منwhoever يبْكِweeps منfrom وَجْدٍgrief علىover هالِكٍone who has perished
من يبْكِ من وَجْدٍ على هالِكٍ
فإنماfor only أبكيI weep علىover شُسْتَجَهْa handkerchief
فإنما أبكي على شُسْتَجَهْ
Whoever weeps in grief for one who has died—
He who weeps over a lost love
I weep only over a handkerchief.
I weep but for my own folly
جاذبنيهاtugged with me for it رَشَأٌa young gazelle أَغِيدٌlithe
جاذبنيها رَشَأٌ أَغِيدٌ
فجاذَبَso tugged at النّفْسَthe soul بهاwith it مُحْرَجَهْdistressed
فجاذَبَ النّفْسَ بها مُحْرَجَهْ
A lithe young gazelle tugged it back and forth with me,
Her charms enthralled me, led me on
and with it tugged at my anguished soul.
And my soul followed helplessly
بديعةٌwondrous فيin نَسْجِهَاits weaving مِثْلُهاits like
بديعةٌ في نَسْجِهَا مِثْلُها
يُفْقَدُcannot be found منanyone who يُحْسِنُknows how أَنْto يَنْسِجَهْweave it
يُفْقَدُ من يُحْسِنُ أَنْ يَنْسِجَهْ
A marvel of weaving; as for its like,
Her beauty intricately woven
no one who knows how to weave it can be found.
None now can recreate such perfection
كأنّماas though دِقَّةُthe fineness of أسْلاكِهاits threads
كأنّما دِقَّةُ أسْلاكِها
منfrom دِقّةِthe slenderness of العُشَّاقِlovers مُسْتَخْرَجَهْdrawn
من دِقّةِ العُشَّاقِ مُسْتَخْرَجَهْ
It is as though the fineness of its threads
As if the delicacy of her threads
were drawn from the slenderness of lovers.
Were drawn from lovers' sighs
كأنماas though مَفْتُولُtwisted strands أَهْدَابِهاits fringes
كأنما مَفْتُولُ أَهْدَابِها
أَيْديforelegs دَبىًyoung locusts فيin نَسَقٍan orderly row مُزْوَجَهْpaired
أَيْدي دَبىً في نَسَقٍ مُزْوَجَهْ
As though the twisted strands of its fringe
As if her eyelashes fashioned
were young locusts’ forelegs, paired in a row.
By hands that gently intertwined
كأنماas though تَفْوِيفُvariegated striping أعْلامِهَاits patterns
كأنما تَفْوِيفُ أعْلامِهَا
طَاوُوسَةٌa peahen تَخْتَالُstruts أوor دُرَّجَهُa francolin
طَاوُوسَةٌ تَخْتَالُ أو دُرَّجَهُ
As though the variegated striping of its patterns
As if her ornaments were a peacock
were a strutting peahen or a francolin.
Strutting, fanning its plumes
لبيسةٌused جدَّدَهاrenewed it حُسْنُهاits beauty
لبيسةٌ جدَّدَها حُسْنُها
لاnot رَثَّةُshabby السِّلْكِthe thread ولاnor مُنْهَجَهْworn through
لا رَثَّةُ السِّلْكِ ولا مُنْهَجَهْ
Used, yet its beauty has renewed it,
A splendid robe, renewed by beauty
neither threadbare nor worn through.
No ragged threads or seams
كمhow many a رُقْعةٍnote منfrom عندthe presence of معشُوقَةٍa beloved woman
كم رُقْعةٍ من عند معشُوقَةٍ
فيin الطَيِّthe folding منamong أثْنَائِهاits folds مُدْرَجَهْtucked away
في الطَيِّ من أثْنَائِها مُدْرَجَهْ
How many a note from a beloved
How many a token from a sweetheart
lay tucked away within its folds,
Tucked between its folds
ومسحةٍand a touch منfrom شفةٍa lip عذْبَةٍsweet
ومسحةٍ من شفةٍ عذْبَةٍ
تُبْرِدُcools حرَّthe heat of الكَبِدِthe liver المُنْضَجَهْscorched
تُبْرِدُ حرَّ الكَبِدِ المُنْضَجَهْ
and many a touch from a sweet lip
A kiss from sweet lips that cooled
cooled the heat of the scorched liver,
The burning anguish in my liver
إلىin addition to تحِيّاتٍgreetings لِطَافٍgentle بهاthrough it
إلى تحِيّاتٍ لِطَافٍ بها
تُسْكِنُsoothes مِنِّيwithin me مُهْجةًa heart مُزعَجَهْtroubled
تُسْكِنُ مِنِّي مُهْجةً مُزعَجَهْ
along with gentle greetings it bore,
With loving words that calmed
that calmed the troubled heart within me.
My troubled, restless heart
كانَتْit was لِمَسْحِfor wiping الكاسِthe cup حتىuntil تُرَىit is seen
كانَتْ لِمَسْحِ الكاسِ حتى تُرَى
مِنْهاfrom it لآثَارِfor traces of القَذَىspecks of dirt مُخْرَجَهْremoved
مِنْها لآثَارِ القَذَى مُخْرَجَهْ
It served to wipe the cup until it was seen
Her touch made the wine cup gleam
with traces of specks removed from it.
Tracing patterns in the dregs
وخاتَمِيand my ring يُعْقَدُis tied فيهَاinside it إذاwhenever
وخاتَمِي يُعْقَدُ فيهَا إذا
آثَرَتْshe preferred منfrom كفّيmy hand أنthat أُخْرِجَهْI remove it
آثَرَتْ من كفّي أن أُخْرِجَهْ
And my ring would be tied inside it whenever
My ring binding her pact
she preferred that I take it off my hand.
If I let her take it from my hand
وأتَّقيand I shield myself from الجَامَthe goblet بهاwith it كُلّماwhenever
وأتَّقي الجَامَ بها كُلّما
كلَّلَهُwreathed it المازجُthe mixer أَوْor تَوَّجَهْcrowned it
كلَّلَهُ المازجُ أَوْ تَوَّجَهْ
And I shield myself from the goblet with it whenever
Her veil guarded my cup
the mixer wreathes it or crowns it.
Whenever it was filled or crowned
كانتit was لِمَحْوِfor erasing الكتبthe writings حتىuntil تَرَىyou see
كانت لِمَحْوِ الكتب حتى تَرَى
آثارَهَاtheir traces منthrough حُسْنِهَاits excellence مُنْهَجَهْworn away
آثارَهَا من حُسْنِهَا مُنْهَجَهْ
It served to erase writings until you saw
Her writing erased the books
their traces worn away through its excellence.
Its beauty showed in the pages' tracks
فاسْتَأْثَرَthen claimed for itself الدّهْرُTime بهاit إنّهindeed it
فاسْتَأْثَرَ الدّهْرُ بها إنّه
ذوpossessed of نُوَبٍvicissitudes مُجْلِيَةٍsweeping away مُرْهِجَهْraising dust
ذو نُوَبٍ مُجْلِيَةٍ مُرْهِجَهْ
Then Time claimed it for itself; indeed,
But fate has claimed her, it is prone
it has vicissitudes that sweep things away and raise dust.
To dark, destructive ways
وأَصْبَحَتْand it ended up فيin كُمِّthe sleeve of مختالَةٍa haughty woman
وأَصْبَحَتْ في كُمِّ مختالَةٍ
مُلْجِمَةٍbridling فيin هَجْرِناforsaking us مُسْرَجَهْsaddled
مُلْجِمَةٍ في هَجْرِنا مُسْرَجَهْ
And it ended up in the sleeve of a haughty woman,
Now, she flaunts herself disdainfully
with bridle and saddle for forsaking us.
Spurning me, keeping her distance
Sol 6.1