أَبصَرَتbeheld عَينيmy eye عشَاءًat dusk ضَوءَthe light of نَارِa fire
أَبصَرَت عَيني عشَاءً ضَوءَ نَارِ
مِنfrom سَناهاits glow عَرفُthe fragrance of هِنديٍّIndian aloeswood وغارِand laurel
مِن سَناها عَرفُ هِنديٍّ وغارِ
My eye beheld, at dusk, the light of a fire.
My eyes saw a fire light in the evening
From its glow came the fragrance of Indian aloeswood and laurel.
From its glow, I knew it was an Indian's campfire
أَرَّثَتshe kindled فيamid عَرَفٍfragrance مَوقِدَهاher hearth
أَرَّثَت في عَرَفٍ مَوقِدَها
فأَضاءَتand it shone لَمعَwith the flash of كَفٍّa hand بِسِوارِwith a bracelet
فأَضاءَت لَمعَ كَفٍّ بِسِوارِ
She kindled her hearth amid fragrance,
It kindled in a meadow, lighting up
And it shone like the flash of a hand with a bracelet.
A palm's shine with its bracelets
مَيُّMayy إنيِّindeed I بِكُمُto you مُرتَهَنٌheld in pledge
مَيُّ إنيِّ بِكُمُ مُرتَهَنٌ
غيرَwithout ماemphatic particle أَكذِبُI lie to نَفسيmyself وأُماريand I dispute
غيرَ ما أَكذِبُ نَفسي وأُماري
Mayy, I am held in pledge to you,
O Mayy, I'm indebted to you all
Without lying to myself or disputing it.
Beyond what I deny myself and my vigilance
أَبلِغِconvey to النُّعمانَal-Nu'man عَنِّيfrom me مَالُكاًa message
أَبلِغِ النُّعمانَ عَنِّي مَالُكاً
أَنَّهُthat it is قَدindeed طالَhas grown long حبَسيmy imprisonment وانتظاريand my waiting
أَنَّهُ قَد طالَ حبَسي وانتظاري
Carry a message from me to al-Nu'man:
Tell Nu'man about me, saying
My imprisonment and waiting have lasted long.
My imprisonment and waiting have been prolonged
لَوif بغَيرِwith something other than الماءِwater حَلقيmy throat شَرِقٌchoked
لَو بغَيرِ الماءِ حَلقي شَرِقٌ
كُنتُI would be كالغَصَّانِlike one choking بالماءِwith water اعتِصاريmy relief from choking
كُنتُ كالغَصَّانِ بالماءِ اعتِصاري
Were my throat choked by something other than water,
If it weren't for water, my throat would be cracked
I would, like one choking, seek my relief in water.
I'd be like boughs cracking from lack of water
لَيتَwould that شِعريmy knowledge عَنabout دَخيلٍa confidant يَفتَريinvents lies
لَيتَ شِعري عَن دَخيلٍ يَفتَري
حَيثُماwherever أَدرَكَovertakes لَيليmy night ونَهاريand my day
حَيثُما أَدرَكَ لَيلي ونَهاري
Would that I knew about a confidant who invents lies,
I wonder about Dakhil and his slander
Wherever my night and my day overtake me,
Wherever my night and day have reached me
قاعِداًsitting يَكرُبُoppresses نَفسيmy soul بَثُّهاits grief
قاعِداً يَكرُبُ نَفسي بَثُّها
وحَراماًand unjustly كانَwas سِجنيmy imprisonment واحتِصاريand my confinement
وحَراماً كانَ سِجني واحتِصاري
As I sit, my soul oppressed by its grief.
Sitting there, he torments me intentionally
And unjust were my imprisonment and confinement,
Though my jail and confinement were unlawful
أَجلَbecause of نُعمَىa favor رَبَّهاhe nurtured it أَولُكُمyour forebear
أَجلَ نُعمَى رَبَّها أَولُكُم
ودُنُوِّيand my closeness كانَwas مِنكُمto you واصطِهاريand my marriage ties
ودُنُوِّي كانَ مِنكُم واصطِهاري
For a favor your forebear had nurtured,
The best of you have God's great blessings
And the closeness and marriage ties I had with you;
And my nearness to you all was wholesome
أَجلَbecause أَنَّthat اللهَGod قَدindeed فَضَّلَكُمhas favored you
أَجلَ أَنَّ اللهَ قَد فَضَّلَكُم
فَوقَabove مَنwhoever أَحكَأَgirded صُلباًloins بإِزارِwith a waistcloth
فَوقَ مَن أَحكَأَ صُلباً بإِزارِ
Because God has favored you
God has indeed favored you
Above all who gird their loins with a waistcloth.
Above those whose loins are bound by waistbands
نَحنُwe كُنَّاwere قَدindeed عَلمِتُمyou know قَبلَكُمbefore you
نَحنُ كُنَّا قَد عَلمِتُم قَبلَكُم
عُمُدَthe pillars of الَبيتِthe house وأَوتادَand the stakes of الإِصارِthe tent-ropes
عُمُدَ الَبيتِ وأَوتادَ الإِصارِ
We were before you—as you well know—
We already knew, before you
The house's pillars and the stakes of the tent-ropes.
The tent poles and pegs of the dwellings
نُحسِنُwe give generously الهِنءَgifts إذاwhen استَهنَأتَناyou ask us for gifts
نُحسِنُ الهِنءَ إذا استَهنَأتَنا
ودفِاعاًand defense عَنكَon your behalf بالأََيديwith hands الكِبارِmighty
ودفِاعاً عَنكَ بالأََيدي الكِبارِ
We give generous gifts when you ask them of us,
We excel in singing when we are cheered
And defend you with mighty hands.
And defending you with strong hands
وأَبُوكَand your father الَمرءُthe man لَمnot يُشنَاwas held in contempt بِهِon his account
وأَبُوكَ الَمرءُ لَم يُشنَا بِهِ
يَومَon the day سِمَwas subjected to الخَسفَabasement مِنَّاamong us ذُوthe one with الخَسارِloss
يَومَ سِمَ الخَسفَ مِنَّا ذُو الخَسارِ
And your father was a man none held in contempt,
Your father, though, was never tarnished by us
On the day the loser among us was subjected to abasement.
The day misfortune befell those who lost
وعِداتيand my enemies شَمِتَتgloated أَعجَبَهُمُit pleased them
وعِداتي شَمِتَت أَعجَبَهُمُ
أَنَّنيthat I غُيِّبتُwas hidden away عَنهُمfrom them فيin أَسارcaptivity
أَنَّني غُيِّبتُ عَنهُم في أَسار
And my enemies gloated; it pleased them
My enemies took pleasure that
That I was hidden from them in captivity,
I was absent from them in captivity
لاِمرِئٍto a man لَمnever يَبلُhad experienced مِنِّيfrom me سَقطَةًa lapse
لاِمرِئٍ لَم يَبلُ مِنِّي سَقطَةً
إنif أَصابَتهُbefell him مُلِمَّاتُthe blows of العِثارِmisfortune
إن أَصابَتهُ مُلِمَّاتُ العِثارِ
To a man who never found a failing in me
No man who stumbles because of me
When the blows of misfortune befell him.
If he's struck by the slips of time
فَلئِنyet if indeed دَهريmy lifetime تَوَلَّىhas departed خَيرُهُits good
فَلئِن دَهري تَوَلَّى خَيرُهُ
وَجَرتand ran بِالشَّرِّwith evil ليfor me مِنهُfrom it الَجواريthe passing fortunes
وَجَرت بِالشَّرِّ لي مِنهُ الَجواري
Yet if the good of my days has turned away,
So if my fate withholds its goodness
And its passing fortunes have brought me evil,
And dwells with evil, neighboring me
لَبِمَاindeed often أَلهُوI dally بِخَودٍwith a tender maiden كاعِبٍfull-breasted
لَبِمَا أَلهُو بِخَودٍ كاعِبٍ
تَمَلأُfills العَينَthe eye عَنِfrom الفُحشِlewdness نَوارِrecoiling
تَمَلأُ العَينَ عَنِ الفُحشِ نَوارِ
Indeed, often I dallied with a tender, full-breasted maiden,
I frolic with a carnation-cheeked beauty
Who filled the eye, yet recoiled from lewdness.
Who fills my eyes away from indecency
رُبَّmany a دَهرٍspan of time قَدindeed تَمَتَّعتُI took pleasure بهاin her
رُبَّ دَهرٍ قَد تَمَتَّعتُ بها
وقَصَرتand I whiled away اليَومَthe day فيin بَيتِa house of عِذاريa circumcision feast
وقَصَرت اليَومَ في بَيتِ عِذاري
Many a time I enjoyed her company,
Many days I took pleasure in her
And whiled away the day in a house hosting a circumcision feast,
And now am shortened in a prison cell
بَسمَاعٍwith singing يَأذَنُlistens الشَّيخُthe old man لَهُto it
بَسمَاعٍ يَأذَنُ الشَّيخُ لَهُ
وحَديثٍand conversation مِثلِlike ماذِيٍّpure white honey مُشارِgathered from the comb
وحَديثٍ مِثلِ ماذِيٍّ مُشارِ
With singing to which the old man lent an ear,
With conversation an old man allows
And conversation like pure white honey gathered from the comb.
And words like those of Madhi, theBard
فَقَضَيناso we fulfilled حاجَةًa desire مِنfor لَذَّةٍpleasure
فَقَضَينا حاجَةً مِن لَذَّةٍ
وحَيَاةُand the life of الُمرءِa man كالشَّيءِlike a thing الُمعارِlent
وحَيَاةُ الُمرءِ كالشَّيءِ الُمعارِ
So we satisfied a desire for pleasure,
We fulfilled a need for pleasure
And a man's life is like a borrowed thing.
Though a man's life is like something borrowed
لَثِقِwet الرِّيشِof feather تَدَلَّىdescended غُدوَةًone morning
لَثِقِ الرِّيشِ تَدَلَّى غُدوَةً
مِنfrom أَعَاليthe heights of صَعبَةِdifficult الَمرقَىto climb طِمارِa lofty crag
مِن أَعَالي صَعبَةِ الَمرقَى طِمارِ
Wet-feathered, it descended one morning
Like the feathers of an arrow released predawn
From the heights of a lofty crag, hard to climb.
From a steep, high cliff of darkness flew
Sol 6.1