حواءُEve وحيُrevelation الأعاليthe heights
حواءُ وحيُ الأعالي
أمor منfrom نسيجِthe weave خياليmy imagination
أم من نسيجِ خيالي
Eve, are you a revelation from on high,
Eve, revelation from on high
or woven from my imagination?
Mother woven of fantasy
فيin مقلتيكyour two eyes التماعٌa gleam
في مقلتيك التماعٌ
منof رَوعةsplendor وجلالand majesty
من رَوعة وجلال
In your eyes is a gleam
In your eyes a shimmer
of splendor and majesty;
Of splendor and majesty
وفيهماand in them both لمحَاتٌglimpses
وفيهما لمحَاتٌ
منof الفضاءthe expanse العاليlofty
من الفضاء العالي
and in them both are glimpses
And in them glimpses
of the lofty expanse,
Of the lofty space
ورقرقاتٌand shimmering ripples وشيءٌand something
ورقرقاتٌ وشيءٌ
فوقَbeyond ارتهافِdelicacy الجمالbeauty
فوقَ ارتهافِ الجمال
and shimmering ripples, and something
And trills and something
beyond beauty's delicacy.
Beyond the thrill of beauty
أديمُsurface وجهكyour face نورlight
أديمُ وجهك نور
أديمهits surface منof لآليpearls
أديمه من لآلي
The surface of your face is light,
Your eternal face is light
its surface made of pearls.
Eternal made of wonders
تنقليmove about تتهادَglide gracefully الأنغامُthe melodies
تنقلي تتهادَ الأنغامُ
بينَamong التلالthe hills
بينَ التلال
Move about; the melodies glide
You move, melodies drift
among the hills.
Between the hills
تنقليmove about فيin ظنونimaginings
تنقلي في ظنون
الأحلامthe dreams والآمالand the hopes
الأحلام والآمال
Move through the imaginings
You move in imaginations
of dreams and hopes.
Of dreams and hopes
فالكونso the universe ريانُthirst-quenched مصغlistening attentively
فالكون ريانُ مصغ
نشوانُintoxicated منby أدلالcoquetry
نشوانُ من أدلال
For the universe is sated, listening,
The universe attentive, delighted
intoxicated by coquettish charm.
From your coquetries
حواءُEve هلquestion marker أنتyou إلاanything but
حواءُ هل أنت إلا
أغنيتيmy song وسؤاليand my question
أغنيتي وسؤالي
Eve, are you anything but
Eve, are you anything but
my song and my question—
My song and my question
زهرةٌa flower أطلعتهاbrought it forth
زهرةٌ أطلعتها
الأشواقthe yearnings عَبرَthrough اللياليthe nights
الأشواق عَبرَ الليالي
a flower brought forth
A flower which desires
by yearnings through the nights?
Have brought forth over the nights
لأنتindeed you are مفردunique لحنٍa melody
لأنت مفرد لحنٍ
مثيلهits like منamong مثحالimpossibility (probable reading)
مثيله من مثحال
Indeed, you are a peerless melody,
You're a melody without equal
whose like is an impossibility.
Among the most beautiful
قوميrise بناwith us نَتَثَنىَّlet us sway
قومي بنا نَتَثَنىَّ
أنشودَةَa song الآزالbeginningless eternities
أنشودَةَ الآزال
Rise; together let us sway
Rise with me, let's recite
as a song of beginningless ages,
The song of eternity
ونرتميand we fling ourselves تمتماتِmurmurs الضياءthe radiance
ونرتمي تمتماتِ الضياء
فوقَover الجبالthe mountains
فوقَ الجبال
and fling ourselves as murmurs of light
And let's scatter whispers of light
over the mountains.
Over the mountains
نَهُبُّwe blow فيin كلِevery ريحwind
نَهُبُّ في كلِ ريح
نَهُبُّwe blow بينamong الضالthe wild lote trees
نَهُبُّ بين الضال
We blow in every wind,
Let's roam in every wind
we blow among the wild lote trees,
Roam between the lost
وننثنيand we bend همساتwhispers
وننثني همسات
علىupon لُهاthroats (literally uvulas) الأدغالthe thickets
على لُها الأدغال
and bend as whispers
And let's murmur whispers
upon the throats of the thickets.
On the temples of thickets
وننثرand we scatter الطيبَthe fragrance نثرa scattering
وننثر الطيبَ نثر
الشموسthe suns وهجَglow الآلthe mirage
الشموس وهجَ الآل
And we scatter fragrance as
And let's scatter perfumes like
suns scatter the mirage's glow.
Suns and the radiance of heights
فماso not نمرُّwe pass بأرضٍthrough a land
فما نمرُّ بأرضٍ
إلاexcept كستهَاclothed it الغواليfine perfumes
إلا كستهَا الغوالي
So we pass through no land
So we pass no land
but fine perfumes clothe it.
Without adorning it in finery
أسائلُI question النفسَthe soul عماabout what
أسائلُ النفسَ عما
أفنيتُI spent منof آصالlate afternoons
أفنيتُ من آصال
I question my soul about
I ask my soul about what
the late afternoons I have spent;
I have wasted of life
فأبصُرso I see الكونَthe universe قفراًdesolate
فأبصُر الكونَ قفراً
طشوالthroughout (probable reading) أمسِيmy yesterday الخاليbygone
طشوال أمسِي الخالي
so I see the universe desolate
And I see the universe a wasteland
throughout my bygone yesterday;
Barren, bleak, empty
كأنماas though كَانwas فيهin it الجمالُbeauty
كأنما كَان فيه الجمالُ
ظلّthe shadow الجمالof beauty
ظلّ الجمال
as though the beauty in it had been
As if beauty itself
the shadow of beauty,
Were but beauty's shadow
والطيبُand fragrance والضوءُand light زوراًa falsehood
والطيبُ والضوءُ زوراً
مجلبباًcloaked بضلاليin my delusion
مجلبباً بضلالي
and fragrance and light, a falsehood
And sweetness and light were lies
cloaked in my delusion.
Disguised in my errors
ماnot كانwas قبلكِbefore you إلاexcept
ما كان قبلكِ إلا
بردُthe chill السنينthe years الطوالlong
بردُ السنين الطوال
Before you, there was nothing but
Before you it was but
the chill of the long years.
The cold of the long years
Sol 6.1