لَمdid not يَقضِfulfill زَيدُكُمyour Zayd مِنfrom وَصلِكُمunion with you وَطَرَهhis desire
لَم يَقضِ زَيدُكُم مِن وَصلِكُم وَطَرَه
وَلاnor قَضىspent لَيلُهُhis night مِنin قُربِكُمnearness to you سَحَرَهits predawn hours
وَلا قَضى لَيلُهُ مِن قُربِكُم سَحَرَه
Your Zayd has not satisfied his longing for union with you;
nor has his night passed its predawn hours beside you.
ياO صارِفيyou who turn away القَلبِthe heart إِلّاexcept عَنfrom مَحَبَّتِهِمlove of them
يا صارِفي القَلبِ إِلّا عَن مَحَبَّتِهِم
وَسالِبيand you who rob الطَرفِthe eye إِلّاexcept عَنهُمُfrom them نَظرَهits gaze
وَسالِبي الطَرفِ إِلّا عَنهُمُ نَظرَه
O you who turn the heart from all but love of you,
and rob the eye of every glance but toward you:
جَعَلتُكُمI made you خَبَريmy predicate فيin الحُبِّlove مُبتَدِئاًas a beginner
جَعَلتُكُم خَبَري في الحُبِّ مُبتَدِئاً
وَكُلُّand every مَعرِفَةٍknowledge لِيَfor me فيin الهَوىpassion نَكِرَهindefinite
وَكُلُّ مَعرِفَةٍ لِيَ في الهَوى نَكِرَه
As a beginner in love, I made you my predicate,
and all my knowledge of passion is indefinite.
وَبِتُّمُand you spent the night اللَيلَthe night فيin أَمنٍsafety وَفيand in دَعَةٍease
وَبِتُّمُ اللَيلَ في أَمنٍ وَفي دَعَةٍ
وَلَيسَand there is no عِندَكُمُwith you عِلمٌknowledge بِمَنof the one who سَهِرَهstayed awake through it
وَلَيسَ عِندَكُمُ عِلمٌ بِمَن سَهِرَه
And you spent the night in safety and at ease,
with no knowledge of the one who stayed awake through it.
فَكَمso how often غَرَستُI planted وَفائيmy loyalty فيin مَحَبَّتِكُمlove of you
فَكَم غَرَستُ وَفائي في مَحَبَّتِكُم
فَماyet not جَنَيتُI reaped لِغَرسٍfrom a planting فيكُمُin you ثَمَرَهa fruit
فَما جَنَيتُ لِغَرسٍ فيكُمُ ثَمَرَه
How often I planted my loyalty in love of you,
yet reaped no fruit from my planting in you.
وَلَمand did not أَنَلI obtain مِنكُمُfrom you شَيئاًanything سِوىexcept تُهَمٍaccusations
وَلَم أَنَل مِنكُمُ شَيئاً سِوى تُهَمٍ
تُقالُare spoken مَشروحَةًin detail فيناabout us وَمُختَصَرَهand in brief
تُقالُ مَشروحَةً فينا وَمُختَصَرَه
And I received nothing from you but accusations,
spoken about us at length and in brief.
لِلَّهِto God, in admiration لَيلَةَa night بِتناwe spent the night وَالرَقيبُand the watcher بِهاin it
لِلَّهِ لَيلَةَ بِتنا وَالرَقيبُ بِها
ناءٍfar away فَلاso neither عَينَهُhis eye نَخشىwe fear وَلاnor أَثَرَهhis trace
ناءٍ فَلا عَينَهُ نَخشى وَلا أَثَرَه
Blessed was the night we spent, with the watcher
far away—we feared neither his eye nor his trace.
غَرّاءَradiant ماnot اِسوَدَّgrew dark مِنهاof it أَنthat جَعَلتُI considered لَهاfor it
غَرّاءَ ما اِسوَدَّ مِنها أَن جَعَلتُ لَها
عَيباًa flaw سِوىexcept مُقلَةٍan eye كَحلاءَkohl-dark أَوor شَعرَهa strand of hair
عَيباً سِوى مُقلَةٍ كَحلاءَ أَو شَعرَه
Radiant—no darkness in it could I call
a flaw, save a kohl-dark eye or a strand of hair.
بِتناwe spent the night بِهاduring it حَيثُwhere لاno رَوعٌfear يُخامِرُناassails us
بِتنا بِها حَيثُ لا رَوعٌ يُخامِرُنا
وَنفحَةُand the scent الراحِof wine وَالرَيحانِand basil مُختَمِرَهfermenting
وَنفحَةُ الراحِ وَالرَيحانِ مُختَمِرَه
We spent it where no fear disturbed us,
while the scent of wine and basil grew heady.
لَمdid not يَكسِرِlower النَومُsleep عَينَيmy eyes عَنfrom مَحاسِنِهاher beauties
لَم يَكسِرِ النَومُ عَينَي عَن مَحاسِنِها
حَتّىuntil اِنثَنَيتُI turned away وَعَينُand the eye النَجمِof the star مُنكَسِرَهdrooping
حَتّى اِنثَنَيتُ وَعَينُ النَجمِ مُنكَسِرَه
Sleep never drew my eyes away from her beauty,
until I turned away, the star's eye drooping.
مازِلتُI kept أَشرَبُهاdrinking it شَمساًa sun مُشَعشَعَةًradiant
مازِلتُ أَشرَبُها شَمساً مُشَعشَعَةً
فيin الكَأسِthe cup حَتّىuntil بَدَتit appeared فيin الشَرقِthe east مُنتَشِرَهspreading
في الكَأسِ حَتّى بَدَت في الشَرقِ مُنتَشِرَه
I kept drinking it, a radiant sun
in the cup, until it appeared, spreading through the east.
مُدامَةٌwine تُقرِئُlets one read الأَعشىal-A‘sha, the night-blind إِذاwhen بَرَزَتit appeared
مُدامَةٌ تُقرِئُ الأَعشى إِذا بَرَزَت
نَقشَthe engraving الدَنانيرِof the dinars وَالظَلماءُand the darkness مُعتَكَرَهdense
نَقشَ الدَنانيرِ وَالظَلماءُ مُعتَكَرَه
A wine that, when it appears, lets al-A‘sha, the night-blind, read
the engraving on dinars, though darkness is thick.
عَذراءُa virgin ماnot راحَwent ذوone with هَمٍّcare لِخِطبَتِهاto seek her hand
عَذراءُ ما راحَ ذو هَمٍّ لِخِطبَتِها
إِلّاexcept that أَتَتهُcame to him صُروفُvicissitudes الدَهرِof time مُعتَذِرَهapologizing
إِلّا أَتَتهُ صُروفُ الدَهرِ مُعتَذِرَه
A virgin: no careworn man went to seek her hand
but the vicissitudes of time came to him apologizing.
باتَتspent the night تُناوِلُنيهاhanding it to me كَفُّthe hand غانِيَّةٍof a beauty
باتَت تُناوِلُنيها كَفُّ غانِيَّةٍ
تُخالُit is imagined مِنfrom لَحظِهاher glance وَالخَدِّand the cheek مُعتَصَرَهpressed out
تُخالُ مِن لَحظِها وَالخَدِّ مُعتَصَرَه
All night a beauty's hand kept passing it to me;
you would think it pressed from her glance and cheek.
قَوِيَّةُstrong العَزمِof resolve فيin إِتلافِdestroying عاشِقِهاher lover
قَوِيَّةُ العَزمِ في إِتلافِ عاشِقِها
ضَعيفَةُdelicate الخَصرِof waist وَالأَلحاظِand of glances وَالبَشَرَهand of skin
ضَعيفَةُ الخَصرِ وَالأَلحاظِ وَالبَشَرَه
Strong-willed in destroying her lover,
slender of waist, languid of glance, and tender of skin.
تَجلوmakes gleam الكُؤوسَthe cups عَلىagainst لَألاءِthe brilliance غُرَّتِهاof her brow
تَجلو الكُؤوسَ عَلى لَألاءِ غُرَّتِها
وَتَنشُرُand diffuses الراحُthe wine مِنهاfrom her نَكهَةًa breath عَطِرَهfragrant
وَتَنشُرُ الراحُ مِنها نَكهَةً عَطِرَه
She makes the cups gleam against her brow's brilliance,
and the wine wafts a fragrant breath from her.
وَبَينَناand between us مِنof أَحاديثٍconversations مُزَخرَفَةٍornamented
وَبَينَنا مِن أَحاديثٍ مُزَخرَفَةٍ
ماthat which يُخجِلُputs to shame الرَوضَةَthe garden الغَنّاءَlush وَالحَبَرَهand striped cloth
ما يُخجِلُ الرَوضَةَ الغَنّاءَ وَالحَبَرَه
And between us passed such richly ornamented talk
as put the lush garden and patterned cloth to shame.
Sol 6.1