سَلُواask سَيْفَthe sword أَلْحاظِهِhis glances الْمُمْتَشَقْunsheathed
سَلُوا سَيْفَ أَلْحاظِهِ الْمُمْتَشَقْ
أَعِنْدَis there with الْقُلُوبِthe hearts دَمٌa blood-debt لِلْحَدَقْfor the eyes
أَعِنْدَ الْقُلُوبِ دَمٌ لِلْحَدَقْ
Ask the unsheathed sword of his glances:
Ask the sword that unveiled its edges,
Do hearts owe the eyes a blood-debt?
Does blood dwell in hearts for pupils?
أَماis there not مِنْany مُعِينْhelper وَلاnor عاذِرٍone who excuses
أَما مِنْ مُعِينْ وَلا عاذِرٍ
إِذاwhen عَنُفَgrew harsh الشَّوْقُlonging يَوْماًone day رَفَقْwas gentle
إِذا عَنُفَ الشَّوْقُ يَوْماً رَفَقْ
Is there no helper, none to excuse me,
Is there no helper or excuse
who will be gentle when longing one day grows harsh?
When longing violently shakes one day?
تَجَلىappeared لَناto us صارِمُsword-sharp الْمُقْلَتَيْthe two eyes (continued)
تَجَلى لَنا صارِمُ الْمُقْلَتَيْ
نِcompletes the dual ending ماضِيkeen-edged الْمُوَشَّحِthe sash-place وَالمُنْتَطَقْand the belt-place
نِ ماضِي الْمُوَشَّحِ وَالمُنْتَطَقْ
Before us appeared one with sword-sharp eyes,
The executor of the past and the eloquent
keen-bladed at sash and belt,
Appeared to us with decisive eyes.
مِنَfrom among التُّرْكِthe Turks ماnot سَهْمُهُhis arrow لَوْif رَمىhe shot
مِنَ التُّرْكِ ما سَهْمُهُ لَوْ رَمى
بِأَقْتَلَany deadlier مِنْthan لَحْظِهِhis glance إِذْwhen رَمَقْhe gazed
بِأَقْتَلَ مِنْ لَحْظِهِ إِذْ رَمَقْ
a Turk whose arrow, if he shot, would not
Of the Turks, his arrow, if it shot
be deadlier than his glance when he gazed.
Would kill more fatally than his glance when it glanced.
تَعَلَّقْتُهُI became enamored of him وَكَأَنَّand as though الْجَمالَbeauty
تَعَلَّقْتُهُ وَكَأَنَّ الْجَمالَ
يُضاهِيrivals غَرامِيmy passion بِهِfor him وَالْعَلَقْand attachment
يُضاهِي غَرامِي بِهِ وَالْعَلَقْ
I fell in love with him, as though beauty
I clung to him as if beauty
rivaled my passion for him and my attachment.
Matched my passion for him and my attachment.
وَلَيْلَةَand one night راقَبْتُهُI watched for him زائراًas a visitor
وَلَيْلَةَ راقَبْتُهُ زائراً
سَمِيرَnighttime companion السُّهادِsleeplessness ضَجِيعَbedfellow الْقَلَقْanxiety
سَمِيرَ السُّهادِ ضَجِيعَ الْقَلَقْ
And one night I awaited his visit,
And a night I watched him visiting
companion of sleeplessness, bedfellow of anxiety.
The intimate of wakefulness, the restless sleeper.
كَأَنِّيas though I لِرِقْبَتِهِin watching for him حابِلٌa snare-setter
كَأَنِّي لِرِقْبَتِهِ حابِلٌ
دَنَتْdrew near أُمُّmother خَشْفٍa fawn لَهُbelonging to him مِنْto وَهَقْa noose
دَنَتْ أُمُّ خَشْفٍ لَهُ مِنْ وَهَقْ
As though, in watching for him, I were a snare-setter:
As if I had tied his neck with rope
a fawn's mother had drawn near a noose of his.
The mother of a tender calf approached him nervously.
دَعَتْنِيcalled me الْمَخافَةُfear مِنْof فَتْكِهِhis deadly assault
دَعَتْنِي الْمَخافَةُ مِنْ فَتْكِهِ
إِلَيْهِto him وَكَمْand how many مُقْدِمٍone who advances مِنْfrom فَرَقْfear
إِلَيْهِ وَكَمْ مُقْدِمٍ مِنْ فَرَقْ
Fear of his deadly assault drew me
Fear of his violence drove me
to him—many a man advances out of fear!
To him, and how often the departer turns back!
وَقَدْand already راضَتِtamed الكَأْسُthe cup أخْلاقَهُhis manners
وَقَدْ راضَتِ الكَأْسُ أخْلاقَهُ
وَوُقِّرَand was made sedate بِالسُّكْرِby drunkenness مِنْهُin him النَّزَقْrashness
وَوُقِّرَ بِالسُّكْرِ مِنْهُ النَّزَقْ
And the cup had tamed his manners,
Wine softened his manners
and drunkenness had made his rashness sedate.
And drunkenness brought tranquility to him.
وَحُقَّand was fitting الْعِناقُthe embrace فَقَبَّلْتُهُso I kissed him
وَحُقَّ الْعِناقُ فَقَبَّلْتُهُ
شَهِيَّdelicious الْمُقَبَّلِthe place kissed وَالْمُعْتَنَقْand the place embraced
شَهِيَّ الْمُقَبَّلِ وَالْمُعْتَنَقْ
And an embrace was fitting, so I kissed him,
The right of embrace necessitated that I kiss him,
delicious to kiss and to embrace.
The passionate kisser and the embraced.
وَباتَتْand remained through the night ثَناياهُhis front teeth عانِيّةَof ʿAna (wine) الthe (continued)
وَباتَتْ ثَناياهُ عانِيّةَ ال
مُرَشَّفِwhat is sipped دارِيَّةَof Darin (musk) الْمُنْتَشَقْthe inhaled fragrance
مُرَشَّفِ دارِيَّةَ الْمُنْتَشَقْ
And all night his front teeth were wine of ʿAna
And his folds spent the night suffering,
to sip, and musk of Darin to inhale.
My home's sleepless and torn companions.
وَبِتُّand I spent the night أُخالِجُwrestling with شَكِّيmy doubt بِهِabout him
وَبِتُّ أُخالِجُ شَكِّي بِهِ
أَزَوْرٌwas it a visitor? طَراarrived unexpectedly أَمْor خَيالٌa phantom طَرَقْcame by night
أَزَوْرٌ طَرا أَمْ خَيالٌ طَرَقْ
And I spent the night wrestling with my doubt about him:
I pass the night suffering doubt about him:
was it a visitor who arrived, or a phantom come by night?
Was he a visitor who came or a specter who knocked?
أُفَكِّرُI ponder فِيabout الْهَجْرِseparation كَيْفَhow انْقَضىended
أُفَكِّرُ فِي الْهَجْرِ كَيْفَ انْقَضى
وأَعْجَبُand I marvel لِلْوَصْلِat union كَيْفَhow اتَّفَقْcame about
وأَعْجَبُ لِلْوَصْلِ كَيْفَ اتَّفَقْ
I ponder how separation came to an end,
I think about how separation passed
and marvel at how union came about.
And wonder how union coincided.
فَللْحُبِّso to love belongs ماwhatever عَزَّis precious مِنِّيin me وَهانَand is lowly
فَللْحُبِّ ما عَزَّ مِنِّي وَهانَ
وَلِلْحُسْنِand to beauty belongs ماwhatever جَلَّis great مِنْهُin him وَدَقّْand is small
وَلِلْحُسْنِ ما جَلَّ مِنْهُ وَدَقّْ
So love has all in me, the precious and the lowly,
For love whatever was difficult for me became easy
and beauty all in him, the great and the small.
And for beauty whatever was majestic in him became refined.
لَقَدْindeed أَبِقَabsconded الْعُدْمُpoverty مِنْfrom راحَتَيَّmy two palms
لَقَدْ أَبِقَ الْعُدْمُ مِنْ راحَتَيَّ
لَمّاwhen أَحَسَّit sensed بِنُعْمىthe bounty of أَبَقْAbaq
لَمّا أَحَسَّ بِنُعْمى أَبَقْ
Indeed, poverty absconded from my two palms
Indeed, non-existence kept my comfort from lasting
when it sensed Abaq's bounty.
When it sensed the blessing of existence.
تَطاوَحَflung itself away يَهْرُبُfleeing مِنْfrom جُودِهِhis generosity
تَطاوَحَ يَهْرُبُ مِنْ جُودِهِ
وَمَنْand whoever أَمَّهbore down upon him السَّيْلُthe torrent خافَfeared الْغَرَقْdrowning
وَمَنْ أَمَّه السَّيْلُ خافَ الْغَرَقْ
It flung itself away, fleeing his generosity;
It struggles to escape his generosity,
and anyone a torrent bears down upon fears drowning.
And whoever the torrent inundated fears the flood.
Sol 6.1