مَنwho لِصَبٍّfor a lovesick man لَمdid not تَخبُdie down فيin الحُبِّlove نارُهْhis fire
مَن لِصَبٍّ لَم تَخبُ في الحُبِّ نارُهْ
كَيفَhow تَخبوdies down وَمُصطَليهاwhile what basks in it اِدِّكارُهhis remembrance
كَيفَ تَخبو وَمُصطَليها اِدِّكارُه
Who will help a lovesick man whose fire of love has not died?
How could it die, when his remembrance basks in its heat?
فَتَأَمَّلso consider زَفيرَهُhis sigh تَلقَهُyou will find it مِنfrom
فَتَأَمَّل زَفيرَهُ تَلقَهُ مِن
لَهَبٍa flame فيin الفُؤادِthe heart طارَflew شَرارُهits sparks
لَهَبٍ في الفُؤادِ طارَ شَرارُه
Consider his sigh: you will find it comes from
a flame within the heart whose sparks have flown.
لَيسَdoes not يَصحُوsober up مِنَfrom الغَرامِpassion نَزيفٌan intoxicated man
لَيسَ يَصحُو مِنَ الغَرامِ نَزيفٌ
وَالهَوىwhile love مِنهُfrom it خَمرُهُhis wine وَخُمارُهand his hangover
وَالهَوى مِنهُ خَمرُهُ وَخُمارُه
No one drunk on passion sobers up,
when love supplies both his wine and his hangover.
آهِah واalas رَحمَتاpity! لِمَنfor one whose بِزَرودٍat Zarud
آهِ وا رَحمَتا لِمَن بِزَرودٍ
إِلفُهُhis beloved نازِحٌfar away وَبِالشامِwhile in al-Sham دارُهhis home
إِلفُهُ نازِحٌ وَبِالشامِ دارُه
Ah! Alas, pity the man: at Zarud
his beloved is far away, while his home is in al-Sham.
أَيَمَلُّdoes he tire of? البُكاweeping أَسيرُa captive of غَرامٍpassion
أَيَمَلُّ البُكا أَسيرُ غَرامٍ
ماnot تَقَضَّتwere fulfilled مِنَof الصِباyouth أَوطارُهhis desires
ما تَقَضَّت مِنَ الصِبا أَوطارُه
Does love's captive ever tire of weeping,
his youthful desires still unfulfilled?
لِيَI have نَفسٌa soul لَمdid not يَبقَremain إِلاexcept ذَماهاits last vestige of life
لِيَ نَفسٌ لَم يَبقَ إِلا ذَماها
وَفُؤادٌand a heart فيin الحُبِّlove عَزَّis hard to attain اِصطِبارُهits patient endurance
وَفُؤادٌ في الحُبِّ عَزَّ اِصطِبارُه
I have a soul with only its last breath remaining,
and a heart that finds endurance in love so hard.
ياO عَذوليmy reproacher فيمَنover one who يَقومُstands بِعُذريin my defense
يا عَذولي فيمَن يَقومُ بِعُذري
كُلَّماwhenever لاحَappears لِلعُيونِto the eyes عِذارُهhis cheek-down
كُلَّما لاحَ لِلعُيونِ عِذارُه
O you who chide me for one who stands in my defense
whenever his downy cheek appears before the eyes!
بَدرُa full moon تِمٍّfullness ماnot قابَلَfaced البَدرَthe moon إِلاexcept
بَدرُ تِمٍّ ما قابَلَ البَدرَ إِلا
وَاِنسَرىand faded away تِمُّهُits fullness وَوافىand arrived سِرارُهits moonless phase
وَاِنسَرى تِمُّهُ وَوافى سِرارُه
A moon at its full: never does he face the moon
but its fullness fades and its dark phase comes.
بَهَرَoutshone الشَمسَthe sun فيat الضُحىforenoon وَجهُهُhis face حُسin beauty (start)
بَهَرَ الشَمسَ في الضُحى وَجهُهُ حُس
ناًin beauty (end) وَيُزريand puts to shame بِأَوجِهاits zenith أَزرارُهhis buttons
ناً وَيُزري بِأَوجِها أَزرارُه
His face outshone the morning sun in beauty,
and his buttons put its zenith to shame.
عَجَباًhow strange! لامرِئٍfor a man يَعيشُto live وَقَدwhile already فاparted from (start)
عَجَباً لامرِئٍ يَعيشُ وَقَد فا
رَقَparted from (end) أَحبابَهُhis loved ones وَشَطَّand grew distant مَزارُهhis visiting-place
رَقَ أَحبابَهُ وَشَطَّ مَزارُه
How strange that a man should live when he has parted
from his loved ones, and his visiting-place lies far away!
قَدindeed تَساوىhave become alike فيماin what يُكابِدُهُhe endures it مِنfrom
قَد تَساوى فيما يُكابِدُهُ مِن
لاعِجِsearing heat of الشَوقِlonging لَيلُهُhis night وَنَهارُهand his day
لاعِجِ الشَوقِ لَيلُهُ وَنَهارُه
Alike, in all he suffers from
longing's searing fire, are his night and day.
ساحِرُa sorcerer of اللَحظِglances لَوif رَأىsaw نَفثَهُhis spell-blowing موMoses (start)
ساحِرُ اللَحظِ لَو رَأى نَفثَهُ مو
سَىMoses (end) لأَعيَتwould have proved too hard عَلىfor العَصاthe staff أَسحارُهhis spells
سَى لأَعيَت عَلى العَصا أَسحارُه
A sorcerer of glances: had Moses seen his spell-breath,
his spells would have proved too much for the staff.
أَسَفاًalas مِنbecause of قَوامِهِhis figure كُلَّماwhenever نِيwas fastened (start)
أَسَفاً مِن قَوامِهِ كُلَّما نِي
طَwas fastened (end) نَحيلاًslender كَخَصرِهِlike his waist زُنّارُهhis girdle
طَ نَحيلاً كَخَصرِهِ زُنّارُه
Ah, the anguish his figure brings whenever
his girdle is fastened, slender as his waist!
يَظلِمُoppresses الرِدفُthe rump خَصرَهُhis waist حينَwhen يَمشيhe walks
يَظلِمُ الرِدفُ خَصرَهُ حينَ يَمشي
كَيفَhow يَسعىdoes it strive لِظُلمِهِto wrong it وَهوَthough it is جارُهits neighbor
كَيفَ يَسعى لِظُلمِهِ وَهوَ جارُه
His rump oppresses his waist when he walks;
how can it seek to wrong it, though it is its neighbor?
هُوَhe مِثلُlike الغَزالِthe gazelle لَحظاًin glance وَجيداًand in neck
هُوَ مِثلُ الغَزالِ لَحظاً وَجيداً
وَالتِفاتاًand in turning حَتّىeven النِفارُthe shying away نفارُهits shying away
وَالتِفاتاً حَتّى النِفارُ نفارُه
He is like a gazelle in glance and neck,
and in turning—even his shying is the gazelle's.
يُخجِلُputs to shame الجُلَّنارَpomegranate blossom خَدّاهُhis two cheeks وَالخَمand wine (start)
يُخجِلُ الجُلَّنارَ خَدّاهُ وَالخَم
رَwine (end) لَماهُhis lips' dark hue وَالأُقحُوانَand daisies اِفترارُهhis smile
رَ لَماهُ وَالأُقحُوانَ اِفترارُه
His cheeks shame pomegranate blossom, and wine
is shamed by his dark lips, and daisies by his smile.
يفغَمُoverwhelms the nose المِسكmusk مِنfrom ثَناياهُhis front teeth وَالعَنand ambergris (start)
يفغَمُ المِسك مِن ثَناياهُ وَالعَن
بَرُambergris (end) وَهَناًlate at night فَمَنso who تُرىdo you suppose عَطّارُهhis perfumer
بَرُ وَهَناً فَمَن تُرى عَطّارُه
Musk and ambergris waft headily from between his teeth
late at night—so who, I wonder, is his perfumer?
عانَقَembraced الحُمرَةَredness البَياضُwhiteness بِخَدَّيon both cheeks
عانَقَ الحُمرَةَ البَياضُ بِخَدَّي
هِhis بِنَفسيwith my life اِبيِضاضُهhis whiteness وَاِحمِرارُهand his redness
هِ بِنَفسي اِبيِضاضُه وَاِحمِرارُه
Whiteness embraced redness upon his cheeks;
I would give my life for his whiteness and redness!
وَتُريكَand shows you النَعيمَbliss زَورَتُهُhis visit لَيat night (start)
وَتُريكَ النَعيمَ زَورَتُهُ لَي
لاًat night (end) وَلَيسَand is not الجَحيمُhell إِلاexcept اِزوِرارُهhis turning away
لاً وَلَيسَ الجَحيمُ إِلا اِزوِرارُه
And his visit by night shows you bliss,
and hell is nothing but his turning away.
حَبَّذاhow dear حاجِرٌHajir وَأكنافُand the environs of نَجدٍNajd
حَبَّذا حاجِرٌ وَأكنافُ نَجدٍ
وَالمُصَلّىand al-Musalla وَشيحُهُand its wormwood وَعَرارُهand its aromatic arar flowers
وَالمُصَلّى وَشيحُهُ وَعَرارُه
How dear are Hajir and the environs of Najd,
and al-Musalla, its wormwood and its arar blossoms!
حينَwhen بُردُthe mantle of الشَبابِyouth ضافٍample قَشيبٌnew
حينَ بُردُ الشَبابِ ضافٍ قَشيبٌ
وَالصِباand youth الغَضُّtender يانِعاتٌripe ثِمارُهits fruits
وَالصِبا الغَضُّ يانِعاتٌ ثِمارُه
When youth's mantle was ample and new,
and tender youth's fruits were ripe,
وَنَسيمٌand a breeze سَرىpassed by night فَنَبَّهَthen awakened زَهرَthe flowers of الthe
وَنَسيمٌ سَرى فَنَبَّهَ زَهرَ ال
رَوضِgarden لماwhen تَبَلَّجَتshone forth أَزهارُهits blossoms
رَوضِ لما تَبَلَّجَت أَزهارُه
and a breeze passed by night, awakening the flowers of the
garden, when its blossoms shone forth,
فَشَمَمناso we breathed in وَقَدwhile already تَأَرَّجَwafted fragrantly مِنهُfrom it
فَشَمَمنا وَقَد تَأَرَّجَ مِنهُ
نَشرُthe scent of مِسكٍmusk باتَتspent the night تُذَبَّحُbeing slit open فارُهits musk pods
نَشرُ مِسكٍ باتَت تُذَبَّحُ فارُه
then we breathed in, while from it wafted
the scent of musk whose pods were being slit all night.
Sol 6.1