عَلىat ذاتthe one bearing القُرُنفلcloves قَدindeed حَطَطناwe alighted
عَلى ذات القُرُنفل قَد حَطَطنا
وَكانَand was بِطِيبِهاin its fragrance طيبsweetness الحَياةِof life
وَكانَ بِطِيبِها طيب الحَياةِ
We have alighted at the clove-bearing place,
On the same clove tree we have sat
And in its fragrance lay the sweetness of life.
And with its fragrance, the life was sweet
وَلَماand when وَلَتturned away الدُنياthe world فَرَرناwe fled
وَلَما وَلَت الدُنيا فَرَرنا
فرارthe flight of الحيقُظانthe francolin (probable reading) مِنfrom البزاةthe hawks
فرار الحيقُظان مِن البزاة
And when the world turned away, we fled,
And when the world turned away, we fled
Like a francolin fleeing from hawks.
Like the awake fleeing from tyranny
وَلَمand did not نَرَwe see غَيرanything but درديdregs بِكَأسin a cup
وَلَم نَرَ غَير دردي بِكَأس
شربناهاwe drank it فَياso, O عبراتtears هاتbring forth!
شربناها فَيا عبرات هات
And we saw nothing but dregs in a cup
And we saw naught but my pain in a cup
That we drank—so, O tears, pour forth!
We drank it, so O regrets, come forth
Sol 6.1