أسَالَتْshe made flow غَدّاةَon the morning of البَيْنِparting لُؤلُؤَpearls أَجْفَانِeyelids
أسَالَتْ غَدّاةَ البَيْنِ لُؤلُؤَ أَجْفَانِ
وأَجْرَتْand she made flow عَقِيْقَcarnelian الدَّمْعِthe tears فيin صَحْنِa bowl عِقْيَانِpure gold
وأَجْرَتْ عَقِيْقَ الدَّمْعِ في صَحْنِ عِقْيَانِ
On the morning of parting, she shed the pearls of her eyelids,
The morning of parting shed pearls of dew
And sent the carnelian of tears flowing into a bowl of pure gold.
From her eyelids and poured rubies of tears in the basin.
وأَلْقَتْand she cast off حُلاَهَاher ornaments مِنْfrom أَسىًgrief فكأنَّماso it was as though
وأَلْقَتْ حُلاَهَا مِنْ أَسىً فكأنَّما
أَطَارَتْshe sent flying شَوَادِيsinging ones الوُرْقِthe gray doves عنfrom فَنَنِa bough البانِthe bān (moringa) tree
أَطَارَتْ شَوَادِي الوُرْقِ عن فَنَنِ البانِ
And she cast off her ornaments in grief, so it was as though
She cast off her necklaces out of grief, as though
She had sent the singing gray doves flying from the bān tree’s bough.
The leaves were stripped from the branches of the ban tree.
وأَذْهَلَهاand distracted her داعِيthe summons النَّوَىdeparture عنfrom تَنَقُّبٍface-veiling
وأَذْهَلَها داعِي النَّوَى عن تَنَقُّبٍ
فَحَيَّاso it greeted مُحَيَّاهَاher face بِتُفَّاحِwith apples لُبْنَانِLebanon
فَحَيَّا مُحَيَّاهَا بِتُفَّاحِ لُبْنَانِ
And departure’s summons distracted her from veiling her face,
The caller to departure made her distraught, without searching,
So her face offered a greeting with the apples of Lebanon.
So he greeted her farewell with apples from Lebanon.
وقدand already أَطْبَقَتْshe closed فوقover الأَقَاحِيthe daisies بَنَفْسَجاًviolets
وقد أَطْبَقَتْ فوق الأَقَاحِي بَنَفْسَجاً
كماjust as خَمَشَتْshe scratched وَرْداًroses بِعُنَّابِwith jujubes سُوْسَانِlilies
كما خَمَشَتْ وَرْداً بِعُنَّابِ سُوْسَانِ
And she had closed violets over the daisies,
She has covered the meadows with violets
Just as she scratched roses with the jujubes of lilies.
As if she had plucked roses with hyacinths of Susa.
وليلٍand many a night بهيْمٍpitch-dark سِرْتُهُI journeyed through it ونُجُوْمُهُand its stars
وليلٍ بهيْمٍ سِرْتُهُ ونُجُوْمُهُ
أَزاهِرُblossoms رَوْضٍa garden أوor سَوَاهِرُwakeful أَجْفَانِeyelids
أَزاهِرُ رَوْضٍ أو سَوَاهِرُ أَجْفَانِ
And many a pitch-dark night I traversed, whose stars
A night I walked in, with its stars,
Were garden blossoms, or wakeful eyelids.
Flowers of a garden or lamps of eyelids.
كأنَّas though الثُّرَيَّاthe Pleiades فيهin it كأسُa cup مُدَامةٍaged wine
كأنَّ الثُّرَيَّا فيه كأسُ مُدَامةٍ
وقدand already مَالَتِleaned الجَوْزَاءُOrion مِيْلَةَthe sway of نَشْوَانِa drunken man
وقد مَالَتِ الجَوْزَاءُ مِيْلَةَ نَشْوَانِ
As though the Pleiades in it were a cup of aged wine,
As if the Pleiades in it were a cup of wine
And Orion had leaned with a drunken man’s sway.
And the Gemini leaned tipsily.
وماand not الدَّهْرُtime إلاَّexcept لَيْلَةٌa night مُدْلَهِمَّةٌimpenetrably dark
وما الدَّهْرُ إلاَّ لَيْلَةٌ مُدْلَهِمَّةٌ
وشَمْسُand the sun ضُحَاهَاits forenoon أحمدُAhmad بنُson of سُلَيْمَانِSulayman
وشَمْسُ ضُحَاهَا أحمدُ بنُ سُلَيْمَانِ
And time is nothing but a night of deepest darkness,
Life is but a gloomy night,
And its morning sun is Ahmad ibn Sulayman.
With Ahmad ibn Suleiman its shining sun.