لمَنِwhose الحُمولُthe laden camels بجدّةٍthrough Jeddah تسريtravel by night
لمَنِ الحُمولُ بجدّةٍ تسري
يدرينَthey know مَنwhom حملَتْthey carried ولاand not يَدْريhe knows
يدرينَ مَن حملَتْ ولا يَدْري
Whose laden camels travel by night through Jeddah?
For whose camels does the convoy set forth at dawn?
They know whom they carried, though he does not.
They know whom the camels have carried but I do not know
فيin الآلِthe mirage طافيةٌfloating وراسيةٌand anchored
في الآلِ طافيةٌ وراسيةٌ
سيرَlike the passage السفينِof ships بلجّةِthrough the depths البَحرِof the sea
سيرَ السفينِ بلجّةِ البَحرِ
Floating and anchored in the mirage,
In the family, a ship sailing and anchored
They travel like ships through the deep sea.
The voyage of ships in the swell of the sea
فعليكَso upon you ياO قلبيmy heart السلامُpeace فقدfor indeed
فعليكَ يا قلبي السلامُ فقد
بانواthey departed كماjust as قدindeed بِنْتَyou departed عنfrom صدريmy breast
بانوا كما قد بِنْتَ عن صدري
So peace be upon you, my heart, for indeed
So greetings, my heart, for they have appeared
They have departed, just as you have left my breast.
As you imagined, away from my breast
كمhow many حجبتconcealed كللthe canopies الهوادجof the litters عنfrom
كم حجبت كلل الهوادج عن
عينيكyour eyes منof شمسٍa sun ومنand of بدرِa full moon
عينيك من شمسٍ ومن بدرِ
How many have the litters’ canopies hidden from
How many veils of litters have concealed
Your eyes—suns and full moons!
From your eyes the sun and the moon
بيضٌfair-skinned ones وسمرٌand dusky ones سحرٌthe magic أعيُنِهمof their eyes
بيضٌ وسمرٌ سحرٌ أعيُنِهم
يُنسيكَmakes you forget فعلthe effect البيضِof bright swords والسمرِand brown spears
يُنسيكَ فعل البيضِ والسمرِ
Fair ones and dusky ones—the magic of their eyes
White and brown, their eyes are magic
Makes you forget what bright swords and brown spears can do.
Making you forget the work of white and brown
وأناand I العديمُthe destitute one منof السّلوّsolace فإنْbut if
وأنا العديمُ من السّلوّ فإنْ
ذُكِرَis mentioned الغرامُpassion فإننيthen indeed I المُثْريthe wealthy one
ذُكِرَ الغرامُ فإنني المُثْري
And I am destitute of solace; but if
And I, devoid of any cheer, for when
Passion is mentioned, then I am wealthy indeed.
Love is mentioned, I am the one made happy
ولقدand indeed أمالَتْshe inclined للعناقِfor an embrace ضُحًىat midmorning
ولقد أمالَتْ للعناقِ ضُحًى
قدّاًa figure كخوطِlike a shoot البانةِof the bān tree النّضْرِfresh and verdant
قدّاً كخوطِ البانةِ النّضْرِ
And at midmorning she inclined for an embrace
And at dawn, she leaned toward an embrace
A figure like a fresh, green shoot of the bān tree.
With a neck like the shoots of soft green
وبكيْتُand I wept فابتسمَتْso she smiled فلاحthen shone لناfor us
وبكيْتُ فابتسمَتْ فلاح لنا
دُرّانِtwo kinds of pearls فيin نَظمٍa string وفيand in نثرِa scattering
دُرّانِ في نَظمٍ وفي نثرِ
And I wept; she smiled, and there shone for us
And I wept, and she smiled, so for us
Two kinds of pearls, strung and scattered.
There were two pearls in verse and prose
دأبَتْshe persisted علىin هجريforsaking me فخالفَهاbut it defied her
دأبَتْ على هجري فخالفَها
بالوصلwith union طيفٌa dream-phantom فيin الدُجىthe darkness يسريtravels by night
بالوصل طيفٌ في الدُجى يسري
She persisted in forsaking me, but was defied
She persisted in shunning me, but contrary to that
By a dream-phantom bringing union, wandering through the dark.
An apparition in the darkness came to reconcile
واهاًah! علىfor عصرِthe age الشبابِof youth فماso how
واهاً على عصرِ الشبابِ فما
أحلىsweet شمائلَthe charms ذلكthat العصرِage
أحلى شمائلَ ذلك العصرِ
Ah, for the age of youth! How
Alas for the prime of youth, for how sweet
Sweet were the charms of that age!
Were the features of that time
أيامَthe days when أخلعُI cast off غيرnot مستَتِرconcealed
أيامَ أخلعُ غير مستَتِر
عُذُريmy bridles فأُلفىso I am found واضحclear العُذْرِin excuse
عُذُري فأُلفى واضح العُذْرِ
The days I openly cast off
Days when I cast off all cover
My bridles, yet was found plainly excused.
My excuse was clear for all to see
وتنوفةٍand many a wilderness قفرٍbarren رمَيتُI sent forth بهاinto it
وتنوفةٍ قفرٍ رمَيتُ بها
ولاّجَone ever entering كلِّevery تنوفةٍwilderness قَفْرِbarren
ولاّجَ كلِّ تنوفةٍ قَفْرِ
And many a barren wilderness—through it I drove
And I roamed a barren wilderness, having hurled
A mount ever plunging into every barren waste.
My fate into every barren wilderness
يهفوflutters إذاwhen لفحَتْscorch هواجرُهاits midday heats
يهفو إذا لفحَتْ هواجرُها
قلبُthe heart السرابof the mirage بهاwithin it منfrom الذُعْرِterror
قلبُ السراب بها من الذُعْرِ
When its midday heats scorch, there flutters
When its gusts blow, the mirage stirs
The heart of the mirage within it, out of terror.
With fright, its heart trembling
وكأنّand as though أعناقَthe necks المطيّof the riding camels وقدand already
وكأنّ أعناقَ المطيّ وقد
وخدَتْstrode swiftly مياهٌwaters فوقَaloft تجريflowing
وخدَتْ مياهٌ فوقَ تجري
And it is as though the camels’ necks, as they
As if the necks of the steeds, when they had
Stride swiftly, were waters flowing aloft.
Swum waters flowing above them
لوif لمnot أكُنI were صقْرَthe falcon السّباسِبِof the desert plains لمnot
لو لم أكُن صقْرَ السّباسِبِ لم
أصْبِحْawake ومنand from أكوارِهاtheir saddle-frames وكْريmy nest
أصْبِحْ ومن أكوارِها وكْري
Were I not the falcon of the desert plains, I would not
Had I not been a hawk of high ambition I would not
Awake with their saddle-frames as my nest.
Have become, with its chicks, a resident of its nest
والىand toward الأجلِّthe most illustrious الحَبْرِscholar جُبْتُI traversed بهاupon them الthe
والى الأجلِّ الحَبْرِ جُبْتُ بها ال
آفاقَhorizons منof سهلlevel ground ومنand of وعْرِrugged ground
آفاقَ من سهل ومن وعْرِ
And toward the most illustrious scholar, on them I crossed the
And for a noble goal, with inscriptions I gained
Horizons, through level country and rugged.
Far horizons, of plain and rugged land
فاتَتْso they came بأبكارِwith first fruits المديحof praise الىto
فاتَتْ بأبكارِ المديح الى
دفّاعِthe mighty repeller رَيبِof the vicissitudes الحادثِof calamity النُّكْرِdreadful
دفّاعِ رَيبِ الحادثِ النُّكْرِ
So they came bearing the first fruits of praise to
So I came to the prime of praise, to the
The mighty repeller of dreadful calamity’s vicissitudes.
Repelling of shameful, monstrous events
حبّرْتُI embellished ألفاظيmy words فجئتُthen I came بهاwith them
حبّرْتُ ألفاظي فجئتُ بها
حِبَراًpatterned robes الىto علاّمةٍa great scholar حَبْرِa learned sage
حِبَراً الى علاّمةٍ حَبْرِ
I embellished my words, then came with them
I wet my expressions, and so brought them
As patterned robes to a great scholar, a learned sage.
As ink, to a learned man of ink
جمعhe gathered المحاسنَthe virtues كلّهُنّall of them فمَنso whoever
جمع المحاسنَ كلّهُنّ فمَن
يفخَرْtakes pride بهin him يفخَرْtakes pride بذيin one possessing فخرِglory
يفخَرْ به يفخَرْ بذي فخرِ
He gathered every virtue; so whoever
Embodying all virtues - so whoever
Takes pride in him takes pride in one possessed of glory.
Boasts of him boasts of one worthy of boasting
فإذاthen when روىhe recounts الأخبارَthe reports أصدرهاhe issues them
فإذا روى الأخبارَ أصدرها
عنfrom فرطِan abundance of معرفةٍknowledge وعنand from خُبْرِexperience
عن فرطِ معرفةٍ وعن خُبْرِ
And when he recounts reports, he delivers them
So when he narrates accounts, he expresses them
From abundant knowledge and from experience.
From an excess of knowledge and experience
وإذاand when المسائلُthe questions أشكلَتْgrow obscure فغدَتْso they become
وإذا المسائلُ أشكلَتْ فغدَتْ
لاnot تستبينُbecome clear لصائِبto one sound in الفكْرِthought
لا تستبينُ لصائِب الفكْرِ
And when questions grow obscure, becoming
And when issues become obscure, to the point
Unclear even to one of sound thought,
Where the keen minded cannot discern them
جلّىhe dispelled غياهِبَهاtheir deep darkness بصُبْحِwith the dawn حِجًىof reason
جلّى غياهِبَها بصُبْحِ حِجًى
منهfrom him وصارمand a sharp sword فطنةٍof insight يَفْريthat cleaves
منه وصارم فطنةٍ يَفْري
He clears their deep darkness with the dawn of reason
He clarifies their darknesses with the dawn of
From him, and with a sharp, cleaving sword of insight.
His intelligence, sharp and penetrating
وإذاand when جرىruns فيacross طِرسِهhis page قلمٌa pen
وإذا جرى في طِرسِه قلمٌ
بيمينهin his right hand للنفعِfor benefit والضُرِّand harm
بيمينه للنفعِ والضُرِّ
And when a pen runs across his page,
And when a pen flows in his handwriting
In his right hand, for benefit and harm,
For benefit or harm
أبصرْتُI beheld روضَthe garden الفضلِof excellence أخضَلَهُmade it lush
أبصرْتُ روضَ الفضلِ أخضَلَهُ
ماءُthe water الذكاءِof intelligence فجاءَso it appeared كالسّحْرlike magic
ماءُ الذكاءِ فجاءَ كالسّحْر
I behold the garden of excellence, made lush by
I saw the garden of virtue, greened by
The water of intelligence, so that it seems like magic.
The water of wisdom, appearing as if by magic
ياO حافظَguardian الدينof the faith الذيwho شهدَتْbore witness
يا حافظَ الدين الذي شهدَتْ
آلاؤهُhis favors فيin البَدْوthe desert والحَضْرِand settled lands
آلاؤهُ في البَدْو والحَضْرِ
O Guardian of the Faith, whose
O guardian of the faith, whom
Favors bear witness in desert and town,
Its gifts have witnessed in desert and town
لكyours is منّةٌa favor عظُمَتْgrew great فقلّso became little لهاbeside it
لك منّةٌ عظُمَتْ فقلّ لها
ياO خيرbest مولًىpatron منهfrom him بالشكرِin thanks
يا خير مولًى منه بالشكرِ
Your favor is so great that little beside it is,
You have conferred an immense favor - so tell it
O best of patrons, what comes from him in thanks.
O best guardian - thankfulness from me
لجلوْتَyou have indeed dispelled عنّيfrom me الحادثاتِmisfortunes كماjust as
لجلوْتَ عنّي الحادثاتِ كما
تجلوdispels الدّياجيthe dark nights غُرّةthe bright brow الفجرof dawn
تجلو الدّياجي غُرّة الفجر
You have indeed swept misfortunes away from me, as
You have averted misfortunes from me as
The bright brow of dawn sweeps away the dark nights.
The morning light averts the gloom of dawn
وكسوتَنيand you clothed me خِلَعَrobes of honor الرضاof favor فأتىso came
وكسوتَني خِلَعَ الرضا فأتى
متنصِّلاًseeking pardon مماfor what جَنىwrought دَهريmy fate
متنصِّلاً مما جَنى دَهري
And you clothed me in robes of favor; then came
And clothed me in the robe of contentment, so it came
My fate, seeking pardon for the wrongs it had wrought.
Detached from what fate had gathered against me
واسلَمْand remain safe لجمعto gather الحمدِpraise واحظَand enjoy بهwith it
واسلَمْ لجمع الحمدِ واحظَ به
فرداًalone فأنتَfor you are مفرّقُthe scatterer الوفرِof riches
فرداً فأنتَ مفرّقُ الوفرِ
And remain safe to gather praise, and enjoy it
And submit to the totality of praise, and take
Alone, for you are the scatterer of riches.
Uniquely, for you disperse abundance
Sol 6.1