لوif قيلit were said ليto me منfrom قبلbefore ذاthis
لو قيل لي من قبل ذا
أنthat سوفwill تسلوyou forget منthe one whom تودyou love
أن سوف تسلو من تود
Had I been told before this,
Had I been told before that day
Had it been said to me before this day,
“You will forget the one you love,”
That you would grant peace to those you avoid
“You shall surely forget the one you love,”
لحلفتI would surely have sworn ألفa thousand قسامةٍsolemn oath
لحلفت ألف قسامةٍ
لاnot كانbe ذاthis أبدforever الأبدeternity
لا كان ذا أبد الأبد
I would have sworn a thousand solemn oaths:
I would have sworn a thousand oaths
I would have sworn a thousand solemn oaths:
“Never shall that be, for all eternity!”
That this could never be
“Never shall this be, for all eternity.”
وإذاand behold طويلprolonged الهجرestrangement ماnot
وإذا طويل الهجر ما
معهwith it منfrom السلوانforgetting بدescape
معه من السلوان بد
But behold, prolonged estrangement leaves no
And if after long estrangement
Yet when estrangement stretches long and deep,
escape from the forgetting that comes with it.
There's no comfort to be found
Solace becomes an unavoidable fate.
للَهto God (an exclamation of admiration) هجركyour estrangement إنهindeed it
للَه هجرك إنه
ساعٍstriving لبرئيfor my recovery مجتهدdiligent
ساعٍ لبرئي مجتهد
God bless your estrangement, for it
Then estrange yourself, for it
By God, what a marvel is your abandonment—
strives diligently for my recovery.
Drives the ardent lover onward
A diligent healer, striving for my cure.
فالأنso now أعجبI marvel للسلat forgetting (continued next line)
فالأن أعجب للسل
وcompletion of السلو (forgetting) وكنتand I used to أعجبmarvel للجلدat endurance
و وكنت أعجب للجلد
So now I marvel at forget-
Now I see the joy in reconciliation
So now I marvel at this quiet solace,
ting, though I once marveled at endurance.
When once I saw the merit of endurance
Whereas before, I marveled at my endurance,
وأرىand I see هواكlove for you كجمرةٍlike an ember
وأرى هواك كجمرةٍ
تحتbeneath الرمادthe ashes لهاit has مددsustenance
تحت الرماد لها مدد
And I see my love for you as an ember
And I see your love is like embers
Yet I still see your love as a live ember,
beneath the ashes, with fuel to sustain it.
Under ashes, with sustenance
Smoldering with sustained fuel beneath the ashes.