أَلقاهُI meet him بِالشَكوىwith complaint إِلَيهِto him فَيُعرِضُbut he turns away
أَلقاهُ بِالشَكوى إِلَيهِ فَيُعرِضُ
أَهُوَis he الحَبيبُthe beloved اَمor العَدُوُّthe enemy المُبغِضُthe one who hates
أَهُوَ الحَبيبُ اَم العَدُوُّ المُبغِضُ
I meet him, bringing him my complaint, but he turns away.
He complains of him, but he turns away
Is he the beloved, or the hate-filled enemy?
Is he the beloved or the hating enemy?
وَأَقولُand I say قدindeed أَمرَضتَyou have made ill جِسميmy body فيin الهَوىlove
وَأَقولُ قد أَمرَضتَ جِسمي في الهَوى
مَتَعَمِّداًdeliberately فَيَقولُso he says جَفنيmy eyelid أَمرَضُsicker
مَتَعَمِّداً فَيَقولُ جَفني أَمرَضُ
And I say, “You have made my body ill with love,
And I say you've made my body sick with love
deliberately”; he replies, “My eyelid is sicker.”
Intentionally, and he says my eyelids made me sick
بِأَبيwith my father as ransom غزالٍa gazelle ماnot بَداappeared إِلّاexcept غَداbecame
بِأَبي غزالٍ ما بَدا إِلّا غَدا
فيهِfor him المُفَنِّدُthe reproacher بِالغَرامِtoward passionate love يُحَرِّضُincites
فيهِ المُفَنِّدُ بِالغَرامِ يُحَرِّضُ
May my father ransom a gazelle who never appears
By my father Ghazal, nothing but mischief appeared
Without the reproacher beginning to urge passionate love for him.
In it the debunker with passion arouses
وَآلَand ruled عَلىover العُشّاقِthe lovers مُشرِفُthe overhanging lock صَدغِهِhis temple
وَآلَ عَلى العُشّاقِ مُشرِفُ صَدغِهِ
يالَيتَهif only it يَوماًone day بِكَفّيwith my palm يَقبِضُgrasps
يالَيتَه يَوماً بِكَفّي يَقبِضُ
And the lock overhanging his temple rules over lovers;
And the cheeks of the lovers' confidant have turned against them
If only one day it would clasp my palm!
Would that one day with my palms I could grab them
رَكِبَmounted الهَوىlove فَحَبَّذاso how splendid مِنas a فارِسٍhorseman
رَكِبَ الهَوى فَحَبَّذا مِن فارِسٍ
بِالحُسنِwith beauty فيin مَيدانِthe arena قَلبيmy heart يَركُضُgallops
بِالحُسنِ في مَيدانِ قَلبي يَركُضُ
He mounted love—what a splendid horseman,
He rode love so the knight in the field of my heart gallops
With beauty he gallops through the arena of my heart.
With beauty, connected to it like a branch that droops
مُستَيقِضٌwakeful لِلقَتلِfor killing ناعِسُdrowsy طَرفِهِhis gaze
مُستَيقِضٌ لِلقَتلِ ناعِسُ طَرفِهِ
بِأَبيwith my father as ransom وَأُمّيand my mother الناعِسُthe drowsy one المُستَيقِضُthe wakeful one
بِأَبي وَأُمّي الناعِسُ المُستَيقِضُ
Alert to kill, yet drowsy-eyed;
Awake to kill, asleep are his eyelashes
May my father and mother ransom the drowsy, wakeful one.
By my father and mother, the sleepy wakeful one
عُمرُbuilt (contextual reading) الغَرامِlove لَهfor him بِقَلبيin my heart مَنزِلاًa dwelling
عُمرُ الغَرامِ لَه بِقَلبي مَنزِلاً
بِالأَنسِwith intimacy مَعهَدَan abode عَهدِهِhis covenant لاnot ينقَضُis broken
بِالأَنسِ مَعهَدَ عَهدِهِ لا ينقَضُ
Love built him a dwelling in my heart,
The life of passion in my heart has a dwelling
A home of intimacy for his covenant, never broken.
With intimacy its pact he will not break
نَصَبَraised into the accusative الجَمالَbeauty بِعامِلٍby a governing agent مِنfrom قَدِّهِhis stature
نَصَبَ الجَمالَ بِعامِلٍ مِن قَدِّهِ
كَالغُصنِlike a bough مِنهُrelative to him بِالإِضافَةby genitive relation يُخفَضُis lowered into the genitive
كَالغُصنِ مِنهُ بِالإِضافَة يُخفَضُ
He raises beauty into the accusative, his stature its governing agent;
He set up beauty with a measure from his stature
Bough-like—yet a bough is lowered into the genitive by comparison with him.
Like a branch subordinate to him it sags
فَنَهَتso forbade عُلومُthe sciences السِحرِmagic مِنهُof his مُقلَةًan eye
فَنَهَت عُلومُ السِحرِ مِنهُ مُقلَةً
أَضحَتcame to تَسِنُّdecrees لَناfor us الغَرامَpassionate love وَتَفرِضُand imposes
أَضحَت تَسِنُّ لَنا الغَرامَ وَتَفرِضُ
So the arts of magic forbade an eye of his,
So the sciences of magic from him became frustrated
Which came to decree love for us and make it binding.
They began to facilitate passion and impose it
راضِtamed الغَرامِlove جَموحُwildness قَلبيmy heart مُذsince غَداbecame
راضِ الغَرامِ جَموحُ قَلبي مُذ غَدا
وَالخَدُّand the cheek مِنهُof his بِالعِذارِwith the bridle-like cheek-down مُرَوِّضُa tamer
وَالخَدُّ مِنهُ بِالعِذارِ مُرَوِّضُ
Love tamed my heart's wildness, ever since
Pleased with passion, my heart's zeal since it began
His cheek became a tamer, with its down as a bridle.
And the cheek by coyness from it is trained
مُذsince تُهتُI lost my way وَجداًin passionate longing فيin غَياهِبِthe dark depths شعرِهِhis hair
مُذ تُهتُ وَجداً في غَياهِبِ شعرِهِ
لَمnot يَبقَremained ليfor me فيin الدَهرِall time يَومٌa day أَبيَضُwhite
لَم يَبقَ لي في الدَهرِ يَومٌ أَبيَضُ
Since I lost my way in passion in the dark depths of his hair,
Since it went astray in the dark tresses of his hair
Not one white day remains for me in all of time.
No day for me in life remained white
Sol 6.1