أَفاطِمَO Fatim لاneither أَنسىhas made [me] forget نُعاسٌslumber وَلاnor سُرىًnight travel
أَفاطِمَ لا أَنسى نُعاسٌ وَلا سُرىً
عَقابيلَlingering pains يَلقاناmeets us مِراراًrepeatedly غَرامُهاtheir torment
عَقابيلَ يَلقانا مِراراً غَرامُها
O Fatim, neither slumber nor night travel has made me forget
the lingering pains whose torment visits us again and again,
لِعَينَيكِof your two eyes وَالثَغرُand the mouth الَّذيwhich خِلتُI thought أَنَّهُthat it
لِعَينَيكِ وَالثَغرُ الَّذي خِلتُ أَنَّهُ
تَحَدَّرَhad descended مِنfrom غَرّاءَa radiant [cloud] بيضٍwhite غَمامُهاits clouds
تَحَدَّرَ مِن غَرّاءَ بيضٍ غَمامُها
from your eyes and the mouth that I thought
had fallen from a radiant bank of white clouds.
وَذَكَّرَنيهاand reminded me of her أَنthat سَمِعتُI heard حَمامَةًa dove
وَذَكَّرَنيها أَن سَمِعتُ حَمامَةً
بَكَتit wept فَبَكىso wept فَوقَabove الغُصونِthe boughs حَمامُهاits fellow doves
بَكَت فَبَكى فَوقَ الغُصونِ حَمامُها
And hearing a dove reminded me of her:
it wept, and its fellow doves wept above the boughs.
نَؤومٌdeeply asleep عَنِto الفَحشاءِindecency لاnot تَنطِقُshe utters الخَناobscenity
نَؤومٌ عَنِ الفَحشاءِ لا تَنطِقُ الخَنا
قَليلٌlittle سِوىexcept for تَخبيلِهاher maddening القَومَthe men ذامُهاblame laid on her
قَليلٌ سِوى تَخبيلِها القَومَ ذامُها
Asleep to indecency, she utters no obscenity;
little fault is found with her, save that she drives men mad.
أَفاطِمَO Fatim ماwhat يُدريكِlets you know ماwhat فيin جَوانِحيmy ribs
أَفاطِمَ ما يُدريكِ ما في جَوانِحي
مِنَof الوَجدِpassionate longing وَالعَينِand the eye الكَثيرِabundant سِجامُهاits flow of tears
مِنَ الوَجدِ وَالعَينِ الكَثيرِ سِجامُها
O Fatim, how can you know what lies within my ribs,
of longing, and of the eye whose tears stream so freely?
فَلَوso if بِعتِنيyou sold to me نَفسيmy soul الَّتيwhich قَدalready تَرَكتِهاyou have left it
فَلَو بِعتِني نَفسي الَّتي قَد تَرَكتِها
تَساقَطُfalling apart تَترىone after another لَاِفتَداهاwould surely ransom it سَوامُهاits grazing herds
تَساقَطُ تَترى لَاِفتَداها سَوامُها
So if you sold me back my soul, which you have left
falling apart, piece after piece, its grazing herds would ransom it.
لَأَعطَيتُI would surely give مِنهاfrom them ماwhatever اِحتَكَمتِyou demanded وَمِثلَهُand as much again
لَأَعطَيتُ مِنها ما اِحتَكَمتِ وَمِثلَهُ
وَلَوand even if كانَit were مِلءَenough to fill الأَرضِthe earth يُحدىdriven on by song اِحتِكامُهاher demanded price
وَلَو كانَ مِلءَ الأَرضِ يُحدى اِحتِكامُها
I would give from them whatever you demanded, and as much again,
even if her price were herds filling the earth, driven on by song.
فَهَلso, is there لَكِfor you فيin نَفسيmy soul فَتَقتَحِميso that you plunge بِهاwith it
فَهَل لَكِ في نَفسي فَتَقتَحِمي بِها
عِقاباًsteep passes تَدَلّىdescends لِلحَياةِtoward life اِقتِحامُهاbraving them
عِقاباً تَدَلّى لِلحَياةِ اِقتِحامُها
Would you, then, take my soul and plunge with it
through steep passes whose crossing leads down toward life?
لَقَدindeed ضَرَبَتhave struck لَوif only أَنَّهُthat it كانَhad been مُبقِياًsparing
لَقَد ضَرَبَت لَو أَنَّهُ كانَ مُبقِياً
حَياةًsome life عَلىupon أَشلاءِthe torn remains of قَلبيmy heart سِهامُهاher arrows
حَياةً عَلى أَشلاءِ قَلبي سِهامُها
They have indeed struck—if only that had spared
some life—her arrows, upon the torn remains of my heart.
قَدِindeed اِقتَسَمَتdivided between them عَيناكِyour two eyes يَومَon the day لَقيتِناyou met us
قَدِ اِقتَسَمَت عَيناكِ يَومَ لَقيتِنا
حُشاشَةَthe last living remnant نَفسٍof a soul ماnot يَحِلُّis lawful اِقتِسامُهاdividing it
حُشاشَةَ نَفسٍ ما يَحِلُّ اِقتِسامُها
Your two eyes indeed divided, the day you met us,
the last remnant of a soul whose division is forbidden.
فَكَيفَthen what بِمَنof one عَيناهُhis two eyes فيin مُقلَتَيهِماtheir two pupils
فَكَيفَ بِمَن عَيناهُ في مُقلَتَيهِما
شِفاءٌa cure لِنَفسٍfor a soul فيهِماin them both وَسَقامُهاand its sickness
شِفاءٌ لِنَفسٍ فيهِما وَسَقامُها
Then what of one whose two eyes hold within their pupils
a cure for a soul, and within them its sickness too?
إِذاwhen هيshe نَأَتgoes far away عَنّيfrom me حَنَنتُI yearn وَإِنand if دَنَتshe draws near
إِذا هي نَأَت عَنّي حَنَنتُ وَإِن دَنَت
فَأَبعَدُthen farther out of reach مِنthan بيضِthe eggs of الأُنوقِthe vulture كَلامُهاher speech
فَأَبعَدُ مِن بيضِ الأُنوقِ كَلامُها
When she goes far from me, I yearn; and if she draws near,
her speech is farther out of reach than the vulture's eggs.
وَتَمنَعُand she denies عَينيmy eye وَهيَwhile it is يَقظىawake شِفاءَهاits cure
وَتَمنَعُ عَيني وَهيَ يَقظى شِفاءَها
وَيُبذَلُand is freely given ليto me عِندَat المَنامِsleep حَرامُهاher forbidden favors
وَيُبذَلُ لي عِندَ المَنامِ حَرامُها
And she denies my eye its cure while it is awake,
yet in sleep her forbidden favors are freely given to me.
وَكائِنand how often مَنَعتُI have kept القَومَthe men مِنfrom نَومِsleep لَيلَةٍa night
وَكائِن مَنَعتُ القَومَ مِن نَومِ لَيلَةٍ
وَقَدwhile already مَيَّلَتit had made droop أَعناقَهُمtheir necks لاnot أَنامُهاI sleep through it
وَقَد مَيَّلَت أَعناقَهُم لا أَنامُها
And many a night I have kept the men from sleep,
though it had already bowed their necks; I passed it sleepless.
Sol 6.1