أسقتكmay they water you ياO ربعabode of الحبيبthe beloved قطارَهاtheir showers
أسقتك يا ربع الحبيب قطارَها
ديمٌsteady rain clouds إليكtoward you حدىdrove along النسيمُthe breeze عِشارهاtheir pregnant she-camels
ديمٌ إليك حدى النسيمُ عِشارها
May they water you, O beloved's abode, with their showers—
I quenched your thirst, my beloved, with her train
Steady rain clouds whose pregnant she-camels the breeze drove toward you.
The gentle breeze brought her sweet scent to you
منfrom كلّevery هاضبةٍrain-laden cloud تألّفgathered together برقُهاits lightning
من كلّ هاضبةٍ تألّف برقُها
فأتتكso it came to you تتبعfollowing عينهاits steady downpour أبكارهاits first showers
فأتتك تتبع عينها أبكارها
From every rain-laden cloud whose lightning gathered,
Lightning gathered from every storm cloud
It came to you, its first showers following its steady downpour.
Her virginal eyes followed you
نفَّاحةpouring abundantly وسمتmarked رُباكyour hills فروّضتso made them meadows
نفَّاحة وسمت رُباك فروّضت
منfrom بعدafter ماwhen محتerased الصَباthe east wind آثارهاtheir traces
من بعد ما محت الصَبا آثارها
Pouring abundantly, it marked your hills and made them meadows,
She appeared suddenly, gracing your dwellings
After the east wind had erased their traces.
After youth had erased its traces
وبأيمنand to the right of العلمينal-ʿAlamayn أمثالcounterparts لهاof her
وبأيمن العلمين أمثال لها
لاnot يستطيعcan أخوa man of الغرامpassionate love مزارهاa visit to them
لا يستطيع أخو الغرام مزارها
And to the right of al-ʿAlamayn are others like her,
With flags on the two standards, the likes of her
Whom a man in love cannot visit.
No lover could reach her sanctuary
علّمنthey taught أغصانthe boughs of النقاthe sand dune فتمايلتso they swayed
علّمن أغصان النقا فتمايلت
طرباًin delight وعلّمتand she taught الشجىgrief أطيارهاher birds
طرباً وعلّمت الشجى أطيارها
They taught the dune's boughs, and the boughs swayed
She taught the branches of Naqâ to sway
In delight; and she taught her birds grief.
Enchantingly, teaching her birds to sing
إنif تمنعwithhold الأعرابُthe Bedouins روضةَthe meadow of ريمهاher gazelle
إن تمنع الأعرابُ روضةَ ريمها
عنِّيfrom me وتأبىand refuse أنto أشمI smell عرارهاits ʿarār flowers
عنِّي وتأبى أن أشم عرارها
If the Bedouins withhold her gazelle's meadow
If the nomads forbid Rim's garden to me
From me, and refuse to let me smell its ʿarār flowers,
And prevent me from smelling its perfume
فلأعدلنَّthen I shall surely turn بصبوتيwith my yearning عنهاaway from her إلىtoward
فلأعدلنَّ بصبوتي عنها إلى
فئةٍa company علىat الروحينal-Rūḥayn أعهدُI remember دارهاits dwelling
فئةٍ على الروحين أعهدُ دارها
Then I shall surely turn my yearning away from her toward
I will turn my affection from it to
A company whose dwelling I remember at al-Rūḥayn.
A tribe whose abode I'll frequent
حيّa clan منof الأتراكthe Turks بينamong خدورهمtheir curtained chambers
حيّ من الأتراك بين خدورهم
هيفاءُa slender-waisted woman تمنحgrants وصلهاher intimacy منwhoever زارهاvisits her
هيفاءُ تمنح وصلها من زارها
A clan of Turks, amid whose curtained chambers
A Hoyfâ lives among their tents
A slender-waisted woman grants her intimacy to whoever visits her.
Granting her union to those who visit
وافتshe came تبرقعveiling وجهَهاher face قمرَthe moon of الدجىthe dark night
وافت تبرقع وجهَها قمرَ الدجى
وَتزرّand fastens فيamong شهبthe bright stars of السماthe sky زِنَّارهاher girdle
وَتزرّ في شهب السما زِنَّارها
She came, veiling her face, the moon of the dark night,
Veiled like the moon of nightfall
And fastening her girdle amid heaven's bright stars.
Studded with stars in the sky's expanse
فصمsnapped السوارthe bracelet لفعمةbecause of fullness منof زندهاher wrist
فصم السوار لفعمة من زندها
فكأَنَّماso as though كانhad been الهلالthe crescent moon سوارهاher bracelet
فكأَنَّما كان الهلال سوارها
The bracelet snapped from the fullness of her wrist,
Her bracelet clinked on a delicate wrist
As though the crescent moon had been her bracelet.
As if the crescent were her bracelet
فدنوتُso I drew near منهاto her لاnot أهِمُّI intend بريبةٍany wrongdoing
فدنوتُ منها لا أهِمُّ بريبةٍ
فيهاwith her ولمand did not تطرحcast off لديَّbefore me أزارهاher waist-wrap
فيها ولم تطرح لديَّ أزارها
So I drew near her, intending no wrongdoing
I approached her, not fearing reproach
With her; nor did she cast off her waist-wrap before me.
She did not remove her veil before me
لكنbut ليقضيso as to fulfill ناظريmy eye منfrom حسنهاher beauty
لكن ليقضي ناظري من حسنها
الأوطارdesires لاnot أقضىI fulfill لهاfor her أوطارهاher desires
الأوطار لا أقضى لها أوطارها
But so that my eye might satisfy, through her beauty,
Only so my eyes could feast on her beauty
Its desires—not that I should fulfill hers.
Not to fulfill their every desire
ماتواmay they die بغيظهمof their rage وليتand would that نفوسهمtheir souls
ماتوا بغيظهم وليت نفوسهم
فيهاinto them المنيَّةDeath أنشبتsank أظفارهاits claws
فيها المنيَّة أنشبت أظفارها
May they die of their rage! Would that their souls
They died of rage, if only their souls
Had been pierced by the claws of Death!
Had perished, sinking claws into her!
ماnot مدَّprolonged فيin أعمارهمtheir lifetimes لكرامةٍto honor them
ما مدَّ في أعمارهم لكرامةٍ
لكنَّماbut rather كرهَloathed الإِلهGod جوارهاtheir company
لكنَّما كرهَ الإِله جوارها
Their lives were not prolonged to honor them,
They did not live long lives honourably
But because God loathed their company.
But God disliked her company
Sol 6.1