رأىhe saw بَرْقَthe lightning of العَقيقِal-Aqiq الفَجرَat dawn لاحاit flashed
رأى بَرْقَ العَقيقِ الفَجرَ لاحا
فتًىa youth فأَسَالَso he made flow بالدَّمعِwith tears البِطاحاthe broad plains
فتًى فأَسَالَ بالدَّمعِ البِطاحا
He saw al-Aqiq's lightning flash at dawn—
He saw the flash of ruby dawn emerge
a youth who flooded the plains with tears.
A young man, so he wept copiously.
وأدركَand he perceived منfrom صَباthe east wind of نجدٍNajd شَميساًa little sun
وأدركَ من صَبا نجدٍ شَميساً
فأنَّso he moaned للُطفِat the gentleness of نَفحتهِits breath وضاحاradiant
فأنَّ للُطفِ نَفحتهِ وضاحا
And he sensed a little sun in Najd's east wind,
And he attained from Najd's youth a sun
then moaned, radiant, at its gentle breath.
Whose gentle breath was very clear.
مُحبٌّa lover ماnot أحسَّhe sensed بِذكرِthe remembrance of مَيٍّMayy
مُحبٌّ ما أحسَّ بِذكرِ مَيٍّ
علىamid شَططِthe far reaches of النَّوىseparation إِلاَّexcept وناحاand he lamented
على شَططِ النَّوى إِلاَّ وناحا
A lover who, whenever Mayy was recalled,
A lover, if the beloved is not mentioned,
amid separation's far reaches, would lament.
Cannot help but moan plaintively.
تَقلَّبَhe turned over بالهوىin love ظَهراًon his back وبَطناًand on his belly
تَقلَّبَ بالهوى ظَهراً وبَطناً
علىon جمرِthe embers of الغَضاghada wood فَعفاthen he faded away وراحاand departed
على جمرِ الغَضا فَعفا وراحا
In love he turned upon his back and belly,
He tossed in passion back and forth
on ghada embers, then faded away and departed.
On the hot coals, so he forgave and rested.
أعانَaided عليهِagainst him لَهفتهُhis yearning عُيونٌeyes
أعانَ عليهِ لَهفتهُ عُيونٌ
منfrom among الأسيافِthe swords قَدْhad حَملتْthey borne سِلاحاweapons
من الأسيافِ قَدْ حَملتْ سِلاحا
Eyes aided his yearning against him,
His fervor was helped by eyes
having taken up swords as weapons.
That carried swords as armament.
ومزَّقَand tore apart حَيْلهُhis strength نَهْباًas plunder قُدودٌslender figures
ومزَّقَ حَيْلهُ نَهْباً قُدودٌ
علىagainst العشَّاقِthe lovers قَدْhad هزَّتْthey brandished رِماحاspears
على العشَّاقِ قَدْ هزَّتْ رِماحا
And slender figures plundered his strength, tearing it apart,
And his tricks were torn apart as plunder
having brandished spears against lovers.
By archers who shook their spears at lovers.
وراحَand bore away بقلبهِhis heart يَمَناًto Yemen وشاماًand to al-Sham
وراحَ بقلبهِ يَمَناً وشاماً
خُدودٌcheeks بالسَّناin radiance حكتِthey resembled الصَّباحاthe morning
خُدودٌ بالسَّنا حكتِ الصَّباحا
And bore his heart away to Yemen and al-Sham—
With his heart he went to Yemen and Syria
cheeks whose radiance mirrored the morning.
While cheeks drew the morning with twilight.
تُعلّلُهُconsole him بحُبِّكُمُwith love for you الأمانيhopes
تُعلّلُهُ بحُبِّكُمُ الأماني
فتُعقبُthen follow جُرحَthe wound of مُهجتِهِhis heart جِراحاwith wounds
فتُعقبُ جُرحَ مُهجتِهِ جِراحا
Hopes console him with love for you,
Your love makes wishes his excuse
then bring more wounds after his heart's wound.
So the wound of his passion brings wounds.
ومنand among عَجبٍwonders تَطيرُthey fly بهwith him إليكمْtoward you
ومن عَجبٍ تَطيرُ به إليكمْ
وتَعقدُand bind فيwithin جوانبهِhis sides جَناحاa wing
وتَعقدُ في جوانبهِ جَناحا
And strangely, they fly him toward you,
And strangely with it he flies to you
and bind a wing within his sides.
Spreading wings on his sides.
ألاah ياO ساكنينَdwellers in فجاجَthe ravines of قلبيmy heart
ألا يا ساكنينَ فجاجَ قلبي
وياand O منْthose who صيَّروهُhave made it لهمْfor themselves مُباحاfreely available
ويا منْ صيَّروهُ لهمْ مُباحا
Ah, you who dwell in the ravines of my heart,
Oh dwellers in the depths of my heart
and you who have made it freely your own!
Who made it permitted for them.
كفانيit suffices me فيin الهَوَىlove هَجريmy being forsaken فإنِّيfor I
كفاني في الهَوَى هَجري فإنِّي
أُغَصُّI choke بشُرْبيَthrough my drinking الماءَwater القُراحاpure
أُغَصُّ بشُرْبيَ الماءَ القُراحا
I have had enough of being forsaken in love, for I
Stop tormenting me with abandonment, for I
choke as I drink pure water.
Choke on drinking bitter water.
وللشَّوقِand for longing المُلِحِّrelentless فُنونُkinds of سُكرٍintoxication
وللشَّوقِ المُلِحِّ فُنونُ سُكرٍ
متىwhenever لعِبتْthey toyed بعقْلِwith the mind of المرءِa person باحاhe spoke openly
متى لعِبتْ بعقْلِ المرءِ باحا
And relentless longing has many kinds of intoxication:
And insistence's artful drunkenness
whenever they toy with a person's mind, he speaks openly.
Muddles one's mind when it toys.
فياso O عَجباًwonder لهاat them نَفثاتِbreaths of خَمرٍwine
فيا عَجباً لها نَفثاتِ خَمرٍ
تُورِّثُbequeath كلَّevery ذيone with بُخلٍmiserliness سَماحاgenerosity
تُورِّثُ كلَّ ذي بُخلٍ سَماحا
So how wondrous they are, those breaths of wine,
So strange are its breaths of wine
which bequeath generosity to every miser,
Granting generosity to each miser.
وتوليand grant الألْكنَthe stammerer المَعْقودَtongue-tied نُطقاًspeech
وتولي الألْكنَ المَعْقودَ نُطقاً
ويُلْكِنُand makes tongue-tied عقدُهاits binding العربَthe Arabs الفِصاحاeloquent
ويُلْكِنُ عقدُها العربَ الفِصاحا
and give speech to the tongue-tied stammerer,
It gives speech to the silent
while its binding makes eloquent Arabs tongue-tied.
And the eloquent's knot silences Arabs.
بقاموسِin the ocean of البلاغةِeloquence منْfrom معانيthe meanings of
بقاموسِ البلاغةِ منْ معاني
جَوهرهاits essence نرىwe see الفُلذَthe nuggets الصِّحاحاintact
جَوهرها نرى الفُلذَ الصِّحاحا
In eloquence's ocean, among the meanings
With the diction of rhetoric from meanings
of its essence, we see intact nuggets.
We see its essence is the genuine.
ونأخذُand we begin فيin الهَوَىlove طَوراًone stage فَطوراًthen another stage
ونأخذُ في الهَوَى طَوراً فَطوراً
ونشكُرُand we give thanks for فيwithin نَواحيهاits reaches النَّواحاlamentation
ونشكُرُ في نَواحيها النَّواحا
And we enter into love, stage after stage,
And in passion we take step by step
and give thanks for lamentation within its reaches.
Crying in its regions the crying.
فُنونٌarts تدفعُdrive away الأكْدارَtroubles عنَّاfrom us
فُنونٌ تدفعُ الأكْدارَ عنَّا
وتُثبتُand establish فيin سَرائرناour inmost hearts فَلاحاfelicity
وتُثبتُ في سَرائرنا فَلاحا
Arts that drive troubles away from us,
Arts that dispel gloom from us
and establish felicity in our inmost hearts,
And fix tranquility in our hearts.
تُعلِّمُناteach us الوُلوعَdevotion بأهلِto the people of أرضٍa land
تُعلِّمُنا الوُلوعَ بأهلِ أرضٍ
يُخفِّفُmakes light ريمُهاits gazelle الأُسدَthe lions الرِّجاحاweighty
يُخفِّفُ ريمُها الأُسدَ الرِّجاحا
teach us devotion to the people of a land
They teach us to crave a people
whose gazelle makes the weighty lions light.
Whose spearpoint lightens the heavy lions.
جلتْthey polished منَّاof us العُيونَthe eyes بهمْthrough them فَضاءتْand so shone
جلتْ منَّا العُيونَ بهمْ فَضاءتْ
مَعانٍmeanings نشرُهاtheir fragrance فيthroughout الكونِthe universe فاحاwafted
مَعانٍ نشرُها في الكونِ فاحا
They polished our eyes through them, and there shone
They have delighted our eyes so they shone
meanings whose fragrance wafted throughout the universe.
Meanings we spread in the universe diffusely.
متىwhenever تُليَتْwere recited مَثانيهمtheir oft-repeated verses عليناto us
متى تُليَتْ مَثانيهم علينا
شَربْناهاwe drank them فَصارَand so became القولُspeech راحاwine
شَربْناها فَصارَ القولُ راحا
Whenever their oft-repeated verses are recited to us,
When their wit was recited to us
we drink them, and speech becomes wine.
We drank it and words became rest.
سلامُthe peace of اللهِGod يَشملهُمْembraces them مساءًat evening
سلامُ اللهِ يَشملهُمْ مساءً
وينقُشُand embroiders بُردَthe mantle of مَشهدهِمْtheir shrine صَباحاin the morning
وينقُشُ بُردَ مَشهدهِمْ صَباحا
May God's peace embrace them at evening,
God's peace on them in the evening
and embroider their shrine's mantle in the morning.
Etching the cool of their place in the morning.
Sol 6.1