أَراكَ أراكَ كئيباً أَراك

أَراكَ أراكَ كئيباً أَراك

تحنُّ لبرق أراك أراكا

تحنُّ لبرق أراك أراكا

I see you, I see you—dejected I see you.

I see you, I see you melancholy, I see you

You yearn for lightning that showed you arak trees.

Yearning for the lightening, I see, I see you

وَتَبغي لدائك من غيره

وَتَبغي لدائك من غيره

دواءً وداؤك منهُ دَواكا

دواءً وداؤك منهُ دَواكا

And seek, for your ailment, from someone other than him,

And you seek from others

a remedy, while your ailment from him is your cure.

A cure, while your cure is your illness

فَسقمك ذا لو سألتَ المسي

فَسقمك ذا لو سألتَ المسي

حَ منهُ شفاك لما أن شَفاكا

حَ منهُ شفاك لما أن شَفاكا

For this sickness of yours, if you asked the Messiah

So if you asked the healer about your illness

for healing from it, he would not heal you.

He would not cure you, no he would not cure you

أصمّكَ للبينِ سرّ الفري

أصمّكَ للبينِ سرّ الفري

قِ فاِستكّ سمعك منهُ اِستِكاكا

قِ فاِستكّ سمعك منهُ اِستِكاكا

The company's secret of departure deafened you,

You are deaf to the secrets of love

and your hearing was utterly stopped up by it.

Make yourself hear, make yourself hear them

وَبَيضاء تحسبُها فضّةٍ

وَبَيضاء تحسبُها فضّةٍ

قد اِنسكبت للنضارِ اِنسِكابا

قد اِنسكبت للنضارِ اِنسِكابا

And a fair one you would think was silver,

And the white you think is silver

poured out upon pure gold.

Spilled out shining, spilled out

إِذا ذقتُ مِن مسكها بالمذا

إِذا ذقتُ مِن مسكها بالمذا

كِ كانَت منَ الطيب تحكي المذاكا

كِ كانَت منَ الطيب تحكي المذاكا

Whenever I tasted some of her musk with my palate,

When I taste its musk in kisses

in fragrance she resembled musk.

It seems it tells of musk in kisses

لَقَد نُصبت بالبها والجما

لَقَد نُصبت بالبها والجما

لِ مِنها لصيد القلوبِ شِباكا

لِ مِنها لصيد القلوبِ شِباكا

Indeed, through splendor and beauty were set

It was set up with splendor and beauty

snares from her to capture hearts.

To snare hearts, to snare them

أعذب اللمى وَالجنا هَل ترى

أعذب اللمى وَالجنا هَل ترى

جنا النحل أعذبُ لي أَم جناكا

جنا النحل أعذبُ لي أَم جناكا

O you of sweetest dusky lips and yield, do you think

Sweetest union and garden, do you see

the bees' harvest sweeter to me, or yours?

The garden of bees sweeter for me or your garden?

فَهَبني قبلَ الردى قبلةً

فَهَبني قبلَ الردى قبلةً

جُعلت فداكَ جُعلتُ فِداكا

جُعلت فداكَ جُعلتُ فِداكا

So grant me a kiss before death—

So grant me before loss a kiss

may I be your ransom, may I be your ransom!

I am yours, I am yours

فَماذا يضرّك إن لو رضي

فَماذا يضرّك إن لو رضي

ت لي مرّة أن أقبّلَ فاكا

ت لي مرّة أن أقبّلَ فاكا

What harm would it do you if you consented

What would hurt you if you would

just once to let me kiss your mouth?

Let me kiss your mouth once?

بحبّك لا العيش عيشاً أرى

بحبّك لا العيش عيشاً أرى

لديّ وليسَ الهلاكُ هلاكا

لديّ وليسَ الهلاكُ هلاكا

Through love of you, I do not regard life as life

Without your love life is not living

for me, nor is death death.

And death is not dying to me

عرفتُ الرَدى قبل وقتِ الردى

عرفتُ الرَدى قبل وقتِ الردى

وَلم أَختبر ذاكَ لولا هَواكا

وَلم أَختبر ذاكَ لولا هَواكا

I knew death before the time of death,

I knew loss before its time

and would not have experienced it but for love of you.

I would not have known it but for loving you

أَربعَ الأحبّةِ بعد الفري

أَربعَ الأحبّةِ بعد الفري

قِ ماذا جرى لك حتّى عفاكا

قِ ماذا جرى لك حتّى عفاكا

O dwelling of loved ones, after the company had gone,

O parting of lovers, what has happened

what befell you that effaced you?

That you have turned away?

سقاك حيا المزنِ من مربعٍ

سقاك حيا المزنِ من مربعٍ

هتونٍ ملثّ العزالي سَقاكا

هتونٍ ملثّ العزالي سَقاكا

May the clouds' rain water you, from a spring raincloud,

It gave you life’s wine from a gentle

pouring ceaselessly through its spouts—may it water you!

Pure chalice, it gave you to drink

وَجادك بالقطرِ وقت الأصيل

وَجادك بالقطرِ وقت الأصيل

رفاهاً وليلك حتّى ضحاكا

رفاهاً وليلك حتّى ضحاكا

And may it lavish rain on you in the late afternoon,

And gifted you in first night’s darkness

abundantly, and through your night until your forenoon.

With well-being, till dawn shone on you

إِذا ما تضاحكَ مركومهُ

إِذا ما تضاحكَ مركومهُ

تلألاءة البرقِ حين تَباكا

تلألاءة البرقِ حين تَباكا

When its piled-up mass laughs,

When its twinkling laughter smiles

with lightning's glitter as it feigns tears.

Like lightning flashing when it weeps

كأنّ أكفّ عرارٍ به

كأنّ أكفّ عرارٍ به

عشيّة بالودقِ روّى رياكا

عشيّة بالودقِ روّى رياكا

As though the hands of ʿArār were within it,

As if the palms of virgins

on the evening it drenched your fragrance with rain.

In the evening cooled your fever

فَتىً فاقَ أملاكَ أهل الزما

فَتىً فاقَ أملاكَ أهل الزما

نِ في حالتَيه نداً أو عراكا

نِ في حالتَيه نداً أو عراكا

A youth who surpassed the kings of his age

A youth who surpassed the kings of all

in both his states: generosity or combat.

Times in his two states, intimacy or war

يقودُ إِلى الوفدِ قبل السؤا

يقودُ إِلى الوفدِ قبل السؤا

ل ِكوم النياقِ معاً والرماكا

ل ِكوم النياقِ معاً والرماكا

He leads to the delegation, before any request,

He leads the delegates before asking

high-humped she-camels and mares together.

The spurred camels altogether and the racers

لهُ درجاتٌ تباري الشكا

لهُ درجاتٌ تباري الشكا

كَ حيثُ الشكاك يباري الشكاكا

كَ حيثُ الشكاك يباري الشكاكا

He has ranks that rival the heights,

He has steps to match the Pleiades

where heights vie with heights.

Where doubters compete with doubters

أذروة يشجب حزتَ المدا

أذروة يشجب حزتَ المدا

وَجاوزت حدَّ المعالي مداكا

وَجاوزت حدَّ المعالي مداكا

O pinnacle of Yashjub, you attained the utmost reach,

A peak disdaining the zeal of the obstinate

and you exceeded the bounds of glory in your reach.

And exceeding the bounds of glory, exceeding them

وَأَضحى لِما نلت من سؤددٍ

وَأَضحى لِما نلت من سؤددٍ

جميع الورى لحوة مِن عصاكا

جميع الورى لحوة مِن عصاكا

And through the eminence you attained,

And by what you attained of judgment

all humankind became a strip of bark from your staff.

The whole world became smooth for your staff

وَكم لكَ من همّة قد سَمَت

وَكم لكَ من همّة قد سَمَت

وَقد عقبت في العلوّ السماكا

وَقد عقبت في العلوّ السماكا

And how many an aspiration of yours has soared,

And how many an aspiration you had

and followed al-Simāk in the heights!

That followed upon sublime aspirations!

لَقد فضل الإنس ربّ الأنا

لَقد فضل الإنس ربّ الأنا

مِ في الخلقِ إِذ أنتَ منهم براكا

مِ في الخلقِ إِذ أنتَ منهم براكا

Truly, the Lord of all creatures favored humankind

Humans were favored by the Lord of Men

in creation, for He created you as one of them.

In creation, when you are one of them, righteous

وَدونكها مِن أخي فطنةٍ

وَدونكها مِن أخي فطنةٍ

تفطّن في حوكِها حين حاكا

تفطّن في حوكِها حين حاكا

And take it from a man of discernment,

Lower than it in wisdom from my brother

who pondered its weaving as he wove.

In its weaving when it wove

إِذا ما نظرت بعين الحِجا

إِذا ما نظرت بعين الحِجا

فَلَم ترَ منها القوافي رجاكا

فَلَم ترَ منها القوافي رجاكا

If you look with the eye of reason,

If you look with the eye of experience

and fail to discern its rhymes, he has placed his hope in you.

You see no rhymes in it longing for you