أَماah! وَلَآلٍby pearls مِنْfrom شَتِيتِscattered ابْتِسَامِهِhis smile
أَما وَلَآلٍ مِنْ شَتِيتِ ابْتِسَامِهِ
وَمَاand what خُطَّwas traced فيin يَاقُوتِهِhis ruby مِنْof زَبَرْجَدِchrysolite
وَمَا خُطَّ في يَاقُوتِهِ مِنْ زَبَرْجَدِ
Ah, by the scattered pearls of his smile,
For the tears shed from his scattered smile,
and by the chrysolite traced upon his ruby,
And for what was etched in his ruby from emerald,
لَقَدْindeed باتَhe spent the night يُجْرِيletting flow لُؤْلُؤاًpearls فَوْقَover عَنْدَمٍcrimson dye
لَقَدْ باتَ يُجْرِي لُؤْلُؤاً فَوْقَ عَنْدَمٍ
كماjust as بِتُّI spent the night أُجْرِيI let flow عَنْدَماًcrimson dye فَوْقَover عَسْجَدِgold
كما بِتُّ أُجْرِي عَنْدَماً فَوْقَ عَسْجَدِ
indeed, he spent the night letting pearls flow over crimson dye,
Indeed he had let pearls flow over languor -
as I spent the night letting crimson dye flow over gold.
As I let languor flow over pearls.
فَهَذَاso this عَقِيقٌcarnelian ذَائِبٌmolten فيin مُعَصْفَرٍsafflower-dyed yellow
فَهَذَا عَقِيقٌ ذَائِبٌ في مُعَصْفَرٍ
وَهَذاand this جُمانٌpearls سَائِلٌflowing فيin مُورَّدِrose-red
وَهَذا جُمانٌ سَائِلٌ في مُورَّدِ
So this is molten carnelian in safflower-yellow,
And here is silver melted into pink.
and this is liquid pearl in rose-red.
So O my lively love since I fell for him,
فَياso, O فَرْقَدَFarqad (a star) الحيِّthe clan الَّذيwhom مُذْsince هَويتُهُI loved him
فَيا فَرْقَدَ الحيِّ الَّذي مُذْ هَويتُهُ
تَكَفَّلَundertook طَرْفيmy eye رَعْيwatching نَسْرٍNasr (a star) وفَرْقَدِand Farqad (a star)
تَكَفَّلَ طَرْفي رَعْي نَسْرٍ وفَرْقَدِ
So, O Farqad of the clan, ever since I fell in love with you,
My eyes have tended a female ostrich and her chick.
my eye has undertaken to keep watch over Nasr and Farqad.
Be gentle. Had you shot your arrow into the horizon
تَأَنّgo slowly فَلَوْfor if أَرْسَلْتَyou loosed سَهْمَكَyour arrow فيinto الصَفاhard rock
تَأَنّ فَلَوْ أَرْسَلْتَ سَهْمَكَ في الصَفا
غَداit would become مارِقاًpassing through مِنْout of كُلevery صَمَّاءsolid جلْمَدِhard boulder
غَدا مارِقاً مِنْ كُل صَمَّاء جلْمَدِ
Go slowly, for if you loosed your arrow into hard rock,
It would have fled at dawn from every deaf rock.
it would pass clean through every solid boulder.
And had you shot me with any arrow but that of separation
وَلَوْand if بِسِوَىwith anything but سَهْمِthe arrow of الفِرَاقِseparation رَمَيْتَنِيyou shot me
وَلَوْ بِسِوَى سَهْمِ الفِرَاقِ رَمَيْتَنِي
حَنانَيْكَyour mercy, I beg لَمْwould not يَنْفُذْpierce بِدرْعِthrough the armor of تَجلُّدِيmy fortitude
حَنانَيْكَ لَمْ يَنْفُذْ بِدرْعِ تَجلُّدِي
And had you shot me with anything but the arrow of separation,
My affection would not have penetrated my coat of armor.
I beg your mercy—it would not have pierced the armor of my fortitude.
You refused and did not send a comforter to the wakeful,
صَدَدْتَyou turned away فَلَمْso you did not تَبْعَثْsend رُقَاداًslumber لِسَاهِرٍto a wakeful one
صَدَدْتَ فَلَمْ تَبْعَثْ رُقَاداً لِسَاهِرٍ
وَصِدْتَand you hunted فَلَمْso you did not تَتْرُكْleave فُؤَاداًa heart لِمكْمَدِfor a grief-stricken one
وَصِدْتَ فَلَمْ تَتْرُكْ فُؤَاداً لِمكْمَدِ
You turned away, sending no slumber to the wakeful,
You blocked and left no heart for the extinguished.
and you hunted, leaving no heart for one consumed by grief.
You set up nooses of sorrow to catch him -
نَصَبْتَyou set حِبالاتِsnares of الكَرَىslumber لاقْتِناصِهِto capture it
نَصَبْتَ حِبالاتِ الكَرَى لاقْتِناصِهِ
فَعاقَبْتَso you punished جَفْنِيmy eyelid بالسُّهَادِwith sleeplessness المُؤبَّدِeverlasting
فَعاقَبْتَ جَفْنِي بالسُّهَادِ المُؤبَّدِ
You set the snares of slumber to capture it,
So you punished my eyelids with perpetual sleeplessness.
so you punished my eyelid with everlasting sleeplessness.
And he approached, under his hair like the moon in the gloom,
وَأَقْبَلَand he approached تَحْتَbeneath الشَّعرِthe hair كالبَدْرِlike the full moon فيin الدُّجَىdarkness
وَأَقْبَلَ تَحْتَ الشَّعرِ كالبَدْرِ في الدُّجَى
عَلىupon مِثْلِthe likeness of غصْنِa branch of البانةِthe bān tree المُتأَوِّدِswaying
عَلى مِثْلِ غصْنِ البانةِ المُتأَوِّدِ
And he came forth beneath his hair like the full moon in darkness,
On a branch of emblic like the loving vine.
upon a form like the swaying branch of a bān tree.
Partial English translation: 17 of 18 Arabic lines translated.