أخبار أبي تمّام مع أحمد بن أبي دؤاد

Abū Tammām and Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād

١،٧٢72.1

حدّثني أبو بكر بن الخراسانيّ قال حدّثني عليّ الرازيّ قال

شهدت أبا تمّام وغلام له ينشد ابن أبي دؤاد [الوافر]

لَقَدْ أَنْسَتْ مَسَاوِئَ كُلِّ دَهْرِ	مَحَاسِنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ أَبِي دُؤَادِ
فَمَا سَافَرْتُ فِي ٱلْآفَاقِ إِلَّا	وَمِنِ جَدْوَاكَ رَاحِلَتِي وَزَادِي
مُقِيمُ ٱلظَّنِّ عِنْدَكَ وَٱلْأَمَانِي	وَإِنْ قَلِقَتْ رِكَابِي فِي ٱلْبِلَادِ

فقال له يا أبا تمّام أهذا المعنى الأخير ممّا اخترعته أو أخذته؟

فقال هو لي وقد ألممت بقول أبي نواس [الطويل]

وَإِنْ جَرَتِ ٱلْألْفاظُ مِنَّا بِمَدْحَةٍ

لِغَيْرِكَ إِنْسَانًا فَأَنْتَ ٱلَّذِي نَعْنِي

I cite Abū Bakr ibn al-Khurāsānī, who cites ʿAlī al-Rāzī as follows:

I was present when Abū Tammām’s assistant recited the following verses to Ibn Abī Duʾād:

The virtues of Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād have consigned

the vices of all ages to oblivion . . .

I travel the horizons

with your generosity for my camel and my provisions.

Thoughts and desires remain at home with you,

even if my mount moves restless through the lands.²³⁸

“Abū Tammām, did you invent or borrow this last motif?” asked Ibn Abī Duʾād.

“It is mine,” Abū Tammām replied, “though I drew inspiration from the words of Abū Nuwās:

If our words praise anyone

other than you, it is you we mean.”²³⁹

٢،٧٢72.2

قال أبو بكر وكنت يومًا في مجلسٍ فيه جماعة من أهل الأدب والعصبيّة لأبي نواس حتّى يفرطوا فقال بعضهم أبو نواس أشعر من بشّار فرددت ذلك عليه وعرّفته ما جهله من فضل بشّار وتقدّمه وأخذ جميع المحدثين منه واتّباعهم أثره.

فقال لي قد سبق أبو نواس إلى معانٍ تفرّد بها.

فقلت له ما منها؟ فجعل كلّما أنشدني شيئًا جئت بأصله فكان من ذلك قوله

إِذَا نَحْنُ أَثْنَيْنَا عَلَيْكَ بِصَالِحٍ	فَأَنْتَ كَمَا نُثْنِي وَفَوْقَ ٱلَّذِي نُثْنِي
وَإِنْ جَرَتِ ٱلْأَلْفَاظُ يَوْمًا بِمَدْحَةٍ	لِغَيْرِكَ إِنْسَانًا فَأَنْتَ ٱلَّذِي نَعْنِي

فقلت أمّا البيت الأوّل فهو من قول الخَنْساء [الطويل]

فَمَا بَلَغَ ٱلْمُهْدُون لِلنَّاسِ مِدْحَةً

وَإِنْ أَطْنَبُوا إِلَّا ٱلَّذِي فِيكَ أَفْضَلُ

ومن قول عَدِيّ بن الرِّقاع [الكامل]

أُثْنِي فَلَا آلُو وَأَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ

فَوْقَ ٱلَّذِي أُثْنِي بِهِ وَأَقُولُ

Al-Ṣūlī: One day I attended a gathering with a group of literati who fervently championed Abū Nuwās.

“Abū Nuwās is a better poet than Bashshār,” one of them declared. I objected and apprised him of Bashshār’s excellence and superiority, noting that all Moderns borrowed from him and followed in his footsteps. He had been unaware of this.

“Abū Nuwās was the first and only one to use certain motifs,” he retorted.

“Which ones?” I asked and proceeded to give the origin of everything he recited, including Abū Nuwās’s verses:

When we praise you for a good deed

you are as we praise you—but better.

If our words praise anyone

other than you, it is you we mean.²⁴⁰

“The first verse,” I stated, “derives from the words of al-Khansāʾ:

When praise is dedicated to people, even if it is exaggerated,

something nobler can always be said about you.

“and from the words of ʿAdī ibn al-Riqāʿ:

I praise him but I know—the fact does not escape me—

that he is superior to what I say and praise him for.

٣،٧٢72.3

وأمّا البيت الثاني فمن قول الفرزدق لأيّوب بن سليمان بن عبد الملك [الطويل]

وَمَا وَامَرَتْنِي ٱلنَّفْسُ فِي رِحْلَةٍ لَهَا

إِلَى أَحَدٍ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ ضَمِيرُهَا

“The second verse is from the words of al-Farazdaq addressed to Ayyūb ibn Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik:²⁴¹

My soul does not bid me travel

to anyone without having you in mind.”

٧٣73

حدّثني أحمد بن إبراهيم قال حدّثني محمّد بن رَوْح الكِلابيّ قال

نزل عليَّ أبو تمّام الطائيّ فحدّثني أنّه امتدح المعتصم بسُرَّ مَن رأى بعد فتح عمّوريّة فذكره ابن أبي دؤاد للمعتصم.

فقال له أليس الذي أنشدنا بالمَصِّيصَة الأجشّ الصوت؟

قال يا أمير المؤمنين إنّ معه راوية حسن النشيد فأذن له فأنشده راويته مدحه له ولم يذكر القصيدة فأمر له بدراهم كثيرة وصكّ ماله على إسحاق بن إبراهيم المُصْعَبيّ.

قال أبو تمّام فدخلت إليه بالصكّ وأنشدته مديحًا له فاستحسنه وأمر لي بدون ما أمر لي به المعتصم قليلًا وقال والله لو أمر لك أمير المؤمنين بعدد الدراهم دنانير لأمرت لك بذلك.

I cite Aḥmad ibn Ibrāhīm, who cites Muḥammad ibn Rawḥ al-Kilābī, who said:

Abū Tammām came to stay with me and told me that after the conquest of Amorium he had praised al-Muʿtaṣim in Samarra. Ibn Abī Duʾād had mentioned him to al-Muʿtaṣim.

“Isn’t this the man with the rough voice who recited to us in al-Maṣṣīṣah?” the caliph asked.

“Commander of the Faithful, he is accompanied by a transmitter who recites beautifully.”

The caliph granted Abū Tammām an audience and his transmitter recited his praise of the caliph. (Muḥammad did not mention the exact poem.) The caliph ordered that he be given many dirhams in the form of a check payable by Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Muṣʿabī.

“I took the check to him,” Abū Tammām narrated, “and recited to him a poem in his praise, which Isḥāq appreciated and ordered that I be given a sum that was a little less than what al-Muʿtaṣim had ordered.

“‘By God,’ Isḥāq exclaimed, ‘if the Commander of the Faithful had ordered that you be given the same sum in dinars instead of dirhams I would have done the same.’”²⁴²

٧٤74

حدّثني أبو عليّ الحسين بن يحيى الكاتب قال حدّثني محمّد بن عمرو الروميّ قال

ما رأيت قطّ أجمع رأيًا من ابن أبي دؤاد ولا أحضر حجّة.

قال له الواثق يا أبا عبد الله رُفعتْ إليّ رقعة فيها كذب كثير.

قال ليس بعجب أن أُحسد على منزلتي من أمير المؤمنين فيُكذب عليّ.

قال زعموا فيها أنّك ولّيت القضاء رجلًا ضريرًا.

قال قد كان ذاك وكنت عازمًا على عزله حين أُصيب ببصره فبلغني عنه أنّه عَمِي من كثرة بكائه على أمير المؤمنين المعتصم فحفظت له ذاك.

قال وفيها أنّك أعطيت شاعرًا ألف دينار.

قال ما كان ذاك ولكنّي أعطيته دونها وقد أثاب رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم كَعْب بن زهير الشاعر وقال في آخر أقطَع عنّي لسانه. وهو شاعر مدّاح لأمير المؤمنين مصيب محسن ولو لم أَرْعَ له إلّا قوله للمعتصم رضي الله عنه في أمير المؤمنين أعزّه الله [الكامل]

فَٱشْدُدْ بِهَارُونَ ٱلْخِلَافَةَ إِنَّهُ	سَكَنٌ لِوَحْشَتِهَا وَدَارُ قَرَارِ
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ بِأَنَّ ذٰلِكَ مِعْصَمٌ	مَا كُنْتَ تَتْرُكُهُ بِغَيْرِ سِوَارِ

فقال قد وصلته بخمسمائة دينار.

I cite ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Yaḥyā the Scribe, who cites Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr al-Rūmī, who said:

I have seen no one quicker to gain consensus or win an argument than Ibn Abī Duʾād.

“Abū ʿAbd Allāh,” al-Wāthiq said to him, “I have received a note containing lots of lies.”

“It is no wonder,” the judge replied, “that I am envied for my standing with the Commander of the Faithful and that people lie about me.”

“They claim that you appointed a blind man to a judgeship.”

“Indeed. I had decided to dismiss him when he lost his sight; then I heard that he had gone blind from weeping so much for Commander of the Faithful al-Muʿtaṣim and kept him in his position.”

“Further, according to the note, you gave a poet a thousand dinars.”

“Indeed not! I gave him less. The Emissary (God bless him and keep him) gave a reward to the poet Kaʿb ibn Zuhayr and said about another poet, ‘I will silence his tongue with money.’²⁴³ The recipient is an effective and superb panegyrist of the Commander of the Faithful, even if I were to base my judgment solely on his composition for al-Muʿtaṣim (God’s blessing upon him) about you, Commander of the Faithful²⁴⁴ (God support him):

Secure the caliphate for Hārūn!

He gives its unruliness calm and stability.

I knew this son was a wrist

that you would not leave unadorned by bracelets.²⁴⁵

“I gave him five hundred dinars.”

٧٥75

قال ودخل أبو تمّام على أحمد بن أبي دؤاد وقد شرب الدواء فأنشده [المنسرح]

أَعْقَبَكَ ٱللهُ صِحَّةَ ٱلْبَدَنِ	مَا هَتَفَ ٱلْهَاتِفَاتُ فِي ٱلْغُصُنِ
كَيْفَ وَجَدْتَ ٱلدَّوَاءَ أوْجَدَكَ ٱللهُ	شِفَاءً بِهِ مَدَى ٱلزَّمَنِ
لَا نَزَعَ ٱللهُ مِنْكَ صَالِحَةً	أبْلَيْتَهَا مِنْ بَلَائِكَ ٱلْحَسَنِ
لَا زِلْتَ تُزْهَى بِكُلِّ عَافِيَةٍ	تَجْتَنُّهَا مِنْ مَعَارِضِ ٱلْفِتَنِ
إِنَّ بَقَاءَ ٱلْجَوَادِ أحْمَدَ فِي	أَعْنَاقِنَا مِنَّةٌ مِنَ ٱلْمِنَنِ
لَوْ أَنَّ أَعْمَارَنَا تُطَاوِعُنَا	شَاطَرَهُ ٱلْعُمْرَ سَادَةُ ٱلْيَمَنِ

Al-Rūmī continued: Abū Tammām appeared before Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād when he had just been administered medicine and recited to him the following verses:

God provide you with bodily health

for as long as doves coo in the branches.

How was the medicine?

May God cure you with it until the end of time!

May God not prevent you from

any good deed which you may confer²⁴⁶

May you always glow with good health,

which shields you from unforeseen trials.

The long life of Aḥmad the Generous

is a gift we are indebted for.

If our lifespans were to do our bidding,

the lords of Yemen would give him a share of their lifespans.²⁴⁷

٧٦76

حدّثني أبو عبد الله محمّد بن عبد الله المعروف بالزائر قال حدّثني أبي قال

دخل أبو تمّام على أحمد بن أبي دؤاد وقد كان عتب عليه في شيء فاعتذر إليه وقال أنت الناس كلّهم ولا طاقة لي بغضب جميع الناس. فقال له ابن أبي دؤاد ما أحسن هذا فمن أين أخذته؟

قال من قول أبي نواس [السريع]

وَلَيْسَ لِلّٰهِ بمُسْتَنْكَرٍ

أَنْ جَمَعَ ٱلْعَالَمَ فِي وَاحِدِ

I cite Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, known as “the Visitor,” who cites his father:

Abū Tammām appeared before Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād, who had reprimanded him for something. The poet apologized to him. “You are all humankind,” he said, “and I could not bear the anger of all humankind.”

“Excellent! Where did you borrow this from?”

“From the words of Abū Nuwās:

By God, it cannot be denied

that He gathered the whole world in one man.”²⁴⁸

٧٧77

سمعت محمّد بن القاسم يقول

قال ابن أبي دؤاد لأبي تمّام إنّ لك أبياتًا أُنشدتُها لو قلتها زاهدًا أو معتبرًا أو حاضًّا على طاعة الله جلّ وعزّ لكنتَ قد أحسنت وبالغت فأنشدْنيها.

قال وما هي؟

قال التي قافيتها فأَدْخُلَها فأنشده [البسيط]

قُلْ لِٱبْنِ طَوْقٍ رَحَى سَعْدٍ إِذَا خَبَطَتْ	نَوَائِبُ ٱلدَّهْرِ أَعْلَاهَا وَأَسْفَلَهَا
أَصْبَحْتَ حَاتِمَهَا جُودًا وَأَحْنَفَهَا	حِلْمًا وَكَيِّسَهَا عِلْمًا وَدَغْفَلَهَا
مَا لِي أَرَى ٱلْحُجْرَةَ ٱلْفَيْحَاءَ مُقْفَلةً	عَنِّي وَقَدْ طَالَمَا ٱسْتَفْتَحْتُ مُقْفَلَهَا
كَأَنَّهَا جَنَّةُ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسِ مُعْرِضَةً	وَلَيْسَ لِي عَمَلٌ زَاكٍ فَأَدْخُلَهَا

I heard Muḥammad ibn al-Qāsim say:

Ibn Abī Duʾād said to Abū Tammām, “Some of your verses were recited to me. If you had uttered them in a moment of worldly renunciation or in contemplation or as a call to obey God (Mighty and Glorious) pure and simple, you would have outdone yourself. Recite them for me!”

“Which verses?”

“Those rhyming with fa-adkhulahā (allow me to enter).” Abū Tammām recited to him as follows:

Say to Ibn Ṭawq, the pivot of auspicious fortune,

when the vicissitudes of time trample high and low,

You have become Ḥātim in generosity, Aḥnaf in sagacity,

and Kayyis and Daghfal in knowledge.²⁴⁹

Why is it that I see the spacious chamber locked to me,

when I have long asked for it to be opened?

It is like the garden of paradise opened wide,

but I have done no pure deed which will allow me to enter.²⁵⁰

١،٧٨78.1

حدّثني عون بن محمّد قال حدّثني محمود الورّاق قال

كنت جالسًا بطرف الحَيْر حَيْر سرّ من رأى ومعي جماعة لننظر إلى الخيل فمرّ بنا أبو تمّام فجلس إلينا فقال له رجل منّا يا أبا تمّام أيّ رجل أنت لو لم تكن من اليمن؟

قال له أبو تمّام ما أحبّ أنّي بغير الموضع الذي اختاره الله لي فممّن تحبّ أن أكون؟

قال من مُضَر.

فقال أبو تمّام إنّما شرفت مُضَر بالنبيّ صلّى الله عليه ولولا ذلك ما قيسوا بملوكنا وفينا كذا وفينا كذا ففخر وذكر أشياء عاب بها نفرًا من مُضَر.

I cite ʿAwn ibn Muḥammad al-Kindī, who cites Maḥmūd al-Warrāq, who said:

I was sitting outside Ḥayr castle in Samarra with a group of people to watch the cavalry. Abū Tammām passed by and sat with us.

“Abū Tammām,” one of us asked him, “what sort of man would you be if you weren’t from Yemen?”

“I want only the place God chose for me,” Abū Tammām replied, “Who would you like me to be descended from?”

“From Muḍar.”

“Muḍar is noble because of the Emissary (God bless him and keep him). Were it not for him, they could not measure up to our kings: we have So-and-so and So-and-so.” Abū Tammām went on to boast of his own tribe and mention the faults of several individuals from Muḍar.

٢،٧٨78.2

قال ونمي الخبر إلى ابن أبي دؤاد وزادوا عليه

فقال ما أحبّ أن يدخل إليّ أبو تمّام فليُحجب عنّي.

فقال يعتذر إليه ويمدحه [الخفيف]

سَعِدَتْ غُرْبَةُ ٱلنَّوَى بِسُعَادِ	فَهْيَ طَوْعُ ٱلْإِتْهَامِ وَٱلْإِنْجَادِ
شَابَ رَأْسِي وَمَا رَأَيْتُ مَشِيبَ ٱلرَّ	أْسِ إِلَّا مِنْ فَضْلِ شَيْبِ ٱلْفُؤَادِ
وَكَذَاكَ ٱلْقُلُوبُ فِي كُلِّ بُؤْسٍ	وَنَعِيمٍ طَلَائِعُ ٱلْأَجْسَادِ
طَالَ إِنْكَارِيَ ٱلْبَيَاضَ وَإِنْ عُمِّـ‍	ـرْتُ شَيْئًا أَنْكَرْتُ لَوْنَ ٱلسَّوَادِ
يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ ٱللهِ أَوْرَيْتَ زَنْدًا	فِي يَدِي كَانَ دَائِمَ ٱلْإِصْلَادِ
أَنْتَ جُبْتَ ٱلظَّلَامَ عَنْ سُبُل ٱلْآ	مَالِ إِذْ ضَلَّ كُلُّ هَادٍ وَحَادِي
وَضِيَاءُ ٱلْآمَالِ أَفْسَحُ فِي الطَّرْ	فِ وَفِي ٱلْقَلْبِ مِنْ ضِيَاءِ ٱلْبِلَادِ

ثمّ وصف قومًا لزموا ابن أبي دؤاد وأنّه أحظّ به مع ذاك منهم فقال

لَزِمُوا مَرْكَزَ ٱلنَّدَى وَذَرَاهُ	وَعَدَتْنَا عَنْ مِثْلِ ذَاكَ ٱلْعَوَادِي
غَيْرَ أَنَّ ٱلرُّبَى إِلَى سَبَلِ ٱلأَنـْ	‍وَاءِ أَدْنَى وَٱلْحَظُّ حَظُّ ٱلْوِهَادِ
بَعْدَمَا أَصْلَتَ الْوُشَاةُ سُيُوفًا	قَطَعَتْ فِيَّ وَهْيَ غَيْرُ حِدَادُ
مِنْ أَحَادِيثَ حِينَ دَوَّخْتَهَا بِٱلرَّ	أْيِ كَانَتْ ضَعِيفَةَ ٱلْإِسْنَادِ
فنَفَى عَنْكَ زُخْرُفَ ٱلْقَوْلِ سَمْعٌ	لَمْ يَكُنْ فُرْصَةً لِغَيْرِ ٱلسَّدَادِ
ضَرَبَ ٱلْحِلْمُ وَٱلْوَقَارُ عَلَيْهِ	دُونَ عُورِ ٱلْكَلَامِ بِٱلْأَسْدَادِ
وحَوَانٍ أَبَتْ عَلَيْهَا ٱلْمَعَالِي	أَنْ تُسَمَّى مَطِيَّةَ ٱلْأَحْقَادِ

Maḥmūd continued: The incident was reported to Ibn Abī Duʾād in an embellished form.²⁵¹

“I don’t want Abū Tammām to appear before me,” the judge said. “He shall be denied entry.”

Abū Tammām then apologized to him and praised him with the following verses:

Distant exile is fortunate with Suʿād

as she heeds the call of Tihāmah and Najd . . .

My hair turned white; I think the whiteness of the head

comes only from the intense whiteness of the heart.

The heart precedes the body

in every bit of comfort and ill luck.²⁵²

I was unfamiliar with white for so long. Now that I have lived a little,

I no longer recognize the color black. . .²⁵³

Abū ʿAbd Allāh, you lit the fire stick in my hand,

which had never struck fire before.

You made darkness stray from the path of hope,

when guides and caravan-leaders go astray . . .

The light of hope shines farther for eye and heart

than the light in the sky.

Then Abū Tammām described members of Ibn Abī Duʾād’s entourage and described himself as more in his favor.

They attended generosity’s summit and core,

while time’s hostile vicissitudes turned me away from it and its like.

Hills are closer to the first drop of rain;

my luck is that of the low ground

After the backbiters bared their swords

and, though blunt, cut me up.

There are certain hadiths which,

when probed judiciously, have a weak chain of transmission.²⁵⁴

May your ear, open only to truth,

banish fabricated speech from you.

Sagacity and dignity erect barriers around the ear

against ugly speech.

Greatness forbids that your person

be called a steed ridden by resentment.²⁵⁵

٣،٧٨78.3

وقد أفصح عمّا قُرف به واعتذر منه إلى ابن أبي دؤاد فقال وهو عندي من أحسن الاعتذار [الوافر]

سَقَى عَهْدَ ٱلْحِمَى سَبَلُ ٱلْعِهَادِ

ورَوَّضَ حَاضِرٌ مِنْهُ وَبَادِي

ثمّ قال

وَإِنْ يَكُ مِن بَنِي أُدَدٍ جَنَاحِي	فإِنَّ أَثِيثَ ريِشِي فِي إِيَادِ
لَهُمْ جَهْلُ ٱلسِّبَاعِ إِذَا ٱلْمَنَايَا	تَمَشَّتْ فِي ٱلْقَنَا وَحُلُومُ عَادِ
لَقَدْ أَنْسَتْ مَسَاوِئَ كُلِّ دَهْرٍ	مَحَاسِنُ أَحْمَدِ بنِ أَبِي دُؤَادِ
مَتَى تَحْلُلْ بِهِ تَحْلُلْ جَنَابًا	رَضِيعًا لِلسَّوَارِي وَٱلْغَوَادِي
فَمَا سَافَرْتُ فِي ٱلْآفَاقِ إِلَّا	وَمِنْ جَدْوَاكَ رَاحِلَتِي وَزَادِي
مُقِيمُ ٱلظَّنِّ عِنْدَكَ وَالْأَمَانِي	وَإِنْ قَلِقَتْ رِكَابِي فِي ٱلْبِلَادِ

وهذا من قول أبي نواس [الطويل]

وَإِنْ جَرَتِ ٱلْأَلْفَاظُ يَوْمًا بِمِدْحَةٍ

لِغَيْرِكَ إِنْسَانًا فَأَنْتَ ٱلَّذِي نَعْنِي

Composing what, to my mind, is the most beautiful apology, Abū Tammām spelled out the accusation and apologized for it to Ibn Abī Duʾād:

May rain after rain fall²⁵⁶ where we knew shelter

and transform into gardens town and desert dwellings alike.

Then he said:

My wing may belong to the Banū Udad,

but it is tightly feathered by the Banū Iyād . . .²⁵⁷

When death roams among the spears,

the Iyād are as impetuous as lions and wise as ʿĀd.

Aḥmad ibn Abī Duʾād’s virtues have consigned

the vices of all ages to oblivion.²⁵⁸

When you dwell with him you inhabit a region

nursed by morning and evening clouds . . .

I travel the horizons

with your generosity for my mount and my provisions.

Thoughts and desires remain at home with you,

even if my mount moves restless through the lands.

(Al-Ṣūlī: This is derived from the words of Abū Nuwās:

If our words praise anyone

other than you, it is you we mean.²⁵⁹)

٤،٧٨78.4

مَعَادُ ٱلْبَعْثِ مَعْرُوفٌ وَلٰكِنْ	نَدَى كَفَّيْكَ فِي ٱلدُّنْيَا مَعَادِي
أَتَانِي عَائِرُ ٱلْأَنْبَاءِ تَسْرِي	عَقَارِبُهُ بِدَاهِيَةٍ نَآدِ
بِأَنِّي نِلْتُ مِنْ مُضَرٍ وَخَبَّتْ	إِلَيْكَ شَكِيَّتِي خَبَبَ ٱلْجَوَادِ
لَقَدْ جَازَيْتُ بِٱلْإِحْسَانِ سُوءًا	إِذَنْ وَصَبَغْتُ عُرْفَكَ بِٱلسَّوَادِ
وَسِرْتُ أَسُوقُ عِيرَ ٱللُّؤْمِ حَتَّى	أَنَخْتُ ٱلْكُفْرَ فِي دَارِ ٱلْجِهَادِ
وَلَيْسَتْ رُغْوَتِي مِنْ فَوْقِ مَذْقٍ	وَلَا جَمْرِي كَمِينٌ فِي ٱلرَّمَادِ
تَثَبَّتْ إِنَّ قَوْلًا كَانَ زُورًا	أَتَى ٱلنُّعْمَانَ قَبْلَكَ عَنْ زِيَادِ
إِلَيْكَ بَعَثْتُ أَبْكَارَ ٱلْمَعَانِي	يَلِيهَا سَائِقٌ عَجِلٌ وَحَادِي
يُذَلِّلُهَا بِذِكْرِكَ قِرْنُ فِكْرٍ	إِذَا حَرَنَتْ فَتَسْلَسُ فِي ٱلْقِيَادِ
مُنَزَّهَةً عَنِ ٱلسَّرَقِ ٱلْمُوَرَّى	مُكَرَّمَةً عَنْ ٱلْمَعْنَى ٱلْمُعَادِ
تَنَصَّلَ رَبُّهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ جُرْمٍ	إِلَيْكَ سِوَى ٱلنَّصِيحَةِ وَٱلْوِدَادِ
ومَنْ يَأذَنْ إِلَى ٱلْوَاشِينَ تُسْلَقْ	مَسَامِعُهُ بِأَلْسِنَةٍ حِدَادِ

The paradise that follows resurrection is well known,

but your generosity is my paradise on earth.

I heard a stray piece of news, a blighting catastrophe

brought at night by scorpions . . .

That I had spoken ill of Muḍar,

and my complaint raced to you like a thoroughbred steed . . .

Apparently I requited good with bad

and blackened your kindness,²⁶⁰

Drove camels laden with ignominy,

made ingratitude settle in the abode of sacred effort . . .

My froth does not float on watered-down milk

nor is my live-coal smothered by ashes . . .

Look closely! Before your time

false accusations about Ziyād were made to Nuʿmān . . .²⁶¹

I have sent you virgin motifs

followed by the swift guide and the caravan-leader . . .

Thought is yoked to them and when they refuse to move,

it tames them by mentioning you, and they become docile . . .

Free from hidden theft,

too noble to be derivative,²⁶²

Their lord supplicates you, guilty of no crime

other than good counsel and affection.

He who listens to backbiters

has his ear cut by sharp tongues.²⁶³

٥،٧٨78.5

وطال غضب ابن أبي دؤاد عليه فما رضي عنه حتّى شفع فيه خالد بن يزيد الشيبانيّ فعمل قصيدة يمدح ابن أبي دؤاد ويذكر شفاعة خالد بن يزيد إليه وأغمض مواضع منها في اعتذاره فما فسّرها أحد قطّ وإنّما سنح لي استخراجُها لحفظي للأخبار التي أومأ إليها فأمّا من لا يحفظ الأخبار فإنّها لا تقع له وأوّلها [الكامل]

أرَأَيْتَ أَيَّ سَوَالِفٍ وَخُدُودِ

عَنَّتْ لَنَا بَيْنَ ٱللِّوَى فَزَرُودِ

فقال فيها [الكامل]

فَٱسْمَعْ مَقَالَةَ زَائِرٍ لَمْ تَشْتَبِهْ	أَرْآؤُهُ عِنْدَ ٱشْتِباهِ ٱلْبِيدِ
أَسْرَى طَرِيدًا لِلْحَيَاءِ مِنَ ٱلَّتِي	زَعَمُوا وَلَيْسَ لِرَهْبَةٍ بِطَرِيدِ
كُنْتَ ٱلرَّبِيعَ أَمَامَهُ وَوَرَاءَهُ	قَمَرُ ٱلْقَبَائِلِ خَالِدُ بْنُ يَزِيدِ
فَـٱلْغَيْثُ مِنْ زُهُرٍ سَحَابَةُ رَأْفَةٍ	وَٱلرُّكْنُ مِنْ شَيْبَانَ طَوْدُ حَدِيدِ

زهر والحذاق قبيلتان من إياد رهط ابن أبي دؤاد

وَغَدًا تَبَيَّنَ مَا بَرَاءَةُ سَاحَتِي	لَوْ قَدْ نَفَضْتَ١ تَهَائِمِي وَنُجُودِي
هَذَا ٱلْوَليدُ رَأَى ٱلتَّثَبُّتَ بَعْدَمَا	قَالُوا يَزِيدُ بْنُ ٱلْمُهَلَّبِ مُودِي

يعني الوليد بن عبد الملك لمّا هرب يزيد بن المُهَلَّب من حبس الحجّاج واستجار بسليمان بن عبد الملك وكتب الحجّاج في قتله إلى الوليد. فلم يزل سليمان بن عبد الملك وعبد العزيز بن الوليد يكلّمانه فيه فقال لا بدّ من أن تُسلموه إليّ ففعل سليمان ذلك ووجّه معه بأيّوب ابنه فقال لا تفارق يدك يده فإن أريدَ بسوء فادفع عنه حتّى تُقتل دونه.

١ ا: نفضتُ.

Ibn Abī Duʾād was angry with Abū Tammām for a long time and would not be reconciled, until Khālid ibn Yazīd al-Shaybānī interceded. Abū Tammām composed a poem in praise of Ibn Abī Duʾād, mentioning the intercession of Khālid ibn Yazīd, but inserted in his apology obscure passages that no one has yet been able to explain. I thought I would provide them because I happen to know what they refer to, as I have memorized accounts of the events to which Abū Tammām alludes. Such knowledge is accessible only to those who memorize historical accounts. The poem begins:

Did you see which cheeks and necks

came our way in Liwā and Zarūd?

In this poem he said:

Listen to the words of a visitor

whose eyes are not deceived even in a confusing desert. . .

One who fled at night chased away by the shame of their claim,

not a fugitive in fear.

You were the spring rain before him,

and behind was Khālid ibn Yazīd, the full moon of the tribes.

Thus the rain was from Zuhr, the gentle cloud,

and the ground was of Shaybān, the iron mountain.

Zuhr and Ḥudhāq are two clans of Iyād, the people of Ibn Abī Duʾād.

Tomorrow the pristine nature of my courtyard would become clear,

if you were to check my tracks in Tihāmah and Najd.²⁶⁴

Al-Walīd thought carefully

when they said, “Yazīd ibn al-Muhallab must die.”

Abū Tammām meant al-Walīd ibn ʿAbd al-Malik. When Yazīd ibn al-Muhallab fled from imprisonment by al-Ḥajjāj, he sought the protection of Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik. Al-Ḥajjāj wrote to al-Walīd to have Yazīd executed, but Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik and ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Walīd intervened with al-Walīd on Yazīd’s behalf.

“You must hand him over to me,” the caliph demanded. Sulaymān complied but sent his son Ayyūb along with Yazīd. “Do not leave his side,” he instructed his son, “and if anyone seeks to harm him, defend him with your life.”

٦،٧٨78.6

فَتَزَعْزَعَ ٱلزُّورُ ٱلْمُؤَسَّسُ عِنْدَهُ	وَبِنَاءُ هٰذَا ٱلْإِفْكِ غَيْرُ مَشِيدِ
وَتَمَكَّنَ ٱبْنُ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ مِنْ حِجَى	مَلِكٍ بِشُكْرِ بَنِي ٱلْمُلُوكِ سَعِيدِ

ابن أبي سَعيد يعني يزيد بن المهلّب لأنّ كنية المهلّب أبو سعيد. مِن حِجى مَلِكٍ يعني سليمان بن عبد الملك. بشُكْرِ بَني المُلوك يعني آل المهلّب أنّ سليمان يسعد باقي الدهر بشكرهم له.

The lie put before him collapsed,

for the fabrication was not well built.

Ibn Abī Saʿīd was in a strong position, protected by a king,

indebted to the offspring of kings.

“Ibn Abī Saʿīd” means Yazīd ibn al-Muhallab, because the teknonym of his ancestor al-Muhallab is Abū Saʿīd. “Protected by a king” refers to Sulaymān ibn ʿAbd al-Malik,²⁶⁵ and “grateful to the offspring of kings” means that Sulaymān would be fortunate to enjoy the gratitude of the House of Muhallab for all time.

٧،٧٨78.7

مَا خَالِدٌ لِيَ دُونَ أَيُّوبٍ وَلَا

عَبْدِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ وَلَسْتَ دُونَ وَلِيدِ

يقول شفيعي خالد بن يزيد وليس هو عندك بدون عبد العزيز ابن الوليد وأيّوب بن سليمان عند الوليد هو بك أخصّ مِن ذَيْنكَ بالوليد ولا أنت دون وليد في الرأي وجميل العفو.

To me Khālid is no less a man than Ayyūb or ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz,

nor are you second to al-Walīd.

Abū Tammām says, “My intercessor is Khālid ibn Yazīd, and he means as much to you as ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Walīd and Ayyūb ibn Sulaymān meant to al-Walīd. In fact he is even closer to you than they were to al-Walīd. And you are no less astute or forgiving than al-Walīd.”

٨،٧٨78.8

نَفْسِي فِدَاؤُكَ أَيُّ بَابِ مُلِمَّةٍ	لَمْ يُرْمَ فِيهِ إِلَيْكَ بِٱلْإِقْلِيدِ
لَمَّا أَظَلَّتْنِي غَمَامُكَ أَصْبَحَتْ	تِلْكَ ٱلشُّهُودُ عَلَيَّ وَهْيَ شُهُودِي
مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا ظَنُّوا بِأَنْ سَيَكُونُ لِيَ	يَوْمٌ بِبَغْيِهِمِ كَيَوْمُ عَبِيدِ

يعني عَبيد بن الأبْرَص لقي النُّعْمان في يوم بؤسه وهو يوم كان يركب فيه فلا يلقاه أحد إلّا قتله وخاصّة أوّل من يلقاه فلقيه عبيد فقتله.

My life is yours—have you not been given the key

to unlock any catastrophe?. . .

When your cloud cast its shadow over me

the witnesses against me became witnesses for me

After they had thought

that I would suffer from their iniquity as ʿAbīd suffered.²⁶⁶

He means ʿAbīd ibn al-Abraṣ,²⁶⁷ who met al-Nuʿmān on an ill-omened day. On that day the king would ride out and kill anyone he encountered, especially the first person he saw. He encountered ʿAbīd and killed him.

٩،٧٨78.9

نَزَعُوا بِسَهْمِ قَطِيعَةٍ يَهْفُو بِهِ	رِيشُ ٱلْعُقُوقِ فَكَانَ غَيْرَ سَدِيدِ
وَإِذَا أَرَادَ ٱللهُ نَشْرَ فَضِيلَةٍ	طُوِيَتْ أَتَاحَ لَهَا لِسَانَ حَسُودِ
لَوْلَا ٱشْتِعَالُ ٱلنَّارِ فِيمَا جَاوَرَتْ	مَا كَانَ يُعْرَفُ طِيبُ عَرْفِ ٱلْعُودِ
لَوْلَا ٱلتَّخَوُّفُ لِلْعَواقِبِ لَمْ تَزَلْ	لِلْحَاسِدِ ٱلنُّعْمَى عَلَى ٱلْمَحْسُودِ

الحمد لله صلّى الله على محمّد النبيّ وعلى آله وسلّم تسليمًا.

They took aim with an arrow fletched with disobedience:

the arrow did not fly true.

Whenever God wants to spread a hidden virtue

he predestines it for the tongue of an envious man.²⁶⁸

If fire did not burn its surroundings

we would not know the sweet smell of incense-wood.

If we did not have to fear fate’s outcomes,

the envious, not the envied, would benefit.²⁶⁹

Praise be to God and God bless and keep Muḥammad the Emissary and his progeny.