أَعَرفتَdo you recognize? أَطلالَruined remains الرُسّومِthe traces تَنَكَّرَتgrew unrecognizable
أَعَرفتَ أَطلالَ الرُسّومِ تَنَكَّرَت
بَعديafter me وبُدِّلَand were changed آيهُنَّtheir landmarks دُثوراdesolation
بَعدي وبُدِّلَ آيهُنَّ دُثورا
Do you recognize the ruined traces, grown strange
The ruins whose traces faded away
since I left, their landmarks turned to desolation?
After me, while their ornaments changed into heaps of dust,
وَتَبدَّلَتand it exchanged بَعدَafter الأَنيسِhuman company بِأَهلِهاin place of its people
وَتَبدَّلَت بَعدَ الأَنيسِ بِأَهلِها
عُفراًtawny gazelles بواغِمَsoftly calling يَرتَعينَthey graze وُعوراrugged ground
عُفراً بواغِمَ يَرتَعينَ وُعورا
After human company, it has replaced its people
And after the loved ones changed with their dwellers
with tawny, softly calling gazelles grazing rugged ground—
Becoming a pasture for foxes that graze and walk around.
مِنof كُلِّeach مُصيبَةِa woman adept in الحَديثِconversation تَرىyou see لَهاbelonging to her
مِن كُلِّ مُصيبَةِ الحَديثِ تَرى لَها
كَفَلاًa rump كَرابيَةِlike the rise of الكَثيبِthe sand dune وَثيراsoft and full
كَفَلاً كَرابيَةِ الكَثيبِ وَثيرا
in place of each woman deft in conversation, in whom you see
From every new misfortune you see for it
a soft, full rump like the rise of a sand dune.
A shoulder like the mound of sand and abundant good.
دَعleave aside ذاthis وَلَكِنbut هَلwhether رَأَيتَyou saw ظَعائِناًwomen traveling in camel-litters
دَع ذا وَلَكِن هَل رَأَيتَ ظَعائِناً
قَرَّبنَthey brought forward أَجمالاًcamels لَهُنَّbelonging to them بُكوراearly in the morning
قَرَّبنَ أَجمالاً لَهُنَّ بُكورا
Leave that aside—but have you seen the departing women,
Leave this and have you seen our she-camels
who brought their camels forward at early dawn?
That brought their young ones while still embryonic.
قَرَّبنَthey brought forward كُلَّevery مُخَيَّسٍtamed مُتَحَمِّلٍburden-bearing
قَرَّبنَ كُلَّ مُخَيَّسٍ مُتَحَمِّلٍ
بُزلاًfull-grown camels تُشَبِّهُyou liken هامَهُنَّtheir heads قُبوراgraves
بُزلاً تُشَبِّهُ هامَهُنَّ قُبورا
They brought forward every tamed, burden-bearing camel—
They brought every weak and suffering she-camel
full-grown camels whose heads you liken to graves.
Resembling their humps like graves.
يَفتِنَّthey bewitch لاnot يَأَلونَthey spare effort كُلَّevery مُغَفَّلٍunwary man
يَفتِنَّ لا يَأَلونَ كُلَّ مُغَفَّلٍ
يَملَأنَهُthey fill him بِحَدِيثِهِنَّthrough their conversation سُروراjoy
يَملَأنَهُ بِحَدِيثِهِنَّ سُرورا
They bewitch every unwary man, sparing no effort;
They flirt without ever getting bored of every heedless one
they fill him with joy through their conversation.
Filling him with their conversation and pleasure.
ياO دارُdwelling حَسَّرهاstripped it bare البِلىdecay تَحسيراutterly
يا دارُ حَسَّرها البِلى تَحسيرا
وَسَفَتand scattered عَلَيهاover it الريحُthe wind بَعدَكِafter you بوراbarren waste
وَسَفَت عَلَيها الريحُ بَعدَكِ بورا
O dwelling, utterly stripped bare by decay,
O house that decay has made decay
and since you left, the wind has strewn barren waste upon it.
And after you the winds blew over it becoming desolate
دَقَّground finely التُرابُthe dust نَخيلَهُits sifted grains فَمُخَيِّمٌso some lies encamped
دَقَّ التُرابُ نَخيلَهُ فَمُخَيِّمٌ
بِعِراصِهاin its open courts وَمُسَيِّرٌand some is driven onward تَسييراdriving onward
بِعِراصِها وَمُسَيِّرٌ تَسييرا
The dust has ground its sifted grains fine: some lies encamped
The soil covered its palm trees, so it became inhabited
in its open courts, and some is driven onward.
By their balconies and walked slowly.
ياO رَبعَcampsite of بِشرَةَBishra إِنif أَضَرَّcaused harm بِكَto you البِلىdecay
يا رَبعَ بِشرَةَ إِن أَضَرَّ بِكَ البِلى
فَلَقَدyet indeed عَهِدتُكَI knew you آهِلاinhabited مَعموراflourishing
فَلَقَد عَهِدتُكَ آهِلا مَعمورا
O campsite of Bishra, if decay has ravaged you,
O land of good news, if decay has harmed you
yet I once knew you inhabited and flourishing.
I knew you inhabited and populated.
عَقَبَfollowed الرَذاذُthe drizzle خِلافَهُمafter them فَكَأَنَّماso it was as though
عَقَبَ الرَذاذُ خِلافَهُم فَكَأَنَّما
بَسَطَspread الشَواطِبُthe palm-leaf weavers بَينَهُنَّamong them حَصيراa mat
بَسَطَ الشَواطِبُ بَينَهُنَّ حَصيرا
Drizzle followed in their wake, as though
After their successors, it is as if
the palm-leaf weavers had spread a mat among them.
The carpets were laid out between them.
إِنif يُمسِbecomes by evening حَبلُكِyour cord بَعدَafter طولlong duration تَواصُلٍcontinued closeness
إِن يُمسِ حَبلُكِ بَعدَ طول تَواصُلٍ
خَلَقاًworn out وَيُصبِحand becomes by morning بَيتُكُمyour house مَهجوراabandoned
خَلَقاً وَيُصبِح بَيتُكُم مَهجورا
If evening finds your cord, after long closeness,
If after long connection, your rope is touched
worn, and morning finds your house deserted,
By people, and your house becomes deserted,
فَلَقَدyet indeed أَرانيI see myself والجَديدُand all that is new إِلىtoward بِلىًdecay
فَلَقَد أَراني والجَديدُ إِلى بِلىً
زَمَناًfor a time بِوَصلِكِin union with you قانِعاًcontent مَسروراjoyful
زَمَناً بِوَصلِكِ قانِعاً مَسرورا
yet I remember myself—all that is new passes into decay—
It showed me, while the new one is to decay
for a time, content and joyful in union with you,
For a time, with your connection, content and happy.
جَدِلاًsteadfast بِماليin what I have عِندَكُمwith you لاnot أَبتَغيI seek
جَدِلاً بِمالي عِندَكُم لا أَبتَغي
لِلنَفسِfor the self غَيرَكِother than you خُلَّةًan intimate friend وَعَشيراand a companion
لِلنَفسِ غَيرَكِ خُلَّةً وَعَشيرا
steadfast in what I had with you, seeking
Arguing with my money with you, I do not seek
no intimate friend or companion for myself but you.
Anything but you as solace and company.
كُنتِyou were المُنىall desire وَأَعزَّand the dearest مَنthose who وَطيءَtrod الحَصىthe pebbles
كُنتِ المُنى وَأَعزَّ مَن وَطيءَ الحَصى
عِنديin my eyes وَكُنتُand I was بِذاكَof that مِنكِfrom you جَديراworthy
عِندي وَكُنتُ بِذاكَ مِنكِ جَديرا
You were my heart’s desire, and dearest of all who trod the pebbles
You were my wish and dearer than the pebbles
in my eyes; and I deserved the same from you.
To me and with that I was to you worthy.
Sol 6.1