لاَdo not تُخْدَعَنَّbe deceived بِرِقَّةٍby delicacy فِيin خَدِّهِhis cheek
لاَ تُخْدَعَنَّ بِرِقَّةٍ فِي خَدِّهِ
فَالسَّيْفُfor the sword قَتَّالٌdeadly بِرِقْةِthrough the thinness of حَدِّهِits edge
فَالسَّيْفُ قَتَّالٌ بِرِقْةِ حَدِّهِ
Never be deceived by the softness of his cheek:
Never be deceived by the delicacy in his cheek;
a sword kills with the fineness of its edge.
for the sword is deadly through the thinness of its edge.
وَدَعِand leave alone الجُفُونَthe eyelids فَإِنَّمَاfor only وَسْنَانُهَاtheir drowsy gaze
وَدَعِ الجُفُونَ فَإِنَّمَا وَسْنَانُهَا
أَضْحَىbecame سِنَاناًa spearpoint فِيin مُثَقَّفِthe straightened shaft of قَدِّهِhis stature
أَضْحَى سِنَاناً فِي مُثَقَّفِ قَدِّهِ
Pay no heed to the eyelids, for their drowsiness
And leave the eyelids be, for their drowsy gaze
has become a spearhead on the straight lance of his form.
is now but a spearpoint on the straightened shaft of his stature.
ظَبْيٌّa gazelle حَكَىmirrored نَوْمِيmy sleep دَوَامُthe persistence of نَفَارِهِhis flight
ظَبْيٌّ حَكَى نَوْمِي دَوَامُ نَفَارِهِ
عَنِّىfrom me فَواصَلَso he embraced ضِدَّهُits opposite مَعَwith صَدِّهِhis rejection
عَنِّى فَواصَلَ ضِدَّهُ مَعَ صَدِّهِ
A gazelle: his ceaseless flight from me mimicked my sleep,
A gazelle: his ceaseless flight mirrored that of my sleep
so sleep’s opposite stayed with me, together with his rebuff.
from me; so he embraced its opposite even as he shunned me.
وَسَرَىand crept إِلىinto جِسْمِيmy body الضَّنَاwasting مِنfrom خَصرِهِhis waist
وَسَرَى إِلى جِسْمِي الضَّنَا مِن خَصرِهِ
فَهَوِيتُso I loved ذَاكَthat لإِنَّهُbecause it مِنْfrom عِنْدِهِhis side
فَهَوِيتُ ذَاكَ لإِنَّهُ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ
Wasting stole into my body from his slender waist,
And wasting crept into my body from his waist;
and I loved it, because it came from him.
so I loved that, because it came from him.
عَجِبَmarvelled الحَسُودُthe envious man وَقَدْand had رَأَىseen سُكْرِيmy drunkenness بِلاَwithout
عَجِبَ الحَسُودُ وَقَدْ رَأَى سُكْرِي بِلاَ
حَدٍّlimit وقَلْبِيand my heart فِيunder عُقُوبَةِthe punishment of حَدِّهِhis edge
حَدٍّ وقَلْبِي فِي عُقُوبَةِ حَدِّهِ
The envier marveled, seeing my intoxication without
The envious man marvelled, having seen my drunkenness without
a prescribed penalty, while my heart endured the punishment of his blade.
limit, and my heart suffering the punishment of his edge.
خَفِّضْease up عَلَيْكَon yourself أَلَيْسَis it not خَفْقُthe flutter of وِشَاحِهِhis sash
خَفِّضْ عَلَيْكَ أَلَيْسَ خَفْقُ وِشَاحِهِ
يَحْكِيmirrors فُؤَادِيmy heart أَوْor تَلَهُّبُthe blazing of خَدِّهِhis cheek
يَحْكِي فُؤَادِي أَوْ تَلَهُّبُ خَدِّهِ
Easy now! Does not the flutter of his sash
Be easy on yourself: does not the flutter of his sash,
mimic my heart—or the blaze of his cheek?
or the blaze of his cheek, mirror my heart?
هِيَit نِسْبَةٌan affinity لَوْif أَنَّthat قَلْبِيَmy heart نَالَهَاattained it
هِيَ نِسْبَةٌ لَوْ أَنَّ قَلْبِيَ نَالَهَا
مُتَوَقِّداًblazing لَعَذَرْتُهُI would have excused it فِيfor وَقْدِهِits burning
مُتَوَقِّداً لَعَذَرْتُهُ فِي وَقْدِهِ
That is a kinship: if my heart attained it,
It is an affinity; had my heart attained it
all aflame, I would excuse it for its burning.
while blazing, I would have excused it for its burning.
شُكْرِيmy thanks لِصَبْرِيto my patience عَنْهُwithout him إِذْsince هُوَit خَانَنِيbetrayed me
شُكْرِي لِصَبْرِي عَنْهُ إِذْ هُوَ خَانَنِي
وَرَأَىand deemed الخِيَانَةَbetrayal كَالْوَفَاءِlike faithfulness بِعَهْدِهِto its pledge
وَرَأَى الخِيَانَةَ كَالْوَفَاءِ بِعَهْدِهِ
My thanks be to my patience in bearing his absence: it betrayed me
My thanks to my patience without him, since it betrayed me
and deemed betrayal as faithfulness to its covenant.
and deemed betrayal the same as keeping its pledge.
ولَمْدَمَعِيand to my tears بُعْداًbanishment وَسَحْقاًand ruin إِنَّهُindeed it is
ولَمْدَمَعِي بُعْداً وَسَحْقاً إِنَّهُ
دُرٌّpearls لَدَيَّin my possession ولَمْand not يَكُنْwas فِيin عِقْدِهِhis necklace
دُرٌّ لَدَيَّ ولَمْ يَكُنْ فِي عِقْدِهِ
And as for my tears—away with them, and perdition! They are
And banishment and ruin to my tears! They are
pearls to me, but were never part of his necklace.
pearls in my possession, but not in his necklace.
مَنْwho مُنْصِفِيmy vindicator مِنْagainst قُرْبِهِhis nearness فَلَقَدْfor indeed أَبَىrefused
مَنْ مُنْصِفِي مِنْ قُرْبِهِ فَلَقَدْ أَبَى
قُرْبِيmy nearness وَمَنْand who ذَاthat one مُنْقِذِيmy rescuer مِنْfrom بُعْدِهِhis distance
قُرْبِي وَمَنْ ذَا مُنْقِذِي مِنْ بُعْدِهِ
Who will win me justice against the pain of his nearness? For he refused
Who will do me justice against his nearness? For he has refused
my nearness—and who can rescue me from his distance?
my nearness; and who will rescue me from his distance?
ياO بَانَةَbān-tree الوَادِيthe valley وَيَاand O وَرْقَاءَهُits gray dove
يا بَانَةَ الوَادِي وَيَا وَرْقَاءَهُ
نُوحِيlament لِغُصنِكِfor your branch إِذْas أَنُوحُI lament لِفَقْدِهِfor losing him
نُوحِي لِغُصنِكِ إِذْ أَنُوحُ لِفَقْدِهِ
O bān tree of the valley, O its ringdove,
O bān-tree of the valley, and O its gray dove,
lament for your bough, as I lament his loss.
lament your branch, as I lament losing him.
أَنْتِyou الحَزِينَةُthe sorrowful one والحَزِينُand the sorrowful one أَنَاI كِلاَنَاboth of us
أَنْتِ الحَزِينَةُ والحَزِينُ أَنَا كِلاَنَا
اليَوْمَtoday مَعْذُورٌjustified يَنُوحُlaments بِوَجْدِهِfrom his longing
اليَوْمَ مَعْذُورٌ يَنُوحُ بِوَجْدِهِ
You are sorrowful, and sorrowful am I; both of us
You are sorrowful, and sorrowful am I; both of us
today have cause to lament in our longing.
are justified today in lamenting our longing.
حَالِيmy state كَحَالِكِlike your state وَالمُجَاوِرُand the one near كَفُّهُhis palm
حَالِي كَحَالِكِ وَالمُجَاوِرُ كَفُّهُ
لِلمَاءِto the water يَعْرِفُknows حَرَّهُits heat مِنْfrom بَرْدِهِits cold
لِلمَاءِ يَعْرِفُ حَرَّهُ مِنْ بَرْدِهِ
My state is like yours: one whose palm lies close
My state is like yours; and one whose palm is close
to the water knows its heat from its cold.
to the water knows its heat from its cold.
