ياO مقعدseat; sitting place القاضيthe judge السعيـal-Saʿīd, 'the fortunate' (word beginning)
يا مقعد القاضي السعيـ
ـدcompletion of al-Saʿīd منحتنيyou granted me عيَّاspeechlessness ولكنهbut it
ـد منحتني عيَّا ولكنه
O seat of Judge al-Saʿīd,
O seat of the blessed judge, you granted me solace, but you are nothing but paradise.
you have struck me speechless; yet
If there were in the horizons a paradise that held within its verses the profound weight of mankind and jinn,
ماnot أنتَyou إلاexcept; only جنَّةٌa paradise
ما أنتَ إلا جنَّةٌ
أنif كانthere exists فيin الآفاقthe horizons; the world جنَّهa paradise
أن كان في الآفاق جنَّه
you are nothing but a paradise,
Along with all beasts and horses scattering across the rugged landscape,
if any paradise exists in the world.
Images that outshine lines the like of which in beauty are sedition,
قدindeed ضمّنتwere made to contain أبياتهits rooms الثقلـthe two races (word beginning)
قد ضمّنت أبياته الثقلـ
ـينdual ending completing 'the two races' منof إنسٍhumans وجنَّهand jinn
ـين من إنسٍ وجنَّه
Its rooms contain the two races—
Depicting the Kalīla and Dimna, when will its equal be found?
humans and jinn—
والوحشand the wild beasts أجمعهاall of them وقبَّand the lean-bellied ones الـthe (beginning of 'the horses')
والوحش أجمعها وقبَّ الـ
ـخيلhorses (completing 'the horses') تمزعgallop فيin الأعنَّهthe reins
ـخيل تمزع في الأعنَّه
and all the wild beasts, and lean-bellied
horses galloping in their reins.
صورٌimages تخفّflit بأسطرٍamong lines
صورٌ تخفّ بأسطرٍ
أمثالهاtheir like فيin الحسنbeauty فتنهenchantment
أمثالها في الحسن فتنه
Images flit among lines;
their like in beauty is bewitching.
حاكتimitated كتابthe book of كليلةٍKalila
حاكت كتاب كليلةٍ
فمتىso when ترىwill you be seen كأخيهِlike his brother دمنةDimna (pun on 'a ruined dwelling')
فمتى ترى كأخيهِ دمنة
They have imitated the book of Kalila;
so when will you be seen as a ruin—like his brother Dimna?
Partial English translation: 5 of 12 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1