نائية القطوف كلّ نجمة

نائية القطوف كلّ نجمة

من شفتي دانية القطوف

من شفتي دانية القطوف

Every star, its fruit far beyond reach,

The remote buds, each star

O you whose clusters are distant, every star

Has fruit within reach of my lips.

From my lips is near to the buds

Is a cluster close enough for my lips to gather.

و يا ربيعا من فتون و هوى

و يا ربيعا من فتون و هوى

طاف الربيع بالهوى فطوفي

طاف الربيع بالهوى فطوفي

And O spring of enchantment and love,

And oh spring of charm and passion

O spring of enchantment and passion,

Spring has circled with love; so circle too.

The spring circled around passion so circle

Spring has wandered with love, so wander too.

زارت طيوف منك ثمّ لم تعد

زارت طيوف منك ثمّ لم تعد

إليك ، جفني شرك الطيوف

إليك ، جفني شرك الطيوف

Visions from you visited, then did not return

Shadows from you visited then did not return

Phantoms of you visited, then did not return

To you: my eyelid is a snare for visions.

To you, my eyelids companions of shadows

To you; my eyelid is a snare for phantoms.

و يا خطوب الدّهر لا تهوّلي

و يا خطوب الدّهر لا تهوّلي

روّضك الحبّ فلن تخيفي

روّضك الحبّ فلن تخيفي

And O calamities of time, do not terrify;

And oh life's sorrows do not frighten me

And O afflictions of time, do not terrify me;

Love has tamed you; you will inspire no fear.

Your taming by love so you will not frighten me

Love has tamed you, so you will no longer frighten.

كلّ لباناتي طيوف و رؤى

كلّ لباناتي طيوف و رؤى

كأنّهنّ شطحات صوفي

كأنّهنّ شطحات صوفي

All my desires are visions and dreams,

All my thoughts are shadows and visions

All my yearnings are but phantoms and visions,

As though they were a Sufi's ecstatic flights.

As if they are a Sufi's ecstasies

As though they were the ecstatic utterances of a Sufi.

تحملني غمامة مسحورة

تحملني غمامة مسحورة

كالبرق عبر أفق مكشوف

كالبرق عبر أفق مكشوف

An enchanted cloud carries me

Carrying me is an enchanted cloud

An enchanted cloud carries me,

Like lightning across an open horizon.

Like lightning across an uncovered horizon

Like lightning across an open horizon.

خمريّة الحرير و الشذا معا

خمريّة الحرير و الشذا معا

تعجّ من مناي بالألوف

تعجّ من مناي بالألوف

Wine-like in silk and fragrance alike,

Silken and aromatic wine together

Intoxicating in its silk and fragrance alike,

It teems with my wishes in their thousands.

Overflowing from my cup by the thousands

Swarming with thousands of my desires.

تلثّم الأنجم من أحلامها

تلثّم الأنجم من أحلامها

بالأرجوان العبق الشفيف

بالأرجوان العبق الشفيف

It kisses the stars, out of its dreams,

The stars kiss its dreams

It veils the stars from its dreams

With fragrant, translucent purple.

With soft, fragrant crimson

With fragrant, translucent purple.

على غناء و رؤى و وتر

على غناء و رؤى و وتر

ترنّحت ترنّح النزيف

ترنّحت ترنّح النزيف

To song and dreams and a string's music,

To singing, visions and strings

Upon a song, visions, and the strum of a string,

It reeled as a drunkard reels.

I swayed, swaying like bleeding

It swayed with the staggering of the drained.

و لا تتيه في الدّجى غمامتي

و لا تتيه في الدّجى غمامتي

شوقي دليلي و الضحى رديفي

شوقي دليلي و الضحى رديفي

And my cloud does not stray in the darkness;

And do not get lost in the darkness my cloud

And my cloud does not lose its way in the dark;

My longing is my guide, and morning light my fellow rider.

My longing is my guide and the dawn is my companion

My longing is my guide, and the morning sun rides behind me.

أسأل عنك كوكبا فكوكبا

أسأل عنك كوكبا فكوكبا

بنزق المعذّب الملهوف

بنزق المعذّب الملهوف

I ask star after star about you,

I ask about you from planet to planet

I ask about you, star after star,

With the restlessness of one tormented and desperate.

With the moan of the tortured, crazed lover

With the restlessness of the tormented and desperate.

ألفرقدان أنزلاك منهما

ألفرقدان أنزلاك منهما

على النديم و على الوصيف

على النديم و على الوصيف

The Farqadan sent you down from their heights

The two Aldebarans brought you down from them

Did the two Farqad stars bring you down from themselves

To the boon companion and to the young attendant.

To the boon companion and the cupbearer

To the drinking companion and the servant?

كعبتي السمراء قد لقيتها

كعبتي السمراء قد لقيتها

بين عويل الجنّ و العزيف

بين عويل الجنّ و العزيف

I have found my dusky Kaaba

My black Kaaba I found it

My brown Kaaba, I have finally met it

Amid the jinn's wailing and the strains of music.

Between the wailing of jinn and the whistling of wind

Amidst the wailing of the jinn and the whistling sands.

فلن تحنّ بعدها لوثن

فلن تحنّ بعدها لوثن

عبادتي الولهى و لا عكوفي

عبادتي الولهى و لا عكوفي

After her, no idol will draw the yearning

So after it you will not yearn for an idol

Thus, it will never again yearn for an idol,

Of my love-crazed worship or my devotion.

My divine worship or my circumambulation

Neither my impassioned worship nor my devotion.

أمرّ فيه و كأنّي لم أكن

أمرّ فيه و كأنّي لم أكن

أفديه بالتليد و الطريف

أفديه بالتليد و الطريف

I pass through it as though I had never

I pass by it as if I never was

I pass through it as if I had never been,

Ransomed it with wealth, inherited and newly gained.

I sacrifice it with erosion and decoration

Ransoming it with all that is inherited and newly acquired.

كعبتي السمراء أنت قبلتي

كعبتي السمراء أنت قبلتي

على بليل بالندى و ريف

على بليل بالندى و ريف

My dusky Kaaba, you are my direction of prayer,

My black Kaaba, you are my qibla

My brown Kaaba, you are my Qibla

Amid a dew-laden breeze and lush countryside.

At nightfall with dew and countryside

Upon grounds moist with dew and lush.

حسنك لم يؤلف و لا ألومه

حسنك لم يؤلف و لا ألومه

تكبّر الحسن على المألوف

تكبّر الحسن على المألوف

Your beauty is unlike anything known; I do not blame it:

Your beauty was not composed nor do I blame it

Your beauty is unparalleled, and I do not blame it;

Beauty holds itself proudly above the familiar.

Beauty disdained the familiar

Beauty has grown too proud for the familiar.

تبرّجت لك الشفوف دلّها

تبرّجت لك الشفوف دلّها

يا من رأى تبرّج الشفوف

يا من رأى تبرّج الشفوف

The sheer veils flaunted their coquetry for you—

For you sensualities put on make-up, showing them

The sheer garments displayed their coquetry for you,

Oh, who has seen sheer veils flaunt their charms?

Oh you who saw the make-up of sensualities

O, whoever has seen the display of sheer garments!

و الأيك حنّ و انحنت و سلّمت

و الأيك حنّ و انحنت و سلّمت

غصونه على القدود الهيف

غصونه على القدود الهيف

And the grove yearned; bowing and saluting were

And oh bend, incline and bow

And the thicket yearned, and bent, and offered greetings

Its branches, before the slender figures.

Its branches over the slender, swaying

From its branches to the slender figures.

تحيّة القربى و ما أرقّها

تحيّة القربى و ما أرقّها

و حنّة الألوف للألوف

و حنّة الألوف للألوف

A greeting of kinship—how tender it is!

The greeting of a relative, and how gentle it is

A greeting of kinship—and how tender it is!—

And an intimate's yearning for an intimate.

And the bend of thousands for thousands

And the yearning of the intimate for the intimate.

طارت إليك كبدي محمولة

طارت إليك كبدي محمولة

على جناح الرجز الخفيف

على جناح الرجز الخفيف

My liver flew to you, borne

My liver flew to you carried

My heart flew to you, borne

On the wing of light rajaz verse,

On wings of smooth, rhythmic chant

Upon the wing of the light Rajaz meter.

ألمرقص السماء في عرس الهوى

ألمرقص السماء في عرس الهوى

و الحور ينقرن على الدفوف

و الحور ينقرن على الدفوف

Making the sky dance at love's wedding,

Dancing in the sky at passion's wedding

Which makes the heavens dance at the wedding of passion,

While the houris beat upon the tambourines.

And the nymphs tapping on drums

While the houris tap upon the tambourines,

الناثر الأنجم في فرحته

الناثر الأنجم في فرحته

دراهما نهبا على الضيوف

دراهما نهبا على الضيوف

Scattering the stars in its joy

The stars scatter in their joy

Scattering the stars in its joy,

As dirhams for the guests to snatch.

Coins grabbed by the guests

Like dirhams thrown as plunder to the guests.

و ضنّ بالشمس فضمّ يده

و ضنّ بالشمس فضمّ يده

حرصا على دينارها المشوف

حرصا على دينارها المشوف

Yet it begrudged the sun and closed its hand,

And the sun was stingy so he clenched

But it was stingy with the sun, closing its hand

Jealously guarding her burnished dinar.

His hands greedy for her seen treasure

To hoard its polished dinar.

النغم الناعم في اختصاره

النغم الناعم في اختصاره

أحلى من المطوّل العنيف

أحلى من المطوّل العنيف

A gentle melody in its brevity

Melody's softness in its conciseness

The soft melody, in its brevity,

Is sweeter than one prolonged and harsh.

Sweeter than the prolonged, rough

Is sweeter than the prolonged and violent one.

و رنوة الحييّ ألف قصّة

و رنوة الحييّ ألف قصّة

عن الهوى و غمزة العفيف

عن الهوى و غمزة العفيف

And a shy one's gaze is a thousand tales

And the doe's whimper a thousand tales

And the glance of the shy tells a thousand stories

Of love—and so is a chaste one's wink.

Of passion and the wink of the chaste

Of passion, as does the wink of the chaste.

نائية القطوف ، كلّ نجمة

نائية القطوف ، كلّ نجمة

من شفتي دانية القطوف

من شفتي دانية القطوف

Every star, its fruit far beyond reach,

The remote buds, each star

O you whose clusters are distant, every star

Has fruit within reach of my lips.

From my lips is near to the buds

Is a cluster close enough for my lips to gather.

الأقحوان ثغرك المندّى

الأقحوان ثغرك المندّى

و نحن بالعطر و بالرفيف

و نحن بالعطر و بالرفيف

Your dew-moistened mouth is a daisy,

Carnations are your smiling mouth

The chamomile is your dewy mouth,

And we are amid fragrance and fluttering.

And we are with fragrance and scent

And we are surrounded by perfume and shimmering light.

دعي النصيف و أطلّي (جنّة)

دعي النصيف و أطلّي (جنّة)

هل تستر الجنّة بالنصيف

هل تستر الجنّة بالنصيف

Cast off your veil and appear—a paradise!

Leave plainness and let down your veil

Cast off the veil and appear as Paradise;

Can paradise be hidden by a veil?

Can the veil conceal Paradise?

Is Paradise ever hidden by a veil?

شربت أقداري في مصفّى

شربت أقداري في مصفّى

سهدك حتّى سكرت حتوفي

سهدك حتّى سكرت حتوفي

My fates drank from the distilled essence

I drank my destinies in the strainer

I drank my fates in the pure wine

Of your sleeplessness, until my deaths grew drunk.

Of your cheek until I got drunk, tipsily

Of your insomnia, until my demises grew drunk.

تسأل كلّ أيكة جارتها

تسأل كلّ أيكة جارتها

عن قدّك المهفهف النحيف

عن قدّك المهفهف النحيف

Each grove asks its neighbor

Each bud asks its neighbor

Every thicket asks its neighbor

About your willowy, slender figure.

About your swaying, delicate waist

About your lithe and slender figure.

تمّ رشيقا أملدا و لقيت

تمّ رشيقا أملدا و لقيت

منه الفضول نظرة العيوف

منه الفضول نظرة العيوف

It reached perfection, graceful and supple, and greeted

You walked proudly, tall and found

It became perfectly graceful and supple, and met

Excess with a disdainful glance.

From it prying glances of eyes

Prying curiosity with the look of the disdainful.

قدّك و الضمير من سجّية

قدّك و الضمير من سجّية

بورك بالرهيف و الرهيف

بورك بالرهيف و الرهيف

Your figure and conscience share one nature;

Your waist and conscience from naturalness

Your figure and your slender waist share a single nature;

Blessed are the slender and the sensitive.

Blessed be the slender and the slender

Blessed be the delicate and the delicate!

و الناهدان و ثبا كرصد

و الناهدان و ثبا كرصد

على الكنوز الحالمات يوفي

على الكنوز الحالمات يوفي

And the two budding breasts sprang up like a guard

And the two breasts jumped like tracking

And the two rising breasts leaped up like guards,

Overlooking the dreaming treasures.

Treasures dreaming of fulfillment

Keeping watch over the dreaming treasures.

تحالفا تصوّنا و عزّة

تحالفا تصوّنا و عزّة

و امتنع الحليف بالحليف

و امتنع الحليف بالحليف

They allied in chastity and dignity,

Allied, protected and dignified

They allied in chastity and pride,

And each ally was fortified by the other.

The ally refused with an ally

And the ally grew unapproachable through the ally.

مضمّخان خمرة و شهدا

مضمّخان خمرة و شهدا

أهكذا يصمد للزحوف

أهكذا يصمد للزحوف

Both anointed with wine and honey—

Soaked in wine and honey

Anointed with wine and honey,

Is this how one resists advancing armies?

Is this how to withstand assaults?

Is this how one withstands advancing armies?

أذكى بقلبي إن خبا لهيبه

أذكى بقلبي إن خبا لهيبه

جمر الغضا أو دمعه اللهيف

جمر الغضا أو دمعه اللهيف

Which burns hotter in my heart when its flame fades:

I kindle my heart if its flame dies out

It kindles within my heart, should its flame die down,

Ghada embers, or its anguished tears?

A coal of sorrow or its subtle tear

The embers of ghada wood or its sorrowful tear.

هل يسمح الضحى ببعض ظلّه

هل يسمح الضحى ببعض ظلّه

قد طال في هجيره وقوفي

قد طال في هجيره وقوفي

Will morning light grant a little of its shade?

Does dawn allow some of its shadow?

Will the morning sun permit some of its shadow?

I have long stood in its noonday heat.

Prolonged has been my standing and waiting

My standing in its midday heat has lasted too long.

أحمل في مجامري بخورها

أحمل في مجامري بخورها

هديّة المشرّد الضعيف

هديّة المشرّد الضعيف

I carry her incense in my censers,

I carry in my eyelids its incense

I carry its incense in my censers,

A gift from the weak, homeless wanderer,

A gift from the weak, wandering stranger

The gift of the weak and outcast.

و لبنا من فضّة و لبنا

و لبنا من فضّة و لبنا

من ذهب لقصرك المنيف

من ذهب لقصرك المنيف

And bricks of silver, and bricks

And milk of silver and milk

And a brick of silver, and a brick

Of gold for your lofty palace.

Of gold for your lofty palace

Of gold, for your lofty palace.

تعطّري فهذه صبابتي

تعطّري فهذه صبابتي

و اكتحلي فهذه حروفي

و اكتحلي فهذه حروفي

Perfume yourself—this is my ardent longing;

Perfume yourself for this is my phial

Perfume yourself, for this is my longing,

And line your eyes with kohl—these are my letters.

And line your eyes for these are my letters

And wear kohl, for these are my letters.