لاno غَرْوَwonder إِنْif هَزَّswayed عِطْفيmy side نَحْوَكَtoward you الطَّرَبُrapture
لا غَرْوَ إِنْ هَزَّ عِطْفي نَحْوَكَ الطَّرَبُ
قَدْindeed قَامَhas acted حُسْنُكَyour beauty عَنْin place of عُذْرِيmy excuse بِمَاwith what يَجِبُis required
قَدْ قَامَ حُسْنُكَ عَنْ عُذْرِي بِمَا يَجِبُ
No wonder if rapture sways my side toward you;
No wonder if passion inclines me towards you,
Your beauty has done all that is needed to excuse me.
Since your beauty excuses me for what must be.
ماnot كانَwas عَهْدُكَyour pledge إِلّاexcept ضَوْءُlight بَارِقَةٍa lightning flash
ما كانَ عَهْدُكَ إِلّا ضَوْءُ بَارِقَةٍ
لاحَتْshone لَنَاfor us وطَوَتْand enfolded أَنْوَارَهَاits lights الحُجُبُthe veils
لاحَتْ لَنَا وطَوَتْ أَنْوَارَهَا الحُجُبُ
Your pledge was only the gleam of a lightning flash;
Your habit was but a flash of lightning
It shone for us, and veils enfolded its radiance.
That shone for us, though veils enshrouded it.
تَمِيلُyou turn عَنِّيaway from me ملالاًout of boredom مَاnot لَهُfor it سَبَبٌa cause
تَمِيلُ عَنِّي ملالاً مَا لَهُ سَبَبٌ
سِوَىexcept اعْتِرافيmy admission بِأَنّيthat I am فِيكَover you مُكْتَئِبُdespondent
سِوَى اعْتِرافي بِأَنّي فِيكَ مُكْتَئِبُ
You turn from me out of boredom that has no cause,
You turn from me out of boredom for no reason
Except my admission that I am despondent over you.
Save that I admit being depressed by you.
فَرَاعَنِيso it alarmed me فيin وِدادٍa love كُنْتُI was رَاعِيَهُits keeper
فَرَاعَنِي في وِدادٍ كُنْتُ رَاعِيَهُ
أَنّيthat I بَعُدْتُI grew distant وَغَيْرِيand someone other than me مِنْكَto you مُقْتَرِبُdrawing near
أَنّي بَعُدْتُ وَغَيْرِي مِنْكَ مُقْتَرِبُ
So it alarmed me, in a love I had tended,
So it startles me, though I tended the love,
That I had grown distant while another drew near to you.
That I have grown apart while others draw near you.
لِلْعَيْنِfor the eye عِنْدَكَin your presence رَاحَاتٌcomforts مُوَفَّرةٌabundant
لِلْعَيْنِ عِنْدَكَ رَاحَاتٌ مُوَفَّرةٌ
وَلِلفُؤَادِand for the heart نَصيبٌa share كُلُّهُall of it نَصَبُweariness
وَلِلفُؤَادِ نَصيبٌ كُلُّهُ نَصَبُ
The eye finds abundant comfort in your presence;
For the eye, with you, comforts are abundant,
And the heart's portion is nothing but weariness.
While the heart's share is all toil and trouble.
فإِنْso if عَشِقْتَyou fell in love فَهذاthen this الحُسْنُbeauty لِيfor me وَطَرٌa desire
فإِنْ عَشِقْتَ فَهذا الحُسْنُ لِي وَطَرٌ
وإِنْand if سَلَوْتَyou ceased loving فَهَذاthen this الهَجْرُestrangement ليfor me سَبَبٌa reason
وإِنْ سَلَوْتَ فَهَذا الهَجْرُ لي سَبَبٌ
So if you love, this beauty is my desire;
If you love, then this beauty is my fortune,
And if you cease to love, this estrangement gives me a reason.
And if you spurn me, this estrangement my fate.
لِكنَّbut ليfor me حُسْنُgoodness ظَنٍّexpectation أَنْthat يُعِيدَكَbring you back لِيto me
لِكنَّ لي حُسْنُ ظَنٍّ أَنْ يُعِيدَكَ لِي
ذَاكَthat الحَياءُmodesty وذَاكَand that الفَضْلُvirtue والأَدَبُand courtesy
ذَاكَ الحَياءُ وذَاكَ الفَضْلُ والأَدَبُ
Yet I have good hope that you will be brought back to me
But my hope's fair opinion may bring you back to me -
By that modesty, that virtue, and courtesy.
That shyness, merit and propriety.
وَبَيْنَنَاand between us مِنْfrom عَلاقاتِties الهَوَىlove ذِمَمٌobligations
وَبَيْنَنَا مِنْ عَلاقاتِ الهَوَى ذِمَمٌ
وَمِنْand from رِضَاعَةِsuckling أَخْلاقِthe ways الصِّباyouth نَسَبُkinship
وَمِنْ رِضَاعَةِ أَخْلاقِ الصِّبا نَسَبُ
And between us are obligations born of love's ties,
Between us are the obligations of passion's pledge
And kinship from suckling at the ways of youth.
And the kinship of having suckled the milk of youth together.
قِسْنيcompare me وَقُسّاًand Quss وَقَيْساًand Qays مَنْطِقاًin eloquence وَهَوىًand in love
قِسْني وَقُسّاً وَقَيْساً مَنْطِقاً وَهَوىً
وَانْصِفْand judge fairly تَجِدْyou will find رُتْبَتيmy rank مِنْfrom دُونِهاbeneath it الرُّتَبُthe ranks
وَانْصِفْ تَجِدْ رُتْبَتي مِنْ دُونِها الرُّتَبُ
Compare me with Quss and Qays in eloquence and love;
Judge me, and judge justly, in reason, love and passion,
And judge fairly: you will find all ranks beneath my own.
And you will find my rank is not inferior to theirs.
وَلاand do not يَغُرَّنَّكَdeceive you مِنْfrom فَوْدَيَّmy two temples شَيْبَهُماtheir gray hair
وَلا يَغُرَّنَّكَ مِنْ فَوْدَيَّ شَيْبَهُما
فَصُبْحُfor the dawn عَزْمِيmy resolve بادٍvisible لَيْسَdoes not يَحْتَجِبُbecome veiled
فَصُبْحُ عَزْمِي بادٍ لَيْسَ يَحْتَجِبُ
And let not the gray of my two temples deceive you;
Let not my temples' grayness deceive you about me,
For the dawn of my resolve is plain to see, not veiled.
For my resolute morning is not one to conceal itself.
كَمْmany a مَهْمَهٍwilderness جُبْتُهI traversed it وَاللَّيْلُwhile the night مُعْتَكِرٌmurky
كَمْ مَهْمَهٍ جُبْتُه وَاللَّيْلُ مُعْتَكِرٌ
وَوَجْهُand the face بَدْرِthe full moon الدُّجَىnight's darkness بِالغَيْمِwith clouds مُنْتَقِبُveiled
وَوَجْهُ بَدْرِ الدُّجَى بِالغَيْمِ مُنْتَقِبُ
Many a wilderness have I crossed while the night was murky,
How often have I faced anxieties in the deep dark night
And the face of night's full moon was veiled in cloud.
While the full moon's face wore a veil of driving cloud!
أَقولُI say وَالبارِقُwhile the lightning العُلْوِيُّon high مُبْتَسِمٌsmiling
أَقولُ وَالبارِقُ العُلْوِيُّ مُبْتَسِمٌ
وَالرّيحُand the wind مُعْتلَّةٌailing والغَيْثُand the rain مُنْسَكِبُpouring down
وَالرّيحُ مُعْتلَّةٌ والغَيْثُ مُنْسَكِبُ
I say, while the lightning on high smiles,
I speak while the celestial lightning smiles
And the wind is ailing, and the rain pours down:
And the scented breeze blows and rain pours down.
إذاwhen سَقَىwatered حَلَبٌmilk (here, rain) مِنْfrom مُزْنِrainclouds غَادِيةٍa morning shower
إذا سَقَى حَلَبٌ مِنْ مُزْنِ غَادِيةٍ
أَرْضاًa land فَخُصَّتْso was singled out بِأَوْفَىwith the most abundant قَطْرِهits rain حَلَبُAleppo
أَرْضاً فَخُصَّتْ بِأَوْفَى قَطْرِه حَلَبُ
When milk from a morning shower's clouds waters
When a cloud gave drink to ground from Muzayn's water-skin,
A land, may Aleppo be favored with the fullest measure of its rain.
The ground it singled out got its richest moisture.
أَرضٌa land إذاif قُلْتَyou said مَنْwho سُكَّانthe inhabitants أَرْبُعِهاits quarters
أَرضٌ إذا قُلْتَ مَنْ سُكَّان أَرْبُعِها
أَجابَكَanswered you الأَشْرفَانِthe two noblest الجُودُgenerosity والحَسَبُand noble lineage
أَجابَكَ الأَشْرفَانِ الجُودُ والحَسَبُ
A land where, if you ask, 'Who inhabits its quarters?'
A land which, if you ask who live in its expanse,
The two noblest answer you: generosity and noble lineage.
Is answered: the noblest in generosity and lineage.
قَوْمٌa people إذاwhen زُرْتَهُمْyou visited them أَصْفُوكَthey sincerely offered you وُدَّهُمtheir affection
قَوْمٌ إذا زُرْتَهُمْ أَصْفُوكَ وُدَّهُم
كَأَنَّماas though لَكَfor you أُمٌّa mother مِنْهُمُfrom among them وَأَبُand a father
كَأَنَّما لَكَ أُمٌّ مِنْهُمُ وَأَبُ
A people who, when you visit them, give you their sincere affection,
A people whom, when you visit them, their love provides you
As though you had a mother and a father among them.
With a mother and father, as it were, among them.
Sol 6.1