عَزَفتَyou turned away بِأَعشاشٍat Aʿshāsh وَماand not كِدتَyou nearly تَعزِفُturn away
عَزَفتَ بِأَعشاشٍ وَما كِدتَ تَعزِفُ
وَأَنكَرتَand you found unfamiliar مِنin حَدراءَḤadrāʾ ماwhat كُنتَyou used to تَعرِفُknow
وَأَنكَرتَ مِن حَدراءَ ما كُنتَ تَعرِفُ
You turned away at Aʿshāsh, though you could scarcely turn away,
You played love songs but could hardly play them well,
and found unfamiliar in Ḥadrāʾ what you once knew.
And denied the virtues of one you used to know so well,
وَلَجَّand persisted بِكَwith you الهِجرانُestrangement حَتّىuntil كَأَنَّماas though
وَلَجَّ بِكَ الهِجرانُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما
تَرىyou see المَوتَdeath فيin البَيتِthe house الَّذيwhich كُنتَyou used to تَيلَفُfrequent
تَرى المَوتَ في البَيتِ الَّذي كُنتَ تَيلَفُ
And estrangement has so beset you that it is as though
Estrangement so gripped you, it was as though
you see death in the house you once frequented.
You saw death in the house where once you were kept whole,
لَجاجَةُobstinacy صُرمٍseverance لَيسَis not بِالوَصلِloving union إِنَّماonly
لَجاجَةُ صُرمٍ لَيسَ بِالوَصلِ إِنَّما
أَخوa companion of الوَصلِloving union مَنone who يَدنوdraws near وَمَنand one who يَتَلَطَّفُacts gently
أَخو الوَصلِ مَن يَدنو وَمَن يَتَلَطَّفُ
Stubborn estrangement is no loving bond; only
Obduracy in one deaf to reunion’s call—not at all
one who draws near and shows tenderness is a true companion in love.
Like one who draws near in love, and is kind to all,
إِذاwhen اِنتَبَهَتawoke حَدراءُḤadrāʾ مِنfrom نَومَةِa sleep الضُحىmidmorning
إِذا اِنتَبَهَت حَدراءُ مِن نَومَةِ الضُحى
دَعَتshe called وَعَلَيهاand upon her دِرعُa shift خَزٍّsilk-and-wool fabric وَمِطرَفُand a bordered cloak
دَعَت وَعَلَيها دِرعُ خَزٍّ وَمِطرَفُ
When Ḥadrāʾ wakes from her midmorning sleep,
When my love awoke at dawn, still tired from the night before,
she calls, wearing a silk-and-wool shift and a bordered cloak,
She rose in a coat of mail and a bridle with bells galore,
بِأَخضَرَfor a green twig مِنfrom نَعمانَNaʿmān ثُمَّthen جَلَتshe polished بِهِwith it
بِأَخضَرَ مِن نَعمانَ ثُمَّ جَلَت بِهِ
عِذابَsweet الثَناياthe front teeth طَيِّباًpleasant-tasting حينَwhen يُرشَفُit is sipped
عِذابَ الثَنايا طَيِّباً حينَ يُرشَفُ
for a green twig from Naʿmān, then with it polishes
In freshest green from Nu‘man—then she proudly rode
her sweet front teeth—a mouth delicious when sipped.
To gently punish the hillsides when their flowers exploded,
وَمُستَنفِزاتٍand stirrers لِلقُلوبَof hearts كَأَنَّهاas though they were
وَمُستَنفِزاتٍ لِلقُلوبَ كَأَنَّها
مَهاًwhite oryx حَولَaround مَنتوجاتِهِits newborn young يَتَصَرَّفُit moves about
مَهاً حَولَ مَنتوجاتِهِ يَتَصَرَّفُ
And women who stir the heart, as though they were
Arousing hearts, as though she were
white oryx moving about their newborn young;
An owl hovering round its nestlings without care,
يُشَبَّهنَthey are likened مِنfrom فَرطِexcess of الحَياءِmodesty كَأَنَّهاas though they were
يُشَبَّهنَ مِن فَرطِ الحَياءِ كَأَنَّها
مِراضُsick women سُلالٍconsumption أَوor هَوالِكُdying women نُزَّفُdrained of blood
مِراضُ سُلالٍ أَو هَوالِكُ نُزَّفُ
their overwhelming modesty makes them seem as though they were
From shyness, they resembled, it could be said,
sick with consumption, or dying and drained of blood.
A herd of does, or gazelles freshly bled,
إِذاwhen هُنَّthey ساقَطنَexchanged الحَديثَconversation كَأَنَّهُas though it were
إِذا هُنَّ ساقَطنَ الحَديثَ كَأَنَّهُ
جَنىthe harvest of النَحلِbees أَوor أَبكارِthe first fruits of كَرمٍgrapevines يُقَطَّفُbeing plucked
جَنى النَحلِ أَو أَبكارِ كَرمٍ يُقَطَّفُ
When they exchange conversation, it is as though it were
When they conversed it was like the yield
the bees' harvest, or the first grapes plucked from a vine.
Of bees, or first pickings in a vineyard freshly tilled,
مَوانِعُwithholders لِلأَسرارِof secrets إِلّاexcept لِأَهلِهاfor those entitled to them
مَوانِعُ لِلأَسرارِ إِلّا لِأَهلِها
وَيُخلِفنَand they belie ماwhat ظَنَّsuspected الغَيورُthe jealous man المُشَفشِفُthe fretfully suspicious one
وَيُخلِفنَ ما ظَنَّ الغَيورُ المُشَفشِفُ
They keep secrets from all but those entitled to them,
Guarding their secrets, except from whom they wished,
and belie what the jealous, fretfully suspicious man suspects.
Believing none of the lies of spying peepers and fishers,
يُحَدِّثنَthey speak بَعدَafter اليَأسِdespair مِنwith غَيرِno ريبَةٍcause for suspicion
يُحَدِّثنَ بَعدَ اليَأسِ مِن غَيرِ ريبَةٍ
أَحاديثَconversations تَشفيheal المُدنَفينَthe lovesick وَتَشغَفُand kindle passion
أَحاديثَ تَشفي المُدنَفينَ وَتَشغَفُ
After hope is lost, they speak without cause for suspicion,
After despair, they would speak without guile
words that heal the lovesick and kindle passion.
Words that delight ardent lovers all the while,
إِذاwhen القُنبُضاتِthe short maids السودِthe black ones طَوَّفنَgo about بِالضُحىat midmorning
إِذا القُنبُضاتِ السودِ طَوَّفنَ بِالضُحى
رَقَدنَthey slept عَلَيهِنَّover them الحِجالُthe canopies المُسَجَّفُcurtained
رَقَدنَ عَلَيهِنَّ الحِجالُ المُسَجَّفُ
When the short black maids go about at midmorning,
When the black of night patrolled around the dawn
the ladies lie asleep, curtained canopies above them.
They fell asleep wrapped in their long gowns,
وَإِنand if نَبَّهَتهُنَّawakened them الوَلائِدُthe slave girls بَعدَماafter
وَإِن نَبَّهَتهُنَّ الوَلائِدُ بَعدَما
تَصَعَّدَrose high يَومُthe day of الصَيفِsummer أَوor كادَnearly يَنصِفُreaches its midpoint
تَصَعَّدَ يَومُ الصَيفِ أَو كادَ يَنصِفُ
And if the slave girls wake them after
And if their mother woke them after the summer day
the summer day has climbed high, or almost reached noon,
Had risen high or started to give way,
دَعَونَthey called بِقُضبانِfor twigs of الأَراكِthe arak tree الَّتيwhich جَنىgathered
دَعَونَ بِقُضبانِ الأَراكِ الَّتي جَنى
لَهاfor her الرَكبُthe riders مِنfrom نَعمانَNaʿmān أَيّامَon the days عَرَّفواthey stood at ʿArafāt
لَها الرَكبُ مِن نَعمانَ أَيّامَ عَرَّفوا
they call for arak twigs, which were gathered
They called for the staffs of litter they had been carried in
for her from Naʿmān by the riders, on the days they stood at ʿArafāt.
From Nu‘man on days of old, before sin,
فَمِحنَthen they drew up بِهِwith it عَذباًsweet رُضاباًsaliva غُروبُهُits tooth-edges
فَمِحنَ بِهِ عَذباً رُضاباً غُروبُهُ
رِقاقٌdelicate وَأَعلىand the upper part حَيثُwhere رُكِّبنَthey were set أَعجَفُspare of flesh
رِقاقٌ وَأَعلى حَيثُ رُكِّبنَ أَعجَفُ
Then with it they draw sweet saliva from a mouth whose tooth-edges
Which they sweetly sniffed from end to tip—
are delicate, and whose upper gum, where they are set, is spare of flesh.
Fine wands, the tallest where the litters were equipped.
Sol 6.1