أَلَمhave you not تَنهَrestrained نَفسَكَyour soul عَمّاfrom what بِهاafflicts it
أَلَم تَنهَ نَفسَكَ عَمّا بِها
بَلىyes, indeed عادَهاreturned to it بَعضُsome of أَطرابِهاits yearnings
بَلى عادَها بَعضُ أَطرابِها
Have you not restrained your soul from what ails it?
Yes, but some of its yearnings have returned,
لِجارَتِناfor our neighbor إِذwhen رَأَتshe saw لِمَّتيmy locks
لِجارَتِنا إِذ رَأَت لِمَّتي
تَقولُshe says لَكَto you الوَيلُwoe أَنّىhow بِهاwith them
تَقولُ لَكَ الوَيلُ أَنّى بِها
for our neighbor, who, when she saw my locks,
said, "Woe to you! What has become of them?"
فَإِنso if تَعهَدينيyou remember me وَليand I had لِمَّةٌlocks of hair
فَإِن تَعهَديني وَلي لِمَّةٌ
فَإِنَّthen indeed الحَوادِثَthe calamities أَلوىwrought havoc بِهاon them
فَإِنَّ الحَوادِثَ أَلوى بِها
So if you remember me when I had long locks,
then calamities have ravaged them.
وَقَبلَكِand before you ساعَيتُI wooed فيamong رَبرَبٍa herd of gazelles
وَقَبلَكِ ساعَيتُ في رَبرَبٍ
إِذاwhen نامَslept سامِرُthe night company رُقّابِهاof her guardians
إِذا نامَ سامِرُ رُقّابِها
And before you I wooed among a herd of gazelles,
when her guardians' night company slept;
تُنازِعُنيshe tussles with me إِذwhen خَلَتshe was alone بُردَهاher mantle
تُنازِعُني إِذ خَلَت بُردَها
مُفَضَّلَةًclad in one garment غَيرَwithout جِلبابِهاher outer cloak
مُفَضَّلَةً غَيرَ جِلبابِها
she tussled with me over her mantle when alone,
clad in a single garment, without her outer cloak.
فَلَمّاthen when اِلتَقَيناwe met عَلىat بابِهاher doorway
فَلَمّا اِلتَقَينا عَلى بابِها
وَمَدَّتand she stretched إِلَيَّtoward me بِأَسبابِهاwith her cords
وَمَدَّت إِلَيَّ بِأَسبابِها
Then, when we met at her doorway,
and she stretched her cords toward me,
بَذَلناwe granted لَهاto her حُكمَهاher own terms عِندَناwith us
بَذَلنا لَها حُكمَها عِندَنا
وَجادَتand she yielded generously بِحُكميto my terms لِأُلهىso I might delight بِهاin her
وَجادَت بِحُكمي لِأُلهى بِها
we let her have her way with us,
and she freely granted my wish, that I might delight in her.
فَطَوراًso at times تَكونُshe is مِهاداًa bed لَناfor us
فَطَوراً تَكونُ مِهاداً لَنا
وَطَوراًand at times أَكونُI am فَيُعلىso it is raised بِهاwith her
وَطَوراً أَكونُ فَيُعلى بِها
At times she is a bed for us,
and at times I am, with her lifted high.
عَلىin كُلِّevery حالٍposture لَهاshe has حالَةٌa way
عَلى كُلِّ حالٍ لَها حالَةٌ
وَكُلُّand all الأَجارِيِّthe courses يُجرىare run بِهاwith her
وَكُلُّ الأَجارِيِّ يُجرى بِها
In every posture she has her own way,
and every course is run with her.
فَكَيفَthen what بِدَهرٍof a time خَلاhas passed ذِكرُهُits tale
فَكَيفَ بِدَهرٍ خَلا ذِكرُهُ
وَكَيفَand how لِنَفسٍfor a soul بِإِعجابِهاwith its self-admiration
وَكَيفَ لِنَفسٍ بِإِعجابِها
Then what of a time whose tale is past,
and what of a soul with its self-admiration?
وَإِذand when لِمَّتيmy locks كَجَناحِlike the wing الغُدافِof a raven
وَإِذ لِمَّتي كَجَناحِ الغُدافِ
تَرنوgazes الكَعابُthe nubile maiden لَإِعجابِهاin her admiration
تَرنو الكَعابُ لَإِعجابِها
And when my locks were like a raven's wing,
the nubile maiden would gaze in admiration.
أَكَلتُI consumed السَنامَthe hump فَأَفنَيتُهُand exhausted it
أَكَلتُ السَنامَ فَأَفنَيتُهُ
وَشُدَّand were tightened النُسوعُthe saddle-straps بِأَصلابِهاaround their backbones
وَشُدَّ النُسوعُ بِأَصلابِها
I consumed the hump till I wore it away,
and the saddle-straps were tightened about their backbones.
تَراهُنَّyou see them مِنfrom بَعدِafter إِسآدِهِنtheir night travel
تَراهُنَّ مِن بَعدِ إِسآدِهِن
وَسَيرِand the journey النَهارِby day وَتَدآبِهاand their ceaseless toil
وَسَيرِ النَهارِ وَتَدآبِها
You see them after their night-long travel,
and the day's march and their ceaseless toil,
طِوالَlong الأَخادِعِthe neck-veins خوصَsunken العُيونِthe eyes
طِوالَ الأَخادِعِ خوصَ العُيونِ
خِماصاًhollow مَواضِعُthe places أَحقابِهاof their belly-girths
خِماصاً مَواضِعُ أَحقابِها
long-necked and hollow-eyed,
gaunt where their belly-girths lie.
وَكَأسٍand many a cup شَرِبتُI drank عَلىwith لَذَّةٍpleasure
وَكَأسٍ شَرِبتُ عَلى لَذَّةٍ
وَأُخرىand another تَداوَيتُI treated myself مِنهاof it بِهاwith it
وَأُخرى تَداوَيتُ مِنها بِها
And many a cup I drank for pleasure,
and another with which I cured the first cup's harm,
لِكَيso that يَعلَمَmay know الناسُpeople أَنّيthat I am اِمرُؤٌa man
لِكَي يَعلَمَ الناسُ أَنّي اِمرُؤٌ
أَتَيتُI approached المَعيشَةَlife مِنthrough بابِهاits door
أَتَيتُ المَعيشَةَ مِن بابِها
so people would know that I am a man
who has entered life by its proper door.
كُمَيتٍdark-red wine يُرىis seen دونَabove قَعرِthe bottom الإِنىof the vessel
كُمَيتٍ يُرى دونَ قَعرِ الإِنى
كَمِثلِjust like قَذىa mote العَينِin the eye يُقذىone is irritated بِهاby it
كَمِثلِ قَذى العَينِ يُقذى بِها
Dark-red wine: above the vessel's bottom is seen
something like a mote that troubles the eye.
وَشاهِدُناand our witnesses الوَردُroses وَالياسَميand jasmine (first part)
وَشاهِدُنا الوَردُ وَالياسَمي
نُcompletion of 'jasmine' وَالمُسمِعاتُand the songstresses بِقُصّابِهاwith their pipers
نُ وَالمُسمِعاتُ بِقُصّابِها
And our witnesses are roses and jasmine,
and songstresses with their pipers,
وَمِزهَرُناand our lute مُعمَلٌkept at work دائِمٌunceasing
وَمِزهَرُنا مُعمَلٌ دائِمٌ
فَأَيُّthen which الثَلاثَةِof the three أُزرىam I scorned بِهاfor it
فَأَيُّ الثَلاثَةِ أُزرى بِها
and our lute is kept constantly at work.
For which of the three should I be scorned?
تَرىyou see الصَنجَthe harp يَبكيweeping لَهُto it شَجوَهُits sorrow
تَرى الصَنجَ يَبكي لَهُ شَجوَهُ
مَخافَةَfor fear أَنthat سَوءَill يَدعىit be called بِهاby it
مَخافَةَ أَن سَوءَ يَدعى بِها
You see the harp weep its sorrow to it,
for fear of being spoken ill of.
مَضىhave passed ليfor me ثَمانونَeighty مِنsince مَولِديmy birth
مَضى لي ثَمانونَ مِن مَولِدي
كَذَلِكَthus تَفصيلُthe detailed tally حُسّابِهاof their reckoners
كَذَلِكَ تَفصيلُ حُسّابِها
Eighty years have passed since my birth;
such is the tally of those who reckon them.
فَأَصبَحتُso now I have وَدَّعتُbidden farewell لَهوَthe pleasures الشَباof youth (first part)
فَأَصبَحتُ وَدَّعتُ لَهوَ الشَبا
بِcompletion of 'youth' وَالخَندَريسَand aged wine لِأَصحابِهاto its companions
بِ وَالخَندَريسَ لِأَصحابِها
So now I have bidden farewell to youth's pleasures,
and left aged wine to its companions.
أُحِبُّI love أَثافِتَAthafit وَقتَat the time القِطافِof grape-picking
أُحِبُّ أَثافِتَ وَقتَ القِطافِ
وَوَقتَand at the time عُصارَةِof pressing أَعنابِهاits grapes
وَوَقتَ عُصارَةِ أَعنابِها
I love Athafit at grape-harvest time,
and at the pressing of its grapes.
وَكَعبَةُand the Kaaba نَجرانَof Najran حَتمٌa binding duty عَلَيupon (continued)
وَكَعبَةُ نَجرانَ حَتمٌ عَلَي
كِyou حَتّىuntil تُناخيyou are made to kneel بِأَبوابِهاat its gates
كِ حَتّى تُناخي بِأَبوابِها
And Najran's Kaaba is a binding charge upon
you, until you kneel at its gates.
نَزورُwe visit يَزيدَYazid وَعَبدَand Abd المَسيحِal-Masih
نَزورُ يَزيدَ وَعَبدَ المَسيحِ
وَقَيساًand Qays هُمُthey خَيرُthe best أَربابِهاof its lords
وَقَيساً هُمُ خَيرُ أَربابِها
We visit Yazid and Abd al-Masih,
and Qays: they are the best of its lords,
إِذاwhen الحَبَراتُstriped mantles تَلَوَّتwrapped بِهِمaround them
إِذا الحَبَراتُ تَلَوَّت بِهِم
وَجَرّواand they trailed أَسافِلَthe lower ends هُدّابِهاof their fringes
وَجَرّوا أَسافِلَ هُدّابِها
when striped mantles wind around them
and they trail the lower ends of their fringes.
لَهُمthey have مَشرَباتٌdrinking halls لَهاthey have بَهجَةٌsplendor
لَهُم مَشرَباتٌ لَها بَهجَةٌ
تَروقُdelighting العُيونَthe eyes بِتِعجابِهاwith their wondrous beauty
تَروقُ العُيونَ بِتِعجابِها
They have drinking halls full of splendor,
delighting the eyes with their wondrous beauty.
Sol 6.1