ياO وحيَinspiration of شعرِيmy poetry، أينَwhere أنتْyou
يا وحيَ شعرِي، أينَ أنتْ
فيin أيِّwhich زاويةٍcorner رَكَنْتْyou settled؟
في أيِّ زاويةٍ رَكَنْتْ؟
O inspiration of my poetry, where are you?
In what corner have you settled?
هلquestion marker رُحْتَyou slipped فيinto إغماءةٍa faint
هل رُحْتَ في إغماءةٍ
أمor بالمخدِّرwith anesthetic قدalready حُقِنْتْyou were injected؟
أم بالمخدِّر قد حُقِنْتْ؟
Have you fallen into a faint,
or been injected with an anesthetic?
أمor نِمْتَyou slept، أمor نامslept الزماtime (first part)
أم نِمْتَ، أم نام الزما
نُtime (completion)، أمor اعتُقِلْتَyou were arrested أمor انسجَنْتْyou were imprisoned؟
نُ، أم اعتُقِلْتَ أم انسجَنْتْ؟
Or have you slept, or has time slept?
Or were you arrested or imprisoned?
أمor خِفْتَyou feared منfrom قلمthe pen of الرقيـthe censor (first part)
أم خِفْتَ من قلم الرقيـ
ـبcensor (completion) فماso not أشرتَyou hinted وماand not أبنْتْyou made clear؟
ـب فما أشرتَ وما أبنْتْ؟
Or did you fear the censor's pen,
and so give no hint and make nothing clear?
أمor هَلquestion marker سُقِيتَyou were given to drink (كزوزةًa soda)
أم هَل سُقِيتَ (كزوزةً)
أمor هلquestion marker حَسَوْتَyou sipped (البرمنَنْتْthe “Permanent”)
أم هل حَسَوْتَ (البرمنَنْتْ)
Or were you given a soda to drink,
or have you sipped the “Permanent”?
أمor قدalready شربتَyou drank زجاجةًa bottle
أم قد شربتَ زجاجةً
منfrom صنعthe making of بارthe bar of (الكونتننْتْthe Continent)؟
من صنع بار (الكونتننْتْ)؟
Or have you drunk a bottle
prepared at the Continent bar?
أمor فيin خزانةthe safe of (صالحٍSalih)
أم في خزانة (صالحٍ)
تركوكthey left you سهوًاinadvertently فاختُزِنْتْso you were stored away؟
تركوك سهوًا فاختُزِنْتْ؟
Or in Salih's safe
did they leave you inadvertently, so you were stored away?
أمor فيin البنوكِthe banks لأزمةٍbecause of a crisis
أم في البنوكِ لأزمةٍ
حَلَّتْbefell بأهلِكَupon your family قدalready رُهِنْتْyou were pledged؟
حَلَّتْ بأهلِكَ قد رُهِنْتْ؟
Or in the banks, because of a crisis
that befell your family, have you been pledged as security?
أمor ذاكَthat جندولُthe gondola of الحبيـthe beloved (first part)
أم ذاكَ جندولُ الحبيـ
ـبِbeloved (completion) إلىfor ليالِيهِits nights حَنَنْتْyou yearned؟
ـبِ إلى ليالِيهِ حَنَنْتْ؟
Or that gondola of the beloved—
have you yearned for its nights?
وإلىand toward عروسthe bride of البحرthe sea همـwandered in love (verb stem)
وإلى عروس البحر همـ
ـتَyou (verb ending) وفيand on شواطِئِهَاher shores كمنْتْyou lurked
ـتَ وفي شواطِئِهَا كمنْتْ
And have you wandered in love toward the Bride of the Sea,
and lurked along her shores?
أمor زُغْتَyou slipped away يومthe day of الانتخاthe election (first part)
أم زُغْتَ يوم الانتخا
بelection (completion) ولستَand you are not عضوَa member of «البرلمنْتْParliament»
ب ولستَ عضوَ «البرلمنْتْ»
Or did you slip away on election day,
though you are no member of Parliament?
لمnot تَدْرِyou knew ماwhat نالgained الرئيـthe president (first part)
لم تَدْرِ ما نال الرئيـ
ـسُpresident (completion) أزادَdid he gain صوتًاa vote أمor (كَرَنْتْforty (French quarante))
ـسُ أزادَ صوتًا أم (كَرَنْتْ)
You did not know what the president had gained—
did he gain one vote or forty?
أنكرتَyou disapproved of ضَجَّةَthe clamor of معشرٍa crowd
أنكرتَ ضَجَّةَ معشرٍ
لمnot ينصفوكthey treated you fairly وقدand indeed غُبِنْتْyou were wronged
لم ينصفوك وقد غُبِنْتْ
You disapproved of the clamor of a crowd
who did not do you justice—you were wronged.
أمor طِرْتَyou flew فيin جوِّthe skies of الحليـthe ally (first part)
أم طِرْتَ في جوِّ الحليـ
ـفةِally (completion) مُنجدًاcoming to aid أبطالthe heroes of (كِنْتْKent)
ـفةِ مُنجدًا أبطال (كِنْتْ)
Or did you fly through the ally's skies,
to aid the heroes of Kent?
ياO وحيُinspiration كمhow many منof غارةٍa raid
يا وحيُ كم من غارةٍ
شعواءَfierce فيهاin it قدalready شَنَنْتْyou launched
شعواءَ فيها قد شَنَنْتْ
O inspiration, how many a raid
you have fiercely launched there!
أمor ثُرْتَyou rose up للحقِّfor justice الطريـpersecuted (first part)
أم ثُرْتَ للحقِّ الطريـ
ـدِpersecuted (completion)، وبالبطولةand by heroism قدalready فُتِنْتْyou were captivated
ـدِ، وبالبطولة قد فُتِنْتْ
Or did you rise up for persecuted justice,
and become captivated by heroism,
فسللتَso you unsheathed سيفَthe sword of مُدافِعٍa defender
فسللتَ سيفَ مُدافِعٍ
عنin defense of (كالمَاسKalamas) أوor (كُرِنْتْCorinth)؟
عن (كالمَاس) أو (كُرِنْتْ)؟
then draw a defender's sword
for Kalamas or Corinth?
ياO وحيَinspiration of شعريmy poetry ماwhy سكوsilence (first part)
يا وحيَ شعري ما سكو
تكyour silence (completion) فيamid الخطوبcalamities؟ ألَاdid ... not? حزنْتْyou grieved!
تك في الخطوب؟ ألَا حزنْتْ!
O inspiration of my poetry, why your silence
amid calamities? Have you not grieved?
أفَقدتَhave you lost رُشدكyour reason أمor شعوawareness (first part)
أفَقدتَ رُشدك أم شعو
رَكyour awareness (completion) بالحياةِof life؟ إذَنْthen جُنِنْتْyou went mad!
رَك بالحياةِ؟ إذَنْ جُنِنْتْ!
Have you lost your reason, or your awareness
of life? Then you have gone mad!
عشرونtwenty يومًاdays جاوزexceeded الـthe
عشرون يومًا جاوز الـ
ـتقديرُreckoning فيهاin them ماwhat ظَنَنْتْI expected
ـتقديرُ فيها ما ظَنَنْتْ
Twenty days—the reckoning
of them has exceeded what I expected.
ياO وحيَinspiration of شعريmy poetry مُذْsince نأَيـwent away (verb stem)
يا وحيَ شعري مُذْ نأَيـ
ـتَyou (verb ending) وَهَىgrew weak بيانيmy eloquence أوor وهنْتْI grew weak
ـتَ وَهَى بياني أو وهنْتْ
O inspiration of my poetry, since you went away,
my eloquence has weakened—or I have.
بعدafter القصائدthe poems كالقلاlike the fortresses (first part)
بعد القصائد كالقلا
عfortresses (completion) مشيَّداتٍbuilt high (بالسمنْتْwith cement)
ع مشيَّداتٍ (بالسمنْتْ)
After poems like fortresses,
built high with cement,
منof كلِّevery بيتٍverse مشرِقٍradiant
من كلِّ بيتٍ مشرِقٍ
يُزريputs to shame بقصرthe palace of (اللابرنْتْthe Labyrinth)
يُزري بقصر (اللابرنْتْ)
each radiant verse
putting the Labyrinth palace to shame,
أمسيتُI have become بعدكafter you كلevery قاrhyme (first part)
أمسيتُ بعدك كل قا
فِيَةٍrhyme (completion) نطقتُI uttered بهاwith it لحنْتْI erred
فِيَةٍ نطقتُ بها لحنْتْ
now, without you, with every rhyme
I utter, I strike a false note.
ياO وحيinspiration of شعريmy poetry هلquestion marker أُسِرْwere captured (verb stem)
يا وحي شعري هل أُسِرْ
تَyou (verb ending) وأَنتwhile you تهجمattack أمor طُعِنْتْyou were stabbed؟
تَ وأَنت تهجم أم طُعِنْتْ؟
O inspiration of my poetry, were you captured
while attacking, or were you stabbed?
أمor غُصْتَyou plunged فيinto لُجَجِthe depths of البحاthe seas (first part)
أم غُصْتَ في لُجَجِ البحا
رِseas (completion) وفيand in مجاهلهاtheir uncharted reaches دُفِنْتْyou were buried؟
رِ وفي مجاهلها دُفِنْتْ؟
Or did you plunge into the depths of the seas,
and were you buried in their uncharted reaches?
أبكيI weep عليكfor you بكاءَthe weeping of (لاLamartine (first part)
أبكي عليك بكاءَ (لا
مرتينَLamartine (completion)) قبرًاa grave فيin (سُرَنْتْSorrento)
مرتينَ) قبرًا في (سُرَنْتْ)
I weep for you as Lamartine wept
over a grave in Sorrento.
ياO وحيَinspiration of شعريmy poetry أينwhere أنتْyou؟
يا وحيَ شعري أين أنتْ؟
فيin أيِّwhich زاويةٍcorner رَكَنْتْyou settled؟
في أيِّ زاويةٍ رَكَنْتْ؟
O inspiration of my poetry, where are you?
In what corner have you settled?
Sol 6.1