فيin كُلِّevery يَومٍday مِنكَfrom you ياO دَهرُTime
في كُلِّ يَومٍ مِنكَ يا دَهرُ
فيمَنamong those whom أُحِبُّI love رَزيئَةٌa calamity نُكرِappalling
فيمَن أُحِبُّ رَزيئَةٌ نُكرِ
Each day from you, O Time,
Each day brings me, O Time,
an appalling calamity strikes those I love.
some misfortune with one I love;
صَدَعَتshattered فُؤاديmy heart مِنكَfrom you نائِبِةٌa misfortune
صَدَعَت فُؤادي مِنكَ نائِبِةٌ
مِنfrom دونِهاless than it ماthat which صُدِعَwas split الصَخرُrock
مِن دونِها ما صُدِعَ الصَخرُ
A misfortune from you has shattered my heart;
a calamity has fractured my heart -
rock has been split by less than this.
nothing but solid rock could fracture so.
وَغَدَرتَand you betrayed حَتّىuntil صارَbegan يَهجُرُنيhe forsakes me
وَغَدَرتَ حَتّى صارَ يَهجُرُني
مِنone who لَمdid not يَكُنbe خُلقاًa character trait لَهُfor him الهَجرُforsaking
مِن لَم يَكُن خُلقاً لَهُ الهَجرُ
And you dealt treacherously, till I was forsaken
You have betrayed me until one who never shunned
by one whose nature never was to forsake.
has come to shun me,
وَسَلَبتَنيand you robbed me مِنone whom لَيسَthere is not ليfor me جَلَدٌfortitude
وَسَلَبتَني مِن لَيسَ لي جَلَدٌ
فيهِregarding him يُساعِدُنيhelps me وَلاnor صَبرُpatience
فيهِ يُساعِدُني وَلا صَبرُ
And you robbed me of one—I have no fortitude
robbed me of one who lacks the heart
to sustain me in his loss, nor patience.
to help or show endurance with me.
قالواthey said اِنقِضاءُthe ending الشَهرِof the month مَوعِدُناour appointed time
قالوا اِنقِضاءُ الشَهرِ مَوعِدُنا
أَنto نَلتَقيwe meet وَقَدِand already اِنقَضىhas ended الشَهرُthe month
أَن نَلتَقي وَقَدِ اِنقَضى الشَهرُ
They said, 'The month's end is our appointed time
They said our date to reunite would be month's end -
to meet'—yet the month has ended.
but the month has ended, and no reunion.
واطولَalas, how long حُزنيmy grief بَعدَafter مُختَلَسٍone snatched away
واطولَ حُزني بَعدَ مُختَلَسٍ
ماnot طالَwas long فيin الدُنياthis world لَهُfor him عُمرُa lifetime
ما طالَ في الدُنيا لَهُ عُمرُ
Ah, how long my grief for one snatched away,
My sorrow drags on after a furtive one
whose life in this world was not long.
whose life in this world was never long.
قَدindeed كُنتُI was أَذخِرُهُkeeping him in reserve لِحادِثَةٍagainst a calamity
قَد كُنتُ أَذخِرُهُ لِحادِثَةٍ
فَاليَومَso today لاno سَنَدٌsupport وَلاand no ذُخرُreserve
فَاليَومَ لا سَنَدٌ وَلا ذُخرُ
I had held him in reserve against calamity;
I was saving him for some future need,
so today I have neither support nor reserve.
but now I have no pillar, no reserve.
لَئِنِeven if اِنطَوَتwere folded away عَنّاfrom us مَحاسِنُهُhis graces
لَئِنِ اِنطَوَت عَنّا مَحاسِنُهُ
فَلِأَدمُعيthen for my tears فيin طَيِّهاtheir folding away نَشرُan unfolding
فَلِأَدمُعي في طَيِّها نَشرُ
Though his graces have been folded away from us,
If his beauties have been folded from us,
my tears unfold at their folding.
my tears will spread their perfume.
أَوor خانَنيbetrayed me فيهِregarding him الزَمانُTime فَقَدthen indeed
أَو خانَني فيهِ الزَمانُ فَقَد
خانَfailed العَزاءُconsolation عَليهِover him وَالصَبرُand patience
خانَ العَزاءُ عَليهِ وَالصَبرُ
Or if Time has betrayed me in him, then
Or if time betrayed me with him, then gone
solace and patience too have failed me in mourning him.
are consolation for him and patience.
بَخِلَتwere miserly عَلَيَّtoward me الحادِثاتُmisfortunes بِهِwith him
بَخِلَت عَلَيَّ الحادِثاتُ بِهِ
وَبِمِثلِهِand with his like لاnot يَسمَحُis generous الدَهرُTime
وَبِمِثلِهِ لا يَسمَحُ الدَهرُ
Misfortunes have withheld him from me,
Events have begrudged me him
and Time grants no one like him.
- Time grants not his like again.
وَغَدَتand became قَفارُwastelands التُربِof the earth آهِلَةًinhabited
وَغَدَت قَفارُ التُربِ آهِلَةً
بِجَمالِهِby his beauty وَدِيارُناand our homes قَفرُdesolate
بِجَمالِهِ وَدِيارُنا قَفرُ
And the earth's wastelands have become peopled
The dusty tombs are lively with his beauty
by his beauty, while our homes stand desolate.
while our homes are desolate.
ياO خوطَshoot بانٍa bān tree عادَbecame مُحتَطَباًcut for firewood
يا خوطَ بانٍ عادَ مُحتَطَباً
بِيدِby the hand of المَنونِDeath وَعودُهُand its wood نَضرُgreen
بِيدِ المَنونِ وَعودُهُ نَضرُ
O shoot of a bān tree, turned into firewood
O builder of lofty edifices, home again
by Death's hand, its wood still green.
as fuel for death - your sapling withered!
وَهِلالَand a crescent أُفقٍof a horizon غابَvanished مَطلَعُهُits rising place
وَهِلالَ أُفقٍ غابَ مَطلَعُهُ
فَهَوىso he fell وَماand not كَمِلَتwere completed لَهُfor him عَشرُten
فَهَوى وَما كَمِلَت لَهُ عَشرُ
And crescent of the horizon, whose rising place vanished,
O crescent moon of a horizon, your rising
so you fell before even reaching ten.
eclipsed - you waned ere your tenth night.
ياO موحِشَone who makes desolate الدُنياthe world بِغَيبَتِهِby his absence
يا موحِشَ الدُنيا بِغَيبَتِهِ
أَوحَدتَنيyou left me alone وَأَقارِبيthough my relatives كُثرُmany
أَوحَدتَني وَأَقارِبي كُثرُ
O you whose absence desolates the world,
O you who, absent, desolated me, though kith
you left me alone, though my kin are many.
and kin are many! No shame in my anguish over you,
لاno عارَshame فيin جَزعيmy anguish عَليكَover you وَلاand no
لا عارَ في جَزعي عَليكَ وَلا
فيin الصَبرِpatience مُنذُsince ثُويتَyou were laid to rest ليfor me عُذرُexcuse
في الصَبرِ مُنذُ ثُويتَ لي عُذرُ
There is no shame in my anguish over you, and no
Nor in my patience since you left excuse.
excuse for me to be patient since you were laid to rest.
If solitude meets you on the desert plain,
إِنif تُمسِyou spend the evening بِالبَيداءِin the wilderness مُنفَرِداًalone
إِن تُمسِ بِالبَيداءِ مُنفَرِداً
رَهنَhostage to البَلاdecay فَلَكَthen for you الحَشاthe heart قَبرُa grave
رَهنَ البَلا فَلَكَ الحَشا قَبرُ
If evening finds you alone in the wilderness,
to fate go the stony yards, and yours the grave.
held hostage to decay, my heart is a grave for you.
For you my gaze is kohl whose seer's eyes smart,
ليI have فيكَover you عَينٌan eye كُحلُkohl ناظِرِهاits pupil
لي فيكَ عَينٌ كُحلُ ناظِرِها
سُهدٌsleeplessness وَقَلبٌand a heart حَشوُهُits filling حَرُّheat
سُهدٌ وَقَلبٌ حَشوُهُ حَرُّ
For you I have an eye whose pupil's kohl
my heart is stuffing, and sorrow the husk.
is sleeplessness, and a heart filled with burning heat.
The eyelid, without you, knows no rest -
وَالطَرفُand the eye بَعدَكَafter you لاmay it not رَقاcease weeping أَرِقٌsleepless
وَالطَرفُ بَعدَكَ لا رَقا أَرِقٌ
وَالعَيشُand life بَعدَكَafter you لاmay it not حَلاgrow sweet مُرُّbitter
وَالعَيشُ بَعدَكَ لا حَلا مُرُّ
And my eye after you—may its tears never cease—is sleepless,
and life, without you, is but trial.
and life after you—may it never grow sweet—is bitter.
The sky spread wide narrowed after you,
ضاقَgrew narrow الفَضاءُthe expanse الرَحبُwide بَعدَكَafter you وَاِسand black- (word fragment)
ضاقَ الفَضاءُ الرَحبُ بَعدَكَ وَاِس
وَدَّ-ened (word continuation) النَهارُthe day وَأَظلَمَand darkened البَدرُthe full moon
وَدَّ النَهارُ وَأَظلَمَ البَدرُ
After you, the wide expanse grew narrow, and black
the day grew dark, the moon sunken.
became the day, and the full moon darkened.
The boughs forgot bending in the breeze,
وَعَشَتand turned away عَنِfrom المَيلِswaying الغُصونُthe branches وَلاand neither
وَعَشَت عَنِ المَيلِ الغُصونُ وَلا
ضَحِكَlaughed الرَبيعُspring وَلاnor بَكاwept القَطرُthe rain
ضَحِكَ الرَبيعُ وَلا بَكا القَطرُ
And the branches turned away from swaying; neither
nor did spring laugh, nor rain weep.
did spring laugh, nor did the rain weep.
The rainclouds wept for you, and if
وَسَقَتكَand may they water you أَنواءُrain showers الغَمامِof the clouds وَإِنand if
وَسَقَتكَ أَنواءُ الغَمامِ وَإِن
بَخُلَتthey are miserly فَإِنَّthen indeed مَدامِعيmy tears غُزرُabundant
بَخُلَت فَإِنَّ مَدامِعي غُزرُ
And may the clouds' showers water you; and if
they grudged it, copious are my tears.
they are miserly, then my tears are abundant.
Partial English translation: 41 of 42 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1