برقٌlightning تألَّقgleamed مِنfrom تِهامَهTihamah
برقٌ تألَّق مِن تِهامَه
صَدَعَrent القلوبَthe hearts المُستهامَهْcrazed with love
صَدَعَ القلوبَ المُستهامَهْ
Lightning gleamed from Tihamah,
A lightning sparkled from its cloud
rending hearts crazed with love.
It cracked the infatuated hearts
تصبوthey yearn اليهtoward it إذاwhen بداit appears
تصبو اليه إذا بدا
يهتزُّit quivers فيin ذيلِthe hem of الغمامَهْthe cloud
يهتزُّ في ذيلِ الغمامَهْ
They yearn toward it when it appears,
They yearn for it when it appears
quivering in the cloud's trailing hem.
It trembles in the tail of the cloud
يبدوit appears ويخبوand fades تارةًat times
يبدو ويخبو تارةً
كالسيفِlike a sword أغمدَهُhe sheathed it وشامَهand drew it
كالسيفِ أغمدَهُ وشامَه
It appears and fades by turns,
It shows and hides sometimes
like a sword, sheathed and drawn.
Like the sword, sheathed, polished
بَكَرَcame early العذولُthe reproacher يلومُrebuking
بَكَرَ العذولُ يلومُ
صَبّاًa lovesick man ليسnot تثنيهdeter him الملامَهreproach
صَبّاً ليس تثنيه الملامَه
The reproacher came at dawn to blame
The young blames the morning rain
a lovesick man whom reproach cannot deter.
His blame does not deter it
ماwhat للمحبِّfor the lover وللملامِand for reproach
ما للمحبِّ وللملامِ
لقدindeed نضاcast off عنهfrom him لِثامَهhis veil
لقد نضا عنه لِثامَه
What has the lover to do with reproach?
What is the lover's and blamer's concern
He has already cast his veil aside.
Its veil has slipped off from it
مِنfrom أينwhere يسمعُهhe hears him عزيمone steadfast
مِن أين يسمعُه عزيم
هوًىlove أطالprolonged بهِthrough it غرامَهhis yearning
هوًى أطال بهِ غرامَه
How can he hear him, steadfast in
Where can resolute hear from
a love that has prolonged his yearning?
The passion that prolonged his love
يهوَىhe loves لُمَىdusky lip-color ظبيa gazelle الصريمِthe thicket
يهوَى لُمَى ظبي الصريمِ
فهلso, will? يَرىhe see يوماًone day لمامَهhis fleeting visit
فهل يَرى يوماً لمامَه
He loves the dusky lips of the thicket's gazelle;
He craves for the roe of meadows
so will he ever see him on a fleeting visit?
Will he ever see his wishes fulfilled
مازالَhe continues يسألُhe asks أوor يرومُhe seeks
مازالَ يسألُ أو يرومُ
عنabout النقاthe sand dune أوor ريمِgazelle رامَهRamah
عن النقا أو ريمِ رامَه
He keeps asking or searching
He still asks and aspires
for the dune or the gazelle of Ramah.
For the she-camel, or a grazing she-camel
ألهتْهُdistracted him حمرَةٌredness ريقِهِhis saliva
ألهتْهُ حمرَةٌ ريقِهِ
فيin الحبِّlove عنfrom شربِdrinking المُدامَهwine
في الحبِّ عن شربِ المُدامَه
The redness of his saliva has distracted him
The redness of its saliva distracted him
in love, from drinking wine.
From drinking wine in love
عَطِرٌfragrant تأرَّجَwafted fragrantly عَرْفُهits scent
عَطِرٌ تأرَّجَ عَرْفُه
كالمِسكِlike musk تَسلُبهُyou strip it of خِتامَهits seal
كالمِسكِ تَسلُبهُ خِتامَه
Fragrant, its perfume wafts abroad,
A fragrance perfumed his glory
like musk when you remove its seal.
Like musk, missing its seal
ملَكَtook possession of الغرامُpassion عِنانَهhis reins
ملَكَ الغرامُ عِنانَه
واقتادَand led للبلوىto affliction زِمامَهhis halter
واقتادَ للبلوى زِمامَه
Passion has seized his reins
Passion took over his rein
and led him by his halter into affliction,
And led him to affliction, holding his rope
وأذلَّهُand humbled him مِنfrom بعدِafter عِزّglory
وأذلَّهُ مِن بعدِ عِزّ
كانَhe had been لاnot يخشىfearing انفصامَهits shattering
كانَ لا يخشى انفصامَه
and humbled him after his former glory,
And humiliated him after honor
whose shattering he had never feared.
He did not fear its breaking
فأضاعَهُso he forsook him مَنْthe one كانَhe had
فأضاعَهُ مَنْ كانَ
يأمُلُhoped أنَّهthat he يرعىwould honor ذِمامَهhis bond
يأمُلُ أنَّه يرعى ذِمامَه
So he was forsaken by one he had
So he lost who used to
hoped would honor his bond.
Hope to hold its rope
والحبُّand love ماthat which منعَdeprived البليغthe eloquent man
والحبُّ ما منعَ البليغ
علىdespite بلاغتِهِhis eloquence كلامَهhis speech
على بلاغتِهِ كلامَه
And love is what deprives the eloquent man,
And love did not prevent the eloquent
despite his eloquence, of speech.
from his eloquence and speech
يلقىhe meets الحبيبَthe beloved فماbut not يُطيقُhe is able
يلقى الحبيبَ فما يُطيقُ
إليهto him أنto يشكوcomplain of اهتِضامَهhis being wronged
إليه أن يشكو اهتِضامَه
He meets the beloved but cannot
He meets the beloved, cannot bear
complain to him of the wrong he suffers.
To complain to him of his own condition
ماnever أومضَflashed البرقُthe lightning اللموعُgleaming
ما أومضَ البرقُ اللموعُ
علىover رُباthe hills of نجدٍNajd فشامَهْand he watched it
على رُبا نجدٍ فشامَهْ
Never did the gleaming lightning flash
The shining lightning did not glitter
over Najd's hills as he watched it,
Upon the hills of Nejd and Syria
اِلاّexcept وذكَّرَهُand reminded him مِنَfrom
اِلاّ وذكَّرَهُ مِنَ
المحبوبِthe beloved فيin الليلِthe night ابتسامَهhis smile
المحبوبِ في الليلِ ابتسامَه
without reminding him of
Except it reminded him
the beloved's smile in the night.
Of the beloved's smile at night
ماnever زارهَhe visited him كالبدرِlike the full moon تجلوdispels
ما زارهَ كالبدرِ تجلو
منهfrom him غرَّتُهhis radiant brow ظلامَهhis darkness
منه غرَّتُه ظلامَه
Never did he visit him, moonlike, dispelling
It did not visit him like the full moon
his darkness with his radiant brow,
Without its light dispelling his darkness
اِلاّexcept وحيّاهُand greeted him محيّاهُhis countenance
اِلاّ وحيّاهُ محيّاهُ
بماwith what روّىquenched اُوامَهhis burning thirst
بما روّى اُوامَه
without his countenance greeting him
Except it greeted him, greeting him
with what quenched his burning thirst.
With what quenched his thirst
ياO راكباًrider يفليcombs الفلاthe wilderness
يا راكباً يفلي الفلا
مِنfrom فوقٍatop أعيسَa pale camel كالنعامَهlike an ostrich
مِن فوقٍ أعيسَ كالنعامَه
O rider who combs the wilderness
O rider of the excellent horse
atop a pale camel like an ostrich:
Speeding from above like an ostrich
ذرعَcovered the distance القفازٌthe leaper وقدwhile already أطارscattered
ذرعَ القفازٌ وقد أطار
الاْينُweariness فيalong المرمىthe course لُغامَهits foam
الاْينُ في المرمى لُغامَه
the leaper has covered the distance, while
The brave pierced and threw
weariness has scattered its foam along its course;
The spear in the target for a bull's eye
كالسهمِlike an arrow فيthrough الخرقِthe wilderness القصيِّfar-off
كالسهمِ في الخرقِ القصيِّ
يكادُit almost أنto يشأىoutstrip سَمامَهits swift birds
يكادُ أن يشأى سَمامَه
like an arrow through the far-off wilderness,
Like an arrow in the pierced skin
it almost outstrips its swifts.
Almost grilling its fat
مِنfrom فوقهِatop it كَلِفٌُa lovesick man يحنُّyearns
مِن فوقهِ كَلِفٌُ يحنُّ
إذاwhen تغرَّدتِsings الحمامَهthe dove
إذا تغرَّدتِ الحمامَه
On its back, a lovesick man yearns
Above it is a sentinel bending
whenever the dove sings.
Whenever the dove coos
ماnever غرَّدتْit sings إلاexcept وعاودَand returned
ما غرَّدتْ إلا وعاودَ
مِنfrom تذكُّرِهhis remembrance هُيامَهhis love-madness
مِن تذكُّرِه هُيامَه
It never sings without reviving
It did not coo except he renewed
his love-madness through his remembrance.
His passionate remembrance
باللهِby God أنif جئتَyou come الحِمىthe protected pasture
باللهِ أن جئتَ الحِمى
ورأيتَand you see عنfrom بعدٍafar خيامَهits tents
ورأيتَ عن بعدٍ خيامَه
By God, if you reach the protected pasture
By Allah, if you come to the sanctuary
and see its tents from afar,
And see its tents from afar
بلِّغْconvey أُغيلمَةًlittle lads بهنَّin them
بلِّغْ أُغيلمَةً بهنَّ
إذاwhen مررتَyou pass بهاby them سلامَهhis greeting
إذا مررتَ بها سلامَه
convey to the little lads in those tents,
Send regards to the maidens therein
when you pass by them, his greeting,
When you pass by, greet them
عنfrom مغرمٍa lovesick man دَنِفٍailing بَرَىwore away
عن مغرمٍ دَنِفٍ بَرَى
تَذكارُremembrance of قربهمُtheir nearness عظامَهhis bones
تَذكارُ قربهمُ عظامَه
from a lovesick, ailing man whose
On behalf of a spurned, heart-broken lover
bones are worn away by remembering their nearness.
The nearness of their homes revived his bones
ماهبَّnever blew مِنfrom روضِthe meadow of الحمىthe protected pasture
ماهبَّ مِن روضِ الحمى
اِلاّexcept وأذكرنَيand reminded me بَشامَهits balsam trees
اِلاّ وأذكرنَي بَشامَه
No breeze blows from the meadow of the protected pasture
He did not roam the meadows of the sanctuary
without recalling to me its balsam trees.
Except it reminded him of Damascus
يسريdrifts by night بريحِwith the scent of ثُمامهِits thumam grass
يسري بريحِ ثُمامهِ
سقَّىmay water حياthe rain of جفنيmy eyelid ثُمامَهits thumam grass
سقَّى حيا جفني ثُمامَه
It drifts by night with the scent of its thumam grass;
Walking with its northern wind
may my eyelid's rain water its thumam grass.
The northern wind quenched his thirst
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.