أَذاتَO lady of اللثامِthe face veil الحَمِّblack وَالشَفَةِand the lip اللَمياdusky
أَذاتَ اللثامِ الحَمِّ وَالشَفَةِ اللَميا
بعادُكِseparation from you ليfor me مَوتٌdeath وَقُربُكِand your nearness ليfor me مَحياlife
بعادُكِ لي مَوتٌ وَقُربُكِ لي مَحيا
O you of the dark veil and the dusky lip,
O lady of the black veil and dusky lip,
Your distance is death to me, and your nearness life.
Separation from you is death to me, and nearness to you is life.
سكَنتِyou dwelt فُؤاداًa heart لَمdid not يَزَلcease مِنكِbecause of you خافِقاًfluttering
سكَنتِ فُؤاداً لَم يَزَل مِنكِ خافِقاً
وَصيَّرتِand you turned حُلوَthe sweetness العَيشِof life ياO مُنيتيmy desire شَرياbitter colocynth
وَصيَّرتِ حُلوَ العَيشِ يا مُنيتي شَريا
You have dwelt within a heart that has never ceased to throb because of you,
You dwelt in a heart that never ceased to flutter because of you,
And turned life’s sweetness into bitter aloe, O my heart’s desire.
And turned life's sweetness, O my desire, into bitter colocynth.
بِرُوحِيwith my soul الَّتيshe who زارَتvisited بِليلٍby night وَأَقبَلَتand approached
بِرُوحِي الَّتي زارَت بِليلٍ وَأَقبَلَت
تَجُرُّshe drags عَلىover آثارِهاher footprints العُصبَthe striped cloth وَالوَشياand the brocade
تَجُرُّ عَلى آثارِها العُصبَ وَالوَشيا
My soul be ransom for her who visited by night and drew near,
My soul for her who visited by night and approached,
Trailing tasselled hems and figured cloth in her wake.
Trailing striped cloth and brocade in her wake.
هَداهاguided her سَناهاher radiance نَحوَtoward طاوٍone folding ضُلوعَهُhis ribs
هَداها سَناها نَحوَ طاوٍ ضُلوعَهُ
عَلىaround سَلوَةٍsolace ماتَتdied وَوَجدand longing بِهاfor her حَيّاalive
عَلى سَلوَةٍ ماتَت وَوَجد بِها حَيّا
Her own radiance guided her toward one whose ribs enfolded
Her radiance guided her toward one who folded his ribs
A solace that had died and a passion for her still alive.
Around solace that had died and longing for her still alive.
تحلَّتshe adorned herself بدُرٍّwith pearls فَوقَabove لَبّاتِthe hollows نَحرِهاof her throat
تحلَّت بدُرٍّ فَوقَ لَبّاتِ نَحرِها
فَكانَand so became لِذاكَfor that الدُرِّthe pearls لَباتُهاher throat's hollows حلياan adornment
فَكانَ لِذاكَ الدُرِّ لَباتُها حليا
She adorned the upper breast beneath her throat with pearls,
She adorned herself with pearls above the hollows of her throat,
Yet that breast itself became an ornament for those pearls.
And her throat's hollows were an adornment for those pearls.
وَمَسَّتand she touched بِمِسواكٍwith a tooth-stick موشَّرَserrated ثَغرِهاher teeth
وَمَسَّت بِمِسواكٍ موشَّرَ ثَغرِها
فَذاقَتthen she tasted لَهُin it مِسكاًmusk وَمَجَّتand she spat بِهِupon it أَرياhoney
فَذاقَت لَهُ مِسكاً وَمَجَّت بِهِ أَريا
With a miswak she touched the sawlike row of teeth in her smile;
And she touched her serrated teeth with a tooth-stick,
From it she tasted musk, and with it spat honey forth.
Then tasted musk in it and spat honey upon it.
وَأَلقَتand she tossed بِهِit نَحويtoward me لتُبردto cool غُلَّتيmy burning thirst
وَأَلقَت بِهِ نَحوي لتُبرد غُلَّتي
بِرَشفِيby my sucking لَهُof it فازدادَand so increased قَلبيmy heart بِهِbecause of it غَلياin boiling
بِرَشفِي لَهُ فازدادَ قَلبي بِهِ غَليا
Then she tossed it toward me, to cool my burning thirst
And tossed it toward me to cool my burning thirst
As I sipped from it—yet through it my heart boiled all the more.
By my sucking it—but my heart boiled still more because of it.
مِنfrom among التُركِthe Turks ضاقَgrew narrow العَينُthe eye مِنهاof hers لِبُخلِهاbecause of her stinginess
مِن التُركِ ضاقَ العَينُ مِنها لِبُخلِها
وَلَيسَتand she is not مِنamong العِينِthe wide-eyed women الَّتيwho تُشبِهُresemble الظَبياthe gazelle
وَلَيسَت مِن العِينِ الَّتي تُشبِهُ الظَبيا
One of the Turks, her eye made narrow by her stinginess with glances,
She is of the Turks; her eye grew narrow from her stinginess,
Not one of the wide-eyed women who resemble gazelles.
And she is not among the wide-eyed women who resemble the gazelle.
سُمَيراءُa little dusky woman حاكىmatched طائرa flying one السُمرof the tawny lances قَدُّهاher stature
سُمَيراءُ حاكى طائر السُمر قَدُّها
حَكاهُit matched it وَلَكنbut أينَwhere are أَردافُهits hips الرَيّاfull and rounded
حَكاهُ وَلَكن أينَ أَردافُه الرَيّا
A dusky beauty—the bird of the samur trees mimicked her stature;
A little dusky beauty—a flying tawny lance matched her stature;
It copied her—but where were its lush, full hips?
It matched her stature—but where are its full, rounded hips?
أَبىrefused الدَمعُthe tears إِلاexcept نَشرَrevealing حُبّيmy love وَإِنalthough غَداhad come to
أَبى الدَمعُ إِلا نَشرَ حُبّي وَإِن غَدا
فُؤاديmy heart طَواهfolded it away عَنfrom جَميعall الوَرىhumankind طَيّاa thorough folding
فُؤادي طَواه عَن جَميع الوَرى طَيّا
My tears would have nothing but proclaim my love, though
My tears would do nothing but reveal my love, though
My heart had folded it away from all humankind, utterly concealed.
My heart had folded it tightly away from all mankind.
