أدارواthey passed around الهوىlove صِرْفاًunmixed فغادرهمso it left them صَرْعَىfallen
أداروا الهوى صِرْفاً فغادرهم صَرْعَى
فلمّاand when صَحَوْاthey sobered منfrom سُكرِهمtheir drunkenness شَرِبواthey drank الدَّمْعاtears
فلمّا صَحَوْا من سُكرِهم شَرِبوا الدَّمْعا
They passed love round, unmixed, and it left them fallen.
They turned love astray, so it abandoned them as corpses.
And when they sobered from their drunkenness, they drank tears.
When they woke from their drunkenness, they drank tears.
وماand not عَلِمواthey knew أنّthat الهوىlove لوif تكَلَّفواthey made the effort
وما عَلِموا أنّ الهوى لو تكَلَّفوا
محَبَّةَlove for أهليهits people لصارَthen it would become لهمfor them طبعاa natural disposition
محَبَّةَ أهليه لصارَ لهم طبعا
And they did not know that love, if they made the effort
They did not know that if they had pretended
to love its people, would become their nature.
To love their families, it would have become their nature.
ولماand when استلذّواthey found sweet مَوْتَهمtheir death بعَذابهthrough its torment
ولما استلذّوا مَوْتَهم بعَذابه
وَعَيْشَهمُand their life فيin عُدْمِهits absence سألواthey asked for الرُّجعىreturn
وَعَيْشَهمُ في عُدْمِه سألوا الرُّجعى
And when they savored their death through its torment,
When they found pleasure in their death through its torment,
and their life in its absence, they asked to return.
And their life in its absence, they asked for return.
إذاwhenever فقدواthey lost بعضsome of الغرامpassion توَلَّهواthey became distraught
إذا فقدوا بعض الغرام توَلَّهوا
كأنَّas though الهوىlove سَنَّordained الغَرامَpassion لهمfor them شَرْعَاas a law
كأنَّ الهوى سَنَّ الغَرامَ لهم شَرْعَا
Whenever they lost some passion, they became distraught,
When they lost some of their passion, they became distracted,
as though love had ordained passion as their law.
As if love had made passion a law for them.
وقدand indeed دفعواthey warded off عنfrom وَجْدِهمْtheir longing كلَّevery سَلْوَةٍsolace
وقد دفعوا عن وَجْدِهمْ كلَّ سَلْوَةٍ
ولوand even if وَجَدَتْهit encountered it ماnot أطاقَتْit was able لهagainst it دَفْعَاrepelling
ولو وَجَدَتْه ما أطاقَتْ له دَفْعَا
And they kept every solace away from their longing;
They repelled all solace from their love,
even had solace encountered it, it could not have driven it away.
And if solace had found it, it could not have repelled it.
وطابand was pleasing لهمto them وَقْعُthe impact of السِّهامthe arrows فماso not جَلَوْاthey polished
وطاب لهم وَقْعُ السِّهام فما جَلَوْا
لصائبهاagainst their marksman بِيضاًbright swords ولاnor نسَجواthey wove دِرْعاa coat of mail
لصائبها بِيضاً ولا نسَجوا دِرْعا
And the arrows' blows pleased them, so they did not polish
The falling of arrows was sweet to them - they did not ward it off
bright swords against their marksman, nor weave a coat of mail.
With white shields or weave armor.
فكيفَhow then يُعَدُّis considered اللَّوْمُblame نُصْحاًcounsel لَدَيْهمُamong them
فكيفَ يُعَدُّ اللَّوْمُ نُصْحاً لَدَيْهمُ
إذاwhen كانis ضُرّthe harm of الحُبّlove عندهمُin their view نَفْعَاbenefit
إذا كان ضُرّ الحُبّ عندهمُ نَفْعَا
How, then, can blame be counted as counsel among them,
So how can blame be considered advice to them
when love's harm is benefit in their eyes?
When the harm of love is benefit to them?
خَلاwas empty الرَّبْعthe dwelling منof أحبابِهمtheir beloveds وقلوبُهمْand their hearts
خَلا الرَّبْع من أحبابِهم وقلوبُهمْ
مِلاءٌfull بهمof them فالرَّبْعُso the dwelling مَنwhoever سألasked الرَّبْعاthe dwelling
مِلاءٌ بهم فالرَّبْعُ مَن سأل الرَّبْعا
The dwelling is empty of their beloveds, yet their hearts
Their dwellings are empty of their loved ones, yet their hearts
are full of them; whoever asks the dwelling is himself the dwelling.
Are full of them, so who needs dwellings?
سَلِask الوُرْقَthe gray doves عنabout يومthe day of الفِراقparting فإنّهُfor it
سَلِ الوُرْقَ عن يوم الفِراق فإنّهُ
بأَيْسَرِwith the slightest خَطْبٍcalamity منهfrom it عَلَّمَهاit taught them السَّجَعاcooing
بأَيْسَرِ خَطْبٍ منه عَلَّمَها السَّجَعا
Ask the gray doves about the day of parting, for it
Ask the leaves about the day of parting - it
taught them to coo through the least of its calamities.
Taught them prosody in the gentlest manner.
إذاwhen صَدَحَتْthey sang out فاعلَمْthen know بأنّthat كُبودَهاtheir livers
إذا صَدَحَتْ فاعلَمْ بأنّ كُبودَها
مُؤَرَّثَةٌset ablaze غَمّاًwith grief تُكابدهthey struggle to bear it صَدْعَىriven
مُؤَرَّثَةٌ غَمّاً تُكابده صَدْعَى
When they sing out, know that their livers
When they rustle, know that their bosoms
are ablaze with grief they struggle to bear, and riven.
Are bequeathed grief that they endure splitting them.
وذاكand that بأنّbecause البَيْنَseparation بانَwent away بإلْفِهاwith their mate
وذاك بأنّ البَيْنَ بانَ بإلْفِها
وكيفand how ينالُattains الوَصْلَunion منone who وَجَدَexperienced القَطْعاseverance
وكيف ينالُ الوَصْلَ من وَجَدَ القَطْعا
And that is because parting has carried off their mate;
That is because separation was brought about by their union,
and how can one who has known severance attain union?
And how can one attain union when one experiences separation?
وأهلُand the people of الهوىlove إنْif صافحَتْهُمshook their hands يدُthe hand of النَّوىseparation
وأهلُ الهوى إنْ صافحَتْهُم يدُ النَّوى
رَأَوْاthey regarded نَهْيَهاits prohibition أمراًa command وَتَفْريقَهاand its sundering جَمْعَاunion
رَأَوْا نَهْيَها أمراً وَتَفْريقَها جَمْعَا
And lovers, if the hand of separation shakes theirs,
And if the hand of destiny shakes the people of passion,
regard its prohibition as a command, and its sundering as union.
They see its prohibition as a command, and its parting as a union.
رعىmay He tend وسقىand water اللهُGod القلوبَthe hearts التيthat رَعَتْtended
رعى وسقى اللهُ القلوبَ التي رَعَتْ
فَأَسْقَتْthen they gave drink بماwith what أَلْقَتْthey cast forth وأخرجَتِand brought forth المَرْعىpasture
فَأَسْقَتْ بما أَلْقَتْ وأخرجَتِ المَرْعى
May God tend and water the hearts that tended,
God tended and quenched the hearts that tended,
then gave drink with what they poured forth, and brought forth pasture.
So they quenched with what they brought forth and produced pasture.
وحَيّاand may He greet وأحْياand revive أَنْفُساًsouls أَحْيَتِthey revived النُّهىreason
وحَيّا وأحْيا أَنْفُساً أَحْيَتِ النُّهى
وحَيَّتْand they greeted فَأَحْيَتْناso they revived us مَناقِبُهاtheir virtues سِمْعاthrough hearing
وحَيَّتْ فَأَحْيَتْنا مَناقِبُها سِمْعا
And may He greet and revive souls that revived reason,
They gave life and revived souls that gave life to propriety
and offered greetings, so their virtues revived us through hearing.
And came to life, so their virtues gave us life when we heard them.
سحائِبُclouds إنْif شِيمَتْwere watched for lightning عنfrom المَوْصِلِMosul التيwhich
سحائِبُ إنْ شِيمَتْ عن المَوْصِلِ التي
بهاin it حَلَّتِsettled الأنواءُthe rain-bearing stars أَحْسَنتِthey did well الصُّنْعاthe work
بها حَلَّتِ الأنواءُ أَحْسَنتِ الصُّنْعا
Clouds that, if watched from Mosul, where
Clouds, if they withhold from the arrival for which
the rain-bearing stars have settled, do their work well.
The showers descended, have done the best work.
أوائِلُهاtheir forebears منfrom شَهْرَزورٍShahrazur إذاwhen اعْتَزَتْthey claimed descent
أوائِلُها من شَهْرَزورٍ إذا اعْتَزَتْ
جزىmay He reward اللهُGod بالخيرِwith goodness الأراكةthe arak tree والفَرْعاand the branch
جزى اللهُ بالخيرِ الأراكة والفَرْعا
Their forebears are from Shahrazur, when they claim their lineage;
Their early rain in Shawwal when it is stingy
may God reward the arak tree and the branch with goodness.
May God reward the scattered isolated rain and branches with good.
وَجَدْتُI found الحَياthe rain عنهاfrom them بنُجْعَةِby seeking pasture غيرهother than it
وَجَدْتُ الحَيا عنها بنُجْعَةِ غيره
فَأَعْقَبَناso it left us with رَيَّاًquenched thirst وأحْسَبَناand gave us enough شِبْعاsatiety
فَأَعْقَبَنا رَيَّاً وأحْسَبَنا شِبْعا
I found rain from them on a quest for pasture elsewhere;
I found the serpents away from it for someone else's sake,
so it left us quenched and gave us our fill.
So it made us feel satisfied and counted us replete.
ونِلْناand we obtained بهthrough it وِتْرَthe odd number of العطاءgiving وَشَفْعَهُand its even number
ونِلْنا به وِتْرَ العطاء وَشَفْعَهُ
كأنّاas though we أَقَمْناwe performed نحوهtoward it الوتْرَthe odd prayer والشَّفْعاand the even prayer
كأنّا أَقَمْنا نحوه الوتْرَ والشَّفْعا
And through it we received gifts singly and in pairs,
Through it we attained grace’s string and its oddness,
as though we had offered the odd and even prayers toward it.
As if we stood for the odd prayer towards it and the even one.
Sol 6.1