أَعَدَّتْ نِبَالاً لِلْحَشَا وَهْيَ أَلْحَاظُ

أَعَدَّتْ نِبَالاً لِلْحَشَا وَهْيَ أَلْحَاظُ

لَهَا الْهُدْبُ رِيشٌ وَالْمَحَاجِرُ أَرْعَاظُ

لَهَا الْهُدْبُ رِيشٌ وَالْمَحَاجِرُ أَرْعَاظُ

She readied arrows for the heart, and they were glances.

She prepared arrows for the beloved while she is glancing.

She prepared arrows for my heart, and they are but her glances,

Her lashes are their fletching, her eye sockets their arrowhead sockets.

Her cheek is feathered and her eyelids are quivers.

Whose fletchings are her eyelashes, and whose nocks are her eye-sockets.

وَحَيْثُ سَبَتْهُ بِالدَّلَالِ سَقَتْهُ مِنْ

وَحَيْثُ سَبَتْهُ بِالدَّلَالِ سَقَتْهُ مِنْ

سُلاَفَةِ كَاسَاتِ الْهَوَى وَهْيَ أَلْفَاظُ

سُلاَفَةِ كَاسَاتِ الْهَوَى وَهْيَ أَلْفَاظُ

And when she captivated him with coquetry, she gave him to drink from

Where she enchanted him with coquetry, she quenched his thirst

And where she captivated him with coquetry, she poured for him a drink from

the choicest wine of love's cups—and that wine was words.

From the drafts of the cups of passion and they are words.

The choicest wine of passion's cups, and they are but her words.

فَهَامَ فَرَامَ السِّتْرَ إِذْ هَاجَ فَانْتَشَى

فَهَامَ فَرَامَ السِّتْرَ إِذْ هَاجَ فَانْتَشَى

فَنَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ الْهَوَى وَهْوَ مِبْهَاظُ

فَنَاءَ بِهِ حِمْلُ الْهَوَى وَهْوَ مِبْهَاظُ

So he went love-mad and sought concealment as his passion surged and he grew drunk;

So he became enraptured, when the veil was stirred, awakened,

So he wandered in love, seeking concealment, but as passion flared he grew intoxicated,

then love's burden weighed him down—a crushing burden.

And with it the burden of passion faded away and it is effaced.

And the burden of love weighed heavily upon him, a crushing weight.

فَيَالَكَ مِمَّا يَسْتَلِينُ الذِي قَسَا

فَيَالَكَ مِمَّا يَسْتَلِينُ الذِي قَسَا

وَيَمْلِكُ طَبْعَ الْمَرْءِ وَالْمَرْؤُ جَوَّاظُ

وَيَمْلِكُ طَبْعَ الْمَرْءِ وَالْمَرْؤُ جَوَّاظُ

How wondrous is that which softens what has grown hard,

Woe unto you from what melts the one who became harsh

Oh, what a marvel! It softens that which is fiercely hard,

and masters a man's nature, though the man is coarse and haughty!

And controls the nature of man while man is pliant.

And it commands a man's nature, even when the man is arrogant and harsh.

لِيَ اللهُ قَلْبِي كَمْ يَذُوبُ مِنَ الْجَوَى

لِيَ اللهُ قَلْبِي كَمْ يَذُوبُ مِنَ الْجَوَى

إِذَا عَنَّ مِنْ بَيْنِ الأَحِبَّةِ مِغْنَاظُ

إِذَا عَنَّ مِنْ بَيْنِ الأَحِبَّةِ مِغْنَاظُ

God help me! How my heart melts with burning anguish,

May God protect my heart from melting out of love

God help my heart, how often it melts from burning passion,

when some torment arises from parting with loved ones.

When the loved ones are away from me and it is melting.

Whenever a cruel provocation emerges from among the beloveds.

مَتَى لاَحَ بَرْقُ الشَّوْقِ فِي سُدَفِ الْحَشَا

مَتَى لاَحَ بَرْقُ الشَّوْقِ فِي سُدَفِ الْحَشَا

أُتِيحَ لِأَجْفَانِ التَّوَلُّهِ إِيقَاظُ

أُتِيحَ لِأَجْفَانِ التَّوَلُّهِ إِيقَاظُ

Whenever longing's lightning flashes in the heart's glooms,

Whenever the lightening of longing flashed in the darkness of night

Whenever the lightning of longing flashes in the shadows of my heart's depths,

the eyelids of lovesick bewilderment are awakened.

Slumber is removed from the eyelids of the sleepless and it is awakened.

An awakening is decreed for the eyelids of infatuation.

أَرَى أُمَّ أَوْفَى مُذْ وَفَى لِيَ صَرْمُهَا

أَرَى أُمَّ أَوْفَى مُذْ وَفَى لِيَ صَرْمُهَا

يُسَاوِرُنِي أَيْمٌ مِنَ الْهَمِّ جَنْعَاظُ

يُسَاوِرُنِي أَيْمٌ مِنَ الْهَمِّ جَنْعَاظُ

I see Umm Awfa; ever since her estrangement from me became complete,

I see the mother of loyalty since she bade me farewell

Ever since Umm Awfa's severing of ties was fulfilled against me, I perceive

a massive serpent of sorrow has assailed me.

Preoccupied by worries night and day.

A thick, venomous serpent of sorrow assaulting me.

إِذَا سَامَنِي صَبْرٌ عَلَيْهَا هُنَيْهَةً

إِذَا سَامَنِي صَبْرٌ عَلَيْهَا هُنَيْهَةً

يُنَضْنِضُ مِنْ وَجْدٍ عَلَيَّ وَيَغْتَاظُ

يُنَضْنِضُ مِنْ وَجْدٍ عَلَيَّ وَيَغْتَاظُ

If patience urges me to bear her absence for a moment,

Whenever patience relaxes me a brief moment from her

If patience over her approaches me for a brief moment,

it flicks its tongue at me in longing and grows enraged.

It shakes me with passion and rages.

It flicks its tongue at me out of torment and seethes with rage.

وَإِنْ شِمْتُ بَرْقاً لِلسُّلُوِّ عَنِ الأَسَى

وَإِنْ شِمْتُ بَرْقاً لِلسُّلُوِّ عَنِ الأَسَى

تَأْوِبنِي مِنْهُ كِظَاظٌ وَإِغْلاَظُ

تَأْوِبنِي مِنْهُ كِظَاظٌ وَإِغْلاَظُ

And if I glimpse lightning promising release from sorrow,

And if I detect a flash of delight after sorrow

And if I watch for a lightning gleam of solace from this sorrow,

oppressive distress and harshness return to me from it.

I am led away from it by veils and obstacles.

Suffocating distress and harshness return to strike me from it.

فَلاَ يَهْنَإِ الْعُذَّالَ حَادِثُ بَيْنِهَا

فَلاَ يَهْنَإِ الْعُذَّالَ حَادِثُ بَيْنِهَا

فَإِنِّي بِهِ كَأْسَ التَّنَغُّمِ لَمَّاظُ

فَإِنِّي بِهِ كَأْسَ التَّنَغُّمِ لَمَّاظُ

So let the reproachers take no joy in her parting,

So the reproacher should not gloat over what occurred between us

May the faultfinders find no joy in the tragedy of her departure,

for through it I savor the cup of song.

For with it I am filled to the brim with grief.

For indeed, through it, I am one who still savors the cup of melodies.

أَرَاهَا إِذَا أَفْنَى نَحِيبِي تَأَلُّمِي

أَرَاهَا إِذَا أَفْنَى نَحِيبِي تَأَلُّمِي

وَأَذْهَلَنِي عَنِّي مِنَ الشَّوْقِ أَقْيَاظُ

وَأَذْهَلَنِي عَنِّي مِنَ الشَّوْقِ أَقْيَاظُ

I see her when my sobbing has exhausted my suffering,

I see her when my weeping ends, grieving for me

I see her whenever my weeping exhausts my suffering,

and longing's summer heats have made me forget myself,

And the intensity of longing makes me heedless of myself.

And the intense summer heats of longing make me forget myself.

وَفَاظَتْ دَوَاعِي الصَّبْرِ عَنْهَا بُعَيْدَهَا

وَفَاظَتْ دَوَاعِي الصَّبْرِ عَنْهَا بُعَيْدَهَا

وَكُلُّ دَوَاعِي الصَّبْرِ بِالْبَيْنِ فَيَّاظُ

وَكُلُّ دَوَاعِي الصَّبْرِ بِالْبَيْنِ فَيَّاظُ

and the impulses to bear her absence died soon after she left—

The means of patience have failed in her absence

The motives for patience expired shortly after she left,

and all impulses to patience perish at parting—

And all means of patience fail with separation.

For every motive for patience is poured out and destroyed by separation.

وَصَمَّ صَدَى الأَسْمَاعِ عَنْ هَدْيِ عُذَّلِي

وَصَمَّ صَدَى الأَسْمَاعِ عَنْ هَدْيِ عُذَّلِي

فَأَخْفَقَ عُذَّالٌ لِذَاكَ وَوُعَّاظُ

فَأَخْفَقَ عُذَّالٌ لِذَاكَ وَوُعَّاظُ

and the echo in my ears grew deaf to my reproachers' counsel,

The hearing is deaf to the guidance of my reproachers

The echoes of my hearing have grown deaf to the guidance of my censurers,

so reproachers and admonishers failed for that reason,

So the reproachers failed in that and the preachers.

And thus the faultfinders and preachers have failed.

نَجِيَّةَ أَفْكَارِي تُحَدِّثُ لَوْعَتِي

نَجِيَّةَ أَفْكَارِي تُحَدِّثُ لَوْعَتِي

بِمَا لاَ تَعِي مِنْ مُسْنَدِ الْوُدِّ حُفَّاظُ

بِمَا لاَ تَعِي مِنْ مُسْنَدِ الْوُدِّ حُفَّاظُ

as the confidante of my thoughts, speaking to my burning anguish

The intimate thoughts of my mind tell my agony

The confidante of my thoughts speaks to my burning anguish,

of what no memorizer retains from love's book of traditions.

What the guardian of love does not know.

With an authentic chain of love that even great memorizers cannot grasp.

عَلَيْهَا كَرَيَّاهَا تَحِيَّةُ ذِي هَوىً

عَلَيْهَا كَرَيَّاهَا تَحِيَّةُ ذِي هَوىً

لَهُ بَيْنَ أَكْنَافِ الْمَحَبَّةِ إِلْظَاظُ

لَهُ بَيْنَ أَكْنَافِ الْمَحَبَّةِ إِلْظَاظُ

Upon her be a greeting, fragrant as her scent, from a lover

For her like her satisfaction is the greeting of one in love

Upon her, as sweet as her fragrance, is the greeting of a passionate lover,

who clings steadfastly amid love's sheltering folds.

Who has intimacy in the folds of affection.

Who remains steadfastly within the sheltering bounds of love.

أُلِحُّ عَلَيْهَا مَا حَيِيتُ بِذِكْرِهَا

أُلِحُّ عَلَيْهَا مَا حَيِيتُ بِذِكْرِهَا

وَإِنِّي عَلَى عَيْنِ الْحَيَاةِ لَمِلْظَاظُ

وَإِنِّي عَلَى عَيْنِ الْحَيَاةِ لَمِلْظَاظُ

I shall persist in remembering her for as long as I live,

I insist on mentioning her as long as I live

I will persistently invoke her memory as long as I live,

and I indeed cling fast to the spring of life.

And I am intent on the spring of life even as it is vanishing.

And indeed, at the very spring of life, I remain unyielding.