مَرابِعُ سُعدى لِلعُيونِ مَراتِعُ

مَرابِعُ سُعدى لِلعُيونِ مَراتِعُ

وَفيها لِآسادِ العَرينِ مَصارِعُ

وَفيها لِآسادِ العَرينِ مَصارِعُ

Su'da's spring dwellings are pastures for the eyes,

The desert of Sa'daa is grazing land for the eyes,

And there the lions of the lair fall slain.

In it lions have arenas for fighting.

مَرابِعُ تَخشى النائِباتُ رُبوعَها

مَرابِعُ تَخشى النائِباتُ رُبوعَها

وَتَرجو بِها الأَمنَ القُلوبَ الجَوازِعُ

وَتَرجو بِها الأَمنَ القُلوبَ الجَوازِعُ

Dwellings whose precincts calamities fear,

Deserts fear its outskirts,

And within them fearful hearts hope for safety.

And hearts hope for safety there.

بِهِنَّ شُموسُ الحُسنِ تَمسي غَوارِباً

بِهِنَّ شُموسُ الحُسنِ تَمسي غَوارِباً

وَفيهِنَّ أَقمارَ السُعودِ طَوالِعُ

وَفيهِنَّ أَقمارَ السُعودِ طَوالِعُ

There the suns of beauty set at evening,

In them the suns of beauty set as strangers,

And there the moons of good fortune rise.

And in them the moons of good fortune rise.

عَصَيتُ نُهى الناهي عَلَيهِنَّ طائِعاً

عَصَيتُ نُهى الناهي عَلَيهِنَّ طائِعاً

لِأَمرِ الهَوى وَالصَبُّ عاصٍ وَطائِعُ

لِأَمرِ الهَوى وَالصَبُّ عاصٍ وَطائِعُ

I defied the admonisher's counsel concerning them, obedient

I disobeyed the prohibitions of the warner willingly,

To passion's command: the lover disobeys and obeys.

For the command of passion - and youth is disobedient and obedient.

وَواخَيتُ فيهِنَّ الصَبابَةَ يافِعاً

وَواخَيتُ فيهِنَّ الصَبابَةَ يافِعاً

وَشِبتُ وَتَبريحُ الصَبابَةَ يافِعُ

وَشِبتُ وَتَبريحُ الصَبابَةَ يافِعُ

And there I befriended yearning in my youth,

I spent my youth in them as a companion,

And I have grown gray, while yearning's torment remains young.

And grew old while the vigour of youth was still my companion.

وَجامِعَةُ الإِحسانِ وَالحُسنِ مَن بِها

وَجامِعَةُ الإِحسانِ وَالحُسنِ مَن بِها

فُؤادِيَ لِلأَشجانِ وَالحُزنِ جامِعُ

فُؤادِيَ لِلأَشجانِ وَالحُزنِ جامِعُ

And she who unites kindness and beauty is the one through whom

She who combines favour and beauty -

My heart gathers anguish and sorrow.

My heart combines there the branches and sadness.

لِبَرقِ الثَنايا مِن عَقيقِ شِفاهِها

لِبَرقِ الثَنايا مِن عَقيقِ شِفاهِها

شَجَّتني بَروقٌ بِالعَقيقِ لَوامِعُ

شَجَّتني بَروقٌ بِالعَقيقِ لَوامِعُ

For the gleam of her front teeth from the carnelian of her lips,

For the lightning of her white cheeks from carnelian lips

Lightnings flashing at al-Aqiq have wounded me.

Lightnings with carnelian have dazzled me.

إِذا شِمتَهُ عَن مُزنَةٍ مِن رِضابِها

إِذا شِمتَهُ عَن مُزنَةٍ مِن رِضابِها

وَشَحَّت بِهِ سَحَّت عَلَيهِ المَدامِعُ

وَشَحَّت بِهِ سَحَّت عَلَيهِ المَدامِعُ

When you glimpse it from a rain cloud of her saliva,

When you smell it from her braided hair,

And she withholds it, tears pour down upon it.

And she wipes it with that, the tears flow.

لَئِن بَعُدَت لَيلى وَصَدَّت تَعَزُّزاً

لَئِن بَعُدَت لَيلى وَصَدَّت تَعَزُّزاً

فَإِنِّيَ مِنها بِالتَعَطُّفِ طامِعُ

فَإِنِّيَ مِنها بِالتَعَطُّفِ طامِعُ

Even if Layla has grown distant and turned away in pride,

If Layla is distant and unwilling out of coquetry,

Yet I hope for tenderness from her.

I still hope for her gentle ways.

وَأَعذَبُ ما يَستَعذِبُ الصَبُّ نازِحاً

وَأَعذَبُ ما يَستَعذِبُ الصَبُّ نازِحاً

إِذا وَعَدَتهُ بِالدُنُوِّ المَطامِعُ

إِذا وَعَدَتهُ بِالدُنُوِّ المَطامِعُ

And the sweetest thing a lover savors while far away

The most delicious thing a passionate man tastes

Is when hopes promise him nearness.

Is when she promises him hopes of approach.

يُعاوِدُني بِالهَجرِ طَيفُ خَيالِها

يُعاوِدُني بِالهَجرِ طَيفُ خَيالِها

وَإِنّي بِطَيفِ الأَخيَلِيَّةِ قانِعُ

وَإِنّي بِطَيفِ الأَخيَلِيَّةِ قانِعُ

The phantom of her image revisits me in separation,

The apparition of her imagination recurs to me with estrangement,

And I am content with al-Akhyaliyya's phantom.

Yet I am content with the apparition of fantasies.

خَفِيَّةُ مَعنىً قَد خَفَيتُ بِحُبِّها

خَفِيَّةُ مَعنىً قَد خَفَيتُ بِحُبِّها

وَجَدي بِها بَينَ البَرِيَّةِ شائِعُ

وَجَدي بِها بَينَ البَرِيَّةِ شائِعُ

Her meaning is hidden; I have become hidden through loving her,

A hidden meaning I have hidden in my love for her

My passion for her is widespread among humankind.

And my love everywhere in the wilderness is noised abroad.

يُحَجِّبُنا عَنها الغَداةَ سُفورُها

يُحَجِّبُنا عَنها الغَداةَ سُفورُها

وَتَجلو مَعانيها عَلَينا البَراقِعُ

وَتَجلو مَعانيها عَلَينا البَراقِعُ

At daybreak, her unveiling veils us from her,

Her sulkiness in the morning veils her from us

And face-veils reveal her meanings to us.

While her meanings become clear to us through the veils.

فَمِن فَرعِها لَيلُ الضَلالَةِ مُسبِلٌ

فَمِن فَرعِها لَيلُ الضَلالَةِ مُسبِلٌ

وَمِن فَرقِها صُبحُ الهِدايَةِ طالِعُ

وَمِن فَرقِها صُبحُ الهِدايَةِ طالِعُ

So from her tresses the night of error hangs down,

So by some of her branches the night of error sets forth

And from her hair's parting the dawn of guidance rises.

And by some of her separating the dawn of guidance rises.

بِبَعضِ المَعانيها غَدا القَلبُ هائِماً

بِبَعضِ المَعانيها غَدا القَلبُ هائِماً

وَأَيسَرُ ذاكَ البَعضُ ما السَمعُ سامِعُ

وَأَيسَرُ ذاكَ البَعضُ ما السَمعُ سامِعُ

The heart has grown enraptured with some of her meanings,

With some of her meanings the heart has become perplexed

And the least of that portion is what the ear hears.

And that part which the hearing hears is the easiest.

إِلى كَم أُداحي الناسَ في سَترِ حُبِّها

إِلى كَم أُداحي الناسَ في سَترِ حُبِّها

وَحَتّى مَتى عَنها العَذولُ أُدافِعُ

وَحَتّى مَتى عَنها العَذولُ أُدافِعُ

How long shall I dissemble with people to conceal my love for her,

How long can I talk misleadingly to people about my love for her?

And how long shall I fend the reproacher away from her?

And for how long can I defend myself from censure concerning her?

وَما الناسُ إِلّا واحِدٌ في طِلابِها

وَما الناسُ إِلّا واحِدٌ في طِلابِها

فَرَبُّ رَشادٍ في السُلوكِ وَضائِعُ

فَرَبُّ رَشادٍ في السُلوكِ وَضائِعُ

And people are but one in seeking her:

People are but one in seeking her.

Thus one has right guidance on the path, and another is lost.

Many guides are lost in the quest.

هِيَ العَينُ وَالمَعنى حَيقَقَةُ ذاتِها

هِيَ العَينُ وَالمَعنى حَيقَقَةُ ذاتِها

وَتَعديدُ أَسماها فَبِالإِسمِ واقِعُ

وَتَعديدُ أَسماها فَبِالإِسمِ واقِعُ

She is the essence; meaning is the reality of her being,

She is the essence and the meaning in her real self,

And the multiplicity of her names lies in naming alone.

While counting her names occurs through the name.

حَمَت سِرَّها سُمُرُ الرِماحِ وَحَجَبَت

حَمَت سِرَّها سُمُرُ الرِماحِ وَحَجَبَت

بِها البيضَ بيضٌ مِن نُمَيرٍ قَواطِعُ

بِها البيضَ بيضٌ مِن نُمَيرٍ قَواطِعُ

Brown spears guarded her secret, and a veil was drawn

The dark nights of spears have protected her mystery and veiled

With them over the fair women by Numayr's keen white blades.

Her with white veils of Numeir's unsheathed swords.

وَكَيفَ يُرَجّي الرَيَّ مِن بَحرِ جودِها

وَكَيفَ يُرَجّي الرَيَّ مِن بَحرِ جودِها

أَخو عَمَةٍ عَمَّت عَلَيهِ الشَرائِعُ

أَخو عَمَةٍ عَمَّت عَلَيهِ الشَرائِعُ

And how can he hope to quench his thirst from the sea of her bounty—

How can the humble aspire to her sea of generosity -

One bewildered, for whom the paths to water are obscured?

A cousin whose cousins have been forbidden by the laws?