بالخَيْفِat al-Khayf مُخطَفَةُslender الحشاthe waist
بالخَيْفِ مُخطَفَةُ الحشا
تهوَىlong for الغصونُthe boughs لهاfor themselves القدوداbodily forms
تهوَى الغصونُ لها القدودا
At al-Khayf is a slender-waisted woman;
The doe stole by under the palm trees
the boughs long for a figure like hers.
The branches incline towards her neck
أخذَtook الغزالُthe gazelle نِفارَهاher skittishness
أخذَ الغزالُ نِفارَها
وأعارهاand lent her عَيناًan eye وجِيداand a neck
وأعارها عَيناً وجِيدا
The gazelle took her skittishness
The gazelle took alarm at her
and lent her an eye and a neck.
And lent her his eyes and neck
أَلِفتْshe grew accustomed to مِطالdelaying fulfillment of عِداتهاher promises
أَلِفتْ مِطال عِداتها
ياoh ليتهاif only she تعِدُwould promise الصدوداturning away
يا ليتها تعِدُ الصدودا
She has grown used to delaying her promises;
She grew used to the length of his absence
oh, if only she would promise to turn away!
Would that she reckon the days again
نثرتْscattered مدامِعيَmy tear ducts الفريpearls (word begins here)
نثرتْ مدامِعيَ الفري
دَcompletion of 'pearls' لنظمِfor the string of مَضحَكِهاher smiling mouth الفريداpeerless
دَ لنظمِ مَضحَكِها الفريدا
My weeping eyes scattered pearls
She shed my copious tears
for the pearl-string of her peerless smile.
For the sake of her peerless comic verse
قدalready كانhad رثَّgrown threadbare هوايmy love فابthen (begins 'she smiled')
قد كان رثَّ هواي فاب
تسمتْshe smiled (word completion) فردّتْهand restored it جديداnew
تسمتْ فردّتْه جديدا
My love had grown threadbare; then she
My passion had become threadbare and worn
smiled and made it new again.
She breathed new life into it anew
Sol 6.1