وشادنٍand a young gazelle شَرْطِhallmark of الصِّباyouth مُرْهَفٍslender
وشادنٍ شَرْطِ الصِّبا مُرْهَفٍ
قُرَّةِdelight of عينيْthe two eyes of منwhoever تمنّاهُdesired him
قُرَّةِ عينيْ من تمنّاهُ
And a slender young gazelle, youth's very hallmark,
With a slender, youthful figure
the delight of the eyes of whoever desired him.
The delight of my eye, he who I desire
كأنماas though الحسنُBeauty رأىsaw وجهَهhis face
كأنما الحسنُ رأى وجهَه
إِليهof it محتاجاًin need فأغناهand so enriched it
إِليه محتاجاً فأغناه
As though Beauty had seen his face
As if beauty itself saw his face
in need of it, and enriched it.
Needy of him, so he enriched me
فانتثرتso spilled forth بالغُنْجِwith coquetry ألفاظُهhis words
فانتثرت بالغُنْجِ ألفاظُه
وانكسرتand drooped باللّحظwith sidelong glances جفناهhis two eyelids
وانكسرت باللّحظ جفناه
So his words spilled forth with coquetry,
His words then scattered through his smile
and his eyelids drooped in sidelong glances.
His eyelids broke from the glance
ولاحand flashed برقُthe lightning of الثغرthe teeth منfrom مَبْسِمٍa smiling mouth
ولاح برقُ الثغر من مَبْسِمٍ
المسكmusk والقهوةُand wine مَجْناهits harvest
المسك والقهوةُ مَجْناه
And his teeth flashed like lightning from a smiling mouth,
The lightning of his mouth flashed from a smile
whose harvest was musk and wine.
Musk and coffee his smell
وبتَّلand rounded الأردافَthe buttocks فاستثقلتso they grew heavy
وبتَّل الأردافَ فاستثقلت
وأَرْهفand made slender الخصرthe waist وأَضْناهand made it frail
وأَرْهف الخصر وأَضْناه
It rounded his buttocks until they grew heavy,
His buttocks rounded, grew heavy
and made his waist slender and frail.
His waist thinned, drew in
زُرْناwe visited بهwith him منزلَthe house of خَمّارةٍa female wine-seller
زُرْنا به منزلَ خَمّارةٍ
واللّيلُwhile night فيin صِبْغa dye بريَّاهُwith his fragrance
واللّيلُ في صِبْغ بريَّاهُ
With him we visited a woman wine-seller's house,
We visited a tavern at night
while night was dyed with his fragrance.
While the dark dawn soaked in its dye
وقدand already علاrose above الأُفْقَthe horizon هلالٌa crescent بداappeared
وقد علا الأُفْقَ هلالٌ بدا
كعَطْفةlike the bend of الحاجبthe eyebrow مَحْناهits curve
كعَطْفة الحاجب مَحْناه
And a crescent had appeared high above the horizon,
A crescent moon rose over the horizon
its curve like the sweep of an eyebrow.
Like the arch of his frowned eyebrow
حتىuntil إذاwhen الخمّارُthe wine-seller أصغتinclined to listen إلىto
حتى إذا الخمّارُ أصغت إلى
صِحابناour companions فيin المشيwalking أُذْناهhis two ears
صِحابنا في المشي أُذْناه
At last, when the wine-seller lent his ears
Until when the tavern keeper listened
to our companions as they walked,
To our company walking, lent us his ear
قامhe rose إليناtoward us عَجِلاًin haste شاغلاًkeeping occupied
قام إلينا عَجِلاً شاغلاً
بالرّاحwith wine يُمناهhis right hand ويسراهand his left hand
بالرّاح يُمناه ويسراه
he rose and hurried toward us, keeping
He came to us hurriedly, busying
his right hand and his left busy with wine.
Himself with the wind, beckoning left and right
فاستلّthen he drew out منfrom إبريقهhis ewer قهوةًwine
فاستلّ من إبريقه قهوةً
أشرقshone منهاfrom it ليلُthe night of مَغْناهhis dwelling
أشرق منها ليلُ مَغْناه
Then he drew wine from his ewer,
So he brought us coffee from his flask
which made the night of his dwelling shine.
From which shone the night of his singing
حتىuntil إذاwhen سُمْنَاهwe bargained with him فيover بيعهاits sale
حتى إذا سُمْنَاه في بيعها
قَطَّبhe scowled غيظاًin anger حينwhen سُمْناهwe bargained with him
قَطَّب غيظاً حين سُمْناه
At last, when we bargained with him to buy it,
When we fattened him from selling it
he scowled in anger when we bargained with him,
He bubbled with anger when we fattened him
وقالand he said ماnot استامbargained بهاover it ماجِدٌa nobleman
وقال ما استام بها ماجِدٌ
قَبلَكمُbefore you فيماin what علِمناهwe knew of it
قَبلَكمُ فيما علِمناه
and said, ‘No nobleman has bargained over it
And said no noble like Majid
before you, as far as we know.
Had sought it, from what we knew
دَونَكُموهاtake it, all of you وزِنُواand weigh out مثلَهاits equal
دَونَكُموها وزِنُوا مثلَها
دُرًّاin pearls وتِبْراًand uncoined gold ووَزَنّاهand we weighed it out
دُرًّا وتِبْراً ووَزَنّاه
Take it, and weigh out its equal
Give it back and weigh the like of it
in pearls and gold’—and we weighed it out.
In pearls and gold and weigh it
فغابthen he vanished عنfrom ألحاظناour sight ساعةًa while
فغاب عن ألحاظنا ساعةً
ثُمَّتَthen وافاناhe came to us ودَنَّاهand his two wine-jars
ثُمَّتَ وافانا ودَنَّاه
Then he vanished from our sight for a while,
He disappeared from our sights for a while
then came back to us with his two wine-jars.
Then returned to us and drew nearer
فقامthen rose بالكأسwith the cup هَضِيمُslender الحشاof waist
فقام بالكأس هَضِيمُ الحشا
لولاbut for قَبَاهhis robe لشَرِبناهwe would have drunk him
لولا قَبَاه لشَرِبناه
Then the slender-waisted one rose with the cup;
The thick-lipped one stood with the cup
but for his robe, we would have drunk him.
If not for his cheek we'd have drunk it
كأنّهاas though it were فيin كفّهhis palm خدُّهhis cheek
كأنّها في كفّه خدُّه
لكنّهاbut it فيin السّكرintoxicating power عيناهhis two eyes
لكنّها في السّكر عيناه
In his palm it seemed to be his cheek,
As if it were his cheek in his palm
but in its power to intoxicate, it was his eyes.
But it was the sugar that was his eyes
إذاwhenever سقىgave to drink نَدْمانَهhis drinking companion كأسَهhis cup
إذا سقى نَدْمانَه كأسَه
أَلثَمَهhe let him kiss فاهhis mouth وغنّاهand sang to him
أَلثَمَه فاه وغنّاه
Whenever he gave his drinking companion his cup,
When he gave his boon companion his cup
he offered him his mouth to kiss, and sang to him.
He kissed its lip and sang
ماnot استكملenjoyed fully اللَّذاتِthe pleasures إلاّexcept فتىًa young man
ما استكمل اللَّذاتِ إلاّ فتىً
يشرَبdrinks والمُرْدُand the beardless men نَداماهhis drinking companions
يشرَب والمُرْدُ نَداماه
None enjoys pleasure to the full but a young man
Perfecting pleasures is only for a lad
who drinks with beardless men for companions.
Who drinks while the tambourine plays
ولمand did not تَنِكُهfuck him غيرُother than ألحاظناour glances
ولم تَنِكُه غيرُ ألحاظنا
ياO كاشحاًspiteful foe قدindeed زادgrew معناهhis ill intent
يا كاشحاً قد زاد معناه
And nothing but our glances had fucked him,
And none tired us but his glances
O hater, whose spite has grown!
Oh rusher! His meaning has increased
فإنso if تُدَاخِلْكَenters you بناabout us ظِنّةٌa suspicion
فإن تُدَاخِلْكَ بنا ظِنّةٌ
فقدthen indeed عَلىagainst رغْمِكyour will نِكْناهwe have fucked him
فقد عَلى رغْمِك نِكْناه
So if suspicion about us creeps into you,
If you suspect us, though against your will
then, against your will, we have fucked him.
We harbour it
ولمand did not نَزَلْwe cease فيin بيتِthe house of خمّارهاits wine-seller
ولم نَزَلْ في بيتِ خمّارها
نشرَبُهاwe drink it شهراًa month ومَثْنَاهand twice that
نشرَبُها شهراً ومَثْنَاه
And we stayed on in the house of its wine-seller,
And we never left her tavern
drinking it for a month and twice that again.
Drinking for a month or two
إذاwhen أشابturned gray الصبحُdawn رأْسَthe head of الدُّجىdarkness
إذا أشاب الصبحُ رأْسَ الدُّجى
وهزّناand roused us الساقيthe cupbearer أجَبْناهwe answered him
وهزّنا الساقي أجَبْناه
When dawn turned the head of darkness gray
When the dawn silvers the darkness
and the cupbearer roused us, we answered him,
And the cupbearer rouses us, we answer him
نحبوwe crawl إذاwhen نادىhe called إليهtoward him كماjust as
نحبو إذا نادى إليه كما
يَحْبوcrawls إلىtoward الوالدthe father أَبناهُhis two sons
يَحْبو إلى الوالد أَبناهُ
crawling toward him at his call, just as
We scramble when he calls to us, as
two sons crawl toward their father.
A son scrambles to his father
وإنْand if بَدَاappeared منfrom صاحبٍa companion بعضُsome of ماwhat
وإنْ بَدَا من صاحبٍ بعضُ ما
يأتيcomes بهwith it السُّكْرُdrunkenness عَذَرْناهwe excused him
يأتي به السُّكْرُ عَذَرْناه
And if a companion showed some of what
And if some of what drink brings appears
drunkenness brings, we excused him.
From a friend, we excuse him
تَعَاشُرٌcompanionship مُشْتَبِهٌalike throughout بينناamong us
تَعَاشُرٌ مُشْتَبِهٌ بيننا
أقصاهits farthest فيin البِرّkindness كَأدْناهlike its nearest
أقصاه في البِرّ كَأدْناه
Our companionship was everywhere alike:
An ambiguous friendship between us
the farthest was as kind as the nearest.
Its furthest in righteousness as its nearest
سَقْياًblessings of rain ورَعْياًand care لزمانٍupon an age مَضَىthat passed
سَقْياً ورَعْياً لزمانٍ مَضَى
بهwith it مَعدٌّMaʿadd فَعدِمْناهand so we lost him
به مَعدٌّ فَعدِمْناه
May rain and care bless the age that passed
A legacy of a time passed
with Maʿadd, whom we lost.
In which purpose is lost to us
ماhow كانwas أبْهَىsplendid حُسْنَthe beauty of أيَّامِهhis days
ما كان أبْهَى حُسْنَ أيَّامِه
فيناamong us وأحلاَهand how sweet it was وأهناهand how blissful it was
فينا وأحلاَه وأهناه
How splendid was the beauty of his days
The days of its prime were not
among us—how sweet and how blissful!
More beautiful to us, sweeter or gentler
إذwhen لمnot يكنthere was فيin عَيْنʿAyn شمسٍShams لناfor us
إذ لم يكن في عَيْن شمسٍ لنا
مُخَيَّمٌa camp نَكْرَهُwe hated سُكْناهdwelling in it
مُخَيَّمٌ نَكْرَهُ سُكْناه
when in ʿAyn Shams we had no
As no speck in a sun for us
camp in which we hated to dwell,
Settled that we disliked its settlement
ولمand not نكنwe were ننزلُlodging فيهin it علىunder
ولم نكن ننزلُ فيه على
حُكْمa decree منfrom الأَيامthe days نَشْناهwe detested it
حُكْم من الأَيام نَشْناه
nor did we lodge there under
Nor did we alight in it by
a decree of fate that we detested.
The judgement of days we impugned
لكنّناbut we نغدوwent each morning علىto ماجدٍa noble man
لكنّنا نغدو على ماجدٍ
تُمْطِرنُاshowers us بالجُودwith generosity يُمْنَاهhis right hand
تُمْطِرنُا بالجُود يُمْنَاه
Rather, we would go each morning to a noble man
But we come upon Majid
whose right hand rained generosity upon us.
Who rains generosity on us, his right hand
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.