أَلمِمpay a visit بِساعَةِto the clock of يَلبُغاYalbugha مَهماwhenever اِنبَرَتarise
أَلمِم بِساعَةِ يَلبُغا مَهما اِنبَرَت
مِنكَfrom you الهُمومُcares وَمِلand turn إِلىtoward شُبّاكِهِits window
مِنكَ الهُمومُ وَمِل إِلى شُبّاكِهِ
Visit Yalbugha’s clock whenever
Cherish the hours as they pass by, no matter how
cares arise within you, and turn toward its window.
Your worries accumulate, and lean on its window,
وَاِستَجلِand behold رَوضاًa garden مِنfrom سَماءِa sky of زُمُرُّدٍemerald
وَاِستَجلِ رَوضاً مِن سَماءِ زُمُرُّدٍ
طَلَعتhave risen نُجومُthe stars of الزَهرِflowers مِنfrom أَفلاكِهِits spheres
طَلَعت نُجومُ الزَهرِ مِن أَفلاكِهِ
And behold a garden fashioned from an emerald sky,
And imagine a garden from an emerald heaven,
from whose spheres the stars of flowers have risen.
Where the stars of flowers shone out from their orbits.
يَنسابُglides فيهِthrough it كَالمَجرَّةِlike the Milky Way جَدوَلٌa stream
يَنسابُ فيهِ كَالمَجرَّةِ جَدوَلٌ
حَصباؤُهُits pebbles كَالدُرِّlike pearls فيon أَسلاكِهِtheir strings
حَصباؤُهُ كَالدُرِّ في أَسلاكِهِ
A stream glides through it like the Milky Way,
A stream flows through it, like the Milky Way,
its pebbles like pearls upon their strings.
Its pebbles like pearls in their strands.
حاكَتhave woven لَهُfor it الأَنواءُthe seasonal rains مِنfrom حُلَلِrobes of البَهاsplendor
حاكَت لَهُ الأَنواءُ مِن حُلَلِ البَها
وَشياًa brocade يَحارُis bewildered الطَرفَthe eye فيin إِدراكِهِcomprehending it
وَشياً يَحارُ الطَرفَ في إِدراكِهِ
The seasonal rains have woven for it, from robes of splendor,
The breezes wove for it garments of gossamer,
a brocade that bewilders the eye seeking to comprehend it.
That bewilder the eyes in beholding them.
وَرَساand settled النَسيمُthe breeze بِساحَتَيهِin its two courtyards كَماjust as رَساsettled
وَرَسا النَسيمُ بِساحَتَيهِ كَما رَسا
طيرٌbirds تُديمُkeep up الشَجوَplaintive song فَوقَabove أَراكِهِits arak trees
طيرٌ تُديمُ الشَجوَ فَوقَ أَراكِهِ
The breeze settled in its two courtyards, as settled
And the breeze alighted in its courtyards, as a bird alights
birds that sustain their plaintive song above its arak trees.
Prolonging its song above its nest.
ماwhat is بَينَamong شَحرورٍa blackbird كَراهِبِlike a monk of بَيعَةٍa church
ما بَينَ شَحرورٍ كَراهِبِ بَيعَةٍ
قَدhas رَتّلchanted الإِنجيلthe Gospel فيin أَحلاكِهِits deep darkness
قَد رَتّل الإِنجيل في أَحلاكِهِ
Among them, a blackbird like a monk in a church,
Between monks like hermits of a monastery
who has chanted the Gospel in its deep darkness;
Who have recited the Bible in their cells,
وَغناءِand the singing of قُمريٍّa turtledove وَسَجعِand the cooing of حَمامَةٍa dove
وَغناءِ قُمريٍّ وَسَجعِ حَمامَةٍ
وَرَجيعand the refrain of سِنٍّa songbird (sinn) مُولَعٍenamored بِشِباكِهِof its nets
وَرَجيع سِنٍّ مُولَعٍ بِشِباكِهِ
and a turtledove’s singing and a dove’s cooing,
And the singing of a nightingale, the rhymes of a dove,
and a sinn-bird’s refrain, enamored of its nets;
And the chant of one enamored of his cage,
وَخَريرand the murmuring of نَهرٍa river مِنof لُجينٍsilver ماؤُهُits water
وَخَرير نَهرٍ مِن لُجينٍ ماؤُهُ
ذَهَبُthe gold of الأَصيلِlate afternoon جَرىflowed خِلالَthrough حِباكِهِits ripples
ذَهَبُ الأَصيلِ جَرى خِلالَ حِباكِهِ
and a river’s murmuring, its water silver,
And the murmur of a river whose silver waters
the gold of late afternoon flowing through its ripples.
Flowed through the midst of its sands.
ذُوhaving شاطئa bank لَوif قَدindeed رَأىsaw رَقراقَهits shimmer
ذُو شاطئ لَو قَد رَأى رَقراقَه
نَهرُthe river of الأبُلَّةِal-Ubulla غاضَwould subside وَسطَamid نِباكِهِits dunes
نَهرُ الأبُلَّةِ غاضَ وَسطَ نِباكِهِ
It has a bank: were its shimmer beheld
One who saw its banks, if the bubbles’ dance
by al-Ubulla’s river, that river would subside among its dunes.
Had made the Euphrates jealous amidst its rocks.
مُلِئَتwere filled بوارِدِwith the onrush of بَأسِهِits might أَرجاؤهُits reaches
مُلِئَت بوارِدِ بَأسِهِ أَرجاؤهُ
حَتّىuntil ثَوَتthey settled مِنهُwithin it مَكانَin the place of مساكِهِits retaining bed
حَتّى ثَوَت مِنهُ مَكانَ مساكِهِ
Its reaches were filled with the onrush of its might,
Its regions were filled with the power of its rage,
until they lay within it, in its retaining bed.
Until it fixed its place of stillness.
يُسقونَthey are served فيهِin it عَلىin التَصافيmutual affection قَهوةًcoffee
يُسقونَ فيهِ عَلى التَصافي قَهوةً
كَالمِندَلlike aloeswood الشَحريّfrom Shihr غِبّafter مَداكِهِits grinding
كَالمِندَل الشَحريّ غِبّ مَداكِهِ
There they are served coffee in mutual affection,
They drink coffee there in the evenings,
like aloeswood from Shihr after grinding,
Like the monk’s hood, far from its convent.
مِنfrom كَفِّthe hand of ساجيlanguid الطَرفof gaze مَهماwhenever أَنindeed رَناhe gazes
مِن كَفِّ ساجي الطَرف مَهما أَن رَنا
أَسَرَhe captures الفُؤادthe heart فَعادَso it becomes فيin أَشراكِهِhis snares
أَسَرَ الفُؤاد فَعادَ في أَشراكِهِ
from the hand of a languid-eyed one; whenever he gazes,
From the hand of a beauty, no matter how much she sings,
he captures the heart, and it falls into his snares.
Who captivates hearts, then casts them back into captivity.
فَأَسِمهُso let it graze سَرحَthe pasture of اللَحظِthe gaze ثمَّthen وَذدهand drive it away لاnot
فَأَسِمهُ سَرحَ اللَحظِ ثمَّ وَذده لا
عَنfrom وَردِهِits watering-place وَحَذارand beware مِنof إِمساكِهِrestraining it
عَن وَردِهِ وَحَذار مِن إِمساكِهِ
So let it graze in the pasture of the gaze; then do not drive it
Name it the meadow of glances, then chase it away, not
from its watering-place, and beware of holding it back.
From its rose, and beware of holding onto it!
فَلَكَمfor how often جلَيتُI dispelled بِهِthere الهُمومَcares وَصُحبَتيand my companion
فَلَكَم جلَيتُ بِهِ الهُمومَ وَصُحبَتي
شَيخٌa shaykh عُلومthe sciences of الشَرعِsacred law طَوعُsubject to ملاكِهِhis command
شَيخٌ عُلوم الشَرعِ طَوعُ ملاكِهِ
How often I dispelled cares there, in the company of
How often it has relieved me of sorrow and my company -
a shaykh with the sciences of sacred law at his command.
A scholar versed in religious sciences, obedient to their laws.
كانَتthere was عَلىupon الأَيّامthe days مِنهُfrom him بَهجَةٌsplendor
كانَت عَلى الأَيّام مِنهُ بَهجَةٌ
وَنَضارَةٌand freshness ثَوَتاboth lay buried بُعَيدsoon after هلاكِهِhis death
وَنَضارَةٌ ثَوَتا بُعَيد هلاكِهِ
Through him the days had splendor
From it the days derived a joy
and freshness—both laid to rest soon after his death.
And freshness that lingered long after its loss.
فَسَقىso may water إِلَيهِGod of (apparently إله) العَرشthe Throne تُرباًsoil غَيَّبَتconcealed
فَسَقى إِلَيهِ العَرش تُرباً غَيَّبَت
تِلكَthose العُلومsciences مُلِثّunceasing rain نَوءthe rain-season of سَماكِهِits Simak-star
تِلكَ العُلوم مُلِثّ نَوء سَماكِهِ
May the God of the Throne water the soil that hid
Heaven sent dust that buried
those sciences, with the ceaseless rain of its Simak-star.
That knowledge, leaving the crescent of its new moon obscured.
وَغَدتand may become تَحاياthe greetings of الرَبِّthe Lord كُلَّevery عَشيَّةٍevening
وَغَدت تَحايا الرَبِّ كُلَّ عَشيَّةٍ
تُهديbe offered إِلَيهِto him عَلىat يَديthe two hands of أَملاكِهِHis angels
تُهدي إِلَيهِ عَلى يَدي أَملاكِهِ
And may the Lord’s greetings, every evening,
And the gifts of the Lord began every evening
be offered to him at the hands of His angels.
To come to him through the hands of His angels.
Sol 6.1