اِربَعPause عَلىat الطَلَلِthe ruined campsite الَّذيwhich اِنتَسَفَتswept away
اِربَع عَلى الطَلَلِ الَّذي اِنتَسَفَت
مِنهُfrom it المَعالِمُthe landmarks أَنجُمَstars النَحسِill omen
مِنهُ المَعالِمُ أَنجُمَ النَحسِ
Pause at the ruined campsite, stripped
Four upon the ruins which lost
Halt by the ruins which have been scoured away,
Of its landmarks by the stars of ill omen.
Their landmarks, stars of ill fate,
Their landmarks erased by the stars of ill-omen;
وَاِستَوطَنَتهُand inhabited it العُفرُthe tawny gazelles قاطِنَةًdwelling there
وَاِستَوطَنَتهُ العُفرُ قاطِنَةً
وَلَقَدand indeed يَكونُit once was مَرابِعَspring encampments الإِنسِhumankind
وَلَقَد يَكونُ مَرابِعَ الإِنسِ
And tawny gazelles have made it their settled home,
And which solitude inhabits
The dust-colored gazelles have settled there, dwelling
Though once it was the spring quarters of humankind.
As the dwelling place of mankind.
Where once stood the spring quarters of men.
لَعِبَتplayed بِهِupon it ريحٌa wind يَمانِيَةٌYemeni
لَعِبَت بِهِ ريحٌ يَمانِيَةٌ
وَحَواصِبٌand pebble-laden winds تَرَكَتهُleft it كَالطَرسِlike an erased parchment
وَحَواصِبٌ تَرَكَتهُ كَالطَرسِ
A wind from Yemen played upon it,
A southern wind played with it
A wind from the south has played upon the site,
And pebble-laden winds left it like an erased parchment.
And rains left it like a coat of mail.
And gravel-storms have left it like a smoothed scroll.
فَلَئِنso if indeed عَفاit faded وَعَفَتand faded مَعالِمُهُits landmarks
فَلَئِن عَفا وَعَفَت مَعالِمُهُ
فَلَقَدthen indeed خَضَعتُI yielded وَكُنتُand I once was ذاpossessed of نَفسِproud spirit
فَلَقَد خَضَعتُ وَكُنتُ ذا نَفسِ
If it has faded and its landmarks have faded,
So if its features are effaced
So if it has faded, and its traces are gone,
Then I have yielded, though once I was proud.
I am submissive, though I had spirit.
Then I too have been humbled, though I once possessed a proud soul.
وَحَلَلتُand I untied عَقدَthe knot of هَوايَmy desire مُقتَصِراًrestricting myself
وَحَلَلتُ عَقدَ هَوايَ مُقتَصِراً
لِصَبوحِto a morning draught موفِيَةٍsurpassing عَلىabove الشَمسِthe sun
لِصَبوحِ موفِيَةٍ عَلى الشَمسِ
And I have untied the knot of my desire, restricting myself
I have loosed the knot of my passion
I have untied the knot of my old passion, contenting myself
To a morning draught of wine that outshines the sun.
Keeping faith with a morn of parting at sunrise,
With a morning draught of wine that towers over the sun;
صَفراءَgolden-yellow سِلكُa string جُمانِpearl beads لُؤلُؤُهاits pearls
صَفراءَ سِلكُ جُمانِ لُؤلُؤُها
أَلِفاتُalif-strokes كاتِبِthe scribe of سَيِّدِthe sovereign of الفُرسِthe Persians
أَلِفاتُ كاتِبِ سَيِّدِ الفُرسِ
Golden-yellow, its string of pearly beads—
Yellow the necklace of pearls
Golden, its bubbles rising like strings of pearls,
The alif-strokes of the Persian sovereign's scribe.
Writings of the lord of steeds.
Straight as the Alifs drawn by the scribe of the Persian King.
تَرميit flings الحَبابَthe bubbles بِمِثلِهِwith their like صُعُداًupward
تَرمي الحَبابَ بِمِثلِهِ صُعُداً
دَقَّتbecame fine مَسالِكُهاits channels عَنِbeyond النَحسِill fortune
دَقَّت مَسالِكُها عَنِ النَحسِ
It flings bubbles upward against their fellows;
It casts its gleam like it
It casts up bubbles, one following another,
Its channels are too fine for ill fortune to enter.
Its tracks avoiding ill fate.
Their paths too subtle for misfortune to strike.
وَكَأَنَّماand as though هِيَit حينَwhen تُبرِزُهاyou bring it forth
وَكَأَنَّما هِيَ حينَ تُبرِزُها
لِلشارِبينَfor the drinkers عُصارَةُextract الوَرسِthe wars dye-plant
لِلشارِبينَ عُصارَةُ الوَرسِ
And when you bring it forth, it seems
As though when it shows them
And it seems, when it is revealed
To the drinkers like an extract of the wars plant.
To the drinkers, juice of sweet flag.
To the drinkers, to be the very essence of saffron.
وَإِذاand when تُرامُit is sought تَفوتُit eludes لامِسَهاwhoever touches it
وَإِذا تُرامُ تَفوتُ لامِسَها
مِثلَlike الهَباءِdust-motes يَفوتُslips away بِاللَمسِat a touch
مِثلَ الهَباءِ يَفوتُ بِاللَمسِ
And when reached for, it eludes whoever would touch it,
And when it is tossed, its toucher
If one seeks to grasp it, it eludes the hand,
Like dust-motes that slip away at a touch.
Misses it, like vapor with touch.
Just as fine dust escapes the touch.
وَمُوَحَّدٍand one peerless فيin الحُسنِbeauty جَلَّلَهُHe clothed him
وَمُوَحَّدٍ في الحُسنِ جَلَّلَهُ
بِرِدائِهِin His robe ذوthe possessor of الطولِbounty وَالقُدسِand holiness
بِرِدائِهِ ذو الطولِ وَالقُدسِ
And one peerless in beauty, whom He clothed
Matchless in beauty, his cloak
And a youth unique in beauty, whom the Possessor
In His mantle—the Lord of bounty and holiness.
Enwrapped him, of great length and sanctity.
Of Bounty and Holiness has robed in His mantle;
إِنif شِئتَyou wish قُلتَyou could say خَريدَةٌa secluded maiden جُلِيَتwas unveiled
إِن شِئتَ قُلتَ خَريدَةٌ جُلِيَت
لِلشَربِfor the drinking company يَومَon the day صَبيحَةِmorning العُرسِthe wedding
لِلشَربِ يَومَ صَبيحَةِ العُرسِ
If you wish, you could say: 'A maiden unveiled
If you wish, say a goblet polished
If you wished, you could say: 'A maiden unveiled
Before the drinkers on the wedding morning.'
For drinking on the morn of wedding.
For the revelers on the morning of a wedding feast.'
وَأُعيذُهُand I seek protection for him مِنfrom أَنthat يَكونَthere should be لَهُfor him
وَأُعيذُهُ مِن أَن يَكونَ لَهُ
ماwhat تَحتَbeneath مِئزَرِهاher loincloth مِنَof الرَجسِimpurity
ما تَحتَ مِئزَرِها مِنَ الرَجسِ
And I seek protection for him, lest he have
I guard it from being
Yet I seek God's refuge for him from possessing
The impurity beneath her loincloth.
Under its waist-wrapper, unclean.
That impurity which lies beneath her waist-wrapper.
غَنّىhe sang عَلىwith طَرَبٍrapture يُرَجِّعُهُhe trills it
غَنّى عَلى طَرَبٍ يُرَجِّعُهُ
لِيَحُثَّto urge on كَأسَthe cup of مُعاوِدِone who keeps repeating الحَبسِholding back
لِيَحُثَّ كَأسَ مُعاوِدِ الحَبسِ
He sang in rapture, trilling his song,
He sang to a music returning him
He sang with emotion, trilling his voice,
To hasten the cup of one who kept holding it back:
To stir the cup of the oft imprisoned.
To urge on the cup of one returning to confinement:
ياO خَيرَbest of مَنthose who وَخَدَتmoved swiftly بِأَرحُلِهِwith his saddles
يا خَيرَ مَن وَخَدَت بِأَرحُلِهِ
نُجبُchoice الرِكابِriding camels بِمَهمَهٍthrough a wilderness حَلسِrugged
نُجبُ الرِكابِ بِمَهمَهٍ حَلسِ
'O best of those whose saddles were borne swiftly
O best of those whose mount’s litters
'O best of those to whose saddles have trotted
By choice riding camels across a rugged wilderness!'
Bore the elite with humming talk.
Noble camels through a desolate waste.'
فَثَنىthen he turned عَلَيهِtoward him لَواحِظاًglances نَطَقَتspoke
فَثَنى عَلَيهِ لَواحِظاً نَطَقَت
مِنهُfrom him بِمِثلِlike نَواطِقِutterances المَسِّdemonic possession
مِنهُ بِمِثلِ نَواطِقِ المَسِّ
Then he turned upon him glances that spoke
So it spoke of him, observing,
Then he bent toward him with glances that spoke,
From him like the utterances of one possessed.
With the voice of an elegant, pure one.
Speaking as clearly as the touch of madness.
وَثَنىand followed يُغَنِّناsinging to us مُعارِضَهُhis rival
وَثَنى يُغَنِّنا مُعارِضَهُ
لِمَنِwhose الدِيارُthe dwellings بِجانِبَيon both sides of لَجسِLajs
لِمَنِ الدِيارُ بِجانِبَي لَجسِ
And his rival followed, singing to us:
And he sang, challenging its echoes
And he turned to sing for us, answering the song:
'Whose are the dwellings on either side of Lajs?'
For one whose abode is by Lejas.
'To whom belong the dwellings by the slopes of Lajs?'
فَلَوَso if اِنَّthat قَسّاًa priest كانَhad been حاضِرَهُpresent with him
فَلَوَ اِنَّ قَسّاً كانَ حاضِرَهُ
لَصَبَتwould surely have yearned إِلَيهِtoward him عِبادَةُthe devotion of القَسِّthe priest
لَصَبَت إِلَيهِ عِبادَةُ القَسِّ
For had a priest been present with him,
Had there been a priest present
And had Qass the Priest been there to witness him,
The priest's very devotion would have yearned toward him.
The worship of priests would have poured to him.
Even the worship of the priest would have turned to yearn for him.
Sol 6.1