ياO صاحِfriend هذاthis العَجَبُwonder
يا صاحِ هذا العَجَبُ
لِكُلِّfor every أَمرٍaffair سَبَبُa cause
لِكُلِّ أَمرٍ سَبَبُ
O friend, what a wonder this is!
O friend, such wonder this is
Every affair has a cause.
For everything has a cause
أَهلُthe family of سُلَيمىSulayma غَضِبُواgrew angry
أَهلُ سُلَيمى غَضِبُوا
فِيمَover what تَراهُمdo you think they عَتَبُواtook offence
فِيمَ تَراهُم عَتَبُوا
Sulayma's family have grown angry.
The people of Suleima were angry
Why do you think they took offence?
Why were they offended?
لَمdid not نَأتِwe commit سُخطاًan affront لَهُمُagainst them
لَم نَأتِ سُخطاً لَهُمُ
وَلاnor لَدَيناin our presence قُصِبُواwere they reviled
وَلا لَدَينا قُصِبُوا
We did nothing to anger them,
We brought them no displeasure
nor were they reviled in our presence.
Nor did we backbite them
قَدindeed بَعَثُواthey sent رَسُولُهمtheir messenger
قَد بَعَثُوا رَسُولُهم
فَنَقَّبُواthen they searched وَطَلَبُواand sought
فَنَقَّبُوا وَطَلَبُوا
They sent their messenger,
They sent their messenger
then searched and sought,
Who searched and sought
كَيso that يَجِدُواthey might find ذَنباًa fault لَناin us
كَي يَجِدُوا ذَنباً لَنا
وَكُلَّand every أَرضٍland ضَرَبُواthey traversed
وَكُلَّ أَرضٍ ضَرَبُوا
to find some fault in us,
That they might find fault with us
and traversed every land:
And every land they struck
ماwhere تَسكُنُdwell العُجمُthe non-Arabs وَماand where
ما تَسكُنُ العُجمُ وَما
تَسكُنُdwell فيهِin it العَرَبُthe Arabs
تَسكُنُ فيهِ العَرَبُ
where non-Arabs dwell, and where
Neither non-Arabs are appeased
the Arabs make their home.
Nor in it are Arabs appeased
وَإِنَّماand only صرميmy estrangement لِغَيto vex me (word begins)
وَإِنَّما صرمي لِغَي
ظِيto vex me (word ends) وَبُعادِيand my separation قَرَّبُواthey hastened
ظِي وَبُعادِي قَرَّبُوا
Only the severing of my ties—to vex me—
But rather my separation and remoteness
and my separation did they hasten,
They brought near
إِذwhen رَكِبُواthey undertook فيماas أُرىI see
إِذ رَكِبُوا فيما أُرى
مِنfrom حالِهِمtheir conduct ماwhat رَكِبُواthey undertook
مِن حالِهِم ما رَكِبُوا
when they undertook, as I judge
When they rode, as I see
from their conduct, what they undertook.
The state in which they rode
ماnot زالَceased واشٍa talebearer مَعَهُمamong them
ما زالَ واشٍ مَعَهُم
يَكذِبُlying حَتّىuntil اِنشَعَبُواthey parted
يَكذِبُ حَتّى اِنشَعَبُوا
A talebearer among them kept
The slanderer did not stop with them
lying until they parted.
Lying until they were exhausted
عُلَيُّUlayy قَدmay يَشعَبُtear apart ذاone possessed of
عُلَيُّ قَد يَشعَبُ ذا
الوَجدِpassion المُحِبِّthe lover الكَذِبُfalsehood
الوَجدِ المُحِبِّ الكَذِبُ
Ulayy, what may tear apart one
Ulayy who often lies
anguished by love—a lover—is falsehood.
With ardor, love and lies
ياOh لَيتَif only أَهلِيناour families طَرِيa road (word begins)
يا لَيتَ أَهلِينا طَرِي
قاًa road (word ends) لَمhad not يَكُونواthey been اِصطَحَبُواjourneying together
قاً لَم يَكُونوا اِصطَحَبُوا
Oh, if only our families, along a road,
Oh would that our people had taken
had never journeyed together!
A path that they did not accompany
إِذfor وَرَّثُونيthey bequeathed me كَمَداًgrief
إِذ وَرَّثُوني كَمَداً
فَالقَلبُso the heart مِنّيwithin me يَضرِبُpounds
فَالقَلبُ مِنّي يَضرِبُ
For they bequeathed me grief,
When they left me anxious
and my heart pounds within me.
My heart within me throbs
بَلrather لَيتَwould that شِعريmy knowing وَالفَتىand a young man
بَل لَيتَ شِعري وَالفَتى
لِحينِهِtoward his doom مُجتَلَبُis drawn
لِحينِهِ مُجتَلَبُ
Rather, would that I knew—and a young man
Rather would that I knew, by the youth
is drawn toward his doom—
In his time made uneasy
هَلcan يَقتُلُkill المَرءَa man رَخِيgentle (word begins)
هَل يَقتُلُ المَرءَ رَخِي
مٌgentle (word ends) دَلُّهُtheir coquetry مُختَضِبُhenna-dyed
مٌ دَلُّهُ مُختَضِبُ
can a man be slain by one so gentle
Can slackness kill a man?
in coquetry, and henna-dyed,
His guide misguided, drunk
رَحصٌtender (probable intended reading) غَضِيضُdowncast الطَرفِof gaze لاnot
رَحصٌ غَضِيضُ الطَرفِ لا
تُكشَفُare lifted عَنهُaway from them الحُجُبُthe veils
تُكشَفُ عَنهُ الحُجُبُ
tender, with downcast eyes, from whom
Remote, frowning, eyes unveiled
the veils are never lifted?
By her no veils removed
كَالغُصنِlike a bough أَعلاهُtheir upper body وَراand rounded (word begins)
كَالغُصنِ أَعلاهُ وَرا
بٍrounded (word ends) ماwhat تُوارىconceal النُقُبُthe coverings
بٍ ما تُوارى النُقُبُ
Their upper body is like a bough, and rounded
Like a branch, above a
is what the coverings conceal.
Thicket, peaks not concealed
يُديرُthey turn عَينيthe two eyes of جُؤذَرٍa wild-cow calf
يُديرُ عَيني جُؤذَرٍ
يَحنُوbends tenderly عَلَيهِover it رَبرَبُa herd
يَحنُو عَلَيهِ رَبرَبُ
They turn the eyes of a wild-cow calf,
She turns the eyes of Ju'dhir
over which a herd bends tenderly.
Who inclines toward her, fluttering
جِيدُthe neck of غَزالٍa gazelle جِيدُهُtheir neck
جِيدُ غَزالٍ جِيدُهُ
وَالثَغرُand the mouth مِنهُof theirs أَشنَبُcool and sweet-toothed
وَالثَغرُ مِنهُ أَشنَبُ
Their neck is a gazelle's neck,
The neck of a tender gazelle, her neck
and their mouth is cool and sweet.
And from it the lips protrude
كَأَنَّماas though رِيقَتُهُtheir saliva
كَأَنَّما رِيقَتُهُ
مِسكٌmusk عَلَيهِupon it ضَرَبُwhite honey
مِسكٌ عَلَيهِ ضَرَبُ
It is as though their saliva were
As though her saliva were
musk topped with white honey.
Musk, poured upon it
شِيبَwas mixed بِهِwith it مِنfrom قُنَّةٍa mountain summit
شِيبَ بِهِ مِن قُنَّةٍ
ماءٌwater زلالٌclear and sweet قَعِبُabundant
ماءٌ زلالٌ قَعِبُ
Mixed with it, from a mountain summit,
Gray hair aged her, from a
is clear, abundant water,
Flask, pure, flowing water
أَسجَرُpale, reddish-tinged قَدindeed باتَlay overnight عَلَيupon (word continues)
أَسجَرُ قَد باتَ عَلَي
هِit مِنfrom سَحابٍa cloud ضَرِبُfine rain
هِ مِن سَحابٍ ضَرِبُ
pale and reddish-tinged; overnight there lay upon
Asjar, who spent the night with
it fine rain from a cloud.
Clouds striking upon him
لَمnot تَرَهُhas seen it الشَمسُthe sun وَلَمnor
لَم تَرَهُ الشَمسُ وَلَم
يَعتِكhas clung عَلَيهِto it الطُحلَبُalgae
يَعتِك عَلَيهِ الطُحلَبُ
The sun has never seen it, nor
The sun did not see him, nor
has algae clung to it.
Did lichen cling to him
لَهُthey have مَعَalong with النَعتِthe description الَّذيwhich
لَهُ مَعَ النَعتِ الَّذي
أَنعَتُI describe لَونٌa complexion مُشرَبُtinged
أَنعَتُ لَونٌ مُشرَبُ
Along with all the traits that
He has, along with the description
I describe, they have a richly tinged complexion,
I described, a colored infusion
كَوَرَقِlike the leaves of المَصحَفِthe Qur'an قَدindeed
كَوَرَقِ المَصحَفِ قَد
أُجرىhas been applied عَلَيهِupon it الذَهَبُgold
أُجرى عَلَيهِ الذَهَبُ
like the leaves of the Qur'an, over which
Like the pages of scripture
gold has been laid.
Upon which gold was made to flow
Sol 6.1