ياO! لهاfor them (exclamatory) منof (exclamatory) معارفِfamiliar haunts
يا لها من معارفِ
ياO! لهاfor them (exclamatory) منof (exclamatory) مآلفِcherished places
يا لها من مآلفِ
Ah, what familiar haunts!
O how fine her companions are!
Ah, what cherished places!
O how fine her associations are!
لوif قضيناwe fulfilled حقوقهاtheir due rights
لو قضينا حقوقها
بالدموعwith tears الذوارفfreely streaming
بالدموع الذوارف
If we paid them their due
Had we fulfilled her rights
in freely streaming tears,
With abundant flowing tears,
لمحتْwould erase آيَهاtheir traces المداtears (word begins)
لمحتْ آيَها المدا
معُtears (word ends) مَحْوَthe erasure of الصَّحائفthe pages
معُ مَحْوَ الصَّحائف
tears would efface their traces
Her signs would have shone, with the erasure of pages.
as pages are wiped clean.
Standing still in some of those places does not satisfy me,
لاdo not تَسُمنيmake me endure الوقوفlingering فيin
لا تَسُمني الوقوف في
بعضsome of تلكthose المواقفthe stopping places
بعض تلك المواقف
Do not make me linger in
And neither does the pure drink of wine,
some of those stopping places.
From the light-footed one's hand,
واجنand gather صفوَthe purest of المدامthe wine منfrom
واجن صفوَ المدام من
ريقِsaliva صافيunblemished السوالفthe sides of the neck
ريقِ صافي السوالف
And gather the purest wine from
While heavy in the howdah.
the saliva of one with an unblemished neck,
In ornamented gardens,
منfrom خفيفone light in الخُطىsteps علىdespite
من خفيف الخُطى على
ثِقَلٍheaviness فيin الروادفthe haunches
ثِقَلٍ في الروادف
from one light of step, despite
Adorned with the greens of meadows,
the heaviness of the haunches,
The ground was dotted with violet,
فيin جنانٍgardens مزخرفاadorned (word begins)
في جنانٍ مزخرفا
تٍadorned (word ends) بِحَليِwith the jewels of الزَّخارفornamentation
تٍ بِحَليِ الزَّخارف
in gardens adorned
Like the dots of scripture.
with ornamental jewels,
And we have a narcissus that transcends
ورياضٍand meadows موشّحاdraped (word begins)
ورياضٍ موشّحا
تٍdraped (word ends) بِخُضرwith green المطارفbordered mantles
تٍ بِخُضر المطارف
and meadows draped
The ability of any describer,
in green, bordered mantles.
With the eyes of onlookers,
نُقِّطتْwas dotted بالبنفسجwith violets الthe (article)
نُقِّطتْ بالبنفسج ال
أرضُearth نَقْطَthe dotting of المصاحفthe Qur'an manuscripts
أرضُ نَقْطَ المصاحف
The earth was dotted with violets,
And the eyes of maidens.
as Qur'an manuscripts are dotted.
If you could see it swaying
ولناand we have نرجسٌnarcissus تَعاgrew magnificent (word begins)
ولنا نرجسٌ تَعا
ظمَgrew magnificent (word ends) عنbeyond حدِّthe limit of واصفa describer
ظمَ عن حدِّ واصف
And we have narcissus, magnificent
Like the swaying of gentle gazelles,
beyond any describer's bounds:
Confused among yellow and white -
كعيونٍlike eyes نواظرٍgazing
كعيونٍ نواظرٍ
وعيونٍand eyes طوارفblinking
وعيونٍ طوارف
like eyes that gaze
Standing still.
and eyes that blink.
Like the black of gazelle's eyes
لوif تراهُyou saw it يميدit sways مَيْswaying (word begins)
لو تراهُ يميد مَيْ
دَswaying (word ends) الغوانيbeautiful women الظرائفgraceful
دَ الغواني الظرائف
If you saw it sway with the sway
In the palms of young ladies,
of graceful beauties,
Among crowned cypress trees
حِرتَyou would be bewildered فيat أصفرٍyellow علىupon
حِرتَ في أصفرٍ على
أبيضٍwhite منهof it واقفstanding; poised
أبيضٍ منه واقف
you would be bewildered by yellow poised upon
And cooing doves.
its white,
Like maidens when they don jewellery
مثلlike أحداقeye-pupils عسجدٍgold
مثل أحداق عسجدٍ
فيin أكفthe palms of الوصائفmaidservants
في أكف الوصائف
like pupils of gold
Of short chemises,
in maidservants' palms,
And streams whose murmuring
بينَamong سروٍcypresses مكلَّلٍcrowned
بينَ سروٍ مكلَّلٍ
بالحمامwith doves الهواتفcooing
بالحمام الهواتف
among cypresses crowned
Is like the stirring of lutes,
with cooing doves,
The gentlest of winds designed their carving.
كالجواريlike maidens إذاwhen لتحفwrap themselves (word begins)
كالجواري إذا لتحف
نthey (feminine plural suffix) قصارَshort الملاحفmantles
ن قصارَ الملاحف
like maidens when they wrap themselves
How many a tear I have shed, while the torrent
in short mantles,
Of calamities was let loose!
وسواقٍand watercourses خريرهاtheir murmuring
وسواقٍ خريرها
كاصطخابlike the clamor of المعازفmusical instruments
كاصطخاب المعازف
and watercourses whose murmuring
Her ostriches walk
is like the clamor of musical instruments.
Like the walking of bishops.
أَبدعتfashioned artfully نَقشَهاtheir pattern أكhands (word begins)
أَبدعت نَقشَها أك
ففُّhands (irregular word ending) الرياحthe winds الضعائفgentle; weak
ففُّ الرياح الضعائف
Their pattern was artfully wrought by the hands
Swaying from their sides
of gentle winds.
Are the fringes of their mantles.
ربmany a خرقٍdesert waste خرَقتُI traversed واللwhile the (irregular article fragment)
رب خرقٍ خرَقتُ والل
سيلُflood مُلقىspread; laid out الرفارفthe fringes
سيلُ مُلقى الرفارف
Many a waste I crossed, while
With an imam leading, in front of the row
the flood lay with its fringes spread,
Of raging winds.
تتمشَّىwalks; strides نعامُهُits ostriches
تتمشَّى نعامُهُ
كتمشِّيlike the walking of الأساقفbishops
كتمشِّي الأساقف
its ostriches walking
Playing with their hands in travel
as bishops walk,
Is the play of checkered cloth,
مُلْقياتٍletting hang منfrom الجواthe sides (word begins)
مُلْقياتٍ من الجوا
نبِthe sides (word ends) خَمْلَthe soft pile of القطائفplush coverlets
نبِ خَمْلَ القطائف
letting hang from their flanks
Like a lance-thrower - no, like an archer - no, like a sword-fighter
the soft pile of plush coverlets,
Graceful when folding
بإمامٍon a leader أمامَahead of صline (word begins)
بإمامٍ أمامَ ص
فِّline (word ends) الرياحthe winds العواصفraging
فِّ الرياح العواصف
on a leader ahead of the line
Those battle ranks after battle ranks.
of raging winds,
He continued folding the abodes of communion after separation,
بِلَعوبِon one playful with اليدينِthe two forelegs فيin الthe (article)
بِلَعوبِ اليدينِ في ال
سَّيرtravel لُعبthe play of المُثاقِفthe fencer
سَّير لُعب المُثاقِف
on one whose forelegs play as it
Knowing the place of the Gnostics through Abul Hussein.
travels, with the play of a fencer,
He is a young man whose disposition befits
كالمراميlike an archer بلrather كالمَطاlike a spear-fighter (word begins)
كالمرامي بل كالمَطا
عنِspear-fighter (word ends) بلrather كالمُسايفlike a swordsman
عنِ بل كالمُسايف
like an archer—no, like a spear-fighter,
The disposition of successors.
no, like a swordsman,
The king of generosity - his property
لَبِقٌdeft عندwhen طيِّهِits folding up
لَبِقٌ عند طيِّهِ
بُسْطَthe carpets of تلكthose الصَّفاصفlevel wastes
بُسْطَ تلك الصَّفاصف
deft as it folds up
Is without scarcity or paucity.
the carpets of those level wastes.
So you see him giving generously
ظلَّkept يَطْويfolding up بيَwith me التناthe wildernesses (word begins)
ظلَّ يَطْوي بيَ التنا
ئفَwildernesses (word ends) بعدafter التنائفthe wildernesses
ئفَ بعد التنائف
It kept folding up, with me aboard,
The generosity of gamblers.
wilderness after wilderness,
With glory against the shameful,
عارفاًknowing منfrom أبيAbu (father of) الحسيal-Husayn (name begins)
عارفاً من أبي الحسي
نِal-Husayn (name ends) مكانَthe place of العوارفgenerous favors
نِ مكانَ العوارف
knowing in Abu al-Husayn
And gentleness towards the gentle,
the home of generous favors,
He is fear for the safe
منfrom فتىًa young man عودُهُhis stock; his wood مُناakin (word begins)
من فتىً عودُهُ مُنا
سبُakin (word ends) عُودِthe stock of الخلائفthe caliphs
سبُ عُودِ الخلائف
from a young man whose stock is akin
And safety for the fearful.
to the stock of caliphs.
A star never setting,
ملكhas claimed الجودgenerosity مالهhis wealth
ملك الجود ماله
منcomprising تليدinherited wealth وطارفand newly acquired wealth
من تليد وطارف
Generosity has claimed his wealth,
A moon never waning.
both inherited and newly gained,
فتراهso you see him يجودgives generously بالwith the (article fragment)
فتراه يجود بال
مالِwealth جُوْدَwith the generosity of المجازِفone giving without reckoning
مالِ جُوْدَ المجازِف
so you see him lavishing
wealth like one who keeps no reckoning.
ذوpossessing إِباءٍproud defiance علىtoward الأبthe defiant one (word begins)
ذو إِباءٍ على الأب
يِّdefiant (word ends) وطوعُand compliant with الملاطِفthe gentle one
يِّ وطوعُ الملاطِف
Proudly defiant toward the defiant,
yet yielding to the gentle,
فهوso he is خوفٌterror لآمنfor one secure
فهو خوفٌ لآمن
وهوand he is أَمنٌsafety لخائفfor one afraid
وهو أَمنٌ لخائف
so he is terror to the secure,
and he is safety to the fearful:
كوكبٌa star عيرnot (apparent typo for غير) آفلٍsetting
كوكبٌ عير آفلٍ
قمرٌa moon غيرnot كاسفeclipsed
قمرٌ غير كاسف
a star that never sets,
a moon never eclipsed.
Partial English translation: 57 of 66 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1