قِفْstop بقَفْراءَat a barren tract يبابِdesolate
قِفْ بقَفْراءَ يبابِ
بأباباتwith yearnings إيابِfor return
بأبابات إيابِ
Stop at a barren, desolate waste,
Stand at the ruins of Layla,
with yearnings to return.
At the doors of her abodes,
دمنةٌa campsite's remains أقوَتْbecame deserted فأضحتْand so became
دمنةٌ أقوَتْ فأضحتْ
مثلَlike أثارِtraces الخِضابِdye
مثلَ أثارِ الخِضابِ
A campsite's remains, deserted, have become
A house that hosted many and became,
like traces of dye.
Like traces of henna.
قفْstop بهاat it إنif كنتَyou are صبّاًlovesick
قفْ بها إن كنتَ صبّاً
مُستهاماًdistraught with love ذاpossessing اكتِئابِsorrow
مُستهاماً ذا اكتِئابِ
Stop there, if you are lovesick,
Stand there if you are a passionate lover,
distraught with love and full of sorrow;
With melancholy and depression,
وابْكِand weep فيهاin it بدموعٍwith tears
وابْكِ فيها بدموعٍ
مثلُهاtheir like دمعُtears السّحابِthe clouds
مثلُها دمعُ السّحابِ
and weep there with tears
And weep there with tears,
like the tears of clouds.
Like the tears of clouds.
هلquestion marker عرفتَyou recognized الدارَthe dwelling قفراًdesolate
هل عرفتَ الدارَ قفراً
تتراءىappears كالسّرابِlike a mirage
تتراءى كالسّرابِ
Have you recognized the dwelling, desolate,
Do you recognize the house in ruins?
appearing like a mirage?
Appearing like a mirage,
لبسَتْit donned ثوبَa robe نحولٍwasting
لبسَتْ ثوبَ نحولٍ
بعدafter أعرابٍBedouins عِرابِof pure Arab stock
بعد أعرابٍ عِرابِ
It has donned a robe of wasting
Wearing a robe of leanness,
after the departure of true-born Bedouins,
After Bedouins and Arabs,
بعدafter جُمْلٍJuml وسُعادٍand Su'ad
بعد جُمْلٍ وسُعادٍ
وسُليمىand Sulayma ورَبابِand Rabab
وسُليمى ورَبابِ
after Juml and Su'ad,
After camels and happiness,
and Sulayma and Rabab.
And Sulayma and Rabab,
إنindeed جملاًJuml وسعاداًand Su'ad
إن جملاً وسعاداً
عرّضانيthey both exposed me للعِتابto reproach
عرّضاني للعِتاب
Indeed, Juml and Su'ad
Camels and Happiness,
have exposed me to reproach;
Exposed me to blame,
تركاthey both left قلبيmy heart كئيباًsorrowful
تركا قلبي كئيباً
ودموعيand my tears كالرّبابِlike clouds
ودموعي كالرّبابِ
they left my heart sorrowful
Left my heart depressed,
and my tears like clouds,
And my tears like drums.
بعدafter أنthat أقبلappeared شيبيmy gray hair
بعد أن أقبل شيبي
ومضىand passed شرخُthe prime شبابيof my youth
ومضى شرخُ شبابي
after my gray hair appeared
After my hair turned white,
and the prime of my youth passed.
And the bloom of my youth faded,
هنّthey كالشّمسlike the sun وجوهاًin face
هنّ كالشّمس وجوهاً
وخدوداًand cheeks كالشّرابِlike wine
وخدوداً كالشّرابِ
Their faces are like the sun,
They were like the sun in their beauty,
and their cheeks like wine,
With cheeks like wine,
وثغوراًand mouths مصلَlike (apparent typo) سِلْكِa strand الدthe pearls (first part)
وثغوراً مصلَ سِلْكِ الد
رِّcompletion of 'pearls' منfrom تحتbeneath الرُّضابِsaliva
رِّ من تحت الرُّضابِ
and their mouths like a strand of
And mouths sweeter than honey
pearls beneath their saliva,
Under shapely chins,
مشرقاتٍradiant حبّذاهاhow lovely they are
مشرقاتٍ حبّذاها
تحتَbeneath أرياقٍsaliva عِذابِsweet
تحتَ أرياقٍ عِذابِ
radiant—how lovely they are!—
Radiant ones I loved,
beneath sweet saliva.
Under tormenting eyelids,
عذُبَتْit became sweet ليستْit is not بملحٍsalty
عذُبَتْ ليستْ بملحٍ
فهْيَso it is كالشُّهْدِlike honey المُذابِmelted
فهْيَ كالشُّهْدِ المُذابِ
Sweet it is, not salty,
Tormenting but not salty,
so it is like melted honey.
For they are like melted honey,
وبأجيادٍand with necks كأجياlike necks (first part)
وبأجيادٍ كأجيا
دِcompletion of 'necks' ظباءٍgazelles فيin شِعابِravines
دِ ظباءٍ في شِعابِ
And with necks like the necks
And with necklaces like the necklaces
of gazelles in ravines,
Of wild deer in the valleys,
وبرمّانand with pomegranates صدورٍof bosoms
وبرمّان صدورٍ
تركَتْنيleft me فيin عذابِtorment
تركَتْني في عذابِ
and with pomegranate breasts
And pomegranate bosoms
that left me in torment,
That left me in torment,
وخُصورٍand waists نحُفَتْgrew slender منfrom
وخُصورٍ نحُفَتْ من
فوقabove أعجازٍhaunches روابيhills
فوق أعجازٍ روابي
and waists grown slender
And slender waists,
above haunches like hills.
Above smooth hips,
فتفرّقْناthen we parted جميعاًall
فتفرّقْنا جميعاً
بعدafter ذاكthat الإصطحابِcompanionship
بعد ذاك الإصطحابِ
Then we all parted,
And so we all parted,
after that companionship.
After that companionship,
ربَّmany a أيامٍdays شربناwe drank
ربَّ أيامٍ شربنا
خمرةًwine مثلَlike الشِّهابِa flame
خمرةً مثلَ الشِّهابِ
Many a day we drank
Oh days we drank,
wine like a flame,
A wine like flames,
قهوةًwine تذهبُdoes away بالحِقْwith rancor (first part)
قهوةً تذهبُ بالحِقْ
دِcompletion of 'rancor' لَعمْريby my life والضِّبابِand grudges
دِ لَعمْري والضِّبابِ
wine that dispels rancor,
And coffee that takes away,
by my life, and grudges,
Sorrow I swear, and fog,
فيin رياضٍgardens معجِباتٍwondrous
في رياضٍ معجِباتٍ
رقْمِembroidery أنداءِdewdrops السَّحابِthe clouds
رقْمِ أنداءِ السَّحابِ
in wondrous gardens,
In amazing gardens,
embroidered by the clouds' dew.
Tracing whispers of clouds,
فترىthen you see الزّهْرَthe blossoms إذاwhen اهتزّsways
فترى الزّهْرَ إذا اهتزّ
كموجٍlike waves فيin انصِبابِflowing forth
كموجٍ في انصِبابِ
Then you see the blossoms, when they sway,
Where you see flowers tremble,
like waves pouring forth:
Like waves in pouring rain,
منof شقيقٍanemones ذيpossessing احمرارٍredness
من شقيقٍ ذي احمرارٍ
كدماءٍlike blood فيin قِعابِbowls
كدماءٍ في قِعابِ
anemones flushed with red,
Of red anemones,
like blood in bowls.
Like blood in goblets,
إليtoward ذلكthat يصبوyearns
إلي ذلك يصبو
كلّevery وقتٍmoment كلُّevery صابِyearning lover
كلّ وقتٍ كلُّ صابِ
For that longs
To this my passion flows,
every lover, at every moment.
At all times for all youths,
ولقدand indeed سِرْتُI traveled بأرضٍthrough a land
ولقد سِرْتُ بأرضٍ
مهمَهٍa trackless wilderness ذاتِhaving هِضابِplateaus
مهمَهٍ ذاتِ هِضابِ
And indeed I traveled through a land,
And I roamed a land,
a trackless wilderness with plateaus,
Full of plateaus and hills,
وقلاعٍand fortresses وتلالٍand hills
وقلاعٍ وتلالٍ
وفِجاجٍand mountain passes ورَوابيand knolls
وفِجاجٍ ورَوابي
and fortresses and hills,
With fortresses, hills,
and mountain passes and knolls,
Clefts and meadows,
ورئالٍand ostrich chicks وظِباءٍand gazelles
ورئالٍ وظِباءٍ
ولُيوثand lions وذئابِand wolves
ولُيوث وذئابِ
and ostrich chicks and gazelles,
And deer, jackals and wolves,
and lions and wolves.
I roamed it on a steed,
سِرْتُهاI traversed it فوقupon جوادٍa steed
سِرْتُها فوق جوادٍ
أسحمٍjet-black مثلِlike الغُرابِa crow
أسحمٍ مثلِ الغُرابِ
I crossed it upon a steed,
Bay like a raven,
jet-black, like a crow,
With tucked up belly, folded,
مُنطويfolded in الأحشاءِthe belly طيّاًin a tight fold
مُنطوي الأحشاءِ طيّاً
مثلُهits like طيُّthe rolling الكِتابthe scroll
مثلُه طيُّ الكِتاب
its belly tightly tucked,
Like a folded book,
as tightly as a scroll is rolled.
He is like a sturdy palm tree,
فهوso it is كالأجْدَلlike a falcon فيin الحُكْjudgment (first part)
فهو كالأجْدَل في الحُكْ
مِcompletion of 'judgment' إذاًthen فيin الانتِصابِstanding upright
مِ إذاً في الانتِصابِ
So it is judged to resemble a falcon,
When rising and standing tall,
then, as it stands upright;
And you see him swoop,
وتراهُand you see it حينَwhen يهويswoops
وتراهُ حينَ يهوي
مثلَlike نسرٍa vulture أوor عُقابِan eagle
مثلَ نسرٍ أو عُقابِ
and you see it, when it swoops,
Like an eagle or hawk,
like a vulture or an eagle,
Or lightning fast,
أوor كلمحِlike the flash البرقِof lightning سيراًin motion
أو كلمحِ البرقِ سيراً
أوor يُرىis seen مثلَlike الشِّهابِa shooting star
أو يُرى مثلَ الشِّهابِ
or, in motion, like a flash of lightning,
Or seen like a shooting star,
or it appears like a shooting star.
He galloped and the night draped,
سارit traveled والليلُwhile night علىupon الأرْthe earth (first part)
سار والليلُ على الأرْ
ضِcompletion of 'earth' صِباغاًas a stain كالخِضابِlike dye
ضِ صِباغاً كالخِضابِ
It traveled, while night upon the
The land in dark like kohl,
earth was a stain like dye,
Or pure black ink,
أوor مدادٍink حالكِpitch-black اللوْcolor (first part)
أو مدادٍ حالكِ اللوْ
نِcompletion of 'color' علىupon الصُمِّsolid rocks الصِّلابِhard
نِ على الصُمِّ الصِّلابِ
or ink, pitch-black in
On rugged solid rocks,
color, upon hard, solid rocks.
Then dawn emerged while tomorrow,
فبداthen appeared الصبحُthe dawn وقدand already كاwas (first part)
فبدا الصبحُ وقد كا
نcompletion of 'was' غداhad come to be تحتbeneath حِجابِa veil
ن غدا تحت حِجابِ
Then dawn appeared, though it had
Was still veiled,
been beneath a veil,
Like the face of the learned master,
مثلَlike وجهِthe face الحافظِal-Hafiz (the memorizer) الحبthe learned scholar (first part)
مثلَ وجهِ الحافظِ الحب
رِcompletion of 'learned scholar' المُرجّىlooked to with hope للصِّعابِfor hardships
رِ المُرجّى للصِّعابِ
like the face of al-Hafiz, the learned
My hope against hardships,
scholar, relied upon in hardships:
Those who truly have wisdom,
مَنْhe who لهhis is الحكمةَwisdom حقّاًtruly
مَنْ له الحكمةَ حقّاً
ولهand his is فصْلُdecisiveness الخِطابِof speech
وله فصْلُ الخِطابِ
he who truly possesses wisdom,
And the authority of speech,
and his is decisive speech.
His praisers have become many,
مادحوهthose who praise him الآنnow أضحَوْاhave become
مادحوه الآن أضحَوْا
عدداًin number مثلَlike التُرابِdust
عدداً مثلَ التُرابِ
His praisers have now become
As numerous as dust,
as numerous as grains of dust.
The world split in two,
قُسِمَwas divided العالَمُthe world نصفَيْtwo halves (first part)
قُسِمَ العالَمُ نصفَيْ
نِcompletion of 'two halves' بتقسيمِby a division الصّوابِwhat is right
نِ بتقسيمِ الصّوابِ
The world has been divided into two
By the divide of right,
halves, by a rightful division:
So the loyal are in bliss,
فالمُواليso the ally فيin نعيمٍbliss
فالمُوالي في نعيمٍ
والمُعاديand the foe فيin عذابِtorment
والمُعادي في عذابِ
thus the ally is in bliss,
And the defiant in torment,
and the foe in torment.
His glory now rises to the stars,
مجدُهhis glory للشُهْبِto the stars أضحىhas become
مجدُه للشُهْبِ أضحى
منْfrom عُلوٍّloftiness كالشِّهابِlike a shooting star
منْ عُلوٍّ كالشِّهابِ
His glory has become, to the stars,
In loftiness like a shooting star,
through its loftiness, like a shooting star;
And his gifts like specks of light,
وعطاياهُand his gifts كمثلِlike الدthe pearls (first part)
وعطاياهُ كمثلِ الد
رِّcompletion of 'pearls' سِلكاًin a strand فيaround الرِّقابِnecks
رِّ سِلكاً في الرِّقابِ
and his gifts are like
Like necklaces on necks,
pearls strung around necks.
His enemies,
فأعاديهso his enemies
فأعاديه
وهْوَwhile he is منfrom فوقِabove الرَّبابِthe clouds
وهْوَ من فوقِ الرَّبابِ
So his enemies—
While he is above the stars.
while he is above the clouds.
Partial English translation: 85 of 86 Arabic lines translated.