عِندَwith ظِباءِthe gazelles of الرَملِthe sand أَوor عينِهِits wide-eyed wild cattle
عِندَ ظِباءِ الرَملِ أَو عينِهِ
قَلبُthe heart of مَشوقِone yearning in القَلبِheart مَخزونِهِhis hidden heart
قَلبُ مَشوقِ القَلبِ مَخزونِهِ
With the sand's gazelles, or its wide-eyed wild cattle,
lies a lovesick man's heart, kept hidden away.
يُهَوِّنُmakes light of الهَجرَestrangement خِلِيٌّone free of love وَلَوbut if
يُهَوِّنُ الهَجرَ خِلِيٌّ وَلَو
يَعشَقُhe were in love ماnot قالَwould he speak بِتَهوينِهِof making light of it
يَعشَقُ ما قالَ بِتَهوينِهِ
One free of love makes light of parting; but were he
in love, he would not speak so lightly of it.
وَالشَوقُand longing مَصروفٌdirected إِلىtoward شادٍa singer
وَالشَوقُ مَصروفٌ إِلى شادٍ
مُختَلِفٍvaried بَحرُthe sea of أَفانينِهِhis arts
مُختَلِفٍ بَحرُ أَفانينِهِ
And longing is directed toward a singer
whose sea of arts is varied.
لَوَّنَhe changed the hues مِنof أَخلاقِهِhis ways وَالهَوىyet love
لَوَّنَ مِن أَخلاقِهِ وَالهَوى
فيهِfor him عَلىdespite كَثرَةِthe abundance of تَلوينِهِhis changing hues
فيهِ عَلى كَثرَةِ تَلوينِهِ
He changed the colors of his ways, yet love
for him endures, for all his changing hues.
حَسَّنَهُbeautified him باريهِhis Maker إِذwhen صاغَهُHe fashioned him
حَسَّنَهُ باريهِ إِذ صاغَهُ
مِنout of فِتنَةٍenchantment أَعجَبَthe most wondrous of تَحسينِهِHis beautifying
مِن فِتنَةٍ أَعجَبَ تَحسينِهِ
His Maker beautified him when He fashioned him
from enchantment, with His most wondrous artistry.
إِنif تَتَعَجَّبyou marvel فَلِأَبكارِthen at the virgin wonders of ماwhat
إِن تَتَعَجَّب فَلِأَبكارِ ما
يَأتيbrings بِهِwith it دَهرُكَyour age أَوor عونِهِits seasoned ones
يَأتي بِهِ دَهرُكَ أَو عونِهِ
If you marvel, marvel at the virgin wonders
your age brings forth, or its seasoned ones.
يَستَنزِلُit brings down المَرءَa man عَلىwith هَونِهِits ease
يَستَنزِلُ المَرءَ عَلى هَونِهِ
عَنfrom حُكمِهِhis judgment فيهِof it عَلىinto هونِهِhis humiliation
عَن حُكمِهِ فيهِ عَلى هونِهِ
It brings a man down with ease
from his judgment of it, into humiliation.
أَبوfather of عَلِيٍّAli خَيرُthe best of مَنthose who يُرتَجىare looked to with hope
أَبو عَلِيٍّ خَيرُ مَن يُرتَجى
فيin شِدَّةِthe harshness of الدَهرِtime وَفيand in لينِهِits ease
في شِدَّةِ الدَهرِ وَفي لينِهِ
Abu Ali is the best of those whose aid is hoped for
in time's hardship and in its ease.
تاجِرُa merchant in مَدحٍpraise يَصطَفيهِhe selects it عَلىaccording to
تاجِرُ مَدحٍ يَصطَفيهِ عَلى
تَقويمِهِhis appraisal of الحَمدَacclaim وَتَثمينِهِand his pricing of it
تَقويمِهِ الحَمدَ وَتَثمينِهِ
A merchant in praise, he selects it according to
his appraisal of acclaim and the price he sets on it.
يُقَصِّرُfall short القَومُthe men وَهُمthough they عُصبَةٌare a band
يُقَصِّرُ القَومُ وَهُم عُصبَةٌ
عَنof جَزرِtaking the measure of ماwhat يوليhe bestows وَتَخمينِهand estimating it
عَن جَزرِ ما يولي وَتَخمينِه
The men fall short, though they are a band,
of measuring what he bestows and estimating it.
وَماand not وَصيفٌWasif يَومَon the day of وَصفيmy description لَهُof him
وَما وَصيفٌ يَومَ وَصفي لَهُ
بِخامِلِobscure in الذِكرِrenown وَلاnor دونِهِbeneath it
بِخامِلِ الذِكرِ وَلا دونِهِ
And Wasif, when I describe him,
is neither obscure in renown nor beneath my praise.
يَعتَمِدُrelies السُلطانَthe sultan مِنهُin him عَلىupon
يَعتَمِدُ السُلطانَ مِنهُ عَلى
مُبارِكِblessed in الطائِرِomen مَيمونِهِauspicious in it
مُبارِكِ الطائِرِ مَيمونِهِ
The sultan relies, in him, upon
a man of blessed omen and auspicious fortune,
مُظَفَّرٍgranted victory فيin الحَربِwar ماnot سِرُّهاits secret
مُظَفَّرٍ في الحَربِ ما سِرُّها
بِظاهِرٍcoming to light عَنbeyond حَظرِthe enclosure of تَحصينِهِhis fortification
بِظاهِرٍ عَن حَظرِ تَحصينِهِ
victorious in war—its secret
never emerges beyond his fortified enclosure.
عَهدٌa token مِنَfrom السَيفِthe sword عَلىupon خَدِّهِhis cheek
عَهدٌ مِنَ السَيفِ عَلى خَدِّهِ
مُجاوِرٌadjoining مارِنَthe soft tip of عِرنينِهِhis nose
مُجاوِرٌ مارِنَ عِرنينِهِ
A token from the sword upon his cheek
lies beside the soft tip of his nose.
إِنif شانَdisgraces قَوماًsome men ضَربُstriking أَقفائِهِمtheir napes
إِن شانَ قَوماً ضَربُ أَقفائِهِم
شَرَّفَهُennobled him الضَربُthe blow بِتَزيِينِهِby adorning him
شَرَّفَهُ الضَربُ بِتَزيِينِهِ
If blows upon their napes disgrace some men,
the blow ennobled him by adorning him.
نَستَمتِعُwe ask enjoyment from اللَهَGod بِأَيّامِهِof his days
نَستَمتِعُ اللَهَ بِأَيّامِهِ
وَعِزِّهِand his might فيناamong us وَتَمكينِهand his established power
وَعِزِّهِ فينا وَتَمكينِه
We ask God to let us enjoy his days,
his might among us and his firmly established power.
وَليَفدِهِand may it ransom him مِنfrom كُلِّall ماthat which يُختَشىis feared
وَليَفدِهِ مِن كُلِّ ما يُختَشى
كُلُّall مَصونِthe safeguarded portion of المالِwealth مَخزونِهِits stored reserves
كُلُّ مَصونِ المالِ مَخزونِهِ
And may he be ransomed from all that is feared
by all wealth guarded and stored away.
تُراكَwill you, I wonder مُعدِيَّgranting me redress عَلىagainst ظالِمٍa wrongdoer
تُراكَ مُعدِيَّ عَلى ظالِمٍ
ضَعيفِweak in عَقدِthe binding of الرَأيِjudgment مَأفونِهِdeficient in it
ضَعيفِ عَقدِ الرَأيِ مَأفونِهِ
Will you grant me redress against a wrongdoer
whose judgment is weakly knit and addled?
لَمnot تَدَعِhas left الأُبنَةُa craving for passive sodomy فيin عِرضِهِhis honor
لَم تَدَعِ الأُبنَةُ في عِرضِهِ
بَقِيَّةًa remnant تُرجىworth hoping for وَلاnor دينِهِhis faith
بَقِيَّةً تُرجى وَلا دينِهِ
His craving for passive sodomy has left in his honor
no remnant worth hoping for, nor in his faith.
ماnot انزَجَرَhave been deterred الصِبيانُthe boys عَنfrom نَيكِهِfucking him
ما انزَجَرَ الصِبيانُ عَن نَيكِهِ
لِلطولِby the length مِنof ظاهِرِthe visible part of عُثنونِهِhis chin-beard
لِلطولِ مِن ظاهِرِ عُثنونِهِ
The boys have not been deterred from fucking him
by the length of his conspicuous chin-beard.
فَضائِحٌscandals إِنif يَلتَمِسhe seeks غَسلَهاwashing them away
فَضائِحٌ إِن يَلتَمِس غَسلَها
لاnot يَنقَwould come clean مِنهاof them غِشُّthe impurities in صابونِهِhis soap
لا يَنقَ مِنها غِشُّ صابونِهِ
Scandals: should he seek to wash them away,
even his soap's impurities would not come clean of them.
Sol 6.1