واصِلُone who visits طَيفِphantom of الحِبِّthe beloved كَالهاجِرِlike one who forsakes
واصِلُ طَيفِ الحِبِّ كَالهاجِرِ
وَلاnor أُحِبُّI love الزورَfalsehood مِنfrom زائِرِa visitor
وَلا أُحِبُّ الزورَ مِن زائِرِ
The beloved's visiting phantom is like one who shuns me.
I continue the specter of love like a migrant,
Nor do I love falsehood from a visitor.
And I do not like the falsehood from a visitor.
بِخَفقَةِby the flutter of الطائِرِthe bird لاnot يَشتَفيfinds healing
بِخَفقَةِ الطائِرِ لا يَشتَفي
مَنone who فيin حَشاهُhis breast خَفقَهُits flutter الطائِرِthe bird
مَن في حَشاهُ خَفقَهُ الطائِرِ
A bird's flutter cannot heal
With the flutter of a bird, one who has flutter in his bosom is not quenched,
one whose breast holds a bird's flutter.
O moon whose rise makes me hopeful,
ياO قَمَراًmoon مَطلَعُهُits rising مُطمِعيawakening my hope
يا قَمَراً مَطلَعُهُ مُطمِعي
فيin فَلَكٍa sphere مِنof فِكرِهِthought of him دائِرِrevolving
في فَلَكٍ مِن فِكرِهِ دائِرِ
O moon whose rising awakens my hope,
In an orbit from his thoughts revolving.
in a revolving sphere of thought about him.
O eye! Rather a human with an eye appeared,
ياO عَينُeye بَلrather إِنسانَpupil of عَينٍan eye بَداappeared
يا عَينُ بَل إِنسانَ عَينٍ بَدا
فيin أَسوَدَيthe two dark centers of قَلبِيَmy heart وَالناظِرِand the eye
في أَسوَدَي قَلبِيَ وَالناظِرِ
O eye—rather, pupil of an eye, appearing
In the blacks of my heart and the onlooker.
in the two dark centers of my heart and eye.
Hunting with aloofness my heart, so how wondrous was that hunting of a repulser!
تَصيدُyou hunt بِالإِعراضِby turning away قَلبيmy heart فَماso how
تَصيدُ بِالإِعراضِ قَلبي فَما
أَعجَبَastonishing ذاكَthat الصَيدَthe hunt مِنby نافِرِone who flees
أَعجَبَ ذاكَ الصَيدَ مِن نافِرِ
You hunt my heart by turning away—how
O specter of my tear has protected my watcher,
astonishing, that hunt by one who flees!
And my sighs have burnt my pride.
ياO طَيفُphantom دَمعيmy tears قَدalready حَمىguarded ناظِريmy eye
يا طَيفُ دَمعي قَد حَمى ناظِري
وَزَفرَتيand my sigh قَدalready أَحرَقَتburned خاطِريmy mind
وَزَفرَتي قَد أَحرَقَت خاطِري
O phantom, my tears have guarded my eye,
Apply with the flood of tears the paths of meeting,
and my sigh has scorched my mind.
You have passed from my heart on the rock.
طَبِّقcover بِسَيلِwith a torrent of الدَمعِtears طُرقَthe paths of اللِقاmeeting
طَبِّق بِسَيلِ الدَمعِ طُرقَ اللِقا
مَرَرتَyou passed مِنfrom قَلبيmy heart عَلىby الحاجِرِal-Hajir
مَرَرتَ مِن قَلبي عَلى الحاجِرِ
Cover the paths of meeting with a torrent of tears;
So you are excused if your path today is not upon my watcher,
you passed from my heart by al-Hajir.
O neighbor of my heart who did not tend his right,
فَأَنتَso you فيin عُذرٍan excuse إِذاif لَمnot تَكُنbe
فَأَنتَ في عُذرٍ إِذا لَم تَكُن
طَريقُكَyour path اليَومَtoday عَلىacross ناظِريmy eye
طَريقُكَ اليَومَ عَلى ناظِري
So you are excused if it is not
And my warner from his oppressive neighbor.
across my eye that your path runs today.
O ruler in my mind, his heart rules,
ياO جارَneighbor of قَلبيmy heart ماnot رَعىhe honored حَقَّهُits due
يا جارَ قَلبي ما رَعى حَقَّهُ
واحَرَبيalas, my ruin مِنfrom جارِهِits neighbor الجائِرِthe unjust one
واحَرَبي مِن جارِهِ الجائِرِ
O neighbor of my heart, who has not honored its due,
With every permissible and wrongful rule.
alas, my ruin through its unjust neighbor!
He does not accept bribery in his rule,
ياO حاكِماًone ruling فيover مُهجَتيmy lifeblood قَلبُهُhis heart
يا حاكِماً في مُهجَتي قَلبُهُ
بِكُلِّwith every حُكمِjudgment جائِزٍlawful جائِرِunjust
بِكُلِّ حُكمِ جائِزٍ جائِرِ
O you whose heart rules over my lifeblood,
And does not care for the loss of the loser.
with every judgment, lawful yet unjust.
O Joseph of beauty, and in his prison,
لاnot يَقبَلُhe accepts الرِشوَةَbribery فيin حُكمِهِhis judgment
لا يَقبَلُ الرِشوَةَ في حُكمِهِ
وَلاand not يُباليhe cares about غَبَنَunfair loss الخاسِرِthe loser
وَلا يُبالي غَبَنَ الخاسِرِ
He accepts no bribe in his judgment,
His lovesick prisoner in shackles.
and cares nothing for the loser's unfair loss.
How many excusers if I die of love for him,
ياO يوسُفَYusuf الحُسنِbeauty وَفيand in سِجنِهِhis prison
يا يوسُفَ الحُسنِ وَفي سِجنِهِ
أسيرُهُhis captive المشغوفُpassionately enamored بالآسِرِof the captor
أسيرُهُ المشغوفُ بالآسِرِ
O Yusuf of beauty—and in his prison
And I have no excuser if I live.
is his captive, enamored of his captor.
You have pawned, O heart, so who is it
كمhow many عاذِرٍone who excuses إنif مِتُّI died مِنfrom حُبِّهِlove for him
كم عاذِرٍ إن مِتُّ مِن حُبِّهِ
وَلَيسَand there is not ليfor me إِنif عِشتُI lived مِنany عاذِرِone who excuses
وَلَيسَ لي إِن عِشتُ مِن عاذِرِ
How many would excuse me if I died of love for him,
That collects the debt of the losing pawner?
yet if I lived, none would excuse me.
O bankrupt placed in the prison of passion,
رُهِنتَyou were pawned ياO قَلبُheart فَمَنso who ذاthat one الَّذيwho
رُهِنتَ يا قَلبُ فَمَن ذا الَّذي
يَقبِضُcollects دَينَthe debt of الراهِنِthe pledger الخاسِرِthe ruined one
يَقبِضُ دَينَ الراهِنِ الخاسِرِ
You have been pawned, O heart—who is it, then,
And orphan in the hand of the usurper.
who will collect the ruined pledger's debt?
And the usurper of the pawn, so what is my ploy
ياO مُفلِساًbankrupt one أُودِعَwas consigned to سِجنَthe prison of الهَوىlove
يا مُفلِساً أُودِعَ سِجنَ الهَوى
وَياand O يَتيماًorphan فيin يَدِthe hand of الحاجِرِthe legal guardian
وَيا يَتيماً في يَدِ الحاجِرِ
O bankrupt one, consigned to love's prison,
When the word is the word of the treacherous usurper?
and O orphan in the hand of the guardian,
No blame in the rule upon a ruler,
وَمُتلِفِand of the destroyer of الرَهنِthe pledge فَماso what حيلَتيmy recourse
وَمُتلِفِ الرَهنِ فَما حيلَتي
وَالقَولُand the word قَولُthe word of المُتلِفِthe destroyer الغادِرِthe treacherous one
وَالقَولُ قَولُ المُتلِفِ الغادِرِ
and of the pledge's destroyer—what recourse have I,
And the origin of the rule is upon the apparent.
when the treacherous destroyer's word prevails?
And I have nothing of me but the greatest,
لاno لَومَblame فيin الحُكمِjudgment عَلىupon حاكِمٍa judge
لا لَومَ في الحُكمِ عَلى حاكِمٍ
وَالأَصلُand the principle فيin الحُكمِjudgment عَلىaccording to الظاهِرِoutward appearances
وَالأَصلُ في الحُكمِ عَلى الظاهِرِ
No judge is to blame in giving judgment,
And my companions are in your traveling caravan.
and judgment rests, in principle, on appearances.
From the delirium of the drinker I have attained,
وَماand not مَعيwith me مِنّيof me سِوىexcept أَعظُمٍbones
وَما مَعي مِنّي سِوى أَعظُمٍ
وَسائِريand the rest of me فيin رِكبِكَyour caravan السائِرِtraveling
وَسائِري في رِكبِكَ السائِرِ
Nothing of me remains with me but bones,
What the sober missed from the step of the presser.
and the rest of me is in your traveling caravan.
My torturer is like wine in its taking,
مِنfrom هامَةِthe head of الشارِبِthe drinker قَدalready أَدرَكَتit has obtained
مِن هامَةِ الشارِبِ قَد أَدرَكَت
ماwhat وَتَرَتit suffered loss مِنfrom قَدَمِthe foot of العاصِرِthe grape-presser
ما وَتَرَت مِن قَدَمِ العاصِرِ
From the drinker's head it has won redress
My heart with what flows from the watcher.
for what it suffered beneath the grape-presser's foot.
مُعَذِّبيmy tormentor كَالخَمرِlike wine فيin أَخذِهِhis seizing
مُعَذِّبي كَالخَمرِ في أَخذِهِ
قَلبيmy heart بِماthrough what يُجريhe makes flow مِنَfrom الناظِرِthe eye
قَلبي بِما يُجري مِنَ الناظِرِ
My tormentor is like wine in his seizing
my heart through what he makes flow from the eye.
Partial English translation: 37 of 40 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1