عَزاؤكَ طولَ الدَّهرِ يا ابنَ أبي الفَخْرِ

عَزاؤكَ طولَ الدَّهرِ يا ابنَ أبي الفَخْرِ

عزيزُ أسى إذْ لستَ تجنَحُ للصَبْرِ

عزيزُ أسى إذْ لستَ تجنَحُ للصَبْرِ

Your consolation throughout time, O son of Abu al-Fakhr,

Your solace is as long as time, O son of Abu al-Fakhr

is hard to attain in grief, since you do not incline to patience.

A dear sorrow, since you do not incline towards patience

فلا تبدين حزنا فيشمت حاسد

فلا تبدين حزنا فيشمت حاسد

وكَفْكفْ دموعَ العينِ في السّرِّ والجَهرِ

وكَفْكفْ دموعَ العينِ في السّرِّ والجَهرِ

So show no sorrow, lest an envier gloat,

So do not show grief, lest the envious gloat

and hold back your tears, in private and in public.

And restrain the tears of your eyes in secret and openly

وَعج سالياً عن بنتِ عاج عَدمتَها

وَعج سالياً عن بنتِ عاج عَدمتَها

فصوصُ قمار كُنَّ أغلى منَ البدرِ

فصوصُ قمار كُنَّ أغلى منَ البدرِ

And turn aside, forgetting the ivory daughter you have lost—

You missed a girl of ivory, carried off

gambling dice that were dearer than the full moon.

By fate's thieves, more precious than the full moon

منعّمةٌ بَيضاءُ خُضْرٌ نُقوشُها

منعّمةٌ بَيضاءُ خُضْرٌ نُقوشُها

كَنَقْش كُفوفِ الغيدِ أضحينَ في الخدرِ

كَنَقْش كُفوفِ الغيدِ أضحينَ في الخدرِ

Pampered and white, her markings green,

A white, green-figured beauty

like patterns on the palms of graceful maidens now in seclusion.

Like the patterns on gambling arrows released at dusk

تلوح على الأرساغ شبهُ دجنّةِ

تلوح على الأرساغ شبهُ دجنّةِ

فَمِن مَنَ سام في المسيرِ وَمُنْحَرِّ

فَمِن مَنَ سام في المسيرِ وَمُنْحَرِّ

They gleam upon the wrists like darkness;

She appeared on the couch like a docile gazelle

some are lofty in their course, and others descend [reading uncertain].

So who could keep pace or stand firm?

تُطاوِعُها في الأمرِ وَهي أبيّةٌ

تُطاوِعُها في الأمرِ وَهي أبيّةٌ

مرادُكَ بينَ الشُّربِ في النّهْي والأمر

مرادُكَ بينَ الشُّربِ في النّهْي والأمر

You obey her bidding, though she defies

She obeyed you in your requests, though she was stubborn

your will among the drinking companions, in forbidding and commanding.

Your will was between drinking, prohibition and command

ورُبّتَما أصبحتُ في القَمْر عنَدها

ورُبّتَما أصبحتُ في القَمْر عنَدها

بقَهْرٍ وما تُبدي لها ألمَ القَهْر

بقَهْرٍ وما تُبدي لها ألمَ القَهْر

And often I have found myself gambling at her side,

And often I spent the night with her by force

overpowered; yet you show her no pain at defeat.

Yet showed no sign that force pained me

كأنَّ سطورَ السّرِّ أسطُرُ مهَرقٍ

كأنَّ سطورَ السّرِّ أسطُرُ مهَرقٍ

غنيتُ بها عن كُلِّ نَظْمٍ وَعَن نَثْر

غنيتُ بها عن كُلِّ نَظْمٍ وَعَن نَثْر

As though the secret's rows were lines on parchment,

As if the lines of passion were lines of poetry

with her I have dispensed with all verse and prose.

Through her I had no need for prose or verse

ويذكُرُكَ الجارُ المربّعُ شَكْلُه

ويذكُرُكَ الجارُ المربّعُ شَكْلُه

صَليبكَ فوقَ الزّنْد في غُرةِ العُمْر

صَليبكَ فوقَ الزّنْد في غُرةِ العُمْر

And chār, whose shape is square, reminds you

And your carved cross above the lintel

of your cross upon your forearm in the dawn of life.

Reminded the neighbor, square in form

وتَصبوا إلى الثالوثِ بالسّا إذا بَدَت

وتَصبوا إلى الثالوثِ بالسّا إذا بَدَت

ثلاثاً فَتَرعاها لذلكَ في البَرِّ

ثلاثاً فَتَرعاها لذلكَ في البَرِّ

And through sā you yearn for the Trinity when she appears

When three dice showed, they drank to the Trinity

in threes; so, for that, you watch over her on land.

And took them as such, through righteousness

وللبنج فعلُ البَنْج في اللبِ ما بَدا

وللبنج فعلُ البَنْج في اللبِ ما بَدا

وألهاكَ عن صوم الفريضة والفطرِ

وألهاكَ عن صوم الفريضة والفطرِ

And panj, whenever it appears, works like henbane on the mind,

The die's work in the cup appeared

and has distracted you from the prescribed fast and its breaking.

Distracting you from obligatory and feast day fasts

إذا ما بَدا للدُّوِّ شَكلان أمَسيا

إذا ما بَدا للدُّوِّ شَكلان أمَسيا

أليفَيْنِ وصلا لا يُراعانِ بالهجرِ

أليفَيْنِ وصلا لا يُراعانِ بالهجرِ

When two figures appear for dū, they become

When two dots appeared on the dice

two intimates who have joined, unafraid of parting.

Dear friends joined, heedless of separation

وكالخالِ نَقْشُ أليَكَّ يَسْبيكَ لونُه

وكالخالِ نَقْشُ أليَكَّ يَسْبيكَ لونُه

فأنتَ بهِ صَبُّوا الفؤادِ مدى الدَّهرِ

فأنتَ بهِ صَبُّوا الفؤادِ مدى الدَّهرِ

And, like a beauty spot, yak's mark captivates you with its color,

Like a beauty mark, the dots of your dice enchanted you

so your heart is lovesick for it for all time.

So you were passionate all your life

تَروقُك منْ شَفعٍ وَوَترٍ نُقوشُها

تَروقُك منْ شَفعٍ وَوَترٍ نُقوشُها

وَتُلهيكَ ما لاحَتْ عنِ الشّفعِ والوترِ

وَتُلهيكَ ما لاحَتْ عنِ الشّفعِ والوترِ

Her markings, even and odd, delight you,

Her evenly and unevenly dotted dice pleased you

and whenever they gleam, distract you from the paired and single prayers.

And distracted you from pairs and odds

إذا لَثَمَتْ ثغراً هناك بَدا لهَا

إذا لَثَمَتْ ثغراً هناك بَدا لهَا

طنين كَصَوتِ العودِ والدفِّ والزَّمرِ

طنين كَصَوتِ العودِ والدفِّ والزَّمرِ

When she kisses a mouth, there issues from her

When she pressed her lips, a sound emerged

a ringing like the sound of lute, frame drum, and pipes.

Like that of the lute, tambourine and reed pipe

فَعُوِّضْتَ عنها فوق عينيكَ مِثلها

فَعُوِّضْتَ عنها فوق عينيكَ مِثلها

فصوص عمى يا قرمَةَ النار يا جمرى

فصوص عمى يا قرمَةَ النار يا جمرى

So may you be given her like over your eyes in her stead—

So above your eyes she was replaced by her likeness

dice of blindness, O firebrand, O my ember!

Dots of blindness, O ember, O hot coal!