جَفىshunned مقلةَthe eye الصبِّthe passionate lover الكئيبِthe sorrowful هجوعُهاits sleep
جَفى مقلةَ الصبِّ الكئيبِ هجوعُها
وكلّفهاand burdened it أشياءَthings لاnot تستطيعُهاit can bear them
وكلّفها أشياءَ لا تستطيعُها
Sleep forsook the eye of the heartsick, sorrowing lover,
Sleep has shunned the sorrowful lover’s eye,
And burdened it with things beyond its power.
and burdened it with things beyond its power.
غَداةَthe morning رأىhe saw ركبَthe caravan الخليطِthe companions وقدand already نأىwent far away
غَداةَ رأى ركبَ الخليطِ وقد نأى
بهيفاءَwith a slender-waisted woman إنif ولّتْshe departed بطيءٌslow رُجوعُهاher return
بهيفاءَ إن ولّتْ بطيءٌ رُجوعُها
On the morning he saw the companions’ caravan depart,
the morning he saw the companions’ caravan, already far away,
Taking far away a slender beauty who, once gone, is slow to return.
bearing a slender-waisted woman who, once gone, is slow to return.
أعاذلهُO his reproacher رفقاًgently فبينَfor between ضلوعِهhis ribs
أعاذلهُ رفقاً فبينَ ضلوعِه
صبابةُardent love قلبa heart لاnot يُطاقُcan be endured نُزوعُهاits pull
صبابةُ قلب لا يُطاقُ نُزوعُها
O reproacher, be gentle, for between his ribs
O you who reproach him, be gentle: between his ribs
Lies a heart’s passion whose uprooting cannot be borne.
lies a heart’s ardent love whose pull cannot be borne.
رأىhe saw دَمَناabandoned campsites يشكوhe laments معالِمَهاtheir traces
رأى دَمَنا يشكو معالِمَها
شكَتْlamented كبِدٌa liver قدalready أوهنَتْهاweakened it صُدوعُهاits fissures
شكَتْ كبِدٌ قد أوهنَتْها صُدوعُها
He saw deserted camps, their landmarks voicing complaint,
He saw abandoned campsites, lamenting their traces;
While an innermost heart complained, weakened by its fractures.
a liver lamented, its fissures having weakened it.
ولماand when التقيناwe met يومَday منعرجٍbend اللِوىal-Liwa
ولما التقينا يومَ منعرجٍ اللِوى
وفاضَتْand overflowed دموعيmy tears حيرةbewilderment ودموعُهاand her tears
وفاضَتْ دموعي حيرة ودموعُها
When we met at the bend of al-Liwa,
And when we met that day at al-Liwa’s bend,
My tears overflowed in bewilderment—and so did hers.
and my tears and hers overflowed in bewilderment,
عقدناwe sealed مواثيقَcovenants المودّةِaffection بينناbetween us
عقدنا مواثيقَ المودّةِ بيننا
سواءٌequally وظنيand my belief أنهاthat she لاnot تُضيعُهاshe neglects them
سواءٌ وظني أنها لا تُضيعُها
We sealed covenants of affection between us,
we sealed covenants of affection between us
Equally; and I thought she would never let them go to waste.
on equal terms; I believe she will not break them.
وماand not راعنيalarmed me إلاexcept فراقُparting مشبَّبٍone celebrated in love verse
وما راعني إلا فراقُ مشبَّبٍ
فياso, ah ليتَwould that شعريmy knowing هلwhether تراهُyou think it يَروعُهاit frightens her
فيا ليتَ شعري هل تراهُ يَروعُها
Nothing startled me but the parting of a love-struck man—
Nothing alarmed me but parting from one celebrated in love verse;
Would that I knew: do you think it startles her?
ah, if only I knew—do you think it frightens her?
عجبتُI marvelled وفيand in الأيامِthe days كلُّevery عجيبةٍmarvel
عجبتُ وفي الأيامِ كلُّ عجيبةٍ
لأسماءَat Asma يَعصينيdisobeys me الهوىpassion وأُطيعُهاand I obey her
لأسماءَ يَعصيني الهوى وأُطيعُها
I marvel—though the days contain every marvel—
I marvelled—and the days hold every marvel—
At Asma: passion defies me, yet I obey her.
at Asma: passion disobeys me, while I obey her.
وماand not ذاكَthat إلاexcept أننيthat I ذوpossessed of صبابةٍardent love
وما ذاكَ إلا أنني ذو صبابةٍ
تحكّمَruled فيin قلبيmy heart فجارَand became tyrannical وُلوعُهاinfatuation with her
تحكّمَ في قلبي فجارَ وُلوعُها
That is only because I am possessed by longing:
And that is only because I am possessed of ardent love:
My ardor for her rules my heart and tyrannizes it.
infatuation with her ruled my heart and turned tyrant.
علائقُbonds of love تُخْفيهاconceal them الأضالعُthe ribs جُهدَهاwith all their strength
علائقُ تُخْفيها الأضالعُ جُهدَها
مخافةَfor fear of واشٍa tale-bearer والدموعُand the tears تُذيعُهاreveal them
مخافةَ واشٍ والدموعُ تُذيعُها
Bonds that the ribs labor with all their might to conceal,
Bonds of love the ribs do their utmost to conceal,
For fear of a slanderer—yet tears proclaim them.
for fear of a tale-bearer, while tears reveal them.
وأطمعَنيand gave me hope فيof وصلهاunion with her أنthat طيفهاher phantom
وأطمعَني في وصلها أن طيفها
يُوافيarrives إذاwhen الظلماءُthe dark night وافىarrived هزيعُهاa watch of it
يُوافي إذا الظلماءُ وافى هزيعُها
Her phantom enticed me to hope for union,
And what gave me hope of union with her was that her phantom
Visiting when darkness entered its nightly watch.
visits when a watch of the dark night arrives.
تخيّلit seemed ليto me أنيthat I إذاwhen زارit visited مضجعيmy bed
تخيّل لي أني إذا زار مضجعي
وإنeven though نزّحَتْshe moved far away مناfrom us الديارَthe dwellings ضجيعُهاher bedfellow
وإن نزّحَتْ منا الديارَ ضجيعُها
It made me imagine, whenever it visited my bed,
It seemed to me that I, when it visited my bed,
That though our homes lay far apart, I was her bedfellow.
was her bedfellow, though she had moved her dwellings far from us.
إذاwhen بوّأتناsettled us العيسُthe pale camels منof أحمدَAhmad الرضىal-Rida
إذا بوّأتنا العيسُ من أحمدَ الرضى
فِناهُhis courtyard فلاso may not شُدَّتbe tightened عليهاupon them نُسوعُهاtheir girths
فِناهُ فلا شُدَّت عليها نُسوعُها
When the camels bring us to lodge with Ahmad al-Rida,
When the pale camels lodge us with Ahmad al-Rida,
We attain him—then may no saddle-girths be tightened upon them.
in his courtyard, may their girths never be tightened upon them.
وكيفand how وقدwhen already حلّتْthey alighted بناwith us فيin جِنابِthe domain of منone who
وكيف وقد حلّتْ بنا في جِنابِ من
لهhe has غرةٌa radiant brow يَنفيdispels الظلامَthe darkness صديعُهاits dawnlight
له غرةٌ يَنفي الظلامَ صديعُها
And why should they, when they have brought us into the court of one
And how could that be, when they have set us down in the domain of one
Whose brow has a radiance that banishes darkness?
whose radiant brow’s dawnlight banishes the darkness?
يُعيدُhe repeats ويُبْديand reveals شيمةًa noble trait بعدafter شيمةٍa noble trait
يُعيدُ ويُبْدي شيمةً بعد شيمةٍ
كمثلlike رياضِmeadows الحُزْنِthe rugged uplands جادَshowered generously ربيعُهاtheir spring
كمثل رياضِ الحُزْنِ جادَ ربيعُها
He renews and displays one noble trait after another,
Again and again he reveals one noble trait after another,
Like gardens on rugged ground drenched by their spring rain.
like upland meadows generously watered by their spring rains.
سماhe rose للعُلىto lofty honors فرداًalone فجمّعand gathered شملَهاtheir company
سما للعُلى فرداً فجمّع شملَها
لديهِat his side ولولاهُand but for him لشتَّwould have scattered جميعُهاall of them
لديهِ ولولاهُ لشتَّ جميعُها
He rose alone toward the heights, then gathered their scattered parts
He rose alone to lofty honors and gathered them together
In himself; without him, all of them would be dispersed.
about him; but for him, they would all have scattered.
إذاwhen عذلْتُهreproached him فيfor المكارمِgenerous deeds عصبةٌa group
إذا عذلْتُه في المكارمِ عصبةٌ
عصتْهاdefied them أياديهِhis benefactions فليستْso they are not تُطيعُهاobeying them
عصتْها أياديهِ فليستْ تُطيعُها
If some faction would bar him from deeds of honor,
When a group reproaches him for his generous deeds,
His beneficent hands resist it, refusing to obey.
his benefactions defy them and will not obey them.
لقدindeed حسُنَتْhave been fine منهfrom him الصنائعthe benefactions شيمةًby disposition
لقد حسُنَتْ منه الصنائع شيمةً
وطبعاًand by nature إذاwhen الأعداءُthe enemies سيءَwas foul صنيعُهاtheir conduct
وطبعاً إذا الأعداءُ سيءَ صنيعُها
His benefactions have become beautiful as an ingrained trait,
His deeds of kindness are indeed fine, by disposition
And so is your nature when your enemies’ conduct is vile.
and by nature, while his enemies’ conduct is foul.
حليفُan ally of النّدىgenerosity شهّادُa constant attendant أنديةِthe councils of العُلىglory
حليفُ النّدى شهّادُ أنديةِ العُلى
بهthrough him عمِرَتْhave flourished بعدَafter العَفاءِdesolation ربوعُهاits abodes
به عمِرَتْ بعدَ العَفاءِ ربوعُها
Companion of bounty, constant presence in the assemblies of glory,
Ally of generosity, constant attendant at the councils of glory,
Through him their quarters, after desolation, have flourished.
through him, its abodes have flourished after desolation.
حميتَyou protected بفضلِby the abundance of الجودِgenerosity أعراضَكyour honor العدىthe foes
حميتَ بفضلِ الجودِ أعراضَك العدى
فقدfor indeed علمواthey knew أنthat لنwill never يُنالَbe reached منيعُهاits impregnable stronghold
فقد علموا أن لن يُنالَ منيعُها
By abundant generosity you guarded the honor of lofty deeds,
By abundant generosity you have shielded your honor from foes;
And they learned that its stronghold cannot be reached.
for they know its impregnable stronghold will never be reached.
رأىsaw العيدَthe feast day لماwhen أنthat رآهit saw him عجائباًwonders
رأى العيدَ لما أن رآه عجائباً
يحدِّثit tells عنهاabout them دائماًalways ويُشيعُهاand spreads them abroad
يحدِّث عنها دائماً ويُشيعُها
When the Feast beheld him, it saw wonders
The feast day, when it saw him, beheld wonders
To recount forever and spread abroad:
which it always recounts and spreads abroad:
غماماًa raincloud وأصباحاًand dawns وطَوْداًand a mountain ومُرْهَفاًand a keen-edged sword
غماماً وأصباحاً وطَوْداً ومُرْهَفاً
وبحراًand a sea وشمساًand a sun ماnot يغِبُّis intermittent طلوعُهاits rising
وبحراً وشمساً ما يغِبُّ طلوعُها
A raincloud, dawns, a mountain, a keen-edged blade,
a raincloud, dawns, a mountain, and a keen-edged sword,
An ocean and a sun whose rising never fails.
and a sea, and a sun whose rising never fails.
