صباhe yearned للقصورِfor the palaces وغزلانهاand their gazelles
صبا للقصورِ وغزلانها
وتلكَand those اللياليnights وأشجانِهاand their sorrows
وتلكَ الليالي وأشجانِها
He yearned for the palaces and their gazelles,
The morning breeze for the palaces and their gazelles,
and those nights and their sorrows.
And those nights and their passions,
لياليَnights تجريgallop جيادُِsteeds الهوىof passion
لياليَ تجري جيادُِ الهوى
الىto الغانياتِthe beauties بفرسانهاwith their riders
الى الغانياتِ بفرسانها
Nights when the steeds of passion gallop
Nights where the steeds of love race,
to the beauties with their riders,
To the singing girls with their knights,
وتبعثهاand send them forth خطراتُstirrings القلوبof hearts
وتبعثها خطراتُ القلوب
لمرعىto the pasture صبِاهاof their youth برعيانهاwith their shepherds
لمرعى صبِاها برعيانها
and the stirrings of hearts send them forth
And their flirtations set hearts astray,
to the pasture of their youth, with their shepherds.
To graze in the pasture of its youth with their herdsmen.
فهلthen have? عَلمتْrecognized حادثاتُthe vicissitudes الزمانof time
فهل عَلمتْ حادثاتُ الزمان
اساءتهاtheir wrongdoing بعدَafter إحسانهاtheir kindness
اساءتها بعدَ إحسانها
Then have the vicissitudes of time recognized
So did the turns of time know,
their wrongdoing after their kindness?
That it wronged them after doing them good?
رأيناwe saw لياليَthe nights أفراحِهاof their joys
رأينا لياليَ أفراحِها
تجرُّdrag along لياليَthe nights أحزانهاof their sorrows
تجرُّ لياليَ أحزانها
We saw the nights of their joys
We saw nights of joy,
drag along the nights of their sorrows.
Drag nights of sorrow.
وكمand how often حاربتنيfought me عيونُthe eyes المهىof oryx
وكم حاربتني عيونُ المهى
وحاربتand I fought أعداءَthe enemies سلطانهاof their dominion
وحاربت أعداءَ سلطانها
And how often the eyes of oryx fought me,
And how the eyes of the coquettes fought me,
and I fought the enemies of their dominion.
As I fought the enemies of her rule.
فردتْso were returned سيوفيmy swords وتلكَand those اللحاظِglances
فردتْ سيوفي وتلكَ اللحاظِ
لاnot (apparently 'to' here) غمادِِهاtheir sheaths ولأجفانهاand to their eyelids
لا غمادِِها ولأجفانها
So my swords and those glances were returned
I sheathed my swords, and those glances,
to their sheaths and to their eyelids.
Neither to be sheathed, nor blink.
أبعدَis it after الوصالِunion وبعدَand after الودادِaffection
أبعدَ الوصالِ وبعدَ الودادِ
تروعُfrighten الغوانيthe beauties بهجرانهاwith their abandonment
تروعُ الغواني بهجرانها
After union and after affection,
After intimacy and affection,
do beauties frighten you with their abandonment,
They terrify the lovers with their estrangement.
وتطرحُand cast aside شأنكَyour affairs عنfrom همَّهاtheir thoughts
وتطرحُ شأنكَ عن همَّها
وتصدفُand turn away عنكَfrom you الىto شأنِهاtheir own affairs
وتصدفُ عنكَ الى شأنِها
and banish your affairs from their thoughts,
And they cast your affairs from their worries,
and turn from you to their own affairs?
And turn away from you to their own business.
فلاso do not تستنمْput your trust لنؤمِin habitual sleepers الضحىof the forenoon
فلا تستنمْ لنؤمِ الضحى
ولاand do not ترجُhope for برةَthe fulfillment أيمانِهاof their oaths
ولا ترجُ برةَ أيمانِها
So do not trust those who sleep through the forenoon,
So do not pine for the griefs of the morning,
nor hope for their oaths to be fulfilled.
Nor hope for the innocence of their oaths.
ولاand do not تغتررْbe deceived بالتيby the woman whom خلتَهاyou thought her
ولا تغتررْ بالتي خلتَها
تسرsecretly harbors الغرامَpassion بإعلانهاby her declaration
تسر الغرامَ بإعلانها
Nor be deceived by the woman you thought
And do not be fooled by her who left you,
secretly harbored passion, judging by her declaration.
Delighting in love by declaring it.
تعلَّمَتِshe learned الودَّaffection بعدَafter النفورِaversion
تعلَّمَتِ الودَّ بعدَ النفورِ
منfrom خاطبيthose courting ودِthe goodwill of يابانهاher Japan
من خاطبي ودِ يابانها
She learned affection after aversion
She learned affection after aloofness,
from those courting her Japan's goodwill.
From my courting, O groves of the thickets!
فدعso leave غصنthe branch البانof the bān tree فيin أرضهits ground
فدع غصن البان في أرضه
إذاif ظللْتهمshe shaded them بأغصانِهاwith her branches
إذا ظللْتهم بأغصانِها
So leave the bān-tree branch in its own ground,
So leave the branch of the thicket in its land,
if she shades them with her branches;
When they give you shade with their branches.
وجنبْand keep away فؤادَكyour heart نارَthe fire الهوىof passion
وجنبْ فؤادَك نارَ الهوى
إذاif ماemphatic particle حمتهمْshe protected them بنيرانهاwith her fires
إذا ما حمتهمْ بنيرانها
and keep your heart from the fire of passion
And spare your heart the fires of passion,
if she shields them with her fires.
If they make you jealous with their flames.
فماfor it is not العزُّglory فيin حُجُراتthe chambers الكعابِof nubile maidens
فما العزُّ في حُجُرات الكعابِ
ولاnor فيin الرياضِthe gardens وريحانِهاand their fragrant herbs
ولا في الرياضِ وريحانِها
For glory is not in the chambers of maidens,
For glory lies not in the bosoms of budded youth,
nor in the gardens and their fragrant herbs,
Nor in gardens, nor their greenery,
ولاnor فيin الشعورِtresses كموجِlike waves السحابِof clouds
ولا في الشعورِ كموجِ السحابِ
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle تراختْhung loose علىover بانِهاher bān-like form
إذا ما تراختْ على بانِها
nor in tresses like waves of cloud,
Nor in hair like the waves of clouds,
when they hang loose over her bān-like form;
When it hangs loose over their temples.
ولاnor فيin الحواجبِeyebrows مثلَlike الهلالِthe crescent moon
ولا في الحواجبِ مثلَ الهلالِ
ولاnor فيin العيونِeyes وأجفانِهاand their eyelids
ولا في العيونِ وأجفانِها
nor in eyebrows like the crescent moon,
Nor in brows like the crescent moon,
nor in eyes and their eyelids;
Nor in eyes, nor their lashes.
ولاnor هوit فيin طلعةِthe visage النيِّرينِof the two luminaries
ولا هو في طلعةِ النيِّرينِ
ولاnor فيin النجومِthe stars وكيوانِهاand their Saturn
ولا في النجومِ وكيوانِها
nor is it in the visage of the two luminaries,
It lies not in the rising of the fawn eyes,
nor in the stars and their Saturn;
Nor in the stars, nor their configuration.
ولاnor فيin جمالِthe beauty زهورِof the flowers الرياضِof the gardens
ولا في جمالِ زهورِ الرياضِ
إذاwhen اختلْنَthey strutted فيin ثوبِthe robe نيسانهاof their April
إذا اختلْنَ في ثوبِ نيسانها
nor in the beauty of the gardens' flowers,
Nor in the beauty of the garden flowers,
when they strut in the robe of their April,
When they are clad in April's robe.
ورتلَand intoned مماfrom what شجاهُsaddened it الحمامُthe doves
ورتلَ مما شجاهُ الحمامُ
أفانينَvaried strains شجوٍof sorrow بأفنانهاamong their boughs
أفانينَ شجوٍ بأفنانها
and the doves intone, from what has saddened them,
And it chanted of what impassioned the doves,
varied strains of sorrow among their boughs.
The odes of yearning with their melodies.
وماand what is السيفُthe sword منfrom غيرِother than أبطالِهِits heroes
وما السيفُ من غيرِ أبطالِهِ
وماand what is العينُthe eye منfrom غيرِانسانِهاother than its pupil
وما العينُ من غيرِانسانِها
And what is the sword without its heroes?
The sword is nothing without its heroes,
And what is the eye without its pupil?
Nor the eye without its person.
وهلand do? ترتقيascend صادحاتُthe singing ones الطيورِof the birds
وهل ترتقي صادحاتُ الطيورِ
منof الجوِّthe sky مرقاةthe height reached by عقبانهاtheir eagles
من الجوِّ مرقاة عقبانها
And can the singing birds ascend
Do the warbling birds soar,
to their eagles' height in the sky?
From the air like sweeping falcons?
علاكَyour exalted rank أحقmore entitled بهذيto these الياليnights
علاكَ أحق بهذي اليالي
منthan الغانياتِthe beauties بريعانهاin their prime
من الغانياتِ بريعانها
Your exalted rank has more claim to these nights
You are more deserving of these nights,
than beauties in their prime.
Than the singing girls with their youths!
Sol 6.1