سارتْwent on مطيُّهُمُtheir mounts بهمwith them تمْطوlengthening their strides
سارتْ مطيُّهُمُ بهم تمْطو
وتحمّلواand they departed للبينِfor separation واشتطّواand they went far away
وتحمّلوا للبينِ واشتطّوا
Their mounts went on, bearing them with lengthening strides.
Their camels strode with them striding
They departed for separation and went far away.
And they bore separation and yearned
ومحتْand erased رسومَهُمُtheir traces نوًىdistance قذفَتْcast
ومحتْ رسومَهُمُ نوًى قذفَتْ
خطواتُهاits steps للشوقِinto longing ماwhat خطّواthey traced
خطواتُها للشوقِ ما خطّوا
And distance erased their traces, casting
And traces of them were erased by a loving glance
with its steps into longing all they had traced.
Whose steps mapped out their longing
فيهنّamong them نافرةٌan elusive woman تلفُّتهاher backward glance
فيهنّ نافرةٌ تلفُّتها
صدٌa rebuff وفارطُand the utmost قُربِهاof her nearness شحْطُremoteness
صدٌ وفارطُ قُربِها شحْطُ
Among them is an elusive woman whose backward glance
Among them a spurning beauty glanced back
is a rebuff, and whose utmost nearness is remoteness.
With disdain and one missed by his beloved has strayed
وسنانةُdrowsy الأجفانِof eyelids قدalready خُرِطَتْwere unsheathed
وسنانةُ الأجفانِ قد خُرِطَتْ
منهاfrom her ظُبيَّsword-edges بقلوبِناagainst our hearts تسْطوassail
منها ظُبيَّ بقلوبِنا تسْطو
She is drowsy-lidded; unsheathed
The teeth of the eyelids have been exposed
from her are blades that assail our hearts.
From which misfortune in our hearts pours forth
ومُحادثُand one who converses with الأحداثِmisfortunes عاجَلَهُovertook him early
ومُحادثُ الأحداثِ عاجَلَهُ
فيin عُنفُوانِthe prime شبابِهof his youth الوَخْطُflecks of gray hair
في عُنفُوانِ شبابِه الوَخْطُ
And one who converses with misfortunes was overtaken
The conversation of events hastened him
in the prime of his youth by flecks of gray.
In the prime of his reckless youth
قدحَstruck sparks from الغرامُlove زِنادَthe flints صبوتِهof his youthful passion
قدحَ الغرامُ زِنادَ صبوتِه
فكأنماso it is as though زفراتُهhis sighs سقْطُfalling sparks
فكأنما زفراتُه سقْطُ
Love struck the flints of his youthful passion,
Love ignited the flint of his passions
so his sighs seemed like falling sparks.
So that his sighs seem like sparks
ولوىand turned الىtoward مصرٍEgypt أخادِعُهُhis neck-veins
ولوى الى مصرٍ أخادِعُهُ
أرَجُa fragrance نماهُmade it known ذلكthat الخَطُّwriting
أرَجُ نماهُ ذلك الخَطُّ
And his neck was turned toward Egypt
And he turned towards a land of tricksters
by a fragrance conveyed in that writing.
More tender than that line
فيin حيثُa place where راحةُa palm مُصطَفىthe choicest ديَمٍof steady rains
في حيثُ راحةُ مُصطَفى ديَمٍ
ينجابُrecedes عنfrom عرَصاتِهاtheir grounds القحْطُdrought
ينجابُ عن عرَصاتِها القحْطُ
Where a palm is the choicest of steady rains,
Where there is the comfort of the chosen Mustafa
from whose grounds drought recedes.
Bedewed by its threshing floors of drought
ولآلِand to the house of سيفٍSayf ضيفُa guest مكرمةٍof bounty
ولآلِ سيفٍ ضيفُ مكرمةٍ
متشرِّطٌstipulating terms فيin حيثُa place where لاthere is no شرْطُcondition
متشرِّطٌ في حيثُ لا شرْطُ
And the house of Sayf has a guest of bounty,
And the family of Saif have a guest of honor
stipulating terms where no conditions exist.
Begging wherever pact is bound
المُنتَضونَthose who unsheathe مهنّداتِIndian-forged swords سُطاًof might
المُنتَضونَ مهنّداتِ سُطاً
منof شأنِهاtheir nature الإقساطُequitable dealing والقِسْطُand justice
من شأنِها الإقساطُ والقِسْطُ
They unsheathe Indian-forged swords of might,
Those who seek equal shares of gifts
whose nature is equity and justice.
Whose purpose is moderation and equity
للهِto God (in admiration) سيفُSword المُلْكِof the Realm منwhat a ملِكٍking
للهِ سيفُ المُلْكِ من ملِكٍ
يُثْنيextols عليهupon him الخطُّwriting والخِطُّand rainless ground
يُثْني عليه الخطُّ والخِطُّ
By God, what a king is Sayf al-Mulk!
By God, the sword of the kingdom belongs to a king
Writing and rainless ground extol him.
Praised in prose and verse
جذلانُjoyful لاno فيin مِعطَسٍa nose صلَفٌhaughtiness
جذلانُ لا في مِعطَسٍ صلَفٌ
منهُon his part ولاnor فيin حاجبٍan eyebrow مطُّstretching
منهُ ولا في حاجبٍ مطُّ
Glad-hearted, with no haughtiness in his nose,
He is open-handed, neither miserly in haven
nor any disdainful stretching of his brow.
Nor frowning of brow
طُويتْwere folded خلائقُهُhis dispositions علىaround شِيَمٍvirtues
طُويتْ خلائقُهُ على شِيَمٍ
ماnot إنindeed (emphatic) سمِعْتُI have heard بمثلِهاof their like قطُّever
ما إن سمِعْتُ بمثلِها قطُّ
His nature enfolds virtues
His manners are folded in perfection
whose like I have never heard of.
The like of which I've never heard
ومضَتْand advanced بهwith him العلياءُlofty glory فيthrough شِيمٍvirtues
ومضَتْ به العلياءُ في شِيمٍ
منfrom دونِهنّbeneath them النجمُthe star منحَطُّlying low
من دونِهنّ النجمُ منحَطُّ
And lofty glory bore him onward through virtues
And nobility has passed to him in perfection
beneath which the star lies low.
Below which stars pale
إنif حازَهاhe gathered them فيin شرْجِهhis nature فلقَدْthen indeed
إن حازَها في شرْجِه فلقَدْ
مُنِعَتْhave been barred بلوغَfrom attaining أقلّهاthe least of them المطُّthe tall ones
مُنِعَتْ بلوغَ أقلّها المطُّ
If he has gathered them into his nature, then indeed
If he has attained it in his honor, then surely
the tall are barred from attaining even the least of them.
What is beneath it cannot be reached
Sol 6.1