جاريةٌa maiden مرهفةُslender القدِّthe figure
جاريةٌ مرهفةُ القدِّ
ظالمةٌunjust مظلومةُwronged الخَدِّthe cheek
ظالمةٌ مظلومةُ الخَدِّ
A maiden, slender of figure,
A delicate, refined damsel
Unjust, yet her cheek is wronged.
Whose cheek is darkened yet wronged
كالقمرlike the moon الطالعrising لكنّهاbut she
كالقمر الطالع لكنّها
فيin حسنهاher beauty كالرَّشأlike a gazelle-fawn الفَرْدsolitary
في حسنها كالرَّشأ الفَرْد
Like the rising moon, yet she
Like the rising moon, but in her beauty
In her beauty is like a solitary gazelle-fawn.
She's like a solitary, precious pearl
فيin ليلهاher night البدرُthe full moon وفيand in دِعْصهاher sand-dune
في ليلها البدرُ وفي دِعْصها
غصنٌa bough بهon it رُمَّانَتاtwo pomegranates نهدa breast
غصنٌ به رُمَّانَتا نهد
In her night is the full moon, and in her sand-dune
The full moon is her night, and in her braids
A bough bearing two pomegranates for breasts.
A branch with two ripe pomegranates for breasts
تَبْسمshe smiles عنrevealing بَرْقlightning وعنand revealing لؤلؤpearls
تَبْسم عن بَرْق وعن لؤلؤ
مُنَظَّمstrung in order أحلىsweeter منthan الشَّهدhoney
مُنَظَّم أحلى من الشَّهد
She smiles, revealing lightning and pearls,
A smile flashes like lightning, like pearls
Strung in order, sweeter than honey.
Arranged sweeter than honey
بتناwe spent the night معاًtogether تحتbeneath ظلالshadows الدّجىthe darkness
بتنا معاً تحت ظلال الدّجى
منof مَفْرَشa coverlet الوَرْدroses علىon مهدa couch
من مَفْرَش الوَرْد على مهد
We spent the night together beneath the shadows of darkness,
We slept together beneath the shadows of night
On a couch with a coverlet of roses.
On a bed of flowers and pillows
أَجْنِيI gather ثمارَfruits الخمرwine منfrom مَضْحكa smiling mouth
أَجْنِي ثمارَ الخمر من مَضْحك
شفاهُهits lips منof ورقpetals الوردِroses
شفاهُه من ورق الوردِ
I gather the fruits of wine from a smiling mouth,
I plucked the fruits of wine from her laughing mouth
Whose lips are made of rose petals.
From lips like rose petals
كأنّنيas though I were ليثُa lion وغىًbattle خادِرٌresting in its lair
كأنّني ليثُ وغىً خادِرٌ
مَعْwith شادنa gazelle-fawn أحورَdark-eyed فيin بُرْدa cloak
مَعْ شادن أحورَ في بُرْد
As though I were a battle-lion resting in his lair,
As if I were a mighty lion and she
With a dark-eyed gazelle-fawn in a cloak.
A gentle gazelle in the cold
تُكتُمنيshe hides from me ماwhat عندهاshe has منof جوىًlove's anguish
تُكتُمني ما عندها من جوىً
منّيfor me كماjust as أكتمُI hide ماwhat عنديI have
منّي كما أكتمُ ما عندي
She hides from me the anguish of love she bears
She keeps her passions from me
For me, just as I hide what I bear.
As I conceal mine from her
تُخْفِيshe hides وتُبديand reveals بيّfor me وجداًlonging كماlike what
تُخْفِي وتُبدي بيّ وجداً كما
أُخفِيI hide منof الحبّlove وماand what أُبديI reveal
أُخفِي من الحبّ وما أُبدي
She hides and reveals her longing for me, like
She hides and reveals her love for me
The love I hide and the love I reveal.
As I hide and reveal my love
أَصُدّI turn away عنهاfrom her ظالماًunjustly كلَّماwhenever
أَصُدّ عنها ظالماً كلَّما
زادتْshe increases منof الوصلintimacy علىbeyond الصَّدّrebuff
زادتْ من الوصل على الصَّدّ
I turn away from her unjustly whenever
If she draws nearer, I grow colder
She offers more intimacy than rebuff.
Increasing my aloofness from her affection
لاno نِدَّa peer فيin الحسنbeauty لهاfor her مثلjust like ماthat
لا نِدَّ في الحسن لها مثل ما
أّنّيّthat I am فيin الحبِّlove بلاwithout نِدّa peer
أّنّيّ في الحبِّ بلا نِدّ
She has no equal in beauty, just as
In beauty, none can match her
I have no equal in love.
As in love, none can match me
لاnever زالتcease الجيزةGiza معمورةinhabited
لا زالت الجيزة معمورة
بكلwith every مخطوفslender الحشاwaist نهدfull-breasted
بكل مخطوف الحشا نهد
May Giza never cease to be inhabited
Still inhabited is Al-Jizah
By every slender-waisted, full-breasted beauty.
By every gazelle with delicate breast
إنيindeed I ألذُّI savor العيشُlife فيهاin it بماthrough what
إني ألذُّ العيشُ فيها بما
أولىbestowed عزيزAziz الدينal-Din منof رِفدbounty
أولى عزيز الدين من رِفد
Indeed, I savor life there, thanks to
How sweet is life there with one
The bounty bestowed by Aziz al-Din.
Who bestowed honor upon the noble religion
المجدglory بسّامٌever-smiling إلىtoward ماجدٍa noble man
المجد بسّامٌ إلى ماجدٍ
أروعَmagnificent بسّامٍever-smiling إلىtoward المجدglory
أروعَ بسّامٍ إلى المجد
Glory smiles upon a noble man,
Glory is a sword to the glorious
Magnificent, smiling upon glory.
A most wondrous sword to glory
كأنماas though راحتُهhis palm مُزْنَةa rain cloud
كأنما راحتُه مُزْنَة
تبْداbegins بلاwithout بَرْقlightning ولاand no رعدthunder
تبْدا بلا بَرْق ولا رعد
His palm seems a rain cloud,
As if his tranquility were a balance
Beginning to rain without lightning or thunder.
Flashing without lightning or thunder
كأنّماas though فيin الحزمfirm resolve آراؤهhis counsels
كأنّما في الحزم آراؤه
مشتقّةderived منfrom قُضُبsword-blades الهندIndia
مشتقّة من قُضُب الهند
His counsels, in their firmness, seem
As if his sound judgements
Drawn from the sword-blades of India.
Were drawn from Indian steel
المُلكْkingship ذوpossessor of عِقْدa necklace ولكنَّهbut he
المُلكْ ذو عِقْد ولكنَّه
فيin عصرهhis age واسطةُthe central jewel of العِقْدthe necklace
في عصره واسطةُ العِقْد
Kingship wears a necklace, yet he
The king is bound by covenant
In his age is the necklace's central jewel.
Yet in his time, he binds covenants
ماnot السيفthe sword أمضىkeener منهthan him فيin عزمهhis resolve
ما السيف أمضى منه في عزمه
فيin غِمدهhis sheath إذwhen سُلَّwas drawn منfrom غِمدa sheath
في غِمده إذ سُلَّ من غِمد
No sword is keener than he in his resolve,
No sword is keener than his resolve
In his sheath, even when the sword is drawn from its sheath.
When drawn from the sheath of resolve
ياO أيهاyou البدرthe full moon الذيwho جَدّهhis grandfather
يا أيها البدر الذي جَدّه
محمدٌMuhammad أُكْرِمَwas honored منwhoever جَدّstrove
محمدٌ أُكْرِمَ من جَدّ
O full moon whose grandfather
O moon whose ancestor was
Is Muhammad—honored is whoever strives.
Muhammad, most honored of ancestors
قصّرتُI fell short فيin مدحكpraising you لكنّنيbut I
قصّرتُ في مدحك لكنّني
أُواصِلI continue المدحthe praise كماas أُبدِيI express
أُواصِل المدح كما أُبدِي
I have fallen short in praising you, but I
I've fallen short in praising you
Continue my praise as I express it.
Yet I persist in praise as I'm able
فإنso if تُسامِحْنيyou forgive me فياthen O نعمةa blessing
فإن تُسامِحْني فيا نعمة
يَقْصُرfalls short عنof حمديmy thanks لهاfor it جَهْديmy effort
يَقْصُر عن حمدي لها جَهْدي
So if you forgive me—what a blessing!
If you'll forgive me, what bounty!
My efforts cannot offer thanks enough for it.
My efforts fall short of praising it
Sol 6.1