Sol 6.1

  1. هُبّا قَلِيلاً أيّهَا النَّئِمَان

    وَأسعِدَا إن كُنتُما تُسعِدَان

    Rise a little, you two sleepers,

    And lend your sympathy, if you can.

  2. أَمُنفِدَي لَيلِى كَرىً أنتُمَا

    أم أنتُمَا مِن سَقَمٍ عَائِدَان

    Are you two spending my night in slumber,

    Or are you visiting one who is ill?

  3. لا تَبكِيَانِي مَيّتاً وابكِيَا

    عَلَيّ حَيّاً بالدُّمُوعِ الهِتَان

    Do not weep for me dead; rather, weep

    For me alive, with streaming tears.

  4. ولا تَكُونَا مِثلَ مَا قِيلَ فِي

    تَتبُّعِ الآثَارِ بَعدَ العِيَان

    And do not act as in the saying about

    Following traces after seeing firsthand.

  5. تَطاوَلَ اللَّيلُ عَلَى مُقلتِي

    كأنَّما لَيلُهَا لَيلَتان

    The night has drawn long upon my eye,

    As though its night were two nights.

  6. مَا لِنُجُومِ اللَّيلِ مَعقولَةً

    مَأ زَالَ مِنهَا وَاحِدٌ مِن مَكَان

    Why are the stars of night tethered?

    Not one has moved from its place.

  7. كَأنّما النَّسرُ هِيضَ إِذا

    رَامَ نُهوضاً خَانَهُ الأبهَرَان

    As though the Eagle were crippled: when

    It tries to rise, its two great arteries fail it.

  8. وَالبَدرُ قَد أَنحَلَهُ مَحقُهُ

    فَلَم يَكَد مِن ضَعفِهِ يُستَبان

    The full moon has been wasted by its waning,

    So weak it could scarcely be discerned.

  9. كَأَنَّما عَبّ الدُّجَى عَبّة

    في قَعبِهِ فَانثَلَمَ الجانِبان

    As though darkness had gulped a draught

    From its bowl, so both sides were chipped.

  10. وَشَابَ جُنحُ اللَّيلِ مِن مُكثِهِ

    ينتظرُ الصُّبحَ مَروعَ الجَنان

    And night’s darkness grew gray from its lingering,

    Awaiting dawn, its heart in terror.

  11. حَتَّى إِذا ورّسَ أثوابَه

    وَعمَّمَ الآفاق بالزعفران

    Until, when it dyed its robes yellow

    And turbaned the horizons with saffron,

  12. قَلَّصَ ذَيلَهُ وَحَثّ الخُطَى

    رُعباً وفَود رأسه الشهبان

    It gathered up its train and quickened its steps,

    In terror, its two temple-locks gray.

  13. وَكَفُّهُ تُمسِكُ مِن بَدرِهِ

    مَعجِسَ قَوسٍ أو عَصَا صَولَجان

    And its hand held, of its full moon,

    A bow’s handgrip, or a polo stick.

  14. قَضَيتُهُ سُهداً وَعَينَايَ مِن

    فَرط الأسَى عَينانِ نَضّاختان

    I passed it sleepless, and my eyes, from

    Excessive grief, were two gushing springs.

  15. عَدِمتُ هَذَا القَلبَ مِن صَاحِبٍ

    هَل أنتُما لِي غَيرَهُ وَاجِدان

    May I be rid of this heart as a companion!

    Can you two find me another?

  16. واجتَنِيا مِن وَردَتَي خَدِّهِ

    And pluck from the two roses of his cheek,

  17. وَإنَّ أُنَاساً رَمَت حَظِّيكُما

    And indeed some people sought your two shares,

  18. فَصَيّراني مَثَلاً في الهَوَى

    So they both made me a byword in love,

  19. حَسبِي كَفَتني نَظرَةٌ قَد

    لَبِستُ مِن دائِها ما عَرَان

    Enough! One glance sufficed me; already

    I have donned the sickness it brought upon me.

  20. أضرَمَت فِي القَلبِ جَمرَة إِذَا

    خَبَت زيدَت فَوقَهَا جَمرَتَان

    It kindled an ember in my heart: whenever

    It died down, two more embers were heaped upon it.

  21. يَبِيتُ لِلحُبِّ مَرُوعاً كَمَا

    يَبيتُ لِلحَرّ

    My heart spends the night terrified of love, as

    It spends the night in the heat.

  22. وَكُلّما قُلتُ لَه لا تُرَع

    وَلذ بِصَبرٍ قَالَ إِنِّي جَبان

    And whenever I tell it, “Do not fear;

    And take refuge in patience,” it says, “I am a coward.”

  23. هَذَا وَلَم أُنظُر سوَى نَظرَةٍ

    فَكَيفَ بِي لَو أنَّهَا نَظرَتان

    All this, though I cast only one glance—

    How would I fare, then, had there been two glances?

  24. مَا اللَّحظُ إلاّ مِقَةٌ كُلُّهُ

    وَمَا الهَوَى إلا اجتلابُ الهَوَان

    A glance is nothing but affection, through and through;

    And love is nothing but courting humiliation.

  25. يَا غُصناً زينَ بِهِ عِيصُهُ

    وكوكبا أطلعًهُ نَيِّران

    O bough with which its thicket was adorned,

    And star made to rise by two luminaries!

  26. هَل بَعدَ هَذَا الصِّدِّ مِن عَطفَةٍ

    تُرجَى وَهَل بَعدَ النَّوَى مِن تَدَان

    After this rejection, is there any tenderness

    To hope for? And after separation, any drawing near?

  27. أينَ تَجارِينَا إلَى غَايَةٍ

    فِي طَلَقِ الوَصلِ بِطَرفَي رِهَان

    Where is our racing one another toward a goal,

    On union’s racecourse, like two competing steeds?

  28. أينَ تَخَالِينَا بِلا كَاشِحٍ

    فِي دَوحَةِ الأنسِ وَظِلِّ الأمَان

    Where is our being alone together, with no enemy,

    Under intimacy’s spreading tree and safety’s shade?

  29. فَيَا سَمِي المُصطَفَى إِن أمُت

    وَقَامَ يَنعَانِي لَك النَّاعِيان

    Then, O namesake of the Chosen One, if I die,

    And the two heralds rise to announce my death to you,

  30. فلا تَخَف مِن ثائِرٍ فَدَمِي

    حلّ وَبلّ لكَ يا مَن سَبان

    Then fear no avenger, for my blood

    Is yours to shed freely, O you who took me captive.

  31. أُقسِمُ بِالبَيتِ وَخَيفِ مِنّي

    وَمَا حَوَت مَكّةُ وَالأخشبَان

    I swear by the House and the Khayf of Mina,

    And all that Mecca and the two Akhshab mountains hold:

  32. لأنتَ فِي القلبِ وَإن سُؤتَنِي

    بالهَجرِ حَتَّى انتَقَمَ الحَاسِدَان

    You are indeed in my heart, though you have hurt me

    By shunning me, till the two enviers had their revenge.

  33. نَاشَدتُكَ اللهَ أعِد نَظرةً

    فَرُبّما أبرَأنِي مَا بَرَان

    I adjure you by God: grant one more glance,

    For what wasted me may yet heal me.