أَماas for الرياضُthe gardens فقدthen indeed بَدتhave appeared ألوانهاtheir colors
أَما الرياضُ فقد بَدت ألوانها
صاغتfashioned فنونvarieties حُليّهاtheir jewelry أفنانُهاtheir boughs
صاغت فنون حُليّها أفنانُها
As for the gardens, their colors have now appeared.
As for the gardens, their colors have appeared.
Their branches have fashioned the varied arts of their adornment.
Their boughs have fashioned their jewelry in many forms.
دقَّتgrew subtle معانيهاtheir qualities ورقَّand grew gentle نسيمهاtheir breeze
دقَّت معانيها ورقَّ نسيمها
وَبَدتand appeared محاسنُهاtheir beauties وطابَand grew pleasant زمانهاtheir season
وَبَدت محاسنُها وطابَ زمانها
Their meanings grew subtle, and their breeze grew gentle;
Their qualities have grown subtle, and their breeze gentle.
their beauties appeared, and delightful became their season.
And their beauties have appeared, and their season has grown pleasant.
نُظمتwere strung قلائدُnecklaces زهرهاtheir blossoms كجواهرٍlike jewels
نُظمت قلائدُ زهرها كجواهرٍ
نُظمتwere strung زمردهاtheir emeralds إلىalongside عقيانهاtheir pure gold
نُظمت زمردها إلى عقيانها
The necklaces of their blossoms were strung like jewels;
Their necklaces of blossoms are strung like jewels;
their emerald was strung beside their pure gold.
their emeralds are strung alongside their pure gold.
هذاthis خُزَاماهاtheir lavender وذاand that قيصومُهاtheir yarrow
هذا خُزَاماها وذا قيصومُها
هذيthese شقائقهاtheir anemones وذاand those حوذانهاtheir buttercups
هذي شقائقها وذا حوذانها
Here is their lavender, and there their qayṣūm;
This is their lavender, and that their yarrow;
here are their anemones, and there their buttercups.
these are their anemones, and those their buttercups.
لوif أنthat غدرانَthe pools السحابِof the clouds تواصلتْjoined together
لو أن غدرانَ السحابِ تواصلتْ
سَحْاًpouring in torrents إذاًthen لتواصلتْwould surely join together غدرانهاtheir pools
سَحْاً إذاً لتواصلتْ غدرانها
If the cloud’s waters kept coming one after another,
If the clouds' pools joined together,
then, in a downpour, their pools would join one another.
pouring in torrents, then the gardens' pools would join as well.
تبكيweeps عليهاover them عينُthe eye كلِّof every سحابةٍcloud
تبكي عليها عينُ كلِّ سحابةٍ
ماnot إِنْindeed (emphatic) تملُّtire منof البكاweeping أجفانهاits eyelids
ما إِنْ تملُّ من البكا أجفانها
Over them weeps the eye of every cloud;
The eye of every cloud weeps over them;
never do its eyelids tire of weeping.
its eyelids never tire of weeping.
منقادةٌyielding طوعَin obedience to الجنوبthe south wind إذاwhen بدتit appears
منقادةٌ طوعَ الجنوب إذا بدت
فكأنهاso it is as though بِيَدِin the hand of الجنوبthe south wind عنانهاits reins
فكأنها بِيَدِ الجنوب عنانها
Obediently led whenever the south wind appears,
Yielding obediently to the south wind when it appears,
as though its reins were in the south wind’s hand.
so it is as though its reins were in the south wind's hand.
واهاًah! لرافقةِfor Rafiqa الجنوبof the south wind مَحَلَّةًa dwelling place
واهاً لرافقةِ الجنوب مَحَلَّةً
حَسُنَتْgrew beautiful بهاin it أنهارهاits rivers وجنانهاand its gardens
حَسُنَتْ بها أنهارها وجنانها
Ah, what a dwelling-place for the south wind’s companion!
Ah, for the south wind's Rafiqa—what a dwelling place!
How fair within it are its rivers and gardens!
Its rivers and gardens have grown lovely there.
ياO بلدةًtown ماnot زالceased يعظمُgrows greater قدرُهَاits worth
يا بلدةً ما زال يعظمُ قدرُهَا
فيin كلِّevery ناحيةquarter ويعظمُand grows greater شانهاits standing
في كلِّ ناحية ويعظمُ شانها
O town, whose worth has never ceased to grow,
O town whose worth keeps growing
in every quarter, and whose renown grows ever greater.
in every quarter, and whose standing grows!
أماas for الفراتُthe Euphrates فإنهfor it is ضحضاحهاits shallow pool
أما الفراتُ فإنه ضحضاحها
أماas for الهنيّal-Hani فإنهfor it is بستانهاits garden
أما الهنيّ فإنه بستانها
As for the Euphrates, it is but her shallow water;
As for the Euphrates, it is the town's shallow pool;
as for al-Hanī, it is her orchard.
as for al-Hani, it is the town's garden.
وكأنand as though أيامَthe days الصِّباof youth أيامُهاits days
وكأن أيامَ الصِّبا أيامُها
وكأنَّand as though أزمانَthe times الهوىof love أزمانهاits times
وكأنَّ أزمانَ الهوى أزمانها
As though the days of youth were her days,
And it is as though the days of youth were its days,
and the times of love were her times.
and as though the times of love were its times.
مهماhowever much نصدْwe hunt غزلانهاits gazelles يوماًone day فقدyet indeed
مهما نصدْ غزلانها يوماً فقد
ظلتhave kept on تصيدُhunting قلوبَناour hearts غزلانُهاits gazelles
ظلت تصيدُ قلوبَنا غزلانُها
However much we hunt her gazelles one day, still—
However much we hunt its gazelles one day, still
her gazelles have continued to hunt our hearts.
its gazelles have kept hunting our hearts.
حُثَّurge on الكؤوسَthe cups فإنfor indeed هذاthis وقتهاtheir time
حُثَّ الكؤوسَ فإن هذا وقتها
وَصِلِand visit الرياضِthe gardens فإنّfor indeed ذاthis إِبّانهاtheir season
وَصِلِ الرياضِ فإنّ ذا إِبّانها
Send the cups around, for this is their time;
Urge the cups along, for this is their time;
visit the gardens, for this is their season.
and visit the gardens, for this is their season.
