عرفتwere known بخدَّامas servants of البكاweeping أجفانهhis eyelids
عرفت بخدَّام البكا أجفانه
إنif غابَvanished لؤلؤهhis pearls أتىappeared مرجانهhis coral
إن غابَ لؤلؤه أتى مرجانه
I knew his eyelids as servants of weeping;
His eyelids were known as servants of weeping;
if their pearl disappeared, their coral came forth.
if his pearls vanished, his coral appeared.
باكٍa weeper يرىconsiders كتمconcealing الغرامardent love وإنماyet only
باكٍ يرى كتم الغرام وإنما
عنfor شانهhis plight أضحىhas come to يعيرtaunt شانهhis disgrace
عن شانه أضحى يعير شانه
A weeper who thinks passion can be concealed—yet
A weeper who thinks love should be concealed; yet only
his state has come to reproach him for his state.
his disgrace has come to taunt him for his plight.
حثّspurred التفرُّقparting دمعهhis tears فتشكَّلتso took shape
حثّ التفرُّق دمعه فتشكَّلت
أشكالهtheir shapes وتلوَّنتand changed ألوانهtheir colors
أشكاله وتلوَّنت ألوانه
Separation spurred his tears, and so took shape
Parting spurred his tears, and varied grew
their forms, while their colors turned and changed.
their shapes, and their colors changed.
شوقاًout of longing كماas حكمdecreed الفارقthe departing one لمالكٍfor a master (Malik)
شوقاً كما حكم الفارق لمالكٍ
ولىturned away ولكنbut عندناwith us نيرانهhis fires
ولى ولكن عندنا نيرانه
Out of longing—as the Separator decreed for Mālik—
Out of longing, as the departing one decreed, for a Malik,
he departed, yet his fires remain with us.
who turned away, though his fires remain with us.
ولربَّماand often منحbestowed الرضاfavor واليومand today لاnot
ولربَّما منح الرضا واليوم لا
وأبيكَand by your father مالكهhis master (Malik) ولاnor رضوانهhis favor (Ridwan)
وأبيكَ مالكه ولا رضوانه
Often he would grant contentment—but not today;
Often he bestowed favor; today there is neither—
by your father: neither its Mālik nor its Riḍwān.
by your father!—his Malik nor his Ridwan.
بأبيmay my father ransom مغيثthe helper of العينthe eye قدسhallowed be جمالهُhis beauty
بأبي مغيث العين قدس جمالهُ
لاnot عينthe eye of عاشقهِhis lover ولاnor سلوانهhis solace
لا عين عاشقهِ ولا سلوانه
My father be his ransom—the eye’s succorer; hallowed is his beauty,
May my father ransom the eye’s helper: hallowed be his beauty—
not so his lover’s eye, nor his consolation.
not his lover’s eye, nor his solace.
ورقيمand one inscribed حاشيةthe border of العذارcheek-down وكلّand every ذيpossessor of
ورقيم حاشية العذار وكلّ ذي
حسنٍbeauty بحاشيةin the retinue of الفتىthe youth غلمانهhis pages
حسنٍ بحاشية الفتى غلمانه
The script along the margin of his cheek’s first down—and every
And one with an inscribed fringe of cheek-down; all who possess
beauty in the youth’s retinue—is among his pages.
beauty are his pages in the youth’s retinue.
خطّscript علىupon الخدِّthe cheek الشريقradiant فحبذاand how lovely
خطّ على الخدِّ الشريق فحبذا
ياقوتruby; Yaqut ذاكthat الخطّscript أوor ريحانهits basil; its Rayhan
ياقوت ذاك الخطّ أو ريحانه
A line upon the radiant cheek—how lovely
Script upon his radiant cheek—how lovely
the ruby of that line, or its sprig of basil!
that script’s ruby (Yaqut), or its basil (Rayhan)!
ماnothing مثلهits equal فيin الحسنِbeauty إلاَّexcept خطّthe script of ذيone endowed with
ما مثله في الحسنِ إلاَّ خطّ ذي
نظمٍverse تأنَّقexcelled in elegance فيin البيانeloquent expression بنانهhis fingertips
نظمٍ تأنَّق في البيان بنانه
Nothing equals it in beauty save the script of one
Nothing equals it in beauty save the script of a maker of
whose fingertips fashioned verse exquisitely in eloquence.
verse, whose fingertips craft eloquence with grace.
حسَّانHassan بيتthe house of قريضهhis poetry حتَّىuntil إذاwhen
حسَّان بيت قريضه حتَّى إذا
ذكرis mentioned الولاءloyal allegiance فإنهthen indeed he سلمانهits Salman
ذكر الولاء فإنه سلمانه
The Ḥassān of a house in poetry—then, whenever
He is the Hassan of his poetic house, until
loyalty is mentioned, he is its Salmān.
loyalty is mentioned—then he is its Salman.
نعمhow excellent الفريدthe peerless one زهتflourished لديَّbefore me فنونهhis arts
نعم الفريد زهت لديَّ فنونه
فيamong الناظمينpoets وأزهرتand blossomed أفنانهhis branches
في الناظمين وأزهرت أفنانه
What a peerless one: his arts have flourished before me
How fine this peerless one! His arts have flourished before me
among the poets, and his branches have blossomed.
among poets, and his branches have blossomed.
إنif قيلit is said إنَّthat سمنديارSamandiyar لشخصهfor his person
إن قيل إنَّ سمنديار لشخصه
نسبٌa lineage فللعربthen to the Arabs الخلاصpure لسانهhis tongue
نسبٌ فللعرب الخلاص لسانه
If it is said that Samandiyār supplies his person’s lineage,
If it is said that Samandiyar is his
his tongue belongs to the Arabs in their purity.
lineage, his tongue belongs to the pure Arabs.
مستبدعa creator of wonders in الألفاظwording قدalready حصلتhave attained علىupon
مستبدع الألفاظ قد حصلت على
رجحانهاtheir preeminence وعلوّهاand their loftiness أوزانهhis meters
رجحانها وعلوّها أوزانه
An originator of expressions: his meters have attained
A creator of wondrous words: already won are
their weight and their loftiness.
their preeminence and loftiness by his meters.
قلspeak ياO محمدMuhammad فيهabout him يسمعmay hear فنُّهhis art
قل يا محمد فيه يسمع فنُّه
قولاًa saying يطولtowers إلىto السهىSuha كيوانهits Kaywan (Saturn)
قولاً يطول إلى السهى كيوانه
Speak, O Muhammad: in him his art is heard—
Speak of him, O Muhammad, that his art may hear
words whose Kaywān reaches as high as Suhā.
a saying whose Kaywan—Saturn—towers up to Suha.
هاbehold قدalready أجزتكI authorized you طوعin obedience to أمركyour command إنif تجزyou permit
ها قد أجزتك طوع أمرك إن تجز
إنindeed الرفيعthe exalted man تجيزهauthorize him أدوانهhis inferiors
إن الرفيع تجيزه أدوانه
Here I have licensed you, obedient to your command—if you permit;
Here I have authorized you, at your command, if you permit;
for the lofty man may be licensed by those beneath him.
indeed, the exalted man is authorized by his inferiors.
إنif كنتyou are سلطانthe sultan of القريضpoetry فإنهthen indeed it
إن كنت سلطان القريض فإنه
لولاكwere it not for you لمnot ينفذtake effect إذاًthen سلطانهits authority
لولاك لم ينفذ إذاً سلطانه
If you are the sovereign of verse, then verse itself
If you are the sultan of verse, then surely,
would, without you, wield no sovereignty.
without you, its authority would have no force.
أعلامbanners طرسكyour parchment حيثwherever سارit travels وقصرهand its palace
أعلام طرسك حيث سار وقصره
منfrom بيتكyour house; your verse المعمورflourishing أوor بستانهits garden
من بيتك المعمور أو بستانه
The banners of your page—wherever it journeys—and its palace,
The banners of your parchment, wherever it goes, and its palace
from your flourishing house or else its garden:
come from your flourishing house—or its garden.
أمّرتI appointed as ruler فيamong الأشعارpoems شعركyour poetry حاكماًas ruler
أمّرت في الأشعار شعرك حاكماً
متصرِّفاًadministering فيin أمرهاtheir affairs ديوانهits diwan (collection; council)
متصرِّفاً في أمرها ديوانه
you have appointed your poetry ruler over all poems,
I have appointed your verse ruler among poems,
its dīwān free to command their affairs.
its diwan administering their affairs.
Sol 6.1