أمَاdo you not تُبْصِرُsee الظَّلْماءَthe darkness قدalready فغَرتْopened wide فَماa mouth
أمَا تُبْصِرُ الظَّلْماءَ قد فغَرتْ فَما
وصارَتْand became نجومُthe stars الأفْقِof the horizon تخبطُstumble فيin عَمىblindness
وصارَتْ نجومُ الأفْقِ تخبطُ في عَمى
Do you not see how the darkness has opened its mouth,
Do you not see the dark night has opened its mouth wide?
and the horizon's stars now stumble blindly?
The stars in the horizon flounder blindly about.
تميلُincline إلىtoward نهْرِthe river النّهارِof day وتَنْثَنيand bend back
تميلُ إلى نهْرِ النّهارِ وتَنْثَني
كأنّas though طُيوراًbirds تقصِدُseek الوِرْدَthe watering place حُوَّماcircling
كأنّ طُيوراً تقصِدُ الوِرْدَ حُوَّما
They incline toward the river of day and bend back,
They incline towards the river of daylight and bend over
like birds circling toward the watering place.
As though they are birds seeking flowers in a swoop.
إذاwhen أشرَقَتْshine فيin جِنْحِهِits shadows خلتَyou would imagine وارِداًa water-seeker
إذا أشرَقَتْ في جِنْحِهِ خلتَ وارِداً
منfrom الزّنْجِthe Zanj (Black Africans) يُبْديreveals ثغْرَهُhis teeth مُتَبَسّماsmiling
من الزّنْجِ يُبْدي ثغْرَهُ مُتَبَسّما
When they shine in its shadows, you would picture a water-seeker
When the radiance shines on their wings, they alight as visitors
from among the Zanj, baring his teeth in a smile.
With cheerful black faces smiling.
وقدْand already سدَلَlet down الليلُthe night البَهيمُpitch-black سُتورَهُits curtains
وقدْ سدَلَ الليلُ البَهيمُ سُتورَهُ
علَيْناover us فكُنّاso we became فيهِwithin it سِرّاًa secret مكَتّماclosely concealed
علَيْنا فكُنّا فيهِ سِرّاً مكَتّما
And the pitch-black night has lowered its curtains
And the brutish night has let down its curtains upon us
over us, so we became a closely guarded secret within it.
So we were within it a concealed secret.
كأنّas though الدُجىthe darkness يُلْقَىis recounted لديهِin its presence منَfrom الضُحىthe morning light
كأنّ الدُجى يُلْقَى لديهِ منَ الضُحى
حديثٌa tale إذاwhen أوضَحْتَهُyou clarify it عادَbecomes again مُبْهَماobscure
حديثٌ إذا أوضَحْتَهُ عادَ مُبْهَما
As though the darkness were told by the morning light
It is as though the darkness throws the morning
a tale that, when you clarify it, turns obscure again.
A conversation that returns ambiguous when clarified.
عجبْتُI marveled لهُat it يُخْفيhides حِمىthe haven الأنْسِof fellowship عامِداًdeliberately
عجبْتُ لهُ يُخْفي حِمى الأنْسِ عامِداً
ونيّرَةُand the radiance الصّهْباءِof tawny wine تُعْليهِraises it مَعْلَماas a landmark
ونيّرَةُ الصّهْباءِ تُعْليهِ مَعْلَما
I marveled at it: it deliberately hides the haven of fellowship,
I am astonished that it hides the zeal of intimacy intentionally
while the radiance of tawny wine makes it stand out as a landmark.
While the radiance of dawn reveals it as a sign.
وهَذيand these كُؤوسُcups الرّاحِof wine يبدوappears شُعاعُهاtheir radiance
وهَذي كُؤوسُ الرّاحِ يبدو شُعاعُها
ولوْلاهُand were it not for it لمْwould not نُهْدِfind السّبيلَthe path إلىto الحِمىthe haven
ولوْلاهُ لمْ نُهْدِ السّبيلَ إلى الحِمى
And these are the wine cups, their radiance gleaming;
And these are cups of wine whose beams appear
and without it, we would not find the path to the haven.
Without which we would not have found the way to the camp.
حَبابٌbubbles يُريكَshows you الزَّهْرَthe blossoms فوقَabove غُصونِهits branches
حَبابٌ يُريكَ الزَّهْرَ فوقَ غُصونِه
أوor الدُرَّpearls فيin مَثْنىpairs of العُقودِnecklaces منَظَّماstrung in order
أو الدُرَّ في مَثْنى العُقودِ منَظَّما
Bubbles show you blossoms above their branches,
A beloved who shows you flowers above its branches
or pearls strung in paired necklaces.
Or pearls in a string of necklaces, organized.
أنَرْعىshall we watch علىat البُعْدِa distance النجومَthe stars وبيْنناand among us
أنَرْعى على البُعْدِ النجومَ وبيْننا
كؤوسٌcups تُحيّيناgreet us علىat القُرْبِclose range أنجُماas stars
كؤوسٌ تُحيّينا على القُرْبِ أنجُما
Shall we watch the stars from afar, when among us
Shall I pasture upon the stars in the distance while between us
are cups that greet us like stars close at hand?
Are cups that give life to us, brighter than stars?
أنسْتَقْبِلُshall we greet البَدْرَthe full moon المُنيرَradiant وفارِسٌand Faris
أنسْتَقْبِلُ البَدْرَ المُنيرَ وفارِسٌ
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle تبدّىhe appears خِلْتَyou would imagine him بَدراًa full moon مُتَمَّماmade complete
إذا ما تبدّى خِلْتَ بَدراً مُتَمَّما
Shall we greet the radiant full moon, when Faris,
I receive the shining full moon, and it is a horseman
whenever he appears, seems to you a moon in its fullness?
When it appears I find it a perfect full moon.
جميلٌhandsome قدِindeed انقادَsubmitted الجمالُbeauty لأمْرِهِto his command
جميلٌ قدِ انقادَ الجمالُ لأمْرِهِ
وحَكّمهُand made him arbiter فيover نفْسِهِitself فتحكّماso he held sway
وحَكّمهُ في نفْسِهِ فتحكّما
Handsome: beauty itself has bowed to his command,
Beautiful is he whom beauty has surrendered to his command
and made him arbiter over itself, so he held sway.
And he mastered it, so it submitted.
حَكىresembled السِّحْرَmagic لحْظاًin his glance والغزالَand the gazelle تمنُّعاًin coy reserve
حَكى السِّحْرَ لحْظاً والغزالَ تمنُّعاً
كماjust as أشْبَهَresembled الغُصْنَthe bough النّضيرَverdant تنعُّماin delicacy
كما أشْبَهَ الغُصْنَ النّضيرَ تنعُّما
He matched magic in his glance, and the gazelle in his coy reserve,
It narrated magic for a moment and the coyness of a gazelle
just as he resembled the verdant bough in his delicacy.
As though the tender branch resembled, pampered,
يُديرُpasses round منَfrom الأكْواسِthe goblets خمْراًwine وثغْرُهُand his mouth
يُديرُ منَ الأكْواسِ خمْراً وثغْرُهُ
يُديرُpasses round كؤوسَcups الحُبِّof love مهْماwhenever تبسَّماhe smiles
يُديرُ كؤوسَ الحُبِّ مهْما تبسَّما
He passes round wine from the goblets, while his mouth
He turns from the cups wine, while his mouth
passes round cups of love whenever he smiles.
Turns the cups of love no matter how he smiles.
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle تثنَّىhe sways أوor تغنّىsings بعُودِهwith his lute
إذا ما تثنَّى أو تغنّى بعُودِه
أعادَturned الخَليَّthe carefree one القَلْبِof heart صبّاًa lovesick lover مُتيَّماenthralled by love
أعادَ الخَليَّ القَلْبِ صبّاً مُتيَّما
Whenever he sways or sings to his lute,
If he sways or sings with his lute
he turns the carefree-hearted into a lovesick, enthralled lover.
He restores the heart pouring incessantly.
فياso, O غُصُناًbough فيin روْضِهِits garden متَمايِلاًswaying
فيا غُصُناً في روْضِهِ متَمايِلاً
وياand O طائِراًbird فيin دوْحِهِits grove مترنِّماwarbling
ويا طائِراً في دوْحِهِ مترنِّما
So, O bough swaying in its garden,
O a branch swaying in its meadow
and O bird warbling in its grove!
And o a bird twittering in its plains.
تلاعَبَtoyed زهْواًproudly بالعُقولwith minds وكيفَand how لاnot
تلاعَبَ زهْواً بالعُقول وكيفَ لا
وماand ... is not السّحْرُmagic إلاexcept ماwhat بهِwith it قدindeed تكلّماhe spoke
وما السّحْرُ إلا ما بهِ قد تكلّما
He toyed proudly with minds—and how could he not,
It plays with minds boastfully, and how not
when magic is nothing but what he has uttered?
For sorcery is naught but that by which it has spoken.
Sol 6.1