أثار الدمع مرفضّ الجمان

أثار الدمع مرفضّ الجمان

تذكر عهد دار الترجمان

تذكر عهد دار الترجمان

Tears, like scattered pearls, were stirred

Tears aroused by memories of the house of translation,

The scattered pearls of tears were stirred,

by recalling the days of Dar al-Turjuman.

Of times past when life was joyful and hopeful.

By the memory of our time at Dar al-Tarjuman,

تعاوَرَها الحيا وأتى عليها

تعاوَرَها الحيا وأتى عليها

من الأعوام منتصف الثماني

من الأعوام منتصف الثماني

Rain visited it again and again, and over it passed

Now half of eighty years have elapsed,

Rain showers took turns sweeping over it, and there passed

half of eight years.

And truth compels these tears in vain.

Upon its ruins, half of eight full years.

مغان حق فيا الدمع لا قى

مغان حق فيا الدمع لا قى

مغاني الشعب طيبا في المغاني

مغاني الشعب طيبا في المغاني

Dwellings where tears are due—not in

The melodies of the nation were sweet in songs,

Dwellings so true—may the weeping clouds never fail

the dwellings of al-Shiʿb, sweet among dwelling-places.

Songs in which boys not numbers were found.

To bless the valley's abodes with fragrance among all lands.

مغان بان فيها الصبي لا في

مغان بان فيها الصبي لا في

مغاني الرقمتين ولا أبان

مغاني الرقمتين ولا أبان

Dwellings where the youth departed—not at

So the gazelles shunned it,

Dwellings where youth blossomed, and not within

the dwellings of al-Raqmatayn, nor Aban.

And gazelles left it to beasts.

The abodes of Al-Raqmatayn nor the hills of Aban.

فاشباه الظباء ظَعَنّ عنها

فاشباه الظباء ظَعَنّ عنها

وخلفن الظباء بها حوانِ

وخلفن الظباء بها حوانِ

So those like gazelles departed from them,

When will its vestiges return, I asked,

Those resembling gazelles have journeyed from it,

and left the gazelles there, bending gently.

And its eyes flowing with tears?

Leaving real gazelles behind to dwell in sympathy.

متى تعد الروابي قلت هذى

متى تعد الروابي قلت هذى

سوالفها وأعينُها الرواني

سوالفها وأعينُها الرواني

Whenever they cross the hills, I say: these

Its regions will remain in pairs and solitude

When they race across the hills, I say: these are

are their necks and their steadily gazing eyes.

Wandering in gardens of didymus.

Their slender necks and their captivating eyes.

تظل بقاعها مثنى فرادى

تظل بقاعها مثنى فرادى

تهادى في رياض الديدمان

تهادى في رياض الديدمان

They spend the day on its plain, in pairs and singly,

In it I have often sung, and spent nights

They linger in its meadows, in pairs and alone,

moving gracefully through the meadows of al-Daydaman.

As if untouched by passing days.

Swaying gracefully amidst gardens of crimson bloom.

بها قد طالما غنيت وأمست

بها قد طالما غنيت وأمست

كان لم تمس بالأمس الغواني

كان لم تمس بالأمس الغواني

There I long dwelt, and now they are

The teens, with the blooming teen girls,

There I long prospered, yet it has come to be

as though the beauties had not spent yesterday evening there.

Were adorned with freshness and beauty.

As if the fair maidens had never graced its yesterdays.

بنو العشرين حول بنات عشر

بنو العشرين حول بنات عشر

يحلين النضار مع الجمان

يحلين النضار مع الجمان

Young men of twenty around girls of ten,

And the gossip of the critic slept,

Youths of twenty circling maidens of tender age,

who adorn pure gold along with pearls.

As did the mischief of the boatman.

Adorning themselves with pure gold and pearls.

ونامت مقلة النمام عنهم

ونامت مقلة النمام عنهم

وعنهم حادث الملوان وان

وعنهم حادث الملوان وان

And the tale-bearer’s eye slept, heedless of them,

None hunted them but Indians

While the eye of the slanderer slept blind to them,

and the onslaught of night and day was slow to reach them.

Who courted them out of love.

And the turning of days and nights withheld its harm.

فما يصطادهم الا هنودٌ

فما يصطادهم الا هنودٌ

بدا منها اشتقاق الهندواني

بدا منها اشتقاق الهندواني

So only Hunud ensnares them,

From its gazelles came the derivation of gazelle,

None hunts them down but the fatal glances of beauties,

from whom the name of the Hinduwani sword seems derived.

And from their teeth the origin of ivory.

From whom the sharpness of the Indian blade is derived.

ومن مقلاتها قلَتُ البرايا

ومن مقلاتها قلَتُ البرايا

ومن أسنانها أصل السنان

ومن أسنانها أصل السنان

And from her eyes comes the ruin of created beings,

Dainty when sitting, sitting gently,

From their eyes comes the destruction of mankind,

and from her teeth comes the origin of the spearhead.

And elegant when rising, rising leisurely.

And from their gleaming teeth, the spearpoint takes its form.

نواعم ان جلسن جلسن هونا

نواعم ان جلسن جلسن هونا

ومهما قمنَ قمن على تواني

ومهما قمنَ قمن على تواني

Delicate women—if they sit, they sit gently,

With passions like fires they were surrounded,

Delicate ones—when they sit, they rest with grace,

and whenever they rise, they rise languidly.

And with disliked things like shields they were surrounded.

And whenever they rise, they rise with languid slowness.

وبالشَهواتِ كالنّيران حُفّت

وبالشَهواتِ كالنّيران حُفّت

وحفّت بالمكاره كالجنان

وحفّت بالمكاره كالجنان

And she is surrounded by desires, like fires,

They sipped the wine of pleasure in drafts

They are encompassed by desires like ringed fires,

and surrounded by hardships, like the gardens of Paradise.

And quaffed the undiluted wine of intimacy.

And guarded by hardships, as Paradise is guarded.

ورَشّفنَ الخلِيّ مدامَ لهو

ورَشّفنَ الخلِيّ مدامَ لهو

وجَرَّعنَ الحميم حميم آن

وجَرَّعنَ الحميم حميم آن

And they gave the carefree sips of the wine of merriment,

You see its friendship and love in its nearness,

They made the carefree heart sip the wine of dalliance,

and made the close friend gulp fiercely scalding water.

And the sun moves away when light approaches.

While forcing the devoted lover to swallow scalding draughts.

يريكَ دنوّها والوصل ناء

يريكَ دنوّها والوصل ناء

وتنأى الشمس حين الضوء دان

وتنأى الشمس حين الضوء دان

You are shown her nearness, yet union is distant,

When it makes a promise, circumstances

She appears near to you, yet union remains distant,

and the sun is distant when its light is near.

Point to promises reversed in treachery.

Just as the sun is remote, though its light is close at hand.

إذا وعدت أشار الحال منها

إذا وعدت أشار الحال منها

إلى خلفِ المواعدِ بالبنان

إلى خلفِ المواعدِ بالبنان

Whenever she promises, her manner points

If she makes a promise, her very demeanor signals

with its fingertips to the breaking of promises.

The breaking of that vow with the tip of a finger.