ولمّاand when رأَيْتُI saw اللَّيْلَthe night عَسْكَرَencamped قرّهُits cold
ولمّا رأَيْتُ اللَّيْلَ عَسْكَرَ قرّهُ
وهَبَّتْand blew لهfor it رِيحانِtwo winds تَلْتَطِمَانِthey clash together
وهَبَّتْ له رِيحانِ تَلْتَطِمَانِ
And when I saw the night’s cold encamp,
When I saw the night encamp its steeds
and two winds rose for it, clashing together,
And the sweet-scented breeze hastened to it,
وعَمَّمَand turbaned صُلْعَthe bald tops of الهُضْبِthe hills مِنwith قَطْرِthe falling drops of ثَلْجِهِits snow
وعَمَّمَ صُلْعَ الهُضْبِ مِن قَطْرِ ثَلْجِهِ
يَدانِtwo hands مِنof الصِّنَّبْرِthe biting cold تَبتَدِرانِthey race one another
يَدانِ مِن الصِّنَّبْرِ تَبتَدِرانِ
and the bald hilltops were turbaned with its falling snow
Covering the bare mountain-tops with its cold rain
by two hands of biting cold, racing one another,
Like hands of hail coming from the cloud,
رَفَعْتُI raised لِسَارِيfor the traveler through اللَّيْلِthe night ناريْنِtwo fires فارْتأَىand he saw
رَفَعْتُ لِسَارِي اللَّيْلِ ناريْنِ فارْتأَى
شُعَاعَيْنِtwo beams تَحْتَbeneath النَّجْمِthe star يَلْتَقِيَانِthey meet
شُعَاعَيْنِ تَحْتَ النَّجْمِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ
I raised two fires for the night traveler, and he saw
I raised for the march of night two fires
two beams meeting beneath the star.
With two rays meeting below a star,
فأَقْبَلَso he approached مَقْرُورَchilled الْحَشَاin the innards لمnot تَكُنْexist لهfor him
فأَقْبَلَ مَقْرُورَ الْحَشَا لم تَكُنْ له
بدَفْعِin repelling صُرُوفِthe vicissitudes of النَّائِباتِcalamities يدانِtwo hands
بدَفْعِ صُرُوفِ النَّائِباتِ يدانِ
So he came, chilled to the core; he had no
Then he of the dusty gray horse approached whom no hands could repel
hands equal to warding off misfortune’s changing blows.
From executing the unavoidable decrees of Fate,
فقُلْتُso I said إِلىto ذاتِthe one with الدُّخانِsmoke فقالَso he said لِيto me
فقُلْتُ إِلى ذاتِ الدُّخانِ فقالَ لِي
وهلand has…? عُرفَتْbeen known نارٌa fire بَغْيرِwithout دُخَانِsmoke
وهل عُرفَتْ نارٌ بَغْيرِ دُخَانِ
So I said, “Come to the one with smoke!” He answered me,
So I said to the smoky fire, and it replied to me,
“And has a fire ever been known without smoke?”
“Is a fire known without smoke?”
فمِلْتُso I turned بهwith him أَجْتَرُّهُI draw him along نَحْوَtoward جَمْرَةٍan ember
فمِلْتُ به أَجْتَرُّهُ نَحْوَ جَمْرَةٍ
لهاit has بارِقٌa lightning-flash للضَّيْفِfor the guest غَيْرُnot يَمانِfrom Yemen
لها بارِقٌ للضَّيْفِ غَيْرُ يَمانِ
So I turned him aside, drawing him toward an ember
I began to coax it towards a live coal
whose lightning-flash for the guest was not from Yemen.
Which has lightning flashes for the guest but no fickleness,
إِذاwhenever ماan emphatic particle حَسَاhe sipped أَلْقَمْتُهُI fed him كُلَّeach فِلْذَةٍmorsel
إِذا ما حَسَا أَلْقَمْتُهُ كُلَّ فِلْذَةٍ
لفَرْخةِof a chick طَيْرٍof a bird أَوْor لسَخْلةِof a young animal ضانِof sheep
لفَرْخةِ طَيْرٍ أَوْ لسَخْلةِ ضانِ
Whenever he sipped, I fed him each morsel
Whenever it felt hungry I fed it a morsel
of a young bird or a lamb.
Of a bird’s chick or a lamb of the flock,
فَماso not زالَceased فيin أَكلٍeating وشُرْبٍand drinking مُدارَكٍuninterrupted
فَما زالَ في أَكلٍ وشُرْبٍ مُدارَكٍ
إِلىuntil أَنْthat تَشَهَّىhe longed for التَّرْكَstopping شَهْوَةَthe longing of وانِيa weary one
إِلى أَنْ تَشَهَّى التَّرْكَ شَهْوَةَ وانِي
So he kept eating and drinking in unbroken succession
So it went on eating and drinking continually
until he longed to stop, with a weary man’s longing.
Till it was sated and sought to be left alone,
فأَلْحَفْتُهُso I blanketed him فامتَدَّand he stretched out فَوْقَupon مِهَادِهِhis bedding
فأَلْحَفْتُهُ فامتَدَّ فَوْقَ مِهَادِهِ
وخَدّاهُand his two cheeks بالصَّهْبَاءِwith the tawny wine تَتَّقِدانِboth blaze
وخَدّاهُ بالصَّهْبَاءِ تَتَّقِدانِ
So I covered him with a blanket, and he stretched out on his bed,
Then I wrapped it up and it stretched out over its bed,
and both his cheeks blazed with tawny wine.
Its cheeks glowing with embers that seemed to slumber,
وَماand not انْفَكَّceased مَعْشُوقَbeloved الثَّواءِin his stay نَمُدُّهُwe sustain him
وَما انْفَكَّ مَعْشُوقَ الثَّواءِ نَمُدُّهُ
ببشْرwith cheerfulness وتَرْحِيبand welcome وبَسْطِand free use of لسانِthe tongue
ببشْر وتَرْحِيب وبَسْطِ لسانِ
And he remained cherished throughout his stay; we sustained him
And the beloved of the night still watched over it,
with cheer, welcome, and free-flowing conversation.
Comforting it with greetings and soft murmurs,
تُغَنِّيهِthey sing to him أَطْيَارُsongbirds القِيانِthe singing girls إِذاwhen انْتَشَىhe grew tipsy
تُغَنِّيهِ أَطْيَارُ القِيانِ إِذا انْتَشَى
بصنْجٍwith a cymbal وكَيْثَارٍand a cithara وعُودِand a lute كِرانِkirān, a kind of lute
بصنْجٍ وكَيْثَارٍ وعُودِ كِرانِ
The singing girls, those songbirds, sang to him when he grew tipsy,
The birds of the thicket sang to it when it woke
with a cymbal, a cithara, and a kirān lute.
With lute, zither, and flute of reed,
وَيَسْمُوand rises دُخَانُthe smoke of المَنْدَلِthe aloeswood الرَّطْبِmoist فَوْقَهُabove him
وَيَسْمُو دُخَانُ المَنْدَلِ الرَّطْبِ فَوْقَهُ
كَماjust as احْتَمَلَتْcarried aloft رِيحٌa wind مُتُونridges of عُثَانِsmoke
كَما احْتَمَلَتْ رِيحٌ مُتُون عُثَانِ
And the smoke of moist aloeswood rose above him,
And the smoke of the moist kindling rose above it
as a wind bears aloft ridges of smoke,
As the winds once bore the litter of ‘Uthman.
إِلىuntil أَنْthat تَشهىhe longed for البَيْنَdeparture مِنfrom ذاتِthe very essence of نَفْسِهِhis own self
إِلى أَنْ تَشهى البَيْنَ مِن ذاتِ نَفْسِهِ
وحَنَّand he yearned إِلىfor الأَهْلِينَthe family حَنَّةَthe yearning of حانِيa loving one
وحَنَّ إِلى الأَهْلِينَ حَنَّةَ حانِي
until he wished to depart of his own accord,
Till the severance of soul from body was revealed to it
and yearned for his family with a loving man’s yearning.
And it yearned after the next world with yearning of departing,
فأَتْبَعْتُهُso I sent after him ماwhat سَدَّfilled خَلَّةَthe want in حالِهِhis condition
فأَتْبَعْتُهُ ما سَدَّ خَلَّةَ حالِهِ
وأَتْبَعَنِيand he followed me with ذِكْراًpraise بكُلِّin every مَكَانِplace
وأَتْبَعَنِي ذِكْراً بكُلِّ مَكَانِ
So I sent after him what relieved his want,
So I followed it to the end of its lowly fortune,
and he repaid me with praise in every place.
And it followed me with memories in every place.
Sol 6.1