ومُستقرٍّand one seated علىon كرسيِّهhis chair تَعِبِweary
ومُستقرٍّ على كرسيِّه تَعِبِ
روحيmy soul الفداءُthe ransom لهfor him منwhat an مُنْصَبٍexhausted man نَصِبِweary
روحي الفداءُ له من مُنْصَبٍ نَصِبِ
And a weary man seated on his chair—
And seated firmly on his chair, exhausted,
My soul be his ransom—what an exhausted, weary man!
My soul is ransomed for him from a position he took.
رأيتهI saw him سحراًbefore dawn يقليfrying زلابيةًzalabiya fritters
رأيته سحراً يقلي زلابيةً
فيin رقَّةِthinness القِشْرthe crust والتجويفand hollowness كالقَصَبِlike reeds
في رقَّةِ القِشْر والتجويف كالقَصَبِ
I saw him before dawn frying zalabiya fritters,
I saw him at dawn frying a pancake,
Thin-crusted and hollow, like reeds.
In the delicacy of its crust and hollowness like a reed.
كأنماas though زيتُهhis oil المَغْليُّboiling حينwhen بداit appeared
كأنما زيتُه المَغْليُّ حين بدا
كالكيمياءlike alchemy التيwhich قالواthey spoke of ولمbut never تُصَبِwas attained
كالكيمياء التي قالوا ولم تُصَبِ
His boiling oil, when it came into view, seemed
It was as if its boiling oil, when it appeared,
Like the alchemy they spoke of but never attained.
Was like alchemy, which they spoke of but did not attain.
يُلقيhe casts العجينَthe dough لُجيناًsilver منfrom أناملهِhis fingertips
يُلقي العجينَ لُجيناً من أناملهِ
فيستحيلُand so it turns into شَبابيطاًbarbel fish منof الذهبِgold
فيستحيلُ شَبابيطاً من الذهبِ
He casts the dough—silver—from his fingertips,
He throws the dough gently from his fingers
And so it turns into barbel fish of gold.
And it turns into nuggets of gold.
Sol 6.1