عُوجىturn toward عَلَيَّme وَسَلِّميand greet جَبرُJabr
عُوجى عَلَيَّ وَسَلِّمي جَبرُ
فِيمَwhy الصُدُودُthe turning away وَأَنتُمُwhile you سَفرُare travelers
فِيمَ الصُدُودُ وَأَنتُمُ سَفرُ
Turn toward me and greet me, Jabr.
Why this turning away, when you are travelers?
فَكَفىso enough بِهِin it هَجراًestrangement لَناfor us وَلَكُمand for you
فَكَفى بِهِ هَجراً لَنا وَلَكُم
أَنّيthat I وَذَلِكَand that فَاِعلَميso know الهَجرُthe estrangement
أَنّي وَذَلِكَ فَاِعلَمي الهَجرُ
For it is estrangement enough for us and you
that I—and know that this is estrangement—
لاnot نَلتَقيwe meet إِلّاexcept ثَلاثَthree منىًMina
لا نَلتَقي إِلّا ثَلاثَ منىً
حَتّىuntil يُشَتِّتَscatters بَينَناus apart النَفرُthe departure
حَتّى يُشَتِّتَ بَينَنا النَفرُ
meet you only for three days at Mina,
until the departure scatters us apart,
بِالشَهرِin the month بَعدَafter الحَولِthe year نُتبِعُهُwe follow it with
بِالشَهرِ بَعدَ الحَولِ نُتبِعُهُ
ماnot الدَهرُtime إِلّاexcept الحَولُthe year وَالشَهرُand the month
ما الدَهرُ إِلّا الحَولُ وَالشَهرُ
in the month we follow each year with.
Time is nothing but the year and the month.
لَوif كُنتِyou were ماكِثَةًstaying عَذَرتُكُمُI would excuse you
لَو كُنتِ ماكِثَةً عَذَرتُكُمُ
لِبِعادِناfor our separation وَلَكانَand there would be ليfor me صَبرُpatience
لِبِعادِنا وَلَكانَ لي صَبرُ
If you were staying, I would excuse you
for our separation, and I would have patience
عَنaway from حُبِّكُمlove for you وَنَذَرتُand I vowed صرمَكُمُto forsake you
عَن حُبِّكُم وَنَذَرتُ صرمَكُمُ
حِيناًfor a while وَهَلand is there لِمُتَيَّمٍfor a love-stricken soul نَذرُa vow
حِيناً وَهَل لِمُتَيَّمٍ نَذرُ
against my love for you, and vow to forsake you
for a while—but can a love-stricken soul keep a vow?
نَظَرَتshe gazed بِمُقلَةِwith the eye of مُغزِلٍa doe with a fawn عَلِقَتshe grasped
نَظَرَت بِمُقلَةِ مُغزِلٍ عَلِقَت
فَنَناًa branch تَنَعَّمَgrew luxuriantly نَبتُهُits growth نَضرُfresh
فَنَناً تَنَعَّمَ نَبتُهُ نَضرُ
She gazed with the eye of a doe with a fawn, grasping
a branch whose growth was luxuriant and fresh.
يُثنىsways بَناتَthe thoughts of فُؤادِهاher heart رَشأٌa fawn
يُثنى بَناتَ فُؤادِها رَشأٌ
طَفلٌyoung تَخَّونَsapped مَشيَهُits gait فَترُweakness
طَفلٌ تَخَّونَ مَشيَهُ فَترُ
A fawn sways the thoughts within her heart,
a young one whose steps are sapped by weakness.
فيin مَوقِفٍa place رَفَعraised الوُشاةُthe tale-bearers بِهِthere
في مَوقِفٍ رَفَع الوُشاةُ بِهِ
أَبصارَهُمtheir eyes فَكَأَنَّهاand as though they were الجَمرُglowing coals
أَبصارَهُم فَكَأَنَّها الجَمرُ
At a place where the tale-bearers raised
their eyes, which seemed like glowing coals.
وَعَرَفتُand I recognized مَنزِلَةًa dwelling فَقُلتُand I said لَهاto it
وَعَرَفتُ مَنزِلَةً فَقُلتُ لَها
بِالقَصرِat al-Qasr مَرَّpassed لِعَهدِهِsince its former days عَصرُan age
بِالقَصرِ مَرَّ لِعَهدِهِ عَصرُ
I recognized a dwelling and spoke to it,
at al-Qasr, an age having passed since its former days.
أَقوىlay deserted مِنof آلthe household of جُبَيرَةَJubayra القَصرُal-Qasr
أَقوى مِن آل جُبَيرَةَ القَصرُ
فَقِرانُهاand its ridges فَتِلاعُهاand its slopes العُفرُthe pale ones
فَقِرانُها فَتِلاعُها العُفرُ
Al-Qasr lay empty of Jubayra’s household,
and its ridges and its pale slopes;
فَالبئرُand the well مُوحِشَةٌdesolate فَسِدرَتُهاand its lote tree
فَالبئرُ مُوحِشَةٌ فَسِدرَتُها
فَهِضابَهاand its hills الشَرقيَّةُthe eastern الحُمرُthe red
فَهِضابَها الشَرقيَّةُ الحُمرُ
the well stood desolate, and its lote tree,
and its eastern, red hills—
مِنof كُلِّevery خَرعَبَةٍtall, tender woman مُبتَّلَةٍwell-formed
مِن كُلِّ خَرعَبَةٍ مُبتَّلَةٍ
صِفرِempty at الوِشاحِthe sash كَأَنَّهاas though she were بَدرُa full moon
صِفرِ الوِشاحِ كَأَنَّها بَدرُ
emptied of every tall, tender, well-formed woman,
slender-waisted, as though she were the full moon,
حَوراءَdark-eyed يَمنَعُهاprevents her القِيامُfrom rising إِذاwhen
حَوراءَ يَمنَعُها القِيامُ إِذا
قَعَدَتshe sat تَمامُfullness of الخَلقِform وَالبُهرand breathlessness
قَعَدَت تَمامُ الخَلقِ وَالبُهر
a dark-eyed beauty kept from rising, when
she sat, by her full figure and breathlessness.
كَالعِذقِlike a fruiting palm فيon رَأسِthe top of الكَثيبِthe dune نَماgrew
كَالعِذقِ في رَأسِ الكَثيبِ نَما
طُولاًin height وَمالَand bowed بِفَرعِهِwith its crown الوِقرُthe burden
طُولاً وَمالَ بِفَرعِهِ الوِقرُ
Like a fruiting palm atop a dune, grown
tall, its crown bowed by the burden.
مَشيَthe gait of النَزيفِthe drunkard يَجُرُّhe drags مِئزَرَهُhis waistcloth
مَشيَ النَزيفِ يَجُرُّ مِئزَرَهُ
ذَهَبَتcarried away بِأَكثَرmost of عَقلِهِhis reason الخُمرthe wine
ذَهَبَت بِأَكثَر عَقلِهِ الخُمر
She walks like a drunkard dragging his waistcloth,
wine having carried off most of his reason.
قَصرٌa palace بِهِin it رُودُa tender maiden الشَبابِyouth لَهاshe has
قَصرٌ بِهِ رُودُ الشَبابِ لَها
نَسَبٌa lineage يُقَصِّرُfalls short دُونَهُof it الفَخرُboasting
نَسَبٌ يُقَصِّرُ دُونَهُ الفَخرُ
A palace with a tender young maiden in it, possessing
a lineage beyond the reach of boasting.
زَهراءُradiant يَسمُوbears upward لِلعَلاءِtoward the heights بِهاher
زَهراءُ يَسمُو لِلعَلاءِ بِها
آباؤُهاher forefathers وَعَقائِلٌand noble women زُهرُradiant
آباؤُها وَعَقائِلٌ زُهرُ
Radiant, borne toward the heights by
her forefathers and radiant, noble women.
وَرِثَتshe inherited عَجائزهاher elder women العَفافchastity وَماand what
وَرِثَت عَجائزها العَفاف وَما
قَدَّمنَthey had done مِنof خَيرٍgoodness لَهُfor it ذِكرremembrance
قَدَّمنَ مِن خَيرٍ لَهُ ذِكر
She inherited her elder women’s chastity and what
they had done of goodness worthy of remembrance.
فَإِذاso when الجَليدُthe ice مَعَwith الضَريبِthe frost مَعاًtogether
فَإِذا الجَليدُ مَعَ الضَريبِ مَعاً
سَفَعَscorched العِضاةَthe thorn trees وَأَقحَطand failed القَطرُthe rain
سَفَعَ العِضاةَ وَأَقحَط القَطرُ
When ice and frost together
scorched the thorn trees and the rain failed,
وَاِستَحوَذَتand gained mastery رِيحُthe wind of الشَمالِthe north عَلىover
وَاِستَحوَذَت رِيحُ الشَمالِ عَلى
أَثوابِهِhis clothes وَتَمَصَّحَand shriveled البُسرُthe unripe dates
أَثوابِهِ وَتَمَصَّحَ البُسرُ
and the north wind gained mastery over
his clothes, and the unripe dates shriveled,
لَمdid not يُؤذِهاharm her حَدُّthe severity of الشِتاءِwinter وَلَمand was not
لَم يُؤذِها حَدُّ الشِتاءِ وَلَم
يُرفَعlifted لَهاfor her لِتَطَلُّعٍto peer outside سِترُa curtain
يُرفَع لَها لِتَطَلُّعٍ سِترُ
winter’s severity did not harm her, nor
was a curtain lifted for her to peer outside.