قدindeed أمكنتhave become available فرصopportunities for اللذاتpleasures فانتهزso seize them
قد أمكنت فرص اللذات فانتهز
وسامحتكand have favored you وعودpromises of الدّهرtime فانتجزso claim fulfillment
وسامحتك وعود الدّهر فانتجز
Opportunities for pleasure are at hand—seize them.
The chances for pleasures are made possible, so seize them,
Time's promises have favored you—claim their fulfillment.
And the promises of fate have forgiven you, so take advantage.
روضٌa garden يزفّis paraded like a bride ومعشوقٌand a beloved وكأسand a cup of طلاwine
روضٌ يزفّ ومعشوقٌ وكأس طلا
لقدtruly ظفرتyou have gained بعيشٍwith a life غيرnot ذيpossessing عوَزwant
لقد ظفرت بعيشٍ غير ذي عوَز
A garden paraded like a bride, a beloved, and a cup of wine—
A garden is in bloom, a beloved is present, and a cup of wine -
truly, you have gained a life free of want.
You have attained a life free of privation.
أماdo you not ترىsee الراحthe wine يهديoffers صفوthe clear essence of مزنتهاits rain-cloud
أما ترى الراح يهدي صفو مزنتها
غيمthe cloud الزّجاجof glass إلىto أرضthe earth of الحشاthe inner breast الجرزbarren
غيم الزّجاج إلى أرض الحشا الجرز
Do you not see the wine, whose rain-cloud's clear draught is offered
Do you not see the breeze gently spreading its aroma,
by the cloud of glass to the barren earth within the breast?
Carrying clouds of glassware to the barren lands?
وحاملand the bearer of الكاسthe cup قدindeed جازhas passed through الغرامpassion بهwith him
وحامل الكاس قد جاز الغرام به
قلبيmy heart ولولاand were it not for فتاوىthe legal rulings الحبّof love لمnot يجزbe permissible
قلبي ولولا فتاوى الحبّ لم يجز
And the cupbearer—passion has borne him through
The wine bearer has fallen in love,
my heart; but for love's rulings, that would not be lawful.
My heart - had it not been for love's edicts - would not have allowed it.
خمريّwine-like ثغرٍof mouth فماso no نفسٌsoul بصاحبةٍkeeping company
خمريّ ثغرٍ فما نفسٌ بصاحبةٍ
تبريّlike unwrought gold خدّof cheek فماso no دمعٌtear بمكتنزheld in reserve
تبريّ خدّ فما دمعٌ بمكتنز
His mouth is wine-like; no soul keeps its owner company.
My wine is the lip of a mouth - what spirit lacking a companion
His cheek is gold-like; no tear remains hoarded.
Can render a cheek barren, what tear goes unused?
إذاwhen خطاhe steps نفحتwaft أعطافهhis sides أرجاًfragrance
إذا خطا نفحت أعطافه أرجاً
نفحَthe wafting الثناءِof praise عليكمover you ياO بنيsons of اللكزal-Lakz
نفحَ الثناءِ عليكم يا بني اللكز
When he steps, his sides waft fragrance,
When its edges sway, they spread pleasant fragrances -
as praise wafts over you, O sons of al-Lakz.
The fragrance of praise upon you, O people of nobility.
أنتمyou أناسٌa people إذاwhenever أجرىtraces الورىhumankind نسباًa lineage
أنتم أناسٌ إذا أجرى الورى نسباً
للجودfor generosity عدَّit is reckoned إلىback to أيديكمُyour hands وعزيand is ascribed
للجود عدَّ إلى أيديكمُ وعزي
You are a people: whenever humankind traces a lineage
You are people whom, when lineage is recounted,
for generosity, it is reckoned back to your hands and ascribed to them.
Generosity leads back to your hands, and honor is ascribed to you.
نعمexcellent are المفيدونthose who give للطلابto seekers ماwhat سألواthey ask for
نعم المفيدون للطلاب ما سألوا
والآخذونand those who seize منfrom الهلاكdestruction بالحجزby the waistbands
والآخذون من الهلاك بالحجز
Excellent are those who give seekers whatever they ask,
How excellent are those who aid the seekers when asked
and grasp them by their waistbands to save them from destruction;
And who snatch from demise with retention.
والجاعلونand those who make معانيthe meanings المجدof glory واضحةclear
والجاعلون معاني المجد واضحة
بينamong الأنامhumankind وكانand had been المجدglory كالّلغزlike a riddle
بين الأنام وكان المجد كالّلغز
and those who make the meanings of glory clear
Who make the meanings of glory clear amongst the people,
among humankind, though glory had been like a riddle.
Though glory had been like a riddle.
لمnot يبقremains بينbetween بنيthe children of الدنياthis world وبينكمُand between you
لم يبق بين بني الدنيا وبينكمُ
إلاexcept مشابهresemblances بينbetween الدّرّpearls والخرزand beads
إلا مشابه بين الدّرّ والخرز
Between the children of this world and you there remains
There remains naught between the people of the world and you
only such likeness as that between pearls and beads.
Save a similarity between jewels and beads.
دلَّbore witness العلاءAl-ʿAlāʾ علىto إيضاحthe manifestation of سؤددكمyour nobility
دلَّ العلاء على إيضاح سؤددكم
دلالةَthe indication القبسِof a firebrand الموفيstanding high علىupon نشزa rise
دلالةَ القبسِ الموفي على نشز
Al-ʿAlāʾ makes your nobility plain,
The enlightened point to the clarification of your burdens
like a beacon standing high upon a hill.
Like the indication of a loyal match to flint.
ذوpossessor of الجودbounty والبأسand might منwhoever يعرضexposes himself لسطوتهto his onslaught
ذو الجود والبأس من يعرض لسطوته
يهلكperishes ومنand whoever يرجُhopes for نعمىthe bounty of كفهhis hand يفُزprospers
يهلك ومن يرجُ نعمى كفه يفُز
A man of bounty and might: whoever exposes himself to his onslaught
The one of generosity and valor - he who opposes his authority
perishes; whoever hopes for his hand's bounty prospers.
Perishes, and he who hopes for the bounty of his palm succeeds.
وشائدand the builder of البيتthe house لاno حقٌّright بمطّرحcast aside
وشائد البيت لا حقٌّ بمطّرح
للقاصدينfor those seeking him ولاand no وفرٌwealth بمكتنزhoarded
للقاصدين ولا وفرٌ بمكتنز
And the builder of the house: no right is cast aside
The resolute of the house have no right to be cast aside
for those who seek him, nor is any wealth hoarded.
By those seeking, no abundance in being stored away.
أماas for الندىbounty فندىthen, the bounty of غرa guileless man نخادعهwe beguile him
أما الندى فندى غر نخادعه
والعزمand resolve عزمthe resolve of سديدsound الرأيin judgment محترزvigilant
والعزم عزم سديد الرأي محترز
As for his bounty, it is that of a guileless man whom we beguile;
As for dew, it is dew whose fragrance cannot be imitated,
and his resolve is that of a man sound in judgment and vigilant.
And resolve is sound of opinion and cautious.
جدوىbounty علىon إثرthe heels of جدوىbounty غيرnot قاصرةٍfalling short
جدوى على إثر جدوى غير قاصرةٍ
كالسيلlike a torrent محتفزٍsurging فيin أثرthe wake of محتفزa surging one
كالسيل محتفزٍ في أثر محتفز
Bounty follows bounty, never falling short,
Benefit upon benefit unending
like a surging torrent in the wake of another.
Like an incentivized flood in the wake of incentive.
لوif نازعتهcontested with him بيوتthe houses of الأولينthe ancients علىeminence
لو نازعته بيوت الأولين على
لصيرَhe would make الصدرَthe front; first hemistich منهاof them موضعthe place of العجزthe rear; second hemistich
لصيرَ الصدرَ منها موضع العجز
If the houses of the ancients contested eminence with him,
If the houses of the ancients were to vie with it
he would put their foremost rank in the hindmost place.
Over the breast of them would be the place of inadequacy.
غزَاmarched to war إلىagainst الجيشthe army منصورvictorious اللواthe banner ودناand drew near
غزَا إلى الجيش منصور اللوا ودنا
جيشan army السؤالof petitioners إلىtoward أموالهhis wealth فغزيso he was raided
جيش السؤال إلى أمواله فغزي
He marched against the army, his banner victorious; and there came
It marched against the army, Mansur of banners approached
an army of petitioners to his wealth, and he was raided in turn.
And the army of questioning marched to its wealth, so it was ransacked.
ياO ماجداًnoble man نالattained منof حمدٍpraise ومنand of شرفhonor
يا ماجداً نال من حمدٍ ومن شرف
ماwhat لمdid not تنلattain آلthe house of حمدانHamdan ولمand did not تحزpossess
ما لم تنل آل حمدان ولم تحز
O noble man, who has won such praise and honor
O Majid, who attained praise and nobility
as the house of Hamdan never attained or possessed!
That the clan of Hamdan did not attain and were deprived of.
تقاصرshrank الشعرpoetry عنfrom علياكyour loftiness منout of خجلshame
تقاصر الشعر عن علياك من خجل
حتىuntil even البسيطthe Basit meter تماماًin full آخرthe tail end of الرجزthe Rajaz meter
حتى البسيط تماماً آخر الرجز
Poetry shrinks from your loftiness in shame,
Poetry falls short of your lofty stature out of shyness
till even the full Basit is the tail end of Rajaz.
Such that even the Basit meter ends before the Rajaz.
وماand not وفتكhas done you justice لطولfor all the length of المسهباتthe lengthy effusions ثناpraise
وما وفتك لطول المسهبات ثنا
فكيفso how نبغيwe seek وفاءfulfillment of الوعدthe promise بالوجزwith concise speech
فكيف نبغي وفاء الوعد بالوجز
And praise, for all its lengthy effusions, has not done you justice;
And I have not fulfilled the promise of long eulogies,
how, then, can we seek to fulfill the promise in few words?
So how can we hope to fulfill the promise of conciseness?
Sol 6.1