أَيُّwhat قَوافٍrhymes يَعزُّis rare مُونِقُهاtheir loveliest part
أَيُّ قَوافٍ يَعزُّ مُونِقُها
فيَستَرِقَّso that it enslaves القُلوبَthe hearts رَيِّقُهاtheir finest essence
فيَستَرِقَّ القُلوبَ رَيِّقُها
What rhymes have such rare loveliness
What rhyme schemes charm their composer
that their finest essence takes hearts captive?
That steal hearts with their gentle cadence
مصونَةٌkept inviolate والخُطوبُand misfortunes تَبذُلُهاdebase them
مصونَةٌ والخُطوبُ تَبذُلُها
أحسَنُهاtheir finest صَنعةًin craftsmanship وأرشَقُهاand their most graceful
أحسَنُها صَنعةً وأرشَقُها
Guarded, yet misfortunes debase them—
Protected yet giving freely of themselves
the finest in craftsmanship and the most graceful of them.
The finest made and most brilliant
عرائسbrides أهملتwere neglected ولاand not سيماthe like of
عرائس أهملت ولا سيما
أحسنهاtheir finest صنعةin craftsmanship وأرشقهاand their most graceful
أحسنها صنعة وأرشقها
Brides left neglected, especially
Neglected brides without peer
the finest in craftsmanship and the most graceful of them.
The finest made and most brilliant
وكانand used to جُودُgenerosity الكِرامِthe noble يُنبِتُهاmake them grow
وكان جُودُ الكِرامِ يُنبِتُها
فصارَso now مَنْعُwithholding اللِّئامِthe base يُحْرِقُهاburns them
فصارَ مَنْعُ اللِّئامِ يُحْرِقُها
The generosity of the noble once made them grow;
And the generosity of nobles brought them forth
but now the withholding of the base burns them.
While the stinginess of the ignoble burns them
سِيرواgo, all of you إلىtoward المَجدِglory قبلَbefore سائرَةٍa far-roaming poem
سِيروا إلى المَجدِ قبلَ سائرَةٍ
أطلقَI release منهاfrom it السِّباcaptivity وأطلَقَهاand unleash it
أطلقَ منها السِّبا وأطلَقَها
Go toward glory before a far-roaming poem
Journey to glory ahead of the caravan
that I free from captivity and unleash.
Freed from restraint, unfettered and loose
إنif أَكسُكُمْI clothe you منfrom مدائحيmy praises جُنَناًshields
إن أَكسُكُمْ من مدائحي جُنَناً
فإنَّthen indeed ليI have أسهُماًarrows تُمَزِّقُهاtear them apart
فإنَّ لي أسهُماً تُمَزِّقُها
If I clothe you in shields of my praises,
If my praises drive you mad
then I have arrows that tear them apart—
I have arrows that tear them apart
شَوارِداًfar-roaming فيthrough البِلادِthe lands ماnever افترَقَتْthey scattered
شَوارِداً في البِلادِ ما افترَقَتْ
إلاّexcept that رَأَيتَyou saw اللبيبَthe discerning man يَفرُقُهاfears them
إلاّ رَأَيتَ اللبيبَ يَفرُقُها
far-roaming through the lands; never have they scattered
Wandering in lands whenever we parted
without your seeing the discerning man dread them.
I saw only the wise distinguishing them
أمَّاas for ابنُson فَهْدٍFahd فقَدthen indeed وَرَدْتُI came to water لهbelonging to him
أمَّا ابنُ فَهْدٍ فقَد وَرَدْتُ له
مَوارِداًwatering places لمnot يكنْhe used to يُرَنِّقُهاmuddy them
مَوارِداً لم يكنْ يُرَنِّقُها
As for Ibn Fahd, I have come to his
As for Ibn Fahd, I came upon
watering places, which he never muddied:
Sources he had not polished to a sheen
صَنائِعٌfavors تُنشئbring forth المحامدَpraises كالْlike the
صَنائِعٌ تُنشئ المحامدَ كالْ
أَنْوَارِblossoms راحَbegan الحَياءُthe rain يَفتُقُهاopen them
أَنْوَارِ راحَ الحَياءُ يَفتُقُها
favors that bring forth praises, like the
Skills compose praises like
blossoms that the rain began to open.
Lights the shyness of dawn cracks open
فسَائِلاهُso ask him, you two الغَداةَin the morning كيفَhow سَلاgrew indifferent
فسَائِلاهُ الغَداةَ كيفَ سَلا
عَنِto القَوافيthe rhymes وكانand he used to يَعْشَقُهاadore them
عَنِ القَوافي وكان يَعْشَقُها
So ask him, you two, in the morning, how he grew indifferent
Asking him one morning about
to the rhymes, though he once adored them.
Rhyme schemes for which he yearned
فكلَّماso whenever عارَضَتْهthey appeared before him سافِرَةًunveiled
فكلَّما عارَضَتْه سافِرَةً
أعرضَhe turned away عنهاfrom them وكانand he used to يَرمُقُهاgaze at them
أعرضَ عنها وكان يَرمُقُها
So whenever they appeared before him unveiled,
Yet whenever one travelled to him
he turned away from them, though once he gazed at them.
He turned away though he glimpsed it
غَرائِبٌrare verses سامَهاhe subjected them to الجَفاءَcoldness وماand not
غَرائِبٌ سامَها الجَفاءَ وما
زالَceased جَفاءُcoldness الكريمِthe noble man يُقْلِقُهاunsettles them
زالَ جَفاءُ الكريمِ يُقْلِقُها
Rare verses he subjected to coldness—and never
Strange ones he named disdain but
has a noble man's coldness ceased to trouble them.
The disdain of the noble still troubles them
ولستُand I am not أحبوI bestow بهاwith them سِواهanyone but him ولاand not
ولستُ أحبو بها سِواه ولا
أُذْبِلُI cause to wilt ديباجَهاtheir brocade وأُخْلِقُهاand wear them out
أُذْبِلُ ديباجَها وأُخْلِقُها
And I give them to no one but him, nor
I love no other and will not
wilt their brocade and wear them threadbare.
Wilt their brocade or impugn it
فسوفَso shall أستشعرُI clothe myself in الجميلَthe beauty مِنَof الصْthe (start of 'patience')
فسوفَ أستشعرُ الجميلَ مِنَ الصْ
صَبْرِpatience عسىmay اللهُGod منهfrom him يَرزُقُهاgrant them sustenance
صَبْرِ عسى اللهُ منه يَرزُقُها
So I shall clothe myself in the beauty of
I will soon sense the beauty of
patience; may God grant them sustenance from him.
Patience - may God grant it to them
Sol 6.1