أَماAh وَالهَوىby love لَوif ذُقتَyou tasted طَعمَthe taste of الهَوىlove العُذريchaste
أَما وَالهَوى لَو ذُقتَ طَعمَ الهَوى العُذري
أَقَمتَyou would have upheld بِمَنthrough the one whom أَهواهُI love him ياO عُذريmy excuse
أَقَمتَ بِمَن أَهواهُ يا عُذري
Ah, by love, had you tasted the savor of chaste love,
Had you tasted the sweetness of innocent love,
you would have upheld my excuse through the one I love—ah!
You would have stayed with whom I love, O innocent one.
وَلَوand if شاهَدَتbeheld عَيناكَyour two eyes وَجهُthe face of مُعَذِّبيmy tormentor
وَلَو شاهَدَت عَيناكَ وَجهُ مُعَذِّبي
وَقَدwhile already زارَنيhe visited me بَعدَafter القَطيعَةِestrangement وَالهَجرِand abandonment
وَقَد زارَني بَعدَ القَطيعَةِ وَالهَجرِ
And had your eyes beheld my tormentor’s face,
If your eyes saw the face of my tormentor
when he visited me after estrangement and abandonment,
Who visited me after estrangement and separation,
رَأَيتَyou would have seen بِقَلبيin my heart مَنfrom تَلَقّيهِmeeting him مَرحَباًMarhab
رَأَيتَ بِقَلبي مَن تَلَقّيهِ مَرحَباً
وَسَيفُand the sword of عَليٍّAli فيin لِحاظِthe glances of أَبيAbu بَكرِBakr
وَسَيفُ عَليٍّ في لِحاظِ أَبي بَكرِ
you would have seen Marhab in my heart as it met him,
You would have seen how my heart welcomes him,
and Ali’s sword in Abu Bakr’s glances.
While Ali's sword is in Abu Bakr's sheath.
مَليحٌhandsome يُريناshows us فَرعُهُhis hair وَجَبينُهُand his brow
مَليحٌ يُرينا فَرعُهُ وَجَبينُهُ
سُدولَcurtains of ظَلامٍdarkness تَحتَهاbeneath them هالَةُthe halo of البَدرِthe full moon
سُدولَ ظَلامٍ تَحتَها هالَةُ البَدرِ
A handsome one, whose hair and brow show us
Graceful he is, his branch and forehead are shown to us
curtains of darkness, with the full moon’s halo beneath them.
Like darkness's tent with the moon's halo beneath.
وَأَسمَرُand brown-skinned كَالخَطِّيِّlike a Khatt spear زُرقاًblue عُيونُهُhis eyes
وَأَسمَرُ كَالخَطِّيِّ زُرقاً عُيونُهُ
كَذاكَlikewise رِماحُthe spears of الخَطِّKhatt زُرقاًblue عَلىupon سُمرُbrown
كَذاكَ رِماحُ الخَطِّ زُرقاً عَلى سُمرُ
And a dusky one, like a Khatt spear, with blue eyes—
Tan as calligraphy, blue are his eyes,
so are the spears of Khatt: blue upon brown.
Like the blueness of lances over tan.
مَزَجتُI mingled بِشَكوىwith the complaint of الحُبِّlove رِقَّةَthe tenderness of عَتبِهِhis reproach
مَزَجتُ بِشَكوى الحُبِّ رِقَّةَ عَتبِهِ
فَكُنتُso I was كَأَنّيas though I أَمزُجُmix الماءَwater بِالخَمرِwith wine
فَكُنتُ كَأَنّي أَمزُجُ الماءَ بِالخَمرِ
I mingled the tenderness of his reproach with love’s lament,
I mixed the softness of love's complaint with his reproach,
so it was as though I were mixing water with wine.
So it was as if I mixed water with wine.
وَلُذتُand I sought refuge بِظِلِّin the shade of الأَعتِرافِconfession وَإِنeven though جَنىhe did wrong
وَلُذتُ بِظِلِّ الأَعتِرافِ وَإِن جَنى
مَحافَةَfor fear of إِعراضٍturning away إِذاif جِئتُI came بِالعُذرِwith an excuse
مَحافَةَ إِعراضٍ إِذا جِئتُ بِالعُذرِ
And I sought refuge in the shade of confession, though he had done wrong,
I enjoyed the shade of confession, even if
for fear he would turn away if I offered an excuse.
It brought the danger of aloofness when I offered my excuse.
Sol 6.1