هَلِis ...? الوَجدُlove's anguish إِلّاanything but لَوعَةٌburning anguish أَعقَبَتbrought on أَسىًsorrow
هَلِ الوَجدُ إِلّا لَوعَةٌ أَعقَبَت أَسىً
فَبالجِسمِso in the body مِنهاfrom it نَهكَةٌexhaustion وَنُحولُand wasting
فَبالجِسمِ مِنها نَهكَةٌ وَنُحولُ
Is love's anguish anything but a burning ache that brings sorrow,
Is longing anything but sorrow that brought regret?
And leaves the body exhausted and wasted?
So my body is emaciated and I am sallow.
أَوِor الشَّوقُlonging إِلّاanything but أَنthat تَرىyou see مَنthe one whom تُحِبُّهُyou love him
أَوِ الشَّوقُ إِلّا أَن تَرى مَن تُحِبُّهُ
قَريباًnearby وَلاand not يُرجىis hoped for إِلَيهِto him وصُولُaccess
قَريباً وَلا يُرجى إِلَيهِ وصُولُ
Or is longing anything but seeing the one you love
Or yearning, except to see the one you love
Close by, yet with no hope of reaching him?
Nearby, though reaching him is not hoped for.
فَماso no لَكَfor you إِنif أَهدَيتَyou sent يَوماًone day تَحيَّةًa greeting
فَما لَكَ إِن أَهدَيتَ يَوماً تَحيَّةً
إِلَيهِto him سِوىother than البَرقِthe lightning اللَموعِflashing رَسولُa messenger
إِلَيهِ سِوى البَرقِ اللَموعِ رَسولُ
For if one day you send a greeting, you have
So why, if you gave him a greeting one day,
No messenger to him but the flashing lightning.
Is it anything but a flashing lightning bolt as messenger?
هَوىًa love دونَهُin its way مِنfrom عامِرٍʿAmir ذوone possessing حَفيظَةٍprotective zeal
هَوىً دونَهُ مِن عامِرٍ ذو حَفيظَةٍ
يَصولُcharges fiercely فَتُروَىso are slaked بِالنَّجيعِwith fresh blood نُصولُblades
يَصولُ فَتُروَى بِالنَّجيعِ نُصولُ
A love barred by a fiercely protective man of ʿAmir,
A passion, though below it, from a jealous lover
Who charges, so blades drink their fill of fresh blood.
Who rages, so I am sated by complaining.
ذَكَرتُكَI remembered you ياO ظَبيَgazelle الصَّريمِthe sandy tract وَلِلدُّجىand darkness has
ذَكَرتُكَ يا ظَبيَ الصَّريمِ وَلِلدُّجى
عَلَيَّover me سُدولٌcurtains وَالدُّموعُand the tears هُمُولُstreaming
عَلَيَّ سُدولٌ وَالدُّموعُ هُمُولُ
I remembered you, O gazelle of the dunes, while darkness
I remembered you, O gazelle of Sirama, and because of gloom
Draped its curtains over me, and tears streamed down.
Upon me are coverings, and tears pouring down.
أَراكَI see you بِقَلبيin my heart وَالمَهامِهُand the trackless deserts بَينَناbetween us
أَراكَ بِقَلبي وَالمَهامِهُ بَينَنا
وَفيand in اللَيلِthe night مُذsince شَطَّgrew distant النَّوىseparation بِكَwith you طولُlength
وَفي اللَيلِ مُذ شَطَّ النَّوى بِكَ طولُ
I see you in my heart, though trackless deserts lie between us,
I see you in my heart, and the obstacles between us,
And night has grown long since separation bore you far away.
And at night, since the palms bent with you are long.
كَأَنَّكَas though you وَالحَيَّand the clan الَّذينَwho تَدَيَّرواmade their home
كَأَنَّكَ وَالحَيَّ الَّذينَ تَدَيَّروا
ضَريَّةَDariyya عِنديwith me فيin الفُؤادِthe heart نُزولُlodgers
ضَريَّةَ عِندي في الفُؤادِ نُزولُ
As though you and the clan who made their home
As if you and the living who turned away
In Dariyya were lodgers here within my heart.
Are a flock that descended into my heart.
أُراعِيI watch نُجومَstars of اللَيلِthe night وَهْيَwhile they are طوالِعٌrising
أُراعِي نُجومَ اللَيلِ وَهْيَ طوالِعٌ
إِلىuntil أَنthat يُضيءَshines الفَجرُthe dawn وَهيَwhile they are أُفولُsetting
إِلى أَن يُضيءَ الفَجرُ وَهيَ أُفولُ
I watch the stars of night as they rise,
I watch the stars of night while they rise
Until dawn shines and they are setting.
Until dawn shines and they set.
جَنَحنَthey leaned حَيارىbewildered لِلمَغيبِtoward setting كَأَنَّهاas though they were
جَنَحنَ حَيارى لِلمَغيبِ كَأَنَّها
نَواظِرُeyes مَسَّتْهاtouched them الكَلالَةُweariness حُولُcross-eyed
نَواظِرُ مَسَّتْها الكَلالَةُ حُولُ
They leaned bewildered toward their setting, as though they were
They incline confusedly toward the horizon as if
Squinting eyes touched by weariness.
Their glances were touched by weariness.
وَلَولاكَand but for you لَمdid not يَعبَثْplay havoc بِطَرْفيwith my eye سُهادُهُits sleeplessness
وَلَولاكَ لَم يَعبَثْ بِطَرْفي سُهادُهُ
وَلاnor خاضَwaded into سَمعيmy hearing بالمَلامِwith blame عَذولُa reproacher
وَلا خاضَ سَمعي بالمَلامِ عَذولُ
But for you, my eyes would not be tormented by their sleeplessness,
And were it not for you, sleep would not disturb my eyelid,
Nor would a reproacher assail my hearing with blame.
Nor would blame probe my hearing.
أَتَذكُرُdo you remember? أَيّاماًdays مَضَينَpassed بِذيat Dhu الغَضَىal-Ghada
أَتَذكُرُ أَيّاماً مَضَينَ بِذي الغَضَى
سَقاهُنَّmay it water them رَجَّافُa thundering cloud العَشيِّthe evening هَطولُpouring copious rain
سَقاهُنَّ رَجَّافُ العَشيِّ هَطولُ
Do you remember days gone by at Dhu al-Ghada—
Do you remember days gone by, with resentment
May a thundering evening cloud drench them with its downpour!—
Whose showers were poured by evening conversations?
إِذِwhen العَيشُlife غَضٌّfresh وَالشَبابُand youth بِمائِهِwith its freshness
إِذِ العَيشُ غَضٌّ وَالشَبابُ بِمائِهِ
وَفيand in حَدَثانِcalamities of الدَّهرِtime عَنكَof you غُفولُheedlessness
وَفي حَدَثانِ الدَّهرِ عَنكَ غُفولُ
When life was fresh and youth retained its lustre,
When life was full of youth and in its water
And time's calamities were heedless of you?
And during the joys of fate you were heedless of me.
وَنَحنُand we بِرَبعٍin a dwelling لَمdid not تَطأْهُtread on it نوائِبٌmisfortunes
وَنَحنُ بِرَبعٍ لَم تَطأْهُ نوائِبٌ
وَلاnor اِنسَحَبَتْtrailed لِلرِّيحِthe wind's فيهِwithin it ذُيولُskirts
وَلا اِنسَحَبَتْ لِلرِّيحِ فيهِ ذُيولُ
While we were in a dwelling no misfortunes had trodden,
And we were in a meadow untouched by afflictions
Nor had the wind trailed its skirts within it.
Where no robes were dragged away by the wind.
تُباكِرُvisits early عُوداًa twig مِنof بَشامٍbalsam تَعُلُّهُgives it drink again
تُباكِرُ عُوداً مِن بَشامٍ تَعُلُّهُ
بِفيكَin your mouth وَماwhile not لاحَappeared الصَباحُthe morning شَمولُwine
بِفيكَ وَما لاحَ الصَباحُ شَمولُ
A balsam twig is visited early and given drink again
You hurried a fragrant 'ud from Basham adorned
By wine in your mouth, before morning has dawned.
With you, and the morning had not shone fully.
إِذاif هُوَit لَمdid not يورِقْput forth leaves وَقَدْthough already ذاقَtasted طَعمَهُits flavour
إِذا هُوَ لَم يورِقْ وَقَدْ ذاقَ طَعمَهُ
فَمِنso it is of عَجَبٍwonder أَنthat يَعتَريهِafflicts it ذُبولُwithering
فَمِن عَجَبٍ أَن يَعتَريهِ ذُبولُ
If it has not leafed, though it has tasted your mouth's flavour,
Yet if it did not leaf out, having tasted its flavor,
It is a wonder that withering should afflict it.
Is it any wonder that wilting overcame it?
شَغَلتُI occupied قَريضيmy verse بالنَّسيبِwith love poetry فَأَصبَحَتْso they became
شَغَلتُ قَريضي بالنَّسيبِ فَأَصبَحَتْ
شَوارِدُهُits wandering verses فيin الخافِقَيْنِthe two horizons تَجولُroam
شَوارِدُهُ في الخافِقَيْنِ تَجولُ
I devoted my verse to love, and so
I busied my poetry with composition until
Its wandering lines roam across both horizons.
Its ideas wandered between my pulsating hearts.
تُغَنّىare sung to بِهِwith it سَفْرٌtravellers وَتُطْرَىand are praised كَواعِبٌfull-breasted maidens
تُغَنّى بِهِ سَفْرٌ وَتُطْرَى كَواعِبٌ
وَتُبكىand are wept over رُسومٌtraces رَثَّةٌweathered وَطُلولُand ruins
وَتُبكى رُسومٌ رَثَّةٌ وَطُلولُ
It is sung to travellers, and full-breasted maidens are praised,
A journey is sung by it, and maidens dance,
And weathered traces and ruined campsites are wept over.
And faint, scattered traces weep.
وَكُنتُand I used to أَقولُI compose الشِّعرَpoetry فيهِabout it تَكَلُّفاًby artifice
وَكُنتُ أَقولُ الشِّعرَ فيهِ تَكَلُّفاً
فَعَلَّمَنيthen taught me حُبّيكَmy love for you كَيفَhow أَقولُI speak
فَعَلَّمَني حُبّيكَ كَيفَ أَقولُ
And I once composed verse about love by artifice,
I used to say poetry artificially,
Then my love for you taught me how to speak.
But my love for you taught me how to speak.
Sol 6.1