صَيَّرَتyou made بَدرَthe full moon النَظمverse بَعدَكَafter you غارِباsetting
صَيَّرَت بَدرَ النَظم بَعدَكَ غارِبا
لَمّاwhen اِمتَطَيتyou mounted مِنof البَلاغةeloquence غارِباwithers
لَمّا اِمتَطَيت مِن البَلاغة غارِبا
You made poetry’s full moon set after you,
You made the full moon of verse set in your wake,
when you mounted eloquence at its withers.
when you mounted the withers of eloquence,
وَعَلَوتَand you ascended صَهوَتَهُits saddle بِثاقِبِwith piercing فِكرَةٍthought
وَعَلَوتَ صَهوَتَهُ بِثاقِبِ فِكرَةٍ
نظمتit strung لَكَfor you الزُهرbright النُجومthe stars كَواكِباcelestial orbs
نظمت لَكَ الزُهر النُجوم كَواكِبا
And you rose upon its saddle with penetrating thought,
and climbed into its saddle with a piercing thought
while the radiant stars arrayed themselves for you as constellations—
that strung the bright stars for you as heavenly orbs,
مِنfrom كُلِّevery ساحِرَةِenchantress of اللِّحاظِglances إِذاwhen رَنَتshe gazed
مِن كُلِّ ساحِرَةِ اللِّحاظِ إِذا رَنَت
سَلَّتshe drew عَلَيكَagainst you مِنَfrom الجُفونeyelids قَواضِباsharp swords
سَلَّت عَلَيكَ مِنَ الجُفون قَواضِبا
from every enchantress of glances who, whenever she gazed,
from every enchantress of glances who, when she gazed,
drew keen-edged swords against you from her eyelids;
drew sharp blades against you from her eyelids;
مِنfrom ريمِgazelles وَجرَةَWajrah أَوor شَوارِدِstrays رامَةٍRamah
مِن ريمِ وَجرَةَ أَو شَوارِدِ رامَةٍ
أَلفَتgrew accustomed to حِماكَyour sanctuary رَبارِباًantelope herds وَرَبائِباand foster-daughters
أَلفَت حِماكَ رَبارِباً وَرَبائِبا
from the gazelles of Wajra, or the wild does of Rama,
from the gazelles of Wajrah or the strays of Ramah,
who made your preserve their haunt, as herds and cherished wards.
that made your sanctuary their home—antelope herds and foster-daughters.
غيدٌsupple maidens تَوَشَّحَتِdraped themselves in المَعانيmeanings حُلَّةًa robe
غيدٌ تَوَشَّحَتِ المَعاني حُلَّةً
وَتَسَربَلَتand clothed themselves in وَشيembroidery الرَبيعspring سَبائِباlengths of cloth
وَتَسَربَلَت وَشي الرَبيع سَبائِبا
A lithe beauty, she wrapped herself in meanings as robes
Supple maidens, they draped themselves in meanings as a robe,
and arrayed herself in spring’s brocade as flowing tresses.
and clothed themselves in lengths of spring's embroidered fabric,
وَسَمَتand they rose إِلىto الجَوزاءal-Jawza فَاِستَلبتthen seized حلىjewels
وَسَمَت إِلى الجَوزاء فَاِستَلبت حلى
ذاكَthat النِظامnecklace وَقَلَّدَتهُand hung it as a necklace ترائِباupper chests
ذاكَ النِظام وَقَلَّدَتهُ ترائِبا
She soared toward Gemini and plundered the jewels
and soared to al-Jawza, then seized the jewels
of that celestial strand, then clasped them across her breast.
of that necklace and hung it upon their bosoms.
وَمَشَتand they walked فَأَزرَتthen put to shame بِالقَضيبِthe branch رَشاقَةin grace
وَمَشَت فَأَزرَت بِالقَضيبِ رَشاقَة
وَالظَبيand the gazelle لَحظاًin glance وَالغَزالَةand the sun حاجِباin brow
وَالظَبي لَحظاً وَالغَزالَة حاجِبا
She walked, outdoing the supple bough in grace—
They walked, putting the branch to shame in grace,
a gazelle in her glance, the sun in her brow.
the gazelle in glance, and the sun in brow.
ياoh حُسنَهاher loveliness عَرَبِيَّةًan Arab woman لَوif ساجَلَتshe vied
يا حُسنَها عَرَبِيَّةً لَو ساجَلَت
سَحبانَSahban راحَhe would depart لِذَيلِthe train of عِيٍّinarticulacy ساحِباdragging
سَحبانَ راحَ لِذَيلِ عِيٍّ ساحِبا
How lovely she is—an Arabic ode! Had she vied
How lovely she is, an Arab beauty! Had she vied with
with Sahban, he would have departed dragging speechlessness behind him.
Sahban, he would leave dragging the train of inarticulacy.
أَوor طارَحَتshe matched قُسَّQuss الفَصاحَةeloquence لَفظَهاher words
أَو طارَحَت قُسَّ الفَصاحَة لَفظَها
ماnot قامَhe would stand يَوماًever فيin عُكاظٍUkaz خاطِباas an orator
ما قامَ يَوماً في عُكاظٍ خاطِبا
Or had her diction challenged Quss in eloquence,
Or had she matched her words with Quss of eloquence,
never would he have stood at Ukaz to deliver an oration.
he would never have stood in Ukaz as an orator.
أَوor شامَhe glimpsed بارِقَthe lightning of ثَغرِهاher mouth غَيلانُGhaylan لَمdid not
أَو شامَ بارِقَ ثَغرِها غَيلانُ لَم
يَربعlinger عَلىat أَطلالruins مَيَّةَMayyah نادِباlamenting
يَربع عَلى أَطلال مَيَّةَ نادِبا
Or had Ghaylan glimpsed the lightning of her smile, he would not
Or had Ghaylan glimpsed the lightning of her mouth, he would not
have lingered at Mayya’s deserted ruins, lamenting.
have lingered at Mayyah's ruins, lamenting.
فَبِهاso in her رَقيقُdelicate اللَّفظِwording وَالمَعنىand meaning مَعاًtogether
فَبِها رَقيقُ اللَّفظِ وَالمَعنى مَعاً
كَالراحِlike wine بِالماءِwith water القراحِpure تَناسُباin harmony
كَالراحِ بِالماءِ القراحِ تَناسُبا
Within her, delicacy of wording and meaning meet together,
So in her, delicate wording and meaning unite,
harmonized like wine with pure water.
harmonizing like wine with pure water.
إِنif فاخَرَتshe vied in pride يَوماًever بِحُسنِin the beauty of نِظامِهاher arrangement
إِن فاخَرَت يَوماً بِحُسنِ نِظامِها
شُهبَbright ones النُجومthe stars طَوالِعاًrising وَغَوارِباand setting
شُهبَ النُجوم طَوالِعاً وَغَوارِبا
If one day, in the beauty of her composition, she vied with
If ever she vies, in the beauty of her arrangement,
the blazing stars at rising and setting,
with the bright stars, both rising and setting,
فيماin what حَوَتهُshe encompassed it مِنَof الفَخارِglory بِمَدحِby praising مَنthe one who
فيما حَوَتهُ مِنَ الفَخارِ بِمَدحِ مَن
بَهَرَoutshone المُلوكkings مَقانِباcavalry squadrons وَمَناقِباand noble deeds
بَهَرَ المُلوك مَقانِبا وَمَناقِبا
it would be through the glory she contains in praising one
it is through the glory she holds in praising the one
who outshone kings in squadrons and in virtues—
who outshone kings in cavalry squadrons and noble deeds:
ظِلُّshadow الإِلَهِGod مُرادُMurad مَنthe one who خَضَعَتbowed لَهُto him
ظِلُّ الإِلَهِ مُرادُ مَن خَضَعَت لَهُ
هامُheads المُلوكkings مَشارِقاًeastern lands وَمَغارِباand western lands
هامُ المُلوك مَشارِقاً وَمَغارِبا
Murad, the Shadow of God, before whom
God's shadow, Murad, before whom bowed
the heads of kings have bowed in East and West;
the heads of kings throughout East and West.
ملكٌa king سِنانthe point of قَناتِهِhis spear وَبَنانِهِand his fingertips
ملكٌ سِنان قَناتِهِ وَبَنانِهِ
يَتباريانthe two vie دَماًblood وَعُرفاًand bounty ساكِباpouring forth
يَتباريان دَماً وَعُرفاً ساكِبا
a king whose lance-point and fingertips
A king whose spear-point and fingertips
vie in pouring forth blood and streaming bounty;
vie in pouring forth blood and bounty.
ذُوpossessing سَطوَةٍmight فيin الخافِقَينَthe two horizons وَعَزمَةٍand resolve
ذُو سَطوَةٍ في الخافِقَينَ وَعَزمَةٍ
مِنهاfrom it زَعيمthe leader of الفُرسِthe Persians وَلّىturned away هارِباًfleeing
مِنها زَعيم الفُرسِ وَلّى هارِباً
lord of might across both horizons, and of such resolve
Possessed of might in East and West, and of a resolve
that before it the leader of the Persians turned and fled.
from which the Persians' leader turned and fled.
لاmay not زالَتِcease الأَملاكُthe angels تَحرُسُguard مُلكَهُhis kingdom
لا زالَتِ الأَملاكُ تَحرُسُ مُلكَهُ
وَالسَعدُand good fortune يُلفىbe found طالِعاًrising لاnot غارِباsetting
وَالسَعدُ يُلفى طالِعاً لا غارِبا
May the angels never cease to guard his realm,
May the angels never cease guarding his kingdom,
and may his fortune ever rise, never set,
and may good fortune be found rising, not setting,
ماas long as قَرّظتextols حللrobes القَريضverse يراعَةٌa reed pen
ما قَرّظت حلل القَريض يراعَةٌ
وَكَسَتهُand clothed it ديباجَthe brocade of البَديعrhetorical ornament عَصائِباheadbands
وَكَسَتهُ ديباجَ البَديع عَصائِبا
so long as the robes of verse make his reed pen ring
as long as a reed pen extols the robes of verse
and clothe it in the brocade of ornate rhetoric like headbands.
and clothes it in headbands of rhetorical brocade.
Sol 6.1