خليليَّmy two companions منfrom قيسQays بنson of عيلان‘Aylan حلياadorn, you two
خليليَّ من قيس بن عيلان حليا
ركابيmy mounts تُعرّجturn aside نحوtoward مُنعرَجاتِهاher winding paths
ركابي تُعرّج نحو مُنعرَجاتِها
My two friends of Qays ibn ʿAylān, halt
My two companions of Qays ibn ‘Aylan, adorn
my mounts, that they may turn toward her winding ways.
my mounts as they turn toward her winding paths.
بعيشكماby your lives, you two ذاتtoward اليمينthe right فإننيfor I
بعيشكما ذات اليمين فإنني
أُراحُI am refreshed لشمِّby smelling الريحِthe wind منfrom عَقَدَاتِهاher clustered dunes
أُراحُ لشمِّ الريحِ من عَقَدَاتِها
By your lives, take the right-hand road—for I
By your lives, toward the right—for I
find solace in smelling the wind from her mountain passes.
am refreshed by the scent of the wind from her clustered dunes.
فقدfor indeed عبقتbecame fragrant ريحُthe wind النعاميthe south wind كأنماas though
فقد عبقت ريحُ النعامي كأنما
سلامa greeting سُلَيمَىSulayma راحَwafted فيin نَفَحَاتِهاits breaths
سلام سُلَيمَى راحَ في نَفَحَاتِها
The breeze of al-Naʿāmī has grown fragrant, as though
For the south wind has grown fragrant, as though
Sulaymā’s greeting traveled within its wafts.
Sulayma's greeting drifted within its breaths.
وتيماءُand Tayma للقلبfor the heart المتيمlove-enslaved منزلٌa dwelling
وتيماءُ للقلب المتيم منزلٌ
فَعُوجَاso turn aside, you two بتسليمwith a greeting علىto سَلَماتِهاher acacias
فَعُوجَا بتسليم على سَلَماتِها
Taymāʾ is a dwelling place for the enamored heart;
And Tayma is a home for the heart enslaved by love;
so turn aside and offer greetings to its salām trees.
so turn aside, you two, and greet her acacias.
وإنand if تُسعداyou two aid منone whose سلمsurrendered الصبرpatience قلبهhis heart
وإن تُسعدا من سلم الصبر قلبه
يُعرِّسhe will halt for the night بدوحbeneath spreading trees البانthe moringas منin عَرَصَاتِهاher open grounds
يُعرِّس بدوح البان من عَرَصَاتِها
And if you would aid one whose heart has forsaken patience,
And if you both aid one whose heart patience has abandoned,
let him spend the night beneath the bān trees in its courtyards.
he will halt for the night beneath the spreading moringas in her open grounds.
فبانتُهاfor her moringa tree الغيناءُleafy مألفُthe haunt of بانةa moringa-like maiden
فبانتُها الغيناءُ مألفُ بانة
جنيتُI gathered الغَرامَpassion البرحagonizing منfrom ثمراتِهاher fruits
جنيتُ الغَرامَ البرح من ثمراتِها
Its luxuriant bān grove is the haunt of a graceful maiden;
For her leafy moringa is the haunt of a moringa-like maiden,
from its fruits I harvested consuming, grievous passion.
from whose fruits I gathered agonizing passion.
وروضتُهاand her meadow الغنَّاءُluxuriant مسرحُthe promenade of روضةٍa meadow-like maiden
وروضتُها الغنَّاءُ مسرحُ روضةٍ
تبخترshe struts فيin الموشيّthe embroidered fabric منof حبراتِهاher striped robes
تبختر في الموشيّ من حبراتِها
Its singing, verdant meadow is the playground of a maiden
And her luxuriant meadow is the promenade of a meadow-like maiden,
who struts in embroidered robes of striped brocade.
who struts in the embroidered fabric of her striped robes.
هنالِكthere خُوطٌa tender shoot فيin منابتthe growing-grounds of عزَة‘Azza
هنالِك خُوطٌ في منابت عزَة
تخالyou would think القناthe spears الخطيَfrom Khatt بعضsome of نباتِهاher growth
تخال القنا الخطيَ بعض نباتِها
There stands a slender bough, sprung from noble soil—
There is a tender shoot in ‘Azza's growing-grounds;
you would think the straight Khattī spears were among its plants.
you would think the spears of Khatt were among her shoots.
مشاعرُsacred stations تهيامٍof love's delirium وكعبةُand a Kaaba فتنةٍof enchantment
مشاعرُ تهيامٍ وكعبةُ فتنةٍ
فؤاديmy heart منamong حُجَّابهاher custodians ودعاتِهاand her heralds
فؤادي من حُجَّابها ودعاتِها
It is a sacred precinct of infatuation, a Kaaba of temptation;
Sacred stations of love's delirium, and a Kaaba of enchantment—
my heart is among its gatekeepers and its summoners.
my heart is among her custodians and her heralds.
فكمfor how often صافَحَتنيclasped my hand فيin مُناهاher wishes يدُthe hand of المُنىdesire
فكم صافَحَتني في مُناها يدُ المُنى
وكمand how often هَبَّblew عَرفُthe fragrance of اللهوpleasure منfrom عَرَفاتِهاher Arafat
وكم هَبَّ عَرفُ اللهو من عَرَفاتِها
How often, at her Minā, the hand of wishes clasped mine;
For how often, amid her wishes, the hand of desire clasped mine;
how often pleasure’s perfume blew from her ʿArafāt.
and how often pleasure's fragrance blew from her Arafat!
عهدتُI knew بهاin her أصنامidols حينwhen عهدتنيthey knew me
عهدتُ بها أصنام حين عهدتني
هَوَىthe love of عَبدِa devotee of عُزَّاهاher ‘Uzza وعبدand a devotee of مَنَاتِهاher Manat
هَوَى عَبدِ عُزَّاها وعبد مَنَاتِها
I knew idols there, when she knew me
I knew idols in her, when they recognized in me
as the passion of one who worshiped her al-ʿUzzā and her Manāt.
the love of a devotee of her ‘Uzza and a devotee of her Manat.
أهلI raise the pilgrim's cry بأشواقيwith my longings إليهاtoward her وأتقىand I revere
أهل بأشواقي إليها وأتقى
شرائعهاher laws فيin الحُبِّlove حقَthe due measure of تُقاتِهاreverence for her
شرائعها في الحُبِّ حقَ تُقاتِها
I raise the pilgrim cry with my longings for her, and devoutly observe
I raise the pilgrim's cry with my longings for her, and revere
her ordinances of love with all the reverence they are due.
her laws in love with all the reverence owed to her.
غرامpassion كإقدامlike the daring of ابنson of معنٍMa‘n ومغرمٌand an outlay
غرام كإقدام ابن معنٍ ومغرمٌ
كإنعامهlike his bounty والأرضُwhile the earth فيin أزماتِهاits crises
كإنعامه والأرضُ في أزماتِها
Mine is a passion as bold as Ibn Maʿn, and a lover
A passion like Ibn Ma‘n's daring, and an outlay
as lavish as his bounty when the whole earth is in distress.
like his bounty while the earth is in its crises.
وكمand how many قدindeed رأتadopted رأيthe view of الخوارجthe Kharijites فرقةٌa faction
وكم قد رأت رأي الخوارج فرقةٌ
فكنتso you were علياً‘Ali فيin حُروبthe wars against شُراتِهاits Shurat fighters
فكنت علياً في حُروب شُراتِها
How often a faction adopted the doctrine of the Kharijites,
And many a faction has adopted the Kharijites' view,
and I became ʿAlī in the wars against its militant zealots—
so you were ‘Ali in the wars against its Shurat,
بعزمِwith the resolve of أبيٍّone unbowed لاnot يردis checked مضاؤهhis onward drive
بعزمِ أبيٍّ لا يرد مضاؤه
وهلand can تُملكُbe restrained الأفلاكthe celestial spheres عنfrom حَرَكاتهاtheir motions
وهل تُملكُ الأفلاك عن حَرَكاتها
armed with an unbending resolve whose force cannot be repelled.
with the resolve of one unbowed, whose drive cannot be checked.
Can the celestial spheres be restrained from their courses?
And can the celestial spheres be restrained from their motions?
هوhe الجاعلُthe one who makes الهَيجاbattle هشاًeasy وسنانهُand his spearhead
هو الجاعلُ الهَيجا هشاً وسنانهُ
هوىًlove فَهوَso it لاnot يَعدُوpasses beyond قُلُوبthe hearts of كماتِهاits champions
هوىً فَهوَ لا يَعدُو قُلُوب كماتِها
It is that resolve which makes the battle frail, while its spearhead
He makes battle light work, and his spearhead
is passion; thus it strikes none but the hearts of its champions.
love, so it never passes beyond the hearts of its champions.
وكمand how often خطبتنيwooed me مصرُEgypt فيwith regard to نيلgaining نِيلهاits Nile
وكم خطبتني مصرُ في نيل نِيلها
ورامتand sought بِنَاwith us بَغدادُBaghdad وردَdrinking at فُراتِهاits Euphrates
ورامت بِنَا بَغدادُ وردَ فُراتِها
How often Egypt courted me with the prospect of attaining her Nile,
And how often Egypt wooed me with the prospect of gaining its Nile,
and Baghdad sought to bring us to drink from her Euphrates.
and Baghdad wished us to drink from its Euphrates.
ولمand not أرضَI was content with أرضاa land غيرother than مبدإthe beginning of نشأتيmy upbringing
ولم أرضَ أرضا غير مبدإ نشأتي
ولوand even if لُحتُI shone شمساًas a sun فيin سَمَاءthe sky of ولاتِهاits rulers
ولو لُحتُ شمساً في سَمَاء ولاتِها
Yet I accepted no land but the place where my life began,
Yet no land pleased me but the place of my beginnings,
even had I shone like a sun in the firmament of its rulers.
even if I shone as a sun in the sky of its rulers.
وليand I have أملٌa hope إنif يُسعدَfavors السعدُgood fortune نيلُهُits attainment
ولي أملٌ إن يُسعدَ السعدُ نيلُهُ
يُفهمُwill be understood سرُّthe secret of النفسthe soul فيamong زَمَرَاتِهاits assemblies
يُفهمُ سرُّ النفس في زَمَرَاتِها
I have a hope which, if good fortune favors its attainment,
And I have a hope—if fortune favors its attainment,
will make the soul’s secret understood among its gathered throngs.
the soul's secret will be understood among its assemblies.
وأسنىand the finest of المنىwishes ماwhat نِيلَwas attained فيin مَيعَةِthe bloom of الصِّبَاyouth
وأسنى المنى ما نِيلَ في مَيعَةِ الصِّبَا
وهلand are تُحسنُpleasing الأشياءthings بعدُafter فَواتِهاtheir passing
وهل تُحسنُ الأشياء بعدُ فَواتِها
The noblest desire is what one attains in the full bloom of youth—
And the finest wishes are those attained in the bloom of youth;
can things retain their beauty once their season has passed?
and are things still lovely after they have slipped away?
Sol 6.1