بَياضُwhiteness صَحيفَةٍa page تَلتاحُgleams حُسناًwith beauty
بَياضُ صَحيفَةٍ تَلتاحُ حُسناً
كَمَتنِlike the flat of السَيفِthe sword فيin كَفِّthe palm of المَليحِthe lovely one
كَمَتنِ السَيفِ في كَفِّ المَليحِ
The whiteness of a page gleams beautifully,
The whiteness of a page that gleams with beauty
like a sword’s broad blade in a lovely one’s hand;
is like a sword's flat in the lovely one's palm;
كَغَيمٍlike a cloud رَقَّgrew thin فيin أَطرافِthe edges of جَوٍّa sky
كَغَيمٍ رَقَّ في أَطرافِ جَوٍّ
وَماءٍand water ساحَflowed فيin قاعٍa level plain فَسيحِspacious
وَماءٍ ساحَ في قاعٍ فَسيحِ
like a cloud grown sheer at the edges of the sky,
like a cloud grown thin at the sky's edges,
and water spreading over a spacious plain.
and water flowing across a spacious plain.
وَيَحكيand it resembles أَرضَa field كافورٍcamphor صَريحٍpure
وَيَحكي أَرضَ كافورٍ صَريحٍ
بِهاupon it نَبذٌscattered bits مِنَof المُسكِthe musk الذَبيحِextracted from its slit-open pouch
بِها نَبذٌ مِنَ المُسكِ الذَبيحِ
It resembles a field of pure camphor,
And it resembles a field of pure camphor,
strewn with fragments of slit-open musk—
upon it scattered grains of musk from a slit-open pouch;
كَمِثلِjust like اللَيلِthe night فيin صُبحٍa dawn صَديعٍbreaking through darkness
كَمِثلِ اللَيلِ في صُبحٍ صَديعٍ
وَمِثلَand like الصَدغِthe temple-lock فيon وَجهٍa face صَبيحِradiant
وَمِثلَ الصَدغِ في وَجهٍ صَبيحِ
like night within a dawn breaking open,
like night within a breaking dawn,
or a temple-lock against a radiant face.
and like a temple-lock upon a radiant face.
وَبَينَand between سُطورِهِits lines عَجَمٌdiacritical dots مُصيبٌwell-placed
وَبَينَ سُطورِهِ عَجَمٌ مُصيبٌ
كَمِثلِjust like الخالِthe beauty mark فيon الخَدِّthe cheek المَليحِlovely
كَمِثلِ الخالِ في الخَدِّ المَليحِ
And among its lines are unerringly placed dots,
And between its lines are well-placed dots,
like a beauty mark upon a lovely cheek.
like a beauty mark upon a lovely cheek.
Sol 6.1