عَاجَتْshe turned aside أَصِيلاًin late afternoon بِالرِّيَاضِinto the gardens تَطُوفُهَاroaming them
عَاجَتْ أَصِيلاً بِالرِّيَاضِ تَطُوفُهَا
كَمَلِيكَةٍlike a queen طَافَتْtoured مَعاهِدَthe precincts حُكْمِهَاof her rule
كَمَلِيكَةٍ طَافَتْ مَعاهِدَ حُكْمِهَا
She turned into the gardens in late afternoon, roaming them,
She strolled gracefully in the meadows,
Like a queen touring the precincts of her dominion.
Like a queen who toured the strongholds of her realm.
حَسْنَاءُa beautiful woman أَمَّرَهَاmade her sovereign الجَمَالُbeauty فَأَنْشَأَتْso began
حَسْنَاءُ أَمَّرَهَا الجَمَالُ فَأَنْشَأَتْ
فِيin أَيْكِهَاher grove الأَطْيَارُthe birds تَخْطبُdeclaiming بِاسْمِهَاin her name
فِي أَيْكِهَا الأَطْيَارُ تَخْطبُ بِاسْمِهَا
A beauty whom Beauty made sovereign; then began
A beauty, made more lovely by charm,
The birds in her grove to declaim in her name.
So the birds in her glades sing her name.
وَالحُسْنُand beauty أَكْمَلُmost complete مَاwhen يَكُونُit is شَبِيبَةٌyouthfulness
وَالحُسْنُ أَكْمَلُ مَا يَكُونُ شَبِيبَةٌ
فِيin بَدْئِهَاits beginning وَمَلاحَةٌand loveliness فِيin تِمِّهَاits fullness
فِي بَدْئِهَا وَمَلاحَةٌ فِي تِمِّهَا
And beauty at its most complete is youthfulness
Beauty is most perfect in a maiden
In its beginning, and loveliness in its fullness.
In the flower of youth, and the fullness of her prime.
سَتَرَتْshe covered بِأَخْضَرَwith green fabric سُنْدُسِيof fine silk جِيدَهَاher neck
سَتَرَتْ بِأَخْضَرَ سُنْدُسِي جِيدَهَا
فَحَكَيso resembled المُحَيَّاthe face وَردةًa rose فِيin كِمِّهَاits calyx
فَحَكَي المُحَيَّا وَردةً فِي كِمِّهَا
She veiled her neck in fine green silk,
She was veiled in green silken robes,
So her face resembled a rose within its calyx.
Revealing, in their folds, a rose on her bosom.
وَتَمَايَلَتْand she swayed فِيin ثَوْبِa robe خَزٍّsilk-and-wool fabric مُورِقٍleafy
وَتَمَايَلَتْ فِي ثَوْبِ خَزٍّ مُورِقٍ
غُصْناًlike a branch وَهَلِand is there لِلْغُصْنِfor a branch نَضْرَةthe freshness جِسْمِهَاof her body
غُصْناً وَهَلِ لِلْغُصْنِ نَضْرَة جِسْمِهَا
And she swayed in a leafy robe of silk and wool,
She swayed in a gown of shimmering silk,
Like a branch—yet has a branch her body's freshness?
A branch whose body’s freshness cannot match its own.
فَإِذَاand whenever جَاوَرتْshe passed near فِيin سَيْرِهَاher walk مِنْany زَهْرَةٍflower
فَإِذَا جَاوَرتْ فِي سَيْرِهَا مِنْ زَهْرَةٍ
هَمَّتْit longed بِأَخْذِto take hold of ذُيُولِهَاher trailing hems وَبِلَثْمِهَاand to kiss her
هَمَّتْ بِأَخْذِ ذُيُولِهَا وَبِلَثْمِهَا
And whenever she passed a flower on her way,
When she passed by a flower as she walked,
It longed to grasp her trailing hems and kiss her.
She would take its skirt and kiss it.
أَوْor جَاوَرَتْshe passed near فَرْعاًa bough رَطِيباًtender لَيِّناًsupple
أَوْ جَاوَرَتْ فَرْعاً رَطِيباً لَيِّناً
أَلوَىit bent بِمِعْطَفِهِits flank وَمَالَand leaned لِضَمِّهَاto embrace her
أَلوَى بِمِعْطَفِهِ وَمَالَ لِضَمِّهَا
Or if she passed a tender, supple bough,
Or she would pass a soft, sweet branch,
It bent its flank and leaned to embrace her.
Which bent its garment to embrace her.
وَتَحُفُّand cluster أَبْصَارٌgazes بِهَاaround her فَيَخِزْنَهاthen they prick her
وَتَحُفُّ أَبْصَارٌ بِهَا فَيَخِزْنَها
بِحَيَائِهَاin her shyness وَيَشُكْنِهَاand pierce her فِيin وَهمِهَاher imagination
بِحَيَائِهَا وَيَشُكْنِهَا فِي وَهمِهَا
And gazes cluster around her, pricking her
Eyes feast on her, then hide her away
In her shyness, and piercing her in her imagination,
In thoughts, too shy to openly profess their desire,
كَالنَّحْلِlike bees طُفْنَthey circled بِزَهْرَةٍaround a flower فَلَسَعْنَهَاthen they stung it
كَالنَّحْلِ طُفْنَ بِزَهْرَةٍ فَلَسَعْنَهَا
وَرَشَفْنَand they sipped مِنْهَاfrom it مَاwhat رَشَفْنَthey sipped بِرغْمِهاagainst its will
وَرَشَفْنَ مِنْهَا مَا رَشَفْنَ بِرغْمِها
Like bees that circled a flower and stung it,
Like bees that swarmed around a blossom, then stung it,
And sipped from it what they sipped, against its will.
Sipping from it what they sipped against its will.
حَتَّىuntil إِذَاwhen حَلَّىadorned العَيَاءُweariness جَبِينُهَاher forehead
حَتَّى إِذَا حَلَّى العَيَاءُ جَبِينُهَا
بِنَدًىwith dew وَأَخْمَدَand quenched جَمْرَةًan ember مِنْof عَزْمِهَاher resolve
بِنَدًى وَأَخْمَدَ جَمْرَةً مِنْ عَزْمِهَا
Until, when weariness adorned her forehead
Until modesty cooled her heated brow
With dew and quenched an ember of her resolve,
With dew, quenching the fires of her resolve,
جَلَسَتْshe sat تُقَابِلُfacing أُمَّهَاher mother وَكَأَنَّمَاand as though
جَلَسَتْ تُقَابِلُ أُمَّهَا وَكَأَنَّمَا
كِلْتَاهُمَاboth of them جَلَسَتْsat قُبَالَةَopposite رسْمِهَاher likeness
كِلْتَاهُمَا جَلَسَتْ قُبَالَةَ رسْمِهَا
She sat facing her mother, as though
She sat facing her mother, as though
Each of them sat opposite her own likeness.
The two images were of one portrait.
لَكِنَّbut عَاصِفَةًa storm أَغَارَتْswooped down فَجْأَةًsuddenly
لَكِنَّ عَاصِفَةً أَغَارَتْ فَجْأَةً
بِالهُوجِwith wild gusts مِنْfrom لَدَدِthe fierce strife الرِّيَاحِof the winds وَقُتْمهَاand their dark dust
بِالهُوجِ مِنْ لَدَدِ الرِّيَاحِ وَقُتْمهَا
But a storm swooped down suddenly,
When suddenly a tempest roared by,
With wild gusts from the winds' fierce strife and their dark dust.
In raging winds and murky clouds,
فَاهْتَزَّتِthen shook الغَبْرَاءُthe dusty earth حَتَّىuntil صَافَحَتْclasped hands with
فَاهْتَزَّتِ الغَبْرَاءُ حَتَّى صَافَحَتْ
عَذَبَاتِthe branch-tips سَرْحَتِهَاof its spreading tree مَنَابِتُthe growing places نَجْمِهَاof its low-growing plants
عَذَبَاتِ سَرْحَتِهَا مَنَابِتُ نَجْمِهَا
Then the dusty earth shook, until a handshake joined
And the dusty haze shook, till it reached
The tips of its spreading tree and the beds of its low-growing plants.
The soft meadows, the stars’ rising place.
وَتَنَاثَرَتْand scattered ضُفُرُthe braids الفَتَاةِof the girl غَمَائِماًlike clouds
وَتَنَاثَرَتْ ضُفُرُ الفَتَاةِ غَمَائِماً
سَتَرَتْhid عَنِfrom الأَبْصَارِthe eyes طَلْعَةَthe appearance نَجْمِهَاof her star
سَتَرَتْ عَنِ الأَبْصَارِ طَلْعَةَ نَجْمِهَا
And the girl's braids scattered like clouds,
The tresses of the maiden scattered, clouds
Hiding her star's face from every eye.
That veiled the rising of her star from sight.
فَتَحَيَّرَتْso she was bewildered فِيمَاabout what تُحَاوِلُshe was trying وَهْيَwhile she قَدْalready
فَتَحَيَّرَتْ فِيمَا تُحَاوِلُ وَهْيَ قَدْ
أَعْيَتْshe was incapable بِلاwithout مِرْآتِهَاher mirror عَنْof نَظْمِهَاarranging them
أَعْيَتْ بِلا مِرْآتِهَا عَنْ نَظْمِهَا
So she was at a loss what to try, having already
Perplexed she struggled, without her mirror,
Found herself unable, without her mirror, to arrange them.
To restore the braids the winds undid.
فَدَنَتْso she drew near تُحَاذِيfacing أُمِّهَاher mother وَتَنَاظَرَتْand gazed
فَدَنَتْ تُحَاذِي أُمِّهَا وَتَنَاظَرَتْ
بِعُيُونِهَاinto her eyes وَجَلَتْand dispelled سَحَابَةَthe cloud هَمِّهَاof her worry
بِعُيُونِهَا وَجَلَتْ سَحَابَةَ هَمِّهَا
So she drew near to face her mother and gazed
She drew near her mother, and peered
Into her eyes, dispelling the cloud of her worry.
Into her eyes, dispelling the clouds of worry.
وَكَذَاand thus الفَتَاةُthe girl إِذَاwhen ابْتَغَتْshe sought مِرْآتَهَاher mirror
وَكَذَا الفَتَاةُ إِذَا ابْتَغَتْ مِرْآتَهَا
فَتَعَذَّرَتْand it proved unavailable نَظَرَتْshe looked بِعَيْنَيْinto the two eyes of أُمِّهَاher mother
فَتَعَذَّرَتْ نَظَرَتْ بِعَيْنَيْ أُمِّهَا
And so, when a girl seeks her mirror
For when a girl cannot find her mirror,
And it is unavailable, she looks into her mother's eyes.
She looks into her mother’s eyes instead.
Sol 6.1