غناؤكِyour singing عنديto me يُميتkills الطَرَبْdelight
غناؤكِ عندي يُميت الطَرَبْ
وضربُكand your playing بالعودon the oud يُحييrevives الكُرَبْsorrows
وضربُك بالعود يُحيي الكُرَبْ
Your singing, to my ears, kills all delight,
Your singing, to me, kills delight,
Your singing kills my rapture
while your playing on the lute revives all sorrows.
And your playing on the oud revives sorrows.
And your lute playing revives my sorrow
ولمand did not أرَI see قبلكِbefore you منany قَيْنةٍa singing girl
ولم أرَ قبلكِ من قَيْنةٍ
تُغنِّيshe sings فأحسَبُهاso I take her to be تنتحبْsobbing
تُغنِّي فأحسَبُها تنتحبْ
Never before you have I seen a singing-girl
Before you, I never saw a singing girl
I've never seen anyone like you
sing and thought that she was wailing.
Who sings, only for me to think she is sobbing.
Who sings and I think she weeps
ولاnor شاهدَsaw الناسُpeople أنسيّةًa human woman
ولا شاهدَ الناسُ أنسيّةً
سواكother than you لهاshe has بَدَنٌa body منof خشبْwood
سواك لها بَدَنٌ من خشبْ
Nor have people ever beheld a human woman
Nor have people seen a human woman
And people have not seen a companion
besides you whose body was made of wood,
Other than you with a body of wood,
Except you who has a body of wood
ووَجْهٌand a face رقيبٌa guardian علىover نفسهitself
ووَجْهٌ رقيبٌ على نفسه
يُنفِّرُdrives away عنهfrom it عيونَeyes الرّيبsuspicion
يُنفِّرُ عنه عيونَ الرّيب
and whose face itself stands sentinel,
And a face that keeps watch over itself,
And a vigilant face over herself
driving all suspicious glances away.
Driving suspicious eyes away from it.
That disgusts the eyes of suspicion
فكيفhow, then تصُدِّينyou turn away عنfrom عاشقa lover
فكيف تصُدِّين عن عاشق
يَوَدُّكِhe loves you لوif كانhe were كلباًa dog كَلبْhe would go rabid
يَوَدُّكِ لو كان كلباً كَلبْ
How, then, can you turn away a lover
How, then, do you turn away from a lover
So how can you turn away from a lover
who adores you—were he a dog, he would go rabid?
Who loves you—were he a dog, he would go rabid?
Who wishes if he were a dog, a dog
ولوand if مازجَmingled with النارَthe fire فيin حَرِّهاits heat
ولو مازجَ النارَ في حَرِّها
حديثُكَyour talk أخْمَدwould quench منهاfrom it اللَّهبthe flame
حديثُكَ أخْمَد منها اللَّهب
Even if, at the height of its heat, your speech mingled with fire,
And if the fire, in its heat, were mingled with
And if he joined fire in its heat
it would extinguish the flame within it.
Your talk, its flame would be quenched.
Your talk would extinguish its flames
Sol 6.1