سِرْgo قاصِداًheading purposefully سرعاًswiftly ياO حاديdriver of النُّجُبِthe noble camels
سِرْ قاصِداً سرعاً يا حادي النُّجُبِ
وَقِفْand halt علىon التعلةِal-Taʿlah العلياءِlofty منfrom غربِthe west
وَقِفْ على التعلةِ العلياءِ من غربِ
Go swiftly and purposefully, O driver of noble camels.
Journey with haste, O guide of the stars,
And halt on lofty al-Taʿlah, coming from the west.
And stop at the highest hill in the west,
والثَمْand touch your lips to حصىpebbles بُقْعَةٍa tract of land الوسطىthe central one وقبِّلهُand kiss it
والثَمْ حصى بُقْعَةٍ الوسطى وقبِّلهُ
وادمعْand shed tears عليهover it بِمُنْهَلّwith streaming tears ومُنْسكِبِand pouring tears
وادمعْ عليه بِمُنْهَلّ ومُنْسكِبِ
And touch your lips to the central tract’s pebbles, and kiss them.
Kiss the middle ground and weep over it
And weep over them with streaming, pouring tears.
With abundant tears that copiously flow.
واسجدْand prostrate yourself هنالكthere إجلالاًin reverence لرؤيتهاat the sight of it
واسجدْ هنالك إجلالاً لرؤيتها
وامضِand go onward إلىto سدرةِthe lote tree of الواديthe valley معwith الأثبِthe athab fig trees
وامضِ إلى سدرةِ الوادي مع الأثبِ
And prostrate yourself there, in reverence at the sight of it.
Prostrate there in reverence at the sight,
And go to the valley’s lote tree, beside the athab fig trees.
Then walk to the LOTUS tree in the valley.
تجدْyou will find بهنَّamong them حماماتٍdoves تنوحُcoo mournfully ضُحىًat midmorning
تجدْ بهنَّ حماماتٍ تنوحُ ضُحىً
تشوقاًout of longing تُنْشِدُsinging الأصواتَthe songs بالطَرَبِwith rapture
تشوقاً تُنْشِدُ الأصواتَ بالطَرَبِ
You will find among them doves lamenting at midmorning,
There you will find doves that at dawn lament,
Yearning, singing their songs in rapture.
Yearning, singing their melodies in rapture.
وقلand say لهاto them أينwhere غزلانُthe gazelles of الأراكِthe arak trees مَضَواthey went
وقل لها أين غزلانُ الأراكِ مَضَوا
فإنَّfor indeed مُضناهمtheir lovesick one أضحىhas become لفيsurely in تعبِweariness
فإنَّ مُضناهم أضحى لفي تعبِ
And ask them, “Where have the gazelles of the arak trees gone?”
Tell them: “Where have the gazelles of the meadows gone?
For their lovesick one is now indeed weary.
Their absence has become a cause of my agony.”
وَسِرْand go إلىto سَلمthe acacias of المِسْيالthe watercourse مُنْتظِراًwaiting
وَسِرْ إلى سَلم المِسْيال مُنْتظِراً
هلwhether لَحَّpersisted يسقيهwatering it رَجَّاسa thunderous cloud منfrom among السُحُبِthe clouds
هل لَحَّ يسقيه رَجَّاس من السُحُبِ
And go to the watercourse’s acacias, waiting
Journey to the rainwater tank expecting
To see whether a thunderous cloud has kept watering them.
Whether a drawer will water it from the clouds,
بهin it شموسٌsuns عهدناهَاwe once knew them مُحَمَّلةًladen
به شموسٌ عهدناهَا مُحَمَّلةً
أعناقُهاtheir necks الحُمرruddy منof دُرٍّpearls ومنand of ذَهَبِgold
أعناقُها الحُمر من دُرٍّ ومن ذَهَبِ
There are suns there we once knew adorned,
Where suns we knew carried
Their ruddy necks laden with pearls and gold.
On their red necks pearls and gold,
يَخْتُلْنَthey beguile فيin السعيwalking منout of تِيهٍpride ومنand out of ترفٍluxury
يَخْتُلْنَ في السعي من تِيهٍ ومن ترفٍ
فيin الرفرفِthe fine draperies الخُضرgreen أوor فيin أحمرred القَصَبِbrocade
في الرفرفِ الخُضر أو في أحمر القَصَبِ
They walk beguilingly, in pride and luxury,
Wandering, lost between fatigue and luxury,
In green draperies or in red brocade.
In the green rustling or the red canes.
يبسمنthey smile عنrevealing أقحوانٍdaisies فيwithin العقيقcarnelian يرىis seen
يبسمن عن أقحوانٍ في العقيق يرى
بحولةaround it (uncertain reading) الظلمgleaming saliva منfrom عَصَّارةthe juice of العنبِgrapes
بحولة الظلم من عَصَّارة العنبِ
They smile, revealing daisies seen within carnelian,
They smile from the redness in carnelian that shows
Around them gleams saliva from the juice of grapes.
Through the darkness the juice of grapes.
يحميit defends برشقِby a volley of نبالٍarrows فيin القِسيّthe bows وكمand how many
يحمي برشقِ نبالٍ في القِسيّ وكم
قدindeed أتلفتْthey have destroyed منof نفوسِsouls of الخلقِhumankind بالعَطَبِthrough ruin
قد أتلفتْ من نفوسِ الخلقِ بالعَطَبِ
It defends itself with arrows shot from bows—and how many
With the shooting of arrows they protect
Human souls those arrows have indeed brought to ruin!
Many souls ruined by time’s calamities.
همthey الأصحابُthe companions لاnot أنسىI forget مودّتَهمtheir affection
هم الأصحابُ لا أنسى مودّتَهم
حتىuntil أكونَI am ببطنِin the depths of اللَّحدِthe grave والتُرُبِand the dust
حتى أكونَ ببطنِ اللَّحدِ والتُرُبِ
They are the companions; I shall not forget their affection
They are friends - I will not forget their affection
Until I lie in the depths of the grave and the dust.
Until I am in the belly of the grave and dust.
كانتthere was لناfor us بديارِin the abodes of اللهوِpleasure سلطنةٌsovereignty
كانت لنا بديارِ اللهوِ سلطنةٌ
نأويwe take shelter ونسرحand we roam فيin أثوابِناour garments القُشُبِnew
نأوي ونسرح في أثوابِنا القُشُبِ
We once held dominion in the abodes of pleasure,
We had in the abode of revelry a dominion
Taking shelter and roaming in our new robes.
Where we took shelter and frolicked in our rags.
ثمthen افترقْنَاwe parted وصارَand began البينُseparation ينعقُcaws فيin
ثم افترقْنَا وصارَ البينُ ينعقُ في
آثارِناour traces بقبيحِwith hideous الزَجْرِcries of rebuke والنَعَبِand croaking
آثارِنا بقبيحِ الزَجْرِ والنَعَبِ
Then we parted, and separation began to caw in
Then we parted and the interval barked at
Our wake, with hideous cries of rebuke and croaking.
Our footsteps with the ugliness of wailing and howling.
لكنَّbut صبراًpatience! عسىmay الرحمنُthe All-Merciful يَجْمَعُناreunite us
لكنَّ صبراً عسى الرحمنُ يَجْمَعُنا
يومَon the day of المعادِthe Return بأعلىin the loftiest السَّكنْdwellings والرُّتبِand ranks
يومَ المعادِ بأعلى السَّكنْ والرُّتبِ
But patience—may the All-Merciful reunite us
But patience - perhaps the Merciful will gather us
On the Day of Return, in the loftiest dwellings and ranks.
On the Day of Resurrection in the highest place and rank.
Sol 6.1