وكَرمةٍand a vine أعراقُهاher roots فيin الثَّرَىthe earth
وكَرمةٍ أعراقُها في الثَّرَى
بعيدةِfar-reaching المنزِعِthe origin والمضرَبِand the stock
بعيدةِ المنزِعِ والمضرَبِ
And a vine whose roots lie in the earth,
A generous vine whose roots are in the soil
far-reaching in origin and stock,
Far from uprooting and destruction
كريمةٍnoble تلتفُّentwine أغصانُهاher branches الthe (continued on the next line)
كريمةٍ تلتفُّ أغصانُها ال
غضَّةُtender بالأقربِaround the nearest فالأقربِthen the next nearest
غضَّةُ بالأقربِ فالأقربِ
a noble vine, whose branches entwine,
A noble one whose green branches
tender, around the nearest, then the next.
Cling closely, nearer and nearer
تمتاحُdraw water منfrom قعرِthe depths of الثَّرىthe earth رِيَّهاher fill of water
تمتاحُ من قعرِ الثَّرى رِيَّها
أشطانُهاher ropes عفواًfreely ولمand did not تَجذِبِtug
أشطانُها عفواً ولم تَجذِبِ
Her fill is drawn from the depths of the earth
It drinks freely from the depths of the earth
by her ropes, freely, without her tugging.
Letting its tendrils spread freely, unconstrained
إِذاwhen ارتوتْshe drinks her fill منfrom مائِهاher water أسبلتْshe lets fall
إِذا ارتوتْ من مائِها أسبلتْ
جفونُهاher eyelids بالواكفِwith the streaming الصَّيِّبِdownpour
جفونُها بالواكفِ الصَّيِّبِ
When she drinks her fill of her water, she lets fall
When sated with water, it yields
from her eyelids a streaming downpour.
Closing its petals on pollinating insects
وإنْand if تغَشَّىis covered سِفلهاher lower part بالنَّدىwith dew
وإنْ تغَشَّى سِفلها بالنَّدى
أخصبَgrew fertile أعلاهاher upper part ولمand did not يُجدِبِbecome barren
أخصبَ أعلاها ولم يُجدِبِ
And if her lower part is cloaked in dew,
And if dew covers its lower parts
her upper part grows fertile, never barren.
It makes the top more fertile, not barren
ألقحَهاmade her conceive الريحُthe wind وصوبُand the downpour of الحَيَاrain
ألقحَها الريحُ وصوبُ الحَيَا
والشمسُand the sun فيin المشرقِthe east والمغربِand the west
والشمسُ في المشرقِ والمغربِ
The wind and the falling rain made her conceive,
Pollinated by the wind, facing east and west
and the sun in the east and the west.
And the sun, rising and setting
فأعقبتْso she bore offspring for عائِلَهاher provider بعدماafter
فأعقبتْ عائِلَها بعدما
عاشَhe lived زماناًa while وهيwhile she لمdid not تُعقِبِbear offspring
عاشَ زماناً وهي لم تُعقِبِ
So she bore her provider offspring, after he
It yielded fruit for its family after
had lived a while with her bearing none.
Living barren for so long
ووضَعتهاand she bore them نُجُبَاًnoble offspring تنتمِيtracing their descent
ووضَعتها نُجُبَاً تنتمِي
إِلىto أبٍa father أكرِمْhow noble بهhe is منas أبِa father
إِلى أبٍ أكرِمْ به من أبِ
And she brought them forth, noble offspring tracing their descent
And bore bunches belonging
to a father—how noble he is as a father!
To a father nobler than any father
وألحفتهاand she wrapped them خُضْرَgreen أوراقِهاher leaves
وألحفتها خُضْرَ أوراقِها
مغذوَّةًnourished بالحَلَبِwith milk الأعذَبِthe sweetest
مغذوَّةً بالحَلَبِ الأعذَبِ
And she wrapped them in her green leaves,
She clothed it in the green of her leaves
nourished with the sweetest milk.
Nourished by sweet milk
وأسكنتهاand lodged them الشمسُthe sun منthrough صنعةِthe craft of الthe (continued on the next line)
وأسكنتها الشمسُ من صنعةِ ال
تلويحِtinting فيin الأغربthe more wondrous فالأغربِthen the still more wondrous
تلويحِ في الأغرب فالأغربِ
And the sun lodged them, through the art of
And the sun inhabited it with his making
tinting, in ever more wondrous hues.
Rising here and rising there
فمهرتْso it excelled فيهاin it وجاءتْand it brought بماforth what
فمهرتْ فيها وجاءتْ بما
يبهرُdazzles منof مستحسَنٍsomething beautiful مُعْجِبِwondrous
يبهرُ من مستحسَنٍ مُعْجِبِ
So it excelled in that art and brought forth
So it blossomed and produced wonders
dazzling things, lovely and wondrous.
Amazing the admiring beholder
وبَدَّلتْand changed خُضْرَgreen عناقِيدِهاher clusters
وبَدَّلتْ خُضْرَ عناقِيدِها
بالأدهمِfor the black اليحمومِcoal-black والأشهبِand the ash-gray
بالأدهمِ اليحمومِ والأشهبِ
And changed her green clusters
And changed the green of its bunches
for coal-black and ash-gray.
To red, then brown, then wheaten
واستسلفتْand she borrowed in advance ماءًwater وجادتْand was generous بهِwith it
واستسلفتْ ماءً وجادتْ بهِ
مُدامةًwine كالقبَسِlike a firebrand المُلهَبِblazing
مُدامةً كالقبَسِ المُلهَبِ
And she borrowed water in advance and gave it freely
It borrowed water and gave freely
as wine, like a blazing firebrand.
Flowing like a blazing torch
ولمand did not تزلْcease بالرِفْقِwith gentleness حتىuntil اكتسَىbecame clothed
ولم تزلْ بالرِفْقِ حتى اكتسَى
لُجَيْنُهاher silver منfrom صبغهاher dye المُذهَبِgolden
لُجَيْنُها من صبغها المُذهَبِ
And she kept on gently, until
And gently yielded clusters
her silver was clothed in her golden dye.
Dyed with its gilded hue
فالأشقرُthus the tawny one المنتوجُborn منfrom نَسْلِهاher offspring
فالأشقرُ المنتوجُ من نَسْلِها
سليلُthe scion of ذاكَthat الأشهبِthe gray one المنجِبِthe fertile sire
سليلُ ذاكَ الأشهبِ المنجِبِ
Thus the tawny one, born from her offspring,
So the blonde produced from its lineage
is the scion of that fertile gray sire.
Is the offspring of that fawn parent
تَرىyou see الثُّريَّاthe Pleiades منamong عناقِيدِهاher clusters
تَرى الثُّريَّا من عناقِيدِها
تلوحgleaming فيin أخضرَgreenery كالغيهبِlike deep darkness
تلوح في أخضرَ كالغيهبِ
You see the Pleiades among her clusters,
You can see amid its bunches
gleaming in green as dark as night.
Green glimmering like fireflies
ألوانُهاher colors شَتَّىvaried وأنواعهاand her kinds
ألوانُها شَتَّى وأنواعها
متفقاتُalike in النَّجْرِstock والمنْصبِand lineage
متفقاتُ النَّجْرِ والمنْصبِ
Her colors are varied, and her kinds
Its colors various, its kinds
are alike in stock and lineage.
Consonant, well-arranged
كمhow much سبجٍjet فيهاin her وكمand how many جَزعةٍan onyx bead
كم سبجٍ فيها وكم جَزعةٍ
صحيحةِperfect in التدويرِroundness لمnot تُثقَبِpierced
صحيحةِ التدويرِ لم تُثقَبِ
How much jet is in her, how many onyx beads,
So many greens and yellows!
perfectly rounded, never pierced:
Whole and untouched by boredom
منsome of حالكِpitch-black اللونِhue كجُنْحِlike the gloom of الدُّجَىnight
من حالكِ اللونِ كجُنْحِ الدُّجَى
وناصعٍand bright يلمعُgleaming كالكوكبِlike a star
وناصعٍ يلمعُ كالكوكبِ
some pitch-black in hue, like the gloom of night,
Some dark as the wing of night
and some bright, gleaming like a star.
Others bright, gleaming like stars
كأنماas though تحمِلُcarry حَباتِهاher berries
كأنما تحمِلُ حَباتِها
أكارِعُthe legs of النغرانِthe sparrows بالمخلبِwith the claw
أكارِعُ النغرانِ بالمخلبِ
It is as though her berries were carried
As if its berries carried
by sparrows' legs, with their claws.
Falcons' anklets on their claws
خَيْلانtwo troops of horses منof رُومRomans وزَنْجٍand Zanj غدتْhave come to be
خَيْلان من رُوم وزَنْجٍ غدتْ
فيin جُنَنٍshields خُضْرٍgreen لهاfor them تجتبيshe selects
في جُنَنٍ خُضْرٍ لها تجتبي
Two cavalry troops, of Romans and Zanj, now stand
Two steeds from Rum and Africa grown
in green shields she selects for them.
In a green paradise for them to graze
أطيِبْhow delightful بهاshe is حِلَّاًlawful ومحظورةًand forbidden
أطيِبْ بها حِلَّاً ومحظورةً
فيin كَرْمهاher vineyard أوor كأسِهاher cup أطيِبِhow delightful
في كَرْمها أو كأسِها أطيِبِ
How delightful she is, lawful and forbidden—
Sweeter here as fruit or forbidden
in her vineyard or her cup, how delightful!
In its vine or cup, sweeter
Sol 6.1