رَسمَportrait الحبيبِthe beloved الأوَّلِthe first
رَسمَ الحبيبِ الأوَّلِ
دعنيlet me لحسنِكَat your beauty أجتليI behold
دعني لحسنِكَ أجتلي
O portrait of the first beloved,
Let me portray the first sweetheart
let me behold your beauty
With wounded eyes unadorned by kohl
بنواظرٍwith eyes مقروحةٍwounded
بنواظرٍ مقروحةٍ
بالنومwith sleep لمhave not تتكحَّلِlined themselves with kohl
بالنوم لم تتكحَّلِ
with wounded eyes,
That have not slept all night
not lined with the kohl of sleep.
Leave them to describe your beauty, for they
دعهاlet them تعبُّdrink deeply سناكَyour radiance فهfor they (first part)
دعها تعبُّ سناكَ فه
يَcompletion of 'for they' شقيةٌwretched لمhave not تنهلِdrunk their fill
يَ شقيةٌ لم تنهلِ
Let them drink deep of your radiance, for
Are miserable, unsatisfied
they are wretched and have not drunk their fill.
With patience and suffering, did I
بالصبرwith patience بالآلامِwith sufferings هلquestion marker
بالصبر بالآلامِ هل
حملتكَcarried you إلاexcept أنمليmy fingertips
حملتكَ إلا أنملي
With patience, with suffering—have
Carry you, if not reluctantly?
any but my fingertips carried you?
I envy the very shadows that
إنيindeed I أغارُam jealous منof الظلاthe darkness (first part)
إني أغارُ من الظلا
مِcompletion of 'the darkness' وأنتماand you two فيin معزلِseclusion
مِ وأنتما في معزلِ
I am jealous of the darkness
Cloak you, while I remain excluded
when the two of you are in seclusion.
I say, be amidst the shadows and
وأقولand I say كُنbe بينَamong الضلوthe ribs (first part)
وأقول كُن بينَ الضلو
عِcompletion of 'the ribs' وفيand in الجوانحthe breast فانزلِso dwell
عِ وفي الجوانح فانزلِ
And I say: Be among my ribs,
Descend into my heart's embrace
and come dwell within my breast.
For here lies a heart that never
فهناكَfor there قلبٌa heart لمhas not يخنbetrayed
فهناكَ قلبٌ لم يخن
عهداًa pledge ولمand has not يتبدلِchanged
عهداً ولم يتبدلِ
For there is a heart that has not betrayed
Broke its word nor changed its love
a pledge, nor changed.
It basks in your light submissively
يلقَىit greets ضياءَكyour light بالسجوin prostration (first part)
يلقَى ضياءَك بالسجو
دِcompletion of 'prostration' كعابدٍlike a worshipper فيin هيكلِa temple
دِ كعابدٍ في هيكلِ
It greets your light in prostration,
Like a worshipper in a temple
like a worshipper in a temple.
O image of the one who gave passion
ياO رسمُportrait منwho أعطَىgave الهوىlove
يا رسمُ من أعطَى الهوى
مفتاحthe key قلبيmy heart المقفلِlocked
مفتاح قلبي المقفلِ
O portrait, who gave love
The key to my locked heart
the key to my locked heart?
In his love did my youth waste away
فيin حبهlove for him فَنِيَperished الصباearly youth
في حبه فَنِيَ الصبا
وشبابُand the youth of أياميmy days جَلِيplain to see
وشبابُ أيامي جَلِي
In loving him, my early youth perished,
And the spring of my life fade
and the youth of my days was plain to see.
Alas! How much I squandered
ياO ويحَwoe to ماwhat ضيَّعتُI squandered فيon
يا ويحَ ما ضيَّعتُ في
هِhim منof قليلٍa little مخجلِshameful
هِ من قليلٍ مخجلِ
Alas for what I squandered on
On trivial things I now regret
him—so shamefully little!
The past is gone and even if I could
ماضيَّmy past ضاعَwas lost ولوand if قدرcould (first part)
ماضيَّ ضاعَ ولو قدر
تُI (verb ending) لجدتُI would give generously بالمستقبلِwith the future
تُ لجدتُ بالمستقبلِ
My past is lost, and if I could,
I would not turn back time
I would give generously of the future.
O image, how many nights
ياO رسمُportrait كمhow many مِنof ليلةٍa night
يا رسمُ كم مِن ليلةٍ
أبكيI weep وأستبكيكand ask you to weep ليfor me
أبكي وأستبكيك لي
O portrait, how many a night
Did I weep and bewail you
I weep and ask you to weep for me!
Say, did I ever leave you
قلsay هلquestion marker تركتُكI left you مرةًonce
قل هل تركتُك مرةً
بالدمعِwith tears غيرnot مبلّلِmoistened
بالدمعِ غير مبلّلِ
Tell me, have I ever left you
Unwatered by my tears?
unmoistened by tears?
Until you returned unfaithfully
حتىuntil رجعتَyou became مخادِعاًَdeceitful
حتى رجعتَ مخادِعاًَ
ومضيتَand you went on جدَّutterly مضلَّلِmisled
ومضيتَ جدَّ مضلَّلِ
Until you turned deceitful,
And went away, lost, misleading
and you went on utterly misled.
Show my tears plainly on
أرنوI gaze لدمعيat my tears بادياًappearing
أرنو لدمعي بادياً
فيon وجهِكَyour face المتهللِbeaming
في وجهِكَ المتهللِ
I gaze at my tears appearing
Your joyous, gleaming face
upon your beaming face,
Let your eyes, shaken by
فأخالso I imagine عينَكَyour eye هزَّهاstirred it
فأخال عينَكَ هزَّها
شكوىthe lament of الغريبِthe stranger المهمَلِneglected
شكوى الغريبِ المهمَلِ
and imagine that your eye was stirred
The plaints of this neglected stranger, weep
by the neglected stranger's lament,
And those are the tears that now
فبكتso it wept وتلكَand those دموعهاits tears
فبكت وتلكَ دموعها
هذيthis one تسيلُflows وذيand this one تليfollows
هذي تسيلُ وذي تلي
so it wept, and those are its tears:
Flow down while others gather
this one flows, and that one follows.
O image, how many meanings
ياO رسمportrait كمhow many معنىa meaning
يا رسم كم معنى
حملتَyou have carried لناظرِfor the eye of المتأملِthe contemplative one
حملتَ لناظرِ المتأملِ
O portrait, how many meanings
Were borne for the reflective observer
you have borne for the contemplative eye!
Those soft lips, so gentle
تلكthose الشفاهُthe lips الحانياbending (first part)
تلك الشفاهُ الحانيا
تُcompletion of 'bending' علىover أرَقِّthe tenderest مقبّلِa place to kiss
تُ على أرَقِّ مقبّلِ
Those lips that bend
Against the most delicate kiss
over the tenderest place to kiss—
Whether they smiled when
عمَّabout what ابتسمنَthey smiled إِذwhen انفرجthey parted (first part)
عمَّ ابتسمنَ إِذ انفرج
نَcompletion of 'they parted' أعَنwas it about عتابٍa reproach مرسلِsent forth
نَ أعَن عتابٍ مرسلِ
what did their smile reveal as they parted—
Freed from frowning discontent
was it a reproach sent forth,
Or from the cruelty of one
أمor عنabout قساوةِthe cruelty of هاجرٍone who forsakes
أم عن قساوةِ هاجرٍ
فيamong الناعِمينَthose living in ease مدلّلِpampered
في الناعِمينَ مدلّلِ
or the cruelty of one who forsakes,
Pampered among the delicate
pampered among those who live in ease?
Those eyes that shoot their arrows
تلكthose العيونُthe eyes الرامياshooting (first part)
تلك العيونُ الراميا
تُcompletion of 'shooting' سهامَهُنَّtheir arrows بمقتليat my vital spot
تُ سهامَهُنَّ بمقتلي
Those eyes that shoot
To slay me utterly
their arrows at my vital spot—
How often they stirred the passions
كمhow often هِجنَthey stirred أشجانَthe sorrows of الشجيthe sorrowful one (first part)
كم هِجنَ أشجانَ الشجي
يِcompletion of 'the sorrowful one' ونلنَand they took their toll منon قلبِthe heart of الخليthe carefree one
يِ ونلنَ من قلبِ الخلي
how often they have stirred the sorrowful one's griefs
Of the ardent, and drew tears from my heart
and assailed the heart of the carefree!
Partial English translation: 47 of 48 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1