ماnot أنتyou إلاbut شادنٌa young gazelle أوor جؤذَرُan oryx calf
ما أنت إلا شادنٌ أو جؤذَرُ
بكin you منظرٌan outward appearance يدعوbeckons إليكَto you ومخبرُand an inner nature
بك منظرٌ يدعو إليكَ ومخبرُ
You are nothing but a young gazelle or an oryx calf.
You are but a gazelle or an alluring doe
Your appearance beckons one to you, as does your inner nature.
With a vision that beckons me and informs me
عينٌan eye يجولُroams السحرُmagic فيin أجفانهاits eyelids
عينٌ يجولُ السحرُ في أجفانها
وفمٌand a mouth علىupon شفتيهits two lips يجريflows السكَّرsugar
وفمٌ على شفتيه يجري السكَّر
An eye with magic roaming through its lids,
An eye where magic wanders through its lids
and a mouth whose lips run with sugar;
And lips where sugar flows over them
ورشاقةٌand slender grace موموقةٌbeloved ولباقةُand deftness
ورشاقةٌ موموقةٌ ولباقةُ
وتفتُّلٌand swagger مستملحٌfetching وتكسُّرand languid swaying
وتفتُّلٌ مستملحٌ وتكسُّر
and cherished slender grace and deftness,
With restrained grace and polished manners
and a fetching swagger and languid swaying.
An alluring coquetry and allure
ياO لعبةَplaything of الجلساءِthe companions ياO رَامُشْنَةَmusical entertainer of النthe boon com-
يا لعبةَ الجلساءِ يا رَامُشْنَةَ الن
دماءِpanions إنif سكرواthey became drunk وإنand if لمdid not يسكرواbecome drunk
دماءِ إن سكروا وإن لم يسكروا
O plaything of the company, O musical entertainer of the boon
O you, the comrade of the sitters, O the companion of those
companions, whether they are drunk or not.
Whether intoxicated or not intoxicated with red wine
أجَزِعِتَhave you been distressed أَنْthat سالتْhas flowed بخدِّكَover your cheek لحيةٌa beard
أجَزِعِتَ أَنْ سالتْ بخدِّكَ لحيةٌ
هاتيكthat مسكٌmusk سائلٌflowing أوor عنبرambergris
هاتيك مسكٌ سائلٌ أو عنبر
Are you distressed that a beard has flowed over your cheek?
You were disturbed that a beard flowed on your cheek
That is flowing musk or ambergris.
You are the one whose movements
أنتyou الذيthe one who للطَّرفِfor the gaze فيin حركاتِهِhis movements
أنت الذي للطَّرفِ في حركاتِهِ
منfrom كلِّevery ناحيةٍside سماتٌfeatures تَزْهَرُshine
من كلِّ ناحيةٍ سماتٌ تَزْهَرُ
You are the one in whose movements the eye finds
From every side blossom with features
from every side, features that shine.
He earned manliness from his father and mother
حازhe acquired الفتوةَyouthful gallantry عنfrom أبيهhis father وأُمهand his mother
حاز الفتوةَ عن أبيه وأُمه
ومضىand proceeded علىalong سَنتيهماthe ways of them both يتبخترstrutting
ومضى على سَنتيهما يتبختر
He inherited gallantry from his father and his mother,
And followed their exemplary ways arrogantly
and went strutting along the ways of them both.
Why does the gazelle not earn grace followed by him
لمwhy لاnot يحوزُpossess الظَّرْفَrefinement ظبيٌa gazelle حازهattained it
لم لا يحوزُ الظَّرْفَ ظبيٌ حازه
مَنْone whose جانباهhis two sides (parents) قينةٌa singing slave-girl ومُخَنْكِرُand a male singer
مَنْ جانباه قينةٌ ومُخَنْكِرُ
Why should a gazelle not possess the refinement attained
Who was graced by an amiable side and good manners
by one whose parents are a singing slave-girl and a male singer?
Etiquette strengthened for him among us a way
قَوَّتْhave strengthened لهfor him الآدابُthe cultivated arts فيناamong us سُنَّةًa tradition
قَوَّتْ له الآدابُ فينا سُنَّةً
عَرَضُincidental quality الفتوةِof gallantry فيwithin قُواهاits powers جوهرsubstance
عَرَضُ الفتوةِ في قُواها جوهر
The cultivated arts have strengthened a tradition for him among us:
The manifestation of manliness in its strength is essence
within its powers, gallantry's incidental quality is substance.
Do not listen to the slanderers and turn away
لاdo not تُنْصِتَنْever listen للكاشحينَto the spiteful وأَغضِand turn away عَنْfrom
لا تُنْصِتَنْ للكاشحينَ وأَغضِ عَنْ
دعواهمُtheir claims فيماconcerning what يقلُّis little ويكثرand is much
دعواهمُ فيما يقلُّ ويكثر
Do not listen to the spiteful, and turn away from
From their claims in little and much
their claims in matters small and great,
And their saying that plants are distorted
ومقالهمْand their assertion إنَّthat النباتَthe growth مصوِّحٌwithered
ومقالهمْ إنَّ النباتَ مصوِّحٌ
فيon عارضيهhis two cheeks والقليبَand the well مُعَوَّرruined
في عارضيه والقليبَ مُعَوَّر
and their assertion that the growth is withered
In their features and the hearts crooked
on his cheeks, and the well is ruined.
They lied and if they were truthful you would have responded
كذبواthey lied ولوand even if صدقواthey spoke truly لقلتَyou would say معارضاًin rebuttal
كذبوا ولو صدقوا لقلتَ معارضاً
هذاthis يحذَّفis clipped آنفاًjust now وينوَّرand is depilated with lime
هذا يحذَّف آنفاً وينوَّر
They lie; even if they spoke truly, you would say in rebuttal:
This is omitted immediately and illuminated
This is just now being clipped and depilated with lime.
O gazelle of meadows you went away with known lineage
ياO ظبيَgazelle of بروانٍBarwan ذهبتَyou have laid claim بنسبةٍto a lineage
يا ظبيَ بروانٍ ذهبتَ بنسبةٍ
معروفةٍwell-known ألفاظُهاits terms لاnot تُنْكَرare denied
معروفةٍ ألفاظُها لا تُنْكَر
O gazelle of Barwan, you have laid claim to a lineage
Whose words cannot be denied
well known, whose terms cannot be denied.
What is the roughness in languages and its ways?
ماذاwhy التوعّرُthe rough going فيin اللغاتِlanguages وَطُرْقِهاand their paths
ماذا التوعّرُ في اللغاتِ وَطُرْقِها
إنّindeed اللغاتlanguages طريقُهاtheir path متوعِّرrugged
إنّ اللغات طريقُها متوعِّر
Why this rough going through languages and their paths?
Indeed the ways of languages are rough
The path of languages is indeed rugged.
In your stretching of cups and shrinking them
فيin مدِّextending كفِّكyour hand للكؤوسِtoward the cups وقصرِهاand retracting it
في مدِّ كفِّك للكؤوسِ وقصرِها
مندوحةٌan escape عمّاfrom what يُمَدُّis lengthened وَيُقْصَرand is shortened
مندوحةٌ عمّا يُمَدُّ وَيُقْصَر
In stretching your hand toward the cups and drawing it back
A margin from what is stretched and shrunk
lies an escape from what is lengthened and shortened.
Leave raising Zaid in speech and his substitution
دَعْleave aside رفعَthe nominative case of زيدٍZayd فيin الكلامِspeech ونصبَهُand his accusative case
دَعْ رفعَ زيدٍ في الكلامِ ونصبَهُ
ماnot النحوُgrammar عندكwith you أنتyou yourself مماamong what يُذْكَرُis mentioned
ما النحوُ عندك أنت مما يُذْكَرُ
Forget Zayd's nominative and accusative in speech;
Grammar to you is not what is mentioned
for you yourself, grammar is not worth mentioning.
So henna your hands for henna is eloquent
فاخضبْso dye يديكَyour two hands فللخضابِfor dyeing has بلاغةٌeloquence
فاخضبْ يديكَ فللخضابِ بلاغةٌ
إِذsince ليسdoes not يَمْلُحُlook fetching فيin يديكyour two hands الدفترthe notebook
إِذ ليس يَمْلُحُ في يديك الدفتر
So dye your hands, for dyeing has eloquence,
As the notebook does not look good in your hands
since a notebook does not look fetching in your hands.
Is it valid for Al-Farra to be loved in
هلis it جائزٌpermissible أنthat يُعشقَbe passionately loved الفرَّاءُal-Farra فيunder
هل جائزٌ أن يُعشقَ الفرَّاءُ في
حُكْمِthe rule of الهوىpassion أوor أَنْthat يناكbe fucked الأَحْمرal-Ahmar
حُكْمِ الهوى أو أَنْ يناك الأَحْمر
Is it permissible for al-Farra to be loved under
The ruling of passion or to wink at the red one
the rule of passion, or for al-Ahmar to be fucked?
Partial English translation: 35 of 36 Arabic lines translated.