نفحَتْit wafted فشبّتْso it kindled لافِحَscorching heat التّذْكارِremembrance
نفحَتْ فشبّتْ لافِحَ التّذْكارِ
والنّجْمُand the star نِضْوُa worn-out mount سُرىًnight travel وفَلُّand one spent by سِفارِjourneys
والنّجْمُ نِضْوُ سُرىً وفَلُّ سِفارِ
It wafted and kindled remembrance’s scorching flame,
The breeze blew gently, igniting the embers of memory,
while the star was a mount worn by night travel, spent by journeys.
While the stars of Sirius flickered and the Pleiades set.
وأتَتْand it came محمّلَةَladen with مُتونthe substance of أحادِثٍtales
وأتَتْ محمّلَةَ مُتون أحادِثٍ
فاهَتْspoke بهنّof them مَباسِمُthe smiling mouths of الأزْهارِflowers
فاهَتْ بهنّ مَباسِمُ الأزْهارِ
And it came laden with the substance of tales,
It came, laden with the cargo of news,
voiced by the smiling mouths of flowers.
And the flowers smiled, blossoming.
هفّافَةًlightly wafting يقْضيordains لطيفُthe gentleness of هُبوبِهاits blowing
هفّافَةً يقْضي لطيفُ هُبوبِها
بتَذكُّرِfor recalling الأوْطانِhomelands والأوْطارِand desires
بتَذكُّرِ الأوْطانِ والأوْطارِ
Lightly wafting, its gentle breath calls for
With a gentle wafting that rekindles,
remembrance of homelands and desires.
Thoughts of homelands and dwelling places.
فضُلوعُso the ribs of مُشْتاقٍa yearning lover يُشِبُّkindles وُقودَهاtheir blaze
فضُلوعُ مُشْتاقٍ يُشِبُّ وُقودَها
ذكْرُremembrance of العُهودِpledges ودمْعُand the tears of عيْنٍan eye جاريflowing
ذكْرُ العُهودِ ودمْعُ عيْنٍ جاري
So the blaze within a yearning lover’s ribs is fanned
The longing of a lovelorn one flames,
by remembrance of pledges and an eye’s flowing tears.
With memories of times past, and tears flowing.
للهِto God, in wonder ماwhat قدْindeed هِجْتِyou have stirred ياO ريحَwind الصَّباthe east wind
للهِ ما قدْ هِجْتِ يا ريحَ الصَّبا
وقدَحْتِand you sparked بيْنَbetween جَوانِحيmy ribs منْof نارِfire
وقدَحْتِ بيْنَ جَوانِحي منْ نارِ
God! What you have stirred, O east wind,
By God, what passion you've stirred, oh breeze of youth!
and what fire you have sparked between my ribs!
And kindled a fire within my soul.
أمُعَلِّليO my comforter بمَطامِعٍwith hopes منْfrom دونِهاshort of them
أمُعَلِّلي بمَطامِعٍ منْ دونِها
قطْعُthe crossing of النّفوسِsouls مراحِلَthe stages of الأعْمارِlifetimes
قطْعُ النّفوسِ مراحِلَ الأعْمارِ
O you who soothe me with hopes, before whose attainment
Can I blame it on desires other than her
souls must traverse the stages of their lifetimes:
That my soul traverses stages of life?
أرْتاحُI delight فيكَconcerning you للَوْمِin the blame of لُوّاميmy reproachers كَماjust as
أرْتاحُ فيكَ للَوْمِ لُوّامي كَما
يرْتاحُdelights نجْديٌّa man of Najd لشمِّin smelling عَرارِʿarār flowers
يرْتاحُ نجْديٌّ لشمِّ عَرارِ
I delight, for your sake, in my reproachers’ blame, as
I find solace in you from the rebukes of reproachers
a man of Najd delights in smelling ʿarār.
As the Najdi finds solace in the scent of clove.
إمّاif نطَقْتُI speak فذِكْرُthen remembrance of عهْدِكَyour pledge منْطِقيmy speech
إمّا نطَقْتُ فذِكْرُ عهْدِكَ منْطِقي
وإذاand when صَمَتّI fall silent فأنتthen you فيin إضْمارِinner thought
وإذا صَمَتّ فأنت في إضْمارِ
If I speak, remembrance of your pledge is my speech;
When I speak, it is the memory of our days I voice,
and when I fall silent, you are in my hidden thoughts.
And when silent, you remain imagined.
اللهَheed God! فيregarding قلْبٍa heart تقسّمُis divided نارُهُits fire
اللهَ في قلْبٍ تقسّمُ نارُهُ
ماan emphatic particle بيْنَbetween مدْمَعِthe tear-stream of ديمةٍsteady rain وأُوارِand scorching heat
ما بيْنَ مدْمَعِ ديمةٍ وأُوارِ
Fear God for a heart whose fire is divided
God resides in a heart whose fire
between the tears of steady rain and scorching heat.
Splits between flowing tears and passion’s flame.
تتَعاوَرُbeset in turn الأفْكارُthoughts فيهِwithin it ذُبالَةًa wick
تتَعاوَرُ الأفْكارُ فيهِ ذُبالَةً
فهيَfor they are الفَراشُmoths تَجولُcircle حوْلَaround النّارِthe fire
فهيَ الفَراشُ تَجولُ حوْلَ النّارِ
Thoughts take turns besetting a wick within it;
Thoughts flutter around it confused,
for they are moths circling around the fire.
Like moths circling about a fire.
تزْدادُincrease أشْواقيmy longings إذاwhen يوْمٌa day خَلاhas passed
تزْدادُ أشْواقي إذا يوْمٌ خَلا
كتَضاعُفِlike the multiplication of الأعْدادِnumbers بالأصْفارِby adding zeros
كتَضاعُفِ الأعْدادِ بالأصْفارِ
My longings increase whenever a day passes,
My longings grow with each day that passes
as numbers multiply when zeros are appended.
As numbers multiply when zeros abound.
مَنْwho ليfor me بقَلْبٍwith a heart كلّماwhenever نادَىcalled out بهِto it
مَنْ لي بقَلْبٍ كلّما نادَى بهِ
داعِيthe herald of الصّبابةِardent love طارَflew كلَّevery مَطارِdirection of flight
داعِي الصّبابةِ طارَ كلَّ مَطارِ
Who can help me with a heart that, whenever summoned
If only my heart would fly whenever
by passion’s herald, flies in every direction?
The voice of my youth calls to it.
مطْلُdelay in payment الغَنيthe wealthy person ظُلمٌinjustice ففِيمَthen why ظلَمْتَنيyou wronged me
مطْلُ الغَني ظُلمٌ ففِيمَ ظلَمْتَني
ولوَيْتَand you delayed دَيْنيwhat is owed me عنْdespite وُجودِthe presence of يَسارِample means
ولوَيْتَ دَيْني عنْ وُجودِ يَسارِ
A rich man’s delay in payment is injustice; why, then, have you wronged me
To prolong denial is an injustice - so why deny me
and withheld my due despite having ample means?
When you could settle my debt from your abundance?
جاوَرْتَyou became a neighbor to قلبيmy heart واطّرَحْتَand you cast aside حُقوقَهُits rights
جاوَرْتَ قلبي واطّرَحْتَ حُقوقَهُ
واللهُand God قدindeed وصّىenjoined بحِفْظِto safeguard الجارِthe neighbor
واللهُ قد وصّى بحِفْظِ الجارِ
You became my heart’s neighbor and cast aside its rights,
You dwelled in my heart and neglected its rights
though God has enjoined safeguarding the neighbor.
Though God commanded the protection of neighbors.
ياO سائِلَيَّmy two questioners سَلاask, you two عَليماًone well versed بالهَوىin love
يا سائِلَيَّ سَلا عَليماً بالهَوى
عنْدَin العَروضِprosody حقائِقُthe truths of الأشْطارِthe half-lines
عنْدَ العَروضِ حقائِقُ الأشْطارِ
O my two questioners, ask one well versed in love:
O questioner, ask one knowledgeable of love
In prosody lies the truth of the half-lines.
About the realities of verses in their appropriate settings.
إنّيindeed I امرؤٌa man أعْطيْتُI gave دهْريَmy time مِقْوَديmy reins
إنّي امرؤٌ أعْطيْتُ دهْريَ مِقْوَدي
وجرَيْتُand I ran فيin طَلْقٍa racing course معَwith الأعْصارِthe ages
وجرَيْتُ في طَلْقٍ معَ الأعْصارِ
Indeed, I am a man who has handed Time my reins,
I am one who held my own reigns in life
and raced at full gallop alongside the ages.
And flowed freely with the winds of time.
وخلَعْتُand I cast off نُسْكيmy piety واشْتَمَلْتُand I wrapped myself in تولُّهيmy lovesick frenzy
وخلَعْتُ نُسْكي واشْتَمَلْتُ تولُّهي
ماan emphatic particle بيْنَbetween كأسِthe cup of فمٍa mouth وآسِand the myrtle of عِذارِcheek-down
ما بيْنَ كأسِ فمٍ وآسِ عِذارِ
And I cast off my piety and wrapped myself in my lovesick frenzy,
I broke my abstinence and donned my submission,
between a mouth’s cup and the myrtle of a cheek’s down.
Between a cup's rim and a goblet's excuse.
وألِفْتُand I grew accustomed to فيin شَرَكِthe snare of الجُفونِeyelids تخبُّطيmy floundering
وألِفْتُ في شَرَكِ الجُفونِ تخبُّطي
فحَذارِso beware منْof فِتَنِthe temptations of العُيونِeyes حَذارِbeware
فحَذارِ منْ فِتَنِ العُيونِ حَذارِ
And I have grown used to floundering in the snare of eyelids;
And I became accustomed to my fumbling ways
so beware the temptations of eyes—beware!
In the company of eyelids, so beware the trial of eyes!
Sol 6.1