وَقَدand indeed كُنتَyou were تَستَغنيneeding nothing else بِلَحظِكَwith your glance وَحدَهُit alone
وَقَد كُنتَ تَستَغني بِلَحظِكَ وَحدَهُ
فَكَيفَso how وَفيهِand in it سَبعَةٌseven خَيرُهاthe best of them شَرُّevil
فَكَيفَ وَفيهِ سَبعَةٌ خَيرُها شَرُّ
And you used to need nothing but your glance alone—
You used to be content with just a glance from me,
How, then, when it holds seven, even the best of them evil?
Yet now there are seven in my eye, the best of them being the worst.
سَقامٌsickness وَأُسدٌand lions ضارِياتٌfierce وَأَسهُمٌand arrows
سَقامٌ وَأُسدٌ ضارِياتٌ وَأَسهُمٌ
وَسُمرُand the tawny القَناspears وَالنَبلُand arrows وَالسَيفُand the sword وَالخَمرُand wine
وَسُمرُ القَنا وَالنَبلُ وَالسَيفُ وَالخَمرُ
Sickness, fierce lions, and arrows,
Illness, a raging lion, wild cats, arrows,
And tawny spears, arrows, the sword, and wine.
The poison drinking-cup, the arrows, the sword, and wine.
فَماذاso what نَرىare we to think فيمَنof one who حَوىpossesses فيكَbecause of you أَربَعاًfour
فَماذا نَرى فيمَن حَوى فيكَ أَربَعاً
بِواحِدَةٍby a single one مِنهُنَّof them يَنفَطِرُsplits apart الصَخرُrock
بِواحِدَةٍ مِنهُنَّ يَنفَطِرُ الصَخرُ
What, then, are we to think of one who, because of you, bears four,
What then can be seen in one who harbors four
Any one of which would split rock apart?
With but one of them the rock itself would shatter.
فَأَيّامُهُso his days سودٌblack وَبيضٌand white لِحاظُهُhis eyes
فَأَيّامُهُ سودٌ وَبيضٌ لِحاظُهُ
وَأَضلُعُهُand his ribs صُفرٌyellow وَأَدمُعُهُand his tears حُمرُred
وَأَضلُعُهُ صُفرٌ وَأَدمُعُهُ حُمرُ
So his days are black, and his eyes white,
So his days are black and white, his ribs
And his ribs yellow, and his tears red.
Yellow, and his tears red.