ياO ذاyou الَّذيwho يَخطِرُsways فيin مِشيَتِهhis gait
يا ذا الَّذي يَخطِرُ في مِشيَتِه
قَدalready صَفَّفَarranged in rows الشَعرَthe hair عَلىover جَبهَتِهhis forehead
قَد صَفَّفَ الشَعرَ عَلى جَبهَتِه
O you, the one who sways as he walks,
O you whose passing thought adorns
O you who struts proudly in his gait,
Who has arranged his hair across his forehead,
The verse aligned across his brow
Who has carefully arranged the hair upon his brow,
وَسَرَّحَand let trail المِئزَرَthe waist-wrap مِنfrom خَلفِهbehind him
وَسَرَّحَ المِئزَرَ مِن خَلفِه
وَدَقَّقَand finely ground البانَben-tree perfume عَلىover وَفرَتِهhis thick locks
وَدَقَّقَ البانَ عَلى وَفرَتِه
And let his waist-wrap trail behind him,
Who's tucked his gown behind his back
And let his robe trail loosely behind him,
And finely ground ben-tree perfume over his thick locks.
And tapped his staff upon the ground
And applied the oil of the Ban tree to his flowing locks.
قَلبيmy heart عَلىdespite ماwhat كانَthere was مِنof شِقوَتِهits misery
قَلبي عَلى ما كانَ مِن شِقوَتِه
صَبٌّenamored بِمَنof the one whom يَهوىit loves عَلىdespite جَفوَتِهhis coldness
صَبٌّ بِمَن يَهوى عَلى جَفوَتِه
My heart, despite all its misery,
My heart is filled with all the pain
My heart, despite the misery it has endured,
Is enamored of the one it loves, despite his coldness.
His cool neglect has rendered now
Is lovesick for the one it desires, despite his cruelty.
يَختَلِقُhe fabricates السَخطَةَdispleasure ليtoward me ظالِماًunjustly
يَختَلِقُ السَخطَةَ لي ظالِماً
أَحوَجُmost in need ماwhen كُنتُI was إِلىof رَحمَتِهhis mercy
أَحوَجُ ما كُنتُ إِلى رَحمَتِه
He feigns displeasure with me, unjustly,
With blame he constantly provokes
Unjustly, he feigns anger towards me,
When I am most in need of his mercy.
When mercy's what I need from him
At the very moment I am most in need of his mercy.
أَكُلَّماis it whenever جَدَّدَhe renews ليfor me مَوعِداًa promised meeting
أَكُلَّما جَدَّدَ لي مَوعِداً
أَخلَفَهُleaves it unfulfilled التَنغيصُdistress مِنfrom عِلَّتِهhis ailment
أَخلَفَهُ التَنغيصُ مِن عِلَّتِه
Whenever he promises me a meeting anew,
Each time he makes some tryst with me
Is it that every time he renews a promise to me,
Must the distress of his ailment thwart it?
His sickness breaks it, I'll allow
Vexation breaks it through some excuse of his?
أُضمِرُI harbor فيin البُعدِseparation عِتاباًa reproach لَهُfor him
أُضمِرُ في البُعدِ عِتاباً لَهُ
فَإِنbut if دَناhe draws near أُنسيتُI am made to forget مِنfrom هَيبَتِهawe of him
فَإِن دَنا أُنسيتُ مِن هَيبَتِه
In separation, I harbor a reproach for him,
When distant, silently I blame
While apart, I harbor intended reproaches for him,
But if he draws near, awe of him makes me forget.
Draw near, his awe makes me endow
But when he draws near, I am made to forget them by his awe.
مُبَتَّلٌperfectly formed تَثنيهِbend him أَعطافُهُhis flanks
مُبَتَّلٌ تَثنيهِ أَعطافُهُ
أَميَسُmost gracefully swaying خَلقِcreatures of اللَهِGod فيin خَطرَتِهhis swaying gait
أَميَسُ خَلقِ اللَهِ في خَطرَتِه
Perfectly formed, his curves make him sway,
All dressed in clothes flung open wide
Slender and graceful, his swaying sides incline him,
The most graceful of God's creatures in his swaying gait.
God's creature restless in his style
He is the most swaying of God's creation in his stride.
مُهَفهَفٌslender-waisted تَرتَجُّquiver أَردافُهُhis buttocks
مُهَفهَفٌ تَرتَجُّ أَردافُهُ
يَتيهُhe vaunts himself بِالحُسنِwith beauty عَلىover جيرَتِهhis neighbors
يَتيهُ بِالحُسنِ عَلى جيرَتِه
Slender-waisted, his buttocks quiver;
With thighs a-quiver as he strides
Slim of waist, his heavy hips trembling with every step,
He lords his beauty over his neighbors.
Beauty confusing, tempting, guile
He parades his beauty haughtily before his neighbors.
يَحارُis bewildered رَجعُreturn of الطَرفِthe gaze فيin وَجهِهِhis face
يَحارُ رَجعُ الطَرفِ في وَجهِهِ
وَصورَةُand the image of الشَمسِthe sun عَلىin the likeness of صورَتِهhis image
وَصورَةُ الشَمسِ عَلى صورَتِه
The returning gaze is bewildered by his face,
Bewildered, sight confounded, stilled
The returning glance is bewildered by his face,
And the sun's image is in his likeness.
His face, the sun in all its smiles
As if the image of the sun is cast upon his features.
يَنتَسِبُtraces its lineage الحُسنُbeauty إِلىto حُسنِهِhis beauty
يَنتَسِبُ الحُسنُ إِلى حُسنِهِ
وَالطيبُand perfume يَحتاجُhas need إِلىof نَكهَتِهhis breath's fragrance
وَالطيبُ يَحتاجُ إِلى نَكهَتِه
Beauty traces its lineage to his beauty,
Beauty itself to him is build
Beauty itself traces its lineage to his beauty,
And perfume needs the fragrance of his breath.
Fragrance from him all else beguiles
And perfume stands in need of his breath's fragrance.
وَلَيلَةٍand a night قَصَّرَshortened فيin طولِهاits length
وَلَيلَةٍ قَصَّرَ في طولِها
بِالكَرخِin al-Karkh أَنthat مُتِّعتُI was granted delight مِنfrom رُؤيَتِهseeing him
بِالكَرخِ أَن مُتِّعتُ مِن رُؤيَتِه
And a night's long hours were shortened
One night, seemed long for rendezvous
And [many] a night whose length was shortened,
In al-Karkh, by the joy I was granted in seeing him,
I glimpsed him briefly, my heart thrilled
In Al-Karkh, when I was granted the delight of gazing upon him,
فيin مَجلِسٍa gathering يَضحَكُsmiles تُفّاحُهُits apples
في مَجلِسٍ يَضحَكُ تُفّاحُهُ
بَينَamong الرَياحينِthe fragrant herbs إِلىtoward خُضرَتِهits greenery
بَينَ الرَياحينِ إِلى خُضرَتِه
In a gathering whose apples smile
A jesting gathering's apple, he
In a gathering where the apples seemed to laugh,
Among the fragrant herbs, toward its greenery.
Among the blooms, fresh, dew distilled
Amidst the aromatic basil and its greenery.
ماnot إِنat all يَرىsees خَلوَتَناour seclusion ثالِثٌa third person
ما إِن يَرى خَلوَتَنا ثالِثٌ
إِلّاexcept الَّذيthe one who نَشرَبُwe drink مِنfrom خَمرَتِهhis wine
إِلّا الَّذي نَشرَبُ مِن خَمرَتِه
No third person witnesses our seclusion,
No third will know our secret thought
No third party witnessed our seclusion,
Except the one whose wine we drink.
Save he from whose cup we both filled
Save for the vintage from which we drank.
خَمرَتُهُhis wine فيin الكَأسِthe cup مَمزوجَةٌmixed
خَمرَتُهُ في الكَأسِ مَمزوجَةٌ
كَالذَهَبِlike gold الجاريflowing عَلىover فِضَّتِهhis silver
كَالذَهَبِ الجاري عَلى فِضَّتِه
His wine is mixed in the cup,
His wine within the cup doth blend
His wine, mixed within the cup, appeared
Like gold flowing over his silver.
Like gold on silver gilt, fulfilled
Like liquid gold flowing over silver.
Sol 6.1