ياO دَمعُtears صُبpour ماas much as شِئتَyou wish أَنto تَصوباpour forth
يا دَمعُ صُب ما شِئتَ أَن تَصوبا
وَياand O فُؤاديmy heart آنَit is time أَنto تَذوباmelt
وَيا فُؤادي آنَ أَن تَذوبا
O tears, pour as much as you wish to pour.
O tear, pour down wherever you wish,
And O my heart, it is time for you to melt.
And O my heart, it is time for you to melt,
إِذِsince الرَزاياcalamities أَصبَحَتhave become ضُروباmany kinds
إِذِ الرَزايا أَصبَحَت ضُروبا
لَمnot أَرَI have seen ليfor me فيamong أَهلِهاtheir sufferers ضَريباa peer
لَم أَرَ لي في أَهلِها ضَريبا
Since calamities have taken many forms,
Since sorrows have become commonplace,
I have seen none among their sufferers to equal me.
I have not found anyone to share my sorrow with.
قَدindeed مَلَأَhas filled الشَوقُlonging الحَشاthe entrails نُدوباscars
قَد مَلَأَ الشَوقُ الحَشا نُدوبا
فيin الغَربِthe West إِذwhen رُحتُI became بِهِin it غَريباa stranger
في الغَربِ إِذ رُحتُ بِهِ غَريبا
Longing has filled my entrails with scars,
Yearning has filled the bowels with wounds,
In the West, when I became a stranger there,
When I went westward as a stranger,
عَليلَailing دَهرٍTime سامَنيsubjected me to تَعذيباtorment
عَليلَ دَهرٍ سامَني تَعذيبا
أَدنىbrought near الضَنىwasting sickness إِذwhile أَبعَدَsent far away الطَبيباthe physician
أَدنى الضَنى إِذ أَبعَدَ الطَبيبا
Ailing under Time, which inflicted torment on me:
Sickened by a life that tortured me,
It brought wasting sickness near as it sent the physician far away.
With the doctor avoiding my distress.
لَيتَif only القَبولَthe east wind أَحدَثَتbrought about هُبوباblowing
لَيتَ القَبولَ أَحدَثَت هُبوبا
ريحٌa wind يَروحُbecomes عَهدُهاits contact قَريباrecent
ريحٌ يَروحُ عَهدُها قَريبا
If only the east wind would begin to blow—
If only acceptance would bring winds,
A wind whose contact is still recent
A wind whose time is near.
بِالأُفُقِwith the horizon المُهديthat gives إِلَيناto us طيباfragrance
بِالأُفُقِ المُهدي إِلَينا طيبا
تَعَطَّرَتgrew perfumed مِنهُfrom it الصَباthe east wind جُيوباbosoms
تَعَطَّرَت مِنهُ الصَبا جُيوبا
With the horizon that sends us fragrance,
With the horizon that leads to us goodness,
From which the east wind's bosoms grew perfumed,
Our youths' chests are perfumed.
يُبرِدُcools حَرَّthe heat of الكَبِدِthe liver المَشبوباkindled
يُبرِدُ حَرَّ الكَبِدِ المَشبوبا
ياO مُتبِعاًfollowing ... with إِسادَهُhis night travel التَأويباdaytime travel
يا مُتبِعاً إِسادَهُ التَأويبا
Cooling the liver's kindled heat.
It cools the burning liver,
O you who follow your night travel with travel by day,
O you who follow his setting, tired of exile,
مُشَرِّقاًheading east قَدalready سَئِمَgrown weary of التَغريباgoing west
مُشَرِّقاً قَد سَئِمَ التَغريبا
أَماhave ... not? سَمِعتَyou heard المَثَلَthe proverb المَضروباcited
أَما سَمِعتَ المَثَلَ المَضروبا
Heading east, having tired of journeying west,
Shining, have you not heard the well-known parable:
Have you not heard the quoted proverb:
Send a wise man and consult the insightful one.
أَرسِلsend حَكيماًa wise man وَاِستَشِرand consult لَبيباa discerning man
أَرسِل حَكيماً وَاِستَشِر لَبيبا
إِذاwhen أَتَيتَyou reach الوَطَنَthe homeland الحَبيباbeloved
إِذا أَتَيتَ الوَطَنَ الحَبيبا
‘Send a wise man, and consult a discerning one’?
When you come to the beloved homeland,
When you reach the beloved homeland,
And the amazing, expansive side,
وَالجانِبَand the region المُستَوضَحَradiant العَجيباwondrous
وَالجانِبَ المُستَوضَحَ العَجيبا
وَالحاضِرَand the town المُنفَسِحَwide-open الرَحيباspacious
وَالحاضِرَ المُنفَسِحَ الرَحيبا
And the wondrous, radiant region,
And the present, spreading widely,
And the wide-open, spacious town,
Greet what I see of the south for me,
فَحَيِّthen greet مِنهُof it ماwhat أَرىI regard as الجَنوباthe south
فَحَيِّ مِنهُ ما أَرى الجَنوبا
مَصانِعٌstately buildings تَجتَذِبُcaptivate القُلوباthe hearts
مَصانِعٌ تَجتَذِبُ القُلوبا
Then greet what I regard as its southern quarter:
Factories that attract hearts,
Stately buildings that captivate hearts,
Where I met exquisite, delicious wine,
حَيثُwhere أَلِفتُI grew fond of الرَشَأَthe young gazelle الرَبيباcherished
حَيثُ أَلِفتُ الرَشَأَ الرَبيبا
مُخالِفاًdefying فيin وَصلِهِunion with him الرَقيباthe watcher
مُخالِفاً في وَصلِهِ الرَقيبا
Where I grew fond of the cherished fawn,
Defying the watchdog in joining it.
Defying the watcher in my union with him.
How often the deluded knows not his night visitor,
كَمhow often باتَhe spent the night يَدريcombs لَيلَهُhis night الغِربيباraven-black
كَم باتَ يَدري لَيلَهُ الغِربيبا
لَمّاwhen اِنثَنىhe swayed فيin سُكرِهِhis drunkenness قَضيباa slender bough
لَمّا اِنثَنى في سُكرِهِ قَضيبا
How often he spent the night combing his raven-black night,
When he bends in his drunkenness on his staff,
When he swayed in his drunkenness like a slender bough,
The pigeons of his ornaments chirp cheerfully,
تَشدوsing حَمامُdoves حَليِهِof his ornaments تَطريباmelodiously
تَشدو حَمامُ حَليِهِ تَطريبا
أَرشُفُI sip مِنهُfrom him المَبسِمَthe smiling mouth الشَنيباcool and white-toothed
أَرشُفُ مِنهُ المَبسِمَ الشَنيبا
The doves of his ornaments singing melodiously,
I look forward to the blossoming youth,
While I sipped from his cool, white-toothed mouth,
Until one who wishes me ill waits in ambush,
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle اِعتَنَّappeared ليto me مُريباalarming
حَتّى إِذا ما اِعتَنَّ لي مُريبا
شَبابُyouth أُفقٍof a horizon هَمَّwas about أَنto يَشيباturn gray
شَبابُ أُفقٍ هَمَّ أَن يَشيبا
Until, when there appeared before me, alarming,
The dawn of a horizon determined to turn grey,
A youthful horizon about to turn gray,
I hurried, have you seen the wolf,
بادَرتُI hastened سَعياًrunning هَلquestion marker رَأَيتَyou have seen الذيباthe wolf
بادَرتُ سَعياً هَل رَأَيتَ الذيبا
هَصَرتُهُI bent him حُلوَsweet الجَنىthe fruit رَطيباsupple
هَصَرتُهُ حُلوَ الجَنى رَطيبا
I rushed forward—have you ever seen a wolf?—
I made it sweet fruits of paradise,
And bent him to me, sweet-fruited and supple.
Shall I emigrate or expand the blame,
أَهاجِرِيis he forsaking me? أَمor موسِعيheaping upon me تَأنيباreproach
أَهاجِرِي أَم موسِعي تَأنيبا
مَنthe one who لَمnot أُسِغI could swallow مِنfrom بَعدِهِafter him مَشروباa drink
مَن لَم أُسِغ مِن بَعدِهِ مَشروبا
Is he forsaking me, or heaping reproach upon me—
For whom I did not drink after,
He since whose departure I could swallow no drink?
It would not harm him to say no rebuke,
ماwhat ضَرَّهُharmed him لَوif قالَhe said لاno تَثريباreproach
ما ضَرَّهُ لَو قالَ لا تَثريبا
وَلاand no مَلامَblame يَلحَقُattaches to القُلوباthe hearts
وَلا مَلامَ يَلحَقُ القُلوبا
What harm would it do him to say, ‘No reproach,
Nor blame that affects hearts,
And no blame shall touch hearts’?
Sins have been long and manifold,
قَدindeed طالَhas lasted long ماthat تَجَرَّمَimputed الذُنوباsins
قَد طالَ ما تَجَرَّمَ الذُنوبا
وَلَمand not يَدَعhe left فيin العُذرِexcuse ليfor me نَصيباa share
وَلَم يَدَع في العُذرِ لي نَصيبا
Long has he laid sins to my charge,
And he did not leave me any excuse,
And left me no room for excuse.
If the eye settles with blindness,
إِنif قَرَّتِis gladdened العَينُthe eye بِأَنby the fact that أَؤوباI return
إِن قَرَّتِ العَينُ بِأَن أَؤوبا
لَمnot آلُI fall short أَنto أَستَرضِيَI seek to appease الغَضوباthe angry one
لَم آلُ أَن أَستَرضِيَ الغَضوبا
If my eye is gladdened by my return,
I will not stop trying to please the angry one,
I shall spare no effort to appease the angry one.
It is enough for me to forbid the absent one,
حَسبِيَenough for me أَنthat أُحَرِّمَI forbid المَغيباabsence
حَسبِيَ أَن أُحَرِّمَ المَغيبا
قَدmay يَنفَعُbenefit المُذنِبَthe sinner أَنto يَتوباrepent
قَد يَنفَعُ المُذنِبَ أَن يَتوبا
Enough that I forbid myself absence;
Repenting may benefit the sinner.
It may benefit the sinner to repent.
Partial English translation: 41 of 42 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1