بَداhe appeared كغصنٍlike a bough مائِسِswaying
بَدا كغصنٍ مائِسِ
فيin أَفخرthe finest الملابسِgarments
في أَفخر الملابسِ
He appeared like a swaying bough,
He appeared like a swaying branch
In the finest of garments.
In the finest of garments
بدرٌa full moon إذاwhenever لاحَhe shone لناfor us
بدرٌ إذا لاحَ لنا
جلّاdispelled دُجىthe darkness الحنادسِof pitch-black nights
جلّا دُجى الحنادسِ
A full moon: whenever he shone for us,
A full moon that shone for us
He dispelled the gloom of pitch-black nights.
Dispelling the darkness of melancholy
يديرhe passes around منfrom رُضابهhis saliva
يدير من رُضابه
شَهداًhoney ومنand from أَكوابِهِhis cups
شَهداً ومن أَكوابِهِ
He serves, from his saliva,
From his cheeks he pours
Honey, and from his cups,
Wine and from his cups
راحاًwine حكتresembled بكفِّهin his hand
راحاً حكت بكفِّه
ناراًfire بكفِّin the hand of قابسِone who takes a firebrand
ناراً بكفِّ قابسِ
Wine that in his hand resembled
Comfort that his palm dictated
Fire in a fire-bearer's hand.
And fire that the palm of one who grasps lit
أَفديهI would ransom him منsuch a مهفهفslender one
أَفديه من مهفهف
لَدنsupple القَوامin build أَهيَفِslender-waisted
لَدن القَوام أَهيَفِ
I would ransom him—such a slender one,
I ransom him from distress
Supple in build, slender-waisted.
Of forebears, sleepy and lazy
كأَنَّماas though مقلتُهُhis eye
كأَنَّما مقلتُهُ
مقلةُthe eye of ظبيٍa gazelle ناعسِdrowsy
مقلةُ ظبيٍ ناعسِ
As though his eye were
As if his beauty
The eye of a drowsy gazelle.
Is the beauty of a sleepy gazelle
تخالهyou deem him إذاwhen بَداhe appears
تخاله إذا بَدا
شمساًa sun لهfor him الشَمسُthe sun فِداa ransom
شمساً له الشَمسُ فِدا
You deem him, when he appears,
Imagine him when he appears
A sun for whom the sun itself is a ransom.
The sun his ransom
وَالفرعُand the hair منهof him فاحِمٌcoal-black
وَالفرعُ منه فاحِمٌ
كَجُنحlike the gloom of لَيلٍa night دامسِpitch-dark
كَجُنح لَيلٍ دامسِ
And his hair is coal-black,
And his hair intoxicating
Like the gloom of a pitch-dark night.
Like the wings of a tranquil night
هواهُlove for him حلَّsettled فيin الحَشاthe heart
هواهُ حلَّ في الحَشا
ومنand from حُميّاهits intoxicating ardor اِنتَشىgrew drunk
ومن حُميّاه اِنتَشى
Love for him settled in my heart,
His love settled in my innermost being
And from its heady ardor grew drunk
And from his ardour I came alive
عَقليmy mind إذاwhenever نادمتُهI drank with him
عَقلي إذا نادمتُه
فيin أَشرفthe noblest of المجالسِgatherings
في أَشرف المجالسِ
My mind, whenever I drank with him,
My mind when it reproaches him
In the noblest of gatherings.
In the noblest of gatherings
Sol 6.1