طَيفٌa dream-vision أَلَمَّvisited فَحَيّاthen greeted عِندَupon مَشهَدِهِits appearance
طَيفٌ أَلَمَّ فَحَيّا عِندَ مَشهَدِهِ
قَدindeed كانَwas يَشفيhealing المُعَنّىthe tormented lover مِنof تَلَدُّدِهِhis bewilderment
قَد كانَ يَشفي المُعَنّى مِن تَلَدُّدِهِ
A dream-vision visited and greeted me when it appeared;
A specter pained me, so I bid it hail
it had relieved the tormented lover of his bewilderment.
At the sight, though it did my senses curtail
تَجاوَزَcrossed الرَملَthe sands يَسريtraveling by night فيthrough أَعِقَّتِهِits ravines
تَجاوَزَ الرَملَ يَسري في أَعِقَّتِهِ
ماthe stretch بَينَbetween أَغوارِهِits valleys السُفلىthe lower وَأَنجُدِهِand its uplands
ما بَينَ أَغوارِهِ السُفلى وَأَنجُدِهِ
It crossed the sands, journeying by night through their ravines,
It strode over the sands walking proudly erect
between their lower valleys and their uplands.
Between its deepest valleys and mountains unchecked
باتَspent the night يَجوبُroaming الفَلاthe wilderness مِنfrom جانِبَيthe two sides of إِضَمٍIḍam
باتَ يَجوبُ الفَلا مِن جانِبَي إِضَمٍ
حَتّىuntil اِهتَدىfound its way لِرَمِيِّto one pierced in القَلبِthe heart مُقضَدِهِits mortally stricken victim
حَتّى اِهتَدى لِرَمِيِّ القَلبِ مُقضَدِهِ
It spent the night roaming the wastes from either side of Iḍam,
It wandered the expanse from side to side
until it found the one pierced through the heart, its slain victim.
Until it found what its heart did decide
عَصىrebelled عَلىagainst نَهيِthe prohibition of ناهيهِhis admonisher وَلَجَّand persisted بِهِwith him
عَصى عَلى نَهيِ ناهيهِ وَلَجَّ بِهِ
دَمعٌtears أَبَرَّwent further عَلىthan إِسعادِthe consolation of مُسعِدِهِhis comforter
دَمعٌ أَبَرَّ عَلى إِسعادِ مُسعِدِهِ
They defied his admonisher's prohibition and clung to him—
It disobeyed its dissenters and persisted ahead
tears that outdid his comforter in consolation.
A teardrop, in making its joyous one glad, it shed
صَبُّinfatuated بِمُبريهِwith the one who cures him مِنof سُقمٍsickness وَمُدنِفِهِand the one who gravely sickens him
صَبُّ بِمُبريهِ مِن سُقمٍ وَمُدنِفِهِ
مِنهُwith it وَمُدنيهِand the one who draws him near مِنthrough وَصلٍunion وَمُبعِدِهِand the one who keeps him far away
مِنهُ وَمُدنيهِ مِن وَصلٍ وَمُبعِدِهِ
Enamored of the one who cures him of sickness and makes him gravely ill
It poured with its rain of sickness and discontent
with it, who draws him near through union and keeps him far away.
Both its downpour and my own lament
وَقَدand indeed نَهَيتُI forbade فُؤاديmy heart لَوif only يُطاوِعُنيit would obey me
وَقَد نَهَيتُ فُؤادي لَو يُطاوِعُني
عَنfrom ذيone possessing دَلالٍcoy charm غَريبِrare in الحُسنِbeauty مُفرَدِهِunique in it
عَن ذي دَلالٍ غَريبِ الحُسنِ مُفرَدِهِ
And I have forbidden my heart—if only it would obey me—
Though I told my heart if it would obey
from one of coy charm, rare and unrivaled in beauty,
To forget that beauty uniquely on display
عَنfrom حُبِّloving أَحوىa dark-lipped one أَسيلِsmooth of الخَدِّcheek أَبيَضِهِwhite in it
عَن حُبِّ أَحوى أَسيلِ الخَدِّ أَبيَضِهِ
ساجيlanguid of الجُفونِeyelids كَحيلِkohl-dark of الطَرفِeye أَسوَدِهِblack in it
ساجي الجُفونِ كَحيلِ الطَرفِ أَسوَدِهِ
from loving a dark-lipped beauty, smooth and white of cheek,
To forget the love that deeper grew
languid of eyelids, kohl-dark and black of eye;
Of soft cheeks white and eyelids black of hue
مِثلِlike الكَثيبِthe sand dune تَعالىrose high فيin تَراكُمِهِits piled fullness
مِثلِ الكَثيبِ تَعالى في تَراكُمِهِ
مِثلِlike القَضيبِthe slender bough تَثَنّىbent and swayed فيin تَأَوَّدِهِits bending
مِثلِ القَضيبِ تَثَنّى في تَأَوَّدِهِ
like a sand dune rising high in its piled fullness,
Like a dune through accumulation it did mound
like a slender bough, bending as it sways.
Like a staff through bending it was bound
لَتَسرِيَنَّshall surely travel by night قَوافيthe rhymes of الشِعرِpoetry مُعجِلَةًhastening
لَتَسرِيَنَّ قَوافي الشِعرِ مُعجِلَةً
ماthe stretch بَينَamong سُيَّرِهِits circulating verses المُثلىthe finest وَشُرَّدِهِand its far-roaming verses
ما بَينَ سُيَّرِهِ المُثلى وَشُرَّدِهِ
Poetry's rhymes shall surely journey by night in haste,
You will compose poetry whose rhymes hurry along
among its finest circulating verses and its far-roaming ones,
Between their finest and most scattered song
جَوازِياًas recompenses حَسَناًfair عَنfor حُسنِthe beauty of أَنعُمِهِhis favors
جَوازِياً حَسَناً عَن حُسنِ أَنعُمِهِ
وَعَنand for بَواديهِhis initial gifts فيin الجَدوىbounty وَعُوَّدِهِand his repeated gifts
وَعَن بَواديهِ في الجَدوى وَعُوَّدِهِ
giving fair recompense for the beauty of his favors,
To relay the beauty of its fairest themes
and for his first acts of bounty and his repeated gifts.
And of its lands in purpose and dreams
المُفتَديthe ransom-giver وَمُلوكُwhile the kings of العُجمِthe non-Arabs خاضِعَةٌare submissive
المُفتَدي وَمُلوكُ العُجمِ خاضِعَةٌ
لِفَرعِهِto his branch المُعتَليexalted فيهِمamong them وَمَحتِدِهِand his ancestral stock
لِفَرعِهِ المُعتَلي فيهِم وَمَحتِدِهِ
The giver of ransom, while the kings of the non-Arabs bow
Al-Mu'tadid and kings of foreign tongues
to his branch, exalted among them, and his ancestral stock;
Are humbled by its ascendant spear that plunges
وَالمُرتَقيand the one ascending شَرَفَthe height of العَلياءِglory مُمتَثِلاًemulating
وَالمُرتَقي شَرَفَ العَلياءِ مُمتَثِلاً
مَكانَthe station of جَرّاحِهِhis Jarrāḥ مِنهاwithin it وَمَخلِدِهِand his Makhlid
مَكانَ جَرّاحِهِ مِنها وَمَخلِدِهِ
and he who ascends the height of glory, emulating
And the rising above the noblest stars
the station there of his Jarrāḥ and his Makhlid.
Filling the space its wounds and resting place mark
غايَةُthe goal of آمالِناour hopes القُصوىthe furthest وَعُدَّتُناand our resource الthe
غايَةُ آمالِنا القُصوى وَعُدَّتُنا ال
عُظمىgreatest لِأَقرَبِfor the nearest of ماwhat نَرجوwe hope for وَأَبعَدِهِand the farthest of it
عُظمى لِأَقرَبِ ما نَرجو وَأَبعَدِهِ
The utmost goal of our hopes, and our resource—the
Our highest hopes and greatest armament
greatest—for the nearest and farthest things we hope for.
For the nearest and farthest of what we want
نَستَأنِفُwe receive anew النِعمَةَthe blessing الطولىfar-reaching العَريضَةَwide-spreading مِنfrom
نَستَأنِفُ النِعمَةَ الطولى العَريضَةَ مِن
إِنعامِهِhis generosity وَاليَدَand the hand البَيضاءَwhite; beneficent مِنfrom يَدِهِhis hand
إِنعامِهِ وَاليَدَ البَيضاءَ مِن يَدِهِ
We receive anew far-reaching, wide-spreading favor from
We will reclaim the greatest boon profuse
his generosity, and the white hand of kindness from his hand.
From His gift and the hand white to diffuse
إِنif لَؤُمَprove base الناسُpeople عِشناwe live فيin تَكَرُّمِهِhis generosity
إِن لَؤُمَ الناسُ عِشنا في تَكَرُّمِهِ
أَوor أَخلَقَgrow threadbare الناسُpeople عُدناwe return فيin تَجَدُّدِهِhis renewal
أَو أَخلَقَ الناسُ عُدنا في تَجَدُّدِهِ
If people prove base, we live within his generosity;
If people betray, we live on as He endows
or if people grow threadbare, we return to his renewal.
Or people resent, we remain as He allows
إِذاwhen الرِجالَmen اِستَذَمّواincur blame عِندَduring نائِبَةٍa calamity
إِذا الرِجالَ اِستَذَمّوا عِندَ نائِبَةٍ
فاضَتoverflowed يَداهُhis two hands فَأَربىand so he excelled فيin تَحَمُّدِهِhis earning praise
فاضَت يَداهُ فَأَربى في تَحَمُّدِهِ
When men incur reproach in a calamity,
When men were tested by what did impend
his hands overflow, and he excels in earning praise.
His hands poured forth and in protection did spend
لاno يَومَday نَشكُرُwe give thanks for إِلّاexcept يَومَthe day of نائِلِهِhis bounty
لا يَومَ نَشكُرُ إِلّا يَومَ نائِلِهِ
فيناamong us وَلاand no غَدَtomorrow نَرجوهُwe hope for it سِوىexcept غَدِهِhis tomorrow
فينا وَلا غَدَ نَرجوهُ سِوى غَدِهِ
We thank no day but the day of his bounty
We thank not but the day of His bestowal
among us, and hope for no tomorrow but his tomorrow.
In us, and expect none but the morrow He holds
يُضيءُhe shines فيin أَثَرِthe wake of المَعروفِkindness مُبتَهِجاًrejoicing
يُضيءُ في أَثَرِ المَعروفِ مُبتَهِجاً
كَالبَدرِlike the full moon وافىarrived تَماماًat fullness وَقتَat the time of أَسعُدِهِits auspicious stars
كَالبَدرِ وافى تَماماً وَقتَ أَسعُدِهِ
He shines joyfully in the wake of a good deed,
It shines in the wake of kindness elated
like the full moon reaching fullness in the hour of its auspicious stars.
Like the full moon that came at its fated
إِذاwhen وَصَلتُI attach بِهِto him فيin مَطلَبٍa quest أَمَلاًa hope
إِذا وَصَلتُ بِهِ في مَطلَبٍ أَمَلاً
رَأَيتُI see مَصدَرَthe outcome of أَمريmy undertaking قَبلَbefore مَورِدِهِits outset
رَأَيتُ مَصدَرَ أَمري قَبلَ مَورِدِهِ
When, in a quest, I attach a hope to him,
Whenever I seek from Him a hoped goal
I see my undertaking's outcome before its outset.
I find the source of my matter before its shoal
ياO أَيُّهاyou السَيِّدُthe lord المُجريwho directs خَلائِقَهُhis character traits
يا أَيُّها السَيِّدُ المُجري خَلائِقَهُ
عَلىin accordance with سَوابِقِthe precedents of عَلياهُhis eminence وَسُؤدُدِهِand his nobility
عَلى سَوابِقِ عَلياهُ وَسُؤدُدِهِ
O lord, who directs his character
O You who destines all creatures their roles
in keeping with the precedents of his eminence and nobility,
Upon the excellent precedents You extol
أَنتَyou الكَريمُthe generous one وَقَدand already قَدَّمتَhave offered مُبتَدِئاًtaking the initiative
أَنتَ الكَريمُ وَقَد قَدَّمتَ مُبتَدِئاً
وَعداًa promise وَكُلُّand every كَريمٍgenerous person عِندَat مَوعِدِهِhis promised time
وَعداً وَكُلُّ كَريمٍ عِندَ مَوعِدِهِ
you are the generous one, and have already offered, unprompted,
You are the Benevolent, You began by giving
a promise—and every generous man fulfills it when it is due.
Your word, and every benevolent one keeps living
وَلاِبنِand for the son of داوُدَDāwūd مَطلٌdelaying fulfillment أَنتَyou تَعرِفُهُknow it
وَلاِبنِ داوُدَ مَطلٌ أَنتَ تَعرِفُهُ
إِنif لَمdo not تَرُضهُtame him وَتَحلُلand loosen مِنsome of تَعَقُّدِهِhis entanglement
إِن لَم تَرُضهُ وَتَحلُل مِن تَعَقُّدِهِ
And Ibn Dāwūd's stalling is something you know,
For David's son there is a wish You see
if you do not tame him and loosen his tangled knots.
That unless You like it and absolve its complexity
Sol 6.1