ماwhat للمطاياwith the riding camels تكثرthey increase الحنيناthe plaintive moaning
ما للمطايا تكثر الحنينا
كأنّهاas though they were فاقدةٌbereft of قرينa companion
كأنّها فاقدةٌ قرين
What ails the riding camels, that they moan so much?
Why do the camels yearn so much
As though they had lost a companion.
As if missing a companion?
أثقلهاweighed them down الوجدlonging فلوso if أمكنهاit were possible for them
أثقلها الوجد فلو أمكنها
ماnot حملتْthey would carry نضوَone wasted by جوىlove's anguish حزيناsorrowful
ما حملتْ نضوَ جوى حزينا
Longing has weighed them down; if they could,
Sorrow has weighed them down, else if able
they would not carry a sorrowful wreck of love's anguish.
They wouldn't bear the sigh of a sad heart
تشتاقُthey yearn for يبرينYabrin وكمand how many منof عاشقٍa lover
تشتاقُ يبرين وكم من عاشقٍ
يشتاقُyearns for مثلlike شوقهاtheir yearning يبريناYabrin
يشتاقُ مثل شوقها يبرينا
They yearn for Yabrin; and many a lover
They long for the meadows - and how many lovers
yearns for Yabrin with a yearning like theirs.
Yearn just like them for the meadows
فمنso whoever شكاcomplains of قبيحthe ugliness of الفراقِparting جاهداًearnestly
فمن شكا قبيح الفراقِ جاهداً
فإنماbut only أشكوI complain of الحسانthe beautiful women العيناthe large-eyed
فإنما أشكو الحسان العينا
Whoever earnestly bewails the ugliness of parting,
So whoever complains of the ugliness of parting, toiling
I complain only of the beautiful, large-eyed women.
I only complain of the beautiful eyes
ضعائفٌfrail women ماnot ليI have بهاagainst them منany قوةstrength
ضعائفٌ ما لي بها من قوة
بواسمٌsmiling women قدindeed أبكتmade weep العيوناthe eyes
بواسمٌ قد أبكت العيونا
Frail women, against whom I have no strength;
Frail ones I have no strength over
smiling women who have made eyes weep.
Smiles that made the eyes weep
لأسقيتmay it go unwatered (uncertain reading) أرضland الحمىthe protected pasture فيغرهاfor land other than it (uncertain reading)
لأسقيت أرض الحمى فيغرها
لاnot تنبتُit grows الأقمارthe moons والغصوناand the boughs
لا تنبتُ الأقمار والغصونا
May the protected pasture's land go unwatered, for other lands
I would have watered the hot earth to grow
grow neither moons nor boughs.
Neither moons nor branches
وبأبيand my father be her ransom بيضاءُa fair-skinned woman ودَّwished الورقthe gray doves لوthat
وبأبي بيضاءُ ودَّ الورق لو
تأخذthey might learn عنهاfrom her سجعهاher rhyming speech الموزوناthe measured
تأخذ عنها سجعها الموزونا
And my father be ransom for a fair one: the gray doves wish
By my father white-faced friendship if it
to learn her measured, rhyming speech from her.
Copied its eloquent rhythm
تجدُّshe is earnest أوor تمجنُshe acts playfully أحياناًsometimes فماthen how
تجدُّ أو تمجنُ أحياناً فما
أحسنَbeautiful ذاكَthat الجدَّearnestness والمجوناand the playful abandon
أحسنَ ذاكَ الجدَّ والمجونا
She is earnest, or sometimes playful—how
It insists or relents at times but how nice
lovely that earnestness and that playful abandon!
That insistence and relenting
واتخذتand she fashioned منfrom شعرهاher hair سلاسلاًchains
واتخذت من شعرها سلاسلاً
للقلبfor the heart مذsince جنَّit went mad بهاfor her جنوناwith madness
للقلب مذ جنَّ بها جنونا
And she fashioned chains from her hair
And I took from her hair chains
for the heart, ever since it went utterly mad for her.
For a heart crazed by them
كالدّعصِlike a sandhill ردفاًin her hips والأقاحيand daisies مبسماًin her smiling mouth
كالدّعصِ ردفاً والأقاحي مبسماً
والشمسِand the sun وجهاًin her face والقضيبِand a slender bough ليناin suppleness
والشمسِ وجهاً والقضيبِ لينا
Like a sandhill in her hips, and daisies in her smiling mouth,
Like the firmness of a backbone and blossoming smiles
and the sun in her face, a slender bough in her suppleness.
A face like the sun and soft as a twig
لاno واللحاظِby the glances الفاتراتِthe languid ليسthere is not ليfor me
لا واللحاظِ الفاتراتِ ليس لي
منany سلوةٍsolace وشرفتْand noble it is يميناًas an oath
من سلوةٍ وشرفتْ يميناً
No, by those languid glances, I have
By the languid glances I have no
no solace—and what a noble oath!
Solace - though they honor the right
ضنينةٌmiserly بالحسنwith beauty أعدتْshe infected خلقيmy nature
ضنينةٌ بالحسن أعدتْ خلقي
فصرتُso I became منfrom وجديmy longing بهاfor her ضنيناًailing (also: miserly)
فصرتُ من وجدي بها ضنيناً
Miserly with beauty, she has infected my nature,
Stingy with beauty she formed my nature
so my longing for her has left me ailing.
So I became, pining for her, a pining man
تهزُّshe brandishes رمحَthe spear of قدّهاher stature فلاand not انثنىbent
تهزُّ رمحَ قدّها فلا انثنى
يوماًever سوىexcept قلبيmy heart بهby it طعيناًpierced
يوماً سوى قلبي به طعيناً
She brandishes her stature's spear; nothing has bent
She sways her spear-straight stature but never
ever, save my heart, pierced by it.
Bent, save my heart it pierced with yearning
إيهاًenough ودعنيand spare me منfrom أحاديثtales of الهوىlove
إيهاً ودعني من أحاديث الهوى
إنَّindeed الحديثَtalk محدثٌawakening شجوناsorrows
إنَّ الحديثَ محدثٌ شجونا
Enough! Spare me these tales of love.
Alas leave me be from discourses of love
Indeed, such talk awakens sorrows.
For discourse awakens passions
بيتاspend the night, you two علىon العيسthe pale camels وقدand already جدَّgrew urgent السُّرىthe night journey
بيتا على العيس وقد جدَّ السُّرى
نبكيwe weep منbecause of البينparting وتشكوand they lament البيناparting
نبكي من البين وتشكو البينا
Spend the night, you two, on the pale camels; the night journey has grown urgent.
We halt the camels, and the travelers hurry
We weep for parting, and they lament parting.
Crying from the distance, while the distance complains
نحثّهاwe urge them on بالزفراتwith sighs لاmay not ونتْthey flag
نحثّها بالزفرات لا ونتْ
فتسبقso they outrun السائقthe driver والحاديناand the camel-chanters
فتسبق السائق والحادينا
We urge them on with sighs—may they never flag—
We spur them on with sighs, but no - she
so they outrun the driver and the camel-chanters.
Outpaces the driver and guides
وكيفand how لاnot تنجوthey speed on علىdespite بعدthe remoteness of المدىthe destination
وكيف لا تنجو على بعد المدى
خفائفٌlight-footed camels بنفسيmy life be their ransom حديناthey were urged on by song
خفائفٌ بنفسي حدينا
And how should they not speed on, however far the way—
How can she not survive the far horizon
light-footed camels, urged on by song—my life be their ransom?
When she is borne by my zeal?
جاذبهاtugged at them الشوقُlonging وأنضاهاand wore them down الأسىsorrow
جاذبها الشوقُ وأنضاها الأسى
فخلّهاso let them تجاذبtug against البريناthe nose-rings
فخلّها تجاذب البرينا
Longing has tugged at them, and sorrow worn them down;
Pulled by longing and brightened by sorrow
so let them tug against their nose-rings.
It left her to tug the wilderness
تحسبyou think أنَّthat بحرَthe sea of دمعيmy tears ناضبis drained
تحسب أنَّ بحرَ دمعي ناضب
لاno والذيby Him who أنشأهاfashioned them سفيناًas ships
لا والذي أنشأها سفيناً
You think the sea of my tears has run dry?
She thinks my sea of tears is dry
No, by Him who fashioned them as ships!
No - by Him who made her a ship!
أوor أنَّthat مثلاًan equal للعزيزِto al-Aziz كائنٌexists
أو أنَّ مثلاً للعزيزِ كائنٌ
لعزَّsurely hard to find is ماwhat يحسبis imagined أنto يكوناexist
لعزَّ ما يحسب أن يكونا
Or that an equal to al-Aziz exists?
Or that the likes of the precious is possible
Hard indeed to find is what is imagined to exist!
Glory - does he think it can be?
Sol 6.1