نَسيتَyou forgot عُهوديmy pledges وَاِطَّرَحتَand cast aside رَسائِليmy letters
نَسيتَ عُهودي وَاِطَّرَحتَ رَسائِلي
كَأَنas though لَمnot يَدُرcross يَوماًever بِفِكرِكَin your mind ليof me ذِكرُa remembrance
كَأَن لَم يَدُر يَوماً بِفِكرِكَ لي ذِكرُ
You forgot my pledges and cast aside my letters,
You forgot my covenants and cast off my letters
As though no remembrance of me had ever crossed your mind.
As if you never once thought of even mentioning me
وَقَدand indeed كُنتُI was أَخشىfearing بَعضَsome of ذاكَthat فَعِندَماso when
وَقَد كُنتُ أَخشى بَعضَ ذاكَ فَعِندَما
قَطَعتَyou cut off جَوابيreplies to me قُلتُI said قَدindeed قُضِيَwas settled الأَمرُthe matter
قَطَعتَ جَوابي قُلتُ قَد قُضِيَ الأَمرُ
And I had feared something of that; so when
And I had feared some of that, so when
You stopped replying to me, I said, 'It is over.'
You cut off my response, I said the matter was settled
وَقَدand indeed كانَwas ظَنّيmy belief فيكَabout you أَنَّكَthat you ذاكِريmindful of me
وَقَد كانَ ظَنّي فيكَ أَنَّكَ ذاكِري
وَلوeven if جُرِّدَتwere unsheathed ماthe space بَينَناbetween us الأَنصُلُthe blades البُترُthe keen ones
وَلو جُرِّدَت ما بَينَنا الأَنصُلُ البُترُ
And I had believed that you would remember me,
And my assumption about you was that you remembered me
Even if keen blades were unsheathed between us.
Even if we were stripped bare, leaving no connection between us
فَكَيفَhow, then وَلاwhen no الخَطِّيُّthe Khattī spear يَخطِرُsways بَينَناbetween us
فَكَيفَ وَلا الخَطِّيُّ يَخطِرُ بَينَنا
وَلاnor نَهِلَتhave drunk مِنّاfrom us المُثَقَّفَةُthe straightened spears السُمرُthe brown ones
وَلا نَهِلَت مِنّا المُثَقَّفَةُ السُمرُ
How, then, could you forget, when no Khattī spear sways between us,
So how could it be when there is not even
And the straightened brown spears have not drunk from us?
A literate one to cross between us, nor a sleepless dark-eyed beauty to water our relationship
Sol 6.1