أَوْدَعُواthey placed الزُّهْرَthe radiant stars حُدوجاًhowdahs وقباباand pavilions
أَوْدَعُوا الزُّهْرَ حُدوجاً وقبابا
وسَرَواand they traveled by night فيin شَعَرِthe hair of الليلِthe night فشاباso it turned gray
وسَرَوا في شَعَرِ الليلِ فشابا
They placed the radiant stars in howdahs and pavilions,
They tucked the flowers in chambers and domes
And traveled through the hair of night, till it turned gray.
And walked in the hair of the night and grew young
ولوىand turned aside الطرفُthe gaze سناهُمْtheir radiance فانبرىthen it began
ولوى الطرفُ سناهُمْ فانبرى
يحسبit takes to be الجُرْدَthe sleek horses اليعابيبَthe swift steeds الرِّكاباthe riding camels
يحسب الجُرْدَ اليعابيبَ الرِّكابا
Their radiance dazzled the eye, which then began
The eyelid twisted its years so it sprang up
Taking the sleek, swift steeds for riding camels.
Thinking the army was mounted horsemen
صيَّرُواthey made الجنحnight's darkness سَنَاthe radiance of الصبحdawn وماand did not
صيَّرُوا الجنح سَنَا الصبح وما
سَفَرُواthey lifted عنfrom غُرَرِthe bright brows of الغيدِthe graceful maidens نِقَاباa veil
سَفَرُوا عن غُرَرِ الغيدِ نِقَابا
They turned night's darkness into dawn's radiance, yet did not
They made wings the comb of dawn but
Lift a veil from the graceful maidens' bright brows.
Did not travel from the lovely gazelle her veil
إذwhen توارىhid itself الفجرُdawn بالليلِin the night كماjust as
إذ توارى الفجرُ بالليلِ كما
وَلَجَentered السيفُthe sword اليمانيُّthe Yemeni القِرَاباthe sheath
وَلَجَ السيفُ اليمانيُّ القِرَابا
When dawn hid itself within the night, just as
When dawn disappeared into the night like
The Yemeni sword entered its sheath,
A Yemeni sword that pierced the scabbard
وَحَنىand bent قوسَa bow of هلالٍa crescent رُبَّماsometimes
وَحَنى قوسَ هلالٍ رُبَّما
طَرَدَتْit shot forth سهماًan arrow رأيناهwe saw it شهاباa shooting star
طَرَدَتْ سهماً رأيناه شهابا
And bent a crescent's bow, which sometimes
And the bow of a crescent sometimes bent
Shot an arrow we saw as a shooting star.
We saw it shoot an arrow we thought a shooting star
إنَّماonly ودَّعَbade farewell to قلبيmy heart جَلَدِيmy fortitude
إنَّما ودَّعَ قلبي جَلَدِي
يومon the day ودَّعْتُI bade farewell to سُلَيمىSulayma والرَّباباand al-Rabab
يوم ودَّعْتُ سُلَيمى والرَّبابا
My heart bade my fortitude farewell only
My heart only bid farewell to my skin
On the day I bade Sulayma and al-Rabab farewell.
The day I bid farewell to Sulayma and the flute
حُجِبَتْwas veiled فيin نورهاits radiance وَجْنَتُهاher cheek
حُجِبَتْ في نورها وَجْنَتُها
فرأيتُso I saw الشمسَthe sun للشمسfor the sun حِجَاباa veil
فرأيتُ الشمسَ للشمس حِجَابا
Her cheek was veiled in its own radiance,
She was veiled in her light and garden
So I saw the sun as a veil for the sun.
So I saw the sun veiled from the sun
وَجْنَةٌa cheek حمراءُred تَنْدَىgrows moist عرقاًwith sweat
وَجْنَةٌ حمراءُ تَنْدَى عرقاً
مثلماjust as رَقْرَقَتِmade shimmer الراحُthe wine الحَبَابَاthe bubbles
مثلما رَقْرَقَتِ الراحُ الحَبَابَا
A red cheek, dewy with sweat,
A red garden dripping sweat
Just as wine makes its bubbles shimmer.
As the wind rustled the bushes
نفختْblew upon ريحُthe wind الصباthe east wind جَمْرَتَهاits ember
نفختْ ريحُ الصبا جَمْرَتَها
فانبرتْso it began تُظْهِرto show فيin الماءthe water التهاباa blaze
فانبرتْ تُظْهِر في الماء التهابا
The east wind fanned its ember,
The breath of morning blew its embers
So it began to show a blaze in the water.
To blaze in the water aflame
وجرىand flowed الصُّدْغُthe temple-lock علىover أَوَّلِهاthe foremost part of it
وجرى الصُّدْغُ على أَوَّلِها
مثلماjust as طرَّزْتَyou embroidered بالسَّطْرِwith the line of script الكتاباthe book
مثلما طرَّزْتَ بالسَّطْرِ الكتابا
And the temple-lock ran across its foremost part,
And the cheek flowed over its first
Just as you embroidered the book with a line of script.
As you embroidered the line of writing
Sol 6.1