زارَvisited الخَيالُthe phantom وَصَدَّand turned away صاحِبُهُits owner
زارَ الخَيالُ وَصَدَّ صاحِبُهُ
وَالحُبُّand love لاnot تُقضىare exhausted عَجائِبُهُits wonders
وَالحُبُّ لا تُقضى عَجائِبُهُ
The phantom visited, while its owner turned away;
Imagination came visiting, but its companion turned away,
And love's wonders never end.
And love's wonders cannot be fulfilled.
ياO شَرُّSharr قَدindeed أَنكَرتِنيyou disowned me فَلَكَمyet how many
يا شَرُّ قَد أَنكَرتِني فَلَكَم
لَيلٍa night رَأَتكِsaw you مَعيwith me كَواكِبُهُits stars
لَيلٍ رَأَتكِ مَعي كَواكِبُهُ
O Sharr, you have disowned me—yet many a
Oh, evil one, you denied me, so how many
Night's stars have seen you with me.
Nights did its stars see you with me?
شابَتgrew white نَواصيهِits forelocks وَعَذَّبَنيand it tormented me
شابَت نَواصيهِ وَعَذَّبَني
مِنfrom طولِthe length of أَيّاميmy days أُراقِبُهُI watch for it
مِن طولِ أَيّامي أُراقِبُهُ
Its forelocks grew white, and it tormented me,
His temples have grayed, and he tormented me
As my days dragged on and I kept watch for it,
By the length of my days watching him.
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen الإِمساءُevening أَورَدَهُled it to water
حَتّى إِذا الإِمساءُ أَورَدَهُ
حَوضَthe pool الغُروبُsunset فَعَبَّand then drank deeply شارِبُهُits drinker
حَوضَ الغُروبُ فَعَبَّ شارِبُهُ
Until, when evening led it
Until, when nightfall
To sunset's pool and its drinker drank deep,
Led him to the sunset’s drinking-place to drink his fill.
هامَwandered madly الهَوىpassion بِمُتَيَّمٍwith a love-stricken man قَلِقٍrestless
هامَ الهَوى بِمُتَيَّمٍ قَلِقٍ
فيin الصَبرِpatience قَدalready سُدَّتwere blocked مَذاهِبُهُhis paths
في الصَبرِ قَد سُدَّت مَذاهِبُهُ
Passion drove a restless, love-stricken man to distraction,
Love wandered anxiously, suffering
Whose paths to patience had been barred.
As all its paths to patience were blocked.
باتَتthey spent the night تُغَلغِلُthreading their way بَينَbetween ثَنيِfolds دُجىdarkness
باتَت تُغَلغِلُ بَينَ ثَنيِ دُجى
حَتّىuntil أَتَتكَcame to you بِهِwith him رَكائِبُهُhis riding camels
حَتّى أَتَتكَ بِهِ رَكائِبُهُ
They spent the night threading the folds of darkness,
It tossed and turned in the folds of darkness’ bosom
Until his riding camels brought him to you.
Until its carriers brought it to you.
بِأَبيwith my father as ransom حَبيبٌa beloved كُنتُI used to أَعهُدُهُknow him
بِأَبي حَبيبٌ كُنتُ أَعهُدُهُ
ليto me واصِلاًmaintaining loving union فَاِزوَرَّthen turned away جانِبُهُhis side
لي واصِلاً فَاِزوَرَّ جانِبُهُ
May my father be ransom for a beloved I once knew
By my dear one, whom I knew
To keep close to me—then he turned his side away.
As a loyal friend, but he shunned my side!
عَبِقُfragrant الكَلامِin speech بِمِسكَةٍwith a breath of musk نَفَحَتwafted
عَبِقُ الكَلامِ بِمِسكَةٍ نَفَحَت
مَنfrom فيهِhis mouth تُرضيpleases مَنwhoever يُعاتِبُهُreproaches him
مَن فيهِ تُرضي مَن يُعاتِبُهُ
His speech was fragrant with a breath of musk that wafted
The fragrance of speech blew from a perfumed breath,
From his mouth, pleasing whoever reproached him.
Which would please whoever reproaches him.
نَبَّهتُهُI roused him وَالحَيُّwhile the clan قَدalready رَقَدواhad slept
نَبَّهتُهُ وَالحَيُّ قَد رَقَدوا
مُستَبطِناًconcealing within عَضباًkeen مَضارِبُهُits cutting edges
مُستَبطِناً عَضباً مَضارِبُهُ
I roused him while the clan had fallen asleep,
I woke him while the living were asleep,
Concealing a sword with keen edges.
Harboring anger, its sparks strike.
فَكَأَنَّنيso it was as though I رَوَّعتُstartled ظَبيَa gazelle نَقاًa sand dune
فَكَأَنَّني رَوَّعتُ ظَبيَ نَقاً
فيin عَينِهِhis eye سِنَةٌdrowsiness تُغالِبُهُstrives to overcome him
في عَينِهِ سِنَةٌ تُغالِبُهُ
So it was as though I had startled a gazelle on a dune,
So it was as if I had startled a watchful gazelle,
In whose eye drowsiness struggled to overcome him.
In his eye a look that overcomes him.
Sol 6.1