تزورينناyou visit us وهناًlate at night ولوand if زرتِyou had visited فيin الضّحىthe forenoon
تزوريننا وهناً ولو زرتِ في الضّحى
لأطلقتِyou would have freed منfrom ضيقtightness الوِثاقthe bonds أسيراa captive
لأطلقتِ من ضيق الوِثاق أسيرا
You visit us late at night; had you come in the forenoon,
You visit me weak and frail, and if you had visited at dawn
you would have freed a captive from his tight bonds.
You would have freed a prisoner from the tight shackles
وماand not كانَwas ماwhat أَشعَرتنيهِyou made me perceive it زِيارةًa visit
وما كانَ ما أَشعَرتنيهِ زِيارةً
ولكنّهاbut it كانتwas لقلبِيَfor my heart زُوراa falsehood
ولكنّها كانت لقلبِيَ زُورا
And what you made me perceive was no visit,
And what made me feel your visit
but to my heart it was a lie.
Was not really a visit but deceit to my heart
فإنْso if لمnot تكنit was حقّاًreal فإنّيthen indeed I جنيتُهاI reaped it
فإنْ لم تكن حقّاً فإنّي جنيتُها
إلىuntil أنْthat بداappeared ضوءlight الصّباحthe morning سروراas joy
إلى أنْ بدا ضوء الصّباح سرورا
So if it was not real, I still reaped it
If it was not real, then I imagined it
as joy, until the light of morning appeared.
Until the light of dawn brought happiness
فجاءَتْso it came إلىinto ليلِيmy night الطّويلlong فخيّلتْand appeared as a vision
فجاءَتْ إلى ليلِي الطّويل فخيّلتْ
لعينِيَto my eye أوor قلبيmy heart فعادso it became قصيراshort
لعينِيَ أو قلبي فعاد قصيرا
So it came into my long night and appeared as a vision
So it came to my long night and made it seem
to my eye—or my heart—and the night grew short.
To my eyes or my heart thus shortening it
لقاءٌa meeting شفىquenched بعضsome of الغليلthe burning thirst ولمand not أكنْI was
لقاءٌ شفى بعض الغليل ولم أكنْ
عليهover it وإنand though كنتُI was القديرَthe powerful one قديراcapable
عليه وإن كنتُ القديرَ قديرا
A meeting that quenched some of my burning thirst; I had no
A meeting that healed some of the pain and I was not
power over it, powerful though I was.
Capable over it even if I was the Capable One
وَماand not كانَit was إلّاexcept فكرةًa thought لمفكّرٍfor a thinker
وَما كانَ إلّا فكرةً لمفكّرٍ
وذكراًand a memory جنىreaped منهfrom it الظّلامthe darkness ذَكوراa keen rememberer
وذكراً جنى منه الظّلام ذَكورا
And it was nothing but a thinker's thought,
It was just the thought of a thinker
and a memory from which darkness reaped a keen rememberer.
And a memory from which the darkness gained beams
وَلَمّاand when اِنقَضىit ended ماnot صرتُI became إلّاexcept كَأنّنيas though I
وَلَمّا اِنقَضى ما صرتُ إلّا كَأنّني
محوتُI erased بضوءwith the light of الصّبحdawn منهfrom it سطوراwritten lines
محوتُ بضوء الصّبح منه سطورا
And when it ended, I was left as though I
And when it was over I became as if
had erased lines from it with the light of dawn.
I erased its lines with the dawn light
Sol 6.1