طَيْفُهاher phantom حينَwhen طرَقْcame by night
طَيْفُها حينَ طرَقْ
عاقَنيkept me away عنهُfrom it الأرقْsleeplessness
عاقَني عنهُ الأرقْ
When her phantom came by night,
Her apparition when it knocked,
sleeplessness kept me from it.
Kept me awake with longing unabated,
بتُّI spent the night منfrom شوْقيmy longing لَهاfor her
بتُّ من شوْقي لَها
بَيْنَbetween سُهْدٍsleeplessness وقلَقْand unease
بَيْنَ سُهْدٍ وقلَقْ
I spent the night, longing for her,
I passed the night consumed with love for her,
between sleeplessness and unease,
Between wakefulness and restless turning,
وغرامٍand passionate love وضَنىًand wasting sickness
وغرامٍ وضَنىً
ولهيبٍand flame وحُرَقْand burning anguish
ولهيبٍ وحُرَقْ
and passion and wasting sickness,
And passion, and yearning,
and flame and burning anguish,
And flames, and burning embers,
وحديقةٍand a garden بِهاby it
وحديقةٍ بِها
مُتّعَتْwere delighted منّاof ours الحدَقْthe eyes
مُتّعَتْ منّا الحدَقْ
and a garden by which
And a garden adorned by her,
our eyes were delighted.
That delighted my eyes with its beauty,
بنتُa daughter فِكْرٍof thought جُلِيَتْwas unveiled
بنتُ فِكْرٍ جُلِيَتْ
مِثلماjust as يُجْلىis unveiled الفَرَقْthe dawn
مِثلما يُجْلى الفَرَقْ
A daughter of thought was unveiled
I built a thought purified,
just as dawn is unveiled.
Like a forehead made smooth,
سكّنَتْshe soothed قلباًa heart لَهاfor her
سكّنَتْ قلباً لَها
طارَsoared وجْداًin passionate longing وخفَقْand fluttered
طارَ وجْداً وخفَقْ
She soothed a heart that, for her,
It calmed a heart for her,
soared in passion and fluttered.
That soared and throbbed with ecstasy,
نقَعَتْshe quenched ماwhat كانhad been فيin
نقَعَتْ ما كان في
لاعِجِthe searing blaze of الشّوقِlonging احْتَرَقْburned
لاعِجِ الشّوقِ احْتَرَقْ
She quenched what had, in
It quenched the flames
longing’s searing blaze, burned.
Of burning desire,
أجْمَعَunanimously agreed الحسْنُbeauty علىon
أجْمَعَ الحسْنُ على
أنْthat حَوَتْهُshe encompassed it واتّفقْand concurred
أنْ حَوَتْهُ واتّفقْ
Beauty unanimously agreed
Perfection gathered on her,
that she encompassed it, and concurred.
As though in complete harmony,
فضَحَتْshe put to shame نَوْرَthe blossoms of الرُبىthe hills
فضَحَتْ نَوْرَ الرُبى
أخْجَلَتْshe abashed نورَthe light of الشّفَقْtwilight
أخْجَلَتْ نورَ الشّفَقْ
She put the hills’ blossoms to shame;
She outshone the light of the loved one,
she abashed the light of twilight.
And made the red sky blush,
فاحْمِرارُهُso its redness حَياًbashfulness
فاحْمِرارُهُ حَياً
واصْفِرارُهand its yellowness حَنَقْrage
واصْفِرارُه حَنَقْ
So its redness is bashfulness,
Its redness alive,
and its yellowness is rage.
And its yellowness sullen,
دُرُّهاher pearls نُضِّدَwere arrayed منْfrom
دُرُّها نُضِّدَ منْ
طِرْسِهاher page فوقَupon السّرَقْsilk
طِرْسِها فوقَ السّرَقْ
Her pearls were arrayed from
Her pearl was strung
her page upon silk.
Above the stars,
لفْظُهاher words وُرْقٌgray doves شدَتْsang
لفْظُها وُرْقٌ شدَتْ
بيْنَamong هاتيكَthose الوَرَقْthe leaves
بيْنَ هاتيكَ الوَرَقْ
Her words are gray doves that sang
Her words were leaves gathered
among those leaves.
Between these pages,
بكَthrough you ياO ابْنَson of قُطْبةٍQutba
بكَ يا ابْنَ قُطْبةٍ
لُؤلُؤُpearls الفضْلِexcellence اتّسَقْbecame orderly
لُؤلُؤُ الفضْلِ اتّسَقْ
Through you, O Ibn Qutba,
Oh son of Qutbah,
the pearls of excellence were set in order.
The shining pearl of virtue was threaded,
أيُّwhat a فرْعٍbranch منكof yours فيin
أيُّ فرْعٍ منك في
دوحَةِthe mighty tree of المجْدِglory بسَقْgrew tall
دوحَةِ المجْدِ بسَقْ
What a branch of yours, in
Which branch of yours in
glory’s mighty tree, has grown tall!
The orchard of glory was picked?
Sol 6.1