أَأَنكَرتَhave you failed to recognize? مِنfrom بَعدِafter عِرفانِكاyour familiarity
أَأَنكَرتَ مِن بَعدِ عِرفانِكا
مَنازِلَdwellings كانَتthey once were لِجيرانِكاbelonging to your neighbors
مَنازِلَ كانَت لِجيرانِكا
Have you failed to recognize, after knowing them,
the dwellings that once belonged to your neighbors?
مَنازِلَthe dwellings of بَيضاءَa fair-skinned woman كانَتshe used to تَكونُbe
مَنازِلَ بَيضاءَ كانَت تَكونُ
بِسِرِّin the secrecy of هَواكَyour love وَإِعلانِكاand your open avowal
بِسِرِّ هَواكَ وَإِعلانِكا
The dwellings of a fair-skinned woman who would,
whether your love was secret or openly avowed,
تُريدُshe seeks رِضاكَyour approval إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle خَلَونَthey were alone
تُريدُ رِضاكَ إِذا ما خَلَونَ
طِلابُseeking هَواكَyour love وَعِصيانِكاand defying you
طِلابُ هَواكَ وَعِصيانِكا
seek your favor whenever they were alone,
seeking your love and defying you.
وَإِنand if شِئتَyou wished عاطَتكَshe gave to you أَوor داعَبَتshe flirted
وَإِن شِئتَ عاطَتكَ أَو داعَبَت
لَعوبٌplayful عَلىthroughout كُلِّall أَحيانِكاyour times
لَعوبٌ عَلى كُلِّ أَحيانِكا
And if you wished, she would indulge you or flirt,
playful through all your hours.
تُريكَshe shows you أَحايِينَat times عُرضيَّةًcontrariness
تُريكَ أَحايِينَ عُرضيَّةً
وَحيناًand sometimes تُرىshe is seen دونَwithout إِمهانِكاhumbling you
وَحيناً تُرى دونَ إِمهانِكا
At times she shows you a contrary mood,
and at others appears without humbling you.
إِذاwhenever ماemphatic particle تَضاغَنتَyou bore a grudge أَلفَيتَهاyou found her
إِذا ما تَضاغَنتَ أَلفَيتَها
صَناعاًskilled بِتَسليلِat gently extracting أَضغانِكاyour grudges
صَناعاً بِتَسليلِ أَضغانِكا
Whenever you bore a grudge, you found her
skilled at gently extracting your grudges.
وَكُنتَand you were وَكانَتand she was وَكانَand was الزَمانُtime
وَكُنتَ وَكانَت وَكانَ الزَمانُ
فَأَحسِنhow lovely, then بِهاshe was وَبِأَزمانِكاand your days were
فَأَحسِن بِها وَبِأَزمانِكا
And you were, and she was, and time was—
how lovely she was, and how lovely your days!
لَيالِيَnights when أَنتَyou لَهاfor her مَوطِنٌa home
لَيالِيَ أَنتَ لَها مَوطِنٌ
وَإِذand when هِيَshe أَفضَلُthe best of أَوطانِكاyour homes
وَإِذ هِيَ أَفضَلُ أَوطانِكا
On nights when you were her home,
and when she was the best of your homes;
وَإِذand when هِيَshe شَأنُكَyour concern تُعنىyou cared بِهِabout it
وَإِذ هِيَ شَأنُكَ تُعنى بِهِ
وَإِذand when غَيرُهاanyone but her لَيسَwas not مِنof شانِكاyour concern
وَإِذ غَيرُها لَيسَ مِن شانِكا
and when she was your concern, to which you devoted yourself,
and when anyone but her was no concern of yours;
وَإِذand when هِيَshe تِربُكَyour age-mate تِربُa companion in الصَفاءِpure affection
وَإِذ هِيَ تِربُكَ تِربُ الصَفاءِ
وَخِدنُكَand your intimate companion مِنfrom دونِapart from أَخدانِكاyour intimate companions
وَخِدنُكَ مِن دونِ أَخدانِكا
and when she was your age-mate, a companion in pure affection,
and your intimate companion above your other companions;
وَإِذand when كُلُّevery مَرعىًpasture رَعَتهُthey grazed it السَراةُthe nobles
وَإِذ كُلُّ مَرعىً رَعَتهُ السَراةُ
وَإِنeven though طابَit was pleasant لَيسَwas not كَسَعدانِكاlike your saʿdān herbage
وَإِن طابَ لَيسَ كَسَعدانِكا
and when every pasture grazed by the nobles,
though pleasant, could not match your saʿdān herbage.
خُزاماكَyour lavender مونِقَةٌdelightful ظِلُّهاits shade
خُزاماكَ مونِقَةٌ ظِلُّها
وَقُريانُهُمand their watercourses دونَinferior to قُريانِكاyour watercourses
وَقُريانُهُم دونَ قُريانِكا
The shade of your lavender was delightful,
and their watercourses fell short of your own.
فَدَبَّthen crept لَهاagainst her وَلَكَand against you الكاشِحونَthe ill-wishers
فَدَبَّ لَها وَلَكَ الكاشِحونَ
فَحَلّواand so they untied حَبائِلَthe cords of أَقرانِكاyour binding ties
فَحَلّوا حَبائِلَ أَقرانِكا
Then ill-wishers crept in against her and you,
and untied the cords that bound you together.
لَجِجتَyou were stubborn وَلَجَّتand she was stubborn وَكانَand was اللَجاthe obsti-
لَجِجتَ وَلَجَّت وَكانَ اللَجا
جُ-nacy فيهِin it قَطيعَةَa breach with خُلصانِكاyour closest friends
جُ فيهِ قَطيعَةَ خُلصانِكا
You were stubborn and so was she; and obsti-
nacy in this meant a breach with your closest friends.
وَأَظهَرتَand you made plain هِجرانَهاyour abandonment of her ظالِماًunjustly
وَأَظهَرتَ هِجرانَها ظالِماً
وَلَمand not تَكُshe was أَهلاًdeserving لِهِجرانِكاof your abandonment
وَلَم تَكُ أَهلاً لِهِجرانِكا
And you openly abandoned her, unjustly,
though she did not deserve your abandonment.
أَأَدنَيتَهاdid you draw her near? ثُمَّthen جانَبتَهاyou shunned her
أَأَدنَيتَها ثُمَّ جانَبتَها
فَسَوفَthen you will تَرىsee غِبَّthe aftermath of إِدنائِكاyour drawing her near
فَسَوفَ تَرى غِبَّ إِدنائِكا
Did you draw her near, then shun her?
Then you will see the aftermath of drawing her near.
أَظُنُّكَI think you تَحسَبُهاsuppose her فيin الوِدادِlove
أَظُنُّكَ تَحسَبُها في الوِدادِ
مُراجِعَةًreturning بَعدَafter عِهدانِكاyour former intimacy
مُراجِعَةً بَعدَ عِهدانِكا
I think you expect her, in love,
to return after your former intimacy.
فَهَيهاتِbut far from it هَيهاتِfar from it حَتّىuntil المَماتِdeath
فَهَيهاتِ هَيهاتِ حَتّى المَماتِ
بِهَمِّكَwith your anguish مِنهاbecause of her وَأَحزانِكاand your sorrows
بِهَمِّكَ مِنها وَأَحزانِكا
But far, far from it—until death,
with your anguish over her and your sorrows.
Sol 6.1