ضربٌa kind منof الشعرpoetry قسَّsought الأولونthe ancients إلىto
ضربٌ من الشعر قسَّ الأولون إلى
تجويدهِits perfection فغداso became كالعيِّlike one tongue-tied ذوpossessor of اللَّسنِeloquence
تجويدهِ فغدا كالعيِّ ذو اللَّسنِ
A kind of poetry the ancients sought to
A type of poetry the ancients refined
Perfect; so the eloquent became like one tongue-tied.
To perfect it, so it became like a sharp tongue
حبستُهI withheld it حيثwhere لاno كفوءٌa worthy equal فيسمعهُso he might hear it
حبستُه حيث لا كفوءٌ فيسمعهُ
كيلاlest أذيلَI debase عُلاهُits loftiness محبسَthe pen of البُدنِsacrificial camels
كيلا أذيلَ عُلاهُ محبسَ البُدنِ
I withheld it where there was no worthy peer to hear it,
I contained it where there is no equal to hear it
Lest I debase its loftiness in the pen of sacrificial camels.
Lest I diminish its loftiness, confined in bodies
وجئتُand I came منهُfrom it بغُرَّانٍwith radiant verses مُحبَّرةٍrichly embellished
وجئتُ منهُ بغُرَّانٍ مُحبَّرةٍ
تمشيwalk محاسنهاtheir beauties زهواًproudly إلىtoward الحسَنِal-Hasan
تمشي محاسنها زهواً إلى الحسَنِ
And I brought from it radiant, richly embellished verses,
And I brought from it couplets adorned
Their beauties walking proudly toward al-Hasan,
With beauties walking proudly to beauty
إلىtoward أغرَّa radiant man غضيضِlowered الطرفgaze يحسدُهenvies him
إلى أغرَّ غضيضِ الطرف يحسدُه
ماضيkeen الحسامthe sword وسحُّand the downpour العارضِof the raincloud الهتنsteadily raining
ماضي الحسام وسحُّ العارضِ الهتن
Toward a radiant man of modest gaze, envied
To the most tender, delicate glance, envied
By the keen sword and the raincloud's steady downpour.
By the past of swords and flood of arched eyebrows
إذاwhen سطاhe strikes fiercely فسيوفُthen the swords الهندof India نابيةٌfailing to cut
إذا سطا فسيوفُ الهند نابيةٌ
ويخجلand blushes الغيثthe rain منat نُعماهُhis bounty والمِنَنِand the benefactions
ويخجل الغيث من نُعماهُ والمِنَنِ
When he strikes, the swords of India fail to cut;
When Indian swords are drawn, bending
And the rain blushes at his bounty and benefactions.
And rain is shy of its blessings and favors
هوhe الكميُّthe armored warrior إذاwhen ضاقَgrew strait الجدالُthe debate ولمand did not
هو الكميُّ إذا ضاقَ الجدالُ ولم
يستبرقِbecome bewildered الحبرُthe scholar منfrom عيٍّinarticulacy ومنand from لَكنfaulty pronunciation
يستبرقِ الحبرُ من عيٍّ ومن لَكن
He is the armored warrior when debate grows strait, and
It is rhetorical when debate narrows and ink
The scholar does not become bewildered by inarticulacy or faulty pronunciation.
Does not flow from a pen, wet or dry
يشفيhe heals النفوسَthe souls جواباًwith an answer غيرnot مُلتبسٍambiguous
يشفي النفوسَ جواباً غير مُلتبسٍ
إذاwhen الفصيحُthe eloquent speaker منbecause of الإشكالperplexity لمdid not يُبنِmake clear
إذا الفصيحُ من الإشكال لم يُبنِ
He heals souls with an unambiguous answer,
It heals souls with unambiguous answers
When the eloquent speaker, perplexed, cannot make things clear.
When the eloquent cannot build from the problematic
مُستشعرٌwearing next to the skin منof تُقىreverence for الرحمنthe All-Merciful تُلبسهclothes him
مُستشعرٌ من تُقى الرحمن تُلبسه
فيin السرsecrecy والجهرand openness فضفاضاًample منof الجُننprotective armor
في السر والجهر فضفاضاً من الجُنن
He wears reverence for the All-Merciful as an inner garment; it clothes him
Sensing the piety of the Merciful, it clothes him
In secret and in public in ample armor.
In secret and openly in ample madness
أماتhe killed بالجودthrough generosity فقْرthe poverty of المُرْملينَthe destitute كماjust as
أمات بالجود فقْر المُرْملينَ كما
أحياhe revived بدائعthe marvels of علمٍlearning ميتِdead السُّننِthe traditions
أحيا بدائع علمٍ ميتِ السُّننِ
Through generosity he killed the poverty of the destitute, just as
It killed the poverty of the destitute as it
He revived the marvels of learning whose traditions had died.
Revived with masterful knowledge dead traditions
إنْif كانis بالريِّin Rayy مَثْواهُhis dwelling فمفخرهُthen his glory
إنْ كان بالريِّ مَثْواهُ فمفخرهُ
حَلْيُthe adornment of القبائلthe tribes منfrom قيسQays ومنand from يمنYemen
حَلْيُ القبائل من قيس ومن يمن
If his home is in Rayy, then his glory
If the meadows are its abode, its pride is
Is the adornment of the tribes of Qays and Yemen.
The adornment of tribes, from Qais and Yemen
Sol 6.1