لَعَمرُكَby your life ماnot ميعادُappointed meeting عَينَيكَyour two eyes وَالبُكاand weeping
لَعَمرُكَ ما ميعادُ عَينَيكَ وَالبُكا
بِداراءَat Dārāʾ إِلَّاexcept أَنthat تَهُبَّblow جنوبُa south wind
بِداراءَ إِلَّا أَن تَهُبَّ جنوبُ
By your life, your eyes have no tryst with weeping
By your life! The tryst with your eyes and weeping
at Dārāʾ except when a south wind blows.
Is not in Dārā except when the south wind blows
أُعاشِرُI keep company with فيin داراءَDārāʾ مَنone whom لاnot أُحِبُّهI love him
أُعاشِرُ في داراءَ مَن لا أُحِبُّه
وَبِالرَّملِand in the sands مَهجورٌforsaken إِلَيَّto me حَبيبُa beloved
وَبِالرَّملِ مَهجورٌ إِلَيَّ حَبيبُ
In Dārāʾ I keep company with one I do not love,
I socialize in Dārā with those I do not love
while in the sands is a forsaken one, dear to me.
While my beloved is deserted in the sand
إِذاwhen راحَsets out رَكبٌa caravan مُصعِدينَheading upland فَقَلبُهُthen his heart
إِذا راحَ رَكبٌ مُصعِدينَ فَقَلبُهُ
مَعَwith الرَّائِحينَthose departing المُصعِدينَthose heading upland جَنيبُled alongside
مَعَ الرَّائِحينَ المُصعِدينَ جَنيبُ
When a caravan sets off for the uplands, his heart
When a riding party ascends, my heart
is led along with those departing for the uplands.
Ascends with the ascending riders, yearning
إِلىto اللَّهِGod أَشكوI complain لاnot إِلىto النَّاسِpeople أَنَّنيthat I
إِلى اللَّهِ أَشكو لا إِلى النَّاسِ أَنَّني
بِتَيماءَin Taymāʾ تَيماءِTaymāʾ اليَهودِthe Jews غَريبُa stranger
بِتَيماءَ تَيماءِ اليَهودِ غَريبُ
To God, not to people, I complain that I
I complain to Allah, not to people, that I
am a stranger in Taymāʾ, Taymāʾ of the Jews,
Am a stranger in Taimā’ – Taimā’ of the Jews
وَأَنيand that I بِتَهبابِby the blowing of الرِّياحِthe winds مُوَكَّلٌenthralled
وَأَني بِتَهبابِ الرِّياحِ مُوَكَّلٌ
طَروبٌfull of longing إِذاwhen هَبَّتْit blows عَلَيَّupon me جَنوبُa south wind
طَروبٌ إِذا هَبَّتْ عَلَيَّ جَنوبُ
and that I am enthralled by the blowing of the winds,
I am charged with the winds’ blowing
stirred with longing when a south wind blows upon me.
Delighted when the south wind blows on me
وَإِنand if هَبَّblows عُلْوِيُّthe upland one of الرِّياحِthe winds وَجَدتنيyou find me
وَإِن هَبَّ عُلْوِيُّ الرِّياحِ وَجَدتني
كَأَنّيas though I لعلويّto the upland one of الرِّياحِthe winds نَسيبُkin
كَأَنّي لعلويّ الرِّياحِ نَسيبُ
And if the upland wind blows, you find me
If the winds blow from above, they find me
as though I were kin to the upland wind.
As though I were a kinsman of the lofty winds
وَإِنَّand indeed الكَثِيبَthe dune الفَردَsolitary مِنfrom جانِبِthe side of الحِمىthe protected pasture
وَإِنَّ الكَثِيبَ الفَردَ مِن جانِبِ الحِمى
إِلَيَّto me وإِنand though لَمnot آتِهِI have visited it لحَبيبُsurely dear
إِلَيَّ وإِن لَم آتِهِ لحَبيبُ
And indeed the solitary dune beside the protected pasture
Indeed, the solitary dune by the Hima side
is surely dear to me, though I have not visited it.
Is a beloved to me, though it does not come to me
وَلاand no خَيرَgood فيin الدُّنياthe world إِذwhen أَنتَyou لَمnot تَزُرْyou have visited
وَلا خَيرَ في الدُّنيا إِذ أَنتَ لَم تَزُرْ
حَبيباًa beloved وَلَمand not يَطرَبْhas yearned إِلَيكَfor you حَبيبُa beloved
حَبيباً وَلَم يَطرَبْ إِلَيكَ حَبيبُ
And there is no good in the world when you have not visited
No good is in the world when you did not visit
a beloved, nor has a beloved yearned for you.
A lover, and a lover did not yearn for you
وَكانَتْand were رِياحُthe winds of الشامِal-Shām تكرَهُdisliked مَرَّةًonce
وَكانَتْ رِياحُ الشامِ تكرَهُ مَرَّةً
فَقَدbut now جَعَلَتْbegan تِلكَthose الرِّياحُwinds تَطيبُbecome pleasant
فَقَد جَعَلَتْ تِلكَ الرِّياحُ تَطيبُ
And the winds of al-Shām were once disliked,
The northern winds used to hate me at times
but now those winds have begun to grow pleasant.
But those winds have now become sweet
هَنيئاًgood fortune لِخوطٍto a twig مِنof بَشامٍbalsam يُرفّهis pampered
هَنيئاً لِخوطٍ مِن بَشامٍ يُرفّه
إِلىto بَرَدٍhail شهدٌhoney بِهِنَّin them مَشوبُmingled
إِلى بَرَدٍ شهدٌ بِهِنَّ مَشوبُ
Good fortune to a balsam twig, pampered
Happy is a love message from Busħām, perfumed
at teeth like hailstones, with honey mingled among them,
With clove, in which pure honey is mixed
بِماfor what قَدalready تَسَقّىit has drunk مِنof سُلافٍchoice wine وَضَمّهand clasped it
بِما قَد تَسَقّى مِن سُلافٍ وَضَمّه
بنانٌfingertips كَهُدّابِlike the fringes of الدّمَقسِfine silk خَضيبُdyed
بنانٌ كَهُدّابِ الدّمَقسِ خَضيبُ
for the choice wine it has drunk, and for being clasped
With the drink it had of date-wine lees, and which
by dyed fingertips like fringes of fine silk.
Lips like the pomegranate’s bloom have kissed
إِذاif تَرَكتُI leave وَحشِيَّةَthe wild female of النَجدِNajd لَمnot يَكُنthere will be
إِذا تَرَكتُ وَحشِيَّةَ النَجدِ لَم يَكُن
لِعَينَيكَfor your two eyes مِمَّاfrom what تَشكَوانِthey both complain of طَبيبُa physician
لِعَينَيكَ مِمَّا تَشكَوانِ طَبيبُ
If I leave the wild one of Najd, there will be
If I leave the wilderness of Najd, there will be
no physician for what ails your eyes.
No cure for what your eyes complain of
Sol 6.1