تَشكوshe complains إِلَيهِto him أَنَّthat صاher companion (beginning)
تَشكو إِلَيهِ أَنَّ صا
حِبَهاher companion (ending) جَفاهاhe shunned her مُذsince جَفاهاhe shunned her
حِبَها جَفاها مُذ جَفاها
She complains to him that her companion
She complains to him that her companion has forsaken her since he forsaken her
has shunned her ever since he shunned her.
She hid from him, concealing herself
خَفِيَتshe hid عَلَيهِfrom him تَسَتُّراًto conceal herself
خَفِيَت عَلَيهِ تَسَتُّراً
مِنهُfrom him وَخَوفاًand for fear أَنthat يَراهاhe might see her
مِنهُ وَخَوفاً أَن يَراها
She hid from his sight, concealing herself
From him and fearing that he would see her
from him, and fearing he might see her.
If he possessed the cure
وَلَوand even if أَنَّهُthat he مَلَكَpossessed الشِفاthe cure (beginning)
وَلَو أَنَّهُ مَلَكَ الشِفا
ءَthe cure (ending) لِماfor what شَكَتهُshe complained of it لَماwould not شَفاهاhe cured her
ءَ لِما شَكَتهُ لَما شَفاها
And even if he possessed the cure
She would not have complained of him, he would have cured her
for what she complained of, he would not cure her.
If she was presented before his eyes he would have looked upon her and cured her
وَلَوand if أَنَّهاthat she عُرِضَتshe were presented عَلىbefore
وَلَو أَنَّها عُرِضَت عَلى
عَينَيهِhis two eyes عايَنَهاhe beheld her شِفاهاhe cured her
عَينَيهِ عايَنَها شِفاها
And were she presented before
You have disliked her and loved her
his eyes, he would behold her and cure her.
Alas! She has not attained her wish from him
أَكَرِهتَهاdo you hate her? وَأُحِبُّهاwhile I love her
أَكَرِهتَها وَأُحِبُّها
هَيهاتَfar be it! لاmay not بَلَغَتshe attain مناهاher wishes
هَيهاتَ لا بَلَغَت مناها
Do you hate her while I love her?
I sacrifice myself for you! Where has your glory reached of sacrificing for her?
Far be it! May she never attain her wishes!
How can the sky of your glory carry her misfortune?
جُعِلَتmay she be made فِداكَyour ransom وَأَينَand where قَدyour rank (beginning)
جُعِلَت فِداكَ وَأَينَ قَد
رُكَyour rank (ending) فيin المَعاليthe heights مِنcompared with فِداهاher sacrifice
رُكَ في المَعالي مِن فِداها
May she be your ransom—but how does your rank
As long as you live, as long as a life for her lives
among the heights compare with her sacrifice?
It is harshness in life, I have no sorrow from it but her
أَنّىhow could يَسومُdemands of سَماءَthe heaven مَجyour glory (beginning)
أَنّى يَسومُ سَماءَ مَج
دِكَyour glory (ending) اَنthat يُناطَbe hung بِهاupon it ثَراهاher dust
دِكَ اَن يُناطَ بِها ثَراها
How could one ask the heaven of your glory
I fear your glory that I say, and would that I knew what it necessitates
to have her dust hung upon it?
Reach your approval, for with her disapproval, in it is her approval
دامَتmay endure عُلاكَyour eminence فَكُلَّماfor whenever
دامَت عُلاكَ فَكُلَّما
دامَتit endures لَهاfor her دامَتendures عُلاهاher eminence
دامَت لَها دامَت عُلاها
May your eminence endure, for whenever
Oh her morning whose complaints were not diverted from you
it endures for her, her eminence endures.
And you will have to be patient for nights of your blame, hating it forever
هِيَit جَفوَةٌan estrangement فيin الدَهرِlife ماnot
هِيَ جَفوَةٌ في الدَهرِ ما
لِيَI have حَسرَةٌheartache مِنهُfrom it سِواهاother than it
لِيَ حَسرَةٌ مِنهُ سِواها
It is an estrangement in life; no
Until the nailed one sleeps in her bed from his darkness
heartache have I from it save this.
And her sun dies in it, drowned
وَأَهابُand I stand in awe of مَجدَكَyour glory أَنto أَقوI speak (beginning)
وَأَهابُ مَجدَكَ أَن أَقو
لَI speak (ending) وَلَيتَand would that شِعرِيَmy knowledge ماwhat اِقتَضاهاprompted it
لَ وَلَيتَ شِعرِيَ ما اِقتَضاها
And I revere your glory too much to speak;
And the morning eulogizes it
yet would that I knew what prompted it!
So when I reach the dawn with her, her companionship makes me forgetful
أبلغconvey رِضاكَyour approval فَإِنَّهُfor indeed it
أبلغ رِضاكَ فَإِنَّهُ
مَعَdespite سُخطِهاher displeasure فيهِin it رِضاهاher satisfaction
مَعَ سُخطِها فيهِ رِضاها
Convey your approval, for
And the night, if the light of your smile does not stop it, does not end
despite her displeasure, her satisfaction lies in it.
ياO صُبحَهاher dawn لاmay not صُرفَتbe turned away عَنaway from
يا صُبحَها لا صُرفَت عَن
كَyou الأَعِنَّةُthe reins مِنfrom سُراهاher journey by night
كَ الأَعِنَّةُ مِن سُراها
O her dawn, may they never be turned away from
you—the reins of her journey by night.
وَلَتَحلَمَنَّand she shall surely dream عَلىthroughout لَياnights (beginning)
وَلَتَحلَمَنَّ عَلى لَيا
ليnights (ending) عَتبِكُمyour reproach أَبَداًforever كَراهاtheir slumber
لي عَتبِكُم أَبَداً كَراها
And she shall surely dream, throughout the nights
of your reproach, forever of their slumber,
حَتّىuntil يَنامَsleeps عَلىupon مَضاtheir beds (beginning)
حَتّى يَنامَ عَلى مَضا
جِعِهاtheir beds (ending) المُسَمِّرُthe night-talker مِنfrom دُجاهاtheir darkness
جِعِها المُسَمِّرُ مِن دُجاها
until there sleeps upon their beds
the night-talker from their darkness,
وَيَموتُand dies فيهاwithin them شَمسُهاtheir sun غَرَقاًby drowning
وَيَموتُ فيها شَمسُها غَرَقاً
وَيَندُبُهاand mourns them ضُحاهاtheir forenoon
وَيَندُبُها ضُحاها
and their sun dies within them, drowned,
and their forenoon mourns them.
فَإِذاso when بَلَغتُI reach بِهاthrough them إِلىto
فَإِذا بَلَغتُ بِها إِلى
سَحَرٍthe hour before dawn تَغَشّانيenvelops me عِشاهاtheir dusk
سَحَرٍ تَغَشّاني عِشاها
So when I make my way through them as far as
the hour before dawn, their dusk envelops me.
وَاللَيلُand the night إِنif لَمnot يُنهِهِends it
وَاللَيلُ إِن لَم يُنهِهِ
ضَوءُthe light اِبتِسامِكَyour smile لاdoes not تَناهىcome to an end
ضَوءُ اِبتِسامِكَ لا تَناهى
And night, unless ended by
the light of your smile, will never end.
Partial English translation: 21 of 34 Arabic lines translated.