ياO مَنyou whose تناءَتhas grown distant دارُهُhis dwelling
يا مَن تناءَت دارُهُ
عَنيfrom me وشَطand became remote مَزارهُhis visiting-place
عَني وشَط مَزارهُ
O you whose dwelling lies far
O you whose house is far from me
from me, and whose visiting-place is remote.
And the place of his tomb is neglected
يَفديكwould ransom you صَبٌّa lovesick lover هائِمٌlove-bewildered
يَفديك صَبٌّ هائِمٌ
بِكَwith you لاnot يَقرُّsettles قَرارَهُhis repose
بِكَ لا يَقرُّ قَرارَهُ
A lovesick, bewildered lover would give his life for you,
A passionate lover visits you
besotted with you, never finding rest.
Restless, never settling
أَبَداًforever يَمُرُّpasses عَلَيهِover him كَرanguish (word begins)
أَبَداً يَمُرُّ عَلَيهِ كَر
باًanguish (word ends) لَيلُهُhis night وَنَهارهand his day
باً لَيلُهُ وَنَهاره
Forever, in anguish, there pass over him
Night and day pass by him
his night and his day.
His sorrow always hidden
يَخفيconceals الأَسىthe sorrow أَبَداًalways
يَخفي الأَسى أَبَداً
وَيَفضحand exposes سرّهُhis secret اِستعبارهhis weeping
وَيَفضح سرّهُ اِستعباره
He always conceals his sorrow,
His pride exposes his secret
and his weeping exposes his secret.
That's how the drunkard in love is
وَكَذاكَand likewise سَكرانone drunk on الهَوىlove
وَكَذاكَ سَكران الهَوى
إِنكارُهُhis denial إِقرارهhis confession
إِنكارُهُ إِقراره
And so it is with one drunk on love:
His denial is his admission
his denial is his confession.
Distracted by the night's conversations
قَدalready نامَfell asleep عَنهُaway from him إِذwhen تَطاgrew long (word begins)
قَد نامَ عَنهُ إِذ تَطا
ولgrew long (word ends) لَيللthe night (text unclear) سَمّارهhis nightly companions
ول لَيلل سَمّاره
They have fallen asleep, leaving him, as
His worries multiplied
the night grew long—his nightly companions.
His supporters weakened
كَثرتmultiplied جُيوشthe armies of هُمومِهِhis cares
كَثرت جُيوش هُمومِهِ
وَتَخاذَلَتand faltered أَنصارُهُhis allies
وَتَخاذَلَت أَنصارُهُ
The armies of his cares have multiplied,
His states changed
and his allies have faltered.
His places became difficult
فَتَلَوَنَتso kept changing أَطوارُهُhis moods
فَتَلَوَنَت أَطوارُهُ
وَتَعَذَرَتand became unattainable أَوطارُهُhis wishes
وَتَعَذَرَت أَوطارُهُ
So his moods keep changing,
His thoughts confused
and his wishes have become unattainable,
His curtains ripped
وَتَبلتلتand grew confused (probable reading) أَفكارُهُhis thoughts
وَتَبلتلت أَفكارُهُ
وَتَهَتَكَتand were torn away أَستارُهُhis veils
وَتَهَتَكَت أَستارُهُ
and his thoughts have grown confused,
If tears flowed from him
and his veils have been torn away.
Their water reminded him
إِنif غاضَdried up مِنهُfrom him الدَمعthe tears فَجَّرmakes gush forth
إِن غاضَ مِنهُ الدَمع فَجَّر
ماءهُtheir water تِذكارهhis remembrance
ماءهُ تِذكاره
If his tears run dry, his remembrance makes
Almost drowning in tears
their waters gush forth.
Yet his fire does not diminish
فَتَكادso nearly تَغرقهُdrown him الدُموthe tears (word begins)
فَتَكاد تَغرقهُ الدُمو
عtears (word ends) وَلَيسَand does not تَخبوdie down نارهُhis fire
ع وَلَيسَ تَخبو نارهُ
Then tears almost drown him,
The beloved's spring came
yet his fire does not die down.
In all its rivers and trains
جادَlavishly watered الحَياthe rain ربعthe dwelling of الأَحبةthe beloveds
جادَ الحَيا ربع الأَحبة
وَبلهُits downpour وَقطارهand its showers
وَبلهُ وَقطاره
Rain lavishly watered the beloveds' dwelling,
His perfume still spreads fragrantly
with its downpours and its showers.
How much we enjoyed it for a while
فَتدفقتso flowed abundantly أَنهارُهُits streams
فَتدفقت أَنهارُهُ
وَتَرَنَمَتand sang melodiously أَطيارهُits birds
وَتَرَنَمَت أَطيارهُ
Then its streams surged,
Its troubles gone
and its birds sang melodiously.
And how many cups of love we drank
لاmay not زالَcease فيهِin it يَفوحwaft fragrance مِسكاًmusk
لا زالَ فيهِ يَفوح مِسكاً
رَندهُits laurel وَعرارهand its oxeye flowers
رَندهُ وَعراره
May musk always waft there
When its dawns pleased us
from its laurel and its oxeye flowers.
Its meadows became our hangouts
كَمhow often قَدindeed نَعمناwe lived in bliss فيهِin it دَهراًfor a long time
كَم قَد نَعمنا فيهِ دَهراً
قَدhad صَفَتcleared away أَكدارهits troubles
قَد صَفَت أَكداره
How long we lived there in bliss,
Its breeze our bartender
its troubles having cleared away.
Its cups our lights
وَلَكُمand how often (contextual reading) سَقَتناgave us to drink فيهِin it أَقداحcups of
وَلَكُم سَقَتنا فيهِ أَقداح
الهَوىlove أَقمارُهُits moons
الهَوى أَقمارُهُ
And how often we were served there cups
And being in love our medicine
of love by its moons.
It sings to you without the temple's tunes
رَقَتgrew gentle أَصائِلُهُits late afternoons كَماjust as
رَقَت أَصائِلُهُ كَما
راقتdelighted لَناus أَسحارُهُits predawn hours
راقت لَنا أَسحارُهُ
Its late afternoons grew gentle, just as
Or the mockery of the ignorant
its hours before dawn delighted us.
A lethal charmer who gives life and kills
فَرِياضُهُso its gardens حاناتُهُits taverns
فَرِياضُهُ حاناتُهُ
وَنَسيمُهُand its breeze خمّارهits wine-seller
وَنَسيمُهُ خمّاره
Its gardens are its taverns,
His intimacy and aloofness
and its breeze its wine-seller.
A full moon but wondrous is his aloofness and secrecy
وَكُؤوسَهُand its cups نوّارهits blossoms
وَكُؤوسَهُ نوّاره
وَالطلand the dew فيهِin it عِقارهits wine
وَالطل فيهِ عِقاره
Its cups are its blossoms,
It conjures strange things for me
and the dew there is its wine.
Capturing what it wants in my heart
يَغنيكَsuffices you عَنinstead of أَلحانthe melodies of معبدMa'bad
يَغنيكَ عَن أَلحان معبد
وَالغَريضand al-Gharid هِزارهits nightingale
وَالغَريض هِزاره
You have no need for Ma'bad's melodies
Whenever I looked at it, it startled me with its magic
or al-Gharid's: its nightingale suffices.
Oh what a loss, one whose luck is killed
وَمُهَفهَفand a slender-waisted beauty فَتَكتslew لَواglances (word begins)
وَمُهَفهَف فَتَكت لَوا
حظهُhis glances (word ends) وَعَفand remained chaste أَرارهhis waistcloth (probable reading)
حظهُ وَعَف أَراره
And a slender beauty, whose glances slew,
Whose revenge cannot be sought
while his waistcloth remained chaste.
How many nights I stayed up
ريمٌa gazelle غَداhas come to يَحييgive life وَيَقتُلand kill
ريمٌ غَدا يَحيي وَيَقتُل
انسهُhis friendliness وَنَفارهand his shying away
انسهُ وَنَفاره
A gazelle, who has come to give life and kill
Until dawn tore its veils
through his friendliness and his shying away.
I kept it alive and the fluttering of my heart
بَدرٌa full moon وَلَكنbut التَعَجُبastonishment
بَدرٌ وَلَكن التَعَجُب
وَالصُدودand aversion سِرارهhis moonless phase
وَالصُدود سِراره
A full moon, yet astonishment
The tender wind did not paint kohl on my sleepy eyes
and aversion are his moonless phase.
Until the morning smiled and its lights shone
يوحيreveals إِلَيَّto me غَرائِباًstrange wonders
يوحي إِلَيَّ غَرائِباً
مِنfrom طَرفِهِhis gaze سِحارهhis sorcerer
مِن طَرفِهِ سِحاره
Strange wonders are revealed to me
The pigeon cooed, my heart fluttered, its embers scattered
by his sorcerer, through his gaze.
And I was warned of love, but warning did not help
فَيَظلso he keeps يُثبتimprinting فيin صَميمthe very core of
فَيَظل يُثبت في صَميم
القَلبthe heart ماwhatever يَختارُهُhe chooses it
القَلب ما يَختارُهُ
Thus he keeps imprinting in the very core
He who doubts the murder of passion, here is the evidence
of the heart whatever he chooses.
ماnot أَنemphatic particle نَظَرتI looked إِلَيهِat him إِلّاexcept
ما أَن نَظَرت إِلَيهِ إِلّا
راعَنيfrightened me بِتّارهhis keen sword
راعَني بِتّاره
Never did I look at him without
his keen sword filling me with dread.
ياO وَيحalas for مَقتولone slain by اللَواthe glances (word begins)
يا وَيح مَقتول اللَوا
حظglances (word ends) لَيسَnot يُطلَبis sought ثارَهvengeance for him
حظ لَيسَ يُطلَب ثارَه
Alas for one slain by glances—
no vengeance is sought for him.
كَمhow often قَدindeed سَهرتI kept vigil through اللَيلthe night حَتّuntil (word begins)
كَم قَد سَهرت اللَيل حَتّ
ىuntil (word ends) مَزَقَتwere torn أَطمارهits tattered robes
ى مَزَقَت أَطماره
How often I kept vigil through the night, until
its tattered robes were torn apart.
أَحييتهُI kept it alive وَسَميرand the nightly companion of قَلبيmy heart
أَحييتهُ وَسَمير قَلبي
خَفقهits throbbing وَأَوارهand its blaze
خَفقه وَأَواره
I kept it alive, and my heart's nightly companion
was its throbbing and its blaze.
لَمdid not يكحلapply kohl to الجفنthe eyelid القَرthe wounded (word begins)
لَم يكحل الجفن القَر
يحwounded (word ends) مِنof المَنامsleep غِرارهits brief snatch
يح مِن المَنام غِراره
The wounded eyelid was not lined with kohl
by even a brief snatch of sleep.
حَتّىuntil إِذاwhen اِبتَسَمsmiled الصَباthe morning (word begins)
حَتّى إِذا اِبتَسَم الصَبا
حmorning (word ends) وَأَشرَقَتand shone forth أَنوارُهُits lights
ح وَأَشرَقَت أَنوارُهُ
At last, when morning smiled
and its lights shone forth,
صَدعsplit الحَمامthe doves بِصدحِهِwith their cooing
صَدع الحَمام بِصدحِهِ
قَلبيmy heart فطارَso flew شَرارهُits sparks
قَلبي فطارَ شَرارهُ
the doves, with their cooing, split
my heart, and its sparks flew.
وَلَقَدand indeed حَذرتI was wary of الحُبlove لَكنbut
وَلَقَد حَذرت الحُب لَكن
ماnot أَفادَhelped حذارهwariness of it
ما أَفادَ حذاره
I had indeed been wary of love, but
wariness of it did no good.
مَنwhoever شَكَdoubted فيabout قَتلthe killing by الغَراpassion (word begins)
مَن شَكَ في قَتل الغَرا
مpassion (word ends) فَهَذِهِthen these are آثارهُits traces
م فَهَذِهِ آثارهُ
Whoever doubts that passion kills—
here, then, are its traces.
Partial English translation: 49 of 68 Arabic lines translated.