ياO! للغرامِfor love! وياand O! لعزِّfor the might! بنانِهِits fingertips
يا للغرامِ ويا لعزِّ بنانِهِ
لمَwhy لاnot يذلُّhumble himself فتىa youth الهوىlove لفتاتهِbefore his maiden
لمَ لا يذلُّ فتى الهوى لفتاتهِ
Ah, love—and the might of its fingertips!
Oh love and the glory of its tenderness!
Why should a youth in love not humble himself before his maiden?
Why does not the lover bow to his darling?
خُلقتْwas created ذكاءُDhukāʾ (the sun) منيرةًradiant والبدرُand the full moon لوif
خُلقتْ ذكاءُ منيرةً والبدرُ لو
لاهاnot for her لظلَّit would remain الدهرَforever فيin ظلماتهِits darkness
لاها لظلَّ الدهرَ في ظلماتهِ
Dhukāʾ, the sun, was created radiant; and the full moon, were
The mind of Radiant was made brilliant and the moon would
it not for her, would remain forever in its darkness.
Have left the ages in darkness but for her light.
وبنوand the children of الغرامِlove اثنانِtwo تلكَthat woman حياتُهاher life
وبنو الغرامِ اثنانِ تلكَ حياتُها
ثمرٌfruit تعلقَclung فيin الهوىlove بحياتهِto his life
ثمرٌ تعلقَ في الهوى بحياتهِ
And love's children are two; that woman's life
The children of love are two, her life is that
is fruit that has clung, in love, to his life,
Fruit hanging in passion on the bough of life.
كالزهرِlike blossoms فيon أغصانهِtheir branches والنجمِand the star فيin
كالزهرِ في أغصانهِ والنجمِ في
آفاقهِits horizons والدرُّand pearls فيin صدفاتهِtheir shells
آفاقهِ والدرُّ في صدفاتهِ
like blossoms on their branches, and the star in
Like flowers on branches, stars in the sky
its horizons, and pearls within their shells.
And pearls inside their shells.
إنindeed القلوبَhearts كأهلهاlike their owners ذكرٌmale وأنand female (first part)
إن القلوبَ كأهلها ذكرٌ وأن
ثىcompletion of 'female' كلُّeach قلبٍheart فيهِwithin it منsome of شهواتهِits desires
ثى كلُّ قلبٍ فيهِ من شهواتهِ
Indeed, hearts, like their owners, are male and
Hearts are like their home; male and female
female; each heart holds some of its desires.
Each heart has its own passions and desires.
وإذاand when تزاوجتِmate القلوبُhearts رأيتهاyou see them
وإذا تزاوجتِ القلوبُ رأيتها
مثلَlike الأنامِhumankind تئنُّgroan منfrom حسراتهِits sorrows
مثلَ الأنامِ تئنُّ من حسراتهِ
And when hearts mate, you see them
When hearts are joined you see them
like people, groaning under their sorrows.
Suffer like people from their sorrow.
والقلبُand the heart يحملُconceives فيin النساءِwomen وإنماand only
والقلبُ يحملُ في النساءِ وإنما
ولدُthe child of الفؤادِthe heart يكونُis بعضَsome of صفاتهِits traits
ولدُ الفؤادِ يكونُ بعضَ صفاتهِ
And in women the heart conceives; indeed,
The heart bears for women and only
the heart's child is but some of its traits.
A child of passion resembles some of its traits.
ولذاand therefore تفاوتتِdiffered الحسانُbeautiful women فهذهِso this one
ولذا تفاوتتِ الحسانُ فهذهِ
أختُthe sister of الوفاfidelity والغدرُand treachery شيمةthe nature of هاتهِthis other woman
أختُ الوفا والغدرُ شيمة هاتهِ
Thus beautiful women differ: this one
So charm varies – this one’s sisterly faith
is fidelity's sister, while treachery is that one's nature.
And that one’s deception are her attributes.
والحبُّand love أشهىsweetest ماthat which يكونit is إذاwhen الحبيthe beloved (first part)
والحبُّ أشهى ما يكون إذا الحبي
بُcompletion of 'beloved' أبيrefused عليكَto you القطفَthe plucking منfrom ثمراتِهِhis fruits
بُ أبي عليكَ القطفَ من ثمراتِهِ
And love is sweetest when the beloved
Love is sweetest when the darling
denies you the plucking of his fruits.
Forbids you to pluck its fruits.
إنَّindeed النفوسَsouls لماfor what منعنَthey were denied شديدةintense
إنَّ النفوسَ لما منعنَ شديدة
ظمأًin thirst وينسىand is forgotten الماءُwater عندَbeside فُراتهِits fresh, sweet water
ظمأً وينسى الماءُ عندَ فُراتهِ
Indeed, for what they are denied, souls have an intense
Souls once denied drink deep
thirst; and water is forgotten beside its sweet stream.
Forgetting water even at the Euphrates.
ياO مريَMari زيدينيgive me more هوىًpassion فهواكِfor your love نوlight (first part)
يا مريَ زيديني هوىً فهواكِ نو
رٌcompletion of 'light' لمnot أزلI ceased أسريI journey by night علىby مشكاتهِits lamp-niche
رٌ لم أزل أسري على مشكاتهِ
O Mari, give me more passion; for your love is a light
Light my passion Mariye, your love's
by whose lamp-niche I have never ceased to journey by night.
A light I've always walked toward.
وأرىand I see الحياةَlife عليَّfor me ليلاًa night دامساًpitch-dark
وأرى الحياةَ عليَّ ليلاً دامساً
ضلتْlost their way نجومُthe stars of السعدِgood fortune فيin طرقاتهِits paths
ضلتْ نجومُ السعدِ في طرقاتهِ
And life appears to me a pitch-dark night,
I see life as an endless night,
in whose paths the stars of fortune have lost their way.
Luck's stars lost on its roads.
واهاًah! لهذاfor this الحبِّlove لوif عرفَknew الوليthe infant (first part)
واهاً لهذا الحبِّ لو عرفَ الولي
دُcompletion of 'infant' الحبَّlove لاستعصىعلىhe would have rebelled against داياتهِhis nurses
دُ الحبَّ لاستعصىعلى داياتهِ
Ah, this love! Had the infant known
Alas for this love! If her family knew of love
love, he would have defied his nurses.
They'd make it hard to reach its goals.
شيءٌa thing يحارُis bewildered المرءُa person فيهِby it لأنهُbecause he
شيءٌ يحارُ المرءُ فيهِ لأنهُ
منfrom ذاتهِhis own self جلبَbrought الشقاءَmisery لذاتهِupon himself
من ذاتهِ جلبَ الشقاءَ لذاتهِ
A thing that bewilders a person, for he
A thing perplexing; it itself
has brought misery upon himself from his own self.
Brought misery on itself.
ماhow! كانَwas أبعدنيfar removed I was وقوليand my saying فيabout الذيthat which
ما كانَ أبعدني وقولي في الذي
آتيهِI do it يوماًone day ليتنيif only I لمnot آتِهِI did it
آتيهِ يوماً ليتني لم آتِهِ
How far I once was from saying, of what
I was not meant to come here; my words
I would someday do, 'Would that I had not done it!'
To him I'll someday meet – I wish I hadn't come!
لكنَّbut حالاتِthe conditions of القضاءِfate علىupon الورىhumankind
لكنَّ حالاتِ القضاءِ على الورى
شتَّىvaried وهذيand this الحالُstate منamong حالاتهِits states
شتَّى وهذي الحالُ من حالاتهِ
But the conditions fate imposes upon humankind
But Fate's situations everywhere are manifold
are varied, and this state is one of its states.
And this situation's one of its states.
أترىdo you think? المريضَthe sick man اشتاقَlonged for وجهَthe face of أساتهِhis physicians
أترى المريضَ اشتاقَ وجهَ أساتهِ
أمor كانَwas يشجيsaddening الموتَDeath صوتُthe sound of نعاتهِthose announcing his death
أم كانَ يشجي الموتَ صوتُ نعاتهِ
Do you think the sick man longed for the sight of his physicians,
Does the sick man yearn for his doctor
or did the sound of those announcing his death sadden Death?
Or does the sound of mourning please one fated to die?
ياO قومُpeople ماليI have no حيلةٌrecourse واليومَand today قدalready
يا قومُ مالي حيلةٌ واليومَ قد
دَنَفَfell gravely ill الهوىlove والطيرُand the birds عندَon the verge of شتاتهِtheir scattering
دَنَفَ الهوى والطيرُ عندَ شتاتهِ
O people, I have no recourse, and today
My people, I have no tricks; today passion
love has fallen gravely ill, and the birds are about to scatter.
Draws near and the birds are scattered.
هيهاتَimpossible! أبصرهاI see her وأبقىand I live on بعدهاafter seeing her
هيهاتَ أبصرها وأبقى بعدها
فالنجمُfor the star نورُthe light of الشمسِthe sun منamong آفاتهِits afflictions
فالنجمُ نورُ الشمسِ من آفاتهِ
Impossible that I should see her and live on afterward!
Alas! I saw her and remain after her
For the sun's light is among the star's afflictions.
The star's a defect in the face of the sun.
ولأنْand surely, to ترىyou see ذاthis الصبِّlovesick man فيamong الأمواتِthe dead خيbetter (first part)
ولأنْ ترى ذا الصبِّ في الأمواتِ خي
رٌcompletion of 'better' أنfor ... to يراهاhe sees her الصبُّthe lovesick man بينَamong وشاتهِhis slanderers
رٌ أن يراها الصبُّ بينَ وشاتهِ
And to see this lovesick man among the dead is better
For one with passion to be among the dead is better
than for the lovesick man to see her among his slanderers.
Than to see her in the arms of others.
Sol 6.1