إِنif كُنتَyou are تَلحانيyou reproach me فَلَستُthen I am not بِحانيone who bends
إِن كُنتَ تَلحاني فَلَستُ بِحاني
وَمِنَand among المَروءَةِnoble conduct أَنto تُعِينَyou aid العَانِيthe captive
وَمِنَ المَروءَةِ أَن تُعِينَ العَانِي
If you reproach me, I am not one to bend;
and it is noble conduct to aid the captive.
ياO حاضِراًyou who are present يُلقيhe delivers إِلَيَّto me حَديثَهُhis words
يا حاضِراً يُلقي إِلَيَّ حَديثَهُ
أَمسِكstop فَلَستُfor I am not بِحاضِرٍpresent تَلقانيyou find me
أَمسِك فَلَستُ بِحاضِرٍ تَلقاني
O you who stand here, addressing your words to me,
stop, for you do not find me present in mind.
أَسمَعتَyou made hear حُكماًa judgment مَنone who لَهُhe has قَلبٌa heart وَماbut not
أَسمَعتَ حُكماً مَن لَهُ قَلبٌ وَما
أَسمَعتَyou made hear قَولاًa word مَنone who لَهُhe has أُذُنانِtwo ears
أَسمَعتَ قَولاً مَن لَهُ أُذُنانِ
You made one with a heart hear a judgment, but did not
make one with two ears hear a word.
مَنwhoever لَمdid not يَكُنbe سُلطانُهُhis authority مِنfrom حُجَّةٍproof
مَن لَم يَكُن سُلطانُهُ مِن حُجَّةٍ
فَنَقادُهاthen its submission صَعبٌdifficult بِلاwithout سُلطانِauthority
فَنَقادُها صَعبٌ بِلا سُلطانِ
For one whose authority is not founded on proof,
securing its submission is hard without authority.
ظَعَنَتdeparted ذَخائِرُstores of أَدمُعيmy tears وَتَفَرَّقَتand scattered
ظَعَنَت ذَخائِرُ أَدمُعي وَتَفَرَّقَت
مِنfrom قَبلِbefore يَومِthe day of تَفَرُّقِthe dispersal of الأَظعانِthe caravans
مِن قَبلِ يَومِ تَفَرُّقِ الأَظعانِ
My stores of tears departed and scattered
before the day the caravans dispersed.
فَاليَومَso today إِنif لَمdo not أَرضَI appease مِنهُfrom it مُسخِطيthe one who angers me
فَاليَومَ إِن لَم أَرضَ مِنهُ مُسخِطي
بِفِراقِهِمby their departure فَالدَمعُthen tears ماnot يَرضانيare pleased with me
بِفِراقِهِم فَالدَمعُ ما يَرضاني
Today, unless I appease with tears the one who angers me
by their departure, my tears will not be pleased with me.
وَبِحَقِّهِand by its right إِنif لَمdo not أَبُلَّI quench غَليلَهُits burning thirst
وَبِحَقِّهِ إِن لَم أَبُلَّ غَليلَهُ
مِنfrom بَعدِafter ماthat أَسعَرتُهُset it ablaze نيرانيmy fires
مِن بَعدِ ما أَسعَرتُهُ نيراني
And rightly so, if I do not quench their thirst
after my fires have set them ablaze.
ياO دَهرُTime ماnot أَطلَعتَyou made dawn ليfor me يَومَthe day of النَوىparting
يا دَهرُ ما أَطلَعتَ لي يَومَ النَوى
إِلّاexcept مُعَقِّبَa successor to لَيلَةِa night of الهِجرانِestrangement
إِلّا مُعَقِّبَ لَيلَةِ الهِجرانِ
O Time, you made the day of parting dawn for me
only as the sequel to a night of estrangement.
وَوَجَدتُand I found قَلبيmy heart إِذwhen سَمِعتُI heard عِتابَهُhis reproach
وَوَجَدتُ قَلبي إِذ سَمِعتُ عِتابَهُ
يَصلىburning in لَظاهُits blaze وَماbut not وَجَدتُI found لِسانيmy tongue
يَصلى لَظاهُ وَما وَجَدتُ لِساني
And I found my heart, when I heard his reproach,
burning in its blaze, but I could not find my tongue.
وَلَقَدand indeed أَطاعَتهُobeyed him جَميعُall جَوارِحيmy limbs
وَلَقَد أَطاعَتهُ جَميعُ جَوارِحي
حَتّىeven اللِسانُthe tongue أَطاعَهُobeyed him وَعَصانيand disobeyed me
حَتّى اللِسانُ أَطاعَهُ وَعَصاني
Indeed, all my limbs obeyed him;
even my tongue obeyed him and disobeyed me.
فَاليَومَso today قُلsay ماwhat لاnot عَلَيكَincumbent on you بَيانُهُits explanation
فَاليَومَ قُل ما لا عَلَيكَ بَيانُهُ
فَعَلَيَّfor against me حينَwhen عَصَيتَyou disobeyed صارَturned بَيانيmy eloquence
فَعَلَيَّ حينَ عَصَيتَ صارَ بَياني
So today, say what you have no duty to explain;
for when you disobeyed, my eloquence turned against me.
أَفديI ransom بِنَفسيwith my soul وَجهِكَyour face الراضيpleased عَلىupon
أَفدي بِنَفسي وَجهِكَ الراضي عَلى
عَينيmy eye وَحِدَّةِand the sharpness of لَفظِكَyour speech الغَضبانِangry
عَيني وَحِدَّةِ لَفظِكَ الغَضبانِ
I would ransom with my soul your pleased face, dear to
my eye, and the sharpness of your angry words.
إِنif تُنكِرyou deny النارَthe fire الَّتيwhich فيin مُهجَتيmy heart's core
إِن تُنكِر النارَ الَّتي في مُهجَتي
فَلَتَعرِفَنَّthen you will surely recognize الماءَthe water فيin أَجفانيmy eyelids
فَلَتَعرِفَنَّ الماءَ في أَجفاني
If you deny the fire within my heart,
you shall surely recognize the water in my eyelids.
وَنَهَضتُand I rose مِعثاراًoften stumbling بِدَمعِيَthrough my tears وَالخُطاand the steps
وَنَهَضتُ مِعثاراً بِدَمعِيَ وَالخُطا
مَقصودهاtheir target وَمُعَثِّريand what trips me ذَمَلانيmy brisk gait
مَقصودها وَمُعَثِّري ذَمَلاني
And I rose, stumbling in my tears; my steps
were their target, and my hurried gait tripped me.
لِلناسِfor people أَغصانٌboughs وَقَدand perhaps يَجنونَهاthey pluck them
لِلناسِ أَغصانٌ وَقَد يَجنونَها
وَعَلِقتُand I fell in love with غُصناًa bough دونَهاapart from them وَجَنانيand it plucked me
وَعَلِقتُ غُصناً دونَها وَجَناني
Others have boughs, and they may pluck them;
I loved a bough apart from theirs, and it plucked me.
وَيَدُand the hand of النَسيمِthe breeze كَريمَةٌgenerous عِنديin my view بِماin that
وَيَدُ النَسيمِ كَريمَةٌ عِندي بِما
شَرَعَordained التَعانُقَmutual embraces بَينَamong غُصنِthe bough of البانِthe bān tree
شَرَعَ التَعانُقَ بَينَ غُصنِ البانِ
And the breeze's hand is generous in my eyes, for
it ordained embraces among the bān tree's boughs.
وَعَلىand upon الأَحِبَّةِthe beloved مَنthose عِداهُمother than them رِقيَةٌa spell
وَعَلى الأَحِبَّةِ مَن عِداهُم رِقيَةٌ
وَعَلىand upon الحَمائِمِthe doves رِقيَةُthe spell of الأَغصانِthe boughs
وَعَلى الحَمائِمِ رِقيَةُ الأَغصانِ
And others cast a spell upon the beloved,
and upon the doves lies the spell of the boughs.
وَالريحُand the wind تَحتَbeneath الطَيرِthe birds تَجريrace خَيلُهاits horses
وَالريحُ تَحتَ الطَيرِ تَجري خَيلُها
وَالطَيرُand the birds تُمسِكُhold غُصنَهُits bough بِعَنانِwith a rein
وَالطَيرُ تُمسِكُ غُصنَهُ بِعَنانِ
And beneath the birds the wind's horses race,
while the birds hold their bough with a rein.
وَيَهُزُّنيand sways me كَالغُصنِlike a bough خَمرُthe wine of غِنائِهِits singing
وَيَهُزُّني كَالغُصنِ خَمرُ غِنائِهِ
فَأَقولُso I say هَلwhether غَنّاهُit sang to it أَوor غَنّانيit sang to me
فَأَقولُ هَل غَنّاهُ أَو غَنّاني
And the wine of its song sways me like a bough,
so I ask: did it sing to the bough, or to me?
Sol 6.1