وأدورَ ميَّاسِ العواطف أصبحت

وأدورَ ميَّاسِ العواطف أصبحت

محاسنه في الناس كالنَّوع في الجنس

محاسنه في الناس كالنَّوع في الجنس

And a round-eyed youth, his affections swaying gracefully—now

As the compass of emotions revolves,

His charms among men are like a species within a genus.

His virtues in people become like the genus in the species;

يدير على القرطاس أنمل كفه

يدير على القرطاس أنمل كفه

فيدرك أخفى الخطِّ في أيسر اللمس

فيدرك أخفى الخطِّ في أيسر اللمس

He moves his hand’s fingertips over the paper,

His fingers move across the paper

And perceives the faintest writing with the slightest touch.

Grasping the most obscure lines in the gentlest touch.

فقال فريق سحر بابل عنده

فقال فريق سحر بابل عنده

وقال فريق ليس هذا من الإِنس

وقال فريق ليس هذا من الإِنس

Then one group said, “He possesses Babylon’s sorcery”;

One group said it was the magic of Babylon in him,

And another group said, “This is no human being.”

Another group said this was not of human making.

فقلت لهم لم تفهموا سرَّ دركه

فقلت لهم لم تفهموا سرَّ دركه

على أنه للعقل أجلى من الشَّمس

على أنه للعقل أجلى من الشَّمس

So I told them, “You have not understood the secret of his perception,

I said to them you did not understand the secret of his grasp

Though to reason it is clearer than the sun:

For the mind is clearer than the sun.

فتى كفه جب القلوب فأصبحت

فتى كفه جب القلوب فأصبحت

مداركها أجفان أنمله الخمس

مداركها أجفان أنمله الخمس

A youth whose palm is a well of hearts—so now

The youth whose palm encompassed hearts, so they became

Their faculties of perception are the eyelids of his five fingertips.”

Understandings blinking at his five fingers.