أهدىbrought الضّناwasting sickness تذكارهاremembrance of her
أهدى الضّنا تذكارها
لمياءُLamya (dark-lipped) شطَّwas far away مزارهاher dwelling
لمياءُ شطَّ مزارها
Remembrance of her brought wasting sickness;
The abandonment has left its memento
Lamya—far away is her dwelling.
The water of the riverbank, its shrine
سفكتْshe shed دماءَthe blood of العاfirst part of 'the lovers'
سفكتْ دماءَ العا
شقينending of 'lovers' ولمand did not تخفْfear أوزارهاher sins
شقين ولم تخفْ أوزارها
She shed the blood of the
It shed the blood of the loved ones
lovers, and did not fear her sins.
And did not conceal its burdens
فجحودهاso her denial بجفونهاin her eyelids
فجحودها بجفونها
وبخدِّهاand in her cheek إقرارهاher confession
وبخدِّها إقرارها
So her denial lies in her eyelids,
So its denial is in its eyelids
and in her cheek lies her confession.
And in its cheeks, its admission
وبيand upon me الجراحُthe wounds فكيفso how فيon
وبي الجراحُ فكيف في
وجناتهاher cheeks آثارهاtheir traces
وجناتها آثارها
The wounds are mine; how, then, upon
And my wounds, so how can its
her cheeks do their traces appear?
Traces be in its gardens?
ياO غصَّةًa choking pang قدalready ذاقهاtasted it
يا غصَّةً قد ذاقها
خلخالهاher anklet وسوارهاand her bracelet
خلخالها وسوارها
O choking pang already tasted by
O anguish it has tasted
her anklet and her bracelet!
Its anklet and bracelet
تبدوshe appears لناto us فيحطّand falls away عنfrom
تبدو لنا فيحطّ عن
بدرthe full moon السماءِof heaven خمارهاher veil
بدر السماءِ خمارها
She appears to us; down from
Appearing to us, it removes
heaven's full moon falls her veil.
Its veil from the full moon
بدوريّةa moonlike beauty جارتْshe dealt unjustly علىagainst
بدوريّة جارتْ على
قلبيmy heart وقلبيand my heart جارهاher neighbor
قلبي وقلبي جارها
A moonlike beauty has wronged
With its guard, it passed over
my heart, though my heart is her neighbor.
My heart, and my heart, its neighbor
ياO نعمةًa blessing زالتvanished غداfirst part of 'on the morning'
يا نعمةً زالت غدا
ةَending of 'on the morning' جهلتُI did not know ماwhat مقدارهاher worth
ةَ جهلتُ ما مقدارها
O blessing that vanished on the morning
O blessing that is gone tomorrow
when I did not know her worth!
I did not know its extent
سكنتْshe dwelt حشايَmy inmost heart وأقفرand became deserted (first part)
سكنتْ حشايَ وأقفر
تْending of 'became deserted' أطلالهاher ruins وديارهاand her dwellings
تْ أطلالها وديارها
She dwelt in my inmost heart, and deserted
It inhabited my thoughts and emptied
stood her ruins and her dwellings.
Its ruins and homes
لوif تستطيعthey could تحدَّfirst part of 'would have spoken'
لو تستطيع تحدَّ
ثتending of 'would have spoken' بغرامناof our passion أحجارهاher stones
ثت بغرامنا أحجارها
Had they been able, they would have
If only its stones could
spoken of our passion—her stones.
Speak of our passion
نحرتْwere slaughtered رواياwater-bearing camels المزنof the rain-clouds فيin
نحرتْ روايا المزن في
عرصاتهاher courtyards وعشارهاand their ten-month-pregnant she-camels
عرصاتها وعشارها
The rain-clouds' water-bearing camels were slaughtered in
It slaughtered the dreams of love
her courtyards, along with their pregnant she-camels.
In its plains and dwellings
وغصونِand branches بانٍof the ban-tree مائساfirst part of 'swaying'
وغصونِ بانٍ مائسا
تٍending of 'swaying' والنهودُand the breasts ثمارهاtheir fruits
تٍ والنهودُ ثمارها
And swaying branches of the ban-tree,
And the bending branches
and breasts are their fruit.
And the breasts, their fruits
كمhow many مهجةٍa heart أهدىoffered إلىto
كم مهجةٍ أهدى إلى
خطرthe peril of الهوىlove خطّارهاtheir swaying bough
خطر الهوى خطّارها
How many a heart has been offered to
How many passions it sent
the peril of love by their swaying bough!
To the danger of love, its risks
سمرٌnight-time talk أحاديثيmy tales بهاof her
سمرٌ أحاديثي بها
لاnot تنقضيcome to an end أسمارهاtheir nightly sessions
لا تنقضي أسمارها
My tales of her are night-time talk;
It conversed my vigils with it
their nightly sessions never end.
Endless are its tales
أسفيmy grief علىfor نفسٍa soul قتلتِyou slew (feminine)
أسفي على نفسٍ قتلتِ
وليسَand is not يدركattained ثارهاits blood-vengeance
وليسَ يدرك ثارها
My grief for a soul you slew!
I grieve for a soul that killed
And no vengeance for it can be won.
And cannot take revenge
هيit سكرةan intoxication لاnot ينقضيcomes to an end
هي سكرة لا ينقضي
حتىuntil المماتِdeath خمارهاits hangover
حتى المماتِ خمارها
It is intoxication, with no end
It is an intoxication that will not end
to its hangover until death.
Until death, its cover
ياO نفحةًa waft of fragrance بالنَّعفat al-Na'f
يا نفحةً بالنَّعف
أهدىbestowed لوعتيmy burning anguish عطّارهاits perfumer
أهدى لوعتي عطّارها
O waft of fragrance at al-Na'f,
O scent that gave my longing
whose perfumer brought me burning anguish!
Its perfume as a gift
لولاwere it not for الهوىlove العذريُّchaste, Udhri ماnot
لولا الهوى العذريُّ ما
طابتْwere delightful لناto us أخبارهاtidings of her
طابتْ لنا أخبارها
Were it not for chaste Udhri love, never
Were it not for innocent love
would tidings of her have pleased us.
Its news would not be good to us
وبنشرِand through the fragrance of ريّاRayya لذَّbecame sweet رياًin scent
وبنشرِ ريّا لذَّ رياً
رندهاher bay laurel وعرارهاand her 'arar flowers
رندها وعرارها
And through Rayya's fragrance, sweet in scent are
And with the spreading of a lovely scent
her bay laurel and her 'arar flowers.
It delighted us, and its maidens
أحيتْshe revived صبابتناour ardent longing وماand died (first part)
أحيتْ صبابتنا وما
تتending of 'died' فيwithin الحشاthe inmost heart أسرارهاher secrets
تت في الحشا أسرارها
She revived our ardent longing, and
It revived our youth and did not
her secrets died within the heart.
Die in the thickets, its secrets
وأهلَّةٍand crescent moons بالخيفat al-Khayf تمَّbecame complete
وأهلَّةٍ بالخيف تمَّ
لشقوتيto my misery إبدارهاtheir becoming full moons
لشقوتي إبدارها
And crescent moons at al-Khayf attained
And a crescent that completed
their fullness, to my misery.
My misery by its emergence
إذfor لاnot يخافis feared محاقهاtheir waning
إذ لا يخاف محاقها
لكنbut يخافis feared سرارهاtheir concealment
لكن يخاف سرارها
For their waning is not feared,
For it does not fear its disappearance
but their concealment is feared.
But fears its mysteries
ولهاand she has منfrom الغزلانthe gazelles سحرُthe enchantment of
ولها من الغزلان سحرُ
جفونهاher eyelids ونفارهاand her shy retreat
جفونها ونفارها
And from gazelles she has the enchantment of
And it has from the gazelles the magic
her eyelids, and her shy retreat.
Of its eyes and its distance
وتحلُّand she unfastens فيin الظلماءِthe darkness عنfrom
وتحلُّ في الظلماءِ عن
مثلthe likeness of الضحىmidmorning light أزرارهاher buttons
مثل الضحى أزرارها
And in darkness she unfastens from
And it rises in the dark like
a form like midmorning light her buttons.
The morning, its buttons scattered
قسماًI swear بماby what اشتملتْenclosed عليهِaround it
قسماً بما اشتملتْ عليهِ
بمكةٍat Mecca استارهاits curtains
بمكةٍ استارها
I swear by what is enfolded
By what Mecca concealed
at Mecca by its curtains:
With its screens lowered
لقدindeed استبيحتْhas been violated مهجةٌa heart
لقد استبيحتْ مهجةٌ
لاnot يستباحُmay be violated ذمارهاits protected sanctity
لا يستباحُ ذمارها
Indeed, a heart has been violated
A passion has been violated
whose sanctity may not be violated.
That cannot be violated, its treasures
رمتِshe pelted الفؤادthe heart بجمرهاwith her embers
رمتِ الفؤاد بجمرها
لماwhen رميتI pelted جمارهاits Jamrat (ritual stoning sites)
لما رميت جمارها
She pelted the heart with her embers
It threw my heart into its embers
when I pelted its Jamrat.
When it threw its coals
فسقاso may it water وحياهنَّand greet them منfrom among
فسقا وحياهنَّ من
سحبِclouds الحياof life-giving rain موَّارهاtheir surging cloud
سحبِ الحيا موَّارها
So may they be watered and greeted by
Raw and alive from the pulling
the surging cloud among life-giving rain-clouds.
Of the rope, its predictor
منfrom كلِّevery ساريةٍa night-traveling rain-cloud صفتْbecame clear
من كلِّ ساريةٍ صفتْ
جمّاتهاits pools وغمارهاand its deep waters
جمّاتها وغمارها
From every night-traveling rain-cloud, clear
From every rising constellation
are its pools and its deep waters.
Its masses gathered and its clouds
إذwhen كلevery حزنٍrugged ground وجنةٌa cheek
إذ كل حزنٍ وجنةٌ
بالنبتwith vegetation دبَّcrept عذارهاits cheek-down
بالنبت دبَّ عذارها
When every rugged tract is a cheek,
As every sadness and paradise
its cheek-down has crept forth as greenery.
With vegetation crept its trees
يعطيgrants الأمانَsafety منfrom الجدfirst part of 'the droughts'
يعطي الأمانَ من الجد
وبending of 'droughts' الموبقاتthe deadly جوارهاdwelling near it
وب الموبقات جوارها
Safety is granted against the
It gives safety from the terrible
deadly droughts by dwelling near it.
Fires, its neighborhood
وإذاand if يخافis feared المحلُdrought
وإذا يخاف المحلُ
فالملكthen the king المعظّمal-Mu'azzam (the Exalted) جارهاits neighbor
فالملك المعظّم جارها
And if drought is feared,
And when the abode is feared
then King al-Mu'azzam is its neighbor.
The Supreme King, its neighbor
Sol 6.1