Sol 6.1

  1. وَجدٌ لَهُ في الحَشا دَبيبٌ

    يُشفق مِن حَرِهِ اللَهيبُ

    A longing stirs deep within the heart;

    the flame itself fears its heat.

  2. وَغلة ما لَها شِفاءٌ

    وَعلة ما لَها طَبيبُ

    A burning thirst that has no cure,

    and an ailment that has no physician.

  3. ما ترك الشَوق وَالتَنائي

    مِني سِوى مَدمع يَصوب

    Longing and separation have left nothing

    of me but a stream of tears pouring down.

  4. تَنفسي لِلعَليل علَّ ال

    عَليل يَرتاح يا جُنوب

    Breathe upon the ailing one; perhaps the—

    ailing one may find relief, O south wind.

  5. سَقاكَ يا عَهدَنا وَحيا

    كَ بِاللَوى عارض سَكوب

    May it water you, O our bygone days, and greet

    you at al-Liwa—a cloud pouring rain.

  6. أَعائِدٌ عَيشَنا الرَطيب

    فَرُبما أَخصب الجَديب

    Will our lush life return?

    For barren land has sometimes grown fertile.

  7. أَيام رَوضُ الشَباب غضٌّ

    وَحَيث بَرد الهَوى قَشيب

    In the days when youth's garden was tender,

    and when love's mantle was fresh and new,

  8. إِذ يُسكر الشُرب وَالحَميا

    مِن فَمِهِ الشادن الرَبيب

    when drinkers and wine alike grew drunk

    from the mouth of that cherished young gazelle.

  9. يُدير كاس الآداب صَرفاً

    وَالراح مِن رِيقِهِ يَشوب

    He passes round the cup of refinement, unmixed,

    and mixes the wine with his saliva.

  10. القَد وَالثَغر وَالمَحيا

    البَدر وَالدُرّ وَالقَضيب

    His figure, his mouth, his face—

    the full moon, pearls, and a slender bough.

  11. يَروعني لَحظَة الغَضوب

    كَأَنَّهُ صارِمٌ مُهيب

    His wrathful glance frightens me,

    as though it were a fearsome sword.

  12. إِذا خَلَونا بِلا رَقيبٍ

    أَشكو هَواهُ فَلا يَجيب

    When we are alone without a watcher,

    I complain of love for him, but he does not answer.

  13. قُم نَشتَكي الشَوق يا سَميري

    فَأَنتَ وافي الهَوى تسيب

    Rise, let us lament longing, O my evening companion,

    for you are true to love and flow freely.

  14. بانوا وَوَجهُ الزَمان طَلق

    فَصارَ في وَجهِهِ قَطوب

    They departed while time's face was smiling,

    and then a frown settled upon its face.

  15. فَلا نَديمٌ وَلا صَديقٌ

    وَلا أَنيسٌ وَلا حَبيب

    So there is no drinking companion, no friend,

    nor an intimate companion, nor a beloved.

  16. يَفديك قَلبٌ لَهُ وَجيب

    في جَسَد كُلُهُ نَدوب

    May a throbbing heart ransom you,

    in a body that is all scars.

  17. تَحضر لي بَعضُهُ الأَماني

    وَالشَوق عَني بِهِ يَغيب

    Wishes bring part of him before me,

    and through him, longing vanishes from me.

  18. أَظن أَن قَد نَسيت عَهداً

    لَم يَنسهُ المُدنف الكَئيب

    I think that you have forgotten a pledge

    which the sorrowful, lovesick one has not forgotten.

  19. وَقَد مَنَحتُ الأَغيار قُرباً

    وَإِن قُرب المُريب حَوبِ

    And I have granted others closeness,

    and indeed, closeness to the suspect is a sin.

  20. وَلَيسَ يَجفي المُحب شيءٌ

    وَظَنَ أَهل الهَوى يَصيب

    And nothing estranges the lover,

    and the surmise of lovers hits the mark.

  21. قُلوبُهم كُلَها عُيون

    وَكُلُ أَجسامِهُم قُلوب

    Their hearts are all eyes,

    and all their bodies are hearts.

  22. وَمَن يَكُن عاشِقاً عَفيفاً

    تَكاد تَبدو لَهُ الغُيوب

    And whoever is a chaste lover,

    hidden things almost reveal themselves to him.

  23. قَد يُرزَق الشَيء غَير عان

    وَيحرم الطالب الأَريب

    A thing may be granted to one who does not strive,

    while the astute seeker is denied.

  24. ما ذاقَ صَفو الدَنا فَصيح

    وَرُبَما ملَّهُ حَبيب

    No eloquent man has tasted the world's pure sweetness,

    and sometimes a beloved has tired of him.

  25. وَما تَصدى حَرٌّ لِأَمر

    إِلّا أَتَت دونَهُ الخَطوب

    And no free man undertakes a task

    without calamities standing in his way.

  26. لا تَطلُبنَ عِلة لَحظٍ

    قَد أُبهِمَ الأَمر بِالبيب

    Do not seek a reason for a glance;

    the matter has been obscured to the discerning.

  27. وَمُضمر في حَشاهُ ضَغناً

    يَذيعُهُ لَحظُهُ المُريب

    And one who harbors rancor in his heart—

    his suspicious glance betrays it.

  28. يَسوم وِدي بِالمال جَهلاً

    وَكبرهُ دونَهُ رَقيب

    He foolishly tries to buy my affection,

    while his pride stands guard before it.

  29. هَيهات ذل القَنوع يَوماً

    ما النجم مَن لامسَ قَريب

    Far be it that the contented man should ever be abased!

    The star is not near to one who would touch it.

  30. لا يَستَطيب الحَيوة حرٌّ

    إِذا اِستَرَقَ الهزَبر ذيب

    A free man finds no sweetness in life

    when a wolf enslaves the lion.

  31. قَد يَملك الحَر بابتسام

    وَلا يَرى بَشَره قُطوب

    A free man may be won with a smile,

    but no scowler sees his cheerful welcome.

  32. وَالمال ما لَم تَهبهُ آل

    وَالقوت عَنهُ إِذاً يَنوب

    And wealth, unless you give it away, is a mirage;

    and then daily sustenance serves in its place.

  33. أَقسَمت بِالعيسَ كَالحَنايا

    قَد شَفها السَير وَالسهوب

    I swear by the pale camels, curved like bows,

    travel and the open plains having worn them thin.

  34. يَحملنَ ميل الطَلى نَشاوى

    مِن السَرى مسهم لَغوب

    They bear men with drooping necks, drunken

    from night travel, touched by exhaustion,

  35. حَتّى أَلموا بِالبَيت شَعثاً

    وَخصت عَنهُمُ الذُنوب

    until they reached the House, disheveled,

    and their sins were shed from them.

  36. إِن العُلا أَصبَحَت خَلاءً

    فَالحُرُ بَينَ الوَرى غَريب

    Indeed, the heights of nobility have become deserted,

    so the free man is a stranger among mankind.