لعينيكfor your two eyes فيin الأحشاءthe heart's depths ماwhat نَفَثbreathed السِحْرُsorcery
لعينيك في الأحشاء ما نَفَث السِحْرُ
وللحبand for love فيin الألبابthe minds ماwhat فعلdid الخَمرwine
وللحب في الألباب ما فعل الخَمر
Your eyes work within the heart as sorcery's breath does;
Your eyes in my heart cast a spell like magic,
And love works upon minds as wine does.
And love in my mind acted like wine,
وماand not كنتI was أنto أسلوcease loving وفيّwhile within me بقيّةٌa remnant of life
وما كنت أن أسلو وفيّ بقيّةٌ
ولاnor كادcame close أنto يُفضيlead لصحوبيَto sobriety within me السُكرintoxication
ولا كاد أن يُفضي لصحوبيَ السُكر
Nor could I cease loving while any life remained in me,
I would not have complained, if some of you remained,
Nor did intoxication in me come close to ending in sobriety.
Or if the intoxication of my friends receded.
خليليَّكمO my two friends, how often أدنوI draw near فتنأىyet recede مطالبيmy desires
خليليَّكم أدنو فتنأى مطالبي
ويقصرand falls short عنof إِدراكهاattaining them منِّيَof mine العُمْرُthe lifetime
ويقصر عن إِدراكها منِّيَ العُمْرُ
My two friends, how often I draw near, yet my desires recede,
My beloved ones, come closer, so my requests move away,
And my lifetime falls short of attaining them.
And the shortness of my life fails to reach them.
أخوضI plunge لهاfor them منthrough كلevery بهماءَtrackless wilderness مقفرdesolate
أخوض لها من كل بهماءَ مقفر
غمارthe depths فجاجmountain passes ماnot تقحّمهاbraved them سَفْرُtravelers
غمار فجاج ما تقحّمها سَفْرُ
For them I plunge through every desolate, trackless waste,
I dive into every desolate confusion,
Into the depths of passes no travelers have braved.
Into murky, turbulent depths that no journey penetrates.
كأنَّas though السُرىnight travel بحرٌa sea كأنيas though I أَخوضهI wade through it
كأنَّ السُرى بحرٌ كأني أَخوضه
كأنَّas though لهfor it مدٌّa flood tide وليسand there is no لهfor it جَزْرebb tide
كأنَّ له مدٌّ وليس له جَزْر
As though night travel were a sea, as though I were wading through it,
As if traveling is an ocean that I dive into,
As though it had a flood tide, but no ebb.
As if it has a tide but no shore,
كأنّas though الثرىthe earth أفقٌa horizon كأنَّas though مطيتيmy mount
كأنّ الثرى أفقٌ كأنَّ مطيتي
هلالa crescent كأنَّas though السيرthe journey موئلهits destination الحَشْرُthe gathering on Judgment Day
هلال كأنَّ السير موئله الحَشْرُ
As though the earth were a horizon, as though my mount
As if the earth is a horizon, as if my mount,
Were a crescent, as though the journey's destination were the Last Gathering.
Is a crescent, and the journey's end is resurrection.
كأنَّas though المنىhopes ماءٌwater كأنيَas though I ناهلone drinking
كأنَّ المنى ماءٌ كأنيَ ناهل
كأنَّas though الفيافيthe deserts البيضwhite ماwhat lies بينناbetween us جِسْرُa bridge
كأنَّ الفيافي البيض ما بيننا جِسْرُ
As though hopes were water, as though I were drinking,
As if the object of desire is water that I draw from,
As though the white deserts between us were a bridge.
As if the vast deserts between us are a bridge.
كأنَّas though نجاشيَّthe Negus الظلامdarkness مُتيَّمٌenslaved by love
كأنَّ نجاشيَّ الظلام مُتيَّمٌ
كأنيّas though I ملقىًcast فيin ضمائرهhis innermost thoughts سِرُّa secret
كأنيّ ملقىً في ضمائره سِرُّ
As though the Negus of darkness were enslaved by love,
As if the darkness of night is a leader,
As though I were a secret cast into his innermost thoughts.
As if my secret is cast into its conscience.
تذكرنيreminds me شكوىthe lament الغرامpassionate love حمامةٌa dove
تذكرني شكوى الغرام حمامةٌ
لهاshe has فَرْطُan excess of أشجانsorrows بجيشin tumult بهاwith them الصدرthe breast
لها فَرْطُ أشجان بجيش بها الصدر
A dove reminds me of love's lament;
The lament of passion reminds me of a dove,
Hers is an excess of sorrows; her breast is in tumult with them.
Overflowing with sorrows, in whose chest is an army.
أجارتناO our neighbor أقلقتِyou disturbed جفنthe eyelid صبابتيmy yearning
أجارتنا أقلقتِ جفن صبابتي
وهيجتِand you stirred شوقاًa longing دونbeneath لاعجهits burning heat الجمرembers
وهيجتِ شوقاً دون لاعجه الجمر
O our neighbor, you have troubled the eyelid of my yearning,
You have unsettled me, disturbed the sleep of my eyelids,
And stirred a longing whose blaze surpasses that of embers.
And provoked longing, no ember can equal it.
ولمand did not يبقَremain ليfor me إِلاّexcept تَعِلَّةa scant consolation مُعْدِمa destitute man
ولم يبقَ لي إِلاّ تَعِلَّة مُعْدِم
تجاذبهاtug at it منfrom كلّevery جارحةlimb ذكرrecollections
تجاذبها من كلّ جارحة ذكر
And nothing remains to me but a pauper's scant consolation;
I have nothing left but a consuming sickness,
Recollections tug at it from every limb.
Drawn from every limb by the recollection.
ليالnights يَراهاsees them القُصرbrevity حتىuntil كأنماas though
ليال يَراها القُصر حتى كأنما
تكنّفهاsurrounded them منfrom كلevery ناحيةside فجرdawn
تكنّفها من كل ناحية فجر
Nights that brevity itself beholds, until it is as though
Nights where the palace sees her as if
Dawn had surrounded them on every side.
The dawn surrounds her from every side.
كأنَّas though دُجاهاtheir darkness فيon الأديمthe parchment نهارهاtheir daylight
كأنَّ دُجاها في الأديم نهارها
عصيمُa trace of مِدادink كادَnearly يجحدهdisowns it السِفرthe book
عصيمُ مِداد كادَ يجحده السِفر
As though their darkness, on the parchment of their daylight,
As if her figure in the dark is her daytime,
Were a trace of ink that the book nearly disowns.
Clear ink, that the description almost denies.
كأنَّas though بهin it الجوزاءOrion عقدa necklace لآلىءٍpearls
كأنَّ به الجوزاء عقد لآلىءٍ
تطوقُهwears it as a necklace منfrom صدرthe breast زنجيّةa Black African woman نحرa throat
تطوقُه من صدر زنجيّة نحر
As though Orion within it were a necklace of pearls,
As if the Pleiades are a necklace of pearls,
Worn at the throat above a Zanj woman's breast.
Encircling the neck of an Abyssinian maiden.
كأنّas though الثُرّياthe Pleiades فيin اختلافthe varied arrangement نجومهاtheir stars
كأنّ الثُرّيا في اختلاف نجومها
بوادرُfirst stirrings آمالhopes يحاولهاstrives for them الجرthe pull; possibly a typo for 'the noble man'
بوادرُ آمال يحاولها الجر
As though the Pleiades, in the varied arrangement of their stars,
As if the clusters of the Pleiades, in their variation,
Were the first stirrings of hopes pursued by a noble man [uncertain reading].
Are the beginnings of hopes that fate tests.
كأنَّas though السُّهىAl-Suha معنىًa meaning يَدِقُّgrows subtle فيختفىand so disappears
كأنَّ السُّهى معنىً يَدِقُّ فيختفى
ويبدوand appears جِهاراًplainly أنif (apparently intended) تراجعهrevisit it الفكرthoughts
ويبدو جِهاراً أن تراجعه الفكر
As though Al-Suha were a meaning so subtle it disappears,
As if the meteor is a meaning that flickers and disappears,
And appears plainly if thoughts revisit it.
Only to reappear openly when thought returns.
كأنَّas though سَناthe gleam المريخMars نارa fire تعلّقتclung
كأنَّ سَنا المريخ نار تعلّقت
بذيلto the hem هَزيمٍa routed man راحَbegan to يجهدهexhausts him الذعرterror
بذيل هَزيمٍ راحَ يجهده الذعر
As though the gleam of Mars were a flame clinging
As if the tail of Mars is a fire attached,
To the hem of a routed man whom terror has begun to exhaust.
To the train of a defeated one, terrified by panic.
كأنَّas though بنيthe sons of نعشNa'sh, the Bier سَفينٍships تخالفتopposed one another
كأنَّ بني نعش سَفينٍ تخالفت
عواصفهاtheir storm-winds وهناًin the night فشتتهاso it scattered them البحرthe sea
عواصفها وهناً فشتتها البحر
As though Banu Na'sh were ships whose storm-winds clashed
As if the Altars are a ship whose storms
In the night, so the sea scattered them.
Have varied and scattered it on the seas.
كأنَّas though امتدادَthe expanse الأفقthe horizon فوقabove نجومهits stars
كأنَّ امتدادَ الأفق فوق نجومه
قَساطلdust clouds حربbattle زُغْفcoats of mail فرسانهاits horsemen نُضرgold
قَساطل حرب زُغْف فرسانها نُضر
As though the horizon's stretch above its stars
As if the horizon’s expanse above its stars
Were battle-dust, its horsemen's coats of mail made of gold.
Are the buckets of an army whose horsemen are youths.
كأنَّas though كلاeach of النسرينthe two Eagle stars لماwhen تقابلاthey faced one another
كأنَّ كلا النسرين لما تقابلا
نزيلa participant in عراكcombat دأبهhis custom الكرُّcharging والفرُّand retreating
نزيل عراك دأبه الكرُّ والفرُّ
As though each of the two Eagles, when they faced each other,
As if when the two eagles met,
Were a combatant whose custom is to charge and retreat.
It was to engage in a struggle whose rule is attack and retreat.
كأنَّas though سُهَيْلاًSuhayl حينwhen صوّبَslanted downward آفلاsetting
كأنَّ سُهَيْلاً حين صوّبَ آفلا
فؤادthe heart محبّa lover راحbegan to يُرجِفُهmakes it tremble الهجرُabandonment
فؤاد محبّ راح يُرجِفُه الهجرُ
As though Suhayl, when he slanted downward to set,
As if Suhail, when it confronted the disappearing star,
Were a lover's heart that abandonment has set trembling.
Was a lover’s heart trembling with abandonment.
كأنَّas though بهin it الشعرىAl-Shi'ra الغُميصَاءal-Ghumaysa خلفهbehind him
كأنَّ به الشعرى الغُميصَاء خلفه
شقيقتهhis sister الخنساءAl-Khansa يقدمهاprecedes her صَخْرSakhr
شقيقته الخنساء يقدمها صَخْر
As though Al-Shi'ra al-Ghumaysa there, behind him,
As if behind the cloudy Shara, her sister,
Were his sister Al-Khansa, preceded by Sakhr.
The Khensaa, she leads, a rock heaped before her.
كأنَّas though عمودthe shaft الصبحdawn تحتbeneath هلالهits crescent
كأنَّ عمود الصبح تحت هلاله
لتركيةٍbelonging to a Turkish woman منfrom تحتbeneath منطقةa girdle خصرa waist
لتركيةٍ من تحت منطقة خصر
As though dawn's shaft beneath its crescent
As if the pillar of dawn beneath its crescent,
Were a Turkish woman's waist beneath a girdle.
Were a Turkish maiden’s waist under her belt.
Sol 6.1