هلwill …? كَفْرَKafr كَنَّهKanna مُرجْعٌrestoring ليto me ذكرُهاremembering her
هل كَفْرَ كَنَّه مُرجْعٌ لي ذكرُها
ماwhat فاتنيpassed me by منof عنفوانِvigor شبابيmy youth
ما فاتني من عنفوانِ شبابي
Will the memory of Kafr Kanna restore to me
Is it blasphemy that his memory is a return to me
what I have lost of my youth's vigor?
Of what I missed of the prime of my youth?
أمْor فيin صَباياهاher maidens وفيand in رمّانِهاher pomegranates
أمْ في صَباياها وفي رمّانِها
ماsomething that يبعثُrevives المدفونَwhat is buried منof آرابيmy desires
ما يبعثُ المدفونَ من آرابي
Or is there in her maidens and her pomegranates
Or in her youthfulness and her pomegranates
something to awaken my buried desires?
That which resurrects the buried from their graves?
لوif تنفعُcould help الذكرىremembrance ذكرتُI would recall عشِيَّةًan evening
لو تنفعُ الذكرى ذكرتُ عشِيَّةً
زهراءَradiant بيْنamong كواعبٍfull-breasted maidens أترابِof equal age
زهراءَ بيْن كواعبٍ أترابِ
If remembrance could help, I would recall an evening,
If memories were useful, I would have recalled one evening
radiant, among full-breasted maidens of equal age.
Zahra among her dear companions
فيهنّamong them آسرةُcaptor of القلوبhearts بحسنهاwith her beauty
فيهنّ آسرةُ القلوب بحسنها
ودلالِهاand her coquetry وحديثِهاand her talk الخلاّبِbewitching
ودلالِها وحديثِها الخلاّبِ
Among them was one who held hearts captive with her beauty,
Among them the captor of hearts with her beauty
and her coquetry and her bewitching talk.
And her flirtation and her enchanting talk
روحٌa spirit أخفُّlighter منthan النَّسيمthe breeze وخاطرٌand a mind
روحٌ أخفُّ من النَّسيم وخاطرٌ
كالبرقِlike lightning مقرونٌcoupled بحسنِwith the grace of جوابِa reply
كالبرقِ مقرونٌ بحسنِ جوابِ
A spirit lighter than the breeze, and a mind
A soul lighter than a breeze and a thought
like lightning, joined to graceful replies.
Like lightning combined with eloquent speech
غرّgleaming white ثناياهاher front teeth وأشهدand I testify أَّنهاthat she
غرّ ثناياها وأشهد أَّنها
ممزوجةٌmingled رَشَفاتُهاher sips (kisses) بشرابwith wine
ممزوجةٌ رَشَفاتُها بشراب
Her front teeth gleam white, and I bear witness that
The slopes of her cheeks intoxicated me and I bore witness that
her kisses are mingled with wine.
Her sips were mixed with wine
نلقيwe pose أحاجيَriddles بينناamong ourselves فتثيرناso they stir us
نلقي أحاجيَ بيننا فتثيرنا
للضّحكِto laughter خاطئةٌa mistaken one وذاتُand one with صوابcorrectness
للضّحكِ خاطئةٌ وذاتُ صواب
We exchange riddles among ourselves, and are stirred
We exchanged riddles between us that amused us
to laughter by answers, wrong and right.
With mistakes that made us laugh and correct answers
ونردّدand we repeat الأَلحانَthe melodies بينَbetween شجيَّةٍa plaintive one
ونردّد الأَلحانَ بينَ شجيَّةٍ
تُمريdraws tears from مدامعَناour tear ducts وبيْنand between عِذابِsweet ones
تُمري مدامعَنا وبيْن عِذابِ
And we sing the tunes again, some plaintive,
And we recited melodies between a heartrending song
drawing tears from our eyes, and others sweet.
That brought our tears, and agony
ولقدand indeed نُعرّضُwe hint باللِّقاءat meeting لموعدٍfor a tryst
ولقد نُعرّضُ باللِّقاء لموعدٍ
فيهاin them ونُسْلكُهاand we lead them طريقَalong a path of عِتابreproach
فيها ونُسْلكُها طريقَ عِتاب
And we would indeed hint at arranging a meeting
We used to meet at an appointed time
in those tunes, and lead them down a path of reproach.
Scolding her while taking her way
قمناwe rose وقدand already سقطhad fallen الندىthe dew وتزاحفتْand crept together
قمنا وقد سقط الندى وتزاحفتْ
سُجُفُcurtains الغمامof cloud ثقيلةَheavy الأَهدابِfringes
سُجُفُ الغمام ثقيلةَ الأَهدابِ
We rose; the dew had fallen, and there crept together
We got up when the dew had fallen and the
curtains of cloud, heavy-fringed.
Heavy, frowning clouds crept
تُخفيthey conceal محيّاthe face of البدرthe full moon ثمَّthen تُبينهthey reveal it
تُخفي محيّا البدر ثمَّ تُبينه
عبثَthe playful teasing of المليحةa lovely woman دونناbefore us بنقابwith a veil
عبثَ المليحة دوننا بنقاب
They hide the full moon's face, then reveal it,
Hiding the beautiful moon then showing it
as a lovely woman before us plays with her veil.
As she played with us from behind her veil
وجَفَتْand shunned مضاجِعَهاtheir beds الجنوبthe sides وملؤهاand what filled them
وجَفَتْ مضاجِعَها الجنوب وملؤها
خفقانthrobbing مضطَرمِof one ablaze with الهوىpassion وثّابِrestless
خفقان مضطَرمِ الهوى وثّابِ
Our sides shunned their beds, filled as they were
The hot winds dried her bedding
with the throbbing of a restless lover ablaze with passion.
With the fluttering of passionate love
بتناwe spent the night علىin صَفْوٍbliss وخوفِand fear of تفرّقٍparting
بتنا على صَفْوٍ وخوفِ تفرّقٍ
للعاشقينfor lovers مُهيّئِreadying الأَسبابِthe means
للعاشقين مُهيّئِ الأَسبابِ
We spent the night in bliss and fear of parting,
We stayed in joy and fear of parting
which readies its means for lovers.
For lovers who facilitate causes
نيسانُApril هانbecame light عليfor me حكُمكyour sentence بالنَّوىto parting
نيسانُ هان علي حكُمك بالنَّوى
لماwhen تحطّمتwere shattered المنىhopes فيin آبAugust
لما تحطّمت المنى في آب
April, your sentence of parting seemed light to me
April, your judgment of vows was easy
when my hopes were shattered in August.
When wishes were shattered in August
ياah ليتَwould that منshe who فَجَعَتْdevastated فؤاديmy heart بالنوىwith parting
يا ليتَ من فَجَعَتْ فؤادي بالنوى
لمdid not تُبقِleave ليfor me ذكرىa memory تُطيلُprolongs عذابيmy torment
لم تُبقِ لي ذكرى تُطيلُ عذابي
Ah, would that she who devastated my heart with parting
Oh how I wish she who saddened my heart with vows
had left me no memory to prolong my torment!
Had not left me a memory that prolonged my torment
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.