جرتflowed العيونthe eyes بمدامعwith tears of مرجانcoral
جرت العيون بمدامع مرجان
هلdo? بالعيونin the eyes معادنmines of المرجانcoral
هل بالعيون معادن المرجان
The eyes flowed with tears of coral.
My eyes flowed with coral tears,
Do the eyes hold mines of coral?
Do eyes contain coral ores?
أمدىthroughout ...? الدهورthe ages نعمyes فقدتI have lost مدامعيmy tears
أمدى الدهور نعم فقدت مدامعي
وجرتand flowed بماwith what هوit مثلهlike it العينانthe two eyes
وجرت بما هو مثله العينان
For all the ages? Yes—my tears are gone,
Time has passed, yes I've lost my tears,
And my two eyes flowed with what resembles it.
And they flowed with what the eyes bore.
وماand not غداbecame فيهin it التفرّقseparation ضاحكاًlaughing
وما غدا فيه التفرّق ضاحكاً
وبكىand wept وصالunion with مشوقةthe longing-stirring woman الأظعانthe camel caravans
وبكى وصال مشوقة الأظعان
And separation did not grow merry therein,
No more does parting laugh in joy,
And union with her who stirs the camel caravans' longing wept.
Yearning's union cried in grief and pain.
يكفيspares هوايmy love مريماMaryam ماwhat راعنيterrified me
يكفي هواي مريما ما راعني
يومthe day of النوىparting منfrom جالبthe bringer of الأحزانsorrows
يوم النوى من جالب الأحزان
My love spares Maryam what terrified me
My love for Miriam sufficed me
On the day of parting, from the bringer of sorrows.
The day of parting brought sorrows and rain.
قرشيّةٌa Qurayshi woman ياO سائليyou who ask me عنabout أصلهاher lineage
قرشيّةٌ يا سائلي عن أصلها
والفرعand the tresses منهاof her منfrom ذويthe people of السودانSudan
والفرع منها من ذوي السودان
She is Qurayshi, O you who ask me about her lineage;
A Qurashi, you ask about her lineage,
And her tresses are of the people of Sudan.
Her ancestry is from the Sudan's dark knights.
والردفand the rounded hips منهاof her منfrom كثيبa sand dune هائلimmense
والردف منها من كثيب هائل
والميسand the graceful sway منهاof her منfrom قضيبa slender shoot of البانthe bān tree
والميس منها من قضيب البان
And her rounded hips come from a mighty sand dune,
Her posterior from an enormous dune,
And her graceful sway from a bān-tree shoot.
Her charm from the stick of ebony.
عذريةchaste (ʿUdhri) الأهوامreveries صرمseverance وصلهاunion with her
عذرية الأهوام صرم وصلها
وحديثهاand her speech يهدىleads إلىto الطغيانtransgression
وحديثها يهدى إلى الطغيان
Chaste in her reveries, union with her is estrangement,
She's chaste, wild, and fierce when united,
And her speech leads to transgression.
Her talk leads to tyranny and malice.
جمعتshe gathered بقلبيin my heart داءهاher malady ودواءهاand her cure
جمعت بقلبي داءها ودواءها
واهاah! لمنfor one who هوhe جامعa uniter of الضدّانthe two opposites
واها لمن هو جامع الضدّان
She gathered in my heart her malady and her cure.
I gathered in my heart her disease and cure,
Ah, for one who unites the two opposites!
Alas to the one who combines opposites.
Sol 6.1