أعَلِمتَdo you know? ماwhat فَعلتْdid بهto him أجفانُهhis eyelids
أعَلِمتَ ما فَعلتْ به أجفانُه
سحَّتْstreamed with tears فباحَتْand so spoke openly بالهوَىof love أشجانُهُhis sorrows
سحَّتْ فباحَتْ بالهوَى أشجانُهُ
Do you know what his eyelids have done to him?
You knew what their eyelids did to him
They streamed with tears, and his sorrows spoke openly of love.
They brushed over, so their love filled his sorrows
نمَّتْbetrayed علىconcerning حَسَراتِهhis heartaches زفَراتُهُhis sighs
نمَّتْ على حَسَراتِه زفَراتُهُ
وكذَاand likewise ينمُّbetrays علىconcerning الضِرَامthe blaze دُخَانُهُits smoke
وكذَا ينمُّ على الضِرَام دُخَانُهُ
His sighs betrayed his heartaches,
His sighs grew over his regrets
and likewise, its smoke betrays the blaze.
And so does its smoke grow over burning embers
وأخُوand a companion of الهوَىlove مثلُlike الكتابِa book دليلُthe sign of ذاstart of 'that one'
وأخُو الهوَى مثلُ الكتابِ دليلُ ذا
كَend of 'that one' عِيانُهُhis visible state ودليلُand the sign of ذَاthis one عُنوانُهُits title
كَ عِيانُهُ ودليلُ ذَا عُنوانُهُ
And a lover is like a book: the sign of the former
And the brother of love is like a book's guide
is his appearance; the sign of the latter, its title.
Its clarity is its guide and its title is its guide
تَحكِيmirrors البروقُlightning flashes فؤادَهhis heart فَضِرَامُهاso their blaze
تَحكِي البروقُ فؤادَه فَضِرَامُها
أشواقُهُhis longings وخُفوقُهاand their flickering خَفقَانُهُits throbbing
أشواقُهُ وخُفوقُها خَفقَانُهُ
Lightning flashes mirror his heart: their blaze
The lightnings narrate his heart so their flashes
is his longing, and their flickering his heart's throbbing.
Are his passions and their flickers are its flutters
ضَمِنَpledged الهَوىlove ألاّthat he would not يَزالَcease to be أخَاone afflicted with ضَنىًwasting sickness
ضَمِنَ الهَوى ألاّ يَزالَ أخَا ضَنىً
وضَمانَةٍand infirmity فَوَفَىso proved true بذَاكin that ضَمانُهُits pledge
وضَمانَةٍ فَوَفَى بذَاك ضَمانُهُ
Love pledged that he would always suffer wasting sickness
Love pledged it will remain a fellow of yearning
and infirmity; in that, its pledge was fulfilled.
And it fulfilled that pledge, such is its pledge
ياO مُدَّعِيclaimant of السُّلوانِforgetfulness of love عنof أحبابِهِhis beloveds
يا مُدَّعِي السُّلوانِ عن أحبابِهِ
أينَwhere السُّلُوُّforgetfulness of love وأينَand where منكَfrom you أوانُهُits time
أينَ السُّلُوُّ وأينَ منكَ أوانُهُ
O you who claim to have forgotten your beloveds,
O you who claim to be done with your loved ones
where is forgetfulness, and how far from you is its hour?
Where is your aloofness and where is its time?
شطًّتْgrew distant دِيارُكyour dwellings عنهُمُfrom them وهفَاand swept away بِكَwith you الشْstart of 'the longing'
شطًّتْ دِيارُك عنهُمُ وهفَا بِكَ الشْ
شَوقُend of 'the longing' المبرِّحُthe tormenting والتَظَتْand blazed up نِيرانُهُits fires
شَوقُ المبرِّحُ والتَظَتْ نِيرانُهُ
Your dwellings grew distant from them, and you were swept away by
Your homelands parted from them and longing carried you
tormenting longing, and its fires blazed up.
The dates are jolly and the fires are blazing
وأبانَand revealed بينهُمُamong them هَواكَyour love فماso what عَسىmight
وأبانَ بينهُمُ هَواكَ فما عَسى
بكَto you فاعلٌdoing هذَاthis الهَوىlove وبيانُهُand its disclosure
بكَ فاعلٌ هذَا الهَوى وبيانُهُ
And it revealed your love among them—so what might
And your love exposed you, so what can one do?
this love and its disclosure do to you?
This love did it and so did its clarity
كاتَمتَyou concealed from واشِيَكَyour tale-bearer الهَوىlove قبلَbefore النّوىseparation
كاتَمتَ واشِيَكَ الهَوى قبلَ النّوى
فَبَداthen became apparent لهto him منfrom بَعدِهاafter it كِتمانُهُits concealment
فَبَدا له من بَعدِها كِتمانُهُ
You hid your love from your tale-bearer before separation,
You concealed while healthy, before falling ill
yet afterward its concealment became plain to him.
So after that concealment was revealed
وعَصَاكَand disobeyed you دمعُكَyour tears عندat خَطرةِa passing thought of ذِكْرِهمremembering them
وعَصَاكَ دمعُكَ عند خَطرةِ ذِكْرِهم
وبِقَدْرِand in proportion to طَاعَتِكyour obedience to الهَوَىlove عِصيانُهُits disobedience
وبِقَدْرِ طَاعَتِك الهَوَى عِصيانُهُ
And your tears defied you at a passing remembrance of them,
And your tear disobeyed when you thought of them
and their defiance matched your obedience to love.
As much as you obeyed love, you disobeyed it
فإذاso when تَبادرَrushed forth منfrom جُفونِكyour eyelids خِلْتَهُyou imagined it
فإذا تَبادرَ من جُفونِك خِلْتَهُ
عِقداًa necklace وَهَيcame loose مَرجانُهُits coral وجُمَانُهُand its pearls
عِقداً وَهَي مَرجانُهُ وجُمَانُهُ
So when they rush from your eyelids, you imagine them
So when its beads dripped from your eyelids
a necklace whose coral and pearls have come loose.
As bracelets, coral and pearls
لوif أيقَنَknew for certain الحَنِقُthe resentful one الحسودُthe envious one عليهِمُon their account
لو أيقَنَ الحَنِقُ الحسودُ عليهِمُ
حَظّيmy lot لَحالَتْwould surely turn رحمةًto pity أضغَانُهُhis grudges
حَظّي لَحالَتْ رحمةً أضغَانُهُ
If the resentful man who envies me for them knew for certain
If the resentful envier knew my fortune through them
my lot, his grudges would turn to pity.
His grudges would turn into mercy
بينbetween المُحبِّthe lover وبينَهُمand between them منbecause of هَجرِهمtheir abandonment
بين المُحبِّ وبينَهُم من هَجرِهم
بينٌa separation طويلٌlong بَرحُهُits anguish وزَمانُهُand its duration
بينٌ طويلٌ بَرحُهُ وزَمانُهُ
Between the lover and them, because of their abandonment,
Between the lover and them from their estrangement
lies a separation, long in anguish and duration.
Is a long separation, far-reaching and lasting
أبْدَواthey showed لَهto him مَلَلَthe weariness of القَريبِone nearby معdespite النَّوىseparation
أبْدَوا لَه مَلَلَ القَريبِ مع النَّوى
وتَنَاسِيَand the feigned forgetfulness of النّائِيone far away وهُمwhile they are جِيرَانُهُhis neighbors
وتَنَاسِيَ النّائِي وهُم جِيرَانُهُ
They showed him the weariness of someone near, despite separation,
They showed him the boredom of a neighbor, while yearning
and the feigned forgetfulness of someone far, though they are his neighbors.
And forgetting the distant, though neighbors they are
وتَخَلّقَand modeled itself الطّيفُthe phantom الطّروقُthe night visitor بِخُلْقِهمon their character
وتَخَلّقَ الطّيفُ الطّروقُ بِخُلْقِهم
فَإذَاso when ألَمَّvisited يَرُوعنيfrightens me هِجرانُهُits abandonment
فَإذَا ألَمَّ يَرُوعني هِجرانُهُ
And the night-visiting phantom has adopted their ways;
The phantom appeared to them in their form
so whenever it visits, its abandonment frightens me.
So when it hurts me, their estrangement horrifies me
وَهُمand they are الصّبَاyouth أيامُهits days محبوبَةٌbeloved
وَهُم الصّبَا أيامُه محبوبَةٌ
وإنِeven if اعتدَىtransgressed فيin غَيِّهِhis waywardness شَيطانُهُits devil
وإنِ اعتدَى في غَيِّهِ شَيطانُهُ
And they are youth: its days are beloved,
And they are the youth, its days are beloved
even if its devil transgresses in his waywardness.
Though his devil transgresses in his confusion
وجَمالُهُمand their beauty كَفَّارةٌatonement لِمَلالِهِمfor their weariness
وجَمالُهُم كَفَّارةٌ لِمَلالِهِم
والهجرُand abandonment ذنبٌa sin يُرتَجَىis hoped for غُفرانُهُits forgiveness
والهجرُ ذنبٌ يُرتَجَى غُفرانُهُ
And their beauty atones for their weariness;
Their beauty makes up for their boredom
and abandonment is a sin whose forgiveness is hoped for.
And estrangement is a sin, hoping its forgiveness
لوif يعلَمُونَthey know مكانَهُمtheir place ماnot أضْرَمواthey set ablaze
لو يعلَمُونَ مكانَهُم ما أضْرَموا
قَلبِيmy heart بِهَجرِهِمُwith their abandonment وهُمwhile they are سُكّانُهُits inhabitants
قَلبِي بِهَجرِهِمُ وهُم سُكّانُهُ
If they knew their place, they would not set ablaze
If they knew their place, they would not have
my heart with their abandonment, though they are its inhabitants.
Scorched my heart with their estrangement, and they are its inhabitants
ولجَهلِهمْand because of their ignorance طَرَفواthey wounded بطُولthrough the length of صدُودِهمtheir rejection
ولجَهلِهمْ طَرَفوا بطُول صدُودِهم
وَملاَلِهمand their weariness طَرفْيmy eye وهُمthough they are إنْسَانُهُits pupil
وَملاَلِهم طَرفْي وهُم إنْسَانُهُ
And in their ignorance they wounded—with their prolonged rejection
In their ignorance, they glanced with prolonged aloofness
and weariness—my eye, though they are its pupil.
And boredom, glancing at my eyes, and they are its humanity