ياO هِلالاًcrescent moon ياO قَضيباًslender branch ياO رَشاfawn
يا هِلالاً يا قَضيباً يا رَشا
إنْwhen تبَدّىhe appears أوor تثنّىhe sways أوor مشَىhe walks
إنْ تبَدّى أو تثنّى أو مشَى
O crescent moon, O slender branch, O fawn,
O crescent moon, O slender bow, O shower of rain
when he appears, or sways, or walks!
Whether you appear, bend, or walk
ياO غَزالاًgazelle وِرْدُهُhis watering place فيin أدمُعيmy tears
يا غَزالاً وِرْدُهُ في أدمُعي
كلّماwhenever شاءَhe wishes ومرْعاهُand his pasture الحَشاthe bosom
كلّما شاءَ ومرْعاهُ الحَشا
O gazelle whose watering place is in my tears,
O gazelle whose bloom is in my tears
whenever he wishes, and whose pasture is my bosom.
Whenever it wills and its pasture is the enclosure
قدindeed فَشاhas spread فيكَfor you هُياميmy love-madness فيamong الوَرىhumankind
قد فَشا فيكَ هُيامي في الوَرى
وهْوَand it لوْلاbut for دمْعُthe tears of عَيْنيmy eye ماnot فَشاspread
وهْوَ لوْلا دمْعُ عَيْني ما فَشا
My love-madness for you has spread among all people,
My passion for you has spread among people
and but for my eye's tears, it would not have spread.
And if not for my weeping eyes it would not have spread
ولَكَمْand how often آثرْتُI preferred كِتْمانَconcealment of الهَوىlove
ولَكَمْ آثرْتُ كِتْمانَ الهَوى
غيْرَbut أنّthat الدّمْعَthe tears بالسِّرِّabout the secret وشَىtold tales
غيْرَ أنّ الدّمْعَ بالسِّرِّ وشَى
And how often I chose to conceal my love,
And how much I preferred to conceal my love
but the tears betrayed the secret.
Except the tears betrayed the secret
كيفَhow بالكِتْمانِwith concealment يوْماًever لامرئٍfor a man
كيفَ بالكِتْمانِ يوْماً لامرئٍ
سرّهُhis secret فيon خدّهِhis cheek قدْalready نُقِشاwas engraved
سرّهُ في خدّهِ قدْ نُقِشا
How can there ever be concealment for a man
How can one conceal when for a person
whose secret has been engraved upon his cheek?
His secret is engraved on his cheek
أوor بسُلْوانٍwith solace لمَنْfor one who فيin رِيّةٍRiyya
أو بسُلْوانٍ لمَنْ في رِيّةٍ
جِسْمُهُhis body والقلْبُand the heart فيin وادِيthe valley of الأشاal-Asha
جِسْمُهُ والقلْبُ في وادِي الأشا
Or solace for one who is in Riyya
Or console someone whose body and heart
in body, while his heart is in the valley of al-Asha?
Are in the valley of misery
خُذْtake فؤديmy heart لكَfor you منّيfrom me هِبَةًa gift
خُذْ فؤدي لكَ منّي هِبَةً
حُرّةًfreely given وافْعَلْand do بقَلْبيwith my heart ماwhatever تَشاyou wish
حُرّةً وافْعَلْ بقَلْبي ما تَشا
Take my heart from me as a gift to you,
Take me as a gift freely offered to you
freely given, and do with my heart as you wish.
A free woman, and do with my heart as you please
بعْتُI traded فيكَfor your sake النّومَsleep بالسُهْدِfor sleeplessness فلاso no
بعْتُ فيكَ النّومَ بالسُهْدِ فلا
فَرْقَdifference عنْديfor me بيْنَbetween صُبْحٍmorning وعِشاand evening
فَرْقَ عنْدي بيْنَ صُبْحٍ وعِشا
For your sake I traded sleep for sleeplessness, so there is no
I sold sleep for wakefulness, so for me
difference for me between morning and evening.
There is no distinction between dawn and evening
كمْhow many لَيالٍnights بتُّI spent the night فيin ظَلْمائِهاtheir darkness
كمْ لَيالٍ بتُّ في ظَلْمائِها
أمْتَطيI ride منْfrom نارِthe fire of شوْقِيmy longing فُرُشاbeds
أمْتَطي منْ نارِ شوْقِي فُرُشا
How many nights I have spent in their darkness,
How many nights I spent in their darkness
riding beds of the fire of my longing!
Riding the steed of my passion on the mattress
كلّماwhenever صِحْتُI cried out بهاin them واalas كَبِديmy liver
كلّما صِحْتُ بها وا كَبِدي
مادَتِswayed الأرضُthe earth لِماat what بيwas within me دَهَشاin astonishment
مادَتِ الأرضُ لِما بي دَهَشا
Whenever I cried out in them, 'Alas, my liver!'
Whenever I awakened woe to my liver
the earth swayed, astonished at what afflicted me.
The earth swayed from what afflicted me
وكأنّand as though النّجْمَthe stars شرْبٌa band of drinkers ثمِلٌdrunk
وكأنّ النّجْمَ شرْبٌ ثمِلٌ
واصلَcontinued الثّمْلَةَthe drunkenness حتّىuntil ارتَعشاit trembled
واصلَ الثّمْلَةَ حتّى ارتَعشا
And the stars seemed a drunken band of drinkers,
As if the stars were an intoxicated drink
who prolonged their drunkenness until they trembled.
That reached the point of tipsiness
وكأنّand as though الصُبْحَthe dawn فيin الليلِthe night وقدْand already
وكأنّ الصُبْحَ في الليلِ وقدْ
ملأَfilled الأرْجاءَthe far reaches ممّاwith what جيّشاit mustered
ملأَ الأرْجاءَ ممّا جيّشا
And it was as though dawn, amid the night, had already
And as if the dawn in the night had
filled every quarter with what it had mustered.
Filled the horizons from what it stirred
مُلِئَتْwas filled منْwith جوْهَرِthe jewels of الدّمْعِtears يَديmy hand
مُلِئَتْ منْ جوْهَرِ الدّمْعِ يَدي
عجَباًhow strange أقْبَلُI accept فيwithin قَلْبيmy heart الرّشاthe fawn
عجَباً أقْبَلُ في قَلْبي الرّشا
My hand was filled with the jewels of tears;
My hands were filled with the essence of tears
how strange—I receive the fawn within my heart!
Strangely, trinkets came into my heart
وجَرىand flowed منfrom ماءِthe water of عينيmy eye نهَرٌa river
وجَرى من ماءِ عيني نهَرٌ
حينَwhen أرْسَلْتُI let loose دُموعيmy tears مُجْهِشاbursting into sobs
حينَ أرْسَلْتُ دُموعي مُجْهِشا
And a river flowed from the water of my eye,
And from my eyes' water a river flowed
when I let loose my tears, bursting into sobs.
When I let my floods of tears gush
فاعْجَبواso marvel منْat جوْهرٍjewels لاnot يُقْتَنىto be possessed
فاعْجَبوا منْ جوْهرٍ لا يُقْتَنى
ولنَهْرٍand at a river ليسdoes not يَرْويquench عطَشاthirst
ولنَهْرٍ ليس يَرْوي عطَشا
So marvel at jewels that cannot be possessed,
So they were amazed at jewels that can't be bought
and at a river that quenches no thirst!
And a river that doesn't quench thirst
ياO نَديمَيّmy two drinking companions فؤاديmy heart كلّماwhenever
يا نَديمَيّ فؤادي كلّما
نفحَتْblew gently ريحُthe wind النُّعامَىthe south wind انْتَشاbecame intoxicated
نفحَتْ ريحُ النُّعامَى انْتَشا
O my two drinking companions, my heart, whenever
O companion of my heart whenever
the south wind blows, grows intoxicated.
The breeze of ostrich feathers was perfumed
أنِّساcomfort, you two قلبيmy heart بتَذْكارِwith remembrance of الحِمىthe cherished abode
أنِّسا قلبي بتَذْكارِ الحِمى
فالحِمىfor the cherished abode منْof أهلِهِits people قدalready أوْحَشاhas grown desolate
فالحِمى منْ أهلِهِ قد أوْحَشا
Comfort my heart by recalling the cherished abode,
Delight my heart with memories of the tribe
for the abode has grown desolate, bereft of its people.
For the tribe whose homesickness distressed them
ضاعَwas lost يومَon the day of البيْنِparting قلْبيmy heart فابْحَثاso search, you two
ضاعَ يومَ البيْنِ قلْبي فابْحَثا
بيْنَamong أخْفافِthe padded feet of المَطاياthe riding camels وانْبِشاand dig, you two
بيْنَ أخْفافِ المَطايا وانْبِشا
My heart was lost on the day of parting, so search
The day we parted my heart was lost so search
among the riding camels' padded feet, and dig it out.
Among the hooves of the mounts and rummage
وامْزُجاهاand mix it, you two قهْوَةwine عِطرِيّةًfragrant
وامْزُجاها قهْوَة عِطرِيّةً
كرُمَتْit was noble كرَماًin its vine وطابَتْand it was pleasant عُرُشاin its trellises
كرُمَتْ كرَماً وطابَتْ عُرُشا
And mix it, you two—a fragrant wine,
And mix it an aromatic coffee
noble in its vine, pleasant upon its trellises.
That was generous in its generosity and good in its settlement
فإذاthen when أبْصَرَهاhe saw it ذوone afflicted with قِرّةٍcold
فإذا أبْصَرَها ذو قِرّةٍ
ظنّهاhe thought it بالبُعْدِfrom afar ناراًa fire فَعَشاso he sought its light
ظنّها بالبُعْدِ ناراً فَعَشا
Then when one afflicted with cold catches sight of it,
So when one with a cheerful eye sees it
he thinks it a fire from afar and seeks its glow.
He thinks it a fire in the distance, so he lives
وإذاand when قبّلَهاhe kissed it شارِبُهاits drinker
وإذا قبّلَها شارِبُها
قطّبَhe furrowed الوجْهَthe face لَهاat it وانْكَمشاand recoiled
قطّبَ الوجْهَ لَها وانْكَمشا
And when its drinker kisses it,
And when its drinker kisses it
he frowns at it and recoils.
He frowns at it and recoils
فسلاso ask, you two السّاقيthe cupbearer الذيwho أترَعَهاfilled it to the brim
فسلا السّاقي الذي أترَعَها
حيّةًa snake أوْدَعَهاhe placed in it أوor حنَشاa serpent
حيّةً أوْدَعَها أو حنَشا
So ask the cupbearer who filled it to the brim:
So the one who poured it became angry, a serpent
did he put a snake in it, or a serpent?
Deposited it or a male hyena
ثائِرٌan avenger راقبَwatched for منْهُagainst him فُرصَةًan opportunity
ثائِرٌ راقبَ منْهُ فُرصَةً
ثمّthen لمّاwhen أمْكَنَتْهُit gave him the chance بطَشاhe struck fiercely
ثمّ لمّا أمْكَنَتْهُ بطَشا
An avenger watched for a chance against him,
A rebel watched for a chance from him
then, when it came within his reach, he struck fiercely.
Then when he got it, he pounced and snatched
وتَخالُand you imagine الأفْقَthe horizon ثغْراًa frontier post قاصِياًdistant
وتَخالُ الأفْقَ ثغْراً قاصِياً
غلَبَdefeated الرّومُthe Byzantines عليْهِat it الحَبَشاthe Abyssinians
غلَبَ الرّومُ عليْهِ الحَبَشا
And you imagine the horizon a distant frontier post,
And the horizons seem like a distant smile
where the Byzantines have defeated the Abyssinians.
The Abyssinians conquered it
Sol 6.1