أرىI see الوجدَlonging أقوىstrongest ماwhen يكونُit is وأغلباand most overpowering
أرى الوجدَ أقوى ما يكونُ وأغلبا
إذاwhen لمnot أجدI find عنaway from مذهبthe path of الحبِّlove مَذْهباan escape
إذا لم أجد عن مذهب الحبِّ مَذْهبا
I see longing at its strongest and most overpowering
I see passion strongest when I find no doctrine for love's creed,
when I find no escape from the path of love.
So who can save me from the fire of your rejection and passion's blaze,
فَمَنْso who مُنقذيmy rescuer منfrom نارthe fire of صَدّكَyour rejection والهوىand passion
فَمَنْ مُنقذي من نار صَدّكَ والهوى
يُضَرِّمُهاkindles it بينَbetween الضُّلوعthe ribs تَلَهُّباblazing
يُضَرِّمُها بينَ الضُّلوع تَلَهُّبا
Who, then, will rescue me from the fire of your rejection, while passion
That sets aflame my heart and ribs with burning throes?
kindles it into a blaze between my ribs?
My heart refused to forget your love, for it would betray
أبىrefused القلبُthe heart أنto يسلوforget هواكَlove for you وأنّهand indeed it
أبى القلبُ أن يسلو هواكَ وأنّه
لأغدرُsurely the most faithless قَلبٍheart فيin سلوككَfollowing your path إنْif أبىit refused
لأغدرُ قَلبٍ في سلوككَ إنْ أبى
My heart refuses to forget its love for you; indeed,
A heart that strayed from loving you, if it should disobey.
it would be the most faithless heart if it refused to follow your path.
Have you not seen how it finds sweet the pangs whenever
ألمdid ... not? تَرهُyou see it يَسْتَعذبُfinds sweet الوجدَlonging كُلّماwhenever
ألم تَرهُ يَسْتَعذبُ الوجدَ كُلّما
تَحَمّلَit endures وجداًlonging فيin الغرامِardent love وعذّباand is tormented
تَحَمّلَ وجداً في الغرامِ وعذّبا
Have you not seen it find longing sweet whenever
It bears the throes of love and torture’s agony?
it endures longing in love and is tormented?
By my soul, the full moon rose in the night of desolation,
بِروحيَwith my soul بدراًa full moon لاحَshone فيin ليلِthe night of طُرَّةa forelock
بِروحيَ بدراً لاحَ في ليلِ طُرَّة
وَمَطْلَعُهand its rising-place للمُجتَليto the beholder فَلَكُthe sphere of القباthe robe
وَمَطْلَعُه للمُجتَلي فَلَكُ القبا
With my soul I would ransom a full moon shining in the night of a forelock,
Its rising is for the sleepless - bless its orbit!
whose rising-place, to the beholder, is the sphere of his robe.
Never before have I seen a moon so perfect as his face.
وَلمand not أرَI saw بدراًa full moon كاملاًcomplete قبلَbefore وجههhis face
وَلم أرَ بدراً كاملاً قبلَ وجهه
لهُit has شَرَفٌexaltation إذwhen حلَّit entered بالصّدغِat the temple عَقْرَباScorpio (the scorpion)
لهُ شَرَفٌ إذ حلَّ بالصّدغِ عَقْرَبا
Never before his face had I seen a full moon
He has nobility when the mole adorns his temple.
exalted when it entered Scorpio at the temple.
A gazelle called the hearts to love him, so he spent the night
غزالٌa gazelle دعىsummoned حبَّthe love of القلوبِthe hearts بحبِّهthrough his love
غزالٌ دعى حبَّ القلوبِ بحبِّه
فباتَso he became إلىto كُلِّall القلوبthe hearts مُحَبّباbeloved
فباتَ إلى كُلِّ القلوب مُحَبّبا
A gazelle who summoned the hearts' love through his love,
Beloved of all hearts, holding fast the forelock.
and so became beloved of every heart.
His eyelashes humble the wild cows, and sometimes
مُمَسِّكُperfuming with musk خّدَa cheek بالعذارwith beard-down وَرُبّماand sometimes
مُمَسِّكُ خّدَ بالعذار وَرُبّما
غداit became بدماءwith the blood of العاشقينَthe lovers مُخَضّباdyed
غدا بدماء العاشقينَ مُخَضّبا
He musks his cheek with beard-down, and sometimes
They redden with the blood of lovers at dawn.
it becomes dyed with lovers' blood.
He has a glance - where are the wild cows to its languor?
لهُhe has مُقلةٌan eye أينَwhere الظِّباthe sword-edges منcompared with فتورهاits languor
لهُ مُقلةٌ أينَ الظِّبا من فتورها
بقلبكَin your heart لاno بَلْrather أينَwhere منfrom قبلهاbefore it الظِّباthe sword-edges
بقلبكَ لا بَلْ أينَ من قبلها الظِّبا
He has an eye—where are sword-blades beside its languor
Nay, where are they compared to it beforehand?
in your heart? No, rather, where are sword-blades in its presence?
He reproaches me while the fault in love is his fault,
يُعاتبنُيhe reproaches me والذَّنبُand the fault فيin الحبّlove ذنبهis his fault
يُعاتبنُي والذَّنبُ في الحبّ ذنبه
وَيَسألُand he asks عنabout سُقميmy sickness وَمنهand from him تَسَبَباit arose
وَيَسألُ عن سُقمي وَمنه تَسَبَبا
He reproaches me, though the fault in love is his,
And asks about my sickness - its cause from him derived.
and asks about my sickness, though it arose from him.
And claims I'm guilty, so I obey him
وَيَزعَمand he claims أنّيthat I مُذْنبٌam guilty فأطيعُهُso I obey him
وَيَزعَم أنّي مُذْنبٌ فأطيعُهُ
موافقةin agreement منِّيon my part ولمand not أكُI was مُذنباًguilty
موافقة منِّي ولم أكُ مُذنباً
He claims that I am guilty, so I obey him,
Consenting, though I am not guilty in this matter.
in acquiescence, though I was not guilty.
And I love the blame of the slanderers for his mention,
وَيُعجبنُيand pleases me ذِكرُthe mention of العذولthe reproacher لذِكرهfor mentioning him
وَيُعجبنُي ذِكرُ العذول لذِكره
وإنْand even if لَمْnot أجدI find إلاّexcept عذولاًa reproacher مؤنِّباscolding
وإنْ لَمْ أجد إلاّ عذولاً مؤنِّبا
The reproacher's talk pleases me for its mention of him,
Though I find no slanderers except those who reprove me.
even if I find only a scolding reproacher.
I wonder at the affair of love - a wonderous thing, wherein I see
عَجبتُI marveled لأمرat the affair of الحبlove أمراًan affair ولاand not أرىI see
عَجبتُ لأمر الحب أمراً ولا أرى
بهin it عَجَباًa wonder إلاّunless أرىI see منهthan it أعجباmore wondrous
به عَجَباً إلاّ أرى منه أعجبا
I marvel at the business of love, and never see
No wonder save that I see from it more wonders.
a wonder in it without seeing something still more wondrous.
The slain of love ransom their killer in passion,
يُفَدِّيransoms قتيلُthe slain victim of الحبlove قاتلَهُhis killer هوىًout of passion
يُفَدِّي قتيلُ الحب قاتلَهُ هوىً
وَيُمسيand becomes بهthrough it الضرغامُthe lion فيin الأسرcaptivity رَبَرباa herd of antelope
وَيُمسي به الضرغامُ في الأسر رَبَربا
Love's slain victim offers himself as ransom for his killer, out of passion,
And pass the night in captivity, in awe of him.
and through love a captive lion becomes a herd of antelope.
The heart asks about him while it harbors
ويسالُand asks عنهُabout him القلبُthe heart وَهْوَwhile he مُخَيِّمٌis encamped
ويسالُ عنهُ القلبُ وَهْوَ مُخَيِّمٌ
بهwithin it وَيُناجيand communes with البرقَthe lightning أوor نسمةَa breath of الصباthe east wind
به وَيُناجي البرقَ أو نسمةَ الصبا
The heart asks about him, though he is encamped
Him, and speaks intimately to lightning or a zephyr's breeze.
within it, and it communes with lightning or a breath of the east wind.
Sometimes the moan of a dove makes him whimper
وآونةُand at times يَشجيهsaddens it نوحُthe lament of حمامةa dove
وآونةُ يَشجيه نوحُ حمامة
بلَحْنwith a melody تراهُyou see it للصبابةِof ardent longing مُعْرباexpressive
بلَحْن تراهُ للصبابةِ مُعْربا
And sometimes a dove's lament saddens it,
In a melody you see adapted for youth.
with a melody you find expressive of ardent longing.
With tears his eyes turn to God, and a heart
إلىto اللهGod طَرْفاًan eye بالدُّموعِwith tears أنطرافُهُapparently, its turning (unclear form)
إلى الله طَرْفاً بالدُّموعِ أنطرافُهُ
وقَلباًand a heart أبىrefused إلاَّexcept إليهto him تَقَلباًturning
وقَلباً أبى إلاَّ إليه تَقَلباً
To God I complain of an eye that turns in tears,
That refused but to turn toward Him in fickleness.
and a heart that refuses to turn to any but him.
The army of love conquered him - he passed from dignity
تملَكَهُpossessed it جيشُthe army of الغَرامlove عَرَmighty (fragment 1/3) مرَmighty (fragment 2/3) مَاmighty (fragment 3/3)
تملَكَهُ جيشُ الغَرام عَرَ مرَ مَا
فأصبَحَso it became فيin أيديthe hands of سَبَاSaba (evoking dispersal) رَهنَhostage to مَنْwhoever سباtook captive
فأصبَحَ في أيدي سَبَا رَهنَ مَنْ سبا
The mighty army of love took possession of it,
To be, at the hands of one who captured him, a hostage under duress.
and it became scattered like Saba, hostage to whoever took it captive,
As al-Mansur conquered al-Muqanna' with victory,
كماjust as مَلَكَtook possession of المنصورُal-Mansur بالنّصرthrough victory مرقباMarqab
كما مَلَكَ المنصورُ بالنّصر مرقبا
غداbecame النّصرvictory فيهtherein للهُدىfor guidance مُتَرَقَباawaited
غدا النّصر فيه للهُدى مُتَرَقَبا
just as al-Mansur took Marqab through victory,
So victory over him was hoped for, for guidance.
where victory for guidance came to be awaited.
Truly he had been an impregnable fortress, a refuge,
وَقَدْand indeed كانَit had been حُصْناًa fortress لاnot يرامُassailable مُمَنّعاًstrongly fortified
وَقَدْ كانَ حُصْناً لا يرامُ مُمَنّعاً
وَمُهْلكَand a destroyer of أبطالchampions لمَنْfor whoever رامَsought مَطْلَباa goal
وَمُهْلكَ أبطال لمَنْ رامَ مَطْلَبا
Though it had been an impregnable fortress, beyond assault,
And the destroyer of heroes for whoever desired his downfall.
and a destroyer of champions for anyone pursuing a goal.
Partial English translation: 39 of 40 Arabic lines translated.