ويحalas for نفسٍa soul مُغَطَّرَهbeguiled
ويح نفسٍ مُغَطَّرَه
بجُفُونٍby eyelids مُفَتَّرهlanguid
بجُفُونٍ مُفَتَّره
Alas for a soul beguiled
Woe to a soul adorned
by languid eyelids!
With fluttering eyelids
يقتلkills الصبَّthe ardent lover حُسْنُهاtheir beauty
يقتل الصبَّ حُسْنُها
فَهْيso they ذَنْبٌa sin ومَغْفِرَهand forgiveness
فَهْي ذَنْبٌ ومَغْفِرَه
Their beauty slays the lover;
Whose beauty slays
they are sin and forgiveness.
A sin yet forgiveness
أيُّwhat عينٍan eye عَلَىover العيوthe eyes (first part)
أيُّ عينٍ عَلَى العيو
نِcompletion of 'eyes' جَمِيعاًall together مؤمَّرهappointed ruler
نِ جَمِيعاً مؤمَّره
What an eye, over the other eyes
What eye upon the fawn
all together, appointed sovereign!
Is not lined with kohl?
كُلُّall كُحْلٍkohl سوىexcept التَّكَحُّapplying kohl (first part)
كُلُّ كُحْلٍ سوى التَّكَحُّ
لِcompletion of 'applying kohl' فيin جَفْنِهاits eyelid مَرَهkohl-less bleariness
لِ في جَفْنِها مَرَه
All kohl, save that applied
All kohl but longing
to its eyelid, is mere bleariness.
Leaves bitterness in her lids
وهيand it للحُسْنِfor beauty جَامِعٌa mosque
وهي للحُسْنِ جَامِعٌ
وهْيand it للسُّكرfor intoxication دَسْكَرهa wine hall
وهْي للسُّكر دَسْكَره
It is a mosque for beauty,
She is beauty embodied
and a wine hall for intoxication.
And tipsiness sobered
وجههhis face لوif رأَيْتَهyou saw it
وجهه لو رأَيْتَه
قُلْتَyou said يَاoh لَيْتَwould that لَمْnot أَرْهI see it
قُلْتَ يَا لَيْتَ لَمْ أَرْه
His face—if you saw it,
If you saw his face
you would say, 'Oh, would that I had not seen it!'
You'd say, would that I hadn't
يَصْرِفdirects الخَلْقَpeople فيin الهوىlove
يَصْرِف الخَلْقَ في الهوى
بِقُلوبٍwith hearts محسَّرهstripped bare
بِقُلوبٍ محسَّره
He drives people into love
He ensnares hearts with love
with hearts stripped bare.
With enchained spirits
سَاخِرُmocking القلبthe heart منat قلوhearts (first part)
سَاخِرُ القلب من قلو
بcompletion of 'hearts' لَدَيْهwith him مُسَخَّرهheld in thrall
ب لَدَيْه مُسَخَّره
His heart mocks the hearts
A mocking heart to hearts
held in thrall to him.
That to him are enslaved
ذوpossessing دلالٍcoquetry مُؤَنَّثٍfeminine
ذو دلالٍ مُؤَنَّثٍ
وَسَجَايَاand traits مُذَكَّرهmasculine
وَسَجَايَا مُذَكَّره
He has feminine coquetry
With a feminine charm
and masculine traits.
And masculine airs
فيهin him خَنَثٌeffeminacy وربَّماand sometimes
فيه خَنَثٌ وربَّما
ظَهَرَتْappeared منهfrom him زَنْطَرَهswagger
ظَهَرَتْ منه زَنْطَرَه
There is effeminacy in him, and sometimes
In him a hermaphrodite
a swagger appears in him.
Though manliness often appears
فهوso he فيin البيتِthe house عَبْلَةٌAbla
فهو في البيتِ عَبْلَةٌ
وهوand he فيin السوقِthe marketplace عَنْتَرهAntara
وهو في السوقِ عَنْتَره
So at home he is Abla,
At home a coddled pearl
and in the marketplace he is Antara.
In the market, a bold lion
نظراتيmy glances لِوَجْهِهِat his face
نظراتي لِوَجْهِهِ
بِدُمُوعيby my tears مُعَثَّرهmade to stumble
بِدُمُوعي مُعَثَّره
My glances at his face
My teary glances to his face
are tripped up by my tears.
Are scattered pearls
ذاقتtasted العينthe eye منfrom محيَّface (first part)
ذاقت العين من محيَّ
اهُcompletion of 'his face' مِلْحاًsalt وسُكَّرهْand a lump of sugar
اهُ مِلْحاً وسُكَّرهْ
The eye tasted from his face
The eye has tasted in his bend
salt and a lump of sugar.
Sweetness and bitterness
فمنso, of النَّدfragrant incense خَالُهhis mole
فمن النَّد خَالُه
ومنand, of الخَدِّthe cheek مُجْمَرهan incense burner
ومن الخَدِّ مُجْمَره
So his mole is fragrant incense,
The dimple his moles
and his cheek is its incense burner.
The blush his embers
خدُّهhis cheek فيهin it رَوْضَةٌa garden
خدُّه فيه رَوْضَةٌ
بالأَزَاهِيرwith flowers مُزْهِرَهblooming
بالأَزَاهِير مُزْهِرَه
Within his cheek is a garden,
His cheek a garden
abloom with flowers.
With blooming flowers
رقَّgrew delicate حتَّىuntil كأَنماas though
رقَّ حتَّى كأَنما
لَثْمةُa kiss السُّوءِof evil مُقْدَرَهordained
لَثْمةُ السُّوءِ مُقْدَرَه
It grew so delicate, as though
So soft as if
an evil kiss were ordained.
The kiss of evil was fated
صدْغُهhis temple-lock صُوْلجانَةٌa polo mallet
صدْغُه صُوْلجانَةٌ
حَيْثُwhere قَلْبيmy heart لَهُfor it كُرَهa ball
حَيْثُ قَلْبي لَهُ كُرَه
His temple-lock is a polo mallet,
His cheek a pendant
with my heart there as its ball.
Where my heart is chained
غاظنيangered me فوقupon خَدِّهhis cheek
غاظني فوق خَدِّه
شَعراتhairs مبكِّرَهpremature
شَعرات مبكِّرَه
What vexed me upon his cheek
Vexing me over his cheek
were a few premature hairs.
Premature hairs
قدalready أَتتthey came قُبْلُbefore وقْتِهَاtheir time
قد أَتت قُبْلُ وقْتِهَا
لأُمُورٍfor purposes مقدَّرَهpreordained
لأُمُورٍ مقدَّرَه
They had come before their time,
Come before their time
for purposes preordained.
For fated matters
دلَّshowed دِيباجُthe brocade خدِّهof his cheek
دلَّ دِيباجُ خدِّه
أَنهاthat they فيهin it زئبرهfine nap
أَنها فيه زئبره
His cheek's brocade showed
The sheen of his cheek reveals
that those hairs were its nap.
It bears a panther
لاdo not تلمblame حبَّهhis lover عَلَيon account of
لا تلم حبَّه عَلَي
هِhim إِذَاif كانhe is ذاpossessing شِرهcraving
هِ إِذَا كان ذا شِره
Do not blame his lover on his
Blame not his love for faults
account, if he is full of craving.
If he is corrupt
لاno ولاَand do not تَلْحَهَrebuke him تكُوyou become (first part)
لا ولاَ تَلْحَهَ تكُو
نcompletion of 'you become' عَلَىagainst الذَّنبِthe sin زَاجِرهa censor
ن عَلَى الذَّنبِ زَاجِره
No, nor rebuke him and become
Nor rebuke him, becoming
a censor of sin.
A inhibiter of sin
فمنfor, from العَبْدthe servant زَلَّةٌa lapse
فمن العَبْد زَلَّةٌ
ومنand from الرَّبthe Lord مَغْفِرَهforgiveness
ومن الرَّب مَغْفِرَه
For from the servant comes a lapse,
For sins come from humans
and from the Lord, forgiveness.
And forgiveness from the Divine
Sol 6.1