أسترشِدُI seek guidance from البانُthe bān tree وهوand it is غضبانُangry
أسترشِدُ البانُ وهو غضبانُ
وأسألand I ask البدرthe full moon وهوand it is غيرانُjealous
وأسأل البدر وهو غيرانُ
I seek guidance from the bān tree, though it is angry,
I seek guidance from the full moon though it be wroth
and question the full moon, though it is jealous.
And question the bright moon though it wander
خصمانِtwo adversaries ليof mine فيكِover you ياO لَغانيةٍwhat a beauty!
خصمانِ لي فيكِ يا لَغانيةٍ
غِيظَwere enraged بدورٌfull moons بهاby her وأغصانُand boughs
غِيظَ بدورٌ بها وأغصانُ
Two foes of mine over you—O beauty
Two foes of mine in you, O my poetry!
by whom full moons and boughs have been enraged!
Anger with moons for it and branches.
فمنso who رسولٌa messenger إليكِto you يُذكِرِكreminds you الthe
فمن رسولٌ إليكِ يُذكِرِك ال
أَيْمانoaths بلrather أينwhere منكِfrom you أَيْمانُoaths
أَيْمان بل أين منكِ أَيْمانُ
Who, then, will be a messenger to you, reminding you of the
So who's the messenger to you that reminds you
oaths? Rather, where are your oaths?
By oaths? Nay, where are oaths from you?
أيامَin the days of حَجْرٍseclusion عليكِupon you فيin الوجهthe face والand the
أيامَ حَجْرٍ عليكِ في الوجه وال
لِمَّةlocks ليfor me رائعsplendor ورَيْعانُand youthful bloom
لِمَّة لي رائع ورَيْعانُ
In the days when you were kept secluded, my face and
Days of veils upon you, in face and not
locks had splendor and youthful bloom.
A nation for me, majestic and graceful.
ذَنْبِيَmy sin فيin ذمّةthe charge of الصِّباyouth وإساand wrong-
ذَنْبِيَ في ذمّة الصِّبا وإسا
ءتي-doing of mine بحكمby the judgment of الشبابyouth إحسانُa good deed
ءتي بحكم الشباب إحسانُ
My sin is charged to youth, and my
My sin is in custody of morning and bad
wrongdoing, by youth's judgment, is a good deed.
Deeds by decree of youth a benefaction.
إنif خَدَعتنيdeceived me حسناءa beauty أوصادنيor hunted me
إن خَدَعتني حسناء أوصادني
بعدafter ظباءِgazelles of الصَّريمthe sandy tract غِزلانُgazelles
بعد ظباءِ الصَّريم غِزلانُ
If a beauty deceives me, or I am hunted
If a beauty deceived me or one who spurned me
by gazelles after the gazelles of the sandy tract,
After parting, the young gazelles frolic.
فقُلْتُthen I said دهريmy age عدْلjust القصيّةthe distant one (probably a misprint for 'judgment') أَوْor
فقُلْتُ دهري عدْل القصيّة أَوْ
غيرother than ابنson of أيوبَAyyub فيهِin it إنسَانُa human being
غير ابن أيوبَ فيهِ إنسَانُ
then I have called my age just in judgment, or said
So I said: my fate is justice of the arrow
that anyone but Ibn Ayyub in it is human.
Or other than the son of Ayyub among men.
فِدىًa ransom for أخيmy brother منهin it حيثwhere لبسput on (probably a misprint for 'is not') أخوa brother of
فِدىً أخي منه حيث لبس أخو
صفوٍsincere affection وخلّىand he left (probably 'and my close friend') وليسand there are no إخْوَانُbrothers
صفوٍ وخلّى وليس إخْوَانُ
May I be a ransom for my brother in this age, where no brother
As ransom my brother from it where he wore the garb of
is true in affection; and for my close friend, where there are no brothers.
Purity and parted and there are no comrades.
مبتسمsmiling الوجهthe face وهوand he is متَّهَمsuspected
مبتسم الوجه وهو متَّهَم
وعاطشُand thirsty for الودِّaffection وهوand he is ريّانُfully quenched
وعاطشُ الودِّ وهو ريّانُ
Smiling-faced, though held suspect,
Smiling face while accused
and thirsty for affection, though fully quenched.
And thirsty for love while sated.
رُؤياهthe sight of him لونٌone hue ورأيهand his counsel ليfor me إذاwhen اسstart of 'I sought his intercession'
رُؤياه لونٌ ورأيه لي إذا اس
تشفعتُهcompletion of 'I sought his intercession' فيin الخطوبcalamities ألوانُmany hues
تشفعتُه في الخطوب ألوانُ
The sight of him is one hue, and his counsel to me, when I seek
His dream is color and his view for me when
his intercession in troubles, is of many hues.
I intercede for him in calamities is colors.
دعُوهleave him ليfor me وحدَهalone فإنthen if قلتُI say ثنdouble (word continues)
دعُوه لي وحدَه فإن قلتُ ثن
نوهُhim (completes 'double him') فقلبيthen my heart الوفيُّfaithful خوّانُtreacherous
نوهُ فقلبي الوفيُّ خوّانُ
Leave him to me alone; if I say, 'Make him
Call him for me alone for if you call him two
two,' then my faithful heart is treacherous.
My faithful heart is brethren.
الكَرمُgenerosity العفوُfreely given والحِفاظُand loyalty معيtoward me
الكَرمُ العفوُ والحِفاظُ معي
أصلانِtwo foundations منهfrom him والمالُand wealth رُجحانُan added advantage
أصلانِ منه والمالُ رُجحانُ
Freely given generosity and loyalty toward me
Bounty, pardon, and preservation are
are two foundations in him; wealth is an added merit.
Two roots therefrom and wealth precedence.
والمنبِتُand the origin الطيّبnoble الأرومةِthe ancestral root فيamong
والمنبِتُ الطيّب الأرومةِ في
دَوْحٍgreat trees لهاbelonging to them المكرماتُnoble deeds أفنانُbranches
دَوْحٍ لها المكرماتُ أفنانُ
And his origin, of noble stock, is among
And goodly aromatic plants in the
great trees whose branches are noble deeds.
Valleys for which noblewomen are branches.
مِنamong راكبيriders of كاهلِthe withers of الفخارِglory فهمso they
مِن راكبي كاهلِ الفخارِ فهم
والناسُwhile people رَجلَىon foot الأنسابِlineages فُرسانُhorsemen
والناسُ رَجلَى الأنسابِ فُرسانُ
Among those who ride glory's withers, they
From riders of the shoulder of eminence, they
are horsemen in lineage, while others go on foot.
While people are the horsemen of lineages, horsemen.
كأنّas though أعراضَهمtheir honor إذاwhen خَبُثَتgrew foul
كأنّ أعراضَهم إذا خَبُثَت
لؤماthrough baseness رياحُthe winds of الأعراضِhonor رَيْحانُsweet basil
لؤما رياحُ الأعراضِ رَيْحانُ
Their honor, when the winds of honor grow foul
It is as if their honor, when soiled
with baseness, seems like sweet basil.
Vilely, the winds of honor are sweet basil.
مورِّثونbequeathers of العلاءhigh honor مثلكone like you تبyou build (word continues)
مورِّثون العلاء مثلك تب
نيهit (completes 'you build it') وحفظُand preserving الأحسابِancestral honor بُنيانُbuilding
نيه وحفظُ الأحسابِ بُنيانُ
They bequeath high honor to one like you; you build
Bequeathing nobleness the likes of you structure
it, and preserving ancestral honor is building.
And protecting pedigrees buildings.
ياO منyou who صحاsobered up الدهرُTime حينwhen أعَلقنيentangled me
يا من صحا الدهرُ حين أعَلقني
منهwith it اختصاماin a quarrel والدهرُwhile Time سكرانُwas drunk
منه اختصاما والدهرُ سكرانُ
O you through whom Time sobered, when it had entangled me
O you the age sobered when it garlanded me
in a quarrel with itself, while Time was drunk,
From it contention while the age drunken.
اسمعlisten لِبكرٍto a virgin poem كأنّas though سامعَهاits listener الthe
اسمع لِبكرٍ كأنّ سامعَها ال
وقورَdignified مماfrom how يخفُّhe grows light نشوانُintoxicated
وقورَ مما يخفُّ نشوانُ
hear a virgin poem: its listener, however
Listen to Bakr as if listening to her
dignified, seems drunk, so light does he grow.
Dignity from what caprice diminishes.
تودُّwish فيهاfor its sake العيونُthe eyes سيدةُmistress of الthe
تودُّ فيها العيونُ سيدةُ ال
أعضاءِbodily organs لوif only أنهنّthat they آذانُears
أعضاءِ لو أنهنّ آذانُ
The eyes, mistress of the
Eyes crave in it mistress of
body's organs, wish, for its sake, that they were ears.
Limbs if they were ears.
تأتيكcomes to you كُثْراًin abundance أُولَىforemost كتابيَّةٍa woman of the Book (sense uncertain here)
تأتيك كُثْراً أُولَى كتابيَّةٍ
فيin الحسنbeauty والمنجباتُand mothers of noble offspring أقرانُpeers
في الحسن والمنجباتُ أقرانُ
It comes to you in abundance, foremost among women of the Book
She comes to you frequently, more worthy epistle
in beauty; mothers of noble offspring are peers.
In beauty and the shapely are peers.
علىupon رؤوسheads of الأعيادِthe festivals حِليَتُهاits adornment
على رؤوس الأعيادِ حِليَتُها
وهْيand they ملوكkings of الأيامdays تيجانُcrowns
وهْي ملوك الأيام تيجانُ
Upon the heads of festivals, its ornaments
On heads of holidays her adornment
are crowns—and festivals are the kings of days.
As she is queen of days diadems.
ماnot فاتهاpassed it by النحرُthe Day of Sacrifice بالزيارَةwith a visit فالso the
ما فاتها النحرُ بالزيارَة فال
غديرُGhadir festival وقتٌa time لهاfor it وإبّانُand a season
غديرُ وقتٌ لها وإبّانُ
It did not miss visiting on the Day of Sacrifice; so the
Not absent at the sacrifice with visit for
Ghadir festival is its time and season.
Ghadir time for her and season.
فاحظَso take delight بهاin it واكسُهُand clothe it الجمالَbeauty بهاwith it
فاحظَ بها واكسُهُ الجمالَ بها
فكُلُّfor every يومٍday فاتتهthe poem passed it by عُريانُnaked
فكُلُّ يومٍ فاتته عُريانُ
So delight in it, and clothe the day in beauty with it,
So possess her and clothe her beauty with it
for every day it passes by is naked.
For each day that passed her was bare.
يُنقِّصُdiminishes الدهرُTime كلَّevery زائدةٍincrease
يُنقِّصُ الدهرُ كلَّ زائدةٍ
وأنتbut you لاnot يعتريكbefalls you نقصانُdiminution
وأنت لا يعتريك نقصانُ
Time diminishes every increase,
Time diminishes every excess
but no diminution befalls you.
While you no diminishment visits.
Sol 6.1