إِنَّindeed رَيْبَadversity الزَّمانِof time طالَhas lasted long انْتِكائُهْits wounding
إِنَّ رَيْبَ الزَّمانِ طالَ انْتِكائُهْ
كَمْhow often رَمَتْنيstruck me بحادِثٍwith a disaster أَحْداثُهْits calamities
كَمْ رَمَتْني بحادِثٍ أَحْداثُهْ
Indeed, time’s adversity has long inflicted hurt.
The enmity of time is long in its scheming
How often its calamities have struck me with disaster!
How many events has it hurled at me, their happening
ظَبْيُa gazelle أُنْسٍtameness قَلبيmy heart مَقِيلُresting place ضُحاهُhis late morning
ظَبْيُ أُنْسٍ قَلبي مَقِيلُ ضُحاهُ
وفُؤَادِيand my heart بَرِيرُهُhis arak fruit وكَبَائُهْand his incense
وفُؤَادِي بَرِيرُهُ وكَبَائُهْ
A tame gazelle—my heart is his late-morning resting place,
The gazelle of companionship, my heart its resting place at noon
And my heart is his arak fruit and his incense.
And my heart its howl, and its misfortunes
كَمْhow often وكَمْand how often أَسْتَغيثُI cry for help مِنْfrom شَحْطَةِremoteness الدَّاthe abode (continued)
كَمْ وكَمْ أَسْتَغيثُ مِنْ شَحْطَةِ الدَّا
رِ(completes ‘abode’) ولَمْand not يُسْعِفِhas brought relief النّوىseparation مُسْتَغَاثُهْhis invoked helper
رِ ولَمْ يُسْعِفِ النّوى مُسْتَغَاثُهْ
How often, how often I cry for help against the remoteness of the abode,
How many times have I cried out from the misery of the abode
Yet the one appealed to has not eased separation.
But my intention did not help my crying out
ولِعَيْنيand for my eye دَمْعٌtears تَسِيلُflow مَثَانيpairs
ولِعَيْني دَمْعٌ تَسِيلُ مَثَاني
هِof it وتَجْرِيand stream رباعُهُits fours وثلاثُهْand its threes
هِ وتَجْرِي رباعُهُ وثلاثُهْ
And my eye has tears flowing in twos,
And tears flow down my eyelids steadily
And streaming in fours and threes,
Running in streams, in threes and fours
خِيفَةًfor fear أَنthat يَخُونَhe betrays عَهْدِيmy pledge وأَنْand that يُضْmay become (continued)
خِيفَةً أَن يَخُونَ عَهْدِي وأَنْ يُضْ
حِي(completes ‘become’) لِغَيْرِيfor someone other than me حُجُولُهُhis anklets ورِعَائُهْand his shepherds
حِي لِغَيْرِي حُجُولُهُ ورِعَائُهْ
For fear that he may betray my pledge, and that
Fearing that he would break his vow, and that he would show
His anklets and his shepherds may become another’s.
His feelings and passions to another but me
فإذاthen if شَاءَwishes أَحْمَدُAhmad بنُson of عَلِيٍّAli
فإذا شَاءَ أَحْمَدُ بنُ عَلِيٍّ
ضَمَّhe brings together شَمْلاًa union لَهُfor him يَخافُhe fears انْشِعَاثُهْits sundering
ضَمَّ شَمْلاً لَهُ يَخافُ انْشِعَاثُهْ
Then, if Ahmad son of Ali wishes,
But if Ahmed bin Ali
He will restore for him a union whose sundering he fears.
Wished to band his cloak, fearing its unraveling
Sol 6.1