أبياتكyour verses الغرradiant التيwhich أبدعتهاyou fashioned them
أبياتك الغر التي أبدعتها
تطوىare enfolded علىaround جملthe sum الجمالof beauty فصولهاtheir sections
تطوى على جمل الجمال فصولها
Your radiant verses, which you fashioned—
Your radiant verses that you composed
Their sections enfold the sum of beauty.
Unfold on camel litters of beauty and its seasons
قدindeed ألغزتyou posed a riddle ليto me فيabout مسمىa named thing واحدٍone
قد ألغزت لي في مسمى واحدٍ
ولهand it has مقاديرٌsizes تفاوتvaried طولهاtheir length
وله مقاديرٌ تفاوت طولها
You have posed me a riddle about a single named thing,
You spelled out one meaning to me
And it has sizes of varying lengths.
With measures that vary in length
كغمامةٍlike a cloud ترخىlets down علىupon ليلthe night الشباyouth (continued next line)
كغمامةٍ ترخى على ليل الشبا
بcompletes the Arabic word for 'youth' الغضfresh and tender أوor صبحthe dawn المشيبof gray hair ذيولهاits trailing skirts
ب الغض أو صبح المشيب ذيولها
Like a cloud that lets down upon the night of youth
Like a cloud spreading over the night of youth
In its freshness—or the dawn of gray hair—its trailing skirts.
Or the grey dawn with its trails
لاnot يستحيلchange إذاwhen قلبتyou turn حروفهits letters
لا يستحيل إذا قلبت حروفه
بالعكسin reverse بلrather يبقىremains لهاfor them مدلولهاtheir meaning
بالعكس بل يبقى لها مدلولها
It does not change when you turn its letters
It does not become nonsensical if its letters are reversed
Backwards; rather, their meaning remains the same.
Rather its meaning remains intact
وحروفهand its letters بيتa house; a verse وباقيand the remainder of لفظهits wording
وحروفه بيت وباقي لفظه
أسa foundation علىby means of التصحيفaltering letter-dots رحتI began أقولهاI say it
أس على التصحيف رحت أقولها
Its letters are a 'house,' and the rest of its wording
And its letters form a house while the rest of its utterance
A 'foundation'—I began to say it by altering the dots.
Is a foundation - though I hesitate to describe it thus
Sol 6.1