لَوif أَسعَدَتshe gladdened سُعدىSuʿda بِتَنويلِهاby her bestowal
لَو أَسعَدَت سُعدى بِتَنويلِها
أَوor يَسَّرَثshe made available عاجِلَimmediate مَبذولِهاher offered favors
أَو يَسَّرَث عاجِلَ مَبذولِها
Had Suʿda gladdened me by granting her favors,
Had good fortune granted its gift through obtaining it,
or made her favors promptly available,
Or made easy the giving of that which is at hand,
لَأَبرَأَتshe would surely have healed أَحشاءَthe inmost parts ذيone possessing لَوعَةٍburning anguish
لَأَبرَأَت أَحشاءَ ذي لَوعَةٍ
مَتَيَّمِenslaved by love الأَحشاءِthe inmost parts مَتبولِهاlove-wasted in them
مَتَيَّمِ الأَحشاءِ مَتبولِها
she would have healed the heart of one in anguish,
It would have healed the entrails of the anguished,
whose heart is enslaved and wasted by love.
Whose soul is sick with yearning.
إِنَّindeed الغَوانيthe beautiful women يَومَthe day سِقطِSiqt اللِوىal-Liwa
إِنَّ الغَواني يَومَ سِقطِ اللِوى
أَدَّتthey conveyed إِلَيناto us الإِفكَfalsehood مِنfrom قيلِهاtheir speech
أَدَّت إِلَينا الإِفكَ مِن قيلِها
Indeed, the lovely women, on the day at Siqt al-Liwa,
The coquetries, when affections had fallen,
conveyed to us falsehood in their speech.
Brought us fictions from their saying,
كَمhow many a لَيلَةٍnight مُستَبطَإٍdeemed slow صُبحُهاits dawn
كَم لَيلَةٍ مُستَبطَإٍ صُبحُها
يَصدُدنَthey turn away أَوor يَزدَدنَthey increase فيin طولِهاits length
يَصدُدنَ أَو يَزدَدنَ في طولِها
On how many a night, its dawn slow to come,
How many a gloomy night whose morn
they turn away, or make it longer still!
Lengthened while we were deceived.
أَوانِسٌwinsome women عَطشانَةٌthirsty وُشحُهاtheir sashes
أَوانِسٌ عَطشانَةٌ وُشحُها
رَيّانَةٌwell-watered خُرسٌmute خَلاخيلُهاtheir anklets
رَيّانَةٌ خُرسٌ خَلاخيلُها
Winsome women, their sashes thirsty,
Thirsty intimates whose stinginess,
themselves well-watered, their anklets mute.
Moistened yet dumb, their trinkets jingling.
عَوارِضٌsmiling teeth يُجلىis dispelled ظَلامُthe darkness of الدُجىdeep night
عَوارِضٌ يُجلى ظَلامُ الدُجى
إِذاwhen اِجتَلَيناwe behold ضَوءَthe light of مَصقولِهاtheir polished teeth
إِذا اِجتَلَينا ضَوءَ مَصقولِها
Smiling teeth: the darkness of night is dispelled
Lightening the darkness of night when they gathered,
when we behold the gleam of their polished teeth.
The gleam of their polished ornaments.
وَمِنand from خُدودٍcheeks مُشبَعٍrichly saturated صِبغُهاtheir color
وَمِن خُدودٍ مُشبَعٍ صِبغُها
فيin لَثمِهاtouching them with the lips الفَوزُtriumph وَتَقبيلِهاand kissing them
في لَثمِها الفَوزُ وَتَقبيلِها
And from cheeks whose color is richly saturated,
From cheeks well fed, dyed with color,
comes triumph in touching them with the lips and kissing them.
In their kissing was success and caressing.
ماwhat عُذرُthe excuse of عَينَيكَyour two eyes وَقَدand already زاغَتاthey both strayed
ما عُذرُ عَينَيكَ وَقَد زاغَتا
عَنaway from مُرهَفِslender القامَةِstature مَجدولِهاfinely formed in it
عَن مُرهَفِ القامَةِ مَجدولِها
What excuse have your eyes, when they have strayed
What's your eye's excuse having wandered
from a slender, finely formed figure?
From the bend of the delicate waist?
أَمّاas for الخَيالاتُthe dream-phantoms فَلَمthen have not تَنفَكِكceased
أَمّا الخَيالاتُ فَلَم تَنفَكِك
تَسريtravel by night إِلَيناto us بِأَباطيلِهاwith their delusions
تَسري إِلَينا بِأَباطيلِها
As for the dream-phantoms, they have never ceased
As for imaginations, they did not cease
journeying to us by night with their delusions.
Flowing to us with their vanities,
وَلَمand did not نَعُدwe return مِنهاfrom them إِلىto طائِلٍany gain
وَلَم نَعُد مِنها إِلى طائِلٍ
غَيرِother than الأَمانِيِّwishes وَتَضليلَهاand their deception
غَيرِ الأَمانِيِّ وَتَضليلَها
And we have gained from them nothing worthwhile
And we gained nothing from them
but wishes and their deception.
But wishes and their misleading.
لاdo not تَعبَcare بِالدُنياabout this world فَكائِنfor how often أَرَتit has shown
لا تَعبَ بِالدُنيا فَكائِن أَرَت
فاضِلَهاits worthier person تابِعَfollowing مَفضولَهاits inferior
فاضِلَها تابِعَ مَفضولَها
Do not heed the world: how often it has shown
Don't weary yourself with the world, for however
its worthier person following its inferior!
Superior its excellent is tailed by its inferior.
وَقَلَّماand seldom عارِفَةٌa kindness لَمdid not يَكُنbe
وَقَلَّما عارِفَةٌ لَم يَكُن
مَقولُهاits spoken promise بادِيَthe first sign of مَفعولِهاits fulfillment
مَقولُها بادِيَ مَفعولِها
And seldom is there a kindness without
Rarely knowing, its expression hasn't been
its spoken promise heralding its fulfillment.
Like its realization made evident.
وَكدُthe resolve of بَنيthe sons of الفَيّاضِal-Fayyad فيin حَشدِهِمtheir mustering
وَكدُ بَني الفَيّاضِ في حَشدِهِم
عَلىtoward مَعاليهِمtheir high honors وَتَأثيلِهاand firmly establishing them
عَلى مَعاليهِم وَتَأثيلِها
The sons of al-Fayyad bend their united efforts
The tribe of bounty wearied, in their thronging
toward their high honors and rooting them firmly.
For their lofty deeds and ability.
قَدindeed سَيَّرواthey sent traveling أَفعالَهُمtheir deeds بَينَهاamong them
قَد سَيَّروا أَفعالَهُم بَينَها
وَنَقَّلوهاand they moved them كُلَّevery تَنقيلِهاmanner of moving them
وَنَقَّلوها كُلَّ تَنقيلِها
They have sent their deeds coursing among those heights,
They made their actions pass amongst them
and carried them onward in every possible way.
Transporting them in every transfer.
يَطوونَthey fold up مِنof أَبعادِهاtheir distances طَيَّهُمtheir folding up
يَطوونَ مِن أَبعادِها طَيَّهُم
مِنof فَرسَخِa parasang الأَرضِthe earth وَمِنand of ميلِهاits mile
مِن فَرسَخِ الأَرضِ وَمِن ميلِها
They fold up the distances of those heights as they fold up
They folded away from its expanse their shrouds,
the earth's parasangs and its miles.
A mile's length of earth and its extent,
إِذاwhen بَدَواthey appear فيin حَرَجاتِthe thickets of القَناspears
إِذا بَدَوا في حَرَجاتِ القَنا
حَسِبتَyou would think أُسدَlions of الغابِthe forest فيin غيلِهاtheir thickets
حَسِبتَ أُسدَ الغابِ في غيلِها
When they appear in the thickets of spears,
If they appeared in the thickets of the spear-woods
you would take them for forest lions in their thickets.
You'd think the lions of the jungle in its lair.
مازالَhas never ceased رَهطٌa band مِنهُمُof them يَعتَليrising high
مازالَ رَهطٌ مِنهُمُ يَعتَلي
بِمُغمَدِwith the sheathed ones of البيضِbright swords وَمَسلولِهاand their unsheathed ones
بِمُغمَدِ البيضِ وَمَسلولِها
A band of them has never ceased to rise
A group of them continues to rise wearing
by bright swords, sheathed and unsheathed.
Scabbards white like the sharpest blades.
صَوارِمٌkeen swords عَنaway from حَدِّthe edge of مَأثورِهاtheir patterned blades
صَوارِمٌ عَن حَدِّ مَأثورِها
خَلَّتvacated إِيادٌIyad دَيرَthe monastery of عاقولَهاits ʿAqul
خَلَّت إِيادٌ دَيرَ عاقولَها
Keen swords, before whose patterned edges
Swords that make renowned hands recoil
Iyad abandoned its Dayr ʿAqul.
When they cleave skulls and unsheathe.
شُكريmy gratitude to عَلِيّاًʿAli دونَrather than قَومٍother people عَلىfor
شُكري عَلِيّاً دونَ قَومٍ عَلى
غَرائِبِremarkable kinds of النُعمىblessing وَتَخويلِهاand bestowing it
غَرائِبِ النُعمى وَتَخويلِها
I thank ʿAli, rather than others, for
Thank Ali, apart from men, for
rare blessings and his bestowal of them.
The strangest of gifts and their granting.
وَنَرتَجيand we hope مِنfrom سَيبِthe outpouring of آلائِهِhis blessings
وَنَرتَجي مِن سَيبِ آلائِهِ
ماwhat تَرتَجيهِhopes for it مِصرُEgypt مِنfrom نَيلِهاits Nile
ما تَرتَجيهِ مِصرُ مِن نَيلِها
And from the outpouring of his blessings we hope for
And we hope from his overflowing hands
what Egypt hopes for from its Nile.
What Egypt hopes from its Nile's flooding.
وَلَستُand I am not أَعتَدُّI reckon عَتاداًa provision سِوىother than
وَلَستُ أَعتَدُّ عَتاداً سِوى
يَدِthe hand of اِبنِthe son of فَيّاضٍFayyad وَتَأميلِهاand hoping in it
يَدِ اِبنِ فَيّاضٍ وَتَأميلِها
And I count no provision save
I regard none as wont but
the hand of Ibn Fayyad and my hope in it.
The hand of the son of bounty and its action.
إِنif قَلَّلَdiminishes المَعروفَthe favor تَأخيرُهُits delay
إِن قَلَّلَ المَعروفَ تَأخيرُهُ
كَثَّرَhe multiplies جَدواهُhis bounty بِتَعجيلِهاby hastening it
كَثَّرَ جَدواهُ بِتَعجيلِها
If delay diminishes a favor,
If delay lessened an act of grace
he multiplies his bounty by hastening it.
Swiftness multiplied its rewards.
Sol 6.1