وصلhe kept company with السقامَsickness فصدَّthen turned away عنfrom لوَّامهhis reproachers
وصل السقامَ فصدَّ عن لوَّامه
إنَّindeed الملامreproach يزيدincreases فيin آلامهِhis pains
إنَّ الملام يزيد في آلامهِ
He kept company with sickness and turned away from his reproachers.
Illness befell him, so he shunned his blamer,
Indeed, reproach increases his pains.
Indeed, blame increases his pains.
لاdo not تنكرنْcondemn طربيmy rapture إلىtoward بانbān trees الحمىthe protected pasture
لا تنكرنْ طربي إلى بان الحمى
فحمامُfor the death of صبريmy patience فيin هديلthe cooing of حمامهِits doves
فحمامُ صبري في هديل حمامهِ
Do not condemn my rapture for the bān trees of the sanctuary;
Do not deny my joy towards the one with fever,
for my patience dies in the cooing of its doves.
For the pigeon of my patience coos in its crooning.
حلَّsettled الهوىlove العذريّchaste, ʿUdhri فيمنin one who خدّهhis cheek
حلَّ الهوى العذريّ فيمن خدّه
وعذارهand his beard-line كالصّبحlike dawn تحتbeneath ظلامهِits darkness
وعذاره كالصّبح تحت ظلامهِ
Chaste ʿUdhri love has settled on one whose cheek
Passion settled upon my excuse among those he caressed,
and beard-line are like dawn beneath its darkness.
And his affection is like the dawn under its darkness.
كمhow often رحتI went لابسَwearing لأمةٍarmor منfrom سلوتيmy forgetfulness
كم رحت لابسَ لأمةٍ من سلوتي
والصُّدغand the temple-lock يعطفنيbends me بعطفةwith the curve of لامهِits lām
والصُّدغ يعطفني بعطفة لامهِ
How often I went clad in armor of my forgetfulness,
How often have I walked wearing the garment of a female servant,
yet his temple-lock bends me with the curve of its lām.
While he turns to look at me with a twist of his cheek.
ماnot البدرthe full moon يحجmakes pilgrimage بهto it الظلامthe darkness ترفّعاًin loftiness
ما البدر يحج به الظلام ترفّعاً
عنabove شائميهits beholders كوجههlike his face وأمامهِand his brow
عن شائميه كوجهه وأمامهِ
The full moon, to which darkness makes pilgrimage, is not so lofty
The full moon does not need to make pilgrimage with what darkness ascends
above its beholders as his face and his brow.
Above my slanderers like its face and its front.
ظبيٌa gazelle وماyet not للظبيfor the gazelle سحرthe enchantment of جفونهhis eyelids
ظبيٌ وما للظبي سحر جفونه
غصنٌa bough وماyet not للغصنِfor the bough لينthe suppleness of قوامهِhis form
غصنٌ وما للغصنِ لين قوامهِ
A gazelle—yet no gazelle has the enchantment of his eyelids;
A gazelle, but the gazelle has no magic in its eyelids,
a bough—yet no bough has the suppleness of his form.
A branch, but the branch has no softness to its posture.
ذوone possessed of الخصرِthe waist ينحلنيbestows on me دوامthe persistence of نحولهhis slenderness
ذو الخصرِ ينحلني دوام نحوله
والجفنand the eyelid أعدىinfected صحتيmy health بسقامهِwith its sickness
والجفن أعدى صحتي بسقامهِ
He of the slender waist grants me his unending thinness;
The one with the slender waist makes me melt with his continual leanness,
and his eyelid has infected my health with its sickness.
And the eyelid corrupts my health with its sickness.
ضاهىmatched مقبّلهُhis mouth فريدُthe choice pearl of عقودهhis necklaces
ضاهى مقبّلهُ فريدُ عقوده
فيin منعهِits inaccessibility وضيائهِand its radiance ونظامهِand its arrangement
في منعهِ وضيائهِ ونظامهِ
The choice pearl of his necklaces matched his mouth
His kissing competes with unique necklaces
in its inaccessibility, its radiance, and its arrangement.
In its abstinence, radiance, and organization.
أبداًalways يشتتscatters لوعتيmy burning anguish تشتيتهُhis dispersal
أبداً يشتت لوعتي تشتيتهُ
ويزيدand increases فيin ظمإيmy thirst مدامthe continuance of مدامهِhis wine
ويزيد في ظمإي مدام مدامهِ
His dispersal ever scatters my burning anguish,
Forever he disperses my passion with his dispersion,
and the continuance of his wine increases my thirst.
And increases my thirst with goblet after goblet.
كالمسكlike musk نشراًin fragrance والسُّلافand the finest wine مذاقةًin taste
كالمسك نشراً والسُّلاف مذاقةً
والقولُand the testimony قولُthe testimony of أراكهِhis arāk tooth-stick وبشامهِand his bashām tooth-stick
والقولُ قولُ أراكهِ وبشامهِ
Like musk in fragrance and the finest wine in taste—
Like musk in its diffusion and honey in its taste,
and the testimony is that of his arāk and his bashām.
And words that I see him and smell his fragrance.
بعثhe sent السُّهادsleeplessness معwith الخيالthe phantom فياso, oh! لهfor him
بعث السُّهاد مع الخيال فيا له
لوif جادhe were generous بالتهويمwith dozing ضنَhe withheld لمامهِhis fleeting visits
لو جاد بالتهويم ضنَ لمامهِ
He sent sleeplessness with his phantom—how astonishing he is!
Imagination sent dreams with the sleepless, oh if only
If he were generous with dozing, he would withhold his fleeting visits.
He would give freely with hallucinations and restrain his blame.
فالطرفso the eye بينbetween صباحهِhis dawn وسهادهand its sleeplessness
فالطرف بين صباحهِ وسهاده
ماnot باتspent the night بينbetween جفونهits eyelids ومنامهِand its sleep
ما بات بين جفونه ومنامهِ
So my eye, between his dawn and its sleeplessness,
So the glance between his wakefulness and his sleep
has never passed the night between its eyelids and its sleep.
Did not spend the night between his eyelids and his slumber.
عمرَmay it live long الظلامُthe darkness متىwhenever ظفرتI won بطيفهwith his phantom
عمرَ الظلامُ متى ظفرت بطيفه
والغمضُand slumber عمرَfor the lifetime of وصالهhis union وذمامهِand his pledge
والغمضُ عمرَ وصاله وذمامهِ
May darkness live long whenever I win his phantom,
How long did darkness live when it found his apparition?
and slumber endure as long as his union and his pledge,
And closing the eyes lived the time of his union and his intimacy.
أوor عمرَfor the lifetime of وعدِthe promise of الفاضلal-Fāḍil اتصلتwere joined بهِto it
أو عمرَ وعدِ الفاضل اتصلت بهِ
تلكthose الأياديthe hands (favors) البيضwhite منfrom إنعامهِhis bounty
تلك الأيادي البيض من إنعامهِ
or as long as al-Fāḍil’s promise, to which were joined
Or it lived the promise of the virtuous one I reached out to,
those white hands of his bounty.
Those white hands from his favor.