أقولُI say لِبَرْقٍto lightning شِمْتُهُI watched it فيin غَمامِهِits cloud
أقولُ لِبَرْقٍ شِمْتُهُ في غَمامِهِ
أشامَكَdid he watch you? منthe one whose أشْبَهْتَyou resembled حُسنthe beauty of ابتسامهِhis smile
أشامَكَ من أشْبَهْتَ حُسن ابتسامهِ
I say to lightning I watched within its cloud:
Did he whose lovely smile you resemble behold you?
وهلْand did...? بتّyou spent the night منْهُfrom him مُستعيراًborrowing أناملاًfingertips
وهلْ بتّ منْهُ مُستعيراً أناملاً
تشيرُsignal إليناtoward us حُمْرهاtheir red ones بسلامهِwith his greeting
تشيرُ إلينا حُمْرها بسلامهِ
And did you spend the night borrowing fingers from him,
their red tips signaling his greeting to us?
وكيفَand how يشيمُwatches البرقَthe lightning مَنْone whose باتَspent the night جَفنُهُhis eyelid
وكيفَ يشيمُ البرقَ مَنْ باتَ جَفنُهُ
إلىuntil الصبحdawn مكحولاًlined with kohl بطولِby the length of منامهِhis sleep
إلى الصبح مكحولاً بطولِ منامهِ
And how can one watch lightning when his eyelid stays all night
until dawn, kohled by his long sleep?
أمَنْis one whose...? بَرَدَتْcooled أنْفاسُهُhis breaths منthrough سُلُوّهِhis forgetting love
أمَنْ بَرَدَتْ أنْفاسُهُ من سُلُوّهِ
كمَنْlike one whose حَمِيَتْgrew hot أحشاؤهُhis entrails منfrom غرَامهِhis passion
كمَنْ حَمِيَتْ أحشاؤهُ من غرَامهِ
Is one whose breath has cooled through forgetting love
like one whose entrails burn with his passion?
غزالٌa gazelle سقيمُailing الطّرْفِthe gaze أفْنيتُI exhausted صحّتيmy health
غزالٌ سقيمُ الطّرْفِ أفْنيتُ صحّتي
ولمyet did not تغنِavail شيئاًanything فيin عِلاجِtreating سقامهِhis sickness
ولم تغنِ شيئاً في عِلاجِ سقامهِ
A gazelle with a languishing gaze—I exhausted my health,
yet it did nothing to cure his sickness.
وغضْنٌand a bough ذبوليmy withering فيin الهوىlove باخضرَارِهِthrough his greenness
وغضْنٌ ذبولي في الهوى باخضرَارِهِ
وبدرٌand a full moon محاقيmy waning بالضّناthrough wasting sickness منfrom تَمامهِhis fullness
وبدرٌ محاقي بالضّنا من تَمامهِ
And a bough: I wither in love through his greenness;
and a full moon: I wane with wasting sickness through his fullness.
ولوْand if شئتُI wished عَقْدَknotting الخصرِthe waist منهof him لحضّنيwould urge me
ولوْ شئتُ عَقْدَ الخصرِ منه لحضّني
عليهto it تَشَنّيthe bending of خيزرانِthe bamboo of قوامهِhis stature
عليه تَشَنّي خيزرانِ قوامهِ
And if I wished to knot his waist, I would be urged
to it by the curving bamboo of his stature.
يصدّhe turns away بوردٍwith a rose فوقَupon خدٍّa cheek كأنّهُas though it
يصدّ بوردٍ فوقَ خدٍّ كأنّهُ
يقبّلُهُkisses it صدغٌa temple-lock بِعَطْفَةِwith the curve of لامهِits lām (letter ل)
يقبّلُهُ صدغٌ بِعَطْفَةِ لامهِ
He turns away with a rose upon a cheek, as though
a temple-lock were kissing it with its lām-shaped curve.
وَمُسْتَوْطنٍand one inhabiting كُورَthe saddle of النّجيبِthe fine-bred camel بعزْمهِthrough his resolve
وَمُسْتَوْطنٍ كُورَ النّجيبِ بعزْمهِ
فَرِحْلَتُهُso his journey فيon ظهرِهِits back بمُقامهِas his residence
فَرِحْلَتُهُ في ظهرِهِ بمُقامهِ
And one whose resolve makes a fine-bred camel's saddle his home:
his journey on its back is his residence.
تَزَاحمthrong هِمّاتُaspirations for العُلاeminence فيin فُؤادِهِhis heart
تَزَاحم هِمّاتُ العُلا في فُؤادِهِ
وَغُرّand radiant المَعَانيmeanings فيin فَصيحِeloquent كلامِهِhis speech
وَغُرّ المَعَاني في فَصيحِ كلامِهِ
Aspirations for eminence throng his heart,
and radiant meanings, his eloquent speech.
وفيand in المَيْسِthe saddlewood مَيّاسٌswaying بإيجافِwith the hastening of سَيْرِهِits gait
وفي المَيْسِ مَيّاسٌ بإيجافِ سَيْرِهِ
رَجُومٌpelting fiercely بأجوازthrough the midst of الفلاthe desert wastes بِلُغامهِwith its foam
رَجُومٌ بأجواز الفلا بِلُغامهِ
And in the saddle-frame it sways with its hurried gait,
pelting the heart of the wilderness with its foam.
إذاwhen ثارَsprang up صكَّstruck الصّدْرَthe chest بالخفّwith the padded hoof شِرّةًin fierce vigor
إذا ثارَ صكَّ الصّدْرَ بالخفّ شِرّةً
وطارَand flew بهwith it فيthrough القفْرِthe barren wilderness وَحْيُthe signal of زِمامِهِits rein
وطارَ به في القفْرِ وَحْيُ زِمامِهِ
When it springs up, it strikes its chest with its padded hoof in wild vigor,
and its rein's signal sends it flying through the barren waste.
فماso never زَالceased سَهبُthe wide plain of الأرْضthe earth قوتاًfood لأرْضِهِfor its feet
فما زَال سَهبُ الأرْض قوتاً لأرْضِهِ
ولاand never انفكّceased قوتُthe food of الرّحلthe saddle شحمَthe fat of سنامهِits hump
ولا انفكّ قوتُ الرّحل شحمَ سنامهِ
So the earth's wide plain remained food for its feet,
and the saddle's food remained the fat of its hump.
وأعْمَلتُهُand I drove it on بَدْراًa full moon ولكنْbut رَدَدْتُهُI brought it back
وأعْمَلتُهُ بَدْراً ولكنْ رَدَدْتُهُ
هلالاًa crescent مشىcrept فيهthrough it مُحاقُthe waning of المَهامِهِthe trackless deserts
هلالاً مشى فيه مُحاقُ المَهامِهِ
And I drove it on, a full moon, but brought it back
a crescent, through which the deserts' waning had crept.
وَمَرْتٍand a barren waste يَطولُovermasters سَفْرَهُits travellers بِنفَاذِهِin traversing it
وَمَرْتٍ يَطولُ سَفْرَهُ بِنفَاذِهِ
أُتيحَwas allotted لهُto it مُستَنجِدٌone seeking aid باعْتزامِهِthrough his resolve
أُتيحَ لهُ مُستَنجِدٌ باعْتزامِهِ
And a barren waste that overmasters its travellers in the crossing
was allotted one seeking aid through his resolve.
إذاwhen صرْصرُthe fierce blast of الأرواحِthe winds أغْشَتْهُenveloped it صَرَّهاits shriek
إذا صرْصرُ الأرواحِ أغْشَتْهُ صَرَّها
شَوَىscorched الوجْهَthe face منهاfrom them حرُّهُits heat باحْتدامِهِwith its blazing intensity
شَوَى الوجْهَ منها حرُّهُ باحْتدامِهِ
When the winds' fierce gale envelops it in its shriek,
its raging heat scorches the face through those winds.
يبلّmoistens صَدىthe thirst of الأرْماقlife's remnants فيin القيظِthe summer heat رَكبُهُits riders
يبلّ صَدى الأرْماق في القيظِ رَكبُهُ
بمُلْتَقَطٍwith found water يثْنيturns away القَطَاthe sandgrouse عنfrom جمامِهِits pooled waters
بمُلْتَقَطٍ يثْني القَطَا عن جمامِهِ
Its riders moisten their parched remnants of life in summer heat
with a found pool that turns sandgrouse away from its waters.
تُمزِّقُtears off عنهfrom it الكفُّthe hand جلبابَthe cloak of عَرْمَضٍalgae
تُمزِّقُ عنه الكفُّ جلبابَ عَرْمَضٍ
فيبدوand so it appears كنورِlike the light of الصّبْحdawn تحتَbeneath ظلامِهِits darkness
فيبدو كنورِ الصّبْح تحتَ ظلامِهِ
The hand tears away from it a cloak of algae,
and it appears like dawn's light beneath its darkness.
Translation model: Sol 6.1