لَوif بَيَّنتَshe made clear لَكَto you قَبلَbefore يَومِthe day of فِراقِهاher departure
لَو بَيَّنتَ لَكَ قَبلَ يَومِ فِراقِها
أَنَّthat التَفَرُّقَparting مِنfrom عَشِيَّةٍan evening أَوor غَدِthe next day
أَنَّ التَفَرُّقَ مِن عَشِيَّةٍ أَو غَدِ
Had she made it clear to you, before the day of her departure,
Had she made it clear to you before the day of her departure,
that parting would come this very evening or tomorrow,
That parting would begin that evening or the next day,
لَشَكَوتَyou would have lamented إِذwhen عَلِقَbecame attached الفُؤادُthe heart بَهائِمٍto a love-bewildered one
لَشَكَوتَ إِذ عَلِقَ الفُؤادُ بَهائِمٍ
عَلِقٍentangled حَبائِلَthe snares of هائِمٍa love-bewildered one لَمnot يُعهَدِbe known before
عَلِقٍ حَبائِلَ هائِمٍ لَم يُعهَدِ
you would have lamented when the heart, love-bewildered, became ensnared,
You would have lamented when the heart clung to a love-bewildered one,
caught in snares no lover had ever known.
Entangled in the snares of a love-bewildered one never known before.
وَتَبَرَّجَتand she displayed her beauty لَكَto you فَاِستَبَّتكَand so she captivated you بِواضِحٍwith a radiant face
وَتَبَرَّجَت لَكَ فَاِستَبَّتكَ بِواضِحٍ
صَلتٍsmooth and bare وَأَسوَدَand black hair فيin النَصيفِthe head-veil مُعَقَّدِknotted
صَلتٍ وَأَسوَدَ في النَصيفِ مُعَقَّدِ
She displayed her charms to you and took you captive with a bright,
And she displayed her beauty to you, captivating you with a radiant face,
smooth brow and black hair knotted beneath her veil.
Smooth and bare, and black hair knotted beneath her veil.
بَيضاءُfair-skinned خالِصَةُpure in البَياضِwhiteness كَأَنَّهاas though she were
بَيضاءُ خالِصَةُ البَياضِ كَأَنَّها
قَمَرٌa moon تَوَسَّطَstood in the midst of لَيلُa night صَيفٍsummer مُبرِدِcool
قَمَرٌ تَوَسَّطَ لَيلُ صَيفٍ مُبرِدِ
White-complexioned, of unalloyed whiteness, as though she were
Fair, pure in her whiteness, as though she were
a moon poised at the heart of a cool summer night.
A moon in the midst of a cool summer night.
مَوسومَةًmarked بِالحُسنِwith beauty ذاتpossessing حَواسِدenvious women
مَوسومَةً بِالحُسنِ ذات حَواسِد
إِنَّindeed الجَمالَbeauty مظِنَّةٌa likely target لِلحُسَّدِfor the envious
إِنَّ الجَمالَ مظِنَّةٌ لِلحُسَّدِ
Beauty-marked, with women who envy her—
Marked by beauty, with women who envy her;
for beauty is indeed a cause for envy.
Beauty is indeed a likely target for the envious.
لَمnot يُطفِهاdim her سَرَفُthe excess of الشَبابِyouth وَلَمand not تُضِعbe wasted
لَم يُطفِها سَرَفُ الشَبابِ وَلَم تُضِع
فيهاon her مُعاهَدَةُwatchful care النَصيحِthe sincere adviser المُرشِدِthe guiding one
فيها مُعاهَدَةُ النَصيحِ المُرشِدِ
Youth’s excess did not carry her beyond bounds, nor did she neglect
Youth's excess did not dim her, nor was wasted
the covenants laid within her by a sincere, right-guiding counselor.
On her the watchful care of a sincere, guiding adviser.
خَودٌa tender young maiden إِذاwhen كَثُرَgrew plentiful الكَلامُتَعَوَّذَتtalk—she sought refuge
خَودٌ إِذا كَثُرَ الكَلامُتَعَوَّذَت
بِحِمىin the sanctuary of الحَياءِmodesty وَإِنand if تَكَلَّمَshe is addressed تَقصِدِshe is measured
بِحِمى الحَياءِ وَإِن تَكَلَّمَ تَقصِدِ
A tender maiden: when talk grows long, she seeks refuge
A tender maiden who, when talk grows plentiful, seeks refuge
in modesty’s sanctuary; and when she speaks, she is measured.
In modesty's sanctuary; and if addressed, she is measured.
وَكَأَنَّand as though طَعمَthe taste of سَلافَةٍpure first-run wine مَشمولَةٍcooled by the north wind
وَكَأَنَّ طَعمَ سَلافَةٍ مَشمولَةٍ
تَنصَبُّpours forth فيin إِثرِthe wake of السِواكِthe tooth-cleaning stick الأَغيَدِsupple
تَنصَبُّ في إِثرِ السِواكِ الأَغيَدِ
It is as though the taste of choice wine, chilled by the north wind,
And it is as though the taste of pure wine, cooled by the north wind,
were poured forth in the wake of her supple tooth-stick.
Pours forth in the wake of the supple tooth-stick.
وَتَرىand you see مدامهاher wine تُرَقرِقُmakes shimmer مُقلَةًan eye
وَتَرى مدامها تُرَقرِقُ مُقلَةً
حَوراءَwith vivid black and white تَرغَبُturns away عَنfrom سَوادِthe blackness of الإِثمَدِantimony kohl
حَوراءَ تَرغَبُ عَن سَوادِ الإِثمَدِ
You see her wine shimmering in the twin eyes
And you see her wine make an eye shimmer,
of a wide-eyed beauty, their dark-and-white contrast needing none of antimony’s black.
With vivid black and white, disdaining antimony kohl's blackness.
ماذاhow much إِذاwhen بَرَزَتshe emerged غداةon the morning of رَحيلَهاher departure
ماذا إِذا بَرَزَت غداة رَحيلَها
مِof الحُسنِbeauty تَحتَbeneath رِقاقِthe thin fabric of تَلكَthose الأَبرُدِmantles
مِ الحُسنِ تَحتَ رِقاقِ تَلكَ الأَبرُدِ
What beauty, when she comes forth on the morning of her departure—
How much, when she emerged on the morning of her departure,
beneath the delicate folds of those striped mantles!
Of beauty there was beneath the thin fabric of those mantles!
وُلِدَتshe was born بَأَسعَدِunder the luckiest أَنجُمٍstars فَمَحَلُّهاso her resting-place
وُلِدَت بَأَسعَدِ أَنجُمٍ فَمَحَلُّها
وَمَسيرُهاand her travels أَبَداًforever بِطَلقِunder the smiling favor of الأَسعُدِthe fortunate stars
وَمَسيرُها أَبَداً بِطَلقِ الأَسعُدِ
Born beneath the most auspicious stars—so her resting place
She was born under the luckiest stars; so her resting-place
and all her journeying lie ever beneath happiest fortune’s smiling face.
And her travels are forever under smiling, fortunate stars.
اللَهُGod يَصحَبُهاmay accompany her وَيَسقيand may water دارَهاher home
اللَهُ يَصحَبُها وَيَسقي دارَها
خَضِلُrain-laden الرَبابِclouds سَرىtraveled by night وَلَمّاand not yet يَرعُدِthunder
خَضِلُ الرَبابِ سَرى وَلَمّا يَرعُدِ
May God accompany her, and water her dwelling with
May God accompany her, and may her home be watered
a rain-laden cloudbank that traveled by night and has not yet thundered.
By rain-laden clouds that have traveled by night and not yet thundered.
Sol 6.1