لاnot مُقصِرٌdesisting عَنfrom هَوىًlove وَلاnor سالforgetful of love
لا مُقصِرٌ عَن هَوىً وَلا سال
ولاnor جرَتpassed سَلوةٌconsolation عَلىacross بالِيmy mind
ولا جرَت سَلوةٌ عَلى بالِي
I neither desist from love nor forget it,
No laggard from my love, no slacker;
nor has consolation crossed my mind.
No fleeting notion ever crossed my mind.
وَإِنand even if تَولَّيتُI turned away عَنكُمfrom you فعَلىthen over
وَإِن تَولَّيتُ عَنكُم فعَلى
قَلبيmy heart لَكُمfor you مِنfrom غَرامِهits passion والِa ruler
قَلبي لَكُم مِن غَرامِه والِ
And even if I turn away from you, over
And if estranged I be now from all of you,
my heart there is a ruler for you, born of its passion.
My heart for you still yearns, to love inclined.
ماnot ناظِرٌan onlooker ناظِرٌlooking إِلَىat سَقَميmy sickness
ما ناظِرٌ ناظِرٌ إِلَى سَقَمي
مِنكُمamong you وَلاnor وَاقِفٌaware عَلىof حالِيmy condition
مِنكُم وَلا وَاقِفٌ عَلى حالِي
No one looks upon my sickness
No watcher looking on my state of woe,
among you, nor is anyone aware of my plight.
No friend to understand what plagues my mind;
طَمَستُI erased ماwhat لِلحِسانِfor the beauties مِنof بَصَريmy sight
طَمَستُ ما لِلحِسانِ مِن بَصَري
فيكُمfor your sake وأوقَرتُand I deafened ماwhat لِعُذَّالِيfor my reproachers
فيكُم وأوقَرتُ ما لِعُذَّالِي
I have erased from my sight what belonged to fair women,
I veil mine eyes from all that’s fine and fair,
for your sake, and stopped my ears to my reproachers.
And dwell upon the wrongs they have designed.
وَكَمand how many جُفونٍeyelids مَقتُولَةٍslain سَقَماًby languor
وَكَم جُفونٍ مَقتُولَةٍ سَقَماً
رُميتُI was struck مِنfrom أَسرِهاtheir strength بِقَتَّالِby a death-dealer
رُميتُ مِن أَسرِها بِقَتَّالِ
And many are the eyelids slain by languor,
How many tear-drenched eyelids have I seen,
from whose strength I was struck by a death-dealer.
From sickness slain by hands that tyrants bind!
لاnot واجِدٌfinding راحَةَthe repose of المَنونِdeath وَلاnor
لا واجِدٌ راحَةَ المَنونِ وَلا
سُرورَthe joy of يَومٍa day قَلبيmy heart بِهin it خالِcarefree
سُرورَ يَومٍ قَلبي بِه خالِ
I find neither death's repose nor
No rest, no joy in death has heart of mine,
the joy of a day when my heart is carefree.
That, when at peace, is yet with torment lined.
رَخيصُcheap بَيعِthe sale of الوِدادِaffection حينَwhen يَرىsees الthe
رَخيصُ بَيعِ الوِدادِ حينَ يَرى ال
مبتاعُbuyer أَنَّthat الَّذيwhat اشتَرىhe bought غالِprecious
مبتاعُ أَنَّ الَّذي اشتَرى غالِ
Affection is cheaply sold when the
Love’s easy to sell when buyers understand
buyer sees that what he bought is precious.
The wares they’ve purchased are beyond their means.
ذوpossessor of نَفَسٍspirit كُلَّماwhenever عَلاrose انخَفَضَتsank
ذو نَفَسٍ كُلَّما عَلا انخَفَضَت
هِمَّتُهhis ambition قَبلَbefore قَصدِهاits aim عالِone who rises high
هِمَّتُه قَبلَ قَصدِها عالِ
A man of spirit: whenever one rises, down sinks
The higher that man’s spirit seems to soar,
the lofty one's ambition before that spirit's aim.
The lower bows his soul before his dreams.
أصبَحَhe became بِالمكرُماتِfor noble deeds وهيَand they بِهfor him
أصبَحَ بِالمكرُماتِ وهيَ بِه
كُلٌّeach أَخوpossessed of لَوعَةٍburning longing وبلبالِand unrest
كُلٌّ أَخو لَوعَةٍ وبلبالِ
He and noble deeds have become enamored of each other,
Honors he’s garlanded with woes galore,
each afire with yearning and unrest.
Each kindred to the other, twined and twined.
ذوpossessor of عَزَماتٍfirm resolves إِذاwhen هِيَthey اشتعَلَتblazed
ذو عَزَماتٍ إِذا هِيَ اشتعَلَت
فكلُّthen every خَطبٍcalamity بجَمرِهاby their embers صالِscorched
فكلُّ خَطبٍ بجَمرِها صالِ
A man of firm resolves: when they blaze,
Resolve, when flaming in his heart, sets all
every calamity is scorched by their embers.
Affairs afire; each matter feels Fate’s wind.
مُستَنقذيmy rescuer مِنfrom يَدِthe hand of الزَّمانِTime أَخوa man of
مُستَنقذي مِن يَدِ الزَّمانِ أَخو
رَأيٍjudgment لِصَرفِagainst the reversals of الزَّمانِTime مُغتالِslaying by stealth
رَأيٍ لِصَرفِ الزَّمانِ مُغتالِ
My rescuer from the hand of Time, a man
Delivered am I by wise counsel’s hand
of judgment who slays Time's reversals by stealth.
From Time’s injustice and his plots unkind.
وَكُلَّماand whenever سَوَّدَتblackened يَديmy hand مِدَحاًpraises
وَكُلَّما سَوَّدَت يَدي مِدَحاً
رَأىsaw fit نَداهُhis bounty تَبييضَthe whitening of آماليmy hopes
رَأى نَداهُ تَبييضَ آمالي
And whenever my hand writes praises in black,
Yet praise inscribed by me but blackens it;
his bounty sees fit to whiten my hopes.
Its whiteness is my hopes brought low I find.
وَلاand not تَكونُis العَلياءُeminence عالِيةًlofty
وَلا تَكونُ العَلياءُ عالِيةً
إِلاexcept لِمَنfor one whose بَيتُthe house of مالِهhis wealth خالِempty
إِلا لِمَن بَيتُ مالِه خالِ
And eminence is not lofty
None lofty but those bankrolls bulge and swell;
save for one whose treasury is empty.
The empty-pursed know heights they’ll never find.
لاno ياO ابنَson of داودَDawud لَستُI am not مِنamong نَفرٍa group of men
لا يا ابنَ داودَ لَستُ مِن نَفرٍ
كلٌّeach لماtoward what قَدalready هَويتَهyou have loved it قالِhating
كلٌّ لما قَد هَويتَه قالِ
No, Ibn Dawud, I am not among men
Not of disciples, David’s son, am I,
who each loathe what you have loved.
Who say what most delights the master’s mind.
قاصِدُهُمone seeking them يَبتَغيseeks نَوالَهمtheir bounty
قاصِدُهُم يَبتَغي نَوالَهم
ظَمآنَthirsty حَيثُwhere السُّرىnight travel إِلىtoward آلِa mirage
ظَمآنَ حَيثُ السُّرى إِلى آلِ
He who seeks them hopes for their bounty,
Their goal’s to gain their bounty and esteem,
thirsty, where the night journey leads to a mirage.
Like thirsty men who hasten to drink their fill.
كَأَنَّنيas though I إِذwhen أَتَيتُI came أمدحُهُمpraising them
كَأَنَّني إِذ أَتَيتُ أمدحُهُم
طَرقتُI knocked upon أَعمارَهُمtheir lifespans بِآجالِwith appointed deaths
طَرقتُ أَعمارَهُم بِآجالِ
It was as though, when I came to praise them,
When praising them, I feel my life has knocked
I had knocked upon their lives with death's appointed hours.
Against their lifetimes that my death will kill.
Sol 6.1