Sol 6.1

  1. سَقَت عُهُودُ الدَيَمِ

    عَهداً عَلى ذي سَلَمِ

    May recurring, steady rains water

    a remembered time at Dhu Salam.

  2. قَضيتُ فيهِ لَيلَةً

    مَرَّت لَنا كَالحُلُمِ

    There I spent a night

    that passed for us like a dream.

  3. في جَبهَةِ الدَهرِ غَدَت

    كَغُرَّةٍ في أَدهَمِ

    Upon the brow of time it became

    like a white blaze upon a black steed.

  4. وَصُحبتي عِصابَةٌ

    قَد نُظِّمَت كَأَنجُمِ

    And my companions were a band

    arrayed like stars;

  5. كَأَنَّما أَخلاقُها

    زَهرُ الرُبى وَالأَكَمِ

    their manners seemed to be

    the flowers of hills and knolls,

  6. أَو رَوضَةٍ أَريضَةٍ

    جِيدَت بِنَوءِ المِرزَمِ

    or a lush meadow

    drenched by the rains of al-Mirzam.

  7. وَهَكَذا أَلفاظُها

    كَاللؤلؤِ المُنتَظمِ

    And likewise their words were

    like pearls upon a string,

  8. مِن كُلِّ مُنقادِ الهَوى

    لِحُكمِهِ مُستَسلِمِ

    from each man obedient to love,

    submissive to its command,

  9. لَكِنَّهُ يَومَ الوَغى

    لَيثُ عَرينٍ ضَيغَمِ

    yet on the day of battle he was

    a fierce lion of the lair.

  10. وَحَولَنا قَد رَتَعَت

    أَسرابُ عَينٍ جُثَّمِ

    And around us grazed

    herds of resting beauties with wide eyes.

  11. مَهما اِنثَنَت بِعطفِها

    تيهاً عَلى المُتَيَّمِ

    Whenever she swayed her flank,

    in pride before the besotted lover,

  12. تُريكَ كُلَّ ذابِلٍ

    يَعلُوه كُلُّ لِهذَمِ

    she showed you slender spear shafts,

    each topped with a keen spearhead.

  13. طارَحتُها نَجوى غَرا

    مٍ مِن مُحِبٍّ مُغرَمِ

    I exchanged with her secret whispers of passion,

    from a lover deeply enamored.

  14. وَلَم أَذُد سَرح اللِحا

    ظِ عَن حِماها المُرهَمِ

    And I did not drive the grazing herd of glances

    from her preserve, moistened by gentle rain,

  15. حَتّى إِذا جالَ الكَرى

    بِجَفنِها ذي السَقَمِ

    until, when drowsiness wandered

    over her languid eyelid,

  16. نامَت وَلَمّا أَنَم

    عَلى جَوىً مُخَيّمِ

    she slept, while I had not yet slept,

    with heartache settling over me,

  17. وَعِبرة مُراقةٍ

    كَهاطِلاتِ الدِيَمِ

    and a tear spilled

    like the downpours of steady rain.

  18. حَتّى إِذا الصُبحُ أَتى

    في جَحفلٍ عَرَمرَمِ

    Until, when morning came

    in an immense, massed army,

  19. وَاللَيلُ وَلّى هارِباً

    بِجَيشِهِ المُنهَزِمِ

    and night fled away

    with its defeated army,

  20. وَمالَتِ الجَوزاءُ إِث

    رَ غَفرِها بِالفَدَمِ

    and al-Jawza bowed

    after veiling herself with a cloth,

  21. فارَقتُها وَفي الحَشا

    رسُّ هَوىً مُحكّمِ

    I parted from her, while in my breast

    were the first stirrings of a love that ruled me,

  22. وَفي العُيون لا بَكَت

    صَوبُ دُموعٍ وَدَمِ

    and in the eyes—may they never weep—

    a downpour of tears and blood,

  23. مِن مُشرِقاتِ المَبسَمِ

    وَقاصِرات الخِيَمِ

    from women with radiant smiles

    and maidens keeping to their tents,

  24. وَكُلُّ رُودٍ أُلبِسَت

    بُردَ الشَبابِ المُعلَمِ

    and every tender maiden clothed

    in youth's ornamented mantle.

  25. تَختالُ في وَشيِ صِبا

    بُرداه لَم ينمنَمِ

    She sways proudly in youth's brocade,

    its two mantles unembroidered.

  26. أَوّاهُ إِن لَم تَجمَع ال

    أَيّامُ شَملي بِهمِ

    Alas, if the days do not reunite

    me with them

  27. في رَوضَةٍ مَطلولَةٍ

    بِعارِضٍ مُنسَجِمِ

    in a garden moistened with fine rain

    by a cloud pouring down,

  28. غَنّت بِها وُرقُ الحِمى

    بِمُفصحاتِ النَغمِ

    where the sanctuary's gray doves sang

    with eloquent melodies,

  29. قَضَيتُ وَجداً بِهم

    وَحَسرَةً عَلَيهمِ

    I would perish with longing for them

    and sorrow over them.

  30. إِنّي لَأَرجوها وَما

    بِعهدنا مِن قدَمِ

    I do indeed hope for it, and

    our time together is not long past.

  31. وَهاكِها بَهنانَةً

    ذاتَ بَنانٍ عَندَمِ

    And here, take her, a supple beauty,

    with fingertips red as dragon's blood resin.

  32. نيطَت بِمَهوى قُرطِها

    لَآلئ مِن كَلمي

    Where her earring falls were hung

    pearls from my words,

  33. عَن فِكرَة شاردةٍ

    وِخاطر مُقسَّمِ

    from a wandering thought

    and a divided mind.

  34. تَبغى قَبُولاً في ظِلا

    ل الأَكرَم بِن الأَكرمِ

    She seeks acceptance in the shade

    of the most generous, son of the most generous,

  35. فَتى العَجَميّ مَن رَقَى

    بِالفَضل هامَ الأَنجُمِ

    the young al-Ajami, who rose

    through excellence to the crowns of the stars.

  36. وَتَنتَحي مِن فَيضِهِ

    وَجُودِهِ المُلتَطمِ

    And she seeks from his abundance

    and his surging generosity

  37. إِرسالَ ما أَلزَم مِن

    لُزوم ما لَم يَلزَم

    release from what was made binding by

    requiring what was never required.

  38. لا زالَ يَسمو بِالعُلا

    في نِعمةٍ وَأَنعُمِ

    May he ever soar in glory,

    amid grace and blessings,

  39. ما غَرَّدت مُفتنّةٌ

    أَرَق الحَمام الريمِ

    as long as an accomplished songstress sings

    the sleepless longing of doves and gazelles,

  40. وَيَمّمت مُستَنّة

    لَهُ مَطايا الكَلمِ

    and, galloping, turn

    toward him the mounts of words.