لِلَّهto God! (admiration) ياO درَّpearls المباسمof smiling mouths
لِلَّه يا درَّ المباسم
ماnot انتَyou منfrom تنسيقthe arrangement of ناظمa pearl-stringer
ما انتَ من تنسيق ناظم
God be praised, O pearls of smiling mouths!
O Lord, O pearl of smiles
You are no pearl-stringer's arrangement.
You are not made by an arranger's composition
انتyou الثريّاthe Pleiades انماonly
انت الثريّا انما
بدتappeared الثريّاthe Pleiades ضمنwithin خاتمa ring
بدت الثريّا ضمن خاتم
You are the Pleiades—only
You are natural pearl
the Pleiades have appeared within a ring.
The pearl appeared embedded in a ring
هيَthese are مُعجِزاتُكyour miracles ياO نبيَّprophet of
هيَ مُعجِزاتُك يا نبيَّ
الحسنbeauty ما(part of 'among') بينamong العوالمthe worlds
الحسن ما بين العوالم
These are your miracles, O prophet
These are your miracles, O Prophet
of beauty among the worlds.
Beauty between the worlds
لِلَّهto God! (admiration) منof فعلthe working of الجمالbeauty
لِلَّه من فعل الجمال
بكلupon every مُضنىweary القلبof heart هائِمlove-bewildered
بكل مُضنى القلب هائِم
God be praised for what beauty does
From God is the creation of beauty
to every heartsick, bewildered lover!
With all the fervor of an ardent heart
كَمhow many أُشرِعتwere leveled منهُfrom it الرماthe spears (first part)
كَم أُشرِعت منهُ الرما
ح(completes 'spears') وجرَّدتand were unsheathed منهُfrom it الصوارمthe keen swords
ح وجرَّدت منهُ الصوارم
How many spears have been leveled by it,
How much did it unleash spears
and keen swords unsheathed by it!
And unsheathe swords
فيin معركthe battlefield of العشّاقthe lovers لاdo not
في معرك العشّاق لا
تدخلenter فانَّكfor you are غيرnot سالمunharmed
تدخل فانَّك غير سالم
Into the lovers' battlefield, do not
In the battle of lovers, do not
enter, for you will not come away unscathed.
Intervene, for you are not safe
فيin كلevery حربٍwar تَلتَقيyou meet
في كل حربٍ تَلتَقي
الّاexcept بهذيin this الحربwar راحمa merciful person
الّا بهذي الحرب راحم
In every war you meet
In every war you encounter
a merciful soul—except in this war.
Except this war, be merciful
لكنbut يَهونbecomes easier بهاthrough it عليناfor us
لكن يَهون بها علينا
ماwhat نَراهُwe see it منof العظائمgreat ordeals
ما نَراهُ من العظائم
Yet through it, we bear more lightly
But for us it is easy in it
the great ordeals we witness.
What we see of the greatest
هذيthese قضاياthe decrees of الحبّlove أَنthat
هذي قضايا الحبّ أَن
لاno صعبَdifficult thing فيهِin it سوىexcept اللوائمreproaches
لا صعبَ فيهِ سوى اللوائم
These are love's decrees: that
These are the issues of love
nothing in it is hard except reproaches.
Nothing is difficult in it except blamers
اهلthe people of الملامةreproach كالفَراlike moths (first part)
اهل الملامة كالفَرا
ش(completes 'moths') علىover لهيبthe blaze of الحبّlove حائِمhovering
ش على لهيب الحبّ حائِم
Those who reproach are like moths,
The faultfinders are like moths
hovering over the blaze of love.
To the flames of love, bent
هُوَit جنَّةٌa paradise حُفَّتsurrounded بهمby them
هُوَ جنَّةٌ حُفَّت بهم
لَمdid not يَنجُescape منهمfrom them غيرُexcept كاتمone who conceals
لَم يَنجُ منهم غيرُ كاتم
It is a paradise surrounded by them;
They are a Paradise surrounded
none has escaped them but one who conceals his love.
None escaped but the silent one
ماwhat ليto me وماand what لهمُto them فهمfor they are
ما لي وما لهمُ فهم
عُميٌblind وَبيand I have صممٌdeafness مُلازمabiding
عُميٌ وَبي صممٌ مُلازم
What have I to do with them? For they
What is mine and what is theirs, they
are blind, and deafness never leaves me.
Are blind, deaf, steadfastly dumb
اهوىI love الجمالbeauty فَماso what عَسىmight
اهوى الجمال فَما عَسى
عنيabout me يَقولsay أُلوthe possessors of النمائمmalicious gossip
عني يَقول أُلو النمائم
I love beauty; what, then, could
I love beauty, so what can
the gossipmongers say about me?
My blamers say about me
منfrom أَعينٍeyes فتّانَةٍbewitching
من أَعينٍ فتّانَةٍ
لمdid not تحمِناprotect us منهاfrom them التمائمthe amulets
لم تحمِنا منها التمائم
From bewitching eyes,
Of tempting eyes
no amulets have protected us.
No amulets protected us from them
نادَتthey called out علىto منwhoever شامهاbeheld them
نادَت على من شامها
ماno منagainst قضاءِthe decree of اللَهGod عاصمprotector
ما من قضاءِ اللَه عاصم
They cried out to whoever beheld them:
They called upon those they intoxicated
There is no protector against God's decree.
None escapes God's decree
هنَّthey النواعسُthe drowsy ones واليواand the wakeful ones (first part)
هنَّ النواعسُ واليوا
قظُ(completes 'wakeful ones') وَالسواهرُand the sleepless ones والنوائمand the sleeping ones
قظُ وَالسواهرُ والنوائم
They are the drowsy and the wakeful,
They are the arousal and the vigilance
and the sleepless and the sleeping.
And the drowsiness and the sleeplessness
وَالساحراتُand the enchantresses الساخراthe mocking ones (first part)
وَالساحراتُ الساخرا
تُ(completes 'mocking ones') بكلat everyone مَنwho بالسحرin magic عالمis learned
تُ بكل مَن بالسحر عالم
And the enchantresses who mock
The mocking enchantresses
everyone versed in magic.
With all who are knowledgeable of magic
والناظِراتُand the gazing ones الناظراthe gazing ones (first part)
والناظِراتُ الناظرا
تُ(completes 'gazing ones') الفاتِناتُthe bewitching ones لكلfor every شائمbeholder
تُ الفاتِناتُ لكل شائم
And those that look, those that gaze,
The looking coquettes
bewitching every beholder.
The tempting, for every critic
والهازلاتُand the jesting ones الماجناthe wanton ones (first part)
والهازلاتُ الماجنا
تٌ(completes 'wanton ones') وجِدُّهاand their earnestness بالهزلon jest قائِمrests
تٌ وجِدُّها بالهزل قائِم
And the jesting, wanton ones,
The flirting jesters
whose earnestness rests on jest.
Their jesting is active
يُطمِعنَthey arouse hope in بالهزلthrough jest القلوthe hearts (first part)
يُطمِعنَ بالهزل القلو
بَ(completes 'hearts') كذاكthus يفعلacts كُلُّevery حازمprudent person
بَ كذاك يفعل كُلُّ حازم
They raise hearts' hopes through jest;
They tempt hearts with jesting
thus acts every prudent person.
Thus every wise one acts
قدindeed قمنَthey stood فيin وجهٍa face كحُرّاسٍlike guards
قد قمنَ في وجهٍ كحُرّاسٍ
عَلىover وردthe roses of الكمائمthe flower buds
عَلى ورد الكمائم
They have taken their stand in a face, like guards
They stood guard over the rose buds
over the roses in their buds.
Like guards over spears
وردٌa rose حواهُheld it الخدُّthe cheek لمwas not
وردٌ حواهُ الخدُّ لم
يُغرَسplanted ولَمand was not يُسقَwatered الغمائِمthe clouds
يُغرَس ولَم يُسقَ الغمائِم
A rose the cheek holds, never
A rose its cheek contained
planted, nor watered by clouds.
Neither planted nor watered by clouds
لَمwas not يختصِصconfined to نَيسانَApril بلrather
لَم يختصِص نَيسانَ بل
هوَit فيthroughout جميعall of العامthe year دائمlasting
هوَ في جميع العام دائم
It is not confined to April; rather,
Nisan did not reserve it
it endures throughout the year.
But it lasts the whole year
منfrom فوقabove قدٍّa figure مِثلِlike غصنa bough
من فوق قدٍّ مِثلِ غصن
ليّنsupple الاعطافof limb ناعمtender
ليّن الاعطاف ناعم
Atop a figure like a bough,
Above a delicate, supple branch
supple-limbed and tender.
If doves saw it
فَلوso if الحَمائمthe doves ابصرتهُbeheld it
فَلو الحَمائم ابصرتهُ
عليهِupon it غرَّدتwould warble الحمائِمthe doves
عليهِ غرَّدت الحمائِم
So, if the doves beheld it,
They would chirp over it
upon it the doves would warble.
Partial English translation: 49 of 50 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1