غفرتُI forgave للأيامِto the days ذنبَthe sin of الفراقْparting
غفرتُ للأيامِ ذنبَ الفراقْ
أنْbecause فزتُI won منfrom توديعهمْbidding them farewell بالعناقْwith an embrace
أنْ فزتُ من توديعهمْ بالعناقْ
I forgave the days their sin of parting,
I forgave the days for the sin of parting,
since from bidding them farewell I won an embrace.
When I escaped from bidding them farewell with an embrace.
ماwhatever أَنسَI forget لاnot أنسَI forget لهمof theirs وَقْفَةًa pause
ما أَنسَ لا أنسَ لهم وَقْفَةً
كالشهدِlike honey والعلقمِand colocynth عندَat المذاقthe taste
كالشهدِ والعلقمِ عندَ المذاق
Whatever I forget, I shall not forget their pause,
I did not forget them, nor they me, during a halt,
like honey and colocynth to the taste.
Like honey and ginger at the time of tasting.
مزجتُI mingled فيهاin it درَّpearls أسلاكهمtheir strings
مزجتُ فيها درَّ أسلاكهم
إذwhen أزفَdrew near البينparting بدرِّwith pearls المآقthe eye-corners
إذ أزفَ البين بدرِّ المآق
There I mingled the pearls of their strings,
I mixed in it the tears of their farewell,
as parting drew near, with pearls from the eye-corners.
When the distance was brought near at the arrival of separation.
سارواthey departed وقلبيand my heart بينamong أظعانهمْtheir camel-litters
ساروا وقلبي بين أظعانهمْ
فلينشدوهُso let them seek it بينamong تلكَthose الرفاقcompanions
فلينشدوهُ بين تلكَ الرفاق
They departed, and my heart was among their camel-litters;
They departed while my heart was among their groans,
so let them seek it among those companions.
So let them chant it among those comrades.
لاno مرحباًwelcome بالبرقِto the lightning ماas long as لمnot يكنْit is
لا مرحباً بالبرقِ ما لم يكنْ
تسقيwater عزاليهits rain-spouts رسومَthe traces of البُراقal-Buraq
تسقي عزاليه رسومَ البُراق
No welcome to lightning, unless
No welcome to the lightning unless
its rain-spouts water the traces of al-Buraq,
It waters the high grounds of Al Burāq.
حيثُwhere القبابُthe tents البيضُwhite مضروبةٌpitched
حيثُ القبابُ البيضُ مضروبةٌ
تحرسُهاguard them سُمْرٌbrown spears وبيضٌand white swords رقاقslender
تحرسُها سُمْرٌ وبيضٌ رقاق
where the white tents are pitched,
Where the white domes are pitched,
guarded by brown spears and slender white swords.
Guarded by night patrols and white fine linen.
تحملُthey shelter فيwithin أثنائهاtheir folds غادةًa graceful maiden
تحملُ في أثنائها غادةً
يحملُbears منهاfrom her القلبُthe heart ماwhat لاnot يطاقcan be borne
يحملُ منها القلبُ ما لا يطاق
Within their folds they shelter a graceful maiden,
Bearing amidst them a maiden,
from whom the heart bears what cannot be borne.
Whose load makes the heart unbearable.
حاليةًadorned تبسمُshe smiles عنrevealing مبسمٍa smiling mouth
حاليةً تبسمُ عن مبسمٍ
كمثلِjust like ماthat which قُلِّدwas adorned with a necklace منهاof hers التَّراقthe collarbones
كمثلِ ما قُلِّد منها التَّراق
Adorned, she smiles, revealing a mouth
A visionary smiling from a smiled one,
like what is strung about her collarbones.
As if it was made of pearls from her.
منfrom شَفَقِthe crimson afterglow of الليلِnight لهاshe has وجنةٌa cheek
من شَفَقِ الليلِ لها وجنةٌ
أوor منfrom دمٍblood باللحظِby a glance منهاfrom her يراقis shed
أو من دمٍ باللحظِ منها يراق
Her cheek is of night's crimson afterglow,
She has a complexion from the dusk of night,
or of blood shed by a glance from her.
Or blood shed with a glance from her.
ضعيفةٌdelicate طرفاًin the eye وخصراًand in the waist فماand so not
ضعيفةٌ طرفاً وخصراً فما
يُطيقُcan bear ذاthe one اللحظَa glance ولاnor ذاthe other النِّطاقa girdle
يُطيقُ ذا اللحظَ ولا ذا النِّطاق
Delicate in eye and waist, so
Weak in glance and waist, so neither
the one cannot bear a glance, nor the other a girdle.
This amorous glance nor that slim waist bear.
تاهتshe vaunted herself علىabove البانِthe ban-tree بأعْطافهاwith her curves
تاهت على البانِ بأعْطافها
وعَيَّرَتْand she taunted بدرَthe full moon of الدُّجىdarkness بالمُحاقْfor its dark phase
وعَيَّرَتْ بدرَ الدُّجى بالمُحاقْ
With her supple form she vaunted herself above the ban-tree,
She wandered about the dunes with her trains,
and mocked night's full moon for its fading into darkness.
And competed the full moon with defiance.
وأرسلتْand she let loose فَرْعَاًa mass of hair غداbecame لَوْنُهُits hue
وأرسلتْ فَرْعَاً غدا لَوْنُهُ
كحالِlike the plight of مَنْone who يُحْرَمُis denied منهاwith her التَّلاقa meeting
كحالِ مَنْ يُحْرَمُ منها التَّلاق
And she let loose her hair, whose hue became
She sent a twig that became colored in the morning,
like the plight of one denied a meeting with her.
Like the mark of one deprived of meeting her.
أَعادتِshe turned back الصبحَmorning ليلةًinto a night
أَعادتِ الصبحَ ليلةً
حتىuntil تَوَهَّمْتُI imagined صَبوحيmy morning draught اغتباقevening drinking
حتى تَوَهَّمْتُ صَبوحي اغتباق
She turned morning back into night,
She brought the dawn back a night,
until I mistook my morning draught for an evening one.
Until I imagined my morning was a relapse.
سقىmay water ديارَthe dwellings of الحيِّthe clan بالمنحنىat the bend
سقى ديارَ الحيِّ بالمنحنى
منfrom سَبَلِstreaming rain المُزْنِrainclouds أوor الدمعِtears ساقone who waters
من سَبَلِ المُزْنِ أو الدمعِ ساق
May someone water the clan's dwellings at the bend
The dwellings of the living were watered at the curve,
with streams from rainclouds, or with tears.
From the torrents of affection or the flowing tears.
كمhow many a ليلةٍnight ليI had بعقيقِat Aqiq الحمىal-Hima
كم ليلةٍ لي بعقيقِ الحمى
قَصَّرتهاI shortened it باللثمwith kisses والاعتناقand embraces
قَصَّرتها باللثم والاعتناق
How many a night I had at Aqiq al-Hima,
How many nights fevered I shortened,
which I shortened with kisses and embraces.
With a kiss and embrace.
ماno sooner ادَّرَعَdonned armor الليلُnight بظلمائهwith its darkness
ما ادَّرَعَ الليلُ بظلمائه
حتىthan كساهclothed it الصبحُdawn منهfrom itself رُواقْa canopy
حتى كساه الصبحُ منه رُواقْ
No sooner had night donned its darkness as armor
The night did not don its darkness,
than dawn clothed it in a canopy of its own.
Until the dawn clothed it with a porch.
فانجفلتso scattered أنجمهits stars فاشتكىand so lamented
فانجفلت أنجمه فاشتكى
للبعضِto some منهاof them البعضُothers وَشْكَthe nearness of الفراقparting
للبعضِ منها البعضُ وَشْكَ الفراق
So its stars scattered, and some lamented
So its stars tossed about complaining,
to others among them the nearness of parting.
Some to others, of the agony of parting.
أماas for الثريَّاthe Pleiades فنَوىthen resolved رأسهاtheir head
أما الثريَّا فنَوى رأسها
يركضُto gallop نحوtoward الغربِthe west ركضَa gallop السباقracing
يركضُ نحو الغربِ ركضَ السباق
As for the Pleiades, their head resolved
But the Pleiades intend to lay their heads,
to gallop toward the west with a racing gallop.
Galloping westward with the race of the excellent horses.
وطارand flew فيin إثرِthe wake of غرابِthe raven of الدُّجىdarkness
وطار في إثرِ غرابِ الدُّجى
نسرُthe eagle of النجومِthe stars الزُّهرِradiant يبغيseeking اللحاقto catch up
نسرُ النجومِ الزُّهرِ يبغي اللحاق
And in the wake of the raven of darkness flew
And the eagle of the stars flew after,
the eagle of the radiant stars, seeking to catch up.
The raven of darkness, seeking to catch up.
وانتبَهand awoke الصبحُdawn بُعَيْدَa little after الكرىslumber
وانتبَه الصبحُ بُعَيْدَ الكرى
كذيlike one with هوىًlove مِنfrom غَشيَةٍa swoon قدhas أَفاقrecovered
كذي هوىً مِن غَشيَةٍ قد أَفاق
And dawn awoke a little after slumber,
And the dawn woke up after the remote journey,
like a lover who has recovered from a swoon.
Like one who recovered from a swoon.
ورجَّعand trilled المُكَّاءُthe lark تَحْنِينَهُits plaintive song
ورجَّع المُكَّاءُ تَحْنِينَهُ
حتىuntil حسِبناهُwe thought it حليفَa sworn companion of اشتياقlonging
حتى حسِبناهُ حليفَ اشتياق
And the lark trilled its plaintive song,
And the sailor repeated his pining,
until we thought it a sworn companion of longing.
Until we reckoned him a comrade of yearning.
فيin روضةٍa garden علَّمtaught أغصانُهاits branches
في روضةٍ علَّم أغصانُها
أهلَthe devotees of الهوىlove العذريِّchaste كيفhow العناقto embrace
أهلَ الهوى العذريِّ كيف العناق
In a garden whose branches taught
In a garden its branches taught,
the devotees of chaste love how to embrace.
The people of passion how is the embrace.
هبّتْblew بهthrough it ريحُa wind الصِّباthe east wind سُحْرةًbefore dawn
هبّتْ به ريحُ الصِّبا سُحْرةً
فالتفَّتِso entwined الأشجارُthe trees ساقاًtrunk بساقwith trunk
فالتفَّتِ الأشجارُ ساقاً بساق
Before dawn the east wind blew through it,
The morning breeze blew him in the early darkness,
so the trees entwined, trunk with trunk.
So the trees leaned, stalk after stalk.
تلكthose اللياليnights أعْقَبَتْbrought in their wake بعدafter ماhaving
تلك الليالي أعْقَبَتْ بعد ما
أحمدْتُهاI found them praiseworthy عيشاًin living بوشكِwith the swiftness of الفراقparting
أحمدْتُها عيشاً بوشكِ الفراق
Those nights brought in their wake, after I had
Those were nights, that after
found life in them delightful, swift parting.
I praised, living was hard with the agony of parting.
Sol 6.1