قلبيmy heart يشوقُyearns إلىfor العذيبal-ʿUdhayb وبارقand Bāriq
قلبي يشوقُ إلى العذيب وبارق
منfrom ثغرهhis mouth وإلىand for النّقاthe sand dune والبانand the bān tree
من ثغره وإلى النّقا والبان
My heart yearns for al-ʿUdhayb and Bāriq
My heart yearns for the charming one with flashing smiles
In his mouth, and for the sand dune and the bān tree.
From his lips, and for the slender and flexible one
يمسيpasses the evening ويُصبحُand passes the morning فيin لهيبa blaze of صبابةardent longing
يمسي ويُصبحُ في لهيب صبابة
فكأنّهُso it is as though it منamong عابدa worshipper of الأوثانthe idols
فكأنّهُ من عابد الأوثان
It passes evening and morning in a blaze of longing,
It awakens and sleeps in the flames of passion
As though it were among the worshippers of idols.
As if it is from the worshippers of idols
ياO ليتwould that شعريmy knowing هلis there لناريfor my fire مُطفئٌone who quenches
يا ليت شعري هل لناري مُطفئٌ
يوماone day وهلand is there لعنانfor the rein of دمعيmy tears ثانone who turns back
يوما وهل لعنان دمعي ثان
Would that I knew: is there someone to quench my fire
Oh how I wish I knew if there is ever a quencher for my fire
Someday—and is there one to rein in my tears?
And if there will ever be a second for my tears
فكأنّso it is as though ليليmy night فيin امتدادthe prolongation of مقامهits stay
فكأنّ ليلي في امتداد مقامه
صدرُthe chest of ابنson of خُوجةKhūja (a title) عسكرthe army of الدّيوانthe council
صدرُ ابن خُوجة عسكر الدّيوان
So my night, in its prolonged lingering, seems like
For my nights in their ongoing stay
The chest of Ibn Khūja ʿAskar al-Dīwān.
Are like the chest of Ibn Khujja Askar al-Diwan
فردٌa peerless one جليلُlofty in القدرstanding ماemphatic particle بينamong الورىmortals
فردٌ جليلُ القدر ما بين الورى
أنستmade one forget جلالةthe grandeur of حضرةthe presence of العثمانيal-ʿUthmānī (the Ottoman)
أنست جلالة حضرة العثماني
A peerless man of lofty standing among mortals,
A man of great worth among all people
Making one forget the grandeur of al-ʿUthmānī’s presence.
I forgot the majesty of the Ottoman state
هوhe مفردunique فيin الحسنbeauty إلاexcept أنّهthat he
هو مفرد في الحسن إلا أنّه
لمdid not يختلفdisagree فيabout فردهhis uniqueness إثنانtwo people
لم يختلف في فرده إثنان
He is unique in beauty, yet
He is unmatched in beauty except
No two have disagreed about his uniqueness.
That no two disagreed on his uniqueness
هوhe منamong بنيthe sons of التّركthe Turks الّذينwho توشّحواdraped themselves
هو من بني التّرك الّذين توشّحوا
بالحسنin beauty إلاexcept أنّهthat he خاقانيmy khāqān (sovereign)
بالحسن إلا أنّه خاقاني
He is among the sons of the Turks who draped themselves
He is from the Turks who adorned themselves
In beauty, yet he is my khāqān.
With beauty, although he is a Khagan
أمنتُI trusted فيهin him بمعجزاتthrough the miracles of جمالهhis beauty
أمنتُ فيه بمعجزات جماله
وعلمتُand I learned كيفhow قواعدُthe foundations of الإيمانfaith
وعلمتُ كيف قواعدُ الإيمان
I trusted in him through the miracles of his beauty,
I believed in the miracles of his beauty
And learned what the foundations of faith are.
And I learned the basics of faith
ياO منyou who إذاwhenever ماemphatic particle لاحflashed بارقُthe lightning of ثغرهhis mouth
يا من إذا ما لاح بارقُ ثغره
هطلتpoured down عليهupon him سحائبُthe clouds of الأجفانthe eyelids
هطلت عليه سحائبُ الأجفان
O you, whenever the lightning of your mouth flashes,
O you who when your smiling flashes
The clouds of eyelids pour down upon you.
Clouds pour from the eyelids
وإذاand when انثنىhe swayed كالبانlike the bān tree صحتُI cried out ورُبّماand often
وإذا انثنى كالبان صحتُ ورُبّما
صاحcried الغرابُthe crow (al-Ghurāb) علىupon قضيبa bough of البانthe bān tree
صاح الغرابُ على قضيب البان
And when he sways like the bān tree, I cry out—and often
And when you bend like a tender branch
Al-Ghurāb, the crow, has cried upon a bān bough.
The raven cries out on a slender branch
وزنُواthey weighed جمالكyour beauty فيamong الورىmortals فرجحتand you outweighed them
وزنُوا جمالك في الورى فرجحت
والمعهودُand what is customary عدلُthe balance of الشّمسthe sun فيin الميزانthe Scales (Libra)
والمعهودُ عدلُ الشّمس في الميزان
They weighed your beauty among mortals, and you outweighed them,
Weigh your beauty among people and you would outweigh
Though the sun is customarily balanced in the Scales.
As the sun is known to be just on the scale
Sol 6.1