بَكَرَ العاذِلُونَ في وَضَحِ الصُّب

بَكَرَ العاذِلُونَ في وَضَحِ الصُّب

حِ يَقُولُونَ لي أَلاَ تَستَفيقُ

حِ يَقُولُونَ لي أَلاَ تَستَفيقُ

The reproachers came early, in the brightness of dawn,

The reproachers woke up early at dawn

saying to me, “Will you not come to your senses?”

Saying to me, "Won't you wake up?"

ويَلُومُونَ فيك يَا أبنَةَ عَبد ال

ويَلُومُونَ فيك يَا أبنَةَ عَبد ال

لَّه والقَلبُ عندَكُم مَوهُوقُ

لَّه والقَلبُ عندَكُم مَوهُوقُ

They reproach me over you, O daughter of Abd Allah,

And blaming you, O daughter of Abdullah

while my heart lies ensnared with you.

While my heart is captivated by you

لَستُ أَدري وقَد بَدَأتُم بِصُرمي

لَستُ أَدري وقَد بَدَأتُم بِصُرمي

أَعَدُوُّ يَلُومُني أَم صَديِقُ

أَعَدُوُّ يَلُومُني أَم صَديِقُ

I do not know, now that you have begun to forsake me,

I know not - since you started blaming me -

whether a foe reproaches me, or a friend.

Whether it's a foe or a friend who blames me

أَطيَبُ الطِّيبِ طِيبُ أُمِّ عَليٍّ

أَطيَبُ الطِّيبِ طِيبُ أُمِّ عَليٍّ

مِسكُ فَأرٍ وعَنبرٍ مَفتُوٌ

مِسكُ فَأرٍ وعَنبرٍ مَفتُوٌ

The finest perfume is the perfume of Umm Ali:

The best of perfumes is the scent of Umm Ali

musk from pods and crushed ambergris.

Musk, ambergris and camphor well-blended

خَلطَتهُ بآخَرٍ وبِبَانٍ

خَلطَتهُ بآخَرٍ وبِبَانٍ

فَهوَ أَحَوى عَلَى اليَدَينِ شَرِيقُ

فَهوَ أَحَوى عَلَى اليَدَينِ شَرِيقُ

She mixed it with another scent and ben oil,

She mixed it with another and with seeds

so it gleams dark upon both hands.

So it is the sweetest scent to the hands

زانَها وارِدُ الغَدائرِ جَثلٌ

زانَها وارِدُ الغَدائرِ جَثلٌ

وأَسِيلٌ عَلَى الَجبِينِ عَبيقُ

وأَسِيلٌ عَلَى الَجبِينِ عَبيقُ

Thick, flowing tresses adorned her,

It adorns her, the necklace of pearls

and smooth, fragrant locks upon her brow;

Flowing down to her radiant forehead

وَثنايا كَالأُفُحوانِ عِذابٌ

وَثنايا كَالأُفُحوانِ عِذابٌ

لا قِصارٌ كُسرٌ ولا هُنَّ رُوقُ

لا قِصارٌ كُسرٌ ولا هُنَّ رُوقُ

and sweet front teeth like chamomile blossoms,

Her cheeks like rosebuds, alluring

neither short and chipped, nor jutting outward.

Not short, broken, nor slack in their bloom

مُشرقاتٌ تَخَالُهُنَّ إذا مَا

مُشرقاتٌ تَخَالُهُنَّ إذا مَا

حانَ مِن غائرِ النُّجُومِ خُفُوقُ

حانَ مِن غائرِ النُّجُومِ خُفُوقُ

Gleaming—you would think that, when

Bright faces you'd think when the stars dim

the sinking stars were due to disappear,

Were disappearing at night's first glimmer

باكَرتَهُنَّ قَرقَفٌ كَدَمِ الَجو

باكَرتَهُنَّ قَرقَفٌ كَدَمِ الَجو

فِ تُرِيكَ القَذَى كُمَيتٌ رَحِيقُ

فِ تُرِيكَ القَذَى كُمَيتٌ رَحِيقُ

wine had greeted them at dawn, like blood from within the body,

The morning breeze, red like wine

dark-red and pure, showing you every mote.

Shows you specks like scattered fragrant powder

صانَها التَّاجِرُ اليَهُودِيُّ حَولَي

صانَها التَّاجِرُ اليَهُودِيُّ حَولَي

نِ فأَذكى مِن نَشرِها التَّعتيقُ

نِ فأَذكى مِن نَشرِها التَّعتيقُ

The Jewish merchant preserved it for two years,

The Jewish merchant kept it around her neck

and aging intensified its fragrance.

So its aged scent grew even sweeter

ثُمَّ فُضَّ الخِتَامُ عَن حاجِبِ الدَّ

ثُمَّ فُضَّ الخِتَامُ عَن حاجِبِ الدَّ

نِّ وحانَت مِنَ اليَهُودِيِّ سُوقُ

نِّ وحانَت مِنَ اليَهُودِيِّ سُوقُ

Then the seal was broken from the wine-jar’s lip,

Then the seal was broken from her eyelids’ veil

and the Jewish merchant’s time to sell had come.

And she was put up for sale by the Jew

فاستَباها أَشَمُّ خِرقٌ كَرِيمٌ

فاستَباها أَشَمُّ خِرقٌ كَرِيمٌ

أَريحِيُّ غَمَندَرٌ غِرنيقُ

أَريحِيُّ غَمَندَرٌ غِرنيقُ

A high-nosed, resourceful, noble man bought it,

A noble and generous connoisseur bought her

open-handed, well-fed, a fair young man.

An aromatic Levantine, a polished Greek

ثُمَّ نادُوا على الصَّبُوحِ فجاءَت

ثُمَّ نادُوا على الصَّبُوحِ فجاءَت

قَينَةٌ في يَمينِها إبرِيقُ

قَينَةٌ في يَمينِها إبرِيقُ

Then they called for the morning draught, and there came

Then they called at dawn and she came

a singing girl, a ewer in her right hand.

A singing girl, a pitcher in her right hand

قَدَّمتُه على سُلافٍ كَعَينِ الدِّ

قَدَّمتُه على سُلافٍ كَعَينِ الدِّ

يكِ صَفَّى سُلافَها الرَّاوُواقُ

يكِ صَفَّى سُلافَها الرَّاوُواقُ

I brought it forward over free-run wine, like a cock’s eye,

I served it on a tray like a sandgrouse’s eye

its first-pressed flow clarified by the strainer.

Polished by the juggler’s hand

مُزَّةً قبلَ مَزجِها فإِذا ما

مُزَّةً قبلَ مَزجِها فإِذا ما

مُزِجَت لذَّ طَعمُها مَن يَذُوقُ

مُزِجَت لذَّ طَعمُها مَن يَذُوقُ

Tart before mixing, but when

Pure before it's blended, once blended

it was mixed, its taste delighted whoever tasted it.

Its taste is sublime for those who taste it

وطَفَا فَوقَها فَقاقِيعُ كَال

وطَفَا فَوقَها فَقاقِيعُ كَال

ياقُوتِ حُمرٌ يَزينُها التَّصفيقُ

ياقُوتِ حُمرٌ يَزينُها التَّصفيقُ

And bubbles floated upon it, like

Bubbles frothed over it like rubies

red rubies, made lovely by pouring back and forth.

Adorning it with a pleasant crackling

قَتَلتهُ بِسَيبِ أَبيَضَ صافٍ

قَتَلتهُ بِسَيبِ أَبيَضَ صافٍ

طَيِّبٍ زانَ مَزجهُ التَّصفيقُ

طَيِّبٍ زانَ مَزجهُ التَّصفيقُ

I killed it with a stream, white and clear,

I killed it with a clear white whip

sweet, its blending graced by pouring back and forth.

Its pleasant blend adorned by the crackling

فَوقَ عَلياءَ ما يُرامُ ذُراها

فَوقَ عَلياءَ ما يُرامُ ذُراها

يَلغَبُ النَّسرُ فَوقَها والأَنُوقُ

يَلغَبُ النَّسرُ فَوقَها والأَنُوقُ

Upon a height whose summits cannot be reached,

Above the heights unreachable

the vulture and the Egyptian vulture grow weary above it.

Eagles and lammergeiers hover above

ثُمَّ كانَ المِزاجَ ماءَ سَحابٍ

ثُمَّ كانَ المِزاجَ ماءَ سَحابٍ

لا صِرً آجِنٌ ولا مَطروقُ

لا صِرً آجِنٌ ولا مَطروقُ

Then the mixing liquid was water from a cloud,

Then it was blended like rain cloud’s water

neither stagnant and tainted, nor trampled by beasts.

Neither cold nor lukewarm

كانَ في مسِحِها يَكنُفُها الصَّخ

كانَ في مسِحِها يَكنُفُها الصَّخ

رُ إذا فيهِ أَنيقُ

رُ إذا فيهِ أَنيقُ

It lay upon its slope, with rock enclosing it;

When she poured there was tenderness enveloping her

behold, within it was something lovely.

Lower parts covered in brambles

أَسَفلٌ حُفَّ بالعِضاهِ وأَعلا

أَسَفلٌ حُفَّ بالعِضاهِ وأَعلا

هُ صَفَا يُلغِبُ الوُعُولَ دَلُوقُ

هُ صَفَا يُلغِبُ الوُعُولَ دَلُوقُ

Its lower reach was ringed with thorn-trees; its upper reach

Upper parts pure, arousing the howlers

was sheer, smooth rock that wearied the ibex.

Where the shade falls on one embraced by the cape

مَسقَطُ الظِّلِّ مَن تَكنَّفَهُ الحِق

مَسقَطُ الظِّلِّ مَن تَكنَّفَهُ الحِق

فُ وَتنفي قَذاهُ ريحٌ خَريقُ

فُ وَتنفي قَذاهُ ريحٌ خَريقُ

A shaded resting-place for one the curved sand-ridge encloses,

And the wind lifts its specks away

and a piercing wind sweeps away its motes.