أَلمِمpay a visit بِجورٍto neighboring maidens فيin الصِفاحِal-Sifah حِسانِbeautiful
أَلمِم بِجورٍ في الصِفاحِ حِسانِ
هَيَّجنَthey stirred up مِنكَfrom you رَوائِعَterrifying pangs الأَحزانِsorrows
هَيَّجنَ مِنكَ رَوائِعَ الأَحزانِ
Call on beautiful neighboring maidens at al-Sifah,
I bear injustice with forbearance in the whiteness of dawn,
Who have stirred in you the terrors of sorrow.
You stirred in me the finest sorrows,
بيضٍfair-skinned women أَوانِسَamiable maidens قَدindeed أَصَبنَthey struck مَقاتِليmy vital spots
بيضٍ أَوانِسَ قَد أَصَبنَ مَقاتِلي
يُشبِهنَthey resemble تُلعَlong-necked ones شَوادِنِfawns الغِزلانِgazelles
يُشبِهنَ تُلعَ شَوادِنِ الغِزلانِ
Fair-skinned, amiable maidens who have struck my vital spots,
With white maidens who resemble fawns of the grazing deer,
They resemble the long-necked fawns of gazelles.
And remember for them an ardor in yourself entering,
وَاِذكُرand mention لَهُنَّto them جَوىًburning heartache بِنَفسِكَwithin your soul داخِلاًlodged within
وَاِذكُر لَهُنَّ جَوىً بِنَفسِكَ داخِلاً
قَدalready هاضَshattered عَظميmy bones حَرُّهُits heat وَبَرانيand wore me away
قَد هاضَ عَظمي حَرُّهُ وَبَراني
And tell them of a burning anguish lodged within your soul,
My bones became hot and my flesh burned,
Whose heat has shattered my bones and wasted me away.
As if your heart the day you came to bid farewell
فَكَأَنَّso it is as though قَلبَكَyour heart يَومَon the day جِئتَyou came مُوَدِّعاًbidding farewell
فَكَأَنَّ قَلبَكَ يَومَ جِئتَ مُوَدِّعاً
بِدَلالِهِنَّthrough their coquetry وَرُبَّماand often أَضنانيit wore me down
بِدَلالِهِنَّ وَرُبَّما أَضناني
So it was as though your heart, the day you came to bid farewell,
Was affectionate to them and perhaps made me jealous,
Often wore me down through their coquetry.
And I met them in the morning with a supple one
وَكَلِفتُand I became infatuated مِنهُنَّamong them الغَداةَthat morning بِغادَةٍwith a graceful maiden
وَكَلِفتُ مِنهُنَّ الغَداةَ بِغادَةٍ
مَجدولَةٍslender and firmly built جُدِلَتwas plaited كَجَدلِlike the braiding of عِنانِa rein
مَجدولَةٍ جُدِلَت كَجَدلِ عِنانِ
And that morning, among them, I became infatuated with a graceful maiden,
Braided like the braiding of reins,
Slender and firm, plaited like the braid of a rein.
Her buttocks were heavy so standing was hard for her,
ثَقُلَتgrew heavy عَجيزَتُهاher buttocks فَراثَso was slow قِيامُهاher rising
ثَقُلَت عَجيزَتُها فَراثَ قِيامُها
وَمَشَتand she walked لَمَشيِwith the gait of الشارِبِthe drinker النَشوانِdrunken
وَمَشَت لَمَشيِ الشارِبِ النَشوانِ
Her buttocks were heavy, so she was slow to rise,
She walked with the walk of one relaxed and tipsy,
And she walked with the gait of a drunken drinker.
She looked at you with the glances of a gazelle doe,
نَظَرَتshe looked إِلَيكَat you بِمُقلَتَيwith the two eyes of يَعفورَةٍa young doe
نَظَرَت إِلَيكَ بِمُقلَتَي يَعفورَةٍ
نَظَرَthe gaze of الرَبيبِthe hand-reared young one الشادِنُthe fawn الوَسنانَthe drowsy one
نَظَرَ الرَبيبِ الشادِنُ الوَسنانَ
She looked at you with the eyes of a young doe,
The looks of a fawn, young, tender and delicate,
The gaze of a drowsy, hand-reared fawn.
She has a good place where she dwells,
وَلَهاand she has مَحَلٌّan abode طَيِّبٌpleasant تَقروshe seeks out بِهِin it
وَلَها مَحَلٌّ طَيِّبٌ تَقرو بِهِ
بَقلِherbage of التِلاعِthe ravines بِحافَتَيalong the two edges of عَمّانِAmman
بَقلِ التِلاعِ بِحافَتَي عَمّانِ
And hers is a pleasant haunt, where she seeks out
At the slopes of Telal amid the outskirts of Amman,
The herbage of the ravines on either side of Amman.
Oh heart why do you still indulge
ياO قَلبُheart ماwhat لَكَis with you لاnot تَزالُyou cease مُوَكَّلاًobsessed
يا قَلبُ ما لَكَ لا تَزالُ مُوَكَّلاً
تَهذيyou rave بِهِندٍabout Hind عِندَat حينِa time أَوانِa due time
تَهذي بِهِندٍ عِندَ حينِ أَوانِ
O heart, why do you remain so obsessed,
When she is mentioned although grief has overcome me and I have kept silent,
Raving about Hind at every hour?
If only when I approached her veil one day
ماnot إِنat all أَشَدتُI proclaimed aloud بِذِكرِهاmention of her لَكِنَّهُbut the fact is
ما إِن أَشَدتُ بِذِكرِها لَكِنَّهُ
غُلِبَwas overcome العَزاءُfortitude وَبُحتُand I divulged بِالكِتمانِwhat was concealed
غُلِبَ العَزاءُ وَبُحتُ بِالكِتمانِ
It was not that I proclaimed her name; rather,
I found her talk healing,
My fortitude was overcome, and I revealed what I had concealed.
As though pure camphor and musk
لَوif كُنتُI was إِذwhen أَدنَفتُI became gravely ill مِنfrom كَلَفٍinfatuation بِهاwith her
لَو كُنتُ إِذ أَدنَفتُ مِن كَلَفٍ بِها
يَوماًone day أَصَبتُI obtained حَديثَهاher conversation لَشَفانيit would surely have healed me
يَوماً أَصَبتُ حَديثَها لَشَفاني
Had I, when I fell ill from my passion for her,
Were fragrant on her in pocket and lap,
One day heard her speak, it would have healed me.
Bashira stood out famously smooth-faced
وَكَأَنَّand as though كافوراًcamphor وَمِسكاًand musk خالِصاًpure
وَكَأَنَّ كافوراً وَمِسكاً خالِصاً
عَبِقاboth clung fragrantly بِهاto her بِالجَيبِat the neckline وَالأَردانِand the sleeves
عَبِقا بِها بِالجَيبِ وَالأَردانِ
And it was as though camphor and pure musk
Below the citadels and fortresses of Al-Hawthan,
Clung fragrantly to her, at her neckline and sleeves.
I compared her beauty to the morning sun
وَجَلَتand she unveiled بَشيرَةُBashira سُنَّةًa face مَشهورَةًradiant
وَجَلَت بَشيرَةُ سُنَّةً مَشهورَةً
دونَin front of الأَراكِthe arak trees وَراهِنِand the enduring الحَوذانِbuttercups
دونَ الأَراكِ وَراهِنِ الحَوذانِ
And Bashira unveiled a radiant face,
Yet she is a slayer and doll of monks,
In front of the arak trees and the enduring buttercups.
شَبَّهتُهاI likened her مِنbecause of حُسنِهاher beauty شَمسَthe sun of الضُحىmidmorning
شَبَّهتُها مِن حُسنِها شَمسَ الضُحى
وَهِيَand she is القَتولُthe slayer وَدُميَةُand the carved image of الرُهبانِthe monks
وَهِيَ القَتولُ وَدُميَةُ الرُهبانِ
For her beauty, I likened her to the midmorning sun,
And she is the slayer, the monks' carved image.
Partial English translation: 25 of 28 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1