أَمَالِكَO master of رقِّيmy bondage لاَdo not تَلُمْblame عَاشِقاًa lover صَبَاbecame enamored
أَمَالِكَ رقِّي لاَ تَلُمْ عَاشِقاً صَبَا
فَحُسْنُكَfor your beauty لِلأَلْبَابِfor minds يَاO مُنْيَتِيmy heart's desire سَبَاhas taken captive
فَحُسْنُكَ لِلأَلْبَابِ يَا مُنْيَتِي سَبَا
O master of my bondage, do not blame a lovestruck lover.
My beauty, do not blame a love-sick youth,
For your beauty, O my heart's desire, has taken minds captive.
For your charm, to the wise, is obvious as the sun.
وَإِنْand if يَكُbe ذَنْبِيmy sin فَرْطَexcess of عِشْقِيmy passionate love فَطَاعَتِيthen my obedience
وَإِنْ يَكُ ذَنْبِي فَرْطَ عِشْقِي فَطَاعَتِي
هَوَاكَyour desire شَفِيعٌan intercessor لِيfor me إِذَاif مِتُّI die مُذْنِباa sinner
هَوَاكَ شَفِيعٌ لِي إِذَا مِتُّ مُذْنِبا
And if my sin is excessive love, then my obedience
And if my sin is my fervent love and obedience to you,
to your desire is my intercessor if I die a sinner.
Then longing for you will intercede for me when I die a sinner.
وَهَبْand suppose أَنَّthat ذاكَthat الحُسْنَbeauty عَنِّيfrom me مُحَجَّبٌveiled
وَهَبْ أَنَّ ذاكَ الحُسْنَ عَنِّي مُحَجَّبٌ
أَلَيْسَhas not بَرَيَّاهُwith its fragrance سَرَتْwafted نَسْمَةُthe breeze of الصِّبَاthe east wind
أَلَيْسَ بَرَيَّاهُ سَرَتْ نَسْمَةُ الصِّبَا
And suppose that beauty is veiled from me:
And suppose that beauty were hidden from me,
has not the east wind's breeze borne its fragrance?
Did not a wafting breeze spread the scent of cypress?
فَدَيتُI would ransom حَبِيباًa beloved رَنَّحَset swaying السُّكْرُdrunkenness عِطْفَهُhis flank
فَدَيتُ حَبِيباً رَنَّحَ السُّكْرُ عِطْفَهُ
فَمَاسَso he swayed بِغُصْنٍwith a bough مَاnot رَأَتْhad seen مِثْلَهُits equal الرُّباthe hills
فَمَاسَ بِغُصْنٍ مَا رَأَتْ مِثْلَهُ الرُّبا
I would give my life for a beloved whose frame drunkenness set swaying,
I would sacrifice my beloved, made tipsy by wine,
so he swayed like a bough whose equal the hills had never seen.
Who touched a branch not seen before by gazelles.
يُجَرِّدُhe unsheathes مِنْfrom أَجْفَانِهِhis eyelids السُّودِblack أَبْيضَاًa gleaming sword
يُجَرِّدُ مِنْ أَجْفَانِهِ السُّودِ أَبْيضَاً
أَرَاقَspilled دِمَاblood العُشَّاقِof lovers طُرّاًall وَمَانَباand never failed to cut
أَرَاقَ دِمَا العُشَّاقِ طُرّاً وَمَانَبا
He unsheathes from his black eyelids a gleaming sword
He sheds from his black lashes a radiant whiteness,
that spilled all lovers' blood and never missed its mark.
Spilling the blood of lovers, gently, drop by drop.
جَلاَunveiled خَدُّهُhis cheek ليfor me كَاسَa cup of رَاحٍwine وَإِنَّمَاand only
جَلاَ خَدُّهُ لي كَاسَ رَاحٍ وَإِنَّمَا
بِدُّرِّwith the pearls of اللَّمَىdusky lips المَعْسُولِhoney-sweet حُسْناًin beauty تَحَبَّباhe endeared himself
بِدُّرِّ اللَّمَى المَعْسُولِ حُسْناً تَحَبَّبا
His cheek unveiled for me a cup of wine; yet only
His cheek shone for me like a cup of wine, though it was
through the beauty of the pearls of his honeyed, dusky lips did he win my love.
But the pure beauty of the radiant full moon.
تَسَتَّرْتُI hid myself بِالأَسْقَامِin sickness فِيهِfor love of him فَمُذْthen, when بَدَاَhe appeared
تَسَتَّرْتُ بِالأَسْقَامِ فِيهِ فَمُذْ بَدَاَ
ظَهَرْتُI became visible كَمَاjust as فيin الشَّمْسِthe sun قدْmay يظْهَرْappear الهَباdust motes
ظَهَرْتُ كَمَا في الشَّمْسِ قدْ يظْهَرْ الهَبا
I hid myself in the sickness of loving him; then, when he appeared,
I concealed myself from him in sickness, but when he appeared,
I became visible, as dust motes may appear in sunlight.
I emerged like the sun emerging through the haze.
وَأَكْسَبَنِيand he bestowed on me حُسْناًbeauty وَلاَand no غَرْوَwonder إِنَّمَاonly
وَأَكْسَبَنِي حُسْناً وَلاَ غَرْوَ إِنَّمَا
لِكُلِّfor every مَليحٍbeautiful one مِنْهُfrom him مَاwhatever قَدْindeed تَكَسَّباhe has acquired
لِكُلِّ مَليحٍ مِنْهُ مَا قَدْ تَكَسَّبا
And he bestowed beauty on me—no wonder, for
And he granted me beauty, and no wonder, for
whatever beauty any fair one has gained comes from him alone.
Every beauty attains some of what he has attained.
وَإِنِّيand indeed I لَذَاكَam surely that المُغْرَمُpassion-stricken العَاشِقُlover الَّذِيwho
وَإِنِّي لَذَاكَ المُغْرَمُ العَاشِقُ الَّذِي
إِلَىtoward غَيْرِother than ذَاكَthat المُطْلَقِabsolute in الحُسْنِbeauty مَاnever صَباinclined in love
إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَاكَ المُطْلَقِ الحُسْنِ مَا صَبا
And I am indeed that passion-stricken lover who
Indeed, I am that enamored lover, who desires
has loved none but that one whose beauty is absolute.
No other but that absolute beauty he desires.
يُرَنِّحُهُsets him swaying بِالأبْرَقِat al-Abraq الفَرْدِthe solitary بَارِقٌa lightning flash
يُرَنِّحُهُ بِالأبْرَقِ الفَرْدِ بَارِقٌ
وَيُصْبِيْهِand makes him yearn فِيin نَعْمَانَNaʿmān مِنْfrom عَلْوَةٍʿAlwah نَباnews
وَيُصْبِيْهِ فِي نَعْمَانَ مِنْ عَلْوَةٍ نَبا
A lightning flash at solitary al-Abraq sets him swaying,
Lightning in the blackest night flashes for him,
and news from ʿAlwah in Naʿmān makes him yearn.
And showers rain on Nu'man from the highest clouds.
إِذَاif رُمْتَyou seek أَنْto تُبْدِيreveal مَصُونَاتِthe guarded things سِرِّهِof his secret
إِذَا رُمْتَ أَنْ تُبْدِي مَصُونَاتِ سِرِّهِ
فَحَدِّثْthen speak بِذْاكَin that الحَيِّthe encampment عَنْof ذَلِكَthat الخِباthe tent
فَحَدِّثْ بِذْاكَ الحَيِّ عَنْ ذَلِكَ الخِبا
If you seek to reveal his closely guarded secrets,
When you wish to reveal the secrets he hides,
then speak, in that encampment, of that tent.
Speak to that eloquent one about that wise man.
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.