وذيand one possessing خفرٍbashfulness عيلَwas exhausted صبريmy patience بهِby him
وذي خفرٍ عيلَ صبري بهِ
وماand not هتكَtore apart الصبرَpatience غيرُother than الخفرْbashfulness
وما هتكَ الصبرَ غيرُ الخفرْ
And a bashful one—my patience was exhausted by him;
My endurance weakened under the weight of longing
and nothing but bashfulness tore my patience apart.
Patience could not withstand except weakness
خلوتُI was alone بهwith him ليلةone night فيin الزمانtime
خلوتُ به ليلة في الزمان
فطالso grew long بكائيmy weeping لذاكbecause of that القصرِbrevity
فطال بكائي لذاك القصرِ
I was alone with him one night in the course of time,
I was alone with it one night of time
so my weeping grew long over that brevity.
So my weeping for that palace prolonged
وولَّىand departed الصدودُestrangement وجاءand came الوصالunion
وولَّى الصدودُ وجاء الوصال
فعاشَso lived الرجاءhope وماتand died الحذرcaution
فعاشَ الرجاء ومات الحذر
And estrangement departed, and union came;
The rejecters departed and union arrived
so hope lived, and caution died.
So hope lived and caution died
رشفناwe sipped رضابَsaliva ثغورmouths الكؤوthe cups (first fragment)
رشفنا رضابَ ثغور الكؤو
سcompletes 'cups' إلىuntil أنthat تبلَّجshone forth وجهُface السجَرruddy glow
س إلى أن تبلَّج وجهُ السجَر
We sipped the saliva of the goblets' mouths,
We quenched our thirst from strikes on the enemy's gaps
until the face of the ruddy glow shone forth.
Until the face of the morning dawned and brightened
وقدand had كفرveiled الغيمُthe clouds سمطَnecklace النجوthe stars (first fragment)
وقد كفر الغيمُ سمطَ النجو
مcompletes 'stars' كماjust as طفحoverflowed الماءُthe water فوقabove الزهرِthe blossoms
م كما طفح الماءُ فوق الزهرِ
And the clouds had veiled the necklace of stars,
The clouds denied the rain of the stars
as water brimmed over the blossoms.
As water overflows above the flowers
ومنand through سُقمfrailty جسميmy body ومنand through وجههِhis face
ومن سُقم جسمي ومن وجههِ
أريهI show him السُّهىAl-Suha (a faint star) ويرينيand he shows me القمرthe moon
أريه السُّهى ويريني القمر
And through my body's frailty, and through his face,
From my body's illness and from his face
I show him Al-Suha, and he shows me the moon.
I show him slender and he shows me the moon