هلis there? ياO حُداةcamel-drivers النُجُبِthe noble camels
هل يا حُداة النُجُبِ
للركبfor the caravan منany منقلَبِreturn
للركب من منقلَبِ
Is there, O drivers of the noble camels,
O youths of noble lineage,
any return for the caravan?
Is there respite for the caravan
والعيشُand life لماwhen عزَمواthey resolved
والعيشُ لما عزَموا
علىupon النّوىdeparture لمdid not يَطبِbe pleasant
على النّوى لم يَطبِ
And life, when they resolved
Whose life when resolved
upon departure, lost its sweetness.
Upon purpose did not please?
سارتْjourneyed بقلبيwith my heart عيسُهمْtheir pale camels
سارتْ بقلبي عيسُهمْ
واalas! أسَفيmy sorrow واalas! حرَبيmy anguish
وا أسَفي وا حرَبي
Their pale camels journeyed away with my heart.
Their image moved my heart,
Oh, my sorrow! Oh, my anguish!
Oh my sorrow, oh my grief,
منfrom حُبّlove أحوىa dark-hued one أغيدٍa supple, graceful one
من حُبّ أحوى أغيدٍ
مهفهَفٍslender-waisted محجَّبِveiled
مهفهَفٍ محجَّبِ
For love of one dark-hued and graceful,
For love of the beloved Ahid,
slender-waisted and veiled.
Delicate and veiled.
زرىput to shame بحسنِwith the beauty of وجههhis face
زرى بحسنِ وجهه
علىin comparison with ابنِthe son of يعقوبَJacob النّبيthe prophet
على ابنِ يعقوبَ النّبي
With his face's beauty, he put to shame
He visited me with his beauty,
the son of the prophet Jacob.
The son of Jacob the prophet.
عِذارُهhis cheek-down فيupon خدّهhis cheek
عِذارُه في خدّه
كأرقمٍlike a mottled serpent أوor عقربِa scorpion
كأرقمٍ أو عقربِ
The down upon his cheek
His charm on his cheek
is like a mottled serpent or a scorpion.
Like a snake or scorpion.
تيّمنيenslaved me with love بحُسنهwith his beauty
تيّمني بحُسنه
ظبيٌa gazelle سريعُquick to الغضبanger
ظبيٌ سريعُ الغضب
With his beauty he enslaved me:
His beauty brought me blessing,
a gazelle quick to anger.
A gazelle quick to anger.
علِقْتُهI fell in love with him فليسso there is no ليfor me
علِقْتُه فليس لي
عنfrom حبّهlove of him منany مهربِescape
عن حبّه من مهربِ
I fell in love with him; I have no
I clung to him but I have for his love
escape from loving him.
No escape or refuge.
أعاذِليO my reproacher فيfor حُبّهlove of him
أعاذِلي في حُبّه
لمdid not تُصِبِyou hit the mark لمdid not تُصِبِyou hit the mark
لم تُصِبِ لم تُصِبِ
O you who reproach me for loving him,
Reproach me for his love,
you are wrong; you are wrong.
You did not hit, you did not hit,
تعذُلُنيyou reproach me فيfor رشأٍa gazelle-fawn
تعذُلُني في رشأٍ
أرىI consider هواهُlove of him مذهبيmy creed
أرى هواهُ مذهبي
You reproach me for a gazelle-fawn;
You blame me wrongly
I deem my love for him my creed.
When I see his love enchants me.
ماnot إنindeed (emphatic) رآهsaw him البدرُthe full moon إلexcept (first part)
ما إن رآه البدرُ إل
اcompletion of 'except' واختفىand hid itself فيin السُحُبِthe clouds
ا واختفى في السُحُبِ
No sooner does the full moon see him
When the moon saw him
than it hides within the clouds.
It hid itself in the clouds.
ياO ويحَهُalas for him ماwhat بالُهis the matter with him
يا ويحَهُ ما بالُه
بصدّهby his turning away معذّبيmy tormentor
بصدّه معذّبي
Alas for him! Why is he
Oh woe to me, what is with him
tormenting me by turning away?
Tormenting me with his aloofness?
ماwhat ضرّهharm would it do him لوif جادَhe gave generously ليto me
ما ضرّه لو جادَ لي
بلثمِwith a kiss of ذاكthat الشّنبِthe teeth's cool sweetness
بلثمِ ذاك الشّنبِ
What harm would it do him to grant me
No harm if he would grant me
a kiss upon that cool, sweet mouth?
A kiss from those lips.
ياO رُبّmany a ليلٍnight زارنيhe visited me
يا رُبّ ليلٍ زارني
فيin غفلةthe heedlessness of المرتَقِبthe watcher
في غفلة المرتَقِب
Ah, many a night he visited me
O Lord of a night he visited me
while the watcher was heedless.
In the heedlessness of the watcher,
فخِلتُهso I imagined him بدراًa full moon بداthat appeared
فخِلتُه بدراً بدا
علىupon قضيبِa slender stem of ذهبِgold
على قضيبِ ذهبِ
Then I thought him a full moon appearing
So I left him as a full moon appeared
upon a slender stem of gold,
On a rod of gold,
أوor طلعةَthe countenance of الشيخthe shaykh الإماthe imam (first part)
أو طلعةَ الشيخ الإما
مcompletion of 'imam' ذيpossessed of الحِجىwisdom والحسبand noble standing
م ذي الحِجى والحسب
or the countenance of the shaykh, the imam,
Or the rising of the Shaykh Al-Imam
possessed of wisdom and noble standing,
Of lineage and merit,
خيرthe best of الورىhumankind قاطبةًall, without exception
خير الورى قاطبةً
منamong عجَمٍnon-Arabs أوor عرَبِArabs
من عجَمٍ أو عرَبِ
the best of all humankind,
The best of all humanity
be they non-Arabs or Arabs;
Arab or non-Arab,
الحافظِthe memorizer (hafiz) الحبرِthe learned scholar الإماthe imam (first part)
الحافظِ الحبرِ الإما
مِcompletion of 'imam' الشافعيShafi‘i المذهبin doctrine
مِ الشافعي المذهب
the hafiz, the learned scholar, the imam,
The preserver, the scholar, the Imam
of the Shafi‘i school.
Of the Shafi'i doctrine,
هوhe الكريمُthe generous one بنson of الكريthe generous one (first part)
هو الكريمُ بن الكري
مِcompletion of 'the generous one' الأنجبُthe most distinguished بنson of الأنجبِthe most distinguished
مِ الأنجبُ بن الأنجبِ
He is the generous one, son of the generous,
He is the generous son of the generous
the most distinguished, son of the most distinguished;
The most noble son of the most noble,
مَنhe whose حسنُهhis beauty كيوسفٍlike Joseph
مَن حسنُه كيوسفٍ
ونطقُهand his speech كيعْرُبِlike Ya‘rub
ونطقُه كيعْرُبِ
he whose beauty is like Joseph's,
Whose beauty rivals Joseph’s
and whose speech is like Ya‘rub's;
And whose speech rivals Ya’rub’s.
ومنand he whose نداهُhis bounty دائماًalways
ومن نداهُ دائماً
يفيضُoverflows فيضَthe outpouring of السُحُبِthe clouds
يفيضُ فيضَ السُحُبِ
and he whose bounty always
His munificence always overflowing
pours forth as the clouds pour;
Like the pouring of the clouds,
ومنand he whose علَتْrose همّتهhis aspiration
ومن علَتْ همّته
علىabove السُهىSuha (a star) والعقربِand the Scorpion (constellation)
على السُهى والعقربِ
and he whose aspiration has risen
And whose ambition soared
above Suha and the Scorpion;
Above pleasure and fortune,
ومنand he whose غدَتْbecame ألفاظُهhis words
ومن غدَتْ ألفاظُه
مشرقةًradiant كالكوكبِlike a star
مشرقةً كالكوكبِ
and he whose words have become
And whose words shine
radiant as a star;
Like a star.
ومنand he whose أقلُّthe humblest خادمٍservant
ومن أقلُّ خادمٍ
يخدُمُهserves him كثعلبlike Tha‘lab
يخدُمُه كثعلب
and he whose humblest attendant
The least of his servants
serving him is like Tha‘lab;
Serves him like a fox.
ومنand he who إذاwhen ناظرَhe debates يرapproves (first part)
ومن إذا ناظرَ ير
ضاهُapproves him (completion) الإمامُthe imam اليَثْربيof Yathrib
ضاهُ الإمامُ اليَثْربي
and he who, whenever he debates, wins
And if the Imam of Yathrib
the approval of the imam of Yathrib,
And Al-Shafi’i the approved, the preferred
والشافعيُّand al-Shafi‘i المُرتضىthe approved one الthe
والشافعيُّ المُرتضى ال
مفضّلُfavored المطّلبيal-Muttalibi (of Muttalib)
مفضّلُ المطّلبي
and of al-Shafi‘i, the esteemed,
Gaze on him, they would be pleased.
the favored al-Muttalibi.
O my pillar, O my treasure,
ياO عُمدَتيmy mainstay ياO عُدّتيmy resource
يا عُمدَتي يا عُدّتي
ياO جُنّتيmy shield فيin النّوَبcalamities
يا جُنّتي في النّوَب
O my mainstay, O my resource,
O my paradise in tribulation,
O my shield in calamities,
Congratulations on the month
تهنّrejoice بالشهرin the month الذيwhich
تهنّ بالشهر الذي
حوىcontained الصيامَthe fast المُذهَبِgilded
حوى الصيامَ المُذهَبِ
rejoice in the month that
That contains the prescribed fast,
contained the gilded fast;
Live long in the bounty
وعشْand live ودمْand remain فيin نِعَمٍblessings
وعشْ ودمْ في نِعَمٍ
علىthrough ممرِّthe passing of الحِقَبِthe ages
على ممرِّ الحِقَبِ
and live, and remain amid blessings
Of fleeting epochs.
through the passing of the ages,
No brilliant lightning flashed
ماas long as لاحgleams برقٌlightning ساطعٌradiant
ما لاح برقٌ ساطعٌ
فيin خفضthe ease of عيشٍa life طيّبِpleasant
في خفض عيشٍ طيّبِ
as long as radiant lightning gleams,
In a pleasant, easy life.
in the ease of a pleasant life.
Partial English translation: 59 of 60 Arabic lines translated.