أناشدُكI beseech you اللَهGod ياO قاسيهcruel one
أناشدُك اللَه يا قاسيه
أأنتِAre you لعهدof the covenant الهوىlove ناسيهforgetful
أأنتِ لعهد الهوى ناسيه
I beseech you by God, O cruel one:
I implore you, O cruel one
Have you forgotten love's covenant?
Have you forgotten your vows of love?
نسيتyou forgot كأنas though لمnot يكنthere had been بينناbetween us
نسيت كأن لم يكن بيننا
لقاءٌa meeting فحطّمتِso you shattered آماليهmy hopes
لقاءٌ فحطّمتِ آماليه
You forgot, as though there had never been between us
You have forgotten as if nothing was between us
a meeting—and so you shattered my hopes.
No meeting that kindled my hopes
بعينيكin your eyes شمتI discerned انطفاءthe dying out of الهوىlove
بعينيك شمت انطفاء الهوى
وقدand already خبتhad faded الشعلةthe flame الساميهlofty
وقد خبت الشعلة الساميه
In your eyes I discerned love's dying out,
In your eyes I saw the fading of passion
and the lofty flame had already faded.
And the lofty flame has died down
أماDo you not تذكرينremember عهودthe days of الصباyouth
أما تذكرين عهود الصبا
وأيامناand our days الحلوةsweet الماضيهpast
وأيامنا الحلوة الماضيه
Do you not recall the days of youth,
Do you not remember the vows of youth
and our sweet days gone by?
And our sweet days of the past?
وأنتand you فديتكmay I be your ransom ياO منيتيmy heart's desire
وأنت فديتك يا منيتي
علىover القلبthe heart آمرةcommanding ناهيهforbidding
على القلب آمرة ناهيه
And you—may I be your ransom, O my heart's desire—
You, my dear, who rules my heart
ruled my heart, commanding and forbidding.
Commanding and forbidding
ويجمعناand gathers us الروضthe garden عندat الأصيلlate afternoon
ويجمعنا الروض عند الأصيل
وفيand in ظلthe shade of سرحتهits spreading tree العاليهtall
وفي ظل سرحته العاليه
And the garden would gather us in the late afternoon,
The meadow brought us together at nightfall
and in the shade of its tall spreading tree.
In the shade of its lofty trees
وكنتand I used to أبثُّكconfide to you نجوىthe whispered secrets of الغراlove (first part)
وكنت أبثُّك نجوى الغرا
مcompletion of 'love' وأشرحُand explain وجديmy passion واشجانيهand my sorrows
م وأشرحُ وجدي واشجانيه
And I would confide to you love's whispered secrets,
I would confide to you the secrets of love
and unfold my passion and my sorrows.
And reveal my fervor and longing
وكمand how often كنتyou used to تشكينyou lament مرّthe bitterness of الفراparting (first part)
وكم كنت تشكين مرّ الفرا
قcompletion of 'parting' وتذرينَand you shed أدمعكyour tears الهاميهstreaming
ق وتذرينَ أدمعك الهاميه
And how often you would lament the bitterness of parting,
How much you used to complain of the agony of separation
and shed your streaming tears:
And shed your falling tears
لآليءpearls لكنّbut حبّاتهاtheir beads
لآليء لكنّ حبّاتها
تجفdry علىin حرthe heat of أنفاسيهmy breath
تجف على حر أنفاسيه
pearls, yet their beads
Like pearls, but their beads
would dry in the heat of my breath.
Dry up in the heat of my breath
مجالسناour meeting places فيon ضفافthe banks of الغديرthe pool
مجالسنا في ضفاف الغدير
خلتhave fallen empty فهيso they are موحشةdesolate خاويهempty
خلت فهي موحشة خاويه
Our meeting places on the banks of the pool
Our gatherings on the riverbanks
have fallen empty; they are desolate and bare.
Are now desolate and empty
وقدand already وجمfell silent الروضthe garden لاnot نبتهits vegetation
وقد وجم الروض لا نبته
نضيرverdant ولاnor طيرهits birds شاديهsinging
نضير ولا طيره شاديه
And the garden has fallen silent: its vegetation is not
The meadow has withered, no flowers
verdant, nor are its birds singing.
No fellow bird singing joyfully
تسائلask عناabout us أزاهيرُهits blossoms
تسائل عنا أزاهيرُه
وأطيارهand its birds النسمةthe breeze الساريهpassing
وأطياره النسمة الساريه
Its blossoms ask about us,
Its flowers ask about us
and its birds question the passing breeze.
And the gentle passing breeze
هواكlove for you أثارstirred بقلبيin my heart الأسىsorrow
هواك أثار بقلبي الأسى
وجارand was cruel علىto كبديmy liver الداميهbleeding
وجار على كبدي الداميه
Love for you stirred sorrow in my heart,
Your love has stirred sorrow in my heart
and dealt harshly with my bleeding liver.
Flowing painfully in my bosom
يهزّنيshakes me الشوقlonging اماwhenever ادّكرتI remember
يهزّني الشوق اما ادّكرت
وتستعرand blazes المهجةthe heart الظاميهthirsty
وتستعر المهجة الظاميه
Longing shakes me whenever I remember,
Yearning shakes me when I remember
and my thirsty heart flares up.
And my dark entrails kindle
أراكI see you بطرفthrough the eye of الخيالimagination الجموحunbridled
أراك بطرف الخيال الجموح
كأنكas though you ماnot زلتyou have ceased ليto me وافيهfaithful
كأنك ما زلت لي وافيه
I see you through the eye of unbridled imagination,
I see you in my wandering imagination
as though you were still faithful to me.
As if you are still true to me
فأنتfor you بقلبيin my heart وفيand in خاطريmy thoughts
فأنت بقلبي وفي خاطري
وفيand in العينthe eye نائيةdistant دانيهnear
وفي العين نائية دانيه
For you are in my heart and in my thoughts,
So you are in my heart and thoughts
and in my eyes, distant yet near.
And in my eyes, close yet distant
شفاهكyour lips كمhow often تستثيرstir الجوىlovesick anguish
شفاهك كم تستثير الجوى
وتحلمand dream بالقبلof kisses الدافيهwarm
وتحلم بالقبل الدافيه
Your lips—how often they stir lovesick anguish,
Your lips, how they provoke passion
and dream of warm kisses.
And dream of fervent kisses
فادنواso I draw near إليهاto them أروّيI quench الصدىthirst
فادنوا إليها أروّي الصدى
وعيناكand your eyes فيin نشوةrapture غافيهdrowsy
وعيناك في نشوة غافيه
So I draw near them, slaking my thirst,
Come near them, I will quench their thirst
while your eyes drowse in rapture.
While your eyes are languidly sleepy
وتُسكرنيand intoxicate me قبلاتthe kisses of الهوىlove
وتُسكرني قبلات الهوى
ترفُّflutter علىupon الشفةِthe lip القانيهcrimson
ترفُّ على الشفةِ القانيه
And love's kisses intoxicate me,
The kisses of love intoxicate me
fluttering upon the crimson lip.
Fluttering on my devout lips
واغفوand I doze علىupon حلمٍa dream فاتنenchanting
واغفو على حلمٍ فاتن
تهدهدهrocks it gently النظرةthe gaze الساجيهtranquil
تهدهده النظرة الساجيه
And I doze upon an enchanting dream,
And I fall asleep dreaming of you
rocked by the tranquil gaze.
Lulled by your amorous gaze
ولحظكand your glance كمhow much ذاindeed (emphatic) يتيهwanders الخيالimagination
ولحظك كم ذا يتيه الخيال
بآفاقهin its horizons الرحبةvast النائيهdistant
بآفاقه الرحبة النائيه
And your glance—how far imagination wanders
How your glance makes my imagination wander
in its vast, distant horizons!
In its vast and distant horizons
مضتpassed تلكمُthose اللحظاتthe moments العذابُsweet
مضت تلكمُ اللحظات العذابُ
وابقتand left سعيراًa raging fire باحشائيهin my entrails
وابقت سعيراً باحشائيه
Those sweet moments have passed,
Those moments of torment have passed
and left a raging fire in my entrails.
Leaving raging flames inside me
فياso O قلبheart صبراpatience فإنfor indeed الحياةlife
فيا قلب صبرا فإن الحياة
علىwith الغدرtreachery مطبوعةstamped باقيهremaining
على الغدر مطبوعة باقيه
So, O heart, be patient, for life
So patience, O heart, for life
is stamped with treachery, and remains so.
Remains deceptive as ever
بلوتyou have tested الزمانtime واهلand the people of الزمانtime
بلوت الزمان واهل الزمان
وترجوand you hope for الوفاءfaithfulness منfrom الغانيهthe beautiful woman
وترجو الوفاء من الغانيه
You have tested time and its people,
I have tasted the pain of fate and time
yet you hope for faithfulness from the beautiful woman?
Yet still hope for loyalty from the unfaithful