أَمسىhas become المَعنىthe tormented one يُعانيsuffers ماwhat يُعانيهِhe suffers
أَمسى المَعنى يُعاني ما يُعانيهِ
مِنfrom الأَسىsorrow وَيُقاسيand endures ماwhat يُقاسيهِhe endures
مِن الأَسى وَيُقاسي ما يُقاسيهِ
The tormented one has come to suffer what he suffers
The meaning has endured such suffering,
of sorrow, and endures what he endures.
From despair and hardship that assail it.
باتَتspent the night تَذوبmelting مِنfrom الأَشواقlongings مُهجَتِهِhis heart
باتَت تَذوب مِن الأَشواق مُهجَتِهِ
فَتَستهلُّso pour forth دَماًblood صَرفاًpure مَآقيهِhis tear ducts
فَتَستهلُّ دَماً صَرفاً مَآقيهِ
His heart has spent the night melting with longing,
Its soul melted away pining with passion,
so his tear ducts pour forth pure blood.
Only to shed tears of blood from its anguish.
وَبارقand lightning باتَspent the night جَنحthe darkness of اللَيلthe night يُضحكlaughing فيin
وَبارق باتَ جَنح اللَيل يُضحك في
جَوّthe sky of الحِجازthe Hijaz وَليand I have طَرفan eye يُراعيهwatching it
جَوّ الحِجاز وَلي طَرف يُراعيه
And lightning kept laughing through the darkness of night in
The lightning of night laughed freely
the sky of the Hijaz, while my eye watched it.
In the skies of Hejaz, while I watched.
أَرقتI poured out مِنهُfrom it كَراهits slumber بَعدafter عِبرَتِهِits tears
أَرقت مِنهُ كَراه بَعد عِبرَتِهِ
لِبُعدbecause of the distance وَسِنانa drowsy one سُهديmy sleeplessness مشنunclear; probably 'from' تَنائِيهِhis remoteness
لِبُعد وَسِنان سُهدي مشن تَنائِيهِ
I poured out its slumber after its tears,
It kept me awake, after its passing,
for a drowsy one's distance; my sleeplessness is [apparently: from] his remoteness.
For the distance, the years, that came between us.
باتَتspent the night تَسلُّbeing drawn عَلىagainst قَلبيmy heart صَوارِمُهُits sharp swords
باتَت تَسلُّ عَلى قَلبي صَوارِمُهُ
وَتَستَهلand pour rain عَلىupon نَجدNajd سَواريهِits night-roaming clouds
وَتَستَهل عَلى نَجد سَواريهِ
All night its sharp swords were drawn against my heart,
My heart was attacked by its swords,
and its night-roaming clouds poured rain upon Najd.
As my tears flowed over Najd's sands.
هَلّاwhy did you not سَقيتyou watered رِياضthe gardens of الشامal-Sham مُنسَجِماًpouring freely
هَلّا سَقيت رِياض الشام مُنسَجِماً
فيin مَنزلa dwelling أَصبَحَتhave become قَفراًdesolate نَواحيهِits surroundings
في مَنزل أَصبَحَت قَفراً نَواحيهِ
Why did you not water the gardens of al-Sham, raining freely,
If only I had watered Damascus’ gardens,
at a dwelling whose surroundings have become desolate?
When its edges turned to wilderness!
قَدonce كانَused to يُضحكmake smile لِلزوّارfor visitors منزههُits pleasure grounds
قَد كانَ يُضحك لِلزوّار منزههُ
وَاليَومand today يبكيweeps مِنfrom الإِقواءِabandonment عافيهِits visitor
وَاليَوم يبكي مِن الإِقواءِ عافيهِ
Its pleasure grounds once made visitors smile;
It once brought joy to visitors,
today its visitor weeps at its abandonment.
Now it weeps, robbed of vitality.
لِلّهِto God! (expressing wonder) عَيشa life نَهبناهُwe seized it بِهِthere رَغداًin ease
لِلّهِ عَيش نَهبناهُ بِهِ رَغداً
كانَتwere كَأَيامِهِlike its days بيضاًwhite لَياليهِits nights
كانَت كَأَيامِهِ بيضاً لَياليهِ
How wondrous the life of ease we seized there!
By God! The life we pillaged greedily
Its nights were white as its days.
When its nights glowed white.
لَمnot يَبقَremains مِنهُof it لَناfor us إِلّاexcept تَذكرهremembering it
لَم يَبقَ مِنهُ لَنا إِلّا تَذكره
وَكانَand would be أَروحmore restful لَوif يَلفيone finds تَناسيهِforgetting it
وَكانَ أَروح لَو يَلفي تَناسيهِ
Nothing remains of it for us but remembering it,
Nothing remains for us but memory,
and it would be more restful if one could forget it.
Though, it would be best forgotten.
وَناسكand an ascetic القَلبthe heart جافيaloof اللَحظthe glance فاتكهُdeadly in it
وَناسك القَلب جافي اللَحظ فاتكهُ
قاسيhard الفُؤادُthe heart سَقيمlanguid الجفنthe eyelid واهيهِweak in it
قاسي الفُؤادُ سَقيم الجفن واهيهِ
And an ascetic of heart, with an aloof, murderous glance,
My heart is ascetic, my gaze arid, deprived is my soul,
hardhearted, his eyelids languid and weak.
My eyes are sick, weak and tearful.
ماnot فيin الجِنانParadise لَهُfor him نِدa peer يُماثِلُهُmatches him
ما في الجِنان لَهُ نِد يُماثِلُهُ
وَلاand no عَلىon الأَرضthe earth فَتّانan enchanter يُضاهيهِrivals him
وَلا عَلى الأَرض فَتّان يُضاهيهِ
In Paradise he has no peer to match him,
None in paradise can equal him,
nor on earth any enchanter to rival him.
Nor one on earth match his grace.
قَدindeed رَقَbecame delicate وَجهاًin face وَآداباًand manners وَمنتطقاًand waist
قَد رَقَ وَجهاً وَآداباً وَمنتطقاً
وَمِنطِقاًand speech وَكَذاand likewise رَقَتgrew delicate حَواشيهِhis contours
وَمِنطِقاً وَكَذا رَقَت حَواشيهِ
He is delicate in face, manners, and waist,
His face, manners, speech and diction,
and speech; his contours, too, are delicate.
Were refined, as were their fringes.
هَذاall this وَقَدand already ذابَhas melted جسميmy body مِنfrom تَجنيهِhis mistreatment
هَذا وَقَد ذابَ جسمي مِن تَجنيهِ
وَقَدand already جَفانيhas forsaken me هُجوديmy sleep مِنfrom تَجافيهِhis aloofness
وَقَد جَفاني هُجودي مِن تَجافيهِ
All this, while my body has melted from his mistreatment,
Meanwhile my body wastes from yearning,
and my sleep has forsaken me through his aloofness.
And my spirit is drained by aloofness.
كَمhow often زارَنيhe visited me وَجلاًfearfully وَاللَيلwhile the night يَسترناconceals us
كَم زارَني وَجلاً وَاللَيل يَسترنا
عَنfrom الرَقيبthe watcher وَتَخفيناand hide us غَواشيهِits veils
عَن الرَقيب وَتَخفينا غَواشيهِ
How often he visited me fearfully, while night concealed us
How often he visited me at night, as we hid
from the watcher, and its veils hid us.
From the watcher, concealing our secrets.
وَكَيفَand how يَكتُمbe concealed بَدرa full moon فيin الظَلامthe darkness سَرىtraveled by night
وَكَيفَ يَكتُم بَدر في الظَلام سَرى
أَمor كَيفَhow يَخفىcan he hide وَبَرقwhile the lightning الثَغرof the mouth وَاشيهbetrays him
أَم كَيفَ يَخفى وَبَرق الثَغر وَاشيه
And how can a full moon traveling through darkness be concealed?
How can the full moon hide in darkness?
Or how can he hide when his mouth's lightning betrays him?
Or keep hidden, when the lips’ lightning flashes?
وَلاand no رَقيبwatcher لَناover us إِلّاexcept العَفافchastity وَلاand no
وَلا رَقيب لَنا إِلّا العَفاف وَلا
عَينeye عَلَيناupon us سِوىexcept التَقوىpiety نُحاشيهِwe are wary of it
عَين عَلَينا سِوى التَقوى نُحاشيهِ
We had no watcher but chastity, and no
We had no guardian but chastity,
eye upon us save piety, of which we were wary.
No watcher but God-consciousness.
وَبتunclear; probably 'and voiced' الهَوىpassion بِالفاظin words يُساقطهاhe lets them fall
وَبت الهَوى بِالفاظ يُساقطها
كَالدُرّlike pearls مِنfrom مبسمa smiling mouth برءthe cure الضَناof wasting sickness فيهِin it
كَالدُرّ مِن مبسم برء الضَنا فيهِ
And he [apparently: voiced] his passion in words he let fall,
Passion scattered words like pearls
like pearls from a smiling mouth where wasting sickness finds its cure.
From the smile of dawn's cloudless serenity.
وَاِحتَسىand he sipped رائِقاًa limpid draught حُبbeads الغَمامof the clouds لَهُfor it
وَاِحتَسى رائِقاً حُب الغَمام لَهُ
مثلlike الحبابbubbles وَطيبand sweet النَشرof fragrance ساقيهِits cupbearer
مثل الحباب وَطيب النَشر ساقيهِ
And he sipped a limpid draught, for which the clouds' beads were
Love’s wine was sipped until intoxication,
like bubbles, and its cupbearer was sweetly fragrant.
Pure and fragrant like musk.
جَهلاًignorantly أَعللI soothe قَلبيmy heart بِالشَمالwith the north wind وَفيand in
جَهلاً أَعلل قَلبي بِالشَمال وَفي
أَنفاسِهاits breaths أَرجٌan aroma مِنfrom عُرفthe scent of ناديهِhis gathering place
أَنفاسِها أَرجٌ مِن عُرف ناديهِ
Ignorantly I soothe my heart with the north wind, though in
Yet foolishly I blamed the north wind,
its breaths is an aroma from the scent of his gathering place.
Though its breeze carried the garden's scent.
وَكَيفَand how يَبرأheals جَرحa wound كُلَماwhenever ذَكَرit remembers الthe (continued next line)
وَكَيفَ يَبرأ جَرح كُلَما ذَكَر ال
طَبيبphysician سالَbleeds وَنَشرَand the fragrance المسكof musk آسيهِits healer
طَبيب سالَ وَنَشرَ المسك آسيهِ
And how can a wound heal when, whenever it remembers the
How can a wound heal when recollection
physician, it bleeds—and musk's fragrance is its healer?
Reopens it, rubbing in camphor's sting?
أَمor كَيفَhow يَخمدdies down جَمرembers بِالرِياحby the winds أَماis not
أَم كَيفَ يَخمد جَمر بِالرِياح أَما
هَذاthis وَبالٌa calamity جُنونthe madness of الحُبlove جانيهِits cause
هَذا وَبالٌ جُنون الحُب جانيهِ
Or how can embers die down in the winds? Is not
How can embers be quenched with wind?
this a calamity brought on by love's madness?
Such is the madness of love's fate.
ياO وَيحwoe to مُغتَربan exile باتَتspent the night تَقلبهُturning him over
يا وَيح مُغتَرب باتَت تَقلبهُ
أَيديthe hands of السقامsickness بَعيدfar عَنfrom مُداويهِhis healer
أَيدي السقام بَعيد عَن مُداويهِ
O woe to an exile tossed all night
Oh misery! My exile tosses,
by the hands of sickness, far from his healer!
Far from remedy, in the hands of tormentors.
ياO قَلبheart ذبmelt حَسرَةwith grief ماnot أَنتَyou مِنof حَجَرstone
يا قَلب ذب حَسرَة ما أَنتَ مِن حَجَر
لاmay not كانَthere be فيamong الناسpeople ساليforgetful القَلبthe heart قاسيهِhard in it
لا كانَ في الناس سالي القَلب قاسيهِ
O heart, melt with grief—you are not made of stone.
Oh heart! Melt with the sorrow - you are not stone -
May no one among people have a forgetful, hardened heart!
If in people were hearts of compassion.
ماnot كُنتyou were أَولthe first مَنone whom أَودىbrought death الفُراقseparation بِهِto him
ما كُنت أَول مَن أَودى الفُراق بِهِ
وَلَستُand I am not أَولthe first مَنone whom يَنعاهُannounces his death ناعيهِhis death-announcer
وَلَستُ أَول مَن يَنعاهُ ناعيهِ
You were not the first whom separation destroyed,
I was not the first severed by parting,
nor am I the first whose death his herald announces,
Nor the first mourned by elegists.
وَلَستُand I am not أَولthe first حُرّfree man ماتَdied مِنfrom أَسَفsorrow
وَلَستُ أَول حُرّ ماتَ مِن أَسَف
غَريبa stranger قَبرa grave سَحيقfar distant عَنfrom بَواكيهِhis weeping women
غَريب قَبر سَحيق عَن بَواكيهِ
nor am I the first free man to die of sorrow,
I am not the first freeman to die of grief,
a stranger in a grave far from the women who weep for him.
In a stranger's grave, far from lamenters.
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.