حسبenough for عينيmy eyes منof المنامsleep غرارهits scant measure
حسب عيني من المنام غراره
يومday of الخليطthe beloved companion والقلبand the heart دارهhis home
يوم الخليط والقلب داره
A scant measure of sleep is enough for my eyes,
My eyes' illusion of sleep is transient,
on the day of the beloved companion, whose home is the heart.
On the day of turmoil with a restless heart,
قدhave indeed تناءتgrown distant ديارهhis dwellings وبرغميand against my will
قد تناءت دياره وبرغمي
قدhave indeed تناءتgrown distant ربوعهhis haunts وديارهand his dwellings
قد تناءت ربوعه ودياره
His dwellings have grown distant, against my will;
His dwelling has become remote to me,
his haunts and his dwellings have grown distant.
His lands and homes have become remote,
بتُّI spent the night أرعىwatching لهfor him تصرفthe movements of لحظa glance
بتُّ أرعى له تصرف لحظ
حارwas bewildered فيهin it فتورهits languor واحورارهand its black-and-white eye contrast
حار فيه فتوره واحوراره
I spent the night watching the turns of his glance;
I graze on care for him with every glance,
in it, its languor and its dark-and-white beauty were confounded.
My passion for him fluctuates between warmth and heat,
أسرحI let roam اللحظthe gaze فيin مسارحthe grazing grounds of ظبيa gazelle
أسرح اللحظ في مسارح ظبي
هوhe عيناthe two eyes of ظباgazelles الحمىthe sanctuary ونفارُهand his skittishness
هو عينا ظبا الحمى ونفارُه
I let my gaze roam through a gazelle's grazing grounds;
I set free the glance in the pastures of gazelle,
he bears the eyes and skittishness of the sanctuary's gazelles.
With the eyes of a love-sick gazelle and its shyness,
عنَّit occurred ليto me أطرحto cast الحبالةthe snare ختلاًstealthily
عنَّ لي أطرح الحبالة ختلاً
وحذاريand my fear منof أنthat يعنّmight arise حذارُهhis wariness
وحذاري من أن يعنّ حذارُه
It occurred to me to cast the snare stealthily,
Tell me to cast off my worries as burdens,
and my fear is that his wariness might arise.
And beware in case his caution takes note,
مُرهفَslender القدّof figure ليسdoes not يخطرwalk إلّاexcept
مُرهفَ القدّ ليس يخطر إلّا
اهتزswayed فيwithin طيّthe folds of بردهhis cloak خطارُهhis spear-like form
اهتز في طيّ برده خطارُه
Slender of figure, he never steps
Of delicate build, he does not suspect,
without his spear-like form swaying within his cloak's folds.
Except when his coolness shook in his gait,
هيَّمdrove to distraction المغرمthe enamored lover المتيمthe love-enslaved ظبيٌa gazelle
هيَّم المغرم المتيم ظبيٌ
عفّwas chaste خلخالهhis anklet وعفّand was chaste سوارُهhis bracelet
عفّ خلخاله وعفّ سوارُه
A gazelle drove the lovesick, love-enslaved lover to distraction;
His anklet gave away and his bracelet slipped,
his anklet was chaste, and his bracelet chaste.
The pallor and redness of a cheek increases for me,
زادنيincreased in me صفرةpallor بحمرةwith the redness of خدٍّa cheek
زادني صفرة بحمرة خدٍّ
كلماwhenever ازددتI grew more منهfrom it زادincreased احمرارهits redness
كلما ازددت منه زاد احمراره
He deepened my pallor with a cheek's redness;
The more it increases, the more his redness grows,
the paler I grew from it, the deeper its redness became.
The coquetry of an eyelid has bared a blade,
وغريرand a guileless youth قدhas indeed سلَّunsheathed صارمthe keen blade of جفنan eyelid
وغرير قد سلَّ صارم جفن
فضحshamed السيفthe sword حينwhen لاحflashed غرارهits cutting edge
فضح السيف حين لاح غراره
And a guileless youth unsheathed an eyelid's keen blade;
When its flash appeared, the sword revealed its sharpness,
it shamed the sword when its edge flashed.
Who feels for the agony of my lovelorn heart,
منwho لصبwill help a lovesick man متيمlove-enslaved القلبof heart عانٍa captive
من لصب متيم القلب عانٍ
مشغلpreoccupied فيكwith you ليلهhis night ونهارهand his day
مشغل فيك ليله ونهاره
Who will help a lovesick captive, his heart enslaved,
Preoccupied with you night and day?
his night and his day engrossed in you?
It seeks to cool the heart with tears,
يتوخىhe seeks بردcoolness for الفؤادthe heart بدمعthrough tears
يتوخى برد الفؤاد بدمع
مسجرkindled منby شواظهits blaze تيارُهits torrent
مسجر من شواظه تيارُه
He seeks coolness for his heart in tears,
Flowing from his streaming torrents,
whose torrent is kindled by the heart's blaze.
The duty of the heart knows no rest,
واجبpounding القلبof heart لاnot يقرsettles قراراat rest
واجب القلب لا يقر قرارا
فيin هوىlove for ساكنone who is still يقرّremains settled قرارُهhis repose
في هوى ساكن يقرّ قرارُه
His heart pounding, he finds no rest,
In a dormant passion that knows no peace,
in love with one who is still, whose repose is undisturbed.
My excuse for my dusty love,
منwho عذيريwill excuse me منfor حبlove of أعفرa tawny خشفfawn
من عذيري من حب أعفر خشف
صحَّwas justified حبيmy love بهfor him وعذريand my excuse عذارُهhis cheek-down
صحَّ حبي به وعذري عذارُه
Who will excuse my love for a tawny fawn?
My love purified it and its excuse cleansed it,
My love for him is justified; his cheek-down is my excuse,
With one who does not grant sanctuary to a neighbor,
عندbefore منone who لاdoes not يجيرsafeguard ذمةthe pledged protection of جارٍa neighbor
عند من لا يجير ذمة جارٍ
جاريmy protector اللَهGod منهagainst him واللَهand God جارُهhis protector
جاري اللَه منه واللَه جارُه
before one who will not uphold a neighbor's protection.
My Lord is my neighbor against him, and God is his neighbor,
God is my protector against him, and God is his protector.
Blessed is the illusion that visited me,
حبذاhow welcome منfrom المنامsleep طارقa night visitor زورa visiting guest
حبذا من المنام طارق زور
زارنيhe visited me والظلامand darkness مرخيًletting down إزارُهits robe
زارني والظلام مرخيً إزارُه
How welcome a guest who comes by night out of sleep!
And came to me while the darkness donned its gown,
He visited me as darkness let down its robe.
It surpassed the slumber of my eyes until,
قدhas indeed تخطىpassed through رقادthe sleep of عينيَmy eyes حتىuntil
قد تخطى رقاد عينيَ حتى
نبهawakened الطرفthe eye راقداsleeping أشفارُهits eyelids
نبه الطرف راقدا أشفارُه
He passed through the sleep of my eyes, until
It woke the sleepy eyelid and lashes,
he woke my gaze, though its eyelids lay asleep.
Breaking the narcissus with the tip of an eyelash,
كسرlowered الهدبthe eyelashes منof مريّشa feathered جفنeyelid
كسر الهدب من مريّش جفن
مسقمsickness-bringing الطرفof gaze صحproved true عنديto me انكسارهits languor
مسقم الطرف صح عندي انكساره
He lowered the lashes of a feathered eyelid;
The slumbering eye recovered when it cracked,
his gaze brings sickness; its languor proved true to me.
O you who reprimands youth, the favor of old age,
ياO معيرyou who lend الشبابyouth فضلthe merit of مشيبgray hair
يا معير الشباب فضل مشيب
هلwill يردّreturn الشبابyouth ليto me مستعارهwhat it borrowed
هل يردّ الشباب لي مستعاره
O you who lend youth the merit of gray hair,
Can youth return borrowed to me?
will youth return to me what it has borrowed?
A tyrannical fate rules me,
قادرٌpowerful جائرunjust عليَّto me بحكمin judgment
قادرٌ جائر عليَّ بحكم
أينwhere is ضعفيmy weakness منهbeside him وأينand where is اقتدارهhis might
أين ضعفي منه وأين اقتداره
Powerful, unjust to me in his judgment—
Where is my weakness against it and where is its power?
what is my weakness beside him, and what his might?
It lit the fire in the dark night,
أوقدkindled النارthe fire فيon اليفاعthe high ground خليطa beloved companion
أوقد النار في اليفاع خليط
ضوّأتlit up ليلةthe night of المسامرthe nocturnal conversationalist نارُهhis fire
ضوّأت ليلة المسامر نارُه
A beloved companion kindled a fire on the heights;
The night of carousing illuminated its flames,
his fire lit the night of one conversing after dark.
If you could see the fire and carousing as my friends,
لوif ترىالنارyou saw the fire والخليطand the beloved companion نديميmy boon companion
لو ترىالنار والخليط نديمي
خلتyou would think أنيthat I am فرزدقFarazdaq ونوارُهand his Nawār
خلت أني فرزدق ونوارُه
If you saw the fire, with the beloved as my boon companion,
You would think I am Farazdaq and his companions,
you would think me Farazdaq, and my companion his Nawār.
A sigh sends up smoke into the air,
مصعدsending up زفرةa sigh بهاwith it الجوthe air سريwas traversed by night
مصعد زفرة بها الجو سري
وكفىand it suffices الدمعthe tears أنthat يصوبrains down انحدارهtheir descent
وكفى الدمع أن يصوب انحداره
Sending up a sigh that journeys through the air by night,
And tears suffice to direct its descent,
and tears need only rain down as they fall.
O tears flowing down the cheeks,
ياoh لدمعwhat tears عنfrom الخدودthe cheeks مراقٍspilled
يا لدمع عن الخدود مراقٍ
أجرتset afloat الفلكthe ships فيupon الصعيدthe bare earth بحارهits seas
أجرت الفلك في الصعيد بحاره
Oh, the tears spilled from the cheeks!
You moved the heavens on earth with your seas,
Their seas set ships afloat upon the bare earth.
Passion struck flint in the heart,
قدحstruck الشوقlonging فيwithin الجوانحthe ribs زنداa fire-stick
قدح الشوق في الجوانح زندا
ثاقباblazing بالحشاwithin the breast يطيرfly شرارُهits sparks
ثاقبا بالحشا يطير شرارُه
Longing struck a fire-stick within my ribs,
Sparks piercing with lovesickness flying from it,
blazing within my breast, its sparks flying.
Partial English translation: 47 of 48 Arabic lines translated.