ولاحٍand a reproacher فيconcerning القيانِthe singing girls فقلتُso I said مَهْلاًeasy!
ولاحٍ في القيانِ فقلتُ مَهْلاً
رُميتَmay you be struck بنبلِby the arrows of أوتارِthe strings of القيانthe singing girls
رُميتَ بنبلِ أوتارِ القيان
And to one who reproached me over the singing girls I said, “Easy!”
A twinkle in the lutes so I said halt!
May you be struck by the arrows of the singing girls’ strings!
You were shot by arrows from the lutes’ strings
أتحقِرُdo you scorn مَنْone who غَداhas become منهنَّfrom among them قِرنيmy adversary
أتحقِرُ مَنْ غَدا منهنَّ قِرني
مَنىmay allot لكto you مثلَthe like of ذاكthat القِرنadversary مانيan allotter of fate
مَنى لك مثلَ ذاك القِرن ماني
Do you scorn the one among them who has become my adversary?
Shall I despise one who became my companion?
May fate allot you an adversary like that!
I wish you find one like that companion lasting
منamong السُّمْرِthe dusky ones اللدانِthe supple ones إذاwhen اسبكَرَّتshe stands tall and straight
من السُّمْرِ اللدانِ إذا اسبكَرَّت
وصِرْفُand the pure essence of الموتِdeath فيin السُّمْرِthe dusky spears اللِّدانthe supple ones
وصِرْفُ الموتِ في السُّمْرِ اللِّدان
One of the dusky, supple women, when she stands tall and straight—
Of the flowing wine when it makes one drunk
And sheer death lies in dusky, supple spears.
And death’s turns in the flowing wine
شبيهاتِresembling الرماحِthe spears قناshafts of مُتونٍbacks
شبيهاتِ الرماحِ قنا مُتونٍ
وكَلْماًand wounding فيin القلوبthe hearts بلاwithout سِنانa spearhead
وكَلْماً في القلوب بلا سِنان
Resembling spears in their shaft-like backs,
Like spears’ poles though not straight
And in the wounds they deal to hearts, without a spearhead.
And words in hearts with no teeth
وهلand is there منany حربةٍa lance أوor منany سنانٍa spearhead
وهل من حربةٍ أو من سنانٍ
كعينlike an eye أوor كثغرٍlike a mouth أبوfather of (apparently a typo for “or”) بنَانfingertips
كعين أو كثغرٍ أبو بنَان
And is there any lance or spearhead
Is there any spear or fang
Like an eye, or a mouth, or fingertips? [Reading the apparent typo أبو as أو.]
Like an eye or lips, oh Ibn Ana?
Sol 6.1