She hurts Her Hands

| شعر:يزيد بن معاوية – شاعر في العصر الاموي | ألحان وغناء: عبادي الجوهر |
الترجمة بواسطة الموقع

English Translation

Upon her wrist she attained what my own hand could never reach—a henna trace that shattered my endurance.

Fearing for her own skin from the sharp arrows of her eyes, she clad her forearm in a chain-mail armor of woven bangles.

I begged her for union, yet she warned: ‘Be not deceived by us! Whoever seeks our love dies of sheer sorrow.’

How many a lover among us has perished from the burning agony of passion,

dying of love in absolute silence, uttering not a single word nor making any plea!

She left me lying prostrate upon the ground, exclaiming: ‘Behold what the gentle gazelle has done to the mighty lion!’

She commanded a passing phantom of my imagination: ‘By Allah, describe him truly—neither subtracting nor adding!’

The phantom replied: ‘I left him dying of thirst; had you commanded him not to approach the water, he would never drink!’

She said: ‘You have spoken the truth—fidelity is the very nature of true love!’

Ah, how soothing and refreshing to my burning heart were those words she spoke!”

And she rained pearls of tears from eyes of narcissus, watering the roses of her cheeks, while biting upon crimson jujubes with teeth of gleaming hail.

Ah, they envy me even for my demise; alas, even in death I am not free from envy!

Explaining:

نالت على يدها ما لم تنله يدي: “What her hand attained, mine did not”: The pang of a delicate jealousy; the henna or intricate patterns adorning the beloved’s wrist enjoyed the touch of her palm and close proximity to her before the longing lover’s hand could do the same.

درعاً من الزرد: “A coat of chainmail”: A unique rhetorical metaphor; the golden bracelets and chains woven around her arm are likened to the iron chainmail worn by knights—as if she uses them to shield herself against the arrows loosed by her own lethal gaze.

فعل الظبي بالأسد: “What the gazelle did to the lion”: An inversion of the balance of power; the image captures the swoon of passion, wherein the brave lover (the lion) falls vanquished and helpless before the delicate grace and coquetry of the fragile beloved (the gazelle).

وأمطرت لؤلؤاً من نرجس: “And she rained pearls from narcissus”: Perhaps the most remarkable simile in the literary heritage; tears are likened to pearls, dark-eyed gazes to narcissus flowers, cheeks to roses, stained fingertips or lips to unnab (deep red jujube fruit), and dazzling white teeth to hailstones.

لا أخلو من الحسد: “I am not free from envy”: The pinnacle of romantic tragedy; the poet perceives that others envy him—even for his death and his passion for this beauty—as if dying for love were a coveted wish desired by all.

• فَكَمْ قَتِيلٍ لَنَا So many of our slain: Here, “kam” (kam khabariyya) denotes a vast multitude; it signifies the sheer number of martyrs and victims who have fallen at the altar of this tyrannical love.
• مَاتَ جَوَىً Died of jawa: Jawa refers to intense longing and the burning anguish of suppressed grief—an inner fire that consumes one’s very core in silence.
• وَلَمْ يُبْدِئْ وَلَمْ يُعِدِ Uttering neither a first nor a second word: An eloquent, classical Arabic idiom; it describes one struck dumb by shock or sudden death, unable to speak or act. It implies they died silently from the intensity of their passion, without voicing a complaint, repeating a word, or defending themselves against this fatal blow.
• شِيمَتُهُ / عَادَتُهُ His shima / habit: Shima denotes an innate nature or steadfast character trait; it implies that sincerity and enduring loyalty are the true nature and authentic essence of love.
• يَا بَرْدَ ذَاكَ عَلَى كَبِدِي How ​​soothing that is to my liver: A traditional Arabic expression of exquisite tenderness and eloquence; it describes something that brings deep relief to the heart, quenching the burning heat of fear, thirst, or sorrow within. The Arabs traditionally regarded the liver as the seat of emotions and the locus of burning anguish.

The poem “Nālat ‘alā Yadihā” (She Bestowed Upon Her Hand) presents a philosophy of overwhelming enchantment and the spellbinding beauty that lays lovers low.

It is an authentic Arab tableau that elevates romance to the status of a noble death, immortalizing the envy lovers feel toward the one slain by the beauty of a woman—a woman who scatters pearls from narcissus-like eyes and captures hearts with the languid droop of her eyelids and the splendor of her presence.

The beloved’s warning and her harsh retort appear in the preceding verse: “I sought union with her; she said, ‘Do not be deceived by us… for whoever desires union with me dies of suppressed grief.'” She justifies her refusal by revealing the inevitable fate awaiting anyone who dares to love her; many before him had fallen—stricken and unable to voice their longing—perishing from the intensity of their passion without even the power to complain or plead their case.

Then comes the moment of profound emotional relief following a long period of complaint and testing. After the “phantom of imagination” bore witness to the lover’s fidelity—attesting that his devotion was such that he would forgo even water at his beloved’s command—she finally acknowledged his sincerity, recognizing such loyalty as the true nature of authentic love. This tender acknowledgment acted like cool water and a healing balm, extinguishing the burning anguish within and transforming sorrow into peace and serenity.

Arabic Text

نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَقْشاً عَلَى مِعْصَمٍ أَوْهَتْ بِهِ جَلَدِي
خافت على يدها من نَبـل مقلتهـا (* كأَنَّها خَشِيَتْ مِنْ نَبْلِ مُقْلَتِها)
فَأَلْبَسَتْ زَنْدَها دِرْعاً مِنَ الزَّرَدِ

نَالَتْ

نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَقْشاً عَلَى مِعْصَمٍ أَوْهَتْ بِهِ جَلَدِي
خافت على يدها من نبـل مُقلتهـا (* كأَنَّها خَشِيَتْ مِنْ نَبْلِ مُقْلَتِها)
فَأَلْبَسَتْ زَنْدَها دِرْعاً مِنَ الزَّرَدِ

سألتها الوصلَ قالت لا تُغـرّ بنـا (* سَأَلْتُهَا الوَصْلَ قَالَتْ أَنْتَ تَعْرِفُنا)
سألتها الوصلَ قالت لا تُغـرّ بنـا
مَنْ رَامَ مِنَّا وِصالاً مَاتَ بِالكَمَدِ
فكَمْ قَتِيلٍ لَنَا في الحُبِّ مَاتَ جَوىً
مِنَ الغَرامِ وَلَمْ يُبْدِئْ وَلَمْ يُعِدِ

نَالَتْ

نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَقْشاً عَلَى مِعْصَمٍ أَوْهَتْ بِهِ جَلَدِي
خافت على يدها من نبـل مُقلتهـا (* كأَنَّها خَشِيَتْ مِنْ نَبْلِ مُقْلَتِها)
فَأَلْبَسَتْ زَنْدَها دِرْعاً مِنَ الزَّرَدِ

قَدْ خَلَّفَتْنِي طَريحاً وَهْيَ قَائِلَةٌ
قَدْ خَلَّفَتْنِي طَريحاً وَهْيَ قَائِلَةٌ
تَأَمَّلوا كَيْفَ فِعْلُ الظَّبْيِ بِالأَسَدِ
قَالَتْ لِطَيْفِ خَيَالٍ زَارَني وَمَضى
بالله صِدقٌ ولا تنقـص ولا تَـزِد (* بِاللَهِ صِفْهُ وَلا تَنْقُصْ وَلا تَزِدِ)

نَالَتْ

نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَقْشاً عَلَى مِعْصَمٍ أَوْهَتْ بِهِ جَلَدِي
خافت على يدها من نبـل مُقلتهـا (* كأَنَّها خَشِيَتْ مِنْ نَبْلِ مُقْلَتِها)
فَأَلْبَسَتْ زَنْدَها دِرْعاً مِنَ الزَّرَدِ

فقال: خلّفته لـو مـات مـن ظمـأٍ (* فَقَالَ أَبْصَرْتُهُ لَوْ مَاتَ مِنْ ظَمَأ)
فقال: خلّفته لـو مـات مـن ظمـأٍ (* فَقَالَ أَبْصَرْتُهُ لَوْ مَاتَ مِنْ ظَمَأ)
وَقُلْتِ قِفْ عَنْ وُرُودِ المَاءِ لَمْ يَرِدِ
قالت: صَدقْتَ الوفا في الحب شيمته (* قَالَتْ صَدَقْتَ الوَفَا في الحُبِّ عَادَتُهُ)
يَا بَرْدَ ذاكَ الَّذي قَالَتْ عَلَى كَبِدِي

نَالَتْ

نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَقْشاً عَلَى مِعْصَمٍ أَوْهَتْ بِهِ جَلَدِي
خافت على يدها من نبـل مُقلتهـا (* كأَنَّها خَشِيَتْ مِنْ نَبْلِ مُقْلَتِها)
فَأَلْبَسَتْ زَنْدَها دِرْعاً مِنَ الزَّرَدِ

وَأَمْطَرَتْ لُؤْلُؤأً مِنْ نَرْجِسٍ وَسَقَتْ
وَأَمْطَرَتْ لُؤْلُؤأً مِنْ نَرْجِسٍ وَسَقَتْ
وَرْداً وَعَضَّتْ عَلَى العُنَّابِ بِالبَرَدِ
هُمْ يَحْسُدُوني عَلَى مَوْتِي فَوا أَسَفِي
حَتَّى عَلَى المَوْتِ لا أَخْلوُ مِنَ الحَسَدِ

نَالَتْ!

نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَالَتْ عَلى يَدِها مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ يَدِي
نَقْشاً عَلَى مِعْصَمٍ أَوْهَتْ بِهِ جَلَدِي
خافت على يدها من نبـل مُقلتهـا (* كأَنَّها خَشِيَتْ مِنْ نَبْلِ مُقْلَتِها)
فَأَلْبَسَتْ زَنْدَها دِرْعاً مِنَ الزَّرَدِ