مَنwho ليfor me بِوَصلِwith union with مُمَنَّعٍan unapproachable beloved قَطَعَتsevered يَديthe two hands of
مَن لي بِوَصلِ مُمَنَّعٍ قَطَعَت يَدي
سَلوانَsolace عاشِقِهِhis lover صَوارِمُkeen swords جَفنِهِhis eyelid
سَلوانَ عاشِقِهِ صَوارِمُ جَفنِهِ
Who can bring me union with an unapproachable beloved? Severed are the hands
Who granted me union with the beloved who was forbidden to me, whom the swords of my eyelids cut off my hand from reaching?
of his lover’s solace by the keen swords of his eyelid.
I yearned, I yearned for the beauty of the camel litters, but the inner beauty that people saw openly in them negated my passion and took away my fervor for them, because I was more helpless before it than it was before me.
أَحوىdark-lipped حَوىencompassed جُمَلَthe entirety of الجَمالbeauty فَباطِنُthus the inner aspect of الthe
أَحوى حَوى جُمَلَ الجَمال فَباطِنُ ال
حُسنِbeauty الَّذيthat فيin الناسِpeople ظاهِرُthe outward aspect of حُسنِهِhis beauty
حُسنِ الَّذي في الناسِ ظاهِرُ حُسنِهِ
Dark-lipped, he holds all beauty; thus the inner aspect of the
beauty found in people is the outward aspect of his beauty.
إيجابُaffirmation of وَجديmy longing فيهِfor him سالِبُnegating سَلوَتيmy solace
إيجابُ وَجدي فيهِ سالِبُ سَلوَتي
عَنهُapart from him لِأَنّيbecause I am مِنهُfrom him أَيسَرُthe least of مِنِّهِhis bounty
عَنهُ لِأَنّي مِنهُ أَيسَرُ مِنِّهِ
The affirmation of my longing for him negates my solace
apart from him, for I am from him—the least of his bounty.
Partial English translation: 2 of 6 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1