تيسري للمام من أمم

تيسري للمام من أمم

ولا تُراعي حمامةَ الحرمِ

ولا تُراعي حمامةَ الحرمِ

Brace yourself for blame, now drawing near,

Be ready for a brief visit from close at hand,

and pay no heed to the dove of the Sanctuary.

and fear not, O dove of the sanctuary.

قد غاب لا آب من يراقبنا

قد غاب لا آب من يراقبنا

ونام لا قام سامرُ الخَدَمِ

ونام لا قام سامرُ الخَدَمِ

Gone—may he never return—is whoever watches us;

The one who watches us has gone—may he never return!

asleep—may he never rise—is the servants’ night watchman.

And the servants' late-night talker sleeps—may he never rise!

فاستصحبي مسعداً يفاوضنا

فاستصحبي مسعداً يفاوضنا

اذا خلونا في كل مكتتمِ

اذا خلونا في كل مكتتمِ

So take along a helpful companion to converse with us

So bring along an obliging companion to converse with us

whenever we are alone in some secret retreat.

whenever we are alone in any secluded place.

تبذلي بذلةً تقرُّ بها ال

تبذلي بذلةً تقرُّ بها ال

عَين ولا تحصري وتحتشمي

عَين ولا تحصري وتحتشمي

Yield yourself with such abandon as will gladden the

Be unreserved, with an abandon that delights the

eye; do not hold back or act demure.

eye; do not hold back or be bashful.

ليت نجوم السماءِ راكةٌ

ليت نجوم السماءِ راكةٌ

على دجى ليلنا فلم ترمِ

على دجى ليلنا فلم ترمِ

If only heaven’s stars would remain motionless

If only the stars of heaven stood still

above our night’s darkness and never move.

over our night's darkness and never moved.

ما لسروري بالشك ممتزجاً

ما لسروري بالشك ممتزجاً

حتى كأني أراه في حلم

حتى كأني أراه في حلم

My joy was in no way mingled with doubt

Why is my joy mingled with doubt,

until it seemed I was seeing it in a dream.

so much that I seem to see it in a dream?

فرحتُ حتى استخفني فرحي

فرحتُ حتى استخفني فرحي

وشبتُ عين اليقين بالتهمِ

وشبتُ عين اليقين بالتهمِ

I rejoiced until my joy swept me away,

I rejoiced until my joy carried me away,

and I clouded certainty itself with suspicions.

and mingled certainty itself with suspicions.

أمسحُ عيني مستثبتاً نظري

أمسحُ عيني مستثبتاً نظري

إخالني نائماً ولم أنمِ

إخالني نائماً ولم أنمِ

I rubbed my eyes to make sure of what I saw,

I rub my eyes, seeking to confirm what I see;

thinking myself asleep, though I had not slept.

I imagine myself asleep, though I have not slept.

سقياً لليلٍ أفنيت مدته

سقياً لليلٍ أفنيت مدته

بباردِ الريقِ طيبِ النسمِ

بباردِ الريقِ طيبِ النسمِ

Blessings upon a night whose whole span I spent

May rain bless a night whose hours I spent

with one whose saliva was cool and breath sweet—

with one of cool saliva and sweet breath,

أبيضَ مرتجةٍ روادِفُه

أبيضَ مرتجةٍ روادِفُه

ما عِيبَ من قَرنِه الى القدمِ

ما عِيبَ من قَرنِه الى القدمِ

a fair one whose buttocks quivered,

fair-skinned, with quivering buttocks,

flawless from crown to foot—

unblemished from his crown to his foot,

إذ قصباتُ العريش تجمعنا

إذ قصباتُ العريش تجمعنا

حتى تجلَّت أواخرُ الظُّلمِ

حتى تجلَّت أواخرُ الظُّلمِ

while the canes of the arbor enclosed us together

while the reeds of the bower enclosed us,

until the last remnants of darkness cleared.

until the last remnants of darkness cleared.

وليلةٍ بتها مُحَسَّدَةٍ

وليلةٍ بتها مُحَسَّدَةٍ

محفوفةٍ بالظنون والتُّهَمِ

محفوفةٍ بالظنون والتُّهَمِ

And many an envied night I spent,

And a night I passed, much envied,

encircled by doubts and accusations,

surrounded by suspicions and accusations—

أبثَّ عبراتِه على غصصٍ

أبثَّ عبراتِه على غصصٍ

يَرُدُّ أنفاسه الى الكظمٍ

يَرُدُّ أنفاسه الى الكظمٍ

as he shed his tears amid choking anguish

he poured out his tears amid choking pangs,

and checked his breaths almost to suffocation.

holding his breaths back in his throat.

سقياً لقيطونها ومخدعها

سقياً لقيطونها ومخدعها

كم من لمامٍ به ومن لمَمِ

كم من لمامٍ به ومن لمَمِ

Blessings upon its dwelling and its bedchamber—

May rain bless her pavilion and her bedchamber!

how many a furtive visit it held, and how many a sin!

How many fleeting visits there, and how many little sins!

لا أكفرُ السيلحين أزمنةً

لا أكفرُ السيلحين أزمنةً

مُطيعةً بالنعيم والنِّعَم

مُطيعةً بالنعيم والنِّعَم

Never shall I be ungrateful for the seasons at al-Saylaḥayn,

I will not be ungrateful to al-Saylahin for days

yielding in bliss and blessings.

that readily yielded pleasure and blessings.

وليلة القفصِ إن سألتَ بها

وليلة القفصِ إن سألتَ بها

كانت شفاءً لعلةِ السقمِ

كانت شفاءً لعلةِ السقمِ

And the night at al-Qafas—if you should ask about it—

And the night at al-Qafas, if you ask about it,

was a cure for the malady of sickness.

was a cure for the malady of sickness.

بات أنيسي صريعَ خمرته

بات أنيسي صريعَ خمرته

وتلك إحدى مصارع الكرمِ

وتلك إحدى مصارع الكرمِ

My intimate spent the night felled by his wine,

My companion lay all night felled by his wine,

and that was one of wine’s fellings.

and that is one of nobility's downfalls.

وبتُّ عن موعدٍ سبقتُ به

وبتُّ عن موعدٍ سبقتُ به

ألثم دُراً مفلجاً بفمِ

ألثم دُراً مفلجاً بفمِ

While I spent the night at a tryst to which I had preceded him,

And, at a tryst I had arranged beforehand, I spent the night

kissing evenly spaced pearls within a mouth.

kissing pearls set apart within a mouth.

وابأبي من بدا بروعةِ لا

وابأبي من بدا بروعةِ لا

وعاد من بعدها الى نعمِ

وعاد من بعدها الى نعمِ

May my father ransom him who first, in his fright, said “No,”

Ah, my father be ransom for him who appeared with a startling 'No,'

then afterward came round to “Yes.”

and afterward turned to 'Yes.'

أباحني نفسه ووسدني

أباحني نفسه ووسدني

يُمنى يديه وبات مُلتَزمي

يُمنى يديه وبات مُلتَزمي

He freely granted me himself and made a pillow for me

He yielded himself to me and pillowed my head

of his right arm, spending the night clasping me,

on his right hand, and spent the night embracing me,

حتى اذا اهتاجت النواقسُ في

حتى اذا اهتاجت النواقسُ في

سُحرةِ أحوى أحمَّ كالحُمَمِ

سُحرةِ أحوى أحمَّ كالحُمَمِ

until the bells began to clamor

until, when the bells burst into clamor in

in a predawn hour, dark and coal-black.

the dusky predawn, black as charcoal,

وقلت هبا يا صاحبي ونبهت

وقلت هبا يا صاحبي ونبهت

أباناً فهبَّ كالزلمِ

أباناً فهبَّ كالزلمِ

I said, “Up, my two companions!” and awakened

I said, 'Rise, my two companions!' and roused

Abān, who sprang up like an arrow.

Aban, who sprang up like an arrow.

فاستنها كالشهاب ضاحكةً

فاستنها كالشهاب ضاحكةً

عن بارقٍ في الإناء مُبتسمِ

عن بارقٍ في الإناء مُبتسمِ

Then he sent her streaming like a meteor, laughing,

Then he poured it, like a shooting star, laughing

revealing a smiling flash within the vessel—

to reveal a gleam smiling in the vessel:

صفراءَ زيتية موشحة

صفراءَ زيتية موشحة

بأرجوانٍ ملمعٍ ضرمِ

بأرجوانٍ ملمعٍ ضرمِ

golden, olive-hued, and girdled

yellow, olive-oil-hued, girdled

in variegated, blazing purple.

with gleaming, blazing purple.

أخذتُ ريحانةً أراحُ لها

أخذتُ ريحانةً أراحُ لها

دبَّ سُروري بها دبيب دمي

دبَّ سُروري بها دبيب دمي

I took a fragrant sprig of sweet basil and breathed its scent;

I took a sweet-basil sprig, finding delight in it;

my joy in it crept as my blood courses.

my joy in it crept through me like my blood.

فراجعِ العُذرَ إن بدا لك في العذرِ

فراجعِ العُذرَ إن بدا لك في العذرِ

وإن عُدت لائماً فَلُمِ

وإن عُدت لائماً فَلُمِ

So reconsider my excuse, if an excuse carries weight with you;

So reconsider the excuse, if something in the excuse occurs to you;

and if you return as a reproacher, then reproach away.

and if you return to reproach, then reproach.