أخبار أبي تمّام مع آل طاهِر بن الحُسَيْن

Abū Tammām and the House of Ṭāhir ibn al-Ḥusayn³⁵⁸

١،٩٩99.1

حدّثنا محمّد بن إسحاق النحويّ قال حدّثنا أبو العَيْناء عن عليّ بن محمّد الجُرْجانيّ قال

اجتمعنا بباب عبد الله بن طاهر من بين شاعر وزائر ومعنا أبو تمّام فحجبنا أيّامًا فكتب إليه أبو تمّام [الخفيف]

أَيُّهَذَا ٱلْعَزِيزُ قَدْ مَسَّنَا ٱلضُّرُّ	جَمِيعًا وَأَهْلُنَا أَشْتَاتُ
وَلَنَا فِي ٱلرِّحَالِ شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ	وَلَدَيْنَا بِضَاعَةٌ مُزْجَاةُ١
قَلَّ طُلَّابُهَا فَأَضْحَتْ خَسَارًا	فَتِجَارَاتُنَا بِهَا تُرَّهَاتُ
فَٱحْتَسِبْ أَجْرَنَا وَأَوْفِ لَنَا ٱلْكَيْـ	‍لَ وَصَدِّقْ فَإِنَّنَا أَمْوَاتُ

فضحك عبد الله لمّا قرأ الشعر قال قولوا لأبي تمّام لا تعاود مثل هذا الشعر فإنّ القرآن أجلّ من أن يُستعار شيء من ألفاظه للشعر.

قال ووجد عليه.

١ ا: مزجات.

We cite Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq the Grammarian, who cites Abū l-ʿAynāʾ, who cites ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad al-Jurjānī as follows:

We, poets and petitioners, were gathered at the gate of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir. Abū Tammām was present. The commander kept us waiting outside for days, then Abū Tammām wrote to him the following verses:

«O mighty prince, affliction has visited us»

and our people are scattered.

In our saddle bags we bring «a father aged and great with years»

and «merchandise of scant worth»

Its buyers are few, so it has turned to loss

and our goods are now a mockery.

Calculate our fee, «fill up to us the measure

and be charitable to us», for we are dying.³⁵⁹

ʿAbd Allāh laughed when he read the poem. “Tell Abū Tammām not to repeat this sort of poetry again,” he said. “The words of the Qurʾan are too lofty to be used for poetry.”

Abū Tammām resented him for this.

٢،٩٩99.2

حدّثنا أبو عبد الله محمّد بن موسى الرازيّ قال حدّثني محمّد بن إسحاق الخُتَّليّ وكان يتوكّل لعبد الله بن طاهر قال

لمّا قدم أبو تمّام على عبد الله بن طاهر أمر له بشيء لم يرضه ففرّقه فغضب عليه لاستقلاله ما أعطاه وتفريقه إيّاه.

فشكا أبو تمّام ذلك إلى أبي العَمَيْثَل شاعر آل طاهر وأخصّ الناس بهم فدخل على عبد الله بن طاهر فقال له أيّها الأمير أتغضب على من حمل إليك أمله من العراق وكدّ فيك جسمه وفكره ومن يقول فيك [البسيط]

يَقُولُ فِي قُومِسٍ١ صَحْبِي وَقَدْ أَخَذَتْ	مِنَّا ٱلسُّرَى وَخُطَى ٱلْمَهْرِيَّةِ ٱلْقُودِ
أمَطْلَعَ ٱلشَّمْسِ تَنْوِي أَنْ تَؤُمَّ بِنَا	فَقُلْتُ كَلَّا وَلٰكِنْ مَطْلَعَ ٱلْجُودِ

قال فدعا به ونادمه يومه ذلك وخلع عليه ووهب له ألف دينار وخاتمًا كان في يده له قدر.

١ ا: قومُس.

We cite Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Mūsā l-Rāzī, who cites Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq al-Khuttalī³⁶⁰ (a tax agent of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir) as follows:

When Abū Tammām came to ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir, the sum the commander ordered that he be given did not satisfy the poet, so he gave it away. ʿAbd Allāh was angry with Abū Tammām for treating his gift as an insult and giving it away.³⁶¹

Abū Tammām complained about this to Abū l-ʿAmaythal,³⁶² the Ṭāhirids’ poet laureate and favorite, who went to see ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir. “Commander,” he said, “are you angry with someone who came with hope all the way from Iraq, who exhausted his body and mind for your sake, and who said about you:

In Qūmis my friends said to me,

after the fatigue of the night journey on well-trained Mahrian camels,

‘Are you taking us to where the sun rises?’

‘No,’ I replied, ‘to the place where generosity rises.’”³⁶³

That very day ʿAbd Allāh summoned Abū Tammām to drink with him, gave him a robe of honor, and awarded him a thousand dinars and a precious ring that he wore.

١،١٠٠100.1

حدّثني أبو عبد الله محمّد بن طاهر قال

لمّا دخل أبو تمّام أَبْرَشَهْر هوي بها مغنّية كانت تغنّي بالفارسيّة وكانت حاذقة طيّبة الصوت. فكان عبد الله كلّما سأل عنه أُخبر أنّه عندها فنقص عنده. قال وفيها يقول أبو تمّام [الوافر]

أَيَا سَهَرِي بِلَيْلَةِ أَبْرَشَهْرٍ	ذَمَمْتَ إِلَيَّ يَوْمًا فِي سِوَاهَا
شَكَرْتُكِ لَيْلَةً حَسُنَتْ وَطَابَتْ	أَقَامَ سُرُورُها وَمَضَى كَرَاهَا
إِذَا وَهَدَاتُ أَرْضٍ كَانَ فِيهَا	رِضَاكَ فَلَا تَحِنُّ إِلَى رُبَاهَا
سَمِعْتُ بِهَا غِنَاءً كَانَ أَحْرَى	بَأَنْ يَقْتَادَ نَفْسِي مِنْ غِنَاهَا
وَمُسْمِعَةٍ تَقُوتُ ٱلسَّمْعَ حُسْنًا	وَلَمْ تُصْمِمْهُ لَا يُصْمَمْ صَدَاهَا
مَرَتْ أَوْتَارَهَا فَشَجَتْ وَشَاقَتْ	فَلَوْ يَسْطِيعُ سَامِعُهَا فَدَاهَا
وَلَمْ أَفْهَمْ مَعَانِيَهَا وَلٰكِنْ	وَرَتْ كَبِدِي فَلَمْ أَجْهَلْ شَجَاهَا
فَبِتُّ كَأَنَّنِي أَعْمَى مُعَنًّى	يُحِبُّ ٱلْغَانِيَاتِ وَمَا يَرَاهَا

I cite Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Ṭāhir, who said:

When Abū Tammām entered the city of Abrashahr he fell for a skillful singer with a beautiful voice who sang in Persian. Whenever ʿAbd Allāh inquired about Abū Tammām, he was told that the poet was with her, and Abū Tammām lost standing in the eyes of the commander. Abū Tammām composed the following lines about her:

Sleepless night of Abrashahr,

you put to shame a day spent anywhere else!

I thank you for a night, beautiful and sweet,

when joys lingered while sleep fled.

If your happiness lies in the lowlands

don’t long for the hills!

There I heard a song

so powerful it stole my soul,

A singer who beauteously fed the ear.

She did not fall on deaf ears—may her voice never be silenced!

She played her strings, sorrowful and yearning;

had they been able, her listeners would have given their life for her.

I did not understand what she meant, but it set my heart³⁶⁴ on fire,

for I understood her sorrow.

All night long I was like a blind man, broken-hearted,

in love with beauties he cannot see.³⁶⁵

٢،١٠٠100.2

وقد أحسن أبو تمّام في هذه الأبيات على أنّ الحسين بن الضحّاك قد قال، ورواه قوم لأبي نواس ولا أعلمه له ولكنّ أبا جعفر المْهلّبيّ أنشدنيه للحسين، وقد سمع فارسيًّا يغنّي [الهزج]

وَصَوْتٍ لِبَنِي ٱلْأَحْرَا	رِ أَهْلِ ٱلسِّيرَةِ ٱلْحُسْنَى
شَجِيٍّ يَأْكُلُ ٱلْأَوْتَا	رَ حَتَّى كُلُّهَا يَفْنَى
فَمَا أَدْرِي ٱلْيَدُ ٱلْيُسْرَى	بِهِ أَشْقَى أَمِ ٱلْيُمْنَى
وَمَا أَفْهَمُ مَا يَعْنِي	مُغَنِّينَا إِذَا غَنَّى
سِوَى أَنِّيَ مِنْ حُبِّي	لَهُ أَسْتَحْسِنُ ٱلْمَعْنَى

ويروى أَنِّيَ مِنْ عُجْبِي بِهِ.

Abū Tammām excelled in these verses—although after hearing a Persian singer al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Ḍaḥḥāk had said something similar (some people transmit the verses as belonging to Abū Nuwās, though I don’t know them as his, and Abū Jaʿfar al-Muhallabī recited them to me as al-Ḥusayn’s):

A song³⁶⁶ for the freeborn,

men of model lives,

Mournful, it devours the chords

till each one dies.

I cannot tell:

does his right or left hand make a sadder sound?

I do not understand

what our singer means when he sings,

Only that my love for him

makes me find beauty in his meaning.

“Only that my admiration for him. . . ” is also transmitted.

٣،١٠٠100.3

وأوّل من نطق بهذا المعنى وزعم أنّ أعجميًّا شاقه وشجاه حُمَيْد بن ثَوْر إلّا أنّه وصف صوت حمامة [الطويل]

عَجِبْتُ لَهَا أَنَّى يَكُونُ غِنَاؤُهَا	فَصِيحًا وَلَمْ تَفْغَرْ بِمَنْطِقِهَا فَمَا
وَلَمْ أَرَ مَحْقُورًا لَهُ مِثْلُ صَوْتِهَا	أَحَنَّ وَأَجْوَى لِلْحَزِينِ وَأَكْلَمَا
وَلَمْ أَرَ مِثْلِي هَاجَهُ ٱلْيَوْمَ مِثْلُهَا	وَلَا عَرَبِيًّا شَاقَهُ صَوْتُ أَعْجَمَا

Ḥumayd ibn Thawr was the first person to utter this motif and claim that he had been affected and saddened by something incomprehensible. The difference is that he was describing a dove:

I marveled at how her song could be so eloquent,

when no speech left her mouth.

I have never known such a little thing with such a voice

to make a sad man feel so much yearning, pain, and agony.

I have never known something like her to stir up someone like me as she did,

nor any Arab moved by a foreign voice.³⁶⁷

٤،١٠٠100.4

وأمّا قوله وَمُسْمِعَةٍ تَقُوتُ ٱلسَّمْعَ حُسْنًا فهو من قولهم الغناء غذاء الأسماع كما أنّ الأبدان.

Abū Tammām’s words “a singer who beauteously fed the ear” derive from the saying “Song feeds the ears, just as food nourishes bodies.”

٥،١٠٠100.5

حدّثني محمّد بن سعيد وغيره عن حمّاد بن إسحاق قال

كان مروان بن أبي حَفْصَة يجيء إلى جدّي إبراهيم فإذا تغدّى قال قد أطعمتمونا طيّبًا فأطعموا آذاننا حسنًا.

I cite Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd and others, who cite Ḥammād ibn Isḥāq al-Mawṣilī as their authority for the following:

Marwān ibn Abī Ḥafṣah used to visit my grandfather Ibrāhīm, who when he ate his midday meal used to say, “You have given me a feast of tasty things, now give my ears a feast of beauty.”

٦،١٠٠100.6

وقال ابن أبي طاهر

قلت لأبي تمّام أعَنَيت بقولك أحدًا [الوافر]

فَبِتُّ كَأَنَّنِي أَعْمَى مُعَنًّى

يُحِبُّ ٱلْغَانِيَاتِ وَمَا يَرَاهَا

فقال نعم عنيت بشّار بن برد الضرير.

قال وأنا أحسبه أراد قوله [البسيط]

يَا قَوْمِ أُذْنِي لِبَعْضِ ٱلْحَيِّ عَاشِقَةٌ	وَٱلْأُذْنُ تَعْشَقُ قَبْلَ ٱلْعَيْنِ أَحْيَانَا
قَالُوا بِمَنْ لَا تَرَى تَهْذِي فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ	اَلْأُذْنُ كَٱلْعَيْنِ تُوفِي ٱلْقَلْبَ مَا كَانَا

Ibn Abī Ṭāhir said:

I asked Abū Tammām, “Did you mean anyone specific with your words:

All night long I was like a blind man, broken-hearted,

in love with beauties he cannot see.”

“Yes,” Abū Tammām replied, “I meant Bashshār ibn Burd the Blind.”

I think Abū Tammām intended Bashshār’s couplet:

Folks, my ear loves someone in this quarter,

sometimes the ear falls in love before the eye.

“Are you mad for someone you cannot see?” they asked.

“The ear, like the eye,” I replied, “informs the heart what’s there.”

١،١٠١101.1

حدّثنا محمّد بن يزيد المبرّد قال

مات ابنان صغيران لعبد الله بن طاهر في يوم واحد فدخل عليه أبو تمّام فأنشده [الكامل]

مَا زَالَتِ ٱلْأَيَّامُ تُخْبِرُ سَائِلَا

أَنْ سَوْفَ تَفْجَعُ مُسْهِلًا أَوْ عَاقِلَا١

فلمّا بلغ إلى قوله

مَجْدٌ تَأَوَّبَ طَارِقًا حَتَّى إِذَا	قُلْنَا أَقَامَ ٱلدَّهْرَ أَصْبَحَ رَاحِلَا
نَجْمَانِ شَاءَ ٱللهُ أَلَّا يَطْلُعَا	إِلَّا ٱرْتِدَادَ ٱلطَّرْفِ حَتَّى يَأْفِلَا
إِنَّ ٱلْفَجِيعَةَ بِٱلرِّيَاضِ نَوَاضِرًا	لَأَجَلُّ مِنْهَا بِٱلرِّيَاضِ ذَوَابِلَا
لَوْ يَنْشَآنِ لَكَانَ هٰذَا غَارِبًا	لِلْمَكْرُمَاتِ وَكَانَ هٰذَا كَاهِلَا

كذا أنشده وكذا ينشده الناس والذي أقرأنيه أبو مالك عون ابن محمّد الكنديّ وقال قرأته على أبي تمّام لو يُنْسَآنِ أيْ لَوْ يُؤَخَّرَانِ وهو الأجود عندي.

لَهْفِي عَلَى تِلْكَ ٱلْمَخَائِلِ فِيهِمَا	لَوْ أُمْهِلَتْ حَتَّى تَكُونَ شَمَائِلَا
لَغَدَا سُكُونُهُمَا حِجًى وَصِبَاهُمَا	كَرَمًا وَتِلْكَ ٱلْأَرِيحِيَّةُ نَائِلَا
إِنَّ ٱلْهِلَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتَ نُمُوَّهُ	أَيْقَنْتَ أَنْ سَيَصِيرُ بَدْرًا كَامِلَا

كذا أنشد والصحيح وَصِبَاهُمَا حِلْمًا^٢ وهو أجود من جهات واحدة لأنّ نائلًا قد ناب عن الكرم فيجيء بالحلم ليجمع أصناف المدح والأخرى أنّ الحلم أحسن جوارًا للحجى وهو العقل من الكرم. والأخرى أنّه جعل سكونهما حجًى أي عقلًا وأريحيّتهما نائلًا فيجب أن يكون الصبا حلمًا حتّى لا يكون تلك الفعلة إلّا للحلم.

١ ا: غاقلا. ٢ ا: كذا أنشد وصِباهُما وهو؛ (والصحيح) و(حِلْمًا) زيادتان يقتضيهما السياق.

We cite al-Mubarrad, who said:

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir lost two young sons on the same day. Abū Tammām was given an audience and recited the following:

The days never fail to tell any questioner

that they will assail open land and fortress alike.

Then he reached the words:

Glory arrived seeking shelter in the night, and

when we said, “It is here to stay,” it moved on in the morning—

God willed that two stars would rise

for the blink of an eye before they set.

The loss of lush gardens is worse

than the loss of withered ones.

Had they grown up, one son would have been the withers

the other the hump of noble deeds.³⁶⁸

Al-Ṣūlī: This is how al-Mubarrad and people in general recite this verse. But Abū Mālik, ʿAwn ibn Muḥammad al-Kindī, with whom I studied it, said, “I recited this to Abū Tammām as ‘had they been given more time,’ meaning, ‘if only their death had been postponed,’” which I think is better.

How I grieve for their signs of promise,

if only they had been given time to grow up

Their poise would have become astuteness,

their youthful love generosity, and joyfulness bounteous gifts.

When you see the crescent moon grow,

you know for sure it will become a full moon.

Al-Mubarrad recited it thus. However the correct version is “their youthful love would have become insight,” which is better for several reasons. One is that “bounteous gifts” already stands for “generosity,” so Abū Tammām provides “insight” instead in order to bring together all the aspects of praise. Another is that “insight” is a better match for “astuteness,” that is, intellect, than generosity. Yet another is that he turned their “poise” into “astuteness,” and their “joyfulness” into “bounteous gifts.” “Youthful love” must therefore become “insight,” so that this kind of behavior is only included because of “insight.”

٢،١٠١101.2

وإن أنصف من يقرأ هذا وأشباهه من تفسيرنا علم أنّ أحدًا لم يستقلّ بمثله ولا علم حقيقة الكلام كما علمناه إلّا أن يتعلّمه من هذه الجهة متعلّم ذكيّ فهمٌ فيبلغ فيه. وهذا دليل على حذق أبي تمّام وجهل الناس في الرواية وهذا داء قديم.

Whoever judges fairly when reading this commentary and others like it by us knows that such things can only be accomplished, and speech understood properly (as we understand it) by intelligent and perceptive people who study and learn this kind of approach. Such commentary proves Abū Tammām’s skill and people’s lack of knowledge about the transmission of poetry, which is an old affliction.

٣،١٠١101.3

قال جرير لبعض الرواة أسألك بالله من أشعر عندك أنا أو الفَرَزْدَق؟

فقال والله لأصدقنّك أمّا عند خواصّ الناس وعلمائهم فهو أشعر منك وأمّا عند عامّة الناس ودهمائهم فإنّك أشعر.

فقال غلبتُه وربّ الكعبة وتقدّمته متى يقع الخاصّ من العامّ؟

For example, Jarīr questioned a transmitter, “By God, I ask you, who do you think is a better poet, me or al-Farazdaq?”

“By God, I will tell you the truth: the elite and the scholars find him a better poet than you, but the crowds and the general public find you better.”

“I have won—by the Lord of the Kaaba, I am first! The elite are nothing compared to the public.”

٤،١٠١101.4

قال فلمّا سمع هذا عبد الله وكان يتعنّته كثيرًا قال قد أحسنت ولكنّك تؤسّفني وليس تعزّيني فلمّا قال

قُلْ لِلْأَمِيرِ وَإِنْ لَقِيتَ مُوَقَّرًا	مِنْهُ بِرَيْبِ ٱلْحَادِثَاتِ حُلَاحِلَا
إِنْ تُرْزَ فِي طَرَفَيْ نَهَارٍ وِاحِدٍ	رُزْءَيْنِ هَاجَا لَوْعَةً وَبَلَابِلَا
فَٱلثِّقْلُ لَيْسَ مُضَاعَفًا لِمَطِيَّةٍ	إِلَّا إِذَا مَا كَانَ وَهْمًا بَازِلَا
شَمَخَتْ خِلَالُكَ أَنْ يُؤَسِّيَكَ ٱمْرُؤٌ	أَوْ أَنْ تُذَكَّرَ نَاسِيًا أَوْ غَافِلَا
إِلَّا مَوَاعِظَ قَادَهَا لَكَ سَمْحَةً	إِسْجَاحُ لُبِّكَ سَامِعًا أَوْ قَائِلَا

قال الآن عزّيتَ وأمر فكُتبت القصيدة ووصله.

Al-Mubarrad: When ʿAbd Allāh heard this section of the lament, he was greatly vexed, and responded, “You have done a good job, but you’re making me grieve, not providing consolation.”³⁶⁹ Abū Tammām went on:

Say to the commander, even though you meet him

grave and dignified, wounded by fate’s blows:

“If you were struck twice at the beginning and end of a single day,

two blows that consume your heart with the sting of grief,

It is because only the strong, fully grown camel is given a double load. . .

Your are too lofty by nature to be consoled or to need reminding by anyone—

should you ever forget or be distracted—

Other than by admonitions that your own gentle mind

leads obediently to you, whatever you are doing, listening or speaking.”³⁷⁰

ʿAbd Allāh said, “Now you have given me comfort.” He ordered that the poem be written down and the poet be given a reward.

٥،١٠١101.5

وهذا فإنّما احتذى به أبو تمّام قول الفرزدق وقد ماتت له جارية نُفَساءُ فوُجد في بطنها صبيّ ميّت [الطويل]

وجَفْنِ سِلَاحٍ قَدْ رُزِئْتُ فَلَمْ أَنُحْ	عَلَيْهِ وَلَمْ أَبْعَثْ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْبَوَاكِيَا
وَفِي جَوْفِهِ مِنِ دَارِمٍ ذُو حَفِيظَةٍ	لَوَ ٱنَّ ٱلْمَنَايَا١ أَنْسَأَتْهُ لَيَالِيَا

وليس كلام أحسن من قوله وَجَفْنِ سِلَاحٍ قَدْ رُزِئْتُ وتشبيهه هذا.

١ ا: لو أنّ الليالي، ومكتوب فوقها بخطّ صغير (المنايا).

Here Abū Tammām composed in the style of al-Farazdaq when a pregnant slave had died and the dead child was found inside her womb:

I lost the sheath of a weapon,

but I did not weep nor summon the mourners.

Inside it was a plump child, to cherish and protect

if death had only given him a few nights’ respite.

There are no better words than al-Farazdaq’s composition “I lost the sheath of a weapon” and this comparison by him.

١٠٢102

حدّثني أبو بكر عبد الرحمن بن أحمد قال سمعت أبا عليّ الحسين يقول

ما كان أحد أشعف بشعر أبي تمّام من إسحاق بن إبراهيم المُصْعَبيّ وكان يعطيه عطاء كثيرًا.

I cite Abū Bakr ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Aḥmad, who heard Abū ʿAlī l-Ḥusayn say:

No one was more taken with the poetry of Abū Tammām than Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Muṣʿabī, who would give him many gifts.

١٠٣103

حدّثنا أبو أحمد يحيى بن عليّ بن يحيى قال حدّثني أبي قال

دخل أبو تمّام على إسحاق بن إبراهيم فأنشده مدحًا له وجاء إسحاق بن إبراهيم المَوْصِليّ إلى إسحاق مسلّمًا عليه فلمّا استؤذن له قال له أبو تمّام حاجتي أيّها الأمير أن تأمر إسحاق أن يستمع بعض قصائدي فيك فلمّا دخل قال له ذلك فجلس وأنشده عدّة قصائد فأقبل إسحاق على أبي تمّام فقال أنت شاعر مجيد محسن كثير الاتّـكاء على نفسك

يريد أنّه يعمل المعاني. وكان إسحاق شديد العصبيّة للأوائل كثير الاتّباع لهم.

We cite Abū Aḥmad Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī ibn Yaḥyā l-Munajjim, who cites his father as follows:

Abū Tammām appeared before Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm and recited a praise poem to him. Then Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Mawṣilī arrived to pay the commander his respects. When he asked to be admitted, Abū Tammām said, “Commander, I beg you to order Isḥāq to listen to some of my odes about you.” When Isḥāq entered the commander told him this. Isḥāq sat down and Abū Tammām recited several odes.³⁷¹ Then Isḥāq turned to Abū Tammām and said, “You are a brilliant and excellent poet and you rely on your own powers.”

He meant that Abū Tammām coined motifs. Isḥāq was a fervent champion of the ancient poets whom he supported.

١٠٤104

ويروى أنّ عبد الله بن طاهر حجبه فكتب إليه

صَبْرًا عَلَى ٱلْمَطْلِ مَا لَمْ يَتْلُهُ ٱلْكَذِبُ	وَلِلْخُطُوبِ إِذَا سَامَحْتَهَا عُقَبُ
عَلَى ٱلْمَقَادِيرِ لَوْمٌ إِنْ رُمِيتَ بِهَا	مِنْ قَادِرٍ وَعَلَيَّ ٱلسَّعْيُ وَٱلطَّلَبُ
يَأيُّهَا ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلنَّائِي بِرُؤْيَتِهِ	وَجُودُهُ لِمُرَاعِي جُودِهِ كَثَبُ
لَيْسَ ٱلْحِجَابُ بِمُقْصٍ عَنْكَ لِي أَمَلًا	إِنَّ ٱلسَّمَاءَ تُرَجَّى حِينَ تَحْتَجِبُ

ويروى أنّه كتب بها إلى أبي دلف وقيل إلى ابن أبي دؤاد وقيل في إسحاق.

It is said that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir kept Abū Tammām waiting at his door, so the poet wrote a note to the commander:

Bear the delay with patience, as long as no lie follows it,

because events end well, if borne with grace.

To destiny belongs blame, when a mighty man like you is their target,

but to me belong effort and pursuit.

O Prince, you are so hard to get to see,

but your generosity is so near for the petitioner,

I have not abandoned my hopes just because a veil hides you:

one has hopes for a sky veiled with clouds.³⁷²

Abū Tammām is also said to have written these lines to Abū Dulaf or Ibn Abī Duʾād, but they were actually said about Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm al-Muṣʿabī.

١٠٥105

حدّثني أحمد بن محمّد البصريّ قال حدّثني فضل اليزيديّ قال

لما صار أبو تمّام إلى خراسان لمدح عبد الله بن طاهر كرهها وأقبل الشتاء فاشتدّ عليه أمر البرد فقال يذمّ الشتاء ويمدح الصيف [البسيط]

لَمْ يَبْقَ لِلصَّيْفِ لَا رَسْمٌ وَلَا طَلَلُ	وَلَا قَشِيبٌ فيُسْتَكْسَى وَلَا سَمَلُ
عَدْلًا مِنَ ٱلدَّمْعِ أَنْ يَبْكِي ٱلْمَصِيفَ كَمَا	يُبْكَى ٱلشَّبَابُ وَيُبْكَى ٱللهْوُ وَٱلْغَزَلُ
يُمْنَى ٱلزَّمَانِ طَوَتْ مَعْرُوفَهَا وَغَدَتْ	يُسْرَاهُ وَهْىَ لَنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ بَدَلُ

وهي قصيدة سندكرها في شعره فبلغ شعره عبد الله بن طاهر فعجّل جائزته وصرفه.

I cite Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad al-Baṣrī, who cites Faḍl al-Yazīdī as follows:

When Abū Tammām traveled to Khurasan to praise ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir, he hated being in the country, because winter had arrived and he suffered in the intense cold. So he composed the following verses, blaming winter and praising summer:

No trace, no remnant of summer is left,

I have no clothes to wear, worn out or new!

Tears rightly mourn the passing of summer

as one weeps for lost youth, for dalliance, for love.

Time’s right hand has withdrawn its gift—

its left hand now takes its place.³⁷³

(We will be citing this ode in the Collected Poems.) ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir learned of these verses and immediately sent Abū Tammām a reward and dismissed him.

١،١٠٦106.1

حدّثني أحمد بن إسماعيل بن الخصيب قال حدّثني عبد الله بن أحمد النَّيْسابوريّ وكان أديبًا شاعرًا قال

استبطأ أبو تمّام صلة عبد الله بن طاهر فكتب إلى أبي العَمَيْثَل شاعر عبد الله وكان دفع إليه رقعة ليوصّلها إلى عبد الله [الكامل]

لَيْتَ ٱلظِّباءَ أَبَا ٱلْعَمَيْثَلِ خَبَّرَتْ	خَبَرًا يُرَوِّي صَادِيَاتِ ٱلْهَامِ
إِنَّ ٱلْأَمِيرَ إِذَا ٱلْحَوَادِثُ أَظْلَمَتْ	نُورُ ٱلزَّمَانِ وَحِلْيَةُ ٱلْإسْلَامِ
وَٱللهِ مَا يَدْرِي بِأَيَّةِ حَالَةٍ	يُثْنِي مُجَاوِرُهُ عَلَى ٱلْأَيَّامِ
أَلِمَا يُجَامِعُهُ لَدَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْغِنَى	أَمْ مَا يُفَارِقُهُ مِنَ ٱلْإعْدَامِ
وَأَرَى ٱلصَّحِيفَةَ قَدْ عَلَتْهَا فَتْرَةٌ	فَتَرَتْ لَهَا ٱلْأَرْوَاحُ فِي ٱلْأَجْسَامِ
إِنَّ ٱلْجِيَادَ إِذَا عَلَتْهَا صَنْعَةٌ	رَاقَتْ ذَوِي ٱلْآدَابِ وَٱلْأَفْهَامِ
لِتَزَيُّدِ ٱلْأَبْصَارِ فِيهَا فُسْحَةٌ	وَتَأَمُّلٌ بِإِشَارَةِ ٱلْقُوَّامِ
لَوْلَا ٱلْأَمِيرُ وَأَنَّ حَاكِمَ رَأْيِهِ	فِي ٱلشِّعْرِ أَصْبَحَ أَعْدَلَ ٱلْحُكَّامِ
لَثَكِلْتُ آمَالِي لَدَيْهِ بِأَسْرِهَا	وَلَكَانَ إِنْشَادِي خَفِيرَ كَلَامِي
وَلَخِفْتُ فِي تَفْريِقِهِ مَا بَيْنَنَا	مَا قِيلَ فِي عَمْرٍو وَفِي ٱلصَّمْصَامِ

I cite Aḥmad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn al-Khaṣīb, who cites ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Naysābūrī, a man of culture and a poet, who said:

Abū Tammām was kept waiting for a gift from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṭāhir and wrote the following verses to Abū l-ʿAmaythal, ʿAbd Allāh’s poet laureate, as Abū Tammām had previously given him a note with a poem for ʿAbd Allāh:

Abū l-ʿAmaythal, if only the oryxes had brought tidings

to quench the thirsty owls!³⁷⁴

When fate spreads darkness,

the commander is the light of time and the face³⁷⁵ of Islam.

By God, the one he protects does not know

which circumstance to praise time for:

The riches with which ʿAbd Allāh united him,

or the poverty from which he separates him?

I think my composition has been delayed for quite some time,

a delay that wearies the souls in our bodies.³⁷⁶

When craft commands³⁷⁷ excellence

it delights men of culture and insight,

Provides room for repeated scrutiny

and receives the adulation of the audience.

Were it not for the commander, were it not that his discerning judgment

is poetry’s fairest judge,

I would be bereft of all hope’s children,

and recitation would be the sole guardian of my speech.³⁷⁸

But because he keeps us apart

I fear the fate people say ʿAmr suffered with his sword Ṣamṣām.³⁷⁹

٢،١٠٦106.2

فكتب إليه أبو العميثل [الكامل]

أَفْهَمْتَنَا فنَقَعْتَ بِالْإِفْهَامِ	فَٱسْمَعْ جَوَابَكَ يَا أَبَا تَمَّامِ
إِنَّ ٱلظِّبَاءَ سَنِيحُهَا كَبَريِحِهَا	فِي جَهْلِهَا بِتَصَرُّفِ ٱلْأَقْوَامِ
جَفَّتْ بِأَيَّامِ ٱلْفَتَى وَبِرِزْقِهِ	فِي ٱللَّوْحِ قَبْلُ سَوَابِقُ ٱلْأَقْلَامِ
قَدْ كُنْتُ حَاضِرَ كُلِّ مَا حَبَّرْتَهُ	مِنْ مَنْطِقٍ مُسْتَحْكَمِ ٱلْإِبْرَامِ
فِيهِ لَطَاِئِفُ مِنْ قَرِيضٍ مُونِقٍ	نَطَقَتْ بِذٰلِكَ أَلْسُنُ ٱلْحُكَّامِ
مُلْسُ ٱلْمُتُونِ لَدَى ٱلسَّمَاعِ كَأَنَّهَا	لَمْسًا وَمَنْظَرَةً مُتُونُ سِلَامِ
وَشَهِدْتُ مَا قَالَ ٱلْأَمِيرُ بِعَقْبِهِ	مِنْ أَنَّهُ عَسَلٌ بِمَاءِ غَمَامِ
وَشَهِدْتُ أَجْمَلَ مَحْضَرٍ مِنْ مَعْشَرٍ	مَنَحُوا كَرِيمَ ٱلْقَوْلِ نَجْلَ كِرَامِ
فَعَلَيْكَ مَحْمُودَ ٱلْأَنَاءَةِ إِنَّهَا	وَٱلنُّجْحَ فِي قَرَنٍ عَلَى ٱلْأَيَّامِ
وَذَكَرْتَ عَمْرًا قَبْلَنَا وَفِرَاقَهُ	صَمْصَامَةَ ٱلنَّجَدَاتِ وَٱلْإِقْدَامِ
وَٱللهُ يَنْظِمُنَا بِعِزِّ أَمِيرِنَا	وَطِوَالِ مُدَّتِهِ أَتَمَّ نِظَامِ

وله في مُقامه بخراسان وتكرّهه إيّاها أشعار سنذكرها في شعره إن شاء الله.

Thereupon Abū l-ʿAmaythal wrote back in verse:

You sent us a message loud and clear,

Abū Tammām, hear then the answer:

Whether the oryxes cross a path from the right or the left is of no consequence:

they are oblivious to human affairs.

Long ago ink dried

on the tablet with the account of man’s deeds and gains.

I was present when the firm verdict was pronounced

on the speech you embellished so well,³⁸⁰

Full of intricacies in pleasing verse

that nimbly trip on the tongues of rulers,

Texts smooth to listen to,

like the faces³⁸¹ of smooth hard stones we can see and touch.

I was there when the commander said afterward

that it was honey mixed with fresh rainwater.

I was there when the comeliest assembly

bestowed on noble speech the reward of men of noble origin.

Show patience—it is laudable;

it is teamed with success against time.

You mention ʿAmr from days of old

and his parting from the Ṣamṣām of battle and attack.

But through the commander’s power and long reign

God has set us together on the most perfect necklace.³⁸²

Abū Tammām wrote many poems about his unhappy stay in Khurasan and his dislike of the region. We will cite them in his Collected Poems, God willing.