ياO منyou whom طواهاenfolded her الليلthe night فيin بَيدائهits wilderness
يا من طواها الليل في بَيدائه
روحاًa spirit مفزعةfrightened علىagainst ظلمائهits darkness
روحاً مفزعة على ظلمائه
O you whom night has enfolded in its wilderness,
O you whom the night enfolded in its wilderness,
a frightened spirit against its darkness,
A spirit wandering in its darkness,
تتلفتينyou turn about إليَّtoward me فيin أنحائهits reaches
تتلفتين إليَّ في أنحائه
لهفanguish الفؤادthe heart علىfor الشريدthe outcast التائهthe lost one
لهف الفؤاد على الشريد التائه
turning toward me in its far reaches—
You glance at me in its corners,
how the heart aches for the lost outcast!
The heart yearns for the straying, lost one.
إنif تظمئيyou thirst ليfor me كمhow often ظمئتI thirsted إليكfor you
إن تظمئي لي كم ظمئت إليك
جمعbrought together الوفاءfaithfulness شقيةًa wretched woman وشقياand a wretched man
جمع الوفاء شقيةً وشقيا
If you thirst for me, how often I have thirsted for you!
If you thirst for me as I have thirsted for you,
Faithfulness has joined a wretched woman and a wretched man.
Faithfulness would gather misfortune and misery.
ياO منيتيmy heart's desire قستwas cruel الحياةlife عليكto you
يا منيتي قست الحياة عليك
وجرتand came to pass مقادرهاits decrees الجسامmighty علياupon me
وجرت مقادرها الجسام عليا
O my heart's desire, life has been cruel to you,
O my wish, life was cruel to you,
and its mighty decrees have fallen upon me.
And its mighty decrees were severe on me.
أسفاalas عليكfor you وأنتwhile you are روحa spirit حائرbewildered
أسفا عليك وأنت روح حائر
والكونand the universe أسرارٌmysteries يضيقis overwhelmed بهاby them الحجىreason
والكون أسرارٌ يضيق بها الحجى
Alas for you, a bewildered spirit,
Alas for you, a wandering soul,
and the universe is mysteries beyond reason's grasp.
While the universe is mysteries too narrow for discussion.
تجتازcrosses عابرةa passing woman ويسرعand hastens عابرa passing man
تجتاز عابرة ويسرع عابر
وتمرand pass أشباحphantoms يواريهاconceals them الدجىthe darkness
وتمر أشباح يواريها الدجى
A passing woman crosses, and a passing man hastens,
You pass fleetingly and a passer-by speeds,
and phantoms pass, concealed by the darkness.
And shadows pass which the gloom conceals.
فيin وَجنتيكyour two cheeks توهجa glow وضرامand a blaze
في وَجنتيك توهج وضرام
وبمقلتيكand in your two eyes مدامعtears وذهولand bewilderment
وبمقلتيك مدامع وذهول
In your cheeks are a glow and a blaze,
In your cheeks there is glowing and darkness,
and in your eyes, tears and bewilderment.
And in your eyes tears and confusion,
وكذاand thus تمرpass بمثلكfor one like you الأيامthe days
وكذا تمر بمثلك الأيام
مجهولةًunknown وعذابهاand their torment مجهولunknown
مجهولةً وعذابها مجهول
And thus the days pass for one like you,
And so do days pass you by,
unknown, and their torment unknown.
Unknown, and their torment unknown.
ولّيتِyou turned away قبلbefore لقائناour meeting ياO جنتيmy paradise
ولّيتِ قبل لقائنا يا جنتي
لمdid not تظفريyou obtain منيfrom me بقولa word مسعدheartening
لم تظفري مني بقول مسعد
You turned away before we met, O my paradise;
Would that before our meeting, O my paradise,
you gained no heartening word from me.
You had not gained from me a felicitous word;
وكعادةand as is the custom of الحظfortune الشقيhapless وعادتيand my custom
وكعادة الحظ الشقي وعادتي
أقبلتI arrived بعدafter ذهابthe departure of نجميmy star الأوحدthe only one
أقبلت بعد ذهاب نجمي الأوحد
And as is hapless fortune's custom, and my own,
And as is the way of misfortunate luck and my habit,
I arrived after my only star had gone.
I came after the loss of my only star.
تتعاقبfollow one another الأقدارthe fates وهيand they are مسيئةٌdoing harm
تتعاقب الأقدار وهي مسيئةٌ
كمhow often عقناwas disloyal to us ليلnight وخانand betrayed نهارday
كم عقنا ليل وخان نهار
The fates follow one another, and they do harm;
Destinies succeed each other and they are harmful,
how often night has failed us, and day betrayed us!
How many a night we spent awake and day broke faith!
وكأنماand as though هذاthis الفضاءexpanse خطيئةa sin
وكأنما هذا الفضاء خطيئة
وكأنand as though همسthe whisper of نسيمهits breeze استغفارa plea for forgiveness
وكأن همس نسيمه استغفار
And as though this expanse were a sin,
As if this space is a sin,
and the whisper of its breeze a plea for forgiveness,
And as if the whisper of its breeze seeks forgiveness.
وكأنهand as though it were أحزانthe sorrows of قومa people سارواthey departed
وكأنه أحزان قوم ساروا
هذيthese مآتمهمtheir mourning gatherings وثمand there ظلالهاtheir shadows
هذي مآتمهم وثم ظلالها
and as though it were the sorrows of people who have gone:
As if it is the sorrows of people who journeyed,
these are their mourning gatherings, and yonder their shadows.
These are their disasters and there are their shadows.
عفتِhave vanished القصورthe palaces وظلتand remained الأسوارthe walls
عفتِ القصور وظلت الأسوار
كمناحةlike a lament جمدتfroze وذاand this تمثالهاits statue
كمناحة جمدت وذا تمثالها
The palaces have vanished, and the walls remain,
The palaces are empty and the walls remain
like a lament frozen still, and this is its statue.
Like a frozen shroud and with it statues.
رانsettled السوادblackness علىover وجودthe being of الدورthe houses
ران السواد على وجود الدور
وسرىand drifted إليّto me نحيبهاtheir sobbing والأدمعand the tears
وسرى إليّ نحيبها والأدمع
Blackness has shrouded the houses' very being,
Blackness spread over the existence of the houses,
and their sobbing and tears have drifted to me.
And their wailing and tears crept up to me.
وكأننيand as though I were فيon شاطئa shore مهجورdeserted
وكأنني في شاطئ مهجور
قدhas فارقتهleft it سفينةa ship لاnot ترجعreturns
قد فارقته سفينة لا ترجع
And it is as though I were on a deserted shore
As if on an abandoned shore I am
from which a ship has departed, never to return.
Left by a ship that will not return.
حملتit carried لناfor us أملاhope فلماthen when ودعتit bade farewell
حملت لنا أملا فلما ودعت
لمdid not يبقremain بعدafter رحيلهاits departure للناظرfor the onlooker
لم يبق بعد رحيلها للناظر
It bore us hope; then, when it bade farewell,
It carried hope for us but when it bid farewell
nothing remained after its departure for the onlooker
There remained for the onlooker, after its departure,
إلاexcept خيالthe phantom of سعادةhappiness قدhad أقلعتsailed away
إلا خيال سعادة قد أقلعت
ووداعand farewell to أحبابٍloved ones ودمعand the tears of مسافرa traveler
ووداع أحبابٍ ودمع مسافر
but the phantom of happiness that had sailed away,
Only the phantom of a happiness that has departed
and farewell to loved ones, and a traveler's tears.
And farewell to loved ones and a traveller's tears.
Sol 6.1