مَحاسِنُbeauties الدَّيْرِthe monastery تَسْبيحيmy praise ومِسْباحيand my rosary
مَحاسِنُ الدَّيْرِ تَسْبيحي ومِسْباحي
وخَمْرُهُand its wine فيin الدُّجىnight's darkness صُبْحيmy dawn ومِصْباحيand my lamp
وخَمْرُهُ في الدُّجى صُبْحي ومِصْباحي
The monastery's beauties are my praise and my rosary;
its wine, in night's darkness, is my dawn and my lamp.
أَقَمْتُI stayed فيهِin it إِلىuntil أَنْthat صَارَbecame هَيْكَلُهُits sanctuary
أَقَمْتُ فيهِ إِلى أَنْ صَارَ هَيْكَلُهُ
بَيْتيmy home ومُفْتاحُهُand its key لِلأُنْسِto companionship مِفْتاحيmy key
بَيْتي ومُفْتاحُهُ لِلأُنْسِ مِفْتاحي
I stayed there until its sanctuary became
my home, and its key my key to companionship.
مُنادِماًas a drinking companion فيin قَلالِيهِits monastic cells رَهابِنَةًmonks
مُنادِماً في قَلالِيهِ رَهابِنَةً
راحَتْbecame خَلائِقُهُمْtheir characters أَصْفىpurer مِنَthan الرَّاحِwine
راحَتْ خَلائِقُهُمْ أَصْفى مِنَ الرَّاحِ
Drinking with monks in its cells,
whose characters proved purer than wine.
قَدْalready عُدِّلُواthey were balanced ثُقْلَweight أَوْزانٍdignity ومَعْرِفَةٍand learning
قَدْ عُدِّلُوا ثُقْلَ أَوْزانٍ ومَعْرِفَةٍ
فِيهِمْwithin them بِخِفَّةِwith lightness of أَبْدانٍbodies وأَرْواحِand spirits
فِيهِمْ بِخِفَّةِ أَبْدانٍ وأَرْواحِ
They were balanced—the weight of dignity and learning
within them matched by lightness of body and spirit.
ووَشَّحواand they adorned غُرَرَthe choicest parts of الآَدابِlearning فَلْسَفَةًphilosophy
ووَشَّحوا غُرَرَ الآَدابِ فَلْسَفَةً
وحِكْمَةًand wisdom بِعُلومٍwith sciences ذاتpossessing إِيضاحِclarity
وحِكْمَةً بِعُلومٍ ذات إِيضاحِ
They adorned the finest learning—philosophy
and wisdom—with sciences that shed light.
فيin طِبِّthe medicine of بقْراطHippocrates لَحْنُthe melody of الموصِليal-Mawsili وفيand in
في طِبِّ بقْراط لَحْنُ الموصِلي وفي
نَحْوِthe grammar of المُبَرِّدِal-Mubarrad أَشْعارُthe poems of الطِّرِمّاحِal-Tirimmah
نَحْوِ المُبَرِّدِ أَشْعارُ الطِّرِمّاحِ
In Hippocrates' medicine is al-Mawsili's melody, and in
al-Mubarrad's grammar, al-Tirimmah's poems.
ومُنْشِدٌand a reciter حينَwhen يُبْديهِreveals him المِزاجُthe wine mixture لَناto us
ومُنْشِدٌ حينَ يُبْديهِ المِزاجُ لَنا
أَلَمْعُis it a flash of بَرْقٍlightning سَرىtraveled by night أَمْor ضَوْءُthe light of مِصْباحِa lamp
أَلَمْعُ بَرْقٍ سَرى أَمْ ضَوْءُ مِصْباحِ
And a reciter, when the mingled wine reveals him to us—
is he a lightning flash crossing the night, or a lamp's light?
أَخْلَفْتُI failed فيin العُمْرِlife عُمْريmy life حينَwhen راحَwent إِلىtoward
أَخْلَفْتُ في العُمْرِ عُمْري حينَ راحَ إِلى
غَيْرِother than البِطالَةِleisure قَلْبيmy heart غَيْرَnot مُرْتاحِat ease
غَيْرِ البِطالَةِ قَلْبي غَيْرَ مُرْتاحِ
I betrayed my life in living when it turned toward
anything but leisure—my heart, ill at ease.
ماnot نورُthe light of أَحْدَاقِناour pupils إِلاَّexcept حَدائِقُهُits gardens
ما نورُ أَحْدَاقِنا إِلاَّ حَدائِقُهُ
لامَblamed اللَّوائِمُthe reproachers فيهِconcerning it أَوْor لَحاrebuked اللاَّحيthe censurer
لامَ اللَّوائِمُ فيهِ أَوْ لَحا اللاَّحي
The light of our eyes is nothing but its gardens,
though reproachers blame it or the censurer rebukes.
بَدائِعٌwonders لاnot لِدَيْرِfor the monastery of العَلْثِal-ʿAlth هُنُّthey ولاnor
بَدائِعٌ لا لِدَيْرِ العَلْثِ هُنُّ ولا
لِدَيْرِfor the monastery of حَنَّةَHanna مِنْof ذاتِDhat الأُكَيْراحِal-Ukayrah
لِدَيْرِ حَنَّةَ مِنْ ذاتِ الأُكَيْراحِ
Wonders belonging neither to al-ʿAlth Monastery nor
to Hanna Monastery of Dhat al-Ukayrah.
وكَمْand how often حَنَنْتُI yearned إلىfor حاناتِهِits taverns وغَداand became
وكَمْ حَنَنْتُ إلى حاناتِهِ وغَدا
شَوْقيmy longing يُكاثِرُvies in number with أَصْواتاًvoices بِأَقْداحِwith goblets
شَوْقي يُكاثِرُ أَصْواتاً بِأَقْداحِ
How often I yearned for its taverns, and then
my longing sought to outnumber voices with goblets.
حتَّىuntil تَخَمَّرَveiled himself خَمَّاريmy wine-seller بِمَعْرِفَتيthrough knowing me
حتَّى تَخَمَّرَ خَمَّاري بِمَعْرِفَتي
وصَيَّرَتْand made مُلَحيmy witticisms فيin السُّكْرِdrunkenness مُلاّحيmy lovely one
وصَيَّرَتْ مُلَحي في السُّكْرِ مُلاّحي
Until my wine-seller veiled himself upon knowing me,
and my jests, in drunkenness, made him my lovely one.
أَباO Abu مَخايالMakhayal لاnot تَعْدَمْmay you lack ضُحىًmorning brightness ودُجىًand night-darkness
أَبا مَخايال لا تَعْدَمْ ضُحىً ودُجىً
سِجالَbucketfuls كُلّevery مُلِثِّpersistent الوَدْقِrain سَحّاحِpouring copiously
سِجالَ كُلّ مُلِثِّ الوَدْقِ سَحّاحِ
O Abu Makhayal, may you never lack, morning or night,
the bucketfuls of every cloud that rains unceasingly and copiously.
إِنْif تُفْنِexhausts كَأْسُكَyour cup أَكْياسيmy purses فَإِنَّthen indeed بِهاthrough it
إِنْ تُفْنِ كَأْسُكَ أَكْياسي فَإِنَّ بِها
يَفُلُّrouts جَيْشَthe army of هُموميmy cares جَيْشُthe army of أَفْراحيmy joys
يَفُلُّ جَيْشَ هُمومي جَيْشُ أَفْراحي
If your cup drains my purses, then through it
the army of my joys routs the army of my cares.
وإِنْand if أُقِمْI set up سُوقَthe market of إِطْرابيmy merrymaking فَلاthen no عَجَبٌwonder
وإِنْ أُقِمْ سُوقَ إِطْرابي فَلا عَجَبٌ
هَذاthis بِذاكَfor that إِذاwhen ماfor emphasis قامَrise نُوّاحيmy mourners
هَذا بِذاكَ إِذا ما قامَ نُوّاحي
And if I set up the market of my merrymaking, no wonder:
this for that, whenever my mourners rise.
Sol 6.1