ياO مُنيةَdesire القَلْبِof the heart لولاwere it not for أَنthat يقالَit be said سَلاَhe ceased loving
يا مُنيةَ القَلْبِ لولا أَن يقالَ سَلاَ
لقلتُI would say ماnot كنتُI was أَعْصِيI defy العَذْلَreproach لولاكِbut for you
لقلتُ ما كنتُ أَعْصِي العَذْلَ لولاكِ
O heart's desire, were it not that they would say, 'He has ceased to love,'
I would say, 'But for you, I would not defy reproach.'
رَمَيْتِyou shot at منfrom مصرَEgypt قلْباًa heart بالشآمin Syria فماso how
رَمَيْتِ من مصرَ قلْباً بالشآم فما
أَسْرَاكِswiftly you sped سَهْماًas an arrow إِلىinto أَحشاءِthe vitals of أَسْرَاكِyour captives
أَسْرَاكِ سَهْماً إِلى أَحشاءِ أَسْرَاكِ
From Egypt you shot at a heart in Syria—how
swiftly you sped, an arrow into your captives' vitals!
أَسرفْتِyou went too far فيin الصّدّrejection إِذwhen أَسرفْتُI went too far فيكِfor you هوىًin love
أَسرفْتِ في الصّدّ إِذ أَسرفْتُ فيكِ هوىً
فالعَدْلُso fairness والعَدْلُand fairness يَنْهَانِيrestrains me ويَنْهَاكِand restrains you
فالعَدْلُ والعَدْلُ يَنْهَانِي ويَنْهَاكِ
You went too far in shunning me, as I went too far in loving you;
fairness, then—fairness restrains both me and you.
نأَيْتِyou keep far away يَقْظَيmy waking hours وقدand perhaps أَلْقاكِI meet you هَاجِعَةًasleep
نأَيْتِ يَقْظَي وقد أَلْقاكِ هَاجِعَةً
وفيand in الحقيقةِreality أَنِّthat I لسْتُI am not أَلْقَاكِI meet you
وفي الحقيقةِ أَنِّ لسْتُ أَلْقَاكِ
You keep far away in my waking hours, though I may meet you sleeping;
yet in truth I am not meeting you.
كمhow often صادَcaught طيْفُكِyour phantom طرفيmy eye بعدafter هَجْعَتِهِits slumber
كم صادَ طيْفُكِ طرفي بعد هَجْعَتِهِ
فالجَفْنُso the eyelid فَخّيmy trap والأَهْدَابُand the eyelashes أَشْرَاكِيmy snares
فالجَفْنُ فَخّي والأَهْدَابُ أَشْرَاكِي
How often your phantom caught my eye after it fell asleep!
So my eyelid is my trap, and my lashes are my snares.
رُدِّيgive back ودائعَthe deposits of لثميmy kisses جئتُI have come أَطْلُبُهَاI seek them
رُدِّي ودائعَ لثمي جئتُ أَطْلُبُهَا
ماhow كانwas أَوفَاكِfaithful you were إِذwhen أَودعتُهاI entrusted them فَاكِto your mouth
ما كان أَوفَاكِ إِذ أَودعتُها فَاكِ
Return my deposited kisses; I have come to claim them.
How faithful you were when I entrusted them to your mouth!
زمانَin the days when لَمْdid not أَدْرِI know منfrom لهويmy play ومنand from طَرَبِيmy rapture
زمانَ لَمْ أَدْرِ من لهوي ومن طَرَبِي
أَمِنْwhether from مُحيّاكِyour face سُكْرِيmy drunkenness أَمْor حُمَيَّاكِyour wine's fire
أَمِنْ مُحيّاكِ سُكْرِي أَمْ حُمَيَّاكِ
In those days, amid my play and rapture, I could not tell
whether my drunkenness came from your face or your wine's fire.
وإِذand when جَمَالُكِyour beauty قدْhad أَغْرَىstirred جَمِيلَكِyour kindness بِيtoward me
وإِذ جَمَالُكِ قدْ أَغْرَى جَمِيلَكِ بِي
وَبيand toward me التعطفtenderness قدhad أَغراكِmoved you عِطْفَاكِyour two flanks
وَبي التعطف قد أَغراكِ عِطْفَاكِ
And when your beauty had stirred your kindness toward me,
and your two flanks had moved you to tenderness toward me;
وإِذand when مغانِيكِyour dwellings بالأَنوارwith flowers زاهرةٌblooming
وإِذ مغانِيكِ بالأَنوار زاهرةٌ
حتَّىuntil لقدindeed خِلْتُI imagined فيin مَغْنَاكِyour dwelling مفْنَاكِyour courtyard
حتَّى لقد خِلْتُ في مَغْنَاكِ مفْنَاكِ
and when your dwellings bloomed with flowers,
till I thought your courtyard lay within your dwelling.
رحلتُI departed عنكمfrom you وقدand had أَولعتI devoted بَعْدَكُمُin your absence
رحلتُ عنكم وقد أَولعت بَعْدَكُمُ
فماًa mouth بذكراكِto mentioning you أَوor قَلْباًa heart بِذكْرَاكِto remembering you
فماً بذكراكِ أَو قَلْباً بِذكْرَاكِ
I left you; in your absence I have devoted
my mouth to speaking of you, or my heart to remembering you.
وماand not أَظُنُّI think ديارَthe dwellings of القلبِthe heart مَسْكَنَكُمْyour home
وما أَظُنُّ ديارَ القلبِ مَسْكَنَكُمْ
بأَنَّنيbecause I فِيهin it قَدْhave أَكْرَمْتُI honored مَثْوَاكِyour lodging
بأَنَّني فِيه قَدْ أَكْرَمْتُ مَثْوَاكِ
And I do not think the heart's chambers are your home,
since I have honored your lodging there.
فماfor never مررتI passed بِرَبْعٍby a dwelling كانwas رَبْعَكُمُyour dwelling
فما مررت بِرَبْعٍ كان رَبْعَكُمُ
إِلاَّexcept that ظننتُI thought صَدَاهُits echo أَنَّهthat it was الشاكِيthe lamenting one
إِلاَّ ظننتُ صَدَاهُ أَنَّه الشاكِي
For never did I pass a dwelling that once was yours
without thinking its echo was the one lamenting.
يَحْكِينيimitates me الرّبعُthe dwelling أَوor أَحْكِيهِI imitate it بَعْدَكُمُin your absence
يَحْكِيني الرّبعُ أَو أَحْكِيهِ بَعْدَكُمُ
سُقْماًin sickness فياthen oh ليتَif only شِعْرِيmy knowledge أَيُّناwhich of us الحاكيthe imitator
سُقْماً فيا ليتَ شِعْرِي أَيُّنا الحاكي
The dwelling mirrors me—or I mirror it—in your absence,
in sickness; if only I knew which of us is the imitator!
ويومَand on the day بارزتُI faced in combat بَيْنيmy separation شاكياًlamenting فرَقىmy fear
ويومَ بارزتُ بَيْني شاكياً فرَقى
منهof it وذلِكَand that يَوْمٌa day بالنَّوَىwith separation شَاكِيarmed
منه وذلِكَ يَوْمٌ بالنَّوَى شَاكِي
And on the day I faced my parting in combat, lamenting my fear
of it—that was a day armed with separation—
بَكتْshe wept وَفِيهاwhile within her معانيthe qualities of الحُسْنbeauty ضاحكةٌsmiling
بَكتْ وَفِيها معاني الحُسْن ضاحكةٌ
ياO حَرَّburning heat قلبَاهُof my heart مِنْfrom ذَاthis الضاحِكِthe smiling one البَاكِيthe weeping one
يا حَرَّ قلبَاهُ مِنْ ذَا الضاحِكِ البَاكِي
she wept, while beauty's graces smiled in her.
Oh, how my heart burns from this smiling, weeping one!
هيshe الحبيبةُthe beloved دونَto the exclusion of النَّاسِhumankind كُلِّهِمُall of them
هي الحبيبةُ دونَ النَّاسِ كُلِّهِمُ
فَلْيُهْنِنيso may it gladden me ذاكَthat أَوor فَلْيَهْنِهَاso may it gladden her ذَاكِthat
فَلْيُهْنِني ذاكَ أَو فَلْيَهْنِهَا ذَاكِ
She alone is the beloved among all humankind;
so may that bring me joy—or may it bring her joy.
Sol 6.1