غاداكmay it greet you at dawn منfrom ريمabundance الحياthe rain صحويهاits clear-weather showers
غاداك من ريم الحيا صحويها
متساجلاًvying فيin قطرهِits rainfall وعشيّهاand its evening showers
متساجلاً في قطرهِ وعشيّها
May the fair-weather showers of rain's bounty greet you at dawn,
You left the spring of life awake
vying in their downpour with its evening showers.
Strolling in its dew and dusk
وسقاكand may it water you منبجسَgushing forth العزاليthe rain-spouts واكفاًpouring steadily
وسقاك منبجسَ العزالي واكفاً
هطلاًin heavy showers وأولاكand may it favor you الملثّthe lingering وليّهاits follow-up rain
هطلاً وأولاك الملثّ وليّها
And may it water you, gushing from the rain-spouts in a steady fall,
And it quenched you from the seclusion’s downpour
pouring heavily; may its lingering after-rain favor you.
A pouring rain and garments soaked
وَسحائبand clouds تَسقيكهاwater it for you منof دمنةan abandoned campsite
وَسحائب تَسقيكها من دمنة
يُشجيsaddens القلوبthe hearts دنيّهاits near reaches وقصيّهاand its distant reaches
يُشجي القلوب دنيّها وقصيّها
And clouds that water for you an abandoned campsite,
With clouds that quench you bitterly
whose near and distant reaches sadden hearts.
That stir the hearts, base and noble
مَنwho ليfor me بطاويةwith one slender الحشاof belly منfrom بعدماafter
مَن لي بطاوية الحشا من بعدما
سارتset out تجوبcrossing بهاwith her القفارthe deserts مطيّهاher riding camels
سارت تجوب بها القفار مطيّها
Who will bring me the slender-waisted one, now that
Who will I have, after the arid land
her riding camels have carried her across the deserts?
That the steeds crossed, wandering in it
خودٌa tender maiden مُحيَّاهاher face حكَىresembled شمسَthe sun الضُّحىof midmorning
خودٌ مُحيَّاها حكَى شمسَ الضُّحى
وَحكىand resembled حنادسthe deepest darkness ليلهاof her night ليليّهاher night-dark hair
وَحكى حنادس ليلها ليليّها
A tender maiden whose face resembled the midmorning sun,
A cheek the dawn’s sun told of
whose night-dark tresses resembled her night's deepest darkness.
And the night’s lamps told of its dark beauty
ورديَّةُrosy الخدِّof cheek المورّدthe rose-tinted يستبيcaptivates
ورديَّةُ الخدِّ المورّد يستبي
بالحسنِthrough beauty منهfrom it عقولَناour minds ورديّهاher rose-like hue
بالحسنِ منه عقولَنا ورديّها
Rosy of blushing cheek, she captivates
The redness of the rosy cheek competes
our minds through the beauty of her rose-like hue.
In beauty, enticing our minds with its roseiness
صفرempty الوشاحِof girdle حوىheld الجمانpearls دقيقهاher finer parts
صفر الوشاحِ حوى الجمان دقيقها
وجليلهاand her larger parts وضعيفهاand her delicate parts وقويّهاand her strong parts
وجليلها وضعيفها وقويّها
Slim-waisted, her finer parts held pearls,
The yellow wrap included the perfect bodies
and her greater, her delicate, and her strong.
The tall and short, weak and strong
كمhow often نلتI gained منهاfrom her ماwhat اِشتهتdesired نفسيmy soul ولمand why
كم نلت منها ما اِشتهت نفسي ولم
ليto me طابwas pleasing منهاfrom her فيin الوصالِunion شهيّهاher delights
لي طاب منها في الوصالِ شهيّها
How often I won from her what my soul desired! And why
How much I got from it what my soul desired but
were her delights in union so pleasing to me?
The union did not taste sweet to me
أيّامin the days لمdid not تمطرrain سحائبthe clouds صبوتيof my youthful longing
أيّام لم تمطر سحائب صبوتي
إلّاexcept that اِنثنىreturned بوليِّهاwith their later rain وسميّهاtheir first autumn rain
إلّا اِنثنى بوليِّها وسميّها
In days when the clouds of my youthful longing never rained
Days whose clouds did not rain my youth
without their first autumn showers returning with later rain.
Except inclining to its guardian and protector
وَشبيبتيand my youth عندَwith الحسانِthe beautiful women شفيعتيmy intercessor
وَشبيبتي عندَ الحسانِ شفيعتي
ومشاربيand my drinking places لاnot يستحيلchanges مريّهاtheir pleasant draught
ومشاربي لا يستحيل مريّها
My youth was my intercessor with beautiful women,
And my youth was my intercessor at beauty
and the pleasant draughts of my drinking places never changed.
And my drinking pals do not change their bitterness
فالآنَbut now قَدindeed ذهبتit has gone وولَّتand turned away واِنقضتand ended
فالآنَ قَد ذهبت وولَّت واِنقضت
منهاfrom it البشاشةُthe cheerfulness واِضمحلَّand faded هنيّهاits pleasant sweetness
منها البشاشةُ واِضمحلَّ هنيّها
But now it has gone and fled; at an end
But now it has gone, receded and vanished
is its cheerfulness, and its sweetness has faded.
The cheerfulness and the bloom wilted
ماwhat ليfor me وللأحداثand with calamities ليسَis not بمنثنيat all relenting
ما لي وللأحداث ليسَ بمنثني
عنfrom قرعِstriking سنّيmy tooth فحلُهاtheir stallion وخصيُّهاand their gelding
عن قرعِ سنّي فحلُها وخصيُّها
What have I to do with calamities? They never desist
What is it to me and events not inclined
from battering my teeth, their stallion and their gelding alike.
To the ringing of my old age, its stallion and gelding
تَمضيthey pass ويمضيand passes عندat ذاكthat غويُّهاtheir erring one
تَمضي ويمضي عند ذاك غويُّها
ورشيدُهاand their rightly guided one وسعيدُهاand their fortunate one وشقيُّهاand their wretched one
ورشيدُها وسعيدُها وشقيُّها
They pass, and then their erring ones pass too,
It passes and there passes its intoxication
their rightly guided, their fortunate, and their wretched.
And consciousness, happiness and misery
وحوادثٌand calamities ليسis not وصيُّهاtheir guardian
وحوادثٌ ليس وصيُّها
منهاamong them قدماًof old وليسnor is نبيّهاtheir prophet
منها قدماً وليس نبيّها
And calamities—their guardian was not
And events that have no guide
among them of old, nor was their prophet.
Forward or back, no prophet
وبعيدةand far-flung الأرجاءِin extent لاnot شرقيّهاits eastern part
وبعيدة الأرجاءِ لا شرقيّها
تدريyou know نهايتهits limit ولاnor غربيّهاits western part
تدري نهايته ولا غربيّها
And a far-flung wilderness, whose eastern limit
Distant places, no east
you do not know, nor its western one.
That knows its end or west
يهديguides العريفthe guide بكلِّin every فجٍّmountain pass مجهلunknown
يهدي العريف بكلِّ فجٍّ مجهل
منهاof it إلىto إنسيِّهاits human dwellers وجنيهاand its jinn
منها إلى إنسيِّها وجنيها
The guide leads through every unknown pass
The knowledgeable guides through every rugged unknown
within it, to its human dwellers and its jinn.
Of it to its human or jinn
أسريI travel by night بهاthrough it وأشيمُand scan برقlightning مخايلrain-promising clouds
أسري بها وأشيمُ برق مخايل
يهميpours down بيشبوبِin a torrent النوالof bounty حنيّهاtheir bowed cloud-masses
يهمي بيشبوبِ النوال حنيّها
I journey through it by night, watching lightning in promising clouds,
I travel in it and estimate the flashes of visions
whose bowed masses pour down torrents of bounty.
That confer the gifts of companionship at times
برقٌlightning تألَّقflashed منfrom عرارArar فاِغتنتand so grew rich
برقٌ تألَّق من عرار فاِغتنت
منهfrom it العفاةُthe gift-seekers فقيرهاtheir poor وغنيّهاand their rich
منه العفاةُ فقيرها وغنيّها
Lightning flashed from Arar, and wealth came
A flash that illuminated from a bare land so
from it to the gift-seekers, poor and rich alike.
The destitute and wealthy gained from it
ماnot فيin مبالغةstriving to attain العُلاglory عجميُّهاits non-Arab
ما في مبالغة العُلا عجميُّها
يوماًever يطاولُهrivals him ولاnor عربيُّهاits Arab
يوماً يطاولُه ولا عربيُّها
In striving for glory, no non-Arab
There is no exaggeration in lofty ambition one day
ever rivals him, nor any Arab.
That an non-Arab or Arab seeks
وإذاand when النفوسُthe souls إلىtoward المطامعِcovetous aims قادَهاled them
وإذا النفوسُ إلى المطامعِ قادَها
طبعٌan instinct منof الشهواتِdesires فهوthen he is أتيّهاa stranger to them
طبعٌ من الشهواتِ فهو أتيّها
And when souls are led toward covetous aims
And when souls desire ambitions
by an instinct of desire, he is a stranger to those desires.
A nature of passions thus drives them
وإليكand to you محكمةًa well-wrought poem تبيتُspends the night بحبِّهin love with him
وإليك محكمةً تبيتُ بحبِّه
لفتىًby a youth يبيتspends الليلthe night وهوand he يحبُّهاloves her
لفتىً يبيت الليل وهو يحبُّها
And to you, a well-wrought poem that spends the night loving him,
And I make you an arbiter lodging in love
by a youth who spends the night loving her.
For a lad who spends the night loving
ينحوsteers بهاwith her جهةin the direction of الحجاreason نحويُّهاher grammarian
ينحو بها جهة الحجا نحويُّها
وتفيدand benefits سامعَthe hearer لفظِهاof her wording لغويُّهاher linguist
وتفيد سامعَ لفظِها لغويُّها
Her grammarian steers her toward good sense,
I walk its direction like pilgrims
and her linguist enlightens whoever hears her words.
And its words benefit the linguistic
لمdid not يهدهاpresent her غيلانهhis Ghaylan لبلالهto his Bilal
لم يهدها غيلانه لبلاله
أبداًever ولمand did not يَسبقprecede بهاwith her أمويُّهاher Umayyad
أبداً ولم يَسبق بها أمويُّها
His Ghaylan did not present her to his Bilal,
His passion did not lead it to Bilaal
ever; nor did her Umayyad poet produce her first.
Nor the Umayyad preceded it
Sol 6.1