ياO لائِميyou who reproach me فيfor المَليحthe lovely one
يا لائِمي في المَليح
ماnot أَنتَyou ليto me بِنَصيحِa sincere adviser
ما أَنتَ لي بِنَصيحِ
O you who reproach me for the lovely one,
O you who blame me for my love,
You are no sincere adviser to me.
You are no sincere adviser to me.
نَهَيتَنيyou forbade me عَنfrom جَميلٍsomething beautiful
نَهَيتَني عَن جَميلٍ
أَمَرتَنيyou commanded me بِقَبيحِto what is ugly
أَمَرتَني بِقَبيحِ
You forbade me what is beautiful;
You forbid me from what is beautiful,
You enjoined upon me what is ugly.
And command me to do what is ugly.
تَحسينُbeautifying رَأيكَyour opinion عِنديin my view
تَحسينُ رَأيكَ عِندي
مِنamong أَقبَحِthe ugliest التَقبيحِmaking ugly
مِن أَقبَحِ التَقبيحِ
Making your opinion seem fair, in my view,
Your opinion seems most ugly to me.
Is among the ugliest acts of disfigurement.
In me is a bough of springing youth,
بيin me غُصنُa branch بانةa bān tree حِقفٍa curved sand dune
بي غُصنُ بانة حِقفٍ
يَهتَزُّsways مِنfrom تَحتِbeneath يوحِYūḥ, the sun
يَهتَزُّ مِن تَحتِ يوحِ
I am smitten with a bān-tree branch upon a curved dune,
That sways beneath the weight of passion.
Swaying beneath Yūḥ, the sun.
When the bough sighs free
مَتىwhenever تَرَنَّحَhe sways صادhe ensnares
مَتى تَرَنَّحَ صاد
القُلوبَhearts بِالتَرنيحِby setting them swaying
القُلوبَ بِالتَرنيحِ
Whenever he sways, he ensnares
It steals the hearts with yearning.
Hearts by setting them swaying.
The gazelles of the meadows glance
ريمُthe white gazelle القُصورِof palaces رَناgazed عَنfrom
ريمُ القُصورِ رَنا عَن
لِحاظِthe eyes ظَبيِof a gazelle الشيحِof the wormwood
لِحاظِ ظَبيِ الشيحِ
The white gazelle of palaces gazed through
Bashfully through the eyes of the deer.
The eyes of a gazelle amid wormwood.
Is there a beauty like mine
فَهَلthen is there عَلَيَّupon me مُليحٌone who flashes
فَهَل عَلَيَّ مُليحٌ
منsome of بَرقِthe lightning ثَغرٍof a mouth مَليحِlovely
من بَرقِ ثَغرٍ مَليحِ
Then is there one to flash upon me
In the lightning of a smiling cheek?
Some lightning from a lovely mouth?
After glory I changed
بُدِّلتI was given in exchange بَعدَafter المُعَلّىthe Muʿallā, highest-winning arrow
بُدِّلت بَعدَ المُعَلّى
فيin حُبِّهِhis love بِالمَنيحِthe Manīḥ, blank arrow, instead
في حُبِّهِ بِالمَنيحِ
I was given, after the Muʿallā—the highest-winning arrow—
To love's humility.
In his love, the Manīḥ—the blank arrow—instead.
He who was openhanded became
فَشَحَّso he grew stingy بِالوَصلِwith union عَمداًdeliberately
فَشَحَّ بِالوَصلِ عَمداً
مَنhe who كانَhad been غَيرَnot شَحيحِstingy
مَن كانَ غَيرَ شَحيحِ
So he deliberately grew stingy with union—
Stingy out of spite.
He who had not been stingy.
So every part of my body
فَكُلُّso every جَزءٍpart بِجِسميin my body
فَكُلُّ جَزءٍ بِجِسمي
مِنfrom طَرفِهِhis glance ذوbearing قُروحِwounds
مِن طَرفِهِ ذو قُروحِ
So every part of my body
Bears wounds from him.
Bears wounds from his glance.
O people is there no pity
ياO قَومُpeople هَلare there مِنany أُساةٍhealers
يا قَومُ هَل مِن أُساةٍ
لِقَلبِيَfor my heart المَجروحِwounded
لِقَلبِيَ المَجروحِ
O people, are there any healers
For my wounded heart?
For my wounded heart?
Partial English translation: 21 of 22 Arabic lines translated.