ماwhatever شِئْتَyou wish مِنْof عِبْءِburden الغَرامِpassion وحَمْلِهِand bearing it
ما شِئْتَ مِنْ عِبْءِ الغَرامِ وحَمْلِهِ
دَعْleave عَنْكَaway from you وَبْلاًa downpour لاdoes not يَقُومُstand up بِطلِّهِto its drizzle
دَعْ عَنْكَ وَبْلاً لا يَقُومُ بِطلِّهِ
Whatever you wish of passion’s burden and bearing it—
Whatever burden of passion and its load you want,
leave aside a downpour whose drizzle cannot be borne.
Leave it be, and cease a distress that has no redress.
ياO مُسْعِديmy helper فيin حَمْلbearing أَثْقَالِburdens الهَوَىlove
يا مُسْعِدي في حَمْل أَثْقَالِ الهَوَى
مُتَجَمِّلاًputting on a brave face تَبْغيyou seek مَعُونةَhelp حَمْلِهِbearing it
مُتَجَمِّلاً تَبْغي مَعُونةَ حَمْلِهِ
O my helper in bearing the burdens of love,
O you, my bliss, in bearing love’s burdens,
putting on a brave face, seeking to help bear it,
Seeking, in pretended elegance, aid in shouldering it.
هَوِّنْease عَلَيْكَfor yourself مِنَof التَّكَلُّفِstrained effort واسْتَرِحْand rest
هَوِّنْ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ التَّكَلُّفِ واسْتَرِحْ
لَيْسَis not الفَقِيدُthe bereaved كَمَنْlike one who يَنُوحُwails بجُعلِهِfor his fee
لَيْسَ الفَقِيدُ كَمَنْ يَنُوحُ بجُعلِهِ
ease your strained effort, and rest:
Make lighter on yourself the affectation and take your ease;
the bereaved is not like one who wails for his fee.
The anguished is not like one who weeps for payment.
يَاO مَنْone who لَهُfor him سَوْقleading الجمالِbeauty يُدلّهbewilders him
يَا مَنْ لَهُ سَوْق الجمالِ يُدلّه
فيin حُبّlove مَعْشُوقِthe beloved الفؤادِthe heart بدلِّهِthrough his coquetry
في حُبّ مَعْشُوقِ الفؤادِ بدلِّهِ
O you whom beauty’s leading bewilders,
O you whose market is beauty guiding him
in loving the heart’s beloved, through his coquetry.
In loving the beloved of my heart instead of him.
مُتَحَكّمٌa domineering ruler أَعْطاهُgave him مُلْكَdominion جَوانِحِيmy ribs
مُتَحَكّمٌ أَعْطاهُ مُلْكَ جَوانِحِي
مَلِكُthe king الجمالِbeauty أَقلّهits least وأجلّهِand its greatest
مَلِكُ الجمالِ أَقلّه وأجلّهِ
A master, granted dominion over my breast
A dictator gave him dominion over my heart’s submission;
by beauty’s king, from its least to its greatest.
The king of beauty diminished and debased it.
ياO بَدرُfull moon رقّbe tender لِذيto one with وِدَادٍaffection صَادقٍsincere
يا بَدرُ رقّ لِذي وِدَادٍ صَادقٍ
لَمْdid not تُبْلهِwear him down الأَشْجَانُsorrows لَوْif لَمْdid not تُبْلهِyou wear him down
لَمْ تُبْلهِ الأَشْجَانُ لَوْ لَمْ تُبْلهِ
O full moon, be tender to one whose affection is sincere:
O bright full moon, be tender toward one of true affection
sorrows would not have worn him down had you not worn him down.
The branches were not stained had you not stained them.
فَبماءِso with the water of حُسْنٍbeauty قَدْindeed عَززْتَyou grew mighty بِصَوْنِهِby preserving it
فَبماءِ حُسْنٍ قَدْ عَززْتَ بِصَوْنِهِ
وَبِماءِand with the water of دَمْعٍtears قَدْindeed ذَلَلْتُI became abased بِبَذْلِهِby giving it freely
وَبِماءِ دَمْعٍ قَدْ ذَلَلْتُ بِبَذْلِهِ
So with the water of beauty you have grown mighty by guarding it,
So by the water of loveliness you reinforced its shelter,
and with the water of tears I have been abased by shedding it.
And by the water of tears I was abased in shedding it.
جُدْbe generous لِيto me بِعَيْشٍwith a life بالرِّضَاwith favor مِنْكَfrom you انْقَضَىcame to an end
جُدْ لِي بِعَيْشٍ بالرِّضَا مِنْكَ انْقَضَى
وَإِذَاand if اسْتَحَالَis impossible بِعَيْنِهِin its exact form فَبِمِثْلِهِthen with one like it
وَإِذَا اسْتَحَالَ بِعَيْنِهِ فَبِمِثْلِهِ
Grant me the life that passed in your favor;
Strive for me to live, content with you, and to expire;
and if that very life is impossible, then one like it.
And if with an eye it turns impossible, then the like of it.
قَدْindeed كُنْتُI used to أَشْكُوcomplain مِنْof صُدُودِكَyour rejection بَعْضَهُsome of it
قَدْ كُنْتُ أَشْكُو مِنْ صُدُودِكَ بَعْضَهُ
فَالآنَso now كَيْفَhow وَقَدْwhen indeed بُلِيتُI have been afflicted بِكُلِّهِwith all of it
فَالآنَ كَيْفَ وَقَدْ بُلِيتُ بِكُلِّهِ
I used to complain of some of your rejection;
I used to complain of some of your aloofness,
so what now, when I have been afflicted with it all?
But now how, when I have been afflicted by all of it?
ياO مَوْقِفَthe place of البَيْنِparting الَّذيwhich قَدْindeed كَانَwas لِيfor me
يا مَوْقِفَ البَيْنِ الَّذي قَدْ كَانَ لِي
عَلَماًa sign بِثاراتِof reprisals الهَوَىlove مِنْfrom قَبْلِهِbefore it
عَلَماً بِثاراتِ الهَوَى مِنْ قَبْلِهِ
O place of parting, which had been for me
O halting place of separation, which had been
a sign of love’s reprisals before parting came.
A standard for love’s stinging prior to it.
كَمْhow many لَيْلَةٍa night قَضَّيْتُهَاI spent it بِشِكايةٍin lament
كَمْ لَيْلَةٍ قَضَّيْتُهَا بِشِكايةٍ
أَخَذتْit seized عَلىover لَيْليmy night مَجَامِعَthe junctions سَبْلِهِits paths
أَخَذتْ عَلى لَيْلي مَجَامِعَ سَبْلِهِ
How many a night I spent in lament
How many nights I spent in complaining,
that blocked every junction of my night’s paths,
Which stole upon my night the totality of its paths.
مُتَنَصِّلاًseeking escape مِنْfrom ذاthis الزَّمَانِage وَجَوْرِهِand its tyranny
مُتَنَصِّلاً مِنْ ذا الزَّمَانِ وَجَوْرِهِ
مُتَوصِّلاًseeking access لابْنِto Ibn الأثيرal-Athir وَعَدْلِهِand his justice
مُتَوصِّلاً لابْنِ الأثير وَعَدْلِهِ
seeking escape from this age and its tyranny,
Estranging myself from this unjust age,
seeking access to Ibn al-Athir and his justice,
Drawing near to the son of Athir and his justice,
حَتَّىuntil نَفَىhe banished ظُلْمَtyranny الضَّلالِerror بِشَمْسِهِwith his sun
حَتَّى نَفَى ظُلْمَ الضَّلالِ بِشَمْسِهِ
عَنّيfrom me وَحَرَّand the heat الحَادثاتِcalamities بِظلِّهِwith his shade
عَنّي وَحَرَّ الحَادثاتِ بِظلِّهِ
until with his sun he banished error’s tyranny
Until his sun dispelled the darkness of error from me,
from me, and with his shade the heat of calamities.
And the events of time were hot in its shade.
عَرِّفْdefine بِهِthrough him الشَّرفُnobility المُنِيفُlofty بِبابِهِat his gate
عَرِّفْ بِهِ الشَّرفُ المُنِيفُ بِبابِهِ
لِتكُونَso that you may be جِئْتَyou have come بِجنْسِهِwith its genus وَبِفَصْلِهِand with its differentia
لِتكُونَ جِئْتَ بِجنْسِهِ وَبِفَصْلِهِ
Define lofty nobility through him, at his gate,
Acquaint nobility banished from his door with him,
so you will have supplied its genus and its differentia.
That you may have come with his kind and detachment.
المُحْسِنينَthe benefactors لِمنْto one whom أَساءwronged زَمَانُهُhis age
المُحْسِنينَ لِمنْ أَساء زَمَانُهُ
وتغرَّبتْand became estranged أَوْطانُهُhis homelands عَنْfrom أَهْلِهِhis kin
وتغرَّبتْ أَوْطانُهُ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ
Those who do good to one whom his age has wronged,
The beneficent toward one whose time did him wrong
and whose homelands have grown estranged from his kin.
And whose homelands were estranged from his people.
فيin الفَرْعِthe branch ماwhat فيin أَصْلِهِits root وَزيادَةand more
في الفَرْعِ ما في أَصْلِهِ وَزيادَة
كَالغُصْنِlike the bough خُصَّwas distinguished بِماby what جَنَىharvested مِنْof أُكْلِهِits fruit
كَالغُصْنِ خُصَّ بِما جَنَى مِنْ أُكْلِهِ
In the branch is what is in its root, and more,
In the branch is what is in its origin and more,
like a bough distinguished by the harvest of its fruit.
Like the bough endowed with what it yielded of fruits.
وَالسَّهْمُand the arrow يُرْسِلُهhe looses it الَّذيthe one who يَرْميshoots بِهِwith it
وَالسَّهْمُ يُرْسِلُه الَّذي يَرْمي بِهِ
فإِذاso when أَصابَit hits رَمِيَّةًa target فَبِنَصْلِهِthen by its arrowhead
فإِذا أَصابَ رَمِيَّةً فَبِنَصْلِهِ
And the arrow is loosed by the one who shoots it;
And the arrow — the archer who shoots it sends it;
so when it strikes a target, it does so by its arrowhead.
So if it strikes a target, it is with its notch.
Sol 6.1