أَيّامُناour days بِالرَقمَتَينِat al-Raqmatayn تَوَلَّتِpassed away
أَيّامُنا بِالرَقمَتَينِ تَوَلَّتِ
فَعَلَيَّso over me أَنواعُkinds of الهُمومِcares تَوَلَّتِtook command
فَعَلَيَّ أَنواعُ الهُمومِ تَوَلَّتِ
Our days at al-Raqmatayn have passed away,
Our days have turned away with the two counts
So over me all manner of cares have taken command.
So all kinds of worries have turned to me
كَمhow many a لَيلَةٍnight ليfor me بِالعُذَيبِat al-ʿUdhayb وَحاجِرٍand Ḥājir
كَم لَيلَةٍ لي بِالعُذَيبِ وَحاجِرٍ
قَصُرَتwere brief لَقَدindeed كَثُرَتwere many لَدَيَّwith me وَقَلَّتِand were few
قَصُرَت لَقَد كَثُرَت لَدَيَّ وَقَلَّتِ
How many a night was mine at al-ʿUdhayb and Ḥājir!
How many nights have been short for me in suffering and insomnia
They were brief—indeed, many were mine, yet few.
Indeed they have become many for me and few
فَكَأَنَّهاso it seemed to be أُنشوطَةٌa slipknot عَبَثَتtoyed بِهاwith it
فَكَأَنَّها أُنشوطَةٌ عَبَثَت بِها
كَفُّthe hand of الصَباحِmorning مُجاذِباًtugging فَاِنحَلَّتِso it came undone
كَفُّ الصَباحِ مُجاذِباً فَاِنحَلَّتِ
So it seemed a slipknot, toyed with
It is as if they are the ends of a rope played with
By morning's hand, which tugged—and it came undone.
By the palm of morning flirting so they slipped away
وَغريرَةٍand a guileless maiden رَقَّتsoftened قَساوَةُthe hardness of قَلبِهاher heart
وَغريرَةٍ رَقَّت قَساوَةُ قَلبِها
فَرَثَتso she pitied لِفَيضِfor the flood of مَدامِعيmy tears المُنهَلَّةِstreaming
فَرَثَت لِفَيضِ مَدامِعي المُنهَلَّةِ
And a guileless maiden—her heart's hardness softened,
And a willing gazelle whose heart’s hardness melted
So she pitied the flood of my streaming tears.
Weeping at the outpouring of my streaming tears
فَكَأَنَّهاso she seemed to be إِذwhen فارَقَتleft أَترابَهاher peers
فَكَأَنَّها إِذ فارَقَت أَترابَها
فيin الحُسنِbeauty واسِطَةُthe central pearl of الفِرِندِthe jeweled necklace اِنسَلَّتِslipped free
في الحُسنِ واسِطَةُ الفِرِندِ اِنسَلَّتِ
So it seemed, when she left her peers
It is as if when she left her peers
In beauty, that a necklace's central pearl had slipped free.
In beauty the doe of the meadow slipped away
غارَتsank out of sight غُصونُbranches of البانِthe bān-tree فيinto كُثُبِdunes of النَقاfine sand
غارَت غُصونُ البانِ في كُثُبِ النَقا
لَمّاwhen تَثَنَّتshe swayed بَينَbetween ثِنتَيtwo حُلَّةِrobe
لَمّا تَثَنَّت بَينَ ثِنتَي حُلَّةِ
The bān-tree's branches sank into dunes of fine sand,
The branches of the wild plum bent in the dune’s rolls
When she swayed between two robes.
When she bent between two folds of a garment
فَضَمَمتُهاso I embraced her شَوقاًlongingly فَكَمand how many مِنof نَهلَةٍa first draught
فَضَمَمتُها شَوقاً فَكَم مِن نَهلَةٍ
ليfor me مِنfrom ثَناياهاher front teeth العِذابِsweet وَعلَّةِand a second draught
لي مِن ثَناياها العِذابِ وَعلَّةِ
So I embraced her longingly—how many a first draught
I held her longingly, how much sweetness
Was mine from her sweet front teeth, and how many a second!
I got from her folds’ suffering and torment
فَتَبَسَّمَتthen she smiled عَنrevealing أُقحُوانٍa chrysanthemum ناضِرٍfresh
فَتَبَسَّمَت عَن أُقحُوانٍ ناضِرٍ
فيin رَوضَةٍa meadow بِالحُزنِon rugged ground لَيلاًat night طُلّتِwas moistened with dew
في رَوضَةٍ بِالحُزنِ لَيلاً طُلّتِ
Then she smiled, revealing a fresh chrysanthemum
She smiled with brilliant white teeth
In a meadow on rugged ground, bedewed at night.
In a garden sorrowful at night she appeared
ثُمَّthen اِستَمَرَّتshe continued فيin غِيابٍabsence خِلتُهُI imagined it
ثُمَّ اِستَمَرَّت في غِيابٍ خِلتُهُ
دُرّاًpearls تَساقَطtumbled down مِنfrom عُقودٍnecklaces حُلَّتِwere unstrung
دُرّاً تَساقَط مِن عُقودٍ حُلَّتِ
Then she continued in absence, which I imagined as
Then she continued in an absence I endured
Pearls tumbling from necklaces undone.
Like pearls falling from a string of necklaces
قالَتshe said مَلَلتَyou tired of مَحَبَّتيmy love وَرَجَعتَand you turned away عَنfrom
قالَت مَلَلتَ مَحَبَّتي وَرَجَعتَ عَن
عَهدِthe covenant of الصِبىyouth وَأَناand I الَّتيthe one who ماnot مَلَّتِtired
عَهدِ الصِبى وَأَنا الَّتي ما مَلَّتِ
She said, “You have tired of my love, and turned away from
She said, “You are bored of my love and turned away
The covenant of youth, while I am the one who never tired.”
From the era of youth,” and I who never turned away
فَأَجَبتُهاso I answered her مُتَعَجِّباًastonished أَنتِyou الَّتيthe one who
فَأَجَبتُها مُتَعَجِّباً أَنتِ الَّتي
رَمَتِstruck المُحِبَّthe lover بِدائِهاwith her malady وَاِنسَلَّتِand slipped away
رَمَتِ المُحِبَّ بِدائِها وَاِنسَلَّتِ
I answered her, astonished: “You are the one
I answered her astonished, “You are the one
Who struck the lover with her malady and slipped away.”
Who threw the lover away with her illness and slipped off
بَيضاءُa fair-skinned woman يُخجِلُputs to shame وَجهُهاher face شَمسَthe sun of الضُحىmidmorning
بَيضاءُ يُخجِلُ وَجهُها شَمسَ الضُحى
حُسناًin beauty إِذاwhen هِيَit فيin السَماءِthe sky تَجَلَّتِshone forth
حُسناً إِذا هِيَ في السَماءِ تَجَلَّتِ
Fair-skinned, her face puts the midmorning sun to shame
A radiant white beauty whose face shames the morning sun
In beauty, when it shines forth in the sky.
In beauty when it rises in the sky exalted
دَقَّتgrew subtle وَجَلَّتand grew immense لَوعتيmy anguish فيهاfor her كماjust as
دَقَّت وَجَلَّت لَوعتي فيها كما
دَقَّتgrew subtle مَعانيهاher qualities الحِسانُbeautiful وَجَلَّتِand grew sublime
دَقَّت مَعانيها الحِسانُ وَجَلَّتِ
My anguish for her grew subtle and immense, just as
She jarred and shook my fervor in her, as
Her lovely qualities grew subtle and sublime.
Her perfect meanings jarred and shook me
فَاِعتَضتُso I took in exchange مِنin place of قِصَرِthe brevity of اللَياليthe nights طولهاtheir length
فَاِعتَضتُ مِن قِصَرِ اللَيالي طولها
وَتَنَكَّرَتand grew estranged بَعدَafter المَوَدَّةِaffection خُلَّتيmy beloved
وَتَنَكَّرَت بَعدَ المَوَدَّةِ خُلَّتي
So I exchanged the nights' brevity for their length,
So I complained of the shortness of the nights in their length
And after affection, my beloved grew estranged.
And changed after affection my isolation
وَسَطَتand assailed عَلىupon دُهمِthe black steeds of الشَبابِyouth مُغيرَةًraiding
وَسَطَت عَلى دُهمِ الشَبابِ مُغيرَةً
فيin لِمَّتيmy locks شُهبُthe gray steeds of المَشيبِgray-haired age فَوَلَّتِso they fled
في لِمَّتي شُهبُ المَشيبِ فَوَلَّتِ
And youth's black steeds were assailed in a raid
And traversed the ignobility of youth with deception
By the gray steeds of age in my locks—and fled.
So the gray hair of old age turned upon my twisting
فَأُريقَso was spilled ماءُthe water of شَبيبَتيmy youth فَرَأَيتُso I deemed شَيstart of 'gray hair'
فَأُريقَ ماءُ شَبيبَتي فَرَأَيتُ شَي
بَcompletion of 'gray hair' المَرءِa man عِندَin the eyes of الغيدِgraceful women أَقبحَthe ugliest زلَّةِfault
بَ المَرءِ عِندَ الغيدِ أَقبحَ زلَّةِ
So the water of my youth was spilled, and I deemed gray—
So I saw the water of my youth poured out and saw
—hair in a man the ugliest fault in graceful women's eyes.
A person’s old age at his prime the ugliest decline
Sol 6.1