شامَتِwatched البَرْقُthe lightning حينَwhen لاحَflashed مَطِيٌّriding camels
شامَتِ البَرْقُ حينَ لاحَ مَطِيٌّ
أضْمَرتْconcealed لَوعَةًanguish وأبْدَتْand revealed حَنيناlonging
أضْمَرتْ لَوعَةً وأبْدَتْ حَنينا
The riding camels watched the lightning when it flashed,
The lightning flashed as a rider appeared
Concealing anguish and revealing longing.
It harbored anguish and revealed yearning
وشجاهاand grieved them الأسىsorrow فقالso said رفيقيmy companion
وشجاها الأسى فقال رفيقي
إنَّindeed فيin هذهthese المطيِّriding camels جنوناmadness
إنَّ في هذه المطيِّ جنونا
And sorrow grieved them, so my companion said,
And melancholy overwhelmed it, so its friend said
"There is madness in these riding camels."
“Indeed, in this rider is madness”
حاكياًmirroring ومضُهits flash وضوءُand the light سناهits radiance
حاكياً ومضُه وضوءُ سناه
منfrom سُليمىSulayma تَبَسُّماًa smile وجبيناand a brow
من سُليمى تَبَسُّماً وجبينا
Its flash and radiant light mirrored
Imitating its flash, the glow of its teeth
Sulayma's smile and brow.
From Sulayma a smile and a forehead
وبكتand wept أنيقshe-camels بدمعٍwith tears هتونٍpouring down
وبكت أنيق بدمعٍ هتونٍ
لمdid not تدعleave للفؤادfor the heart سِرًّاa secret مصوناsafeguarded
لم تدع للفؤاد سِرًّا مصونا
And the she-camels wept with streaming tears,
The graceful one wept with easy tears
Leaving no secret of the heart concealed.
It left no secret intact in the heart
وبكيْناand we wept لهاfor them بدمعٍwith tears وماand what ينفعُbenefits النُّوthe she-camels (first part)
وبكيْنا لها بدمعٍ وما ينفعُ النُّو
قَcompletion of 'the she-camels' وقدand already ضَرَّهاhad hurt them الهوىlove إنif بكيناwe wept
قَ وقد ضَرَّها الهوى إن بكينا
We shed tears for them—but what good does it do the she-camels,
And we cried for it with tears, but crying is useless
Already hurt by love, if we weep?
When passion has harmed it, even if we cried
كمhow many أهاجَstirred القلوبthe hearts منَّاamong us وميضٍa flash
كم أهاجَ القلوب منَّا وميضٍ
ثمَّthen أدمىmade bleed بعدafter القلوبthe hearts العيوناthe eyes
ثمَّ أدمى بعد القلوب العيونا
How many a flash has stirred our hearts,
How passion stirred our hearts with a flash
Then bloodied our eyes, after our hearts!
Then, after the hearts, the eyes shed blood
كانَwas علمthe knowledge الوشاةthe talebearers بالوجدof passionate longing ظنًّاconjecture
كانَ علم الوشاة بالوجد ظنًّا
فأعادَتso turned ظنَّthe conjecture الوشاةthe talebearers يقيناinto certainty
فأعادَت ظنَّ الوشاة يقينا
The talebearers' knowledge of passion was conjecture;
The gossipers' knowledge of passion was a guess
So the talebearers' conjecture was turned to certainty
So the guess of the gossipers became certainty
عبراتٍteardrops أسْبَلْتُهاI let them fall ودموعاًand tears
عبراتٍ أسْبَلْتُها ودموعاً
كانَwould have been لولاwere it not for الهوىlove بهنَّwith them ضنيناsparing
كانَ لولا الهوى بهنَّ ضنينا
By teardrops I let fall, and tears
Tears I shed and laments
That, but for love, would have been jealously withheld.
Were it not for passion, they would have been stifled
يومon the day كانَwas الوداعthe farewell إذwhen آلthe family ميٍّMayy
يوم كانَ الوداع إذ آل ميٍّ
قوَّضوهاthey packed them up ركائباًriding camels وظعوناand howdahs
قوَّضوها ركائباً وظعونا
On the day of farewell, when Mayy's family
The day of farewell, when the caravan turned
Broke camp with riding camels and howdahs.
They dismantled it violently and hastily
أخَذَwent الركبthe caravan بالسُلُوِّwith forgetfulness شمالاًto the left
أخَذَ الركب بالسُلُوِّ شمالاً
وأخَذْناand we went معwith الغرامpassion يميناto the right
وأخَذْنا مع الغرام يمينا
The caravan went left, toward forgetting,
The caravan went north in the night
And we went right, with passion.
And we went with love to the right
Sol 6.1