لاno واخضرارby the greening of العذارthe cheek-down
لا واخضرار العذار
فيon خدّهhis cheek الجلناريpomegranate-blossom-red
في خدّه الجلناري
No—by the greening of the cheek-down
No greenness of foliage
on his pomegranate-blossom cheek,
In his rosy cheek,
وطرّةand a forelock كظلامlike darkness
وطرّة كظلام
وغرّةand a bright brow كنهارِlike daylight
وغرّة كنهارِ
and a forelock like darkness,
A willow branch that shone
and a bright brow like daylight,
In the sand of flowing dunes,
وغصنand a branch بأنa bān tree تجلىwas revealed
وغصن بأن تجلى
فيin حقفa curved dune of رملsand هارِcrumbling
في حقف رمل هارِ
and a bān-tree bough revealed
And a wine of pleasure
in a curved dune of crumbling sand,
That passed round the wine-pourer’s mouth,
وخمرةand a wine منfrom رضابsaliva
وخمرة من رضاب
بفيهin his mouth داوتcured خماريmy hangover
بفيه داوت خماري
and a wine of saliva
I pass the estrangement after
in his mouth that cured my hangover:
The pleasure of being with him,
لاقرّmay it not settle فيin الهجرseparation بعدafter الthe
لاقرّ في الهجر بعد ال
وصالunion منهfrom him قراريmy repose
وصال منه قراري
No rest in separation, after
I, having closed the door of complaint
union with him, shall be mine.
And resignation,
أناI وقدand already سدّwas barred بابthe door of السfirst part of 'the forgetting'
أنا وقد سدّ باب الس
لوcompletion of 'forgetting' والإصطبارِand patient endurance
لو والإصطبارِ
I, now that the door is barred to
About one whom it was difficult
forgetfulness and patient endurance,
To turn his face from me in apology,
عمنfrom one who تعذرbecame impossible فيin الصfirst part of 'the shunning'
عمن تعذر في الص
دّcompletion of 'shunning' عنهfrom him وجهgrounds for اعتذاريmy excuse
دّ عنه وجه اعتذاري
have no grounds for turning
A gazelle startled from my sleep
away from him, no excuse.
By his turning away,
ظبيa gazelle ينفرdrives away نوميmy sleep
ظبي ينفر نومي
بأنهhis bān-like figure (uncertain reading) والنفارِand shying away
بأنه والنفارِ
A gazelle: my sleep is driven off
I sold my profit in him
by his bān-like figure and his shying away.
For a losing bargain,
قدindeed بعتI sold ربحيmy profit فيهin him
قد بعت ربحي فيه
بصفقةin a bargain منof خسارِloss
بصفقة من خسارِ
I have sold my profit in him
I wept over him with tears
in a bargain of loss.
When I lost my choice,
فبحتso I confessed فيهconcerning him برىwasting away
فبحت فيه برى
لماwhen عدمتI lost اختياريmy freedom of choice
لما عدمت اختياري
So I confessed my wasting away for him
My eyelids enchanted by
when I lost my freedom to choose.
The magic in his eyes,
بحارseas طرفيmy eyes بسحرthrough a spell
بحار طرفي بسحر
فيin طرفهhis gaze واحورارِand the eyes' black-and-white contrast
في طرفه واحورارِ
The seas of my eyes, through a spell
His waist is like my religion
in his gaze and its bright black-and-white contrast.
And his mouth my mirror,
فخصرهso his waist مثلlike دينيmy faith
فخصره مثل ديني
وردthe rose of فمهhis mouth أوزاريmy sins
ورد فمه أوزاري
His waist is like my faith;
How much I was drawn to him
the rose of his mouth—my sins.
In frivolity beyond duty,
كمhow often قدindeed جررتI dragged إليهtoward him
كم قد جررت إليه
فيin اللهوamusement فضلthe trailing excess of الأزارِthe waist-wrapper
في اللهو فضل الأزارِ
How often I have dragged toward him,
How much I wore my love
in play, my waist-wrapper's trailing hem!
And how much I doffed my veil,
وكمand how often لبستI wore غراميmy passion
وكم لبست غرامي
وكمand how often خلعتI cast off عذاريmy bridle
وكم خلعت عذاري
And how often I have worn my passion,
How much I rode to him
and how often cast off my bridle!
On the shoulders of dangers,
وكمand how often ركبتI rode إليهtoward him
وكم ركبت إليه
كواهلthe withers of الأخطارِdangers
كواهل الأخطارِ
And how often I have ridden toward him
As if all my life I sought
upon the withers of dangers!
The finest pottery,
كأننيas though I were عمرʿUmar الخيfirst part of 'al-Khayr (the Good)'
كأنني عمر الخي
رcompletion of 'al-Khayr' رامsought شأوthe farthest reach of الفخارِglory
ر رام شأو الفخارِ
As though I were ʿUmar al-Khayr,
If the day casts on me
seeking the farthest reach of glory.
The traits of a traitor,
إنif سمتI was subjected to منby دهريmy times اليوfirst part of 'today'
إن سمت من دهري اليو
مcompletion of 'today' شيمةthe ways of الغدارِthe traitor
م شيمة الغدارِ
If today my times subject me
I have the loyalty of a trustee
to a traitor's ways,
Of religion, open and generous,
فليthen I have وفاءthe fidelity of أمينAmīn الal- (the)
فلي وفاء أمين ال
دينDīn (faith) الكريمnoble النجارِin lineage
دين الكريم النجارِ
I have the fidelity of Amīn al-
With a rent shirt but honor
Dīn, noble in lineage:
Undiminished and resolute,
خِرقٌa resourceful man قميصُthe shirt of المعاليlofty virtues
خِرقٌ قميصُ المعالي
عليهupon him غيرnot مصارِunclear; perhaps 'borrowed'
عليه غير مصارِ
a resourceful man; the shirt of lofty virtues
Firm when others waver
he wears is not borrowed [uncertain reading].
Like a glowing coal,
ثبتsteadfast إذاwhen همhe resolved أمضىhe carried through
ثبت إذا هم أمضى
عزfirst part of 'a resolve' ماcompletion of 'a resolve' كجذوةlike an ember of نارِfire
عز ما كجذوة نارِ
Steadfast: when he resolves, he carries through
To his neighbor from his hands
a resolve like an ember of fire.
Flows the water of nobility,
لجارهfor his neighbor منfrom يديهhis two hands
لجاره من يديه
ماءthe water of المكارمgenerosity جاريِflowing
ماء المكارم جاريِ
For his neighbor, from his two hands,
He has great deeds
the water of generosity flows.
Flowing with benefaction,
لهhe has المآثرnoble deeds غرradiant
له المآثر غر
تجريflow علىwith a view to ايثاريfavoring me
تجري على ايثاري
His glorious deeds are radiant,
Therefore I make pilgrimage to him
flowing to give me preference.
Beyond all creation,
لذاكfor that reason حَجّيmy hajj pilgrimage إليهاto them
لذاك حَجّي إليها
دونrather than الورىhumankind واعتماريand my ʿumrah pilgrimage
دون الورى واعتماري
Thus to them I make my hajj,
He gives generously and purely
not to humankind—and my ʿumrah too.
Without meanness,
يعطيhe gives العطاءbounty هنياwholesome
يعطي العطاء هنيا
صافclear منof الأكدارِimpurities
صاف من الأكدارِ
He bestows wholesome bounty,
O you whose generosity
clear of all impurities.
Relieves my burdens,
ياO منyou whose أقلthe least سماحgenerosity
يا من أقل سماح
منهfrom him يقيلlifts عثاريmy stumbling
منه يقيل عثاري
O you whose slightest generosity
Far be it from your gathering
lifts me from my stumble,
To see me worthless and dishonored,
حاشاfar be it from نداكyour generosity يرانيto see me
حاشا نداك يراني
وكارتيand my bundle فيin العيارِthe weighing
وكارتي في العيارِ
far be it from your bounty to see me
So favor me, for my face is
with my bundle being weighed.
Veiled in yellow from waiting,
فانعمso be generous فقدfor indeed صارhas become وجهيmy face
فانعم فقد صار وجهي
مبرقعاveiled بالصفارِin yellow pallor
مبرقعا بالصفارِ
So be generous, for my face has become
From lack of patience in me
veiled in yellow pallor,
And profusion of longing,
منfrom قلةthe lack of الصبرpatience عنديin me
من قلة الصبر عندي
وكثرةand the abundance of الانتظارِwaiting
وكثرة الانتظارِ
from the little patience I have
Your excellence remains lofty
and the long wait.
And your glory a watcher,
لاmay not زالcease جدّكyour good fortune سامlofty
لا زال جدّك سام
فيناamong us وزندكand your fire-stick واريsparking
فينا وزندك واري
May your fortune ever remain lofty
Congratulating every year
among us, and your fire-stick give sparks,
With fasting and breaking fast,
مهنئاreceiving congratulations كلevery عامyear
مهنئا كل عام
بالصومon fasting والافطارِand breaking the fast
بالصوم والافطارِ
receiving good wishes every year
The breezes have not stirred
for fasting and breaking the fast,
The boughs of the juniper,
ماas long as حركتstirred نفحاتwafts of النthe (start of 'the breeze')
ما حركت نفحات الن
نسيمbreeze فرعa branch of عرارِʿarār, a fragrant wildflower
نسيم فرع عرارِ
as long as wafts of the
breeze stir a branch of ʿarār.
Partial English translation: 60 of 62 Arabic lines translated.