هَذَاthis الَّذيthe one whom أُحِبُّهُI love him
هَذَا الَّذي أُحِبُّهُ
قَاسٍharsh عَليَّtoward me قَلْبُهُhis heart
قَاسٍ عَليَّ قَلْبُهُ
This is the one I love;
his heart is hard toward me.
نَامَhe slept وَلمْand did not يَعْلَمْknow بِمَاof what
نَامَ وَلمْ يَعْلَمْ بِمَا
بَاتَhe spent the night يُقاسِيsuffering صَبُّهُhis enamored lover
بَاتَ يُقاسِي صَبُّهُ
He slept, unaware of what
his lover suffered through the night.
وَاعَجباًoh, how strange! كَمْhow often عَاجَturned aside بِيwith me
وَاعَجباً كَمْ عَاجَ بِي
دَلالُهُhis coyness وَعُجْبُهُand his conceit
دَلالُهُ وَعُجْبُهُ
How strange! How often I have been swayed
by his coyness and conceit!
آهاًalas لِمُضْنىًfor one wasted by love وَالهٍdistraught with love
آهاً لِمُضْنىً وَالهٍ
لَمْnot يَدْرِhe knew كَيْفَhow ذَنْبهُhis fault
لَمْ يَدْرِ كَيْفَ ذَنْبهُ
Ah, for one wasted and distraught with love,
who knew not what his fault had been.
سَارَjourneyed بهِwith him مُيَمِّماًheading onward
سَارَ بهِ مُيَمِّماً
مِنَfrom العَقيقِal-'Aqiq سِرْبهُhis company
مِنَ العَقيقِ سِرْبهُ
With him, bound onward, journeyed
his company from al-'Aqiq.
إنْif لاحَflashed بَرْقٌlightning ظَلَّhe kept يَرْhe hopes (first part)
إنْ لاحَ بَرْقٌ ظَلَّ يَرْ
جُو(completes 'he hopes') أَنْthat يَلوُحَwould gleam قُلبُهُhis bracelet
جُو أَنْ يَلوُحَ قُلبُهُ
If lightning flashed, he kept hoping
that his bracelet would gleam,
أَوْor أَسْعَدتْshe gladdened him أَوْor أَعْتبَتْshe made amends
أَوْ أَسْعَدتْ أَوْ أَعْتبَتْ
سُعادُهُhis Su'ad وعُتْبُهُand his 'Utb
سُعادُهُ وعُتْبُهُ
or that joy or reconciliation might come
from his Su'ad and his 'Utb.
قَدْindeed باتَhe spent the night ظَمْآناًthirsty وَمَاand not
قَدْ باتَ ظَمْآناً وَمَا
سِوَىother than الدُّموُعtears شُرْبُهُhis drink
سِوَى الدُّموُع شُرْبُهُ
He spent the night thirsty, with nothing
but tears to drink.
مَاnot سَارَtraveled وَهْناًby night رَكْبهُhis caravan
مَا سَارَ وَهْناً رَكْبهُ
إلّاexcept وزَادَand increased كَرْبُهُhis anguish
إلّا وزَادَ كَرْبُهُ
Never did his caravan travel by night
without his anguish growing.
وَبالحمَىand at the sanctuary سَقَىwatered الحِمىthe protected pasture
وَبالحمَى سَقَى الحِمى
عَنْfrom كَثبٍnearby وَكُثْبُهُand its dunes
عَنْ كَثبٍ وَكُثْبُهُ
And at the sanctuary, the pasture was watered,
from close by, along with its dunes,
غَيْثٌrain غَدتْbecame تَسْحَبُtrailing فيin
غَيْثٌ غَدتْ تَسْحَبُ في
أذْيَالهنَّtheir skirts سُحْبُهُits clouds
أذْيَالهنَّ سُحْبُهُ
by rain whose clouds swept along
in their trailing skirts.
مَنْone whom عِفَّتِيmy chastity وَصوْنُهand his self-restraint
مَنْ عِفَّتِي وَصوْنُه
مِنfrom دونِهِbefore him وَحُجْبُهُand his veils
مِن دونِهِ وَحُجْبُهُ
One whom my chastity and his reserve,
and his veils, keep beyond reach:
فيin ثَغْرهِhis mouth وَناظِرَيْand the two eyes of
في ثَغْرهِ وَناظِرَيْ
هِhim عَذْبُهhis sweet water وَعضْبُهُand his keen sword
هِ عَذْبُه وَعضْبُهُ
in his mouth and his two eyes
are his sweet water and his keen sword.
فَمنْso who will help بِصَبِّfor a love-stricken man دَمْعِهِhis tears
فَمنْ بِصَبِّ دَمْعِهِ
يَفيضُoverflows وَجْداًwith yearning صَبُّهُtheir outpouring
يَفيضُ وَجْداً صَبُّهُ
So who will help a lover whose tears
pour forth in longing?
قُطّعhe was torn apart إرباًinto pieces دُونwithout أنْthat
قُطّع إرباً دُون أنْ
يَقْضِيhe fulfills بِوَصْلٍthrough union أَربهُhis desire
يَقْضِي بِوَصْلٍ أَربهُ
He was torn to pieces without
fulfilling his desire through union.
يُحبُّhe loves مِنْfor أجْلِthe sake of الحَبِيthe beloved (first part)
يُحبُّ مِنْ أجْلِ الحَبِي
بِ(completes 'the beloved') كُلَّeveryone مَنْwho يُحبُّهُloves him
بِ كُلَّ مَنْ يُحبُّهُ
He loves, for the beloved's sake,
everyone who loves him.
فَقصْدُهُfor his aim مُحَمَّدٌMuhammad
فَقصْدُهُ مُحَمَّدٌ
وَآلهُand his family وَصحْبُهُand his companions
وَآلهُ وَصحْبُهُ
For his aim is Muhammad,
and his family and companions.