had alcoholic drinks of a type unknown to us, which they would drink, beating a huge drum which echoed in the sea."
فبينا أنا أطوف في تلك المدينة إذ بصرتُ بكتابة عربيّةٍ على بابها، فتأملتُها، فإذا هي: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. بسم الله خالقِ الخَلْق، وصاحبِ الرِزْق.,"While I was walking around in that town I noticed Arabic writing on its gate, so I had a closer look at it. It said, “In the name of God the merciful, the benevolent; in the name of God, the creator of the creation and the lord of sustenance."
ما أعجبَ قصّتي وأعظم محنتي أفضتني الخطوب وقصدتني النكوب حتى بلغتُ هاذا الموضع المهيب، ولو كان للبُعْد غاية هي أسحقُ من هاذا المحل لبلّغني إليها ولم يقنع بي إلا بها.,"How strange my story is, and how great is my trial! Calamities and disasters drove me until I reached this dreadful place, and if distance had had a remoter extremity, then that is where it would have taken me, being satisfied with nothing less for me”."
وتحت ذلك مكتوب:,Underneath it was written:
مـِنْ شِـدّةٍ لا يمـوتُ الفتـــى          ولكــنْ لميقاتــه يهـلــكُ,"Man does not die of hardship;
rather he perishes because of his appointed time."
فسبحانَ مالك مَنْ في السما          والأرضِ حقّاً ولا يُمْلَكُ,"So praise be to the true owner of everybody in heaven and on earth, who is not owned Himself."
فاجتهدتُ بالمسألة عن الرجل وحاله، فلم يُفهَمْ عني، ولا فهمتُ عن أحدٍ منهم، وأقلْعنا في غيرِ تلك الليلة، وسلَّم اللهُ تعالى، وصرنا إلى بلاد اليمن.,"I tried to inquire about the man and what had happened to him, but they did not understand what I said, nor did I understand any of them. We set sail on the morrow after that night. God granted (us) safety and we went to the land of Yemen."
وحدّثني رجلٌ من بني نمير يُعرفُ بالأخيْطل، شاعر لقيتُه بنواحي كوثي بمشهد إبراهيم الخليل صلوات الله عليه، قصدها ليمتدح أبا الحسن عليّ بن مزيد الأسدي.,"I was told the following by a man from (the tribe of) Numayr known as al-Ukhaytil, a poet I met in the outskirts of Kutha in the mosque of Abraham, the friend of God, may God’s blessings be upon him. He had gone there to sing the praises of Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Mazyad al-Asadi,"
وأنشدني شيئاً من شعره وقال: قرأتُ على صخرة بجزيرة قبرس مكتوباً: يقولُ فلان بن فلان البغدادي: قذف بي الزمانُ إلى هاذا المكان.,"and he recited some of his poetry to me. He told me that he had read an inscription on a rock in Cyprus which said: So-and-so, the son of so-and- so, the Baghdadi says, Time has cast me to this place."
"فهل نحو بغدادٍ مَعَـادٌ فيشتفــي
                                        مَشُوقٌ ويَحْظـى بالزيـارة زائـرٌ","Will there be a return to Baghdad, so that the person full of longing will be healed and the visitor favoured with a visit (to it)?"
"إلى الله أشكو لا إلى الناس، إنّه
                                       على كَشْفِ ما ألقى من الهمِّ قادِرُ","I complain to God, not to people, because He has the power to remove the sorrows I endure."
وقال لي شيخ من أهلِ الكوفة: قرأتُ على ركنِ قبةِ أبي موسى التي عندنا هاذين البيتَيْن:,An old man from Kufa said that he read these two verses on the pillar of the Dome of Abu Musa in their town:
وليسَ الرزقُ عن طلب التمنّي       ولكنْ إلْقِ دَلْوَكَ في الدلاءِ,"One does not get one’s daily bread by pursuing fanciful desires;
rather, throw in your bucket among the others;"
تجـيءُ بمِلْئِهـا طَـوْراً وطَــوْراً       تجيءُ بحمـأةٍ وقليـلِ مــاءٍ,"it will come up full at times, and at other times with mud and just a little water."
وأخبرنا أبو القاسم عليّ بن محمد بن أبي هذا الكتاب. قال حدّثني أخي قال: اجتزتُ بنواحي بلد الروم مما يلي خَرْشَنَة، فاجتزتُ بمدينة حسنةِ البناءِ يحيط بها سورٌ من حَجَر أبيض تُخالطُهُ حمرة، ومياه تجري من عيونٍ في داخل الحصن، وأشجار كثيرة الثمر، وظل ثخين تحت شجرة جوز.,Abu ’l-Qasim
فأعجبني الموضع، وجلستُ أحادِثُ رجلاً من أهل المدينة، يُحسن العربيّة,I liked the place and sat down to talk with a man from the town who spoke good Arabic.
فقال: كان طرأ إلينا شابٌ ذكر أنّه من أهل العراق، حسنُ الوجه، نظيفُ الجملة، غزيرُ الأدب. وكان لا يُفارقني.,"He said: “Once a young man who said he was an Iraqi came to us. He had a handsome face, good diction, and a cultured manner, and he became inseparable from me."
فأقام في بلدنا سنين، ثم مرض فَعَلَّلْتُه، وقمتُ بأمره، فلم يلبث أن مات. فحزنني، ودفنتُه في تلك القُبّة، وأوْمى بيده اليها_ على قبلة الإسلام.,"He stayed in our country for some years, then he fell ill. I treated him and looked after him, but he soon died. It saddened me, so I buried him in that dome — he pointed to it with his hand — oriented in the Islamic prayer direction."
وكان في مرضه كتب على الحائط من البيت الذي كان فيه، ووصّى أن يُكتب على قبره، فقُمْ لتقرأه. فإذا قد كُتب على الحائط:,During his illness he wrote something on the wall of the room he was in and left instructions that it should be written on his grave. Let us get up to read it’’. This is what he had written on the wall:
"تعسّفتُ طولَ السّيْرِ في طَلَبِ الغِنى
                                         فأدركني ريْبُ الزمان كما ترى","I went on long journeys,
travelling hither and thither in search of wealth, and the misfortunes of time overtook me, as you can see."
"فيا ليت شِعْري عن أخلّايَ هل بَكوْا
                                        لفقديَ أمْ ما منـهمُ مَـنْ بـه دَرى",I wish I knew whether my friends cried when they lost me or whether they even knew.
قال: فكتبتُ الأبيات وانصرفتُ من الموضع حزيناً.,He said: I recorded the verses and went away full of sadness.
وأتى أبو العتاهية باب عمرو بن مَسْعَدة فحُجب فكتب اليه:,"Abu *l-Atahiya came to ‘Amr ibn Mas’ada’s door, but was not granted entry, so he wrote on the wall of the door:"
"مَالَكَ قد حُلْتَ عــن وفائــك        واسْتَبْدَلْتَ يا عمْروُ شِيمةً كَـدِرَهْ
      إنّـي إذا البـابُ تـاهَ حاجِبُــهُ         لـم يكُ عندي فـي هَـجْرِهِ نَظِرَهْ","Why are you evading your obligations
and exchanging (loyalty) for bad temper, 0 ‘Amr? When the doorkeeper is arrogant, I do not hesitate to abandon the door."
"لَسْتُــمْ تُرَجّـونَ للوفــاء ولا         يـومً تكـونُ السـمـاءُ مُنْـفَـطِــرَهْ
      إلّا لدنيـا كالظــلِّ بَهْجتُهـــا         سريعــةُ الانقضــاءِ مُـنْشَـمِــرهْ","It is not for a long life or (help) on the day the sky will be split that you are an object of people’s hopes, merely for (help in) this world, which is like a shadow, the delight of which is ephemeral and quickly spent."
"قد كان وجْهي لديكَ مَعْرِفةً         فاليوم أضْحى حَرْفاً من النًكِرَهْ
      ما ليَ من حاجةٍ اليك سوى        تسهيـل أذنــي فإنهــا عَـسِــــرَهْ","My face was a definite noun to you, but today it has become indefinite.
I don’t need anything from you, except easier permission to see you, for that is difficult."
وقال لي حمزة بن القاسم: قرأتُ على بعض قصور آل المهلّب:,Hamza ibn al-Qasim told me that he read the following on a palace belonging to the Muhallabid family:
نزلتُ على آل المهلّـب شاتيــــاً     غريباً عن الأوطان في زمن المحلِ,"I stayed with the Muhallabids one winter, a stranger from my homeland in a time of drought."
فما زال بي إكرامهُم وافتقارُهم      وبــرُّهــمُ حتــى حسبتهــمُ أهلـــــي,"They constantly honored me, sought me out, and were charitable to me,
so that I came to count them as my family."
ويقالُ إنّه خرج يحيى بن خالد يوماً من داره راكباً يريدُ دار الرشيد، فمرّ ببعض أفنية قصره، وإذا على الحائط مكتوب:,It is said that one day when Yahya ibn Khalid was leaving his palace to ride to the palace of al-Rashid he passed by a courtyard of his mansion and saw this written on the wall:
"انعمـوا آل بَرْمَـكٍ             وانظُروا منتهى هِيَهْ
           وارقبوا الدهرَ أنْ             يدور عليكم بداهيــهْ","Enjoy yourselves,  Barmakids, and consider: it is an end-point.
Watch fate lest it inflicts disasters on you."
فاجهدي الجهدَ كلَّه قد سلونْا      عن هواكم ولو بشق المراره,"Try as hard as you may, we shall think no more of our love for you, even if it tears our insides to pieces."
أترى الزمان يسرُّني بلقائكم         بعد التفــرّق والنــوى بقليــلِ,Do you think that time will please me by letting me meet them again soon after the separation and distance?
فقلتُ: وما الدليلُ على قولك؟,"“How so?’’, I asked."
وحدّثني أحمد بن عبد الله بن عليّ قال:,Ahmad ibn ‘Abdallah ibn ‘AH told me the following:
ذكروا أن أبا فلان المدني كان مُبَخَّلاً، وكان يقرأ على مخلاة حماره وقت القضيم سبع مرات (قل هو الله أحد) ويعلقها على الحمار. فلم يلبث أن نَفَقَ الحمار. فدفنه وبنى عليه قبّةً كتب على حائطها:,"They say that Abu so-and-so al-Madanl was a miser. He would recite, Say, He is God, one (Qur’an 112:1) seven times in his donkey’s nosebag when it was time to fill it and hang it on the donkey (without putting any food in it), so the donkey soon died. He then buried it and built a dome over it, writing the following on the wall:"
"ألا يا حماراً كان للحُمْر سابقـاً       فاصبح مصروماً على السيب في قبر
  جُزيتَ مع القتِّ الشعير مُغَرْبلًا     وأسكنـك الرحمـن فـي جنّــة الحُمْـــرِ","O donkey who outstripped all other donkeys and who is now left alone by the flowing water in the grave.
May God recompense you with well-sieved barley fodder and make you dwell in the paradise of donkeys."
فقيل له: وأين جنَّةُ الحمُر؟ قال: قَراحُ الرَطْبَة.,"When he was asked where the paradise of donkeys was, he said that it was a meadow of clover."
"الحمــدُ  لله لا شــريكَ لــه          ماذا أرى من عجائب الزمن
      إنْ كان هذا الحمارُ في كَفَنٍ         وقبّــــةٍ، إنّنــي بــلا كَفَــــــنِ
فعُلم أنّ بعض الغرباء، المنقَطعُ به، كتبهما.","Praise be to God who has no partner, what marvels of time I behold.
This donkey is shrouded and lies in a dome, whereas I lack even a shroud!
So people knew that a stranger devoid of kith and kin had written these verses."
وحدثني أبو عمر يحيى بن عمر قال: حدّثني شيخ من الكتّاب – أسماه ونسيت اسمه – قال: قرأتُ على حائط من أبينة المتوكل في سرّ مَنْ رأى، أظنّه من حيطان البيت المعروف بالغريب مكتوباً:,"Abu ‘Umar Yahya ibn ‘Umar told me that an old secretary, whom he named but whose name I have forgotten, related the following. I read an inscription on a wall of one of (the caliph) al-Mutawakkil’s buildings in Surra Man Ra’a — I think it was a wall of the palace known as al-Gharib:"
أُنْفقتِ الأموالُ واستُنفـِدَتْ             وشُيــّد البنيــانُ للـدهْــرِ,"Money was spent and used up
and buildings were erected for fate to destroy."
فَصَـرَّ الدورَ خـلاءَ ولــم              يُمْهلْ أخـا عزٍّ ولا قَهْــرِ,"and he emptied the palaces, giving no respite to either the powerful or the oppressed."
وعلى ذكر سرّ مَنْ رأى حدّثني أبو بكر محمد بن عبد الله الإصفهاني الكاتب قال: حدّثتني عجوزٌ من جواري الواثق قالت: كنتُ ممن يأنسُ بها المقتدرُ بالله وينبسطُ اليها.,"Talking of Surra Man Ra’a, the secretary Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah al-Isfahani told me that an old woman who had been one of (the caliph) al-Wathiq’s slavegirls said:
I was one of the girls that (the caliph) al-Muqtadir liked and took pleasure in."
وكان من أحسنِ خَلْقِ الله تعالى ضرباً بالعود، وأشجاهم صوتاً.,"He was one of God’s most accomplished creatures when it came to playing the lute and he had a most moving voice, though did his best to keep it secret."
وكان شديدَ الكتمان لذالك فإذا خلا مع جواريه وخواصّه ومعي ضرب وغنّى، فينصت كُلّنا إلى غنائه، ويلحقنا من الحيرة ما يُبكينا ويُذهب بعقولنا.,"He would only play and sing when he was alone with his slavegirls, his intimate companions, and with me. We would all listen to his singing and be seized by a bewilderment that made us cry and lose our senses."
فغنَّى يوماً صوتاً لم تعرفه جارية ولا عَرفْتُهُ. فلم نزل نستعيده حتى حفظناه. وكانت طريقتُه خفيف ثقيل، وهو:,"One day he sang a song that neither I nor any of the other slavegirls knew, but we asked him to repeat it until we knew it by heart. It was in the thaqll khafif mode."
إنعمْ بحُسْنِ البديعِ والكاملْ          مادامَ ريْبُ الزمانِ كالغافلْ,Enjoy the beauty of (the palaces) al-Badi and al-Kamil as long as the misfortunes of time take no notice of you.
فقلنا: يا مولانا، ممن سمعتَ هاذا الصوتَ، فإنّا لا نعرفُه؟ فقال: أنشدني هذه الأبيات المعتضدُ بالله، قال أنشدنيها الموفَّقُ، قال: أنشدني الواثق لنفسه، واللحنُ فيها لي.,"We said, “O master, who taught you this song? We don’t know it”, and he replied, “These verses were recited to me by al-Mu’tadid bi’llah, who said that al-Muwaffaq had recited them to him; and al-Muwaffaq said that al-Wathiq had recited them to him as his own composition. The tune is mine”."
فحفظتْهُ الجواري. فقلنا شعرُ خليفة، وروايةُ خليفة، ولحنُ خليفة. ومضى له زمان كَقِطَعِ الرّياض,"So the slavegirls learnt it by heart. We said, “Poetry by a caliph transmitted by a caliph and with a tune by a caliph!”. He had a delightful time."
وبسُرّ من رأى آثار حسنةٌ وأبنيةٌ عظيمة للمتوكّل والمعتمد وغيرهم من بني العبّاس، بعضُها باقٍ إلى اليوم.,"In Surra Man Ra’a there are beautiful remains and mighty buildings erected by (the caliphs) al-Mutawakkil, al-Mu‘tamid and other ‘Abbasids, some of which survive to this day."
وحدّثني بذلك جماعة منهم أبو عمر يحيى بن عمر قال:  قرأتُ في بعض الدواوين أنّ المتوكل أنفق على أبنيته وقصوره والمسجد الجامع ومتنزهاته في خلافته بسُرَّ مَنْ رأى وأعمالها ما لا يُعلم أنَّ أحداً أنفق على بناء مثله.,"A number of people told me about them, including Abu ‘Umar Yahya ibn ‘Umar, who said:
I read in some ledger that al-Mutawakkil spent more on his buildings, palaces, Friday mosque, and parks in Surra Man Ra’a and dependent provinces during his caliphate than anyone else is known to have spent on construction."
مبلغُ ذلك من العَيْن مئة ألف واثنان وخمسون ألف دينار. فمن ذلك القلّاية خمسون ألف دينار، والآن بها مئة ألف دينار، ومن الوَرِق مئة ألف ألف وثلاث وسبعون ألف ألف وخمسون درهم.,"The sum total comes to 152,000 dinars in gold plus 173 million and 50,000 dirhams in silver. These expenditures include: al-Qilaya, 50,000 dinars."
وذكر سهل بن عليّ قال: حدّثني داود بن رشيد قال أخبرني الهيثم بن عديّ قال:,"Sahl ibn ‘AH mentions that Dawud ibn Rushayd told him that al-Haytham ibn ‘Adi said,"
أصبتُ على صخرة ملساء بأرضِ العرب مكتوباً:,I obtained a smooth stone in the land of the Arabs on which there was written:
ويُقال إنّه قُرِئَ على ميلٍ بطريق… حرسها الله تعالى:,"It is said that the following was read on a milestone on the road to Mecca, may God preserve her:"
وقرأتُ أنا أيضاً على حائط بُستان عل نهر الأُبّلة هاذين البيْتَيْن:,I also read the following two verses myself on the wall of a garden at the Ubulla canal:
وتحته مكتوب: إن كان لك بَخْتٌ سَتَفْطن، وإن فطنتْ وتغافلتْ فما حيلتي؟,"Underneath was written, “If I have luck she will understand; and if she understands and still ignores (me), what can I do?”."
قال: ولمّا خرج الرشيدُ إلى الريّ أخذ أخته عُلَيَّةَ. فلما  صار بَالمرْجِ عملَتْ شعراً وصاغَتْ فيه لحناً من الرَّمل،,He said: When al-Rashid went out to Rayy he took his sister cUlayya with him. When they came to al-Marj she composed some poetry and set it to a tune in al-ramal.
وكتَبتْ الأبيات ليْلاً على بعض الفساطيط في طريق الرشيد. فلمّا دخل إلى مضرب الحرم بَصُرَ به، فقرأه، وإذا هو:,"She wrote the verses at night on a tent on the road that al-Rashid was taking, so he saw it and recited it when he went to the women’s camp. This is what it said:"
"إذا ما أتاهُ الرّكبُ من نحو أرْضِهِ
                                  تنشّـقَ يستشفـــي برائحـــةِ الركْـــبِ",When the caravan comes from the direction of his homeland he smells it in the hope that its odor will cure him.
وذُكر أنّ أبا الهندِيّ دخل إلى خمَّار بموضع يُقالُ له كوى زيان وتَفسيرُه: سكّةُ الخسْران، وعنده جماعة. فاصطبح، فسَكِرَ قبلهم، فنام.,"It is said that Abu ’l-HindT went to a wineseller in a place called Ku-yi Zayyan, which means “the street of depravity”. He was with a group, but he began to drink in the morning and got drunk before they did, whereupon he fell asleep."
وقالوا: ما فعل؟ فأعلمهم. فقالوا: ألحِقْنا به. فشربوا حتى ناموا، واستَيْقَظ أبو الهنديّ فرآهم، فسألَ عنهم، فعرف حالهم.,"When they asked (the wineseller) what he had been doing and he told them, they said, “Let us follow suit”. So they too drank until they fell asleep. Meanwhile Abu ’l-Hindi woke up, saw them, asked about them and was told what had happened."
فقال: ألحِقْني بهم. وانتبه القومُ، وأخبرهم الخمّارُ خبرَه. فقالوا: ألحِقْنا به. فأقاموا عشراً لا يلتقون.,"“Let me follow suit”, he said. They then woke up, whereupon the wineseller told them what he had done and they in their turn said, “Let us follow suit”. And so they went on for ten days without ever meeting."
فلما أراد أبو الهنديّ الانصرافَ قال لهم: يا إخواني، قد طال مقامُنا بدار واحدةٍ من غير اجتماع ولا مُعاشرة، وقد أزفَ رحيلي فهل لكم في مساعدة على وشوج حالٍ بيني وبينكم؟,"When Abu ’l-Hindi wanted to leave, he said to them, “O friends, we have stayed in the same house for a long time without getting together to enjoy one another’s company, and now the time for my departure has come. Are you in favor of some (last) togetherness between us?”."
فقالوا: نحن أشهى لهذا منكَ وأحرصُ عليه أيضاً. فشرب أبو الهنديّ معهم يومه أجمع وقال في ذلك:,"They replied, “We are even keener on that than you are, and fancy it more too”. So Abu ’l-Hindi drank with them for that whole day. About all that he said:"
"فعليكـمُ منّي السـلام مُضَاعَفــاً
                                      توديـع ذي شَغَــفٍ بكـم حَيْرانِ","So double good-byes from me, farewell
from a passionate man in two minds about leaving you."
فلما عزم على الرحيل كتب على جدار البيت الذي كان فيه:,"When he did resolve to leave, he wrote on the walls of the room he had stayed in:"
"ندامـــى بعـــد عاشــرةٍ تلاقـــوْا        تضمّهم بكوى زيّـان راحُ
    رأوني في الشروق على وسادي        يفيض بمهدتي وُدٌ مُبـــاحُ","My boon companions, after ten days they met! Wine brought them together in Ku-yi Zayyan. They saw me at sunrise on my pillow, with feelings of licit love flowing in my veins."
قال: وكان هارون الرشيد أنفذ إسحاقَ بن عمّار إلى ملك الروم في السنة التي نزل فيها الرقّة فوجد في صدر مجلسه هاذه الأبيات مكتوبة بالذهب:,"He said, Harun al-Rashid sent Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar to the Byzantine emperor in the year in which he settled at al-Raqqa, and he (Ishaq) found these verses written in gold in the foremost part of his audience chamber:"
ما اختلَفَ الليلُ والنهارُ ولا         دارتُ نجومُ السماء في الفلكِ,"The alternation of night and day, and the rotation of the stars in their spheres,"
إلّا لنقْل النعيـم عــن مَـــلِكٍ         قـــد زال ملكُــه إلــى مَـــــلِكِ,only take place for the transfer of fortune from one king to another as kingship comes to an end.
وحدّثني أبو عبد الله أحمد بن جيش قال: حدّثني ابن أبي الأزهر، عن مشايخه قال: اجتزتُ بما سَبَذَان، فوجدتُ على صخرة بالقرب منها خرشاً:,"Abu ‘Abdallah Ahmad ibn Jaysh said that Ibn Abi ’l-Azhar told him the following on the authority of his teachers.
When I passed through Masabadhan, I noticed a scratching on a rock in its vicinity:"
وما المرءُ إلّا حيثُ يجعلُ نفسَه       فإن أُطْمِــعتْ تاقَــتْ وإلّا تَسَـــلّتِ,"A man is nothing but what he tells his self to be.
If he holds out hopes for it, it will yearn; and if not, it will be content."
وحدّثني أبو الحسن عليّ بن محمد الخوزي الكشي قال: بلغنا أن أبا نُواس لما حضرتْه الوفاة قال اكتبوا هاذه الأبيات على قبري:,"Abu ’l-Hasan ‘AIT ibn Muhammad al-KhuzI al-Kashshi said: 56  It has reached us that when Abu Nuwas was dying, he said, Write these verses on my grave:"
فتكلّمــت عــن أوجـــهٍ          تَبْلى وعن صُورٍ سُبُتْ,"The graves talked of decaying faces and dormant figures,"
وحدثني أبو القاسم عيسى بن أحمد المنجّم قال: دخلتُ في طريقي إلى سيف الدولة الرقّةَ، فنزلتُ بالقصر الأبيض، وآثارُ الرشيد به باقية.,"Abu ’l-Qasim ‘Isa ibn Ahmad al-Munajjim told me the following.
I came to al-Raqqa on my way to (the ruler) Sayf al-Dawla and went to stay in the White Palace, where the remains of al-Rashidfs constructions) were still extant."
فخرجتُ أطوف ببساتينها وأبنيتها. فلما حصلتُ بالقصر الأبيض رأيتُ على بقيّة جدار منه مكتوباً:,"I went out for a walk in the gardens and buildings of al-Raqqa, and when I came back to the White
Palace, I saw that somebody had written this on the remains of a wall:"
إخوتي، ما أذلّ الغريب وإنْ كان في صيانة، وأشجى قلبَ المُفارق وإن أمِنَ الخيانة، وأمور الدنيا عجيبة، والأعمار فيها قريبة:,My friends!  How humiliated the stranger is even when he is safe. How distressed is the heart of the separated person even when he is secure against treachery. The affairs of the world are strange and life in it is short.
وذو اللبّ لا يلوي عليها بطَرْفه      ولا يقتنيهـــا دار مُكـثٍ ولا بقــــا,"The intelligent man would not even cast a glance at it, nor would he acquire it as a permanent or enduring home."
تأمّلْ ترى بالقصْر خلقاً تحسّــه      خلا بعد عزٍّ كان، في الجوّ قد وقا,"Consider and you will see people in the palace and feel how empty it is, though it once had glory that rose sky-high."
وأمــرٌ ونهْيٌ في البلاد ودولــةٌ      كأنْ لـم يكـن فيـه، وكان به الشقــا,"It is as if government and sovereignty were never here, only suffering."
فكتبتُ ذلك على جانب دفترٍ كان معي، وحدّثتُ به سيف الدولة عند وصولي إليه، فاستحسنه وأجازني على حفظه.,I wrote this in the margin of a notebook I had with me and told Sayf al-Dawla about it when I got to him. He liked it and rewarded me for having recorded it.
وحدّثني شيخ رأيتُه في مجلس أبي الطيّب أحمد بن الحسين المتنبيّ، قال: حدّثني أبي قال:,An old man I saw in the gathering of Abu ’l-Tayyib Ahmad ibn al-Husayn al-Mutanabbi said that his father told him the following.
كنتُ أخدم عبد الله بن المعتزّ. فخرج يوماً يتنزّه ومعه ندماؤه. وقصد باب الحديد وبستان الناعورة، وكان ذلك في آخر أيامه، فرأيته وقد أخذ خرقةً وكتب على الجصّ:,"I used to serve ‘Abdallah ibn al-Mu‘tazz. One day he went out for an excursion together with his boon companions, aiming for the Iron Gate and the Garden of the Waterwheel. This was towards the end of his life. I saw him take a piece of cloth (dip it in ink) and write on the plaster:"
"سقياً لظلَّ زماني          وعيشـيَ المحـمـود
             ولا كليلة وصـلٍ          مرّت برغم الحسود","May (God) rain blessing on the plentiful ease of my time and my laudable life.
It has passed like a night of union [before the day of avoidance]."
فحفظتُ البيتيْن وانصرفنا. وضرب الدهرُ ضَربَاته، وقُتل أبو العباس.,I memorized these two verses and we left. Then time inflicted its blows and Abu ’l-‘Abbas was killed.
وعدتُ بعد سنين إلى بغداد، فقُضي لي دخول البستان، وإذا البيتان بخط أبي العباس قد خَفيا، وبقى أثرٌ منهما، وإذا تحته مكتوب:,"Some years later I returned to Baghdad and my wish to visit the garden was granted. Lo, the two verses in Abu ’l-‘Abbas’ handwriting had faded, but a trace of them remained, and underneath somebody had written:"
"أُفٍ لظـــلِّ زمانــــي              وعيشــيَ المنكــودِ
             فارقتُ أهلي وداري               وصاحبي ووَديدي","Fie to the miserable hardship of my time and my ill-fated life.
I left my family, my home, my companion and my dear friend;"
"ومَنْ هويتُ جفانــي               مُطاوعـاً للحســودِ
             يــا ربّ موتـــاً وإلّا               فراحةً مـن حَسـودِ","and the one I loved was rude to me in deference to an envious person. O Lord grant me death, and if not, then respite from avoidance."
حدثني أبو عمر يحيى بن عمر. قال: حدثني أبي قال: حدثني أبو مسلم عن الأصمعيّ قال: قرأتُ على الألواح التي على القبور فلم أرَ كبَيْتيْن استخرجتُهما من لوح وهُما:,"Abu ‘Umar Yahya ibn ‘Umar told me that his father told him that Abu Muslim heard al-Asma’i say, I used to read what is written on gravestones, and I never saw anything like these two verses, which I deciphered from one of them:"
وقال لي أبو الحسن الواسطي الصوفي: قرأتُ على حائط دير بدرزريجان: حضر فلان بن فلان الدمشقي وهو يقول:,"Abu ’l-Hasan al-Wasitl the Sufi told me that he read the following on the wall of the monastery of Darzijan: So-and-so, son of so-and-so, the Damascene, was here, and he says,"
[ألا ليت شعري هل إلى جمع شملنا… سبيل فنلفي العيش وهو سليم],"I wish I knew whether we can be united again, so that we can experience life when it is whole."
وخرجنا يوماً من دارنا بكرم المعرش، فاجتزتُ بدار أبي محمد المادرائي الكاتب. وقد كان الخرابُ استمرّ عليها، فرأيتُ على الجصّ مكتوباً:,"We went out one day from our home in Karm al-Mu’arrish and I passed by the palace of Abu Muhammad al-Madhara’I, the secretary; it was in a state of unremitting decay. I saw this written on the plaster:"
وذكر إبراهيم بن حميد العطَّار قال: لما أصابت على بن الجهم الجراحات في طريق الشام كان فيما يهذي به الليلَ:,"Ibrahim ibn Humayd al-cAttar said: when (the poet) ‘Ali ibn al-Jahm was wounded on the road to Syria, one of the things he raved about all night (in his fever) was this:"
"ذكـرتُ أهـل دُجيْــلٍ           وأيــن منّـي دُجَيْـــلُ
            هل زاد في الليل ليلٌ           أم سال بالصبحِ سَيْلُ","I thought of the people of Dujayl — how far from me now is Dujayl!
Has a night been added to this night (to make it so long) or has a flood carried away the morning?"
ولما مات وُجد هاذا الشعر قد كتبه على الحائط:,"When he died, it was discovered that he had written this poetry on the wall:"
"يا رحمتا للغريب في البلد         النّازِحِ ماذا بنفســه صَنَعـا
       فارقَ أحبَابهُ فمـا انتفعــوا         بالعيشِ مِنْ بَعْدِه وما انتفعا","Have mercy on the stranger in the distant land, what a disaster he has brought on himself.
He left his loved ones. They did not benefit from life after his departure, and neither did he."
وحدّثني أبو الحسن بن مروان الأندلسي، شيخ لقيتُه في مجلس أبي بكر محمد بن الحسن بن مقسم قال:,"Abu ’l-Hasan ibn Marwan al-Andalusi, an old man I met in a gathering at Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Miqsam’s, told me the following."
"اجتزتُ في طريقي إلى العراق بمدينة يُقال لها ظَفار.
ودَعَتْني الضرورة إلى المقام بها أسبوعاً.","On my way to Iraq I passed by a town called Zafar, and necessity forced me to stay there for a week."
فكنتُ في كلّ يوم أطوف أقطارها وأقصد مَنْ كان بها على مذهب الشافعي.,"I would wander around in its quarters every day, looking for its scholars, but all I could find was an old man from among those who do law according to the Shafite school."
فاجتزتُ يوماً في قصر منها خراب، قديم البناء، فإذا على بابه مكتوب بحبر: حضر عليّ بن محمد بن عبد الله بن داود الطبرسي هاذا الموضع في سنة أربع عشرة وثلاثمائة وهو يقول:,One day I passed by an old castle in ruins where I saw that somebody had written in ink on the gate: ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah ibn Dawud al-Tabari was here in the year 314/926f and he says:
"يا مَـنْ ألحَّ عليه الهمُّ والفِكَــرُ      وغَيّــَرَتْ حالَــه الأيــامُ والغِيَــرُ
      أمَا سمعتَ بما قد قيل في مَثَلٍ      عند الايــاس فأيــنَ الله والقــــدَرُ","O you who are harassed by anxiety and worry and whose circumstances have been changed by time and vicissitudes.
Have you not heard how the proverb goes: if one despairs, where are God and fate?"
"نم للخطوب إذا أحداثُها طَرَقَتْ     واصبرْ فقد فاز أقوامٌ لها صبروا
      وكلُّ ضيقٍ سيأتي بعده سَعَـــةٌ      وكلُّ فَــوْتٍ وشيكٌ بعــده الظّفــرُ","Stay asleep when misfortunes come suddenly at night!
Endure, for people who patiently endured misfortunes have triumphed over them.
After every narrow strait there will be ampleness, and success is imminent after every loss."
وتحته مكتوب بغير ذلك الحبر والخطّ:,Underneath there was written in a different hand and different ink:
حضر القاسم بن زرعة الكَرَجي في سنة ثلاث وعشرين وثلاثمائة، وقرأ الأبيات وهو يقول: لو كلّ من صبر أعقبَ الظفر، صبرتُ، ولكن نجدُ الصّبر في العاجل يُفنى العمر. وما كان أولى لذي العقل موته وهو طفل، والسلام.,"Al-Qasim ibn Zura al-Karaji was here in the year 323/934f. He read these verses and he says: If everyone who patiently endured would be rewarded with success, then I would be patient; but I find that patient endurance in this world just wears out one’s life and brings the grave closer. It would be better for the intelligent person to die as a child. So much for that."
وحدّثني أبو الفرج عبد الله بن محمد الناقد المحدّث قال: حدّثنا عمي قال: اجتزتُ بنيسابور، فرأيتُ بلداً عظيماً آهلًا. فأقمتُ به أيّاما.,"Abu ’l-Faraj ‘Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Naqid the tradi- tionist said that his uncle told him the following.
 I passed through Nishapur, which I found to be a huge, populous town. I stayed there for some days."
فأنا يوماً في الجامع أركعُ إذ دخل فتىً حسن الشباب رثُّ الحال عليه أثرُ الشقاء والغربة، فركع ركعتين إلى جانبي، ثم جلس يحدّثُني ويسألني عن حالي. فأخبرتُه أنني رجلٌ من العراق.,"One day I was in the Friday mosque making a rak‘a when a young man came in. He was in the bloom of his youth, but his appearance was shabby and the signs of misery and exile were discernible in his looks. He made two rak’as next to me, then he sat down to talk to me and to ask me about myself. I told him that I was an Iraqi."
فَتَنَفَّس الصُّعداءَ، ولم يَزَلْ يسألني عن موضعٍ موضع منها، وشيْخٍ شيخٍ من أهلها وأنا أجيبُه. فلما قطع مسألتي قلتُ له: جُعلتُ فداك! أراك خبيراً ببغداد، مَمَنْ أنتَ؟ قال: أنا رجلٌ من أهلها.,"He heaved a sigh of relief and then asked endlessly about this place and that, this old man and that, in Iraq. I answered his questions. When his questions stopped, I said to him, “May I be your ransom. I see that you are well informed about Baghdad, what people do you come from?” He said, “I am a Baghdadi”."
فاجتهدتُ أن يزيدني على هاذا شيئاً فلم يفعل. فقلتُ: وما الذي جاء بك إلى هاهنا؟ قال: شقاء جدٍّ ونقصان حظّ. فأوجعَ قلبي.,"I tried to make him say a bit more, but he would not. So I said, “What brings you here?”. He said, “Miserable luck  and misfortune”. He made my heart bleed,"
فقلتُ له: إنْ كُنْتَ، أيّدَكَ الله، تحتاجُ إلى نفقةٍ تفضّلْتَ بالانبساط إلىّ، وإنْ أحْبَبْتَ أن تكتبَ بذكرك إلى بغداد فافعل.,"so I said to him, “May God assist you! If you need financial support, feel free to ask me; and if you want to write to Baghdad about yourself (using me as a postman), go ahead and do it”."
فقال لي: أيُّها الرجل! أين يُذهب بك؟ لو انقادت نفسي إلى دون هاذا كان الوطنُ أولى من الغربة، وأنشأ يقولُ:,"He replied, “Mister! What are you thinking of? If I were willing to put up with less (humiliating conditions) than what you suggest, I might as well go home instead of staying in exile”. And he recited:"
ولكنّي أبِيُّ النفسِ جِدّاً        ولو ظمئتْ إلى الماءِ القَراحِ,“But I am exceedingly proud; even if (my soul) were to thirst for cool water (it would not drink).
وعلى الحالات فأنت مشكور، وقد اعتددتُ بعارفتك، وأنستُ بمحادثتك.,"In any case, I am grateful to you. I value having met you and I have enjoyed talking to you”."
وعَرَض لي شغل فقمتُ وتركتُه في الموضع. فلما عُدْتُ لصلاة الظُهْر لم أجده. ووجدتُ في موضعه مكتوباً على الحائط:,"I had something to do and got up, leaving him there. When I returned for the midday prayer I did not see him. Instead I found that he had written this on the wall where he had been sitting:"
"لو ماتتِ النفسُ من جوعٍ ومــن كمــد
                                            لما شكوْتُ الذي القى إلى أحدِ
        يا ليتني كنتُ أدري ما الذي صَنَعَتْ
                                           بعدي الحوادثُ بالأهْلين والولدِ","Even if I were to die of hunger and sadness, I would not complain of my suffering to anyone.
I wish I knew what has happened to my family and children since I left,"
"وبالحبيـــب الــذي ودّعتـــُه فبكـــي
                                          وقال: ما دار هاذا منك في خَلَدي
       لو كنتُ أعلـــمُ أنّ البيْـــنَ مقتـــربٌ
                                          ما كنتُ أصغي إلى عُذْرٍ ولا فَندِ","and to my beloved friend, who wept when I bade him farewell,
saying, I never imagined you would do this to me.
If I had known that lasting separation was approaching, I would not have heeded any excuse (of my own for leaving), nor any ill-advised decision."
فأعجبني قولُه. ثم طلبتُه بعد ذلك في البلد، فلم أرَ له أثراً.,"I liked his poem and later looked for him in the town, but I found no trace of him."
وقال لي رجلٌ من أهل بيروت: اجتزتُ بمدينة صور، فقرأتُ على سورها: حضر فلان بن فلان وهو يقول:,"A man from Beirut told me that he passed through the city of Tyre and read on a wall there: So-and-so was here and says,"
"دع الدنيا فإني لا أراهـا           لمن يرضى بها داراً بدارِ
       ودار إنّما الشهوات فيها           معـلّـقــة بأيـام قِـصـــــارِ","Leave off the world! I do not consider it a home (even) for those who are satisfied with it as a home.
It is a place in which appetites only last for short days."
ويُقال إنه وُجد كتابة منقورة في جَبَل بناحية اصطخر هاذه الكلمات: ربّ مَغْبوطٍ بنعمةٍ هي داؤه، ومرحومٍ مِنْ سَقَمٍ هو شفاؤه، ومحمود علي رخاءٍ هو بلاؤه.,"It is said that they found an inscription cut in a mountain near Istakhr, with this wording: How many a man is envied for his good fortune, yet it is his malady; how many a man is pitied for his illness, yet it is his cure; and how many a man is praised for his ease of life, yet it is his affliction."
وحُكي عن سُوَيْد بن جعفر الكوفيّ قال: قرأتُ على حجر منقور على باب الحيرة:,It is related from Suwayd ibn Ja‘far the Kufan that he read this engraved on a rock at the Hira gate:
مَنْ يعمل اليوم لدار البقاء يجزيه مولاة غداة اللقاء. فاجتهِد اليوم بحسن التُقى تَنْجُ به من شرّ دار الشقا.,He who works today for the everlasting abode his Lord will reward him on the morning of the Day of Resurrection; so strive today with good piety and you will escape from the evils of the abode of distress.
"قال: وقرأتُ على مسجد قد سُدَّ بابُه وانهدمتْ مواجبه:
         أفنى جميعَهمُ وبدَّدَ شملَهمْ            ملكٌ تفَرّدَ بالبقاءِ عزيزُ","He said, The following was read on a mosque, the door of which had been blocked up and the walls of which had fallen down:
A Mighty King, Who is the only one to last for ever, destroys all of them and disperses their gathering."
"وقال: قرأتُ على حائط بُستانٍ بنواحي الرّقة:
       كيف يصفو سرورُ مَنْ ليس يدري    أيَّ وَقْتِ يفجَأُهُ رَيْبُ المنونِ","He said, I read this on the wall of a garden in the outskirts of al-Raqqa: How can anyone enjoy happiness if he does not know when the misfortunes of time will come upon him?"
"ويُقال إنه قُرئ على باب خِرْبةٍ:
       أرى كُلَّ مغرورٍ يُحدِّثُ نفسَه        إذا ما مضى عامٌ سلامةَ قابلِ","It is said that they read this on the door of a ruin:
I see that every deluded person persuades himself, whenever a year has passed, that well-being (will come) in the next."
وحدّثني أبو بكر محمد بن عمر قال: أخبرنا أبو عبد الله محمّد ابن الفضل النحوي، قال: حدّثني بعض بني حمدون عن شيوخه قال:,"Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Umar told me that Abu ‘Abdallah Muhammad ibn al-Fadl, the grammarian, told him that a member of the Hamdun family had heard the following from (one of) his elders."
كنتُ مع المتوكل لما شخص إلى الشام، فلما صرنا بحمص قال أريدُ أن أطوف كنائسَ الرهبانِ كُلَّها، والموضع المعروف بالفراديس إذا وصلنا إليها فإني كنتُ أسمعُ بطيب هاذا الموضع,"I was with (the caliph) al-Mutawakkil when he went to Syria. When we came to Hims he said, “I want to walk around in all the monks’ churches, and also in the place known as Faradis,  when we get there, for I have heard that it is a pleasant place”."
فقلتُ: الرأيُ ما رآه أميرُ المؤمنين. ثم إنّا أُنزلنا منزلًا بين كنائس عظيمة وآثار قديمة، ترتاحُ النفوسُ إليها، ويشتهي مَنْ ينزلُها ألّا يرتحلَ عنها.,"I said, “What a good idea, Commander of the Faithful!”. Then we camped in a place between great churches and ancient ruins which are pleasant to behold and which the visitor does not want to leave."
فلما استراح مَنْ نَصَبِ الركوبِ استدعاني وقال: هل لك في التطواف؟ قلتُ: كما أمرَ أميرُ المؤمنين.,"When he had recovered from the fatigue of the journey he called me and said, “Would you like a walk around?”. “As the Commander of the Faithful orders”, I replied."
فأخذ بيدي، ولم يزل يستقري تلك الكنائس والديارات، ويشاهدُ فيها من عجائبِ الصور وفاخرِ الآلة، ويرى من أحداثِ الرهبان وبناتِ القِسّيسين وجوهاً كأنها أقمارٌ على غُصون، تَتَثَنّى في تلك الأروقة والصحون.,"So he took my hand and proceeded to explore the churches and monasteries at length, looking at their marvelous pictures and splendid accessories and seeing young monks and daughters of priests with faces like moons on branches strut about in the porticos and courtyards."
وكلّما مرّ بنا شيءٌ من ذلك يقولُ لي: ترى ويحك ما نحنُ فيه؟ ما شاهدتُ مثلَ هذا قطّ!,"Every time we passed something of that kind he would exclaim to me, “O my, do you see where we are? I have never seen anything like it”."
ثم خَلَوْنا براهبٍ من قُوّام الكنيسة، فلم يزل المتوكّلُ يسألُه عن حال كلّ جاريةٍ وغُلام يمرّ به، واسمه ونسبه، وهو يمشي، إذْ لمح كتابةً على حائط الكنيسة، فقربنا من ذلك فإذا هو:,"Then we had a private talk with a monk from among the custodians of the church, and al-Mutawakkil asked him at length about every girl and young man he passed, including their names and ancestry. While he was walking about he noticed an inscription on the wall of the church. We went up to it, and it said,"
حضر الغريبُ المشرّدُ الحريب وهو يقولُ: شُتّتَ شملي بعد الألفة، وشقيَ جسمي بعد الكلفة، ومشيتُ من العراق إلى هاذا الرواق، وارتحلتُ عنه في ذي الحجّة من سنة إحدى ومائتين، وأنا أقولُ:,"“A fugitive stranger robbed of his property was here and he says: my gathering split up after having been in harmony, and my body is wretched with discomfort. I walked from Iraq to this portico and departed from it in Dhu ’l-hijja of the year 201/June 817. And I say"
"آل أمري إلـى أخـسُّ الأمــور          وتبدْلـتُ كـربةٌ بســــرور
     واعترْتني من الزمان خُطوبٌ          تتبارى في هتكة المستور
     نفسُ صبراً لحادثات الليالــي          كـلُّ شـيءٍ يذلُّ للمقـــدورِ","My affairs have come to the vilest pass and I have exchanged joy for grief. Mishaps of time have afflicted me, competing to tear the veils (of my secrets). O self, patiently endure the adversities of time! Everything submits to what is decreed”."
قال: ويحك! ما أطْرَفَ هاذا المسكين، وما أحرقَ هاذا الأنين.,"He said, “Poor you! How exquisitely this miserable man has put it, how painful is this moan”."
ونحن في ذالك إذْ مَرّتْ بنا جاريةٌ ما رَمَقَتْ عيني لها شبيهاً، وعليها جوب وفي يدها دخنةٌ تدخّن بها.,"While we were thus occupied, a young girl passed by us, the like of whom I had never seen, wearing a gown of the type slipped over the head and carrying incense for fumigation."
فقال لها المتوكل: تعالي يا جارية. فأقبلَتْ بحسنِ أدب وكمالٍ. فقال للراهب: مَنْ هاذه؟ فقال: ابنتي. قال: وما اسمُها؟ قال: سعانين.,"Al-Mutawakkil said to her, “Come here, girl”. So she moved towards him with accomplished and perfect manners. He asked the monk who she was, and he replied, “My daughter”. “What is her name?” he asked. “Sa’anin”, he said."
قال المتوكّلُ: اسقيني ماءً. فقالت له: يا سيّدي، ماؤنا ها هنا من ماء الغدران، ولستُ استنظفُ لك آنيةَ الرهبان، ولو كانت حياتي ترويك لجدتُ بها لكَ. ثم أسرعَتْ فجاءت بكوزٍ من فضّة فيه ماء، فأومى إليَّ أن أشربه، فشربتُه.,"He asked her to give him some water to drink. She said, “Sir, our water here comes from pools and I do not think that the vessels of monks are clean enough for you. If my life could quench your thirst, I would freely give it to you”. Then she quickly brought a silver jug filled with water; he signalled to me that I should drink it, so I did."
واشتدَّ عَجَبُه بها وشهوتُه لها: فقال لها: يا سعانين! إنْ هويتُكِ تسعديني. فتَنَفّستْ وقالت: أمّا الآن فأنا عبدتُكَ، وأمّا إذا عرفتُ صحّة حبّكَ. وتمكنتُ من قلبك، فما أخوفني من حدوث الطغيان عند تمكّن السلطان. أما سمعتَ قول الشاعر:,"His admiration and desire for her grew. “Sa’anin, if I loved you would you make me happy?”, he asked her. She took a deep breath and said, “Now I am your slave; but if I knew your love to be true and I controlled your heart, I fear that I would become a tyrant once my power was well established. Have you not heard what the poet says?"
"كنتَ لي في أوائل الأمر عَبْداً       ثم لمّا مَلكتَ صرتَ عَدوّا
     أين ذاك السرورُ عند التلاقي       صـار منـي تجنُّبـاً ونُبـــوّا","At first you were a slave to me, but when you acquired power you became an enemy. Where is the old joy of meeting?
It has turned into avoidance and repugnance”."
فطربَ المتوكلُ وكاد يشقُّ قميصَه. ثم قال لها: فهبي لي نفسك اليوم حتى نشرب أنا وأنتِ، فإنّي ضيْفك. قالت له: بالرحْب والسّعة.,"Al-Mutawakkil was enraptured and almost tore his shirt, then he said to her, “Devote yourself to me for today so that we may drink together, you and I; I will be your guest”. She said, “You are most welcome”."
ثم أصعدتْ بنا إلى عليّةٍ مُشرفةٍ على تلك الكنائس كُلّها، فرأيْنا منظراً حسناً. ثم مَضَتْ فجاءت بآدامٍ نِظاف ورِقاق،,"Then she took us up to an upstairs room overlooking all the churches, where we had a beautiful view, and thereafter she went and brought some dips and nice loaves of flat bread."
وكأنَّ المتوكل عافها لعزّةِ الخلافة، فاستأذنها في إحضار طعام، فأذِنَتْ. فجيء بخروف وسنبوسج وأشياء قريبة المأخذ من طعامٍ مثله.,"But al-Mutawakkil appeared to disdain them because of his exalted position as caliph. He asked for her permission to bring (his own) food and she permitted it, so they brought in young lamb, meat-pie and other easily handled foods of this kind."
فاستظْرَفَتْ ما جيء به، واستهوَلِت الآلةَ، ففطنتْ لأمر المتوكل فقامت قائمةً بين يديه تخدمه وتكفّرُ له. فمنعها.,She found the things they brought delightful and was awed by the equipment. Then she realized what sort of rank al-Mutawakkil had and got up to stand beside him to serve and do obeisance to him; but he stopped her.
ثم جاءنا أبوها بشراب من بيت القربان، ذكر المتوكل أنّه لم يَرَ مثله قطّ. فشربَ وشربتْ معه،,"Then her father came with wine from the communion store, of which al-Mutawakkil later said that he had never seen anything like it, so he drank and she drank with him."
واستعفيتُه من أجل حُمّى كانت لحقتْني في تلك الليلة. فأعفاني.,"I asked to be excused (from drinking) because of a fever I had caught that night, and he excused me."
وسرّ بها وبظرفها، وحلاوة منطقها، سروراً تامّاً. فلما أخذ الشرابُ منها قالت: أُغنّيك يا سيّدي مِنْ غنائنا، على ضَعْفِ الصنْعة؟,"He was exceedingly pleased with her and her refined manners and the sweetness of her diction. When the wine overwhelmed her, she said, “Shall I sing you one of our songs, Sir, though I am weak in this art?”."
أنا عبدةُ لهواكَ فاشربْ واسْقِني      واعْدلْ بكأسِكَ عن خليلِك إنْ أبى,"I am a slave to your love, so drink and give me to drink, and turn away your cup from your friend if he refuses."
قد، والذي رَفَعَ السماءَ، مَلَكْتَني      وتَرَكـتَ قلبـي فـي هواكَ معذّبــا,"By the one who raised the sky, you have taken possession of me and left my heart tormented by passion for you."
فنَعَرَ المتوكّلُ وقال لي: ويلك! أميِّتٌ أنتَ؟,"Al-Mutawakkil snorted and said to me, “Damn you! Are you dead?”."
ثم أرْغَبَها المتوكّل فأسلمتْ، وتزوّجها. ولم تزلْ حظيّةً عنده إلى أنْ قُتِلَ وهى في داره.,Then al-Mutawakkil awakened her interest (in Islam) and she converted. He married her and she was his favourite wife until he was killed; she was in his palace al the time.
حدّثني أبو محمد حمزة بن القاسم قال: حدثني رجلٌ من أهل الفسطاط قال: كنتُ ممّن يدرسُ كتبَ المطالب ويقفو آثارها. ويسافر إلى مواضعها، أنا وجماعةٌ من أهلَ مصرَ.,"Abu Muhammad Hamza ibn al-Qasim told me that a man from al-Fustat (old Cairo) told him the following.
I was one of those who study books about hidden treasures and follow their tracks, travelling to wherever they are, I and a group of Egyptians."
فوقع إلينا في بعض الكتب خبرُ مَطْلَبٍ عظيم الشأن في بلاد اليونانية، بينه وبين مصر مسيرةُ ثلاثة أيّام في طريق غيرِ مسلوك.,"From some book we learnt of a huge treasure in Greece located three days’ journey  from Egypt by a
route that nobody had travelled before."
فأخذنا صفه وتزوّدنا وسِرْنا بين آكامٍ وجبالٍ ورمالٍ خفناها، حتى إذا مَضَتْ ثلاثةُ أيّام أشرفْنا على سورٍ عظيمٍ منقور من حَجَرٍ أبيضَ كالثلج فيه تلميعُ أسود كالجنازير التي تكون على السور،,"We copied the description, got provisions together and travelled along fearsome hills, mountains, and stretches of sand until, on the third day, we overlooked mighty walls which were cut in snow-white stone with black streaks like the patina one sees on walls."
فكبَّرنا الله جلَّ اسمُه وحمدناه.  فلما قربنا من أحدِ أركان الحصْنِ إذا عليه كتابةٌ في بياض الحجر بسواد:,"We exclaimed that God is great, exalted is His name, and gave praise to Him, exalted is He, and when we approached one of the corners of the fortress we saw an inscription in black on the white stone:"
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. يقول فلان بنُ فُلان بن فُلان: مَنْ وصل إلى هاذا الموضع بعدي فَلْيعجبْ من قصّتي، وليَرْثِ لَمحنتي.,"In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate. So-and-so, son of so-and-so, says, He who arrives at this place after me, let him marvel at my story and bewail my trials."
خرجتُ هارباً من الإملاق، وتضايق الأرزاق، فعُدِل بي عن السداد، وتهْتُ في البلاد، وبلغ بي الدهر إلى هذا القصر:,"I left, fleeing from poverty and straitened circumstances, but I lost my lucky hand and went astray in this land, and fate took me to this castle:"
فاستطرفنا أن تكون الغُربةُ بلَّغَتْ إنساناً إلى ذلك المكان.,We marvelled at the fact that exile could have driven a man all the way to this place.
قال: لأنك تذلّ، ولا أذلّ. وتخدم ولا أخدُمُ. وتطمعُ ولا أطمعُ. وأغدو وأروح خليَّ البال قليلَ الاشتغال، وصاحب السرير- فضلًا عنك – في الأهوال.,"“Because you are humiliated whereas I am not; you serve whereas I do not; and you crave whereas I do not. I come and go with peace of mind and little to do, whereas rulers, not to mention you, live in fear and tremor’’."
ثم قام فكتب على ساج العبَّارة بالقلم الذي كان في يده هاذين البيتين:,Then he got up and wrote these two verses on the teak wood of the ferry with the pen in his hand:
أُساءَلُ عن حالي ويُرثى لمنظري      حبيبي، وهاذا فـي هـواك قليـلُ,"People ask about my state and bewail my appearance, Beloved! As against your love it is nothing"
فدخلنا فإذا أبنيةٌ قديمةٌ عظيمةٌ، وآثار مهولةٌ، وحيّاتٌ أزليَّة.,"We went inside, where we saw ancient and mighty buildings, awe-inspiring ruins, and deadly snakes."
وإذا في وسط القُبّةِ شخصٌ ماثلٌ من نحاس، تام القامة، بعينين تدوران في رأسه، قبيح المنظر، وحركاتٍ في أطرافه، لا يشكّ مَنْ يراه أنَّه حيوان.,"In the middle of the dome a figure of copper was standing erect, of full height, with eyes that rolled in his head, hideous to look at and with movement in his limbs. When one saw him, one was sure he was alive."
وإذا الكنز في أرض القبّة تحت الطِّلسْم، فلم نَزَلْ نعمل في قلعة كُلَّ حيلةٍ بالرجم بالحجارة، وغير ذلك، وهو أحكمُ من هاذه الحال، إلى أن قَرُب الليلُ، وخفنا الأفاعي التي في القصر، فخرجنا ولم نَحْظَ إلَّا بقفل الذهب، فإنّه كان فيه نحو خمس مئة ألف مِثْقال.,"The treasure was in the dome below this talisman. We tried all sorts of ways of removing him, throwing stones at him and the like, but he was too robust for such tricks, and eventually night fell. We were scared of the vipers in the castle, so we left without acquiring anything apart from the lock of gold. But then it weighed about 500,000 mithqals."
وانصرفنا راجعين إلى مصر، وآليْتُ أن لا أسافر في طلب الكنوز بعدها.,"So we departed and went back to Egypt, and I swore never to go treasure-hunting again."
حدّثني فتىً من أهل الموصل قال: كنتُ سائراً بالساحل في طريق مكة، وإنّي لفي بعض الطريق إذْ سمعتُ صوتاً_ ولا أرى أحداً_ وهو يقول:,"A young man from Mosul told me this. When I was travelling along the coastal Mecca road (in Syria) I heard a voice somewhere along the road, though I could not see anybody. It said:"
فحفظتُ البيتين، ولما وصلتُ إلى جبلٍ بالقرب من الموضع كتبْتُهما على جانبه.,I learnt the two verses by heart and when I got to a mountain in the vicinity I wrote them on its side.
ومضيتُ فأقمتُ بالرملة شهوراً، وعُدْتُ فاجتزتُ بالموضع الذي كنتُ كتبتُهما فيه. فاذا تحته مكتوب:,"I continued on my way and spent some months in al-Ramla, then I returned and passed through the place in which I had written them, and lo, somebody had written underneath:"
ولا أدري لمن الشعر الأول ولا الثاني.,I do not know who composed either the first or the second poem.
حدثنا أبو الحسن على بن عبد الله الواسطي الصوفي وكان حلواً من بين الصوفية قال: اجتزتُ بسرّ مَنْ رأى يوماً. فقصدتُ المسجد الجامع،,"Abu ’l-Hasan ibn ‘Abdallah al-Wasiti the mystic, who was a jesting man from among the mystics, told us the following.
I passed through Surra Man Ra’a one day and went to the Friday mosque;"
فإنّي لعلى نحو من ثُلث المنارة أقرأ خطوطَ الناسِ بحضورهم فأعجبُ من كثْرَتها إذ قرأتُ بين الخطوط:,there I read the graffiti of people recording their presence on about a third of the minaret and marvelled at their number. One of the graffiti read as follows:
يا كاشفَ الكرْبَة عن أيّوب، ومُرْسِلَ العير إلى يعقوب، فرِّج هموم الكَمِدِ المكروب، وارزُقْه من فضلك يا وَهوب.,"O you who relieved the grief  of Job and who sent the caravan to Jacob, deliver this distressed and anxious man of his worries and give him sustenance from your bounty, O generous one."
وفي موضع آخر مكتوب على الجصّ: حضر علّي بن جابر الرازي وهو يقول: معاشر الغرباء والمجتازين! لِمَ اللجاجةُ عادةُ المحبوبين، والخلاف خلق المعشوقين؟,"In another place there was written on the plaster: ‘Ali ibn Jabir al-Razi was here and he says, O strangers and passers-by, why do the loved ones have the habit of being obstinate, and why is it in the nature of those whom one passionately loves to disagree?"
خبّـرونــا هداكــمُ اللهُ هاذا       قد سألنا عن ذاك أهلَ العلومِ,"Tell us this, may God guide you, we have asked learned men about it."
فأجابوا بغير شيء عرفناه  ،    ولم يشـف ما بنـا مـن كُلــومِ,"They answered with things we did not know, without healing our wounds."
عجّلوا بالجواب حيّاكم الله       ومنّـــوا بـه علـى المهمــــومِ,"Hurry to give us an answer, may God prolong your life, and bestow it as a favor on this anxious man."
فلم أدْرِ ما أكتبُ به، وتقاصرتْ نفسي إلى أن يكون رجل من أهل الريّ يسأل أهل العراق عن شيء، فلا يسرعون إلى الجواب عنه. فانصرفتُ مغتاظاً.,"I did not know what to write in response, and I could not bear that a man from Rayy should ask Iraqis about something they could not immediately answer, so I left in irritation."
قال صاحب هاذا الكتاب: وشخصتُ إلى باجِسْرا في بعض المتصرّفات فأقمتُ بها مدّةً طالت في غير فائدة.,The author of this book says: I went to BaJisra on some business and stayed there for some time which grew long without being of any use.
ثم أردتُ الانحدارَ عنها. فأعوزني ذلك لمحاصرة بني شيبان إيَّاها.,"Then I wanted to leave, but was unable to do so because the Banu Shayban were laying siege to it."
فكنتُ ألازم المسجد الجامع لأنّه كان مطّلًا على سامرّاً، وله فسحة. فحضرتْني هذه الأبياتُ فكتبتُها على حائط المسجد، وهى:,I spent my time at the Friday mosque because  it commanded a view of Samarra and there these verses came to my mind which I wrote on the wall of the mosque:
"أقـولُ والنفـسُ ألــوفٌ حَسْـــرى
                    والعينُ منْ طولِ البكاءِ عَبـْـرى","I say, while my soul is anxious and weary, my eye tearful from lengthy weeping,"
"وقد أنارتْ في الظلامِ الشِّعْـرى
                    وانحدرتْ بنــاتُ نعشِ الكُبــْرى","while Sirius illuminates the darkness, and Ursa Major is setting,"
وحدّثني أبو محمد حمزة، قال: حدّثني نصر بن أحمد الخبز أرزي الشاعر، قال:,Abu Muhammad Hamza told me that Nasr ibn Ahmad al-Khubzaruzzi the poet told him the following.
سأصبرُ حتى تـرعوي وترقّ لـي      وينهج من طُرْق الوصالِ سبيلُ,"I shall hold out until you repent and take pity on me, so that a path may be taken leading to union."
ومضى وتركني، فقمتُ إلى موضع الكتابة وقرأتُ الشعر وحفظتُه وعلمتُ أنَّه شابٌ عاشق غريبٌ متأدّب.,"Then he left. I went up to the inscription, read the poetry, and learnt it by heart. I knew then that he was a young man in passionate love, and well educated."
حدّثني أبو الفضل بن أبي نوح الكاتب قال: كنتُ بالبصرة، وقد وردها أبو محمد الحسن بن محمد المهلّبي، في أيَّام وزارته. فنزل بمسماران وأقام أيَّاماً، ثم ارتحل نحو الأهواز.,"Abu ’l-Fadl ibn Abi Nuh the secretary told me the following.
I was in Basra when Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-MuhallabT had just arrived there, in the days of his vizierate. He camped at Mismaran and stayed there for some days, then he marched to al-Ahwaz."
"أحنُّ إلــى بغـدادَ شوْقــاً وإنَّمــا        أحنُّ إلى إلْفٍ بها ليَ شائـقِ
مقيمٍ بأرضٍ غبتُ عنها وبدعةٌ        إقامةُ معشوقٍ ورحلةُ عاشقِ","I have a great longing for Baghdad. What I long for there is a beautiful friend of mine, who is staying in a place that I am absent from. That the beloved should stay and the lover depart is a reprehensible innovation."
وحدّثني أبو الحسن عليّ بن الكلواذي المعروف بليلى قال: حدثني جحظة قال: خرجتُ إلى البَرَدَان مع قوم من أهل بغداد دعوني إليها، فلما صرنا بها خرْجنا نتنزّه في بساتينها.,"Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Ali ibn al-Kalwadhi known as Layla said that Jahza told him this.
I went out to al-Baradan with some people from Baghdad who had invited me there. When we arrived, we went out for an excursion to its gardens."
"وشربــتُ في حَاناتــه ورياضـــه       مع كلّ أهيف كالقضيب الذابــل
   مـــن قهـــوة مسكيّــــة ذهبيَّــــــة       ممــا يعتقــه التجــار ببــابــــــل","I drank in its inns and its gardens,
with every slender (youth) resembling a tender bough, musky and golden wine left by the merchants to mature in Babylon."
"ونعمـت ليلــي بالعنــاقِ وغيـــره       وفعلــتُ فعلَ الفاتـك المتجاهــل
   مهما ركبتَ من الأمورِ فلنْ ترى       أشهى وأحلى من ركوبِ الباطلِ","What a wonderful night I had,
embracing and the like,
and doing the deed of the heedless desperado.
Whatever you commit,
you will not experience anything sweeter or more delightful than behaving badly."
وقرأتُ في كتابٍ صنَّفه القاضي أبو الحسين عمر بن محمد بن يوسف سمَّاه (كتاب الفرج بعد الشدّة). قال: رُوي لنا عن العتبي قال: حدثني بعض مشايخنا قال: أتيتُ السند، فدخلتُ خاناً، فإنّي لأدورُ فيه إذْ قرأتُ كتاباً في بعض أروقته:,"I read in the book by the judge Abu ’l-Husayn ‘Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Yusuf, which he called The Book of Delivery from Hardship, that it was related to him that al-cUtbi heard the following from one of his teachers.
I came to Sind and entered an inn, and while I was walking around in it I saw an inscription in one of its rooms:"
"عسى مشروبٌ يصفو فيروي ظَمَاءَةً       أطال صداها المشربُ المتكدّرُ
  عسى بالجلــودُ العاريـات ستكتســـي       وبالمستذَلّ  المُسْتَضَامِ سيُنْصَرُ","May a spring of water be clear and quench my thirst, which a muddy spring has made intense.
May the naked skins be clothed, and may the derided and injured person receive help."
"عسى جابر العظـم الكسيــرِ بلطفــــه       سيرتاح للعظم الكسيـر فيجبــُر
  عسى الله، لا تيــــأسْ مــن الله إنّــــه       يهــونُ عليــه ما يجــلّ ويكبــرُ",May the setter of broken bones in His mercy grant recovery to the broken bone so that it will heal.
فحدثتُ بهاذا الحديث بعض ولد البُختكاني فقال لي: كنتُ غلاماً بالشام، فدخلتُ كنيسة للنصارى بها موصوفة لأنظر إليها.,"May God (grant all that). Do not despair of God, for doing glorious and mighty deeds is easy for Him."
فإذا بين الصور مكتوب: يقولُ صالح بن عليّ بن عبد الله ابن عباس: نزلتُ هذه الكنيسة يوم كذا من شهر سنة ثمان عشرة ومائة، وأنا مكبّلٌ بالحديد، إلى أمير المؤمنين هشام بن عبد الملك.,"A son of al-Bakhtikam’s told me this story. He said:
When I was a boy in Syria I went into a Christian church to see things in it that I had heard praised. Lo, among the pictures this was written: Salih ibn ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdallah ibn ‘Abbas says, I a day of (such a) month in the year 118/736f, shackled in iron, on my way to the Commander of the Faithful Hisham."
ما سُدَّ بابٌ ولا ضاقَتْ مذاهبه          إلا أتاني وشيكاً بعده ظَفَرُ,"No door is shut, and no entry is difficult, without success being imminent hereafter."
قال: فكان بين ذلك وبين أن نزل صالح بن عليّ تلك الكنيسة بعينها لمحاربة مروان بن محمد أربع عشرة سنة.,He said: there were only fourteen years between this and Salih ibn ‘Ali’s return to this very church in order to fight Marwan ibn Muhammad.
حدثني أبو بكر محمد بن عبد الواحد الهاشمي قال: حدّثني رجل من أهلي يُعرف بصالح بن عبد الرازق قال: حججتُ فرأيتُ في تطوافي على حائط المسجد الحرام مكتوباً:,"Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahid al-Hashimi told me that a member of his family known as Salih ibn ‘Abd al-Razzaq said, When I went on pilgrimage, I saw this written on the wall of the Holy Mosque during my circumambulation (of the Ka‘ba):"
يا أهلَ مكَّــةَ قد فُتِنْـتُ بظبيــةٍ         ترعى ديارَكُمُ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُسْعِــدِ,"O people of Mecca, I have been tempted by a gazelle which pastures in your abodes; will anybody help me?"
إنّي غريبٌ، والغريبُ مُسَاعَـدٌ        ذو صَبْوَةٍ فارثوا لطولِ تكدُّري,"I am a stranger, and as such should be helped,
and hopelessly infatuated; have pity on my long affliction."
إني احتشمتُ لقاءَكم وخطابَكم        فكتبتُ مـا ألقى ببـابِ المسجــدِ,"I felt too shy to meet and speak to you, so I wrote of my suffering by the door of the mosque."
"فحفظتُ الأبيات، ولم أدر لمن هي.
وأقمتُ بمكة أيّاماً، فدخلتُ إلى مجلس جارية لبعض أهل مكَّة تغنّي بالقضيب، في نهاية الطيب والحِذْق، فأعجبتني وأطربتني، فغنَّتْ في آخر مجلسها:","I learnt the verses by heart without knowing who their author was and stayed in Mecca for some days, during which I went to a gathering at the house of a singing girl belonging to some Meccan. She was singing and marking the beat with a stick in an exceedingly beautiful and skillful manner. I admired her and was enraptured by her, and towards the end of her party she sang:"
قالوا غداة غدٍ رحيلُ الموسمِ         وفراقُ مَنْ تهوى بأنفٍ راغــمِ,"They say, tomorrow morning the pilgrims will depart and you will leave your loved one against your will."
فَزَفَرْتُ زفْرةَ عاشـقٍ متحيـّرٍ        وبكيتُ من جَزَعٍ بدمـعٍ ساجــمِ,I sigh the sigh of the passionate and bewildered lover and weep in anguish with flowing tears.
هاذا وما حُمّ الفراقُ فكيف لو         قالوا الرحيل يكونُ حالُ الهايمِ,"If these are my torments before the parting has happened, how will the love-sick feel when the departure is announced?"
فقام فتىً في آخر المجلس فصاح، وعضَّ ثيابه، ولطم خدَّه، ولم يزل يقول ويبكي:,"A young man got up, shouting, slitting his clothes and slapping his cheeks, endlessly weeping and saying:"
فعلمتُ أنَّ الأبيات المكتوبة على المسجد الحرام له، وأنَّه عاشق للجارية.,Then I knew that the verses written on the Holy Mosque were by him and that he was passionately in love with the singing girl.
وحدّثني صديقٌ قال: قرأتُ على حائط خضراء أبي جعفر في يوم جمعة: حضر فلان بن فلان ومعه شمعة الزمان فلان بن الخضر ففعلا وصنعا ما يعزّ على أبي جعفر، ولكنَّ الغريب تحتمل هفواتُه، وتغفر جناياتُه، لبُعْدِ داره، وشحط مزاره وحاجته واضطراره.,"A friend of mine told me that he read this on wall of the Green (Dome) of Abu Ja’far on a Friday: So-and-so was here together with the flame of time, so-and-so, son of al-Khidr, and they did things and committed acts that would be terrible for Abu Ja’far (to hear about); but the lapses of strangers are forgivable and their sins are pardoned because they are far from their homes, distanced from their visiting places and driven by need and necessity."
فمن قرأ ما كتبتُ فليعذر فيما ارتكبت. وقد قلتُ هاذه الأبيات:,"So whoever reads what I have written, let him pardon the sins I have committed. I have composed these verses:"
"وانجــرَّ خلفــيَ يمشـــي            بخاتميْـــه العقيــــــقِ
            حتـــى مَرَرْنـــا بـــــدارٍ            قديمـــةِ التزويــــــقِ",He (then) drifted behind me and walked (displaying his) two carnelian signet rings  until we passed by a house with ancient ornaments
"فحيــن نوّمتُ حِبّــــي             وصرتُ وسْطَ الشقوق
           بكــى وأعلن صوتــــاً              بــرنّـــــةٍ وشــهيـــــق","When I laid down my love and penetrated him, he wept and raised his voice in a wail and a sob,"
وحدّثني ورّاقٌ لقيتُه بسوق الأهواز قال: خرجتُ يوماً إلى بيوت العُبَّاد التي على الجبل الذي يلي البلد، وقد كنتُ شاهدتُها.,"A copyist I met in Suq al-Ahwaz told me this.
I went out one day to the cells of the ascetics on the mountain near {the town}. Having looked at them."
وإذا تحته مكتوب بغير ذلك الخطّ: اللهم استجب دعاه، واسمع شكواه، واكشفْ بَلْواه:,"Underneath there was written in a different hand: “0 God, respond to his prayer, listen to his complaint and deliver him from his affliction."
وارحم تقطّعهم في كل مهلكةٍ        وامنُنْ بلطفِكَ يا ذا الطَوْل والمِننِ,"Take pity on their lack of kith and kin in every danger, and be kind in your grace, possessor of power and kindliness”."
قال صاحب هاذا الكتاب: وكنت في أيّام الشبيبة والصبا ألِفْتُ فتىً من أولادِ الجند، في السنةِ التي توفي فيها مُعِزُّ الدولة وولي بختيار، وكان لأبيه حال كبيرة ومنزلةٌ من الدولة ورتبةٌ.,"The author of this book says: In my young and youthful days I was on intimate terms with a young man from among the sons of the members of the army, in the year in which (the ruler) Mu’izz al-Dawla died [and Bakhtiyar took power]. His father [was a man of great substance who] had a high position and rank with the government,"
وكان الفتى في نهاية حسنِ الوجهِ وسلاسة الخُلْق وكرم الطبع، وممن يحبّ الأدب ويميلُ إلى أهله.,"and the young man was endowed with extreme beauty, a gentle character, and a noble nature. He was one of those who loved literature (adab) and had a penchant for people engaged in it,"
ولم يزل يعمل به قريحته حتى عرف صَدْراً من العلم، وجمع خزانةً من الكتب حسنةً.,And he kept working on his disposition for it so that he acquired a fair amount of learning; he also accumulated a good library.
فمضتْ لي معه سِيَرٌ لو حُفظتْ لكانت في كتاب مُفْرَد، من مُعاتبات ومكاتبات وغير ذالك، مما يطولُ شرحُه. منها ما يُشبه ما نحنُ فيه:,"I had experiences with him that would fill a book of its own if they were recorded, in the way of mutual recriminations, exchanges of letters, and the like, which it would take loo long to explain, but some of which are appropriate to the present subject."
أنّني جئتُه في يوم جُمعة غدوةً فوجدتُه قد ركب إلى الحلبة. وكانت عادتُه أن يركب اليها في كلّ جُمعة ويوم ثلاثاء.,I came to him one Friday [morning] and found that he had already ridden off to the race track. It was his habit to go there every Friday and Tuesday.
فجلستُ على دكة له على بابِ دارِ أبيه في موضعٍ فسيحٍ كان عَمَرَها وفَرَشها،,So I sat down on a bench he had by the gate of his father’s mansion in a spacious area that he had built and furnished.
وكنَّا نجلسُ عليها للمحادثة إلى ارتفاع النهارِ، ثم ندخل إذا أقمتُ عنده إلى حُجرة نظيفةٍ مُفْردة له، فنجتمع على الشراب والشطرنج وما أشبههما. فطال جلوسي في ذالك اليوم منتظراً له،,"We used to sit there to talk until the day passed away and then, if I stayed on, we would go inside to a pleasant room set apart for him and drink together, play chess, and the like. I sat there for a long time that day waiting for him."
وأبطأ وتصبّح من أجل رهانٍ بين فَرَسَيْن لبختيار.,"He stayed away the entire morning because of a bet between two horses of Bakhtiyar’s,"
فعرض لي لقاءُ صديقٍ لي. فقمتُ لأمضيَ اليه ثم أعود. فهجس لي أن أكتب على الحائط الذي كنَّا نستندُ اليه هاذه الأبيات:,"so it came to my mind to go and see a friend and then come back. When I got up to go there, it occurred to me to write these verses on the wall that we used to lean against:"
"يا مَــنْ أظَــلُّ ببــابِ دارِهْ         ويطولُ حَبْسي بانتظــارِهْ
        وحياةِ وجهـك واحمــراره        ومجالِ صدغك في مداره
        لا حُلْتُ عُمري عن هواك        ولو صُلِيــتُ بحــرِّ نــاره","O you by the gate of whose house I have remained and in awaiting whom I have been detained for long. By the life of your face and its blushing, and the place where your earlock moves in its circling. I would not, by my life, deviate from my love of you even if I were to burn in the heat of its fire."
وقمتُ. فلما عاد وقرأ الأبيات غضب من فعلي، وخشي أن يقف عليها مَنْ يحتشمه.,"Then I left. When he returned and read the verses, he got angry with me for writing them, being afraid that they might be seen by somebody he would be ashamed to face."
وكان شديد الكتمان لما بيني وبينه، مطالباً بمثل ذالك، مراقبةً لأبيه، إلَّا أنَّ ظَرْفَهُ ووكيدَ محبّته لي لم تدعه حتى أجاب عنها بما كتب تحتها.,"He was extremely secretive about the relationship between us and wanted me to act similarly, out of fear of his father; but his wit and his deep love of me made it impossible for him not to respond to the verses by writing something underneath"
فرجعتُ من ساعتي فوجدتُه في دار أبيه، فاستأذنتُ عليه،,"I returned straightaway, found him in his father’s house, and asked for permission to see him."
فخرج إليَّ خادم وقال: يقول لك وحياتك لا التقينا، أو تقف على الجوال عن الأبيات، فإنه مكتوب تحتها.,"A servant came out to me and said, “He tells you, by your life, that you should not meet until you have seen the answer to the verses written underneath them”."
فصعدتُ الدكّةَ، فإذا تحت الأبياتِ بخطّه,"So I went to the bench and lo, there was written below the verses in his hand:"
ما هاذه الشناعة، ومَنْ فَسَح لك في الإذاعة، وما أوْجَبَ خروجَكَ عن الطاعة؟ ولكن أنا جَنَيْتُ على نفسي وعليك، مَلَّكتُكَ فطَغَيْتَ، وأطعتُك فتَعدّيْتَ، وما احتشِمُ أن أقول لك: هاذا تعرّضٌ للإعراض عنك. والسلام”,"“What is this repulsiveness? Who allowed you to broadcast things? What made it necessary for you  to stop doing as I say? But I am the one who has done wrong to myself and to you, for I made you king and you acted tyrannically; I obeyed you and you transgressed. I am not ashamed to tell you that with this you risk that I leave you. Goodbye”."
فعلمتُ أنّي أخطأتُ، وسقَطَتْ – علم الله – قوّتي، وركبتني البلادة، وأخذتْني الندامةُ والحيْرَةُ.,"So I knew that I had made a mistake, and God knows I lost my strength. Feebleness over came me, and remorse and confusion took hold of me."
ثم أذِن لي، فدخلتُ وقبَّلْتُ يدَه، فمنعَني، وقلتُ: يا سيّدي غلطةٌ غلِطْتُها، وهَفْوَةٌ هَفَوْتُها، وإنْ لم تتجاوز عنها وتَعْفُ هَلَكْتُ.,"Then he gave permission for me to come in. I went in and kissed his hand, but he slopped me. I said, “0 sir, I made a mistake, I am guilty of a slip. If you don’t overlook it and pardon me, I shall perish”."
فقال: أنتَ في أوسعِ العُذْرِ بعد أن لا يكون لها أختٌ. وعاتبني على ذلك عتاباً عرفتُ صِحته.,"He said, “I pardon you completely on condition that you do not do it again”. And he reproached me severely, as I deserved."
ثم لم تمض إلّا مُدَيْدَةٌ حتى قُبضَ على أبيه فهربَ، فاحتاج إلى الاستتار، فلم يأنس هو وأهله إلَّا بكونه عندي.,"Not long thereafter his father was arrested. So he fled and needed a hiding place, and neither he nor his family wanted him to stay with anyone except me."
فأنا على غفلةٍ إذْ دخل في خُفِّ وإزار، وكادتْ والله مرارتي تَنْفَطِرُ فَرَحاً.,"I was taken unawares when he entered (my bedroom) wearing only slippers and a waistband, and my heart almost burst with joy."
فتلقيتُه أُقبّلُ رجلَيْه، وهو يضحكُ ويقولُ: يأتيها رزقهُا وهى نائمة. هاذا يا حبيبي بختُ مَنْ لا يصومُ ولا يصلّي في الحقيقة.,"I went to meet him and kissed his feel, and he laughed, saying, “Her good fortune comes while she is asleep! This, my love, is a stroke of luck for a (wicked man) who neither fasts nor truly prays”."
وكان أخفَّ الناسِ روحاً وأمتعهم نادرة، وبتْنا في تلك الليلة عَروسَيْن، لا نعقِلُ سُكْراً. واصطبحنا فقلتُ هاذه الأبيات,"He was an extremely lighthearted person and a most amusing teller of anecdotes. We spent that night like bride and bridegroom, so drunk that we were unconscious. When we drank in the morning, I recited these verses:"
"بِتُّ وباتَ الحبيبُ نَدْمانـي         من بَعْدِ نأيٍ وطولِ هِجـرانِ
      نَشْـرَبُ قُفْصِيَّــةً مُعتّقَـــةً           بحانــةِ الشـطِّ منــذ أزمــانِ","I spent the night with my beloved as my drinking companion, who had avoided and shunned me for so long.
We drank Qufsi wine that had matured for ages in the tavern by the river bank."
"وكُلَّما دارتِ الكؤوسُ لنا           ألْثَمَنـــي فـــاهُ ثــم غَنّانـــي
      الحمــدُ لله لا شــريكَ لـه           أطاعني الدهرُ بعد عصيانِ","Every time our cups circled he gave me his mouth to kiss, then he sang to me:
Praise be to God who has no partner, fate is going my way now instead of being fractious."
ولم يزل مُقيماً عندي نحو الشهر، إلى أن تقرّر أمرُ أبيه وعاد إلى داره.,"He stayed with me for about a month, then his father’s affairs were sorted out and he returned to his own house."
حدّثني أبو الحسين أحمد بن محمد بن زيد الورَّاق، قال: أخبرني عمّي، قال: سافرتُ في طلب العلم والحديث، فلم أدَعْ بخراسان بلداً إلّا دَخَلْتُه. فلما دخلتُ سَمَرْقَنْد رأيتُ بلداً حسناً أعجبني، وتمنّيتُ أن يكون مقامي فيه بقيّة عمري. فأقمتُ أياماً، وعاشرتُ من أهله جماعةً. فحدّثني بعضهم قال:,"AbO ’l-Husayn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Zayd al-Warraq told me that his uncle told him that when he travelled in search of knowledge and hadith he went to every town in Khurasan. When he got to Samarqand he found it a pleasant and likable town where he would have liked to spend the rest of his life. He stayed there for some days and befriended a group of people, one of whom told him the following"
وَرَدَ إلينا فتىً من أهلِ بغداد حسنُ الوجه، فلم يزلْ مقيماً عندنا دهراً، وكان أديباً، ثمّ إنّه أثرى وحَسُنَتْ حالُه، فارتحل مع الحاجّ إلى العراق، وكان يهوى فتىً من أولاد الفقهاء، وله معه مواقف، وأقاصيص، وله فيه أشعارٌ كثيرة يحفظُها أهل البلد.,"A handsome youth from Baghdad, a cultured man, came to us and stayed with us for a long time; but when he acquired wealth and improved his circumstances, he left with the pilgrim caravan for Iraq. He was in love with a youth, a son of one of the jurists, with whom he had all sorts of experiences and adventures and about whom he composed many poems, which the locals memorized."
فخرج يوماً معه إلى بستانٍ للنزهة، وأقاما يومَهما، فخرجتُ في غدِ ذالك اليوم فاجتزْتُ بالبستان فدخلتُه. فإنّي لَأطوفه إذ قرأتُ على حائط مجلس فيه مكتوباً:,"One day he went out for an excursion to a garden with this youth and stayed there for the day. The next morning I went out and passed by this garden, so I went in, and as I was walking around it in, I saw this written on the wall of a meeting place:"
"لم يَخبْ سعيي ولا سَفَري          حين نلتُ الحظَّ من وَطَري
       من قضيبِ البانِ في مَيـَلٍ          وشبيــهِ الشمــسِ والقَمَـــــر","My effort did not fail, nor my journey, for I was in luck with my beloved.
who sways like a ben tree branch and resembles the sun and moon."
"لسـتُ أنسـى يومَنــا أبــداً           بفَنـــا البُستـــان والنَّهَــــــرِ
       في رياضٍ وسْط دَسْكَـرَةٍ           وبســاطٍ حُـــفَّ بالشجـــــرِ","I shall never forget our day in the expanse of the garden by the river, in the meadows amid the plain, on a carpet surrounded by trees,"
"وأبـــو نصـــرٍ يُعانقنـــي           طافحاً سُكراً إلـى السَّحَـــرِ
      غيــْر أنَّ الدهْــرَ فَرّقنــــا            وكذا مــن عــادةِ القَـــــدَرِ","Abu Nasr embracing me until dawn, overflowing with drunkenness.
But time has parted us, as is the custom of fate."
“الغريبُ ينبسط في القول والفعل لاطّراحه المراقبة وأمنه في هَفَوَاته من المعاتبة:,Underneath was written: “The stranger acts and speaks freely because he has escaped surveillance and feels sure he will not be blamed for his lapses.
"وتحته مكتوب:
  وليس اقتنائي سَمْرَقَنْـد محلـــةً        ودارَ مقــامٍ باختيـــارٍ ولا رضــــا",I did not acquire Samarqand as my dwelling and home by choice or with my own consent.
ولكنَّ قلبـي حلَّ فيهــا فعاقَنــي        واقعدني بالصُّغر عن فسحة الفضا,"But my heart has settled here and detains me, making me prefer this little place to the big wide world."
وإنِّي ممّن يرقب الدهرَ راجياً        ليوم سرورٍ غير مُغرىً بما مضـى,"I am among those who keep an eye on time, hoping for a day of joy without being beguiled by the past”."
66- قال: ووُجد على جَبَلٍ بنواحي ديار ثمود كتابة منقورة في الصخرة تفسيرها: يا ابنَ آدم ما أظْلَمك لنفسَك! ألا ترى إلى آثار الأوّلين، فتَعْتبر، وإلى عاقبة المُنْذَرين فتزدجر.,"He said: an inscription engraved on a rock was found in the environs of the abode of Thamud, and it was translated as follows, “O son of man, how you wrong yourself! Why don’t you consider the remains of the ancients, or the end of those who received warnings, and learn a lesson and restrain yourself?”"
وتحته مكتوب بخط عربيّ: بلى، كذا ينبغي.,"Underneath was written in Arabic handwriting, “Indeed, thus 88 one should do”."
فعُلمَ أنَّ بعض السيّاح وذوي الغربة والأسفار قد بلغ به الدهر إلى ذالك الموضع فأجاب بما وَجد.,"So it was known that fate had brought some traveller, stranger, and wanderer to this place and that he had responded with feelings of suffering."
وحدّثني صديقٌ لي قال: قرأتُ على القصر الذي بناه معزّ الدولة بالشمّاسيّة، مما يلي نهر المهدي مكتوباً:,A friend of mine told me that he read an inscription on the palace built by (the ruler) Mu’izz al-Dawla in al-Shammasiyya near the Mahdi Canal:
يقولُ فلان بن فلان الهرويّ: حضرتُ في هاذا الموضع في سِماط مُعزّ الدولة والدنيا عليه مُقْبلة، وهَيْبَةُ المُلْك عليه مشتملة، ثم عُدْتُ إليه في سنة اثنتيْن وستّين وثلاثمائة فرأيتُ ما يعتبر به اللبيب، ويتفكّر فيه الأديب.,"So-and-so the son of so-and-so al-Harawi says, I was present in this place at a banquet given by Mulizz al-Dawla when the world was smiling on him and the aura of kingship enveloped him. Then I returned in the year 362/972f and saw a sight from which the intelligent man will learn a lesson and on which the cultured man will meditate."
"وقلتُ:
    عينُ بكيّ للقصر قصر مُعـزّ         الدولة المونقِ العجيب الفناء
    قـد خلا بعــد عــزّةٍ وجمــالٍ          وعفــا بعــد رَوْنــقٍ وبهــاء","This was my response:
O eye, weep for the palace, the pleasing palace of Mu’izz al-dawla,
with its wondrous court.
It stands empty of its former glory and beauty, its glamour and splendor have been effaced."
حدّثني شيخ من أهلنا قال: قرأتُ على حائط خضراء رَوْح بالبصرة مكتوباً بسواد:,An old man from our people said that he read an inscription in black on the wall of Rawh’s Green (Dome) in Basra:
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. حضر فلان بن فُلان السّاوي، وهو يقولُ: هَرَبْتُ من الإملاق والحسرة، فقذف بي الزمانُ إلى البصرة، فكانت أعظم البلدان بركةً علىّ،,"In the name of God the merciful, the benevolent. So-and-so al-Sawi was here and he says, I fled from destitution and misery. Time cast me to Basra, and it was a most blessed city for me. In it"
"وإذا تحته مكتوب: بغير ذالك الخطّ:
نعم، إنْ شاء الله.",Underneath was written in a different hand: “God willing”.
وحدّثني رجلٌ من أهل الكوفة عن شيوخه قال: خرج قوم من أهل الكوفة يطلبون الأحجارالعرونة يجمعونها لأيَّام الزيارات للتعيّش بها، وبالكوفة من يعمل مثل هاذا إلى يومنا.,"A man from Kufa told me that one of his teachers said:
Some Kufans went out in search of the gharawl stones they gather for the days of pilgrimage (to Karbala) to eke out a living from them. There are people who do that in Kufa to this day."
فعجبنا من ذالك، وعلمنا أنّه كان في الزمان الأولّ الذي كان الماء في النجف، وأنَّ المحن قديمة، وأحوال الدنيا عجيبة. وإذا الكتابةُ خَرْشٌ، كأنّه في تلك الخشبة نقش.,"We marvelled at this and knew that it dated back to the earliest times when al-Najaf was covered with water, and that the trials were ancient and that the affairs of the world are wondrous. The inscription was a mere scratch that looked like a drawing on the wood."
حدّثني أبو الحسن عليّ الواسطي الصوفي قال: لقيتُ في طريقي وأنا متوجّه إلى أذربيجان فتى عليه زِيّ الصوفية في قاع، لم يكن لنا ثالث إلَّا الله تعالى. فأنستُ به وقلتُ: سلامٌ عليكم. فقال: وعليكم سلامُ الله ورضوانه.,"Abu ’l-Hasan ‘Ali al-Wasiti the Sufi told us the following.
On my way to Azerbayjan I once met a young man dressed as a Sufi in a valley in which there was no third party apart from God. I liked him and said, “Peace be upon you”. He answered, “And upon you too be the peace of God and His favor”."
فقال: فديتُك! أنا لو كان لي فرج في الخروج إليك بقصّتي، أو علمتُ أنك تملك معونتي أو تقدر على إعانتي للخّصتُ لك الأمر، ولأقمتُ لك على ما تشاهده من صورتي العذر. وتركني ومشى. وهو يشهق ويبكي ويقولُ:,"He replied, “May I ransom you! If I were free to tell you about myself or if I knew that you would be able to help me or afford me assistance, then I would give you a summary of it all and tell you something that you would judge sufficient to excuse my apparent rudeness”. Then he left me and walked on, sobbing, weeping and saying:"
"هل إليكم بعد الفِراق مَعادي        ولديكم لدى التفرّق زادي
     إنْ تكونوا رَقَدْتُمُ الليلَ إنّــي        مُذْ نأيتُمْ عني قليلُ الرقـادِ","Will I return to you after our separation?
Now that we have parted, hoping to be with you again is my provision.
You may sleep at night, but I have hardly slept at all since you vanished in the distance."
وحدّثني أبو بكر أحمد بن الحسين بن شيطا، وكان كثير الأسفار دائم الحج هو وأبوه، وكانا ملازميْ أبي، وكالمنقطعْين إليه. قال:,"I was told the following by Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn al-Husayn
ibn Shayta, who was a great traveller forever going on pilgrimage (to Mecca) with his father; the two of them were close companions of my father, to whom they had attached themselves. He said:"
ركبتُ البحر من جُدّة لأعبر معبرةً تُعرق بعبَّادان. وكان الريح معنا، والمركب يخطف كالفرس الجواد. فبينا نحنُ على تلك الحال إذ نطح جبلًا في الماء فتقطَّع، وحصلتُ على خشبة منه، فرأيتُ أهولَ منظر وأفظعه، وكان في السماء قِطَعُ غَيْم، ترفعني الخشبة حتى لا أشك أنني قد لحقت تلك السحائب، ثم تحطّني بمقدار ذلك.,"I sailed from Jedda to go (back to Iraq) via the port known as ‘Abbadan. The wind was with us and the ship was travelling fast, like a noble horse. While we were moving along like that, it hit a mountain under the water and was smashed. I got away on a piece of wood and saw the most terrifying and awful sights. There were scattered clouds in the sky and the wood would lift me so high that I was sure I would join those clouds; then it would lower me by the same measure."
فمكثت على هاذه الصورة ثلاثة أيام، ثم سكن البحر. وألقتْني الخشبةُ إلى ماءٍ على جزيرة يكون نحو الذراع عمقُه.,"This went on for three days; then the sea subsided, and the wood threw me into some (shallow) water  on an island, about one cubit deep."
فرُمْتُ القيام فيه، فلم تنحلَّ ركبتاي لانطوائهما وانضمامهما تلك الأيام على الخشبة.,"When I tried to stand up, I could not stretch my legs because they had been bent and folded up during those days on the wood."
ثم إني حملتُ على نفسي وقمتُ به في ذلك الماء وأنا ممسك بتلك الخشبة، وقد أضعفني عدمُ القوت والماء، وإذا على بدني كالصورج متلبّس به من ماء البحر. فبينا أنا واقف إذ لاح لي قارب لوّحت له فقرب مني.,"But eventually I forced myself and managed to stand up in the water, holding on to the wood, for I was enfeebled by lack of food and water. The sea water had covered my body in something that looked like lime. While I was standing there, a boat approached; I waved at it and it drew near."
وإذا قوم قد سمعوا بخبر ذلك المركب فخرجوا يطلبون الأمتعة ويلتقطونها من الماء.,It turned out that some people had heard the news of the ship and had gone out to gather wreckage from the sea.
فسألوني عن حالي فخبّرتهم. فقالوا: أنت ممن كان في هاذا المركب؟ فقلتُ: نعم. فأخذوني وعادوا إلى موضع رأيتُ فيه مراكبُ مرساة.,"They asked me what sort of state I was in, so I told them and they said, “Were you on that ship?”. I said yes, so they took me back to a place where I saw ships at anchor."
فسألت عنه، فقالوا: هاذا موضعٌ يعرف بميفعة من بلاد اليمن. وقد أفْلَتَّ أن تقع إلى جزيرة القرود فتهلك، لأنك أنت بالقرب منها. فحمدتُ الله تعالى على ذالك.,"When I asked where I was, they said that it was a place known as Saqaqa (?) in the land of Yemen, and that I had narrowly escaped being thrown onto the island of monkeys, where I would have perished; for I had been close to it. So I gave thanks to God, exalted is He, for that."
وأخرجتُ دُنَيْنِرات أفلتتْ معي فصرفتُ بعضها وابتعتُ ما أكلت.,"Then I got out a small number of dinars I had managed to keep with me, changed one of them, and bought myself something to eat."
فلما عرفوا أنني ممن كُسر به المركب أفرجوا عنهُ. فعشت به. وأقمتُ باليمن أتردّدُ في بلدانها شهوراً، أبيع الخَرَزَ والعقيق وغير ذلك.,"When they heard that I was one of those who had been wrecked with the ship they let me have it. I made a living from it. I stayed in Yemen  and went around in its towns for some months, selling beads and red shells and the like."
فإنّي يوماً بمدينة يُقال لها عثر أطوف بذلك الوَدَع والخَرَز إذْ مررْتُ بفناء جبل، وإذا عليه مكتوب:,"Once when I was in the town called ‘Athr walking around with these shells and beads I passed through an enclosure in front of a mountain, and lo, there was written on it:"
حضر فلان بن فلان البغدادي وهو يقول: الكدرُ في الدنيا أكثرُ من الصّفاء، وعلى حسب تطاول البقاء يكونُ إدراك الشقاء.,"“So-and-so the Baghdadi was here and he says, there is more grief in this world than there is happiness, and the longer you live the more you will suffer."
إلى كم ذا التقطُّع في البراري        وحيداً مُفْرداً من كل أنـس؟,"How long will I wander without kith and kin in the deserts, alone and cut off from all mankind?’."
فذكرتُ ما مرَّ بي في البحر وكتبتُ تحته: أيُّها الرجل، أكثر الحمد لربّك، والاستغفار لذنبك، فلو وقفت على محنة غيرك، لعلمت أن الفضل بيدك. وانصرفتُ.,"So I remembered my own experience in the sea and wrote underneath it: “O man, give much praise to your lord and ask forgiveness for your sins. If you heard about other people’s trials you would know that you have been lucky”. Then I left."
قال أبو محمد حمزة بن القاسم: قرأتُ على حائطِ بُستان بالماطِرون هاذه الأبيات:,"Abu Muhammad Hamza ibn al-Qasim said, I read these verses on the wall of a garden  in al-Matirun:"
"أرقتُ بديْــرِ الماطــرون كأنّنــي
                                    لساري النجوم آخر الليلِ حارسُ","I was sleepless in the monastery of al-Matirun, as if I were guarding the stars that travel at the end of the night."
"وأعْرَضَتِ الشِّعْرى العَبُورُ كأنّها
                                    مُعلّــقُ قنديــلٍ عليهــا الكنائـــسُ","Sirius passed by, looking like churches hung with lamps."
"ولاح سُهَيْــلٌ عـن يمينــي كأنــّه
                                    شِهابٌ نحاهُ وِجْهَةَ الريـحِ قابــسُ","Canopus appeared from my right, like a blaze that a borrower of fire turns in the direction of the wind."
وهى أبياتٌ قديمةٌ تٌروى لأرطاة بن سُهَيَّة.,These are old verses transmitted in the name of Artah ibn Suhayya.
ومما له أدنى تعلُّقٍ بهاذا الكتاب ما حدّثنا بعضُ أهل الأدب قال:,"Of greater relevance to this book is the following story, which a man of letters told us."
مَرَّ بعضُ الخلفاء في طريقٍ، فرأى رجلًا، فدعاه للشرب عنده فأبى. فاقتضبه اقتضاباً فأدخله منزله ثم قال له: أدخل ذلك البيت. فدخل. فإذا بنبيذ مُعَدٍّ، وريحان وآلة الشراب لا غير. وعلى الحائط مكتوب:,"A caliph passing along some street saw a man and asked him to come and drink with him. When he refused, he beat him with a stick and made him enter his house. “Go into that room”, he said, so he did. Lo, there was ready date wine, basil, and drinking gear, nothing else, and on the wall there was written:"
اشربْ على الخيريِّ والريق        فنحن في بُعْدٍ من السّوقِ,"Drink to the gillyflower on an empty stomach, for we are far from the market."
لا تذكرنَّ البيــت فــي بيتنــا        فإنمــا تنفــخ فــي بـــوقِ,"Do not mention food for the night in our house, for it will get you nowhere."
قال الرجل: فقلتُ في نفسي: هاذا ماجنٌ خليع. ووقف مرتبكاً، ولم يأمن أن يسقيه على الريق.,"The man said: I thought to myself, “This character is a depraved joker” and stopped, feeling bewildered and afraid that he would make me drink on an empty stomach."
فلما نظر إليّ متحيراً قال لي: مالك؟ ادفع الباب الآخر. فدفعتُه، فإذا مائدة عليها من كل فنٍّ من الطعام. فرجع إليّ قلبي وسكنتُ.,"When he saw that I was confused, he said, “What is the matter with you? Open the next door”. So I did, and there was a table with all kinds of food. So I recovered my poise and my calm,"
فقال لي: كيف رأيتَ؟ طرحتُك في البحر، فلما ظنَنْتُك قد غرقْتَ أخذتُ بيدك فإذا أنت على الساحل.,"whereupon he said, “What do you think? I threw you into the sea and when you thought you were drowning I took your hand and you were on the coast again!”."
حدّثني أبو الحسن ليلى قال: اجتزتُ في انحداري إلى شيراز – وكان قصدها ليُغني بحضرة الملك عضُد الدولة – بموضع بين ايذج ورامهرمز، فيه مياه تجري، ورياضٌ حسنةٌ.,"Abu ’l-Hasan Layla told me the following.
On my way to Shiraz — he was going there to sing in the presence of the king ‘Adud al-Dawla — I passed a place between Idhaj and Ramhurmuz which had running springs and beautiful gardens."
فاتفق رأيي ورأي مَنْ معي في الصحبة على المقام والشرب في ذالك الموضع. فنزلنا في قرية بالقرب منه، وأكلنا شيئاً. واحتجبت السماءُ بالغمام، وبدأنا في الشرب، وكان صوتُهم عليّ في ذالك اليوم:,So my companions and I agreed to stay there and drink. We stopped in a village in its vicinity and ate something; the sky disappeared behind clouds and we began to drink. The song they wanted me to sing that day was:
وكان يجيده، وقد سمعتُه مراراً. قال: فبينا نحن في حالنا إذْ مرَّ بنا شابٌ يمشي على الطريق. فلما بصُر بنا وبموضعنا وطيبه قال: سلامٌ عيكم بما صبرتم، فنعم عُقْبى الدار. فرددنا عليه السلام.,"He was excellent at it; I heard it many times. He continued: While we were in that state a young man passed by, walking along the road. When he saw us and the pleasant place we were in, he said (ironically), “Peace be upon you in what you have to endure; how wonderful the rewards of the hereafter will be”. We returned the greetings."
وسألَنَا مجالستنا ففعل. وقال وهو يصعد إلى القلْعَة التي كنا عليها: يومُ سرور بألف يوم. ثم جلس، واستدعى بما أكل، وسقيناه رطلًا.,"He asked if could join us, and then did so. While he was climbing up to the fortress we were in, he said, “A day of joy worth a thousand days’”. Then he sat down; we called for something to eat and gave him a ratl to drink."
فلما شربه تنفّس وقال: من أين سلّطتم عليَّ بليّة؟ قلنا: قد والله يا هاذا دَلَلْتَ على عشيقٍ يقليك، وتذكّرِ حبيب ناءٍ عنك. فقال: أي والله يا سادتي! أنا واللهِ عاشقٌ لفتىً من أولاد الرؤساءِ بسوق الأهواز.,"When he had drunk it, he sighed deeply and said, “Why are you inflicting distress on me?”. “By God”, we replied, “that shows you have a beloved who hates you; you are remembering a sweetheart far away, that’s what you are’”. He replied, “Yes, sirs, by God I am. By God, I am in love with a young man, a son of one of the leading men in Suq al-Ahwaz."
وكانت لي ضيعة وحالٌ استنْفَدَتْها طلباتُه وإراداتُه وجذوره ونفقاتُه.,"I had an estate and wealth, but I squandered it on his demands, his wishes, his payments to singers, and his expenses."
فلما قَلَّ ما بيدي هربتُ قبل وقوفه على صورتي، خَوْفاً من ابتدائه بالإعراض، وانتقاصه إيَّاي في خطاب، أو تثريبه عليَّ في كتاب، وقبل معرفته بالإفلاس فيجري على عادة سفل الناس.,"When my money ran out I fled before he discovered my situation, fearing that he would begin to avoid me, or disparage me in speech or blame me in a letter or behave after the fashion of lowly people before realizing that I was bankrupt”."
فقلنا: يا هاذا هرَّفْتَ في قطع حبل حبيبك، وبدأتَ بما كان يجوزُ أن يكونَ الأمرُ فيه بخلاف ما وقع لك. فلاحت عبرتُه، ثم أخرج محبرةً من كمّه وقلماً وكتب على صخرةٍ كانت تَليه:,"We said, “O you, you were hasty in severing your ties with your beloved. You have acted on a first impulse in a matter that may turn out quite differently from what you imagine”. His tears glittered, then he pulled an ink stand and a pen  out of his sleeve and wrote on a rock next to him:"
"قد كنـتُ حِلْــفَ ســرورٍ           بقرْبكـــُم وحبـــــورِ
        حتــى تناقـــص مالـــــي           واختلَّ باقي أموري
        فسِرْتُ في الأرض خَوفاً            من هجــرةٍ ونُفـــورِ","I was joyful and happy in your company
until my money ran out and all my affairs went wrong, so I roved the earth in fear of being left and shunned."
"فــــإنْ أعِـــشْ فإليكــــــم            يعود بي ميســوري
       وإنْ أمُـــتْ قبـــل ذاكــــم            فالأمـــرُ للمقـــــدورِ","If I live, my wealth will restore me to you, and if I die before you, it is thanks to fate."
ثم قام. فسألناه الجلوسَ ومساعدتنا إلى آخر النهار فأبى، ومضى على الطريق، وحدَه. وكان آخر عهدنا به.,"Then he stood up. We asked him to sit down and to join us until the end of the day, but he refused and went on his way, alone. It was the last we saw of him."
قال صاحب الكتاب: وكنتُ أيام مقامي بسوق الأهواز عاشرتُ جماعة من أهلها. فدعاني صديقٌ لي إلى الشاذوران يوماً.,"The author of the book says: In the days when I was staying in Suq al-Ahwaz I was friendly with a group from among its inhabitants. A friend of mine invited me to the fountain one day, so I went there."
فخرجتُ ومعنا غناء وشراب وغير ذالك. فشربنا في البستان المعروف بليلى بن موسى فياذه، ثم خرجنا وجلسنا على الشاذوران فرأينا أحسن منظر وأملحه، فرأيتُ على حجر من حجارته مكتوباً:,"We left with singers, wine, and other things and drank in the garden known after Layla ibn Musa Fayadha, then we went and sat by the fountain,  where we had an attractive and pleasant view. On one of the stones there I saw that somebody had written:"
لم أنسَ ليلتنا بشاذوران       والماءُ ينسابُ انسيابَ الجانِ,"I have not forgotten our night by the fountain, with the water streaming like spirits."
"فكتبتُ تحته:
    والبدرُ يُزهرُ في السماء كأنّه        وَجْهُ الذي أهوى ولا يهواني","So I wrote underneath it:
The moon is glittering in the sky
like the face of someone I love, but who does not love me."
"والكأسُ دائرةٌ بكفِّ مُقَرْطَــقٍ        خنِثِ الكلامِ مُفَتّــرِ الأجفــان
    لم أنْــسَ ليلتنــا به يــا ليتهــا         دامتْ فكانت مدّتي وزمانـي","The cup is passing in the hands of a tunic-clad youth, effeminate in speech, with drooping eyelids.
I have not forgotten our night here.
If only it could have lasted my entire life!"
وحدّثني أبو بكر محمد بن عمر قال: خرجتُ يوماً وقد عَرَضَ لي ضيقُ صدرٍ وتقسّمُ فكرٍ إلى الموضع المعروف بالمالكية.,"Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Umar told me the following.
One day I went out to the place known as al-Malikiyya, feeling downcast and unable to concentrate."
فاجتزت بدير سمالو على نهر الفضل، فجلستُ في موضعٍ تحت ظلّ شجرة في فناء الدار أترنّم بأبيات، إذْ مرَّ بي غُلام أمرد كالقمر الطالع فقلتُ: يا فتى، وحدك في مثل هاذا الموضع؟,"I passed the Monastery of Samalu at the Fadi Canal and sat down under the shade of a tree in the courtyard, humming some verses. Suddenly a beardless youth with a face like the rising moon passed by. “Young man”, I said, “what are you doing alone in this place?”."
فقال: ما بقلبي حملني على ركوب الغَرَر، فبالله عليك إلَّا ما عرّفتني هل مضى بك قوم من الأتراك ومعهم مغنية على حمار، عليها كساء نارنجي.؟,"He replied, “My feelings force me to take risks. I entreat you by God to tell me, did you see some Turks pass by with a singing girl dressed in reddish clothes on a donkey?”."
فقلتُ: نعم، هم في ذالك البستان، ولكن عرِّفني تريد الدخول عليهم؟ فارتعد رعدة عظيمة، ولم يزل لونه يتغيّر حتى سكن قليلًا.,"I said, “Yes, they are in that garden; but tell me, do you really intend to go and see them?”. He shivered terribly  and kept going white and red until he calmed down a little."
ولم أزل أسلّيه وأشجّعه، وعلمتُ أنه يهوى المغنية، وأنها قد تركتْه وخالفتْه وخرجت مع الأتراك.,"I kept comforting and encouraging him, realizing that he was in love with the singing girl and that she had left him and crossed him by going out with the Turks."
فلما هدّأ من زفرته وأفاق من غشيته قال: لقد منَّ الله تعالى عليَّ بك، وإلَّا فقد كان ما بقلبي يحملني على دخول البستان وحصولي تحت حالٍ قبيحة.,"When his sighs subsided and he recovered from his swoon, he said, “God, exalted is He, has done me a favor by letting me meet you. If I hadn’t, my feelings would have driven me into the garden, where something terrible would have happened”."
ثم قام وسألني مُساعدته والمشي معه إلى أن يصل إلى البلد. وتبيَّن موضع الخطأ فجزع جزعاً شديداً.,"Then he stood up and asked me to help him by walking with him to the city, for now that he realized how wrong he had been to come here, he was terrified."
فقمتُ معه وقويّتُ من نفسه، وأخذت به في طريقٍ بين البساتين حتى لا يراه من يمشي على الجادّة، فلما قربنا من البلد أخذ خرقة فكتب على حائط بستان اجتزنا به:,"I got up too, told him not to be afraid, and took him by a route through the gardens where he would not be seen by people walking on the main road. When we approached the city he took a piece of cloth and wrote on the wall of a garden we had passed through:"
فقلتُ له: كأنك في الجامع عرفتَها؟ فقال: أيْ والله وظَنَنْتُها الكلبةَ تَفي، فاستحلفتُها تحت منارة جامع الرصافة بأيْمانٍ لا تحملها الجبال، فَحَلَفَتْ أنها لا تُواصلُ غيري، ولا تريدُ سواي، فلما عَرَفَتْ خروجي إلى زيارة المشهد بالطفوف اغتنمتْ غيبتي فيه ففعلَتْ ما فَعَلَتْ.,"I said, “So it was in the mosque that you met her?”. He replied, “Yes, by God, and I thought the bitch would keep her word. I made her swear oaths so heavy that mountains could not bear them under the minaret of the Friday mosque in Rusafa; she swore that she would not see anybody else or want anybody apart from me. But when she knew that I was going on pilgrimage to the shrine at al-Tufuf  she made use of my absence to do what she did."
فلما قدمتُ سألتُ عنها فخُبّرْتُ خبرها، فخرجْتُ على وجهي حتى لقيتَني فَرَددْتني.,"When I got back, I asked after her and was told what she was up to, so I went out without knowing where I was going and then I met you, who stopped me."
أحسنَ الله جزاءك عنّي، وتولّي مكافأتك. وافترقنا بعد أنْ عرفتُ منزله وصار لي صديقاً.,May God reward you for what you have done to me and compensate you well”. We separated after I had learned where he lived and he became a friend of mine.
والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلوات الله على محمد وآله وصحبه أجمعين,"Praise be to God, the lord of the universe,
and may God’s blessings be on Muhammad
and all his family."
قد تمَّ الكتاب بتاريخ 14 شهر جمادى الأولى 1293,"The (copying of the) book was completed on the 14th of the month Jumada I, 1293/25 May 1876"
"النوادر السلطانية والمحاسن اليوسفية
أبو المحاسن بهاء الدين بن شداد","The Rare and Excellent History of Saladin
or
al-Nawadir al-Sultaniyya wa ‘l-Mahasin al-Yusufiyya
by
Baha’ al-Din Ibn Shaddad"
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم,"In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate"
«الحمد لله» الذي منَّ علينا بالإسلام، وهدانا بالإيمان الجاري على أحسن نظام، وأنعم علينا بشفاعة نبينا محمد عليه أفضل الصلاة والسلام، وجعل سير الأوَّلين عبرة لأولي الأفهام، وتقلبات الأحوال قاضية على كل أمرٍ حادثٍ بالانصرام؛ كيلا يغترَّ ذو جمال حسنٍ، ولا ييأس من لعبت بأحواله أكف السقام.,"Praise be to God, who bestowed Islam upon us and guided us to the Faith, which continues in the fairest path, and who granted us the intercession of our Prophet, Muhammad (upon whom be the best of blessing and peace), and who made the lives of the early generations a model for those of understanding and who made the vicissitudes of life condemn every contingent state to pass away, in order that a fortunate man might not be misled and that one whose life the blows of sickness have trifled with might not despair."
«وأشهد» أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له شهادةً تشفي القلوب من لظى الأوام،,"I testify that there is no god but God alone, who has no partner, a testimony which quenches hearts’ burning thirst."
«وأشهد» أن سيدنا محمدًا عبده ورسوله الذي فتح للهداية أبوابًا,"I testify that our Lord Muhammad is His servant and prophet, who opened doors to true guidance."