أبدورُare these moons تمٍfullness أوor وجوهُfaces كواعبٍfull-breasted maidens
أبدورُ تمٍ أو وجوهُ كواعبٍ
سفوتْunclear as written; perhaps 'appeared unveiled' طوالعَrising فيin بروجtowers غواربِcamels' withers
سفوتْ طوالعَ في بروج غواربِ
Are these full moons, or the faces of full-breasted maidens,
I search for a gathering or the faces of fair maidens
Unveiled [uncertain reading], rising in towers on camels' withers?
Who slipped away like planets in the mansions of the setting stars
رفعواthey raised القبابthe pavilions فكنتُso I was آخرَthe last راجعٍto return
رفعوا القباب فكنتُ آخرَ راجعٍ
والقلبُand the heart فيin الأظعانthe departing caravans أولthe first ذاهبِto depart
والقلبُ في الأظعان أول ذاهبِ
They raised the pavilions, so I was the last to return,
They raised the tents and I was the last to return
And my heart was the first to leave with the departing caravans.
While my heart was the first to depart into the havens of peril
بيضُwhite الترائبِthe bosoms والطُّلىand the necks حمرُred الحلىthe ornaments
بيضُ الترائبِ والطُّلى حمرُ الحلى
والعيسand the pale camels سودُblack نواظرٍeyes وذوائبand tresses
والعيس سودُ نواظرٍ وذوائب
White bosoms and necks, red ornaments,
White are the howdahs and red the jewelry
And pale camels, black eyes and tresses.
And the night is black, the gazes and the glances
ياO جامدَfrozen العبراتthe tears لوif ذقتَyou tasted الأسىsorrow
يا جامدَ العبرات لو ذقتَ الأسى
لعذرتَyou would surely pardon فيfor ماءwater الدموعthe tears الذائبِliquid
لعذرتَ في ماء الدموع الذائبِ
O you whose tears are frozen, had you tasted sorrow,
O you whose tears are frozen, if you tasted anguish
You would grant pardon for the flowing water of tears.
You would excuse me in the waters of the melting tears
أوor كنتyou were حيثwhere ظباؤهنtheir gazelles منfrom الخشىfear
أو كنت حيث ظباؤهن من الخشى
لوقفتyou would surely have stood منهاof them فيin رسومtraces ملاعبplaygrounds
لوقفت منها في رسوم ملاعب
Or had you been where their gazelles were, in fear,
Or if you were where their gazelles are fearful
You would have stood amid the traces of their playgrounds.
You would stand still in their playgrounds
والبينُand parting معركةُa battlefield الصبابةlonging كمhow many بهاin it
والبينُ معركةُ الصبابة كم بها
غمضاًsleep قتيلاًslain بعدafter صبرٍpatience هاربِfleeing
غمضاً قتيلاً بعد صبرٍ هاربِ
Parting is longing's battlefield: how often, there,
And separation is the battleground of youths, how many there
Sleep lies slain, after patience has fled.
Lie slain after fleeing patience
حرسواthey guarded القدودthe figures بمثلهنَّwith their like منamong القناthe spears
حرسوا القدود بمثلهنَّ من القنا
فحمىso protected شموسَthe suns الحسنbeauty أيwhat كواكبstars
فحمى شموسَ الحسن أي كواكب
They guarded those figures with spears like them;
They guarded the boundaries with the like of spearheads
What stars, then, protected the suns of beauty!
So the suns of beauty warded off any planets
ياO حاكماًruler مذsince غابhe disappeared نابacted as deputy خيالهُhis phantom
يا حاكماً مذ غاب ناب خيالهُ
لمnot يخلُbe empty منصبoffice حاكمٍa ruler منof نائبِa deputy
لم يخلُ منصب حاكمٍ من نائبِ
O ruler whose phantom deputized for him once he was gone,
O ruler, since the specter of his imagination disappeared
No ruler's office has been left without a deputy.
No seat of ruler remains without a deputy
لاmay not ذقتَyou taste زلاًa fall والجمالُand beauty ولايةٌa governorship
لا ذقتَ زلاً والجمالُ ولايةٌ
عاملتنيyou treated me فيهاin it بغيرcontrary to الواجبِwhat is due
عاملتني فيها بغير الواجبِ
May you never taste a fall—beauty is a governorship,
You have not tasted decline, and beauty is authority
In which you treated me contrary to what was due.
Which has treated me in it without duty
كمhow many مهجةٍa heart's lifeblood فيهاin it لناof ours وحشاشةٍand a remnant of life
كم مهجةٍ فيها لنا وحشاشةٍ
ذهبتperished علىat يدthe hand ناظرٍan eye (also: overseer) أوor حاجبِan eyebrow (also: chamberlain)
ذهبت على يد ناظرٍ أو حاجبِ
How many a heart and remnant of our life within it
How many slain, in them is desolation for us and loneliness
Perished at the hands of an eye or a brow!
Lost at the hand of a watcher or guard
وسلبتنيand you robbed me طيبthe sweetness الكرىsleep وأحلتand you referred أجفeyelids (word begins)
وسلبتني طيب الكرى وأحلت أجف
انيmy (word ends) علىto وعدِthe promise الخيالthe phantom الكاذبِlying
اني على وعدِ الخيال الكاذبِ
And you robbed me of sweet sleep, referring my eye-
And they robbed me of the scent of vine, and poured a dry
lids to the phantom's lying promise.
riverbed for me after the promise of the lying imagination
وأقيمُand I establish عذركyour excuse فيfor القطيعةestrangement عالماًknowing
وأقيمُ عذرك في القطيعة عالماً
صدَّthe turning away الحسانbeautiful women عنfrom العذارcheek-down الشائبِgraying
صدَّ الحسان عن العذار الشائبِ
And I make excuses for your estrangement, knowing
And I establish your excuse in estrangement, knowing
That beauties shun a graying cheek.
The repelling of the good from the reprehensible separation
هلاwhy not ضحكتyou smiled بلمتيat my locks وغرابُهاwhile their crow
هلا ضحكت بلمتي وغرابُها
بفراقِof parting منthe one whom أهواهI love him ليسis not بناعبِcawing (emphatic)
بفراقِ من أهواه ليس بناعبِ
Why did you not smile at my locks, while their crow
Why did you not laugh at my condition and its strangeness
Was not cawing of parting from the one I love?
In the separation from whom I love, he is no companion
وكففتَand you restrained عنfrom أربٍa desire يديmy hand مكانthe place العقدthe necklace
وكففتَ عن أربٍ يدي مكان العقد
منon جيدthe neck المهاةthe oryx الكاعبِfull-breasted
من جيد المهاة الكاعبِ
And you kept my hand from its desire—the necklace's place
And restrain your hand from a tender branch in place of a knot
On the neck of the full-breasted oryx-maiden.
From the soft curly hair of the fair one
وأعافُand I shun وصلَunion الغانياتbeautiful women وموضعيwhile my place
وأعافُ وصلَ الغانيات وموضعي
منهنَّamong them بينbetween جوانحribs وترائبand bosoms
منهنَّ بين جوانح وترائب
And I shun union with beautiful women, though my place
And the union of singers is strange to me, and my position
With them lies between ribs and bosoms.
Among them is between breasts and necklaces
عجباًhow strange تقاسare compared بكwith you البدورُthe full moons وتارةًand sometimes
عجباً تقاس بك البدورُ وتارةً
حورdark-eyed ones الظباءthe gazelles وذاكand that جهدutmost effort الغائبِthe absent one
حور الظباء وذاك جهد الغائبِ
How strange! The full moons are compared with you, and at times
Strange that equivalents are struck for you, and sometimes
The dark-eyed gazelles—and that is the absent one's best effort.
The houri and gazelles, and that is the feat of the absent one
وتغيرنيand make me jealous هيفُslender ones الغصونthe boughs تحوزtake possession منfrom
وتغيرني هيفُ الغصون تحوز من
عِطفيكyour two flanks هزَّةa sway سارقٍa thief أوor غاصبa usurper
عِطفيك هزَّة سارقٍ أو غاصب
And slender boughs make me jealous, taking from
And the swaying of the branches changes me; you gain from
Your two flanks a swaying grace, like a thief or usurper.
My inclination a sly gesture of a thief or usurper
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.