بَينَbetween المُدامِthe wine وَبَينَand between الماءِthe water شَحناءُenmity
بَينَ المُدامِ وَبَينَ الماءِ شَحناءُ
تَنقَدُّit bursts apart غَيظاًin rage إِذاwhen ماever (emphasis) مَسَّهاtouches it الماءُthe water
تَنقَدُّ غَيظاً إِذا ما مَسَّها الماءُ
Between wine and water there is enmity.
Between wine and water, a beauty
Between the vintage and the water breeds deep strife,
It bursts with rage whenever water touches it,
Who fumes with anger when touched by water
She bursts with rage the moment water touches her;
حَتّىuntil تُرىare seen فيalong حَوافيthe edges of الكَأسِthe cup أَعيُنُهاits eyes
حَتّى تُرى في حَوافي الكَأسِ أَعيُنُها
بيضاًwhite وَلَيسَand not بِهاin them مِنfrom عِلَّةٍan ailment داءُdisease
بيضاً وَلَيسَ بِها مِن عِلَّةٍ داءُ
until its eyes are seen along the cup's edges,
Until you see in the rims of the cup her eyes
Until her eyes are seen upon the vessel's rim,
white, though no disease afflicts them.
White, with no defect or illness
White and bright, unblemished by disease.
كَأَنَّهاas though it were حينَwhen تَمطوstretches out فيwithin أَعِنَّتِهاits reins
كَأَنَّها حينَ تَمطو في أَعِنَّتِها
مِنَfrom اللَطافَةِdelicacy فيin الأَوهامِthe imaginings عَنقاءُan Anqa (mythical bird)
مِنَ اللَطافَةِ في الأَوهامِ عَنقاءُ
As it stretches within its reins, it is like
As if when she winks with her eyelids
As if, when stretching tight against her reins,
an Anqa in the imagination, so delicate is it.
She is, from her subtlety, a gazelle of the imagination
She is a Phoenix, shaped by subtlety within the mind.
تَبنيit builds سَماءًa sky عَلىabove أَرضٍan earth مُعَلَّقَةٍsuspended
تَبني سَماءً عَلى أَرضٍ مُعَلَّقَةٍ
كَأَنَّهاas though it were عَلَقٌclotted blood وَالأَرضُand the earth بَيضاءُwhite
كَأَنَّها عَلَقٌ وَالأَرضُ بَيضاءُ
It builds a sky above a suspended earth,
She builds a sky on suspended land
She builds a sky above a suspended earth,
as though it were clotted blood, while the earth is white.
As if she is a pendant and the land is white
As if she were crimson blood, and the land pure white.
نُجومُهاits stars يَقَقٌpure white فيin صَحنِهاits midst عَلَقٌclotted blood
نُجومُها يَقَقٌ في صَحنِها عَلَقٌ
يُقِلُّهاbears it aloft مِنfrom نُجومِthe stars of الكَأسِthe cup أَهواءُair currents
يُقِلُّها مِن نُجومِ الكَأسِ أَهواءُ
Its stars are pure white; in its midst is clotted blood.
Its stars are bubbles in her bowl, pendants
Her stars are dazzling white; within her bowl is ruby,
Air currents from the cup's stars bear it aloft.
Dimmed by the stars of the cup, desires
Lifted by passions from the constellations of the cup.
جَلَّتit is exalted عَنِbeyond الوَصفِdescription حَتّىso that ماnot يُطالِبُهاpursues it
جَلَّت عَنِ الوَصفِ حَتّى ما يُطالِبُها
وَهمٌimagination فَتَخلُفُهاso take its place فيin الوَصفِdescription أَسماءُnames
وَهمٌ فَتَخلُفُها في الوَصفِ أَسماءُ
It so transcends description that it cannot be pursued
She transcended description until names
She transcends description, such that no illusion
by imagination; names take its place in description.
Fall short of describing her
Can claim her, and names fall short of her truth.
تَقَسَّمَتهاdivided it up ظُنونُthe conjectures of الفِكرِthought إِذwhen خَفِيَتit lay hidden
تَقَسَّمَتها ظُنونُ الفِكرِ إِذ خَفِيَت
كَماjust as تَقَسَّمَتِdivided up الأَديانَthe religions آراءُopinions
كَما تَقَسَّمَتِ الأَديانَ آراءُ
Conjectures of thought divided it up when it lay hidden,
When she disappeared, thoughts divided her
Conjectures of thought divided her when she was veiled,
as opinions divided religions.
As opinions divided religions
Just as conflicting views have fractured faiths.
مِنfrom كَفِّthe palm of ذيone possessing غَنَجٍcoquetry حُلوٌsweet شَمائِلُهُhis ways
مِن كَفِّ ذي غَنَجٍ حُلوٌ شَمائِلُهُ
كَأَنَّهُas though he were عِندَto رَأيِthe sight of العَينِthe eye عَذراءُa virgin maiden
كَأَنَّهُ عِندَ رَأيِ العَينِ عَذراءُ
From the palm of a coy one whose ways are sweet,
From the palm of one with soft cheeks, sweet is his image
From the hand of a charmer, sweet in disposition,
as though, to the eye, he were a virgin maiden.
As if in the eye’s view, he is a virgin
Who appears to the beholder as a virgin maid.
لَهُfor him بَكَيتُI wept كَماas يَبكيbewails النَوىseparation رَجُلٌa man
لَهُ بَكَيتُ كَما يَبكي النَوى رَجُلٌ
عَلىover المَعالِمِthe landmarks وَالأَطلالِand the ruins بَكّاءُmuch given to weeping
عَلى المَعالِمِ وَالأَطلالِ بَكّاءُ
For him I wept, as a man bewails separation,
For him I cried as the palm tree stalk cries for
For him I wept, as a man weeps over distance,
weeping profusely over landmarks and ruins.
An abode and ruins, a wailing weeper
Weeping for lost landmarks and ancient ruins.
Sol 6.1