هلdid...? هزَّbrandished بالأعطافِwith the flanks سمرَtawny صعادهِhis spear-shafts
هل هزَّ بالأعطافِ سمرَ صعادهِ
أمor جرَّدunsheathed الألحاظَthe glances منfrom أغمادهِhis scabbards
أم جرَّد الألحاظَ من أغمادهِ
Did he brandish his tawny spear-shafts with his swaying flanks,
Has the slender one swayed his supple form,
Or draw his glances from his scabbards?
Or freed his glances from their sheaths?
كالظبيlike a gazelle فتيin (apparently intended: في) لفتاتهhis turns ونفارهِand his shying away
كالظبي فتي لفتاته ونفارهِ
والبدرand the full moon فيin إشراقهِhis radiance وبعادهand his remoteness
والبدر في إشراقهِ وبعاده
Like a gazelle in his turns and his shying away,
Like a gazelle, a youth in his glances and startled leaps,
And like the full moon in his radiance and remoteness.
And the moon in its rising and distance.
متعزّزٌproudly aloof فلذاكَso for that reason ذلُّthe abasement محبّةٍof love
متعزّزٌ فلذاكَ ذلُّ محبّةٍ
متمنّعٌhard to win فلذاكso for that reason لينُthe pliancy قيادهof his reins
متمنّعٌ فلذاك لينُ قياده
Proud and aloof—hence love's abasement;
Haughty, and so humble in love,
Hard to win—hence the lover's yielding reins.
Coy, and so gentle in leading.
وسنانُdrowsy ساجيlanguid الطرفthe gaze صدَّrebuffed مسّهداone kept sleepless
وسنانُ ساجي الطرف صدَّ مسّهدا
فكأنّهُso, as though he متكحّلٌwearing kohl برقادهwith his slumber
فكأنّهُ متكحّلٌ برقاده
Drowsy and languid-eyed, he rebuffed a sleepless lover,
The tooth of the smooth-cheeked one blocked his touch,
As though he had lined his eyes with his slumber.
As if lined with kohl in its sheaths.
ذاthis القلبُheart شبَّkindled لظاهُits blaze جفنٌan eyelid واكفٌstreaming tears
ذا القلبُ شبَّ لظاهُ جفنٌ واكفٌ
ماnever ذاقtasted طرفُthe eye النجمِof the star مثلَthe like of سهادهhis sleeplessness
ما ذاق طرفُ النجمِ مثلَ سهاده
A streaming eyelid kindled this heart's blaze;
That heart grew up gazing at an eyelid and palm,
The star's eye has never tasted sleeplessness like his.
No eye of a star knew such a pillow.
يلقىhe encounters مصاحبةَthe companionship الدَّجىof darkness فبودهِso his wish is
يلقى مصاحبةَ الدَّجى فبودهِ
لوif only زالvanished صبغُthe dye سوادهِof its blackness بسوادهthrough his blackness
لو زال صبغُ سوادهِ بسواده
He keeps company with darkness, and wishes
He meets the company of night in longing
That its black dye might vanish through his own blackness.
If only the dye of his blackness would fade into his blackness.
وكأنماand as though قبضhad died الصباحُthe dawn فدهرهُso his time
وكأنما قبض الصباحُ فدهرهُ
متستّرٌveiled والليلُand the night ثوبُthe robe حدادهof its mourning
متستّرٌ والليلُ ثوبُ حداده
And as though dawn had died, his time
As if morning clasped its silk,
Lies veiled, and night is its mourning robe.
Veiled, with the night a dress of mourning.
وكأنماand as though جنحthe wing الظلامof darkness حراقةٌa fire-ship
وكأنما جنح الظلام حراقةٌ
والرقُand bondage يذكيهاkindles it بسقطِwith sparks زنادهfrom its fire-striker
والرقُ يذكيها بسقطِ زناده
And darkness's wing seems a fire-ship,
As if darkness swooped down in passion,
And bondage kindles it with sparks from its fire-striker.
And stars kindled it with the fall of their wicks.
أوor مدنفٌa wasting invalid خافٍhidden علىfrom the sight of زوَّارهِhis visitors
أو مدنفٌ خافٍ على زوَّارهِ
وأظنَّand I think أنَّthat الطيفَthe dream-phantom منamong عوَّادهhis sickbed visitors
وأظنَّ أنَّ الطيفَ من عوَّاده
Or a wasting invalid, hidden from his visitors;
Or a lamp, fearful for its visitors,
And I think the dream-phantom is among his sickbed visitors.
And I think the specter is one of its own.
لهفانُanguished إلفُthe companionship جفونهِof his eyelids لدموعهِwith his tears
لهفانُ إلفُ جفونهِ لدموعهِ
أهدىbestowed عداوةَthe enmity جنبهِof his side لمهادهupon his bed
أهدى عداوةَ جنبهِ لمهاده
He is anguished; his eyelids' friendship with his tears
The flames of his eyelids burn for his tears.
Has bestowed his side's enmity upon his bed.
His enmity gifted his side to his pillow.
لولاwere it not for الهوىlove ماnot أحمرَّturned red أبيضُthe white دمعهِof his tears
لولا الهوى ما أحمرَّ أبيضُ دمعهِ
يومon the day النوىof parting وأبيضَّand turned white فودُthe temple-lock فؤادهof his heart
يوم النوى وأبيضَّ فودُ فؤاده
Without love, the white of his tears would not have reddened
If not for love, the white of his tears would not redden
On parting's day, nor his heart's temple-lock turned white.
The day of pining, nor the white of his heart whiten.
ياoh بعدهاher remoteness أمداًin extent وحمرُand the crimson دموعهof his tears
يا بعدها أمداً وحمرُ دموعه
منamong عنسهِhis sturdy she-camels وسهادهand his sleeplessness منamong زادهhis provisions
من عنسهِ وسهاده من زاده
How far beyond reach she is, while his crimson tears
O remote one, long in his tears flowing red
Are among his sturdy she-camels, and his sleeplessness among his provisions.
From coyness, and his pillow is all he owns.
تهوىyou desire الذوابلَthe slender spears منin قدودthe figures ظبائهof his gazelles
تهوى الذوابلَ من قدود ظبائه
وتصدُّand you recoil خوفاًin fear منfrom ظبيthe sword-edges آسادهof his lions
وتصدُّ خوفاً من ظبي آساده
You yearn for the slender spears in his gazelles' figures,
The bent ones fear the zebras of his glances,
Yet recoil in fear from the sword-edges of his lions.
And shy from the gazelle of his swaying form.
ماnot أجملتْacted graciously جملٌJuml ولمand did not تنعمgrant comfort إذاًthen
ما أجملتْ جملٌ ولم تنعم إذاً
نعمٌNuʿm ولمand did not يسعدbring happiness فعالthe deeds سعادهof his Suʿād
نعمٌ ولم يسعد فعال سعاده
Juml showed no kindness; nor, then, was comfort given
No beauty adorned a camel, and so
By Nuʿm, nor did his Suʿād's deeds bring happiness.
No bounty enriched the deeds of his fortune.
ذهبَdeparted الهدوُّtranquility فأينَso where ساعةُthe hour عودهِof its return
ذهبَ الهدوُّ فأينَ ساعةُ عودهِ
وقضىand died السلوُّsolace فأينso where يومُthe day معادهof its return
وقضى السلوُّ فأين يومُ معاده
Tranquility has gone—where is the hour of its return?
The loved one left, so where is the hour of his return?
And solace has died—where is the day of its return?
And the night has passed, so where is the day we will meet?
هيَthis عادةُthe habit الأيامof the days فيwith أبنائهاtheir children
هيَ عادةُ الأيام في أبنائها
والشيءُand a thing ليسis not بزائلٍdeparting عنfrom عادهits habit
والشيءُ ليس بزائلٍ عن عاده
Such is the way of the days with their children,
Such is the way of days with their sons,
And nothing departs from its customary way.
And nothing strays from its own ways.
جاهدننيthey assailed me فرددتهاso I repelled them بمؤيَّدٍwith Muʾayyad
جاهدنني فرددتها بمؤيَّدٍ
للهto God صدقُthe sincerity تقاتهof his piety وجهادهand his striving
لله صدقُ تقاته وجهاده
They assailed me; I repelled them with Muʾayyad.
He battled me, so I returned it, supported
To God belongs the sincerity of his piety and his striving.
By God, the honesty of his devotion and strife.
Sol 6.1