أَلاAh! مَنwho لِشَوقٍfor a longing أَنتَyou بِاللَيلِat night ذاكِرُهrecalling it
أَلا مَن لِشَوقٍ أَنتَ بِاللَيلِ ذاكِرُه
وَإِنسانِand the pupil of عَينٍan eye ماnot يُغَمِّضُlets close عائِرُهits affliction
وَإِنسانِ عَينٍ ما يُغَمِّضُ عائِرُه
Ah, who can ease a longing you recall at night,
O you who in the night recalls his passionate love,
and the pupil of an eye whose soreness forbids it to close,
And whose wakeful eyes its inhabitant does not let sleep!
وَرَبعٍand a campsite كَجُثمانِlike the body of الحَمامَةِthe dove أَدرَجَتswept
وَرَبعٍ كَجُثمانِ الحَمامَةِ أَدرَجَت
عَلَيهِover it الصَباthe east wind حَتّىuntil تَنَكَّرَbecame unrecognizable داثِرُهits faded remains
عَلَيهِ الصَبا حَتّى تَنَكَّرَ داثِرُه
and a campsite like a dove's body, over which swept
A quarter that the morning breeze has wrapped
the east wind, until its faded traces grew unrecognizable?
In its wings, till its sheltering walls lost shape,
بِهِin it كُلُّevery ذَيّالِlong-tailed beast العَشِيِّthe evening كَأَنَّهُas though it were
بِهِ كُلُّ ذَيّالِ العَشِيِّ كَأَنَّهُ
هِجانٌa white camel دَعَتهُurged it لِلجُفورِto cease mating فَوادِرُهits heavy flesh
هِجانٌ دَعَتهُ لِلجُفورِ فَوادِرُه
There, each beast trailing its tail at dusk seems
To it, at nightfall, every wild thing leads, as though
a white camel, urged by its heavy flesh to forgo mating.
It were an obscene thing the wastelands called to indecorousness.
خَلاbecame deserted بَعدَafter حَيٍّa tribe صالِحينَworthy people وَحَلَّهُand inhabited it
خَلا بَعدَ حَيٍّ صالِحينَ وَحَلَّهُ
نَعامُostriches الحِمىthe protected pasture بَعدَafter الجَميعِthe gathered people وَباقِرُهand its wild cattle
نَعامُ الحِمى بَعدَ الجَميعِ وَباقِرُه
It lay deserted after a worthy tribe, and was inhabited by
It remained, after good men and its righteous dwellers,
the reserve's ostriches and its wild cattle, after the gathered people.
The ostrich of the sanctuary after all the rest, and its belated inhabitant,
بِماwhere قَدonce نَرىwe would see لَيلىLayla وَلَيلىand Layla مُقيمَةٌdwelling
بِما قَد نَرى لَيلى وَلَيلى مُقيمَةٌ
بِهِthere فيamong خَليطٍa mingled community لاnot تَناثىare gossiped about حَرائِرُهits freeborn women
بِهِ في خَليطٍ لا تَناثى حَرائِرُه
There we once saw Layla, and Layla lived
As we see Layla, and Layla stays there
there among a mingled community whose freeborn women were not gossiped about.
In promiscuous throng, whose free women you cannot tell apart,
فَغَيَّرَthen changed لَيلىLayla الكاشِحونَthe spiteful فَأَصبَحَتso she became
فَغَيَّرَ لَيلى الكاشِحونَ فَأَصبَحَت
لَهاshe has نَظَرٌa glance دونيtoward me مُريبٌdisquieting تَشازُرُهits sidelong hostility
لَها نَظَرٌ دوني مُريبٌ تَشازُرُه
Then the spiteful changed Layla, so now
Layla whom the lurkers put to shame, so that she became
her glance toward me is disquieting in its sidelong hostility.
To have, below me, a doubtful, sidelong glance, askance,
أَرانيI find myself إِذاwhen ماever (emphatic) زُرتُI visit لَيلىLayla وَبَعلَهاand her husband
أَراني إِذا ما زُرتُ لَيلى وَبَعلَها
تَلَوّىwrithe مِنَfrom البَغضاءِhatred دونيbefore me مَشافِرُهhis thick lips
تَلَوّى مِنَ البَغضاءِ دوني مَشافِرُه
I find that whenever I visit Layla and her husband,
I see myself, when I visit Layla and her husband,
his thick lips writhe with hatred before me.
Her fingers writhe in hatred of me, askance,
وَإِنand if زُرتُهاI visit her يَوماًone day فَلَيسَthen there is not بِمُخلِفيmissing me
وَإِن زُرتُها يَوماً فَلَيسَ بِمُخلِفي
رَقيبٌa watcher يَرانيwho sees me أَوor عَدُوٌّan enemy أُحاذِرُهI guard against him
رَقيبٌ يَراني أَو عَدُوٌّ أُحاذِرُه
And if I visit her one day, I never lack
If I visit her one day, behind me follows no watcher,
a watcher who sees me, or an enemy I fear.
No enemy I fear, no rival I beware,
كَأَنَّas though عَلىupon ذيone possessed of الطِنءِcause for suspicion عَيناًan eye بَصيرَةًkeen-sighted
كَأَنَّ عَلى ذي الطِنءِ عَيناً بَصيرَةً
بِمَقعَدِهِat his seat أَوor مَنظَرٌa place in view هُوَhe ناظِرُهlooking at it
بِمَقعَدِهِ أَو مَنظَرٌ هُوَ ناظِرُه
As though a keen-sighted eye were set upon the man under suspicion,
As if, on a wall daubed dark, an observant eye
where he sits, or at any place he looks toward.
Keeps watch on its seat, or one who oversees, looks on,
يُحاذِرُhe is wary حَتّىuntil يَحسِبَhe supposes الناسَthe people كُلَّهُمall of them
يُحاذِرُ حَتّى يَحسِبَ الناسَ كُلَّهُم
مِنَfrom الخَوفِfear لاnot تَخفىare hidden عَلَيهِمfrom them سَرائِرُهhis secrets
مِنَ الخَوفِ لا تَخفى عَلَيهِم سَرائِرُه
He is so wary that he imagines all people,
He is so cautious that he thinks all people
in his fear, know his innermost secrets.
Have, from fear, no secret hidden from them,
غَداdeparted in the morning الحَيُّthe tribe مِنfrom بَينِamid الأُعَيلامِal-Uʿaylām بَعدَماafter
غَدا الحَيُّ مِن بَينِ الأُعَيلامِ بَعدَما
جَرىflowed حَدَبُrounded tufts البُهمىbromegrass وَهاجَتand rose أَعاصِرُهits whirlwinds
جَرى حَدَبُ البُهمى وَهاجَت أَعاصِرُه
The tribe departed in the morning from amid al-Uʿaylām, after
Tomorrow the living will quit, from among the tall spears, after
the bromegrass's rounded tufts streamed along, and its whirlwinds rose.
The herd of destruction ran, and its hurricanes raged,
دَعاهُمcalled them لِسَيفِto the shore of البَحرِthe sea أَوor بَطنِthe valley floor of حائِلٍHāʾil
دَعاهُم لِسَيفِ البَحرِ أَو بَطنِ حائِلٍ
هَوىًa longing مِنfrom نَوىan intent to depart حَيٍّa tribe أُمِرَّتwere twisted tight مَرايِرُهits strong cords
هَوىً مِن نَوى حَيٍّ أُمِرَّت مَرايِرُه
They were summoned to the seashore or the valley floor of Hāʾil
To summon them to the sword of the sea, or the belly of separation,
by a longing born of a tribe's intent to depart, its cords twisted tight.
An passionate resolve of Layla's people whose steeds were harnessed.
غَدَونَthey departed in the morning بِرَهنٍwith a pledge مِنfrom فُؤاديmy heart وَقَدand already غَدَتshe had departed
غَدَونَ بِرَهنٍ مِن فُؤادي وَقَد غَدَت
بِهِwith it قَبلَbefore أَترابِsame-aged maidens الجَنوبِal-Janūb تُماضِرُهits Tamāḍir
بِهِ قَبلَ أَترابِ الجَنوبِ تُماضِرُه
They left in the morning with a pledge from my heart, and already
They departed with a mortgage on my heart, and before
its Tamāḍir had gone with it, before the maidens of al-Janūb.
The southern winds, with it they bartered and chaffered,
تَذَكَّرتُI remembered أَترابَsame-aged maidens الجَنوبِal-Janūb وَدونَهاand between me and them
تَذَكَّرتُ أَترابَ الجَنوبِ وَدونَها
مَقاطِعُcrossings أَنهارٍof rivers دَنَتlay near وَقَناطِرُهand its bridges
مَقاطِعُ أَنهارٍ دَنَت وَقَناطِرُه
I remembered the maidens of al-Janūb; between me and them lay
I recalled the southern winds, and below them,
nearby river crossings and its bridges.
The reaches of rivers approached, and their bridges,
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.