عرجturn aside علىto واديvalley العقيقal-Aqiq
عرج على وادي العقيق
إلىtoward الحصبthe pebbled ground منof منىMina
إلى الحصب من منى
Turn aside awhile at Wadi al-‘Aqiq,
Turn aside to the valley of al-Aqiq,
toward al-Hasab, coming from Mina;
toward the pebbled ground of Mina.
وانظرand look at خيامtents القاطنينthe residents
وانظر خيام القاطنين
وسلand ask بهنwithin them القطناthe dwellers
وسل بهن القطنا
behold the tents of those encamped there,
Look at the tents of those dwelling there,
and ask their dwellers within:
and question the residents within them:
هلdo? تعرفونyou know مدلهاa love-bewildered man
هل تعرفون مدلها
بهمbecause of them ضنىwasted away وهمand they are الضنىthe wasting sickness
بهم ضنى وهم الضنى
Do you know one maddened by love,
Do you know a man bewildered by love,
wasted away by them, though they are the wasting sickness?
wasted away by them, while they are the very sickness?
واسألهمand ask them منwho ذاthis الذيwho
واسألهم من ذا الذي
لهمfor them تحللbecame lawful prey قبلناbefore us
لهم تحلل قبلنا
And ask them: who is this man
And ask them who it was
who, before us, ever broke free of them?
who became lawful prey for them before us.
هلis it? جائزpermissible يقنصنthey hunt منsomeone
هل جائز يقنصن من
غيرother than الذيthe one who فيهمagainst them جنىcommitted a wrong
غير الذي فيهم جنى
Is it fair that they break faith with anyone
Is it lawful for them to hunt someone
other than one who has wronged them?
other than one who wronged them?
فأناfor I الذيam the one who فيهمin dealing with them غدوbecame (continued)
فأنا الذي فيهم غدو
تI (verb ending) علىdespite الإساءةthe mistreatment محسناkind
ت على الإساءة محسنا
For I am he who among them went on
For I am the one who, with them, became
meeting injury with kindness.
kind in the face of mistreatment.
هجرواthey deserted وصلتI kept the bond وواعدواand they made promises
هجروا وصلت وواعدوا
خلفواthey broke their promises وفيتand I kept faith لهمwith them أناI
خلفوا وفيت لهم أنا
They forsook me; I held fast. They made promises,
They deserted me; I kept the bond; they made promises—
then broke them; I kept faith with them.
they broke them, while I kept faith with them.
ياO حبذاhow lovely برقاًa lightning flash سرىtraveled by night
يا حبذا برقاً سرى
منfrom نحوthe direction of ليلىLayla نحوناtoward us
من نحو ليلى نحونا
Ah, how lovely—a lightning flash that journeyed by night
How lovely the lightning that traveled by night
from Layla’s quarter toward us,
from Layla's direction toward us!
يغريentices سرابيلrobes الدجىthe darkness
يغري سرابيل الدجى
ونحوتand I headed toward طامسةobscured الفناthe open expanse
ونحوت طامسة الفنا
setting the robes of darkness ablaze,
It entices the robes of darkness,
as I made for a track-effacing waste.
and I headed for a land whose reaches were obscured.
ولربand many a طامسةeffaced الضوىthe light (reading uncertain)
ولرب طامسة الضوى
لمnot تلقyou found فيهاwithin it المعطناthe watering place
لم تلق فيها المعطنا
And many a waste that blotted out the light,
And many a wilderness with its light effaced—
where no resting-place for camels could be found!
you found no watering place within it.
مثلlike البزاةthe falcons الجانحاthe wing-spreading (continued)
مثل البزاة الجانحا
تplural ending of 'wing-spreading' رأتit saw ضياءbrightness رحبناour open expanse
ت رأت ضياء رحبنا
Like falcons banking on the wing,
Like falcons with wings outspread,
that saw the glow of our spacious camp;
it saw the brightness of our open land;
أوor كالفروقlike hair-partings وكالسيوفand like swords
أو كالفروق وكالسيوف
الفاقداتbereft of الأجفناthe sheaths
الفاقدات الأجفنا
or like startled gazelles, and like swords
or like hair-partings, and like swords
stripped of their sheaths.
bereft of their sheaths.
خلىmade أيانقناour she-camels تحنyearn (continued)
خلى أيانقنا تحن
نcompletion of 'yearn' إلىtoward تلاعravines المنحنىthe bend
ن إلى تلاع المنحنى
My friend, our she-camels yearned
It set our she-camels yearning
toward the uplands by the winding pass.
toward the ravines of the winding ground.
باتتthey spent the night تصاليهvying with it فمنthen from
باتت تصاليه فمن
هناhere يفرit flees ومنand from هناhere
هنا يفر ومن هنا
They spent the night braving its blaze; then one
They spent the night vying with it; then from
fled this way, another that.
here it darted away, and from there.
وجدتfelt longing أيانقناour she-camels إلىfor
وجدت أيانقنا إلى
ليلىLayla الشريفةthe noble وجدناour longing
ليلى الشريفة وجدنا
Our she-camels felt a longing for
Our she-camels felt longing for
noble Layla—the very longing we felt.
noble Layla, as we longed.
خفناwe feared منfrom الأكوارthe saddles ومflash (word begins)
خفنا من الأكوار وم
ضcompletion of 'flash' البرقthe lightning أنthat يتبزناit might snatch us away
ض البرق أن يتبزنا
From atop the camel-saddles we feared the flash
We feared that from the saddles the flash
of lightning, lest it wrench us away,
of lightning might snatch us away,
ويهزهاand shake them منfrom تحتناbeneath us
ويهزها من تحتنا
وعلىand upon مطاهاtheir backs هزناshake us
وعلى مطاها هزنا
shaking her beneath us
and shake them beneath us,
and shaking us upon her back.
and shake us upon their backs.
عرفتI recognized بهاthere جناتهاits gardens
عرفت بها جناتها
ورياحهاand its winds شكتcomplained of الوناweariness
ورياحها شكت الونا
The wilderness’s jinn came to know us there,
I recognized its gardens there,
and its winds complained of weariness.
and its winds complained of weariness.
لوif رامhe sought يقطعهاto cross it سليSolomon (first part)
لو رام يقطعها سلي
مانSolomon (completion) لقصرhe would have fallen short وانثنىand turned back
مان لقصر وانثنى
Had Solomon attempted to cross it,
Had Solomon sought to cross it,
he would have fallen short and turned back.
he would have fallen short and turned back.
مناfrom us النجومthe stars طوالعrising
منا النجوم طوالع
وغواربand setting تحتbeneath السناthe radiance
وغوارب تحت السنا
From our midst, the stars kept rising
From us the stars rise,
and setting beneath the radiance.
and set beneath the radiance.
لمnot نلقwe encountered فيwithin أجوازهاits expanses
لم نلق في أجوازها
إلىtoward المواردthe watering places أجناstagnant water
إلى الموارد أجنا
Throughout its inner reaches we found
We did not find within its expanses,
nothing but stagnant watering holes.
on the way to watering places, any stagnant water.
طلقتهاI forsook it صحبيmy companions علىupon
طلقتها صحبي على
أكوارsaddles عيسٍpale camels كالفناlike fana shrubs (reading uncertain)
أكوار عيسٍ كالفنا
My company sent her racing upon
I forsook it, my companions, riding upon
the saddles of pale camels, swift as doom.
the saddles of pale camels, like fana shrubs,
قبلforward-turned (vocalization uncertain) المرافقthe elbows نزلٌlow-hanging
قبل المرافق نزلٌ
خاضتthey waded through وحاصتand veered aside أعيناsprings
خاضت وحاصت أعينا
Before reaching the way-stations, they dismounted;
with forward-turned elbows hanging low.
our eyes plunged ahead, then shied away.
They waded through springs and veered aside.
وصلتthey joined هواجرهاtheir scorching midday hours السرىnight travel
وصلت هواجرها السرى
ودلاجهاand their night journeys والموهناand the deep of night
ودلاجها والموهنا
She joined her noonday marches to night travel,
They joined their scorching midday hours to night travel,
and her predawn travel to welcome rest,
their journeys in darkness and the deep of night,
حتىuntil غدتthey became وكأنهاand as though they were
حتى غدت وكأنها
عودa branch ثوىlay still لنwill never يجتنيbe harvested (reading uncertain)
عود ثوى لن يجتني
until she became as though she were
until they became as though they were
a fallen bough, left lying, never to be gathered.
a branch lying still, never to yield a harvest.
مذwhen شارفتthey approached أعلامlandmarks ليلىLayla
مذ شارفت أعلام ليلى
غدوةٌearly morning فاضتthey surged بناwith us
غدوةٌ فاضت بنا
When she drew near Layla’s landmarks,
When they approached Layla's landmarks
at dawn she surged onward, bearing us.
at dawn, they surged forward with us.
نظرتthey saw مواقفهاher halting places وراand sought (continued)
نظرت مواقفها ورا
متcompletion of 'sought' فيin المساعيthe endeavors سعيناour striving
مت في المساعي سعينا
She gazed upon her stopping places and strove
They saw her halting places and sought
along the paths of striving toward the goal we sought.
to match our striving in their efforts.
ياO أهلpeople of ليلىLayla منwho وراbehind (continued)
يا أهل ليلى من ورا
كمyou (plural; completes 'behind you') مثلناlike us قدalready افتناbecame enchanted (unclear form)
كم مثلنا قد افتنا
O people of Layla, who, in pursuit of you,
O people of Layla, who, behind
has ever become as infatuated as we?
you, has been enchanted as we have?
فأناfor I الذيam the one who بكمwith you شغفbecame enamored (continued)
فأنا الذي بكم شغف
تI (verb ending) فليتكمso would that you كنتyou were (wording irregular) أناI
ت فليتكم كنت أنا
For I am the one who fell in love with you—
For I am the one who became enamored of you—
would that you were I!
if only you were I!
Sol 6.1