ياO لَيلَةًa night بِتُّهاI spent that night أُسَقّاهاI was given it to drink
يا لَيلَةً بِتُّها أُسَقّاها
أَلهَجَنيkept me preoccupied طيبُهاits delight بِذِكراهاwith its remembrance
أَلهَجَني طيبُها بِذِكراها
O night I spent being plied with wine!
O night of bliss, I quenched my thirst with you
Oh, what a night I spent while wine was poured for me,
Its delight kept me dwelling on its memory.
Your fragrance intoxicated me with memories of you
Its sweetness has made me fervent in its memory.
نَأخُذُهاwe seize it تارَةًat times وَتَأخُذُناand it seizes us
نَأخُذُها تارَةً وَتَأخُذُنا
مَوتورَةًwronged and seeking revenge نَقتَضيwe exact our due وَنَبداهاand we strike it first
مَوتورَةً نَقتَضي وَنَبداها
At times we seize it, and it seizes us,
Sometimes we seize it, and it seizes us
We seize the cup at times, and at times it seizes us,
wronged and seeking revenge—we exact our due and strike it first.
Sullen, we demand it and initiate it
Like a vendetta where we exact payment and then renew the feud.
نَغلِبُهاwe overcome it أَوَّلاًat first وَتَغلِبُناand it overcomes us
نَغلِبُها أَوَّلاً وَتَغلِبُنا
فَنَحنُso we فُرسانُهاits knights وَصَرعاهاand its fallen victims
فَنَحنُ فُرسانُها وَصَرعاها
We overcome it first, and it overcomes us;
First we overpower it, then it overpowers us
We conquer it at the start, but it conquers us in the end,
so we are its knights and its fallen victims.
For we are its knights, and it fells us
So we are at once its horsemen and its fallen victims.
تَلتَهِبُburns الكَفُّthe palm مِنfrom تَلَهُّبِهاits blazing
تَلتَهِبُ الكَفُّ مِن تَلَهُّبِها
وَتَحسُرُand falls short العَينُthe eye أَنto تَقَصّاهاsurvey it fully
وَتَحسُرُ العَينُ أَن تَقَصّاها
The palm burns from its blazing,
The palm blazes from its combustion
The palm is set ablaze by its fiery touch,
and the eye falls short of surveying it fully.
And the eye regrets to lose sight of it
And the eye grows weary trying to fathom its depths.
كَأَنَّas though ناراًa fire بِهاwithin it مُحَرِّشَةًgoading
كَأَنَّ ناراً بِها مُحَرِّشَةً
نَهابُهاwe fear it تارَةًat times وَنَغشاهاand we approach it
نَهابُها تارَةً وَنَغشاها
As though a fire within it were goading us,
As if there is a kindled fire within it
It is as if a stoked fire dwells within it;
we fear it at times, yet draw near to it.
We fear it at times and make it blind at others
We dread it one moment, yet rush to embrace it the next.
كانَwas لَهاfor it الدَهرُTime مِنin place of أَبٍa father خَلَفاًa substitute
كانَ لَها الدَهرُ مِن أَبٍ خَلَفاً
فيin حِجرِهِhis lap صانَهاhe guarded it وَرَبّاهاand he reared it
في حِجرِهِ صانَها وَرَبّاها
Time stood in a father's stead for it;
Time was its father from the past
Time itself stood as a successor to its father,
in his lap he guarded it and reared it,
He protected it in his lap and raised it
Protecting and rearing it within its lap,
فيin رَوضَةٍa garden بَكَّرَcame early الرَبيعُspring لَهاfor it
في رَوضَةٍ بَكَّرَ الرَبيعُ لَها
جاوَرَgrew beside حَوذانُهاits buttercups خُزاماهاits lavender
جاوَرَ حَوذانُها خُزاماها
in a garden where spring came early for it,
In a garden, spring blossomed for it early
In a garden where spring arrived early for its sake,
its buttercups grew beside its lavender.
Its bushes neighbored its camomile
Where its red marigolds grew beside its lavender.
لَناfor us رَواميشٌsongstresses يُنتَخَبنَare chosen لَناfor us
لَنا رَواميشٌ يُنتَخَبنَ لَنا
تَظَلُّremain آذانُناour ears مَطاياهاtheir mounts
تَظَلُّ آذانُنا مَطاياها
We have songstresses chosen for us;
We have soft pillows selected for us
We have singers chosen specifically for our delight,
our ears remain their mounts.
Our ears shaded by its protection
Our ears serve as the mounts upon which their melodies ride.
وَحَثحَثَتand she hurried along كَأسَهاher cup مُقَرطَقَةًwearing a short tunic
وَحَثحَثَت كَأسَها مُقَرطَقَةً
لَوif مُنِّيَwere allotted الحُسنُbeauty ماnot تَعَدّاهاwould pass beyond her
لَو مُنِّيَ الحُسنُ ما تَعَدّاها
And she hurried her cup along, clad in a short tunic.
And it clinked its goblet, crystal clear
A tunic-clad beauty urged on the passing of the cup—
Were beauty allotted, it would not pass beyond her.
If beauty allowed, it would not transcend it
Were Beauty to be granted a form, it would not look beyond her.
تَجمَعُform together عَينيmy eye وَعَينُهاand her eye لُغَةًa language
تَجمَعُ عَيني وَعَينُها لُغَةً
مُخالِفٌcontrary لَفظُهاits expression لِمَعناهاto its meaning
مُخالِفٌ لَفظُها لِمَعناها
My eye and hers together form a language,
My eyes and its eyes gather a language
My eyes and hers compose a shared language,
its expression contrary to its meaning.
Its words contradict its meaning
Whose expression belies its true intent.
إِذاwhen اِقتَضاهاdemands from her طَرفيmy glance لَهاof hers عِدَةًa promise
إِذا اِقتَضاها طَرفي لَها عِدَةً
عَرَفتُI recognized مَردودَهاher reply بِفَحواهاby its implied meaning
عَرَفتُ مَردودَها بِفَحواها
When my glance calls in a promise of hers,
When my gaze seeks it, it has excuses
If my glance demands a promise from her,
I discern her reply from its implied meaning.
I recognize its rejection by its expressions
I discern her reply through the nuance of her gaze.
ذيthis لُغَةٌa language تَسجُدُprostrate themselves اللُغاتُlanguages لَهاto it
ذي لُغَةٌ تَسجُدُ اللُغاتُ لَها
أَلغَزَهاmade it a riddle عاشِقٌa lover وَعَمّاهاand obscured it
أَلغَزَها عاشِقٌ وَعَمّاها
This is a language before which languages prostrate themselves;
It has a language that languages bow to
This is a language before which all other tongues bow down,
a lover made it a riddle and veiled it.
A lover puzzled it and blinded it
A riddle crafted by a lover and veiled in mystery.
Sol 6.1