تَحَرَّشَteased الطَّرْفُthe glance بَيْنَbetween الجِدّearnestness واللَّعِبِand play
تَحَرَّشَ الطَّرْفُ بَيْنَ الجِدّ واللَّعِبِ
أَفْنَىexhausted المَدَامِعَthe tears بَيْنَbetween الحُزْنِsorrow والطَّرَبِand rapture
أَفْنَى المَدَامِعَ بَيْنَ الحُزْنِ والطَّرَبِ
The glance teased, between earnestness and play;
My eyes roamed between seriousness and playfulness
It spent the tears between sorrow and rapture.
And shed tears between sadness and joy
إلىuntil مَتَىwhen أَناI أَدْعوI call كُلَّevery مُقْتَربٍone who draws near
إلى مَتَى أَنا أَدْعو كُلَّ مُقْتَربٍ
دَانيnear المَزارِthe place of visiting وأَبْكِيand I weep for كُلَّevery مُغْتَرِبِone far from home
دَاني المَزارِ وأَبْكِي كُلَّ مُغْتَرِبِ
How long shall I call to everyone who draws near,
How long will I call out to every passerby
Close enough to visit, and weep for everyone far from home?
At my beloved's tomb and cry for every absent one
وَكَمْand how often أُرَدِّدُI move back and forth فيin أَرْضِthe land of الحِمَىthe protected grounds قَدَمِيmy foot
وَكَمْ أُرَدِّدُ في أَرْضِ الحِمَى قَدَمِي
تَرَدُّدthe wavering of الشكِّdoubt بَيْنَbetween الصّدْقِtruth وَالكَذِبِand falsehood
تَرَدُّد الشكِّ بَيْنَ الصّدْقِ وَالكَذِبِ
And how often I retrace my steps across the protected grounds,
How often do I tread in the land of yearning
As doubt wavers between truth and falsehood.
Hesitating between truth and lies
لَوْif أَنكَرتْنيdenied knowing me بُيوتُthe dwellings of الحيِّthe tribe لاعْتَرفَتْwould surely acknowledge
لَوْ أَنكَرتْني بُيوتُ الحيِّ لاعْتَرفَتْ
مَواطىءُthe tracks of العِيسthe pale camels ليfor me فيin رَبْعِهاtheir encampment اليَبَبِbarren
مَواطىءُ العِيس لي في رَبْعِها اليَبَبِ
If the tribe's dwellings denied knowing me,
If the houses of the neighborhood disowned me
The pale camels' tracks would surely bear witness for me in their barren encampment.
The traces in its open plains would recognize me
كأنَّنيas though I لمdid not أُعَرِّسْI halt for a night's rest فيin مَضارِبهاtheir tent-sites
كأنَّني لم أُعَرِّسْ في مَضارِبها
ولمand did not أَحُطَّI set down بِهَاin them رَحْليmy baggage ولاnor قَتَبيmy packsaddle
ولم أَحُطَّ بِهَا رَحْلي ولا قَتَبي
As though I had never halted for a night's rest among their tents,
As if I never wed in its dwellings
Nor set down there my baggage or my packsaddle,
Nor pitched my tent or rested in it
ولمand did not أغازِلْI flirt with فتاةَthe maiden of الحيِّthe tribe مائِسةًswaying gracefully
ولم أغازِلْ فتاةَ الحيِّ مائِسةً
فيin رَوْضِهاher garden بينamong ذَاكَthat الحَلْيِthe jewelry والذَّهَبِand the gold
في رَوْضِها بين ذَاكَ الحَلْيِ والذَّهَبِ
Nor flirted with the tribe's maiden as she swayed gracefully,
Nor flirted with a lovelorn girl
In her garden, amid that jewelry and gold.
In its meadows amidst that jewelry and gold
تُبْدِيshe displays النّفارَaversion دَلالاًcoquettishly وَهْيَwhile she is آنِسةٌat ease
تُبْدِي النّفارَ دَلالاً وَهْيَ آنِسةٌ
ياO حُسْنَthe beauty of مَعْنَىthe meaning of الرِّضَاcontentment فيin صُورةِthe guise of الغَضَبِanger
يا حُسْنَ مَعْنَى الرِّضَا في صُورةِ الغَضَبِ
She shows aversion coquettishly, though she is at ease;
Showing coyness while being sociable
How lovely the sense of contentment in the guise of anger!
O, the beauty of consent in the face of anger
لَيْتَwould that اللّياليthe nights الَّتيwhich أولتْbestowed بَشاشتُهاtheir cheerfulness
لَيْتَ اللّيالي الَّتي أولتْ بَشاشتُها
إنif لَمْdid not تُدِمْsustain هِبةthe gift of اللّذاتِdelights لمdid not تَهَبِgive
إن لَمْ تُدِمْ هِبة اللّذاتِ لم تَهَبِ
Would that the nights whose cheerfulness bestowed gifts
If only the nights that gifted me their cheerfulness
Had never given, if they did not sustain the gift of delights!
Did not take away the gift of pleasures if they did not last
ماwhat بالهَاtheir condition غلّبتmade prevail حُزْنيmy sorrow علىover فَرَحيmy joy
ما بالهَا غلّبت حُزْني على فَرَحي
وَألْقتِand placed الحدّthe barrier بَيْنَbetween النّجْحِsuccess والطَّلَبِand pursuit
وَألْقتِ الحدّ بَيْنَ النّجْحِ والطَّلَبِ
What ails them, that they made my sorrow prevail over my joy,
Why did they make my sorrow overwhelm my joy
And placed a barrier between success and pursuit?
And put an end between success and pursuit
ماnot اخْتَصَّwas exclusive بِيto me حادِثٌa misfortune مِنْهَاfrom them فأغْبَنُهاso I would disparage them
ما اخْتَصَّ بِي حادِثٌ مِنْهَا فأغْبَنُها
كَذاكَsuch شِيمَتُهاtheir nature فيtoward كُلّevery ذِيpossessor of أَدَبِrefinement
كَذاكَ شِيمَتُها في كُلّ ذِي أَدَبِ
No misfortune from them singled me out, that I should disparage them;
Nothing singled me out among them and made me forget them
Such is their nature toward every person of refinement.
Such is their way with every person of finesse
وَقائِلand one saying والمطاياwhile the riding camels قَدْalready أَخدّtook its toll بِهاon them
وَقائِل والمطايا قَدْ أَخدّ بِها
سَيْرthe march of الدليلِthe guide بِجدٍin earnest غَيْرnot ذِيpossessing لَعِبِplay
سَيْر الدليلِ بِجدٍ غَيْر ذِي لَعِبِ
And someone said, while the riding camels had been worn thin
A speaker said while the camels were being loaded
By the guide's march, in earnest and without play:
"Guide the caravan seriously, not playfully"
حَتامٍuntil when تُنْضِيyou wear out وتُفْنيand you destroy العيسُthe pale camels قُلْتُI said لَهُto him
حَتامٍ تُنْضِي وتُفْني العيسُ قُلْتُ لَهُ
نَيْلُattaining المناصِبranks مَوْقُوفٌdependent علىon النَّصَبِtoil
نَيْلُ المناصِب مَوْقُوفٌ على النَّصَبِ
“How long will you wear out and destroy the pale camels?” I said to him:
To Hatim who spends and finishes provisions I said
“Attaining rank depends on toil.”
"Attaining high positions depends on enduring difficulties"
ماwhat ليfor me وللشّعراءِand with the poets المُنْكِريwho deny شَرَفيmy eminence
ما لي وللشّعراءِ المُنْكِري شَرَفي
وَفَوْقُand above دُرِّهمtheir pearls ماwhat تَحْتَbeneath مُخْشَلبيmy imitation pearls
وَفَوْقُ دُرِّهم ما تَحْتَ مُخْشَلبي
What have I to do with poets who deny my eminence,
What business do I have with poets who deny my nobility
When what ranks beneath my imitation pearls stands above their pearls?
While above their worth is what is under my rags
إنif غِبْتُI am absent عَنْهُمْfrom them تَباهواthey boast فيin قصائِدهمْtheir poems
إن غِبْتُ عَنْهُمْ تَباهوا في قصائِدهمْ
بِغَيْبِةwith the absence of الشمسِthe sun تَبْدُوappears زِينَةُthe splendor of الشهُبِthe bright stars
بِغَيْبِة الشمسِ تَبْدُو زِينَةُ الشهُبِ
If I am absent from them, they boast in their poems;
If I am absent from them they boast in their poems
In the sun's absence, the bright stars' splendor appears.
Of the sun's absence so the stars' beauty appears
Sol 6.1