أَقبَلَhe approached مثلَlike البدرthe full moon فيin تَمامهِits fullness
أَقبَلَ مثلَ البدر في تَمامهِ
تَحُفُّهُsurrounds him الهالةُthe halo منfrom لِثامهِhis face-veil
تَحُفُّهُ الهالةُ من لِثامهِ
He came forward like the moon at its full,
He came like the full moon in its splendor
A halo from his face-veil surrounding him.
Haloed by the veil over his face
ومَزَّقَتand tore أنوارُهُhis radiance ثَوبَthe robe الدُّجَىof darkness
ومَزَّقَت أنوارُهُ ثَوبَ الدُّجَى
مذsince أطلَعَhe made rise الأنجُمَthe stars بابتسامهِwith his smile
مذ أطلَعَ الأنجُمَ بابتسامهِ
And his radiance tore the robe of darkness
His lights tore the garment of darkness
Since he made the stars rise with his smile.
When the stars smiled with their appearance
وماسَand he swayed فاشتاقتso longed غصونُbranches البانthe bān tree أنto
وماسَ فاشتاقت غصونُ البان أن
تَنقُلborrow ذاكthat اللِّينَsuppleness عنfrom قَوَامهِhis stature
تَنقُل ذاك اللِّينَ عن قَوَامهِ
And he swayed, so the bān-tree branches longed
The boughs of acacia longed to convey
To borrow that suppleness from his stature.
That softness from his shapely figure
أصمَىslew قلوبَhearts العاشقينthe lovers طَرفُهُhis glance
أصمَى قلوبَ العاشقين طَرفُهُ
ظُلماًunjustly بماwith what فوقَit nocked منof سِهامِهِits arrows
ظُلماً بما فوقَ من سِهامِهِ
His glance slew the hearts of lovers,
The glance of his eyes made lovers' hearts
Unjustly, with the arrows it had nocked.
Deafened by what was beyond his arrows
ياO جَفنَهُhis eyelid رفقاًbe gentle بصبٍwith a lovesick lover مُدنَفwasted by sickness
يا جَفنَهُ رفقاً بصبٍ مُدنَف
سُقمُكَyour sickness أضحىhas become الأصلَthe source فيof سقامِهِhis sickness
سُقمُكَ أضحى الأصلَ في سقامِهِ
O eyelid of his, be gentle with a lover wasted by sickness:
Oh his eyelids, be gentle with a lovesick one
Your languor has become the source of his illness.
Your sickness has become intrinsic to his sickness
وأنتِand you ياO أعطافَهhis sides هلis there عَطفَةٌa kindly turn
وأنتِ يا أعطافَه هل عَطفَةٌ
علىfor مَشُوقِyearning القَلبِthe heart مُستَهَامهِhis love-maddened admirer
على مَشُوقِ القَلبِ مُستَهَامهِ
And you, O his sides—is there any tenderness
And you, his darling cheeks, is there no sympathy
For his yearning-hearted, love-maddened admirer?
For the longing heart enraptured by him?
مَنwho ليfor me بمنwith one who فيin خَدِّهhis cheek ماءُwater حَياًrain
مَن لي بمن في خَدِّه ماءُ حَياً
فوقabove لهيبa flame دامَpersisted فيin اضطرامِهِits blazing
فوق لهيب دامَ في اضطرامِهِ
Who can bring me one whose cheek holds rainwater
Who will bring me one whose cheek holds sweet water
Above a flame that has kept blazing?
Above the flames, burning within?
كمhow many ليلةa night أسكرنيhe intoxicated me بريقهِwith his saliva
كم ليلة أسكرني بريقهِ
أغنَتleft no need بكأسِwith the cup الثَّغرِthe mouth عنfor مُدَامهِhis wine
أغنَت بكأسِ الثَّغرِ عن مُدَامهِ
How many a night he made me drunk with his saliva,
How many nights has his brilliance intoxicated me
The cup of his mouth leaving no need for his wine.
His mouth's cup made me forget all wine
وبتُّand I spent the night لاnot أجزعُI fear منof حُرَّاسِهِhis guards
وبتُّ لا أجزعُ من حُرَّاسِهِ
إذfor فَرعُهُhis hair أبدىrevealed دُجىthe gloom ظلامهِits darkness
إذ فَرعُهُ أبدى دُجى ظلامهِ
And I spent the night unafraid of his guards,
I stay awake fearing none of his guards
For his hair revealed the gloom of its darkness.
Though his boughs reveal the gloom of darkness
وبينناand between us طيبُsweetness عناقٍan embrace طالماso often
وبيننا طيبُ عناقٍ طالما
ألزمنيcompelled me شوقيmy longing بالتزِامهِto embrace him
ألزمني شوقي بالتزِامهِ
And between us was a sweet embrace; how often
Between us is the fragrance of an embrace that has
My longing had compelled me to hold him close!
Long bound me, stirring my passion
هذاthis هوis العيشُthe life الذيthat وَدِدتُI wished لوif only
هذا هو العيشُ الذي وَدِدتُ لو
ساعدنيhelped me الدهرtime علىwith دَوَامِهِits continuance
ساعدني الدهر على دَوَامِهِ
This is the life I wished
This is the life I wish would continue forever
Time would help me sustain.
If fate would only aid its duration
صَدرٌa breast بهin it للهbelonging to God سِرٌّa secret مودَعٌlodged
صَدرٌ به لله سِرٌّ مودَعٌ
تُذيعُهُreveals it الحِكمَةُwisdom منthrough أحكامهِhis judgments
تُذيعُهُ الحِكمَةُ من أحكامهِ
A breast in which a secret of God's is lodged,
A breast within which is a secret deposited
Which wisdom reveals through his judgments.
Wisdom broadcasts from his judgments
واخجلَةَand oh, the shame البيضthe bright swords وياand O وَيحَwoe to القَناthe spears
واخجلَةَ البيض ويا وَيحَ القَنا
السُّمرِthe brown ones بماat what يُبديهِhe displays it منthrough اقلامهِhis pens
السُّمرِ بما يُبديهِ من اقلامهِ
And oh, the shame of bright swords! And woe to the spears,
He embarrassed white camomile and alas, the sloe
The brown ones, at what he displays through his pens!
With what his pen reveals
عزائمٌresolves رَدَّhe made بهاwith them الأيامَthe days منamong
عزائمٌ رَدَّ بها الأيامَ من
أعوانهِhis helpers والدَّهرَand Time منamong خُدَّامِهِhis servants
أعوانهِ والدَّهرَ من خُدَّامِهِ
Resolves by which he turned the days into
Firm resolutions with which he repelled the days
His helpers, and Time into one of his servants.
From their purpose and time from its passage
ويقظةٌand vigilance قدindeed خصةَّsingled him out اللهGod بهاwith it
ويقظةٌ قد خصةَّ الله بها
توحىreveals إليهto him الغيبَthe unseen منfrom إلهامهِHis inspiration
توحى إليه الغيبَ من إلهامهِ
And a vigilance with which God has singled him out,
Wakefulness that God especially endowed him with
Revealing the unseen to him through His inspiration.
Inspiring him the unseen by revelation
وسَطوَةٌand might لوif نظرlooked اللَّيثُthe lion لهاupon it
وسَطوَةٌ لو نظر اللَّيثُ لها
لأعمَلَhe would surely employ الحِيلةcunning فيin إحجامهِhis retreat
لأعمَلَ الحِيلة في إحجامهِ
And a might that, were the lion to behold it,
And a power that if the lion saw
He would use cunning in his retreat.
He would plot his withdrawal
Sol 6.1