هَيجَتyou stirred وَجديmy longing ياO نَسيمَbreeze of الصَباthe east wind
هَيجَت وَجدي يا نَسيمَ الصَبا
إِنif كُنتَyou are مِنfrom نَجدٍNajd فَياthen, O مَرحَباwelcome
إِن كُنتَ مِن نَجدٍ فَيا مَرحَبا
You stirred my longing, O eastern breeze.
My love stirred, O breeze of the dawn,
If you are from Najd, then welcome!
If you are from Nejd, then welcome!
جَدِّدrenew فَدَتكَmay it ransom you النَفسُthe soul عَهدَthe days of الصِباyouth
جَدِّد فَدَتكَ النَفسُ عَهدَ الصِبا
بِذَكرِكَby your recalling الحَيَّthe tribe وَتِلكَand those الرُباhills
بِذَكرِكَ الحَيَّ وَتِلكَ الرُبا
Renew—may my soul ransom you—the days of youth,
Renew the covenant my soul made in youth
By recalling the tribe and those hills.
With your living memory and that pasture.
إِنَّindeed المُقيمينَthose dwelling بِسَفحِat the foot of اللِوىLiwa
إِنَّ المُقيمينَ بِسَفحِ اللِوى
مَنthose who لاnot أَرىI see ليfor myself عَنهُمaway from them مُذهَباa way to depart
مَن لا أَرى لي عَنهُم مُذهَبا
Indeed, those dwelling at the foot of Liwa
Those who stay on the slopes of al-Liwa
Are those from whom I see no way to turn away.
Whom I do not see a way to reach,
أَبقواthey left الأسىsorrow ليfor me بَعدَهُمafter their departure مَطعَماًas food
أَبقوا الأسى لي بَعدَهُم مَطعَماً
وَالدَمعand tears حَتّىuntil نَلتَقيwe meet مَشرَباas drink
وَالدَمع حَتّى نَلتَقي مَشرَبا
They left me sorrow for food after their departure,
Left me with lasting sorrow after they went
And tears for drink until we meet.
And tears until we meet again to drink.
واحَرَباًalas, my anguish! مِنfrom طولِthe length of يَومِthe day of النَوىseparation
واحَرَباً مِن طولِ يَومِ النَوى
وَذوand one possessed of الهَوىpassion يَعذرُforgives أَنhaving جرَّباexperienced it
وَذو الهَوى يَعذرُ أَن جرَّبا
Alas for the length of separation's day!
And war for the length of the day of parting,
And a lover forgives, having experienced it.
And the lover pardons that we tasted them.
حَلّواthey settled قُباًQuba داراًas a home فَمِنso, for أَجلِthe sake of ذاthis
حَلّوا قُباً داراً فَمِن أَجلِ ذا
أَضحَتbecame نِهاياتُthe ultimate ends of الأَمانيwishes قُباQuba
أَضحَت نِهاياتُ الأَماني قُبا
They made Quba their home; for this reason,
They packed their bags and left, so for that
Quba became the ultimate goal of every wish.
My hopes have ended in bags.
وَاِستَصحَبواand they took along قلبيmy heart غَداةَon the morning of النَوىseparation
وَاِستَصحَبوا قلبي غَداةَ النَوى
فَعَزَّso it became precious مَصحوباًas one accompanied وَمُستَصحَباand as one taken along
فَعَزَّ مَصحوباً وَمُستَصحَبا
And they took my heart along on the morning of parting,
And they took my heart the morning they left
So precious it was, accompanied and taken along.
So the taken left in grief and the taker.
فَآهُand ah! مِنfor يَومٍa day عَلىat حاجِرٍHajir
فَآهُ مِن يَومٍ عَلى حاجِرٍ
رُحتُI went لِحَتفيto my death فيهِin it مُستَعذِباfinding it sweet
رُحتُ لِحَتفي فيهِ مُستَعذِبا
And ah, for a day at Hajir,
Oh, the day at the ruins! I came
I went there to my death, finding it sweet.
To celebrate but left downcast.
كانَتwas بِهِthere وَقفَتُناour halt لِلنَوىfor parting
كانَت بِهِ وَقفَتُنا لِلنَوى
نَسكُبُwe shed دَمعاًtears عَزَّwas hard أَنto يَسكُباflow
نَسكُبُ دَمعاً عَزَّ أَن يَسكُبا
Our halt there was for parting,
We used to stop there for farewells
We shed tears that were hard to shed.
Spilling tears too hard now to spill.
لاmay not هَجَعَتsleep وَرقاءَa gray dove بَعدَbeyond الحِمىthe sanctuary
لا هَجَعَت وَرقاءَ بَعدَ الحِمى
وَلاand may not سَرَتjourney by night فَيحاءُfar-spreading ريحwind of الصِباyouth
وَلا سَرَت فَيحاءُ ريح الصِبا
May no gray dove sleep beyond the sanctuary,
Neither did the sands stir after the fever
Nor may the far-spreading wind of youth journey by night.
Nor the breeze blow through the empty hills,
وَبَلَّغَand may grant الاَهُGod المُنىwishes نازِحاًone far away
وَبَلَّغَ الاَهُ المُنى نازِحاً
بِالخيفِat al-Khayf مِنto قَلبيmy heart الأسىsorrow قَرَّباbrought close
بِالخيفِ مِن قَلبي الأسى قَرَّبا
And may God grant the wishes of one far away
The groans carried my wishes away
At al-Khayf, whom sorrow brought close to my heart.
Reducing in my heart the nearness of sorrow.
ماnot زِلتُI have ceased أَبكيI weep over الشِعبَthe ravine مِنfrom بَعدِهِمafter their departure
ما زِلتُ أَبكي الشِعبَ مِن بَعدِهِم
حَتّىuntil غَداit became مِنfrom أَدمُعيmy tears مَعشَباgrass-covered
حَتّى غَدا مِن أَدمُعي مَعشَبا
I have kept weeping over the ravine since they left,
I wept for the campsite after they left
Until my tears made it green with grass.
Until it grew grassy with my tears.
أَهوىI love رُباthe hills of الجزعِal-Jaz‘ وَلَولاهُمand were it not for them
أَهوى رُبا الجزعِ وَلَولاهُم
بِالجَزعِat al-Jaz‘ لَمnot أَعشَقI love تِلكَthose الرُباhills
بِالجَزعِ لَم أَعشَق تِلكَ الرُبا
I love the hills of al-Jaz‘, and were it not for them
I love the passion of grief—without them,
At al-Jaz‘, I would not love those hills.
I’d have never fallen for that pasture.
كانَwas الهَوىlove حَيثُwhere النَقاal-Naqa (the sand dune) منزِلُa home
كانَ الهَوى حَيثُ النَقا منزِلُ
يَجمَعُناit gathered us وَالعَصرُand the time عَصرُthe time of الصِباyouth
يَجمَعُنا وَالعَصرُ عَصرُ الصِبا
Love was a home there at al-Naqa,
Love dwelled where the camel-hair tents were pitched,
Gathering us together in the days of youth.
Bringing us together in the youth of morning.
وَالدَهرُand time قَدhad indeed قَصَّرَshortened باعthe reach of النَوىseparation
وَالدَهرُ قَد قَصَّرَ باع النَوى
وَمَدَّand stretched بِالوَصلِthrough union لَناfor us أَطنباtent ropes
وَمَدَّ بِالوَصلِ لَنا أَطنبا
And time had shortened separation's reach,
Time has shortened the days of parting
And stretched out union's tent ropes for us.
And spun out for us long days of union.
لِلَهِGod! (an exclamation) بَينٌa parting جارَwas cruel فيin وَقعِهِits impact
لِلَهِ بَينٌ جارَ في وَقعِهِ
عَقليmy mind وَلُبّيand my reason قَدindeed غَداhas become مُعجَباastonished
عَقلي وَلُبّي قَد غَدا مُعجَبا
God, what a parting, cruel in its blow!
Wondrous things happened when they came—
My mind and reason have been left astonished.
My mind and heart were left amazed.
كَيفَhow اِحتِياليmy stratagem فيin هَوىlove for شادِنٍa young gazelle
كَيفَ اِحتِيالي في هَوى شادِنٍ
ماnever رُمتُI sought مِنهُfrom him الوَصلَunion إِلّاexcept أَباhe refused
ما رُمتُ مِنهُ الوَصلَ إِلّا أَبا
What can I do in my love for a young gazelle?
How did I scheme for love of that beauty?—
Whenever I sought union with him, he refused.
I hoped for union but gained nothing.
ظَبيٌa gazelle مِنَfrom among التُركِthe Turks وَلَكِنَّهُbut he
ظَبيٌ مِنَ التُركِ وَلَكِنَّهُ
أَضحىhe has become لِحَتفيfor my death فيهِthrough him مُستَعرِباArabized
أَضحى لِحَتفي فيهِ مُستَعرِبا
A gazelle from among the Turks, yet he
A gazelle, though a Turk, to my misfortune
Has become Arabized—to be my death.
Became the foreigner of my celebration.
جَبينُهُhis brow الفَتانُbewitching باديshowing السَناradiance
جَبينُهُ الفَتانُ بادي السَنا
وَطَرفُهُand his gaze الوَسنانُdrowsy ماضيkeen الشَباthe sharp points
وَطَرفُهُ الوَسنانُ ماضي الشَبا
His bewitching brow shines with radiance,
His alluring brow shows his youth
And his drowsy gaze is keen-edged.
While his eyelids show the prime of youth.
وَيلاهُalas! مِنfor صدغٍa temple-lock بَداappeared كَالدُجاlike night's darkness
وَيلاهُ مِن صدغٍ بَدا كَالدُجا
عَقرَبُهُits scorpion-curl فيat الصدغِthe temple قَدhas indeed عَقرَباcurled like a scorpion
عَقرَبُهُ في الصدغِ قَد عَقرَبا
Alas for a temple-lock that appeared like night's darkness!
But woe for the mole on his temple
Its scorpion-curl has coiled at the temple.
Where a scorpion stung inside his mole!
ياO مُعرِضاًone turning away عَرَّضَexposed بيme لِلرَدىto death
يا مُعرِضاً عَرَّضَ بي لِلرَدى
ماnot كُنتُI was لِلإِعراضِof being shunned مُستَوجِباdeserving
ما كُنتُ لِلإِعراضِ مُستَوجِبا
O you who turn away, exposing me to death,
O you who turned from me, exposed me to harm—
I did not deserve your rejection.
I did not deserve your abandonment.
حَمَّلتَyou burdened قَلبيmy heart فيكَfor love of you ماwhat لوغداif it came to be
حَمَّلتَ قَلبي فيكَ ما لوغدا
بِالجَبَلِupon the mountain الشامِخِtowering أَمسىit would become هَباdust
بِالجَبَلِ الشامِخِ أَمسى هَبا
You burdened my heart for love of you with what, if borne
You burdened my heart with so much that if
By the towering mountain, would leave it dust.
Placed on a lofty mountain, it would crumble.
Sol 6.1