ماnot زِلتُI have ceased أَسمَعُI hear أَنَّthat المُلوكَkings
ما زِلتُ أَسمَعُ أَنَّ المُلوكَ
تَبنيbuild عَلىaccording to قَدرِthe measure of أَخطارِهاtheir stature
تَبني عَلى قَدرِ أَخطارِها
I have always heard that kings
build in keeping with their stature.
وَأَعلَمُand I know أَنَّthat عُقولَthe minds of الرِجاmen (first part)
وَأَعلَمُ أَنَّ عُقولَ الرِجا
لِ(completes 'men') يُقضىjudgment is passed عَلَيهاupon them بِآثارِهاby their works
لِ يُقضى عَلَيها بِآثارِها
And I know that the minds of men
are judged by their works.
فَلِلرومِso Rome has ماwhat شادَهُbuilt it الأَوَّلونَthe ancients
فَلِلرومِ ما شادَهُ الأَوَّلونَ
وَلِلفُرسِand Persia has مَأثورُthe legacy of أَحرارِهاits noblemen
وَلِلفُرسِ مَأثورُ أَحرارِها
So Rome has what the ancients built,
and Persia the legacy of its noblemen.
فَلَمّاthen when رَأَيناwe saw بِناءَthe building of الإِمامِthe Imam
فَلَمّا رَأَينا بِناءَ الإِمامِ
رَأَيناwe saw الخِلافَةَthe caliphate فيin دارِهاits home
رَأَينا الخِلافَةَ في دارِها
Then, when we saw the Imam's building,
we saw the caliphate in its own home.
وَكُنّاand we used to نَعُدُّreckon لَهاfor it نَخوَةًpride
وَكُنّا نَعُدُّ لَها نَخوَةً
فَطَأمَنتَso you humbled نَخوَةَthe pride of جَبّارِهاits tyrant
فَطَأمَنتَ نَخوَةَ جَبّارِها
We had credited it with pride,
but you humbled the pride of its tyrant.
وَأَنشَأَتَand you created تَحتَجُّarguing the case لِلمُسلِمينَfor the Muslims
وَأَنشَأَتَ تَحتَجُّ لِلمُسلِمينَ
عَلىagainst مُلحِديهاits heretics وَكُفّارِهاand its unbelievers
عَلى مُلحِديها وَكُفّارِها
And you raised, to plead the Muslims' cause
against its heretics and unbelievers,
بَدائِعَmarvels لَمdid not تَرَهاsee them فارِسٌPersia
بَدائِعَ لَم تَرَها فارِسٌ
وَلاnor الرّومُRome فيthroughout طولِthe length of أَعمارِهاtheir lifetimes
وَلا الرّومُ في طولِ أَعمارِها
marvels that Persia had never seen,
nor Rome throughout their long lifetimes.
صُحونٌcourtyards تُسافِرُtravel فيهاthrough them العُيونُthe eyes
صُحونٌ تُسافِرُ فيها العُيونُ
وَتَحسِرُand grow weary عَنshort of بُعدِthe remoteness of أَقطارِهاtheir bounds
وَتَحسِرُ عَن بُعدِ أَقطارِها
Courtyards through which the eyes travel,
and tire before reaching their distant bounds.
وَقُبَّةُand a dome of مُلكٍkingship كَأَنَّas though النُجوthe stars (first part)
وَقُبَّةُ مُلكٍ كَأَنَّ النُجو
مَ(completes 'stars') تُفضيconfide إِلَيهاto it بِأَسرارِهاwith their secrets
مَ تُفضي إِلَيها بِأَسرارِها
And a royal dome, as though the stars
confide their secrets to it.
تَخِرُّfall down الوُفودُthe delegations لَهاbefore it سُجَّداًprostrate
تَخِرُّ الوُفودُ لَها سُجَّداً
إِذاwhen ما(emphasis) تَجَلَّتit reveals itself لِأَبصارِهاto their eyes
إِذا ما تَجَلَّت لِأَبصارِها
Delegations fall prostrate before it
when it reveals itself to their eyes.
إِذاwhen لَمَعَتit gleams تَستَبينُdiscern العُيوthe eyes (first part)
إِذا لَمَعَت تَستَبينُ العُيو
نُ(completes 'eyes') فيهاin it مَنابِتَthe roots of أَشفارِهاtheir eyelashes
نُ فيها مَنابِتَ أَشفارِها
When it gleams, the eyes discern
within it the roots of their own lashes.
وَإِنand if أوقِدَتis kindled نارُهاits fire بِالعِراin Iraq (first part)
وَإِن أوقِدَت نارُها بِالعِرا
قِ(completes 'Iraq') ضاءَilluminated الحِجازَthe Hijaz سَناthe glow of نارِهاits fire
قِ ضاءَ الحِجازَ سَنا نارِها
And if its fire is lit in Iraq,
its fiery glow lights up the Hijaz.
لَهاit has شُرُفاتٌparapets كَأَنَّas though الرَبيعَspring
لَها شُرُفاتٌ كَأَنَّ الرَبيعَ
كَساهاclothed them الرِياضَgardens بِأَنوارِهاwith their blossoms
كَساها الرِياضَ بِأَنوارِها
It has parapets, as though spring
had robed them in gardens with all their blossoms.
نَظَمنَthey strung الفُسَيفُسَthe mosaics نَظمَthe stringing of الحُلِيِّjewelry
نَظَمنَ الفُسَيفُسَ نَظمَ الحُلِيِّ
لِعونِfor the mature among النِساءِwomen وَأَبكارِهاand their maidens
لِعونِ النِساءِ وَأَبكارِها
They have strung mosaics as jewels are strung
for matronly women and maidens.
فَهُنَّso they كَمُصطَبِحاتٍlike women drinking morning wine بَرَزنَcame forth
فَهُنَّ كَمُصطَبِحاتٍ بَرَزنَ
بِفِصحِat the Easter of النَصارىthe Christians وَإِفطارِهاand their breaking of the fast
بِفِصحِ النَصارى وَإِفطارِها
So they are like women coming out for morning wine
at the Christians' Easter and their breaking of the fast.
فَمِنهُنَّso among them عاقِصَةٌone braiding شَعرَهاher hair
فَمِنهُنَّ عاقِصَةٌ شَعرَها
وَمُصلِحَةٌand one adjusting عَقدُthe knot of زُنّارِهاher girdle
وَمُصلِحَةٌ عَقدُ زُنّارِها
One among them is braiding her hair,
another adjusting the knot of her girdle.
وَسَطحٍand a terrace عَلىon شاهِقٍa lofty height مُشرِفٍcommanding
وَسَطحٍ عَلى شاهِقٍ مُشرِفٍ
عَلَيهِupon it النَخيلُthe palm trees بِأَثمارِهاwith their fruit
عَلَيهِ النَخيلُ بِأَثمارِها
And a terrace on a lofty, commanding height,
upon it stand palm trees with their fruit.
إِذاwhen الريحُthe wind هَبَّتblows لَهاupon them أَسمَعَتmakes heard
إِذا الريحُ هَبَّت لَها أَسمَعَت
غِناءَthe singing of القِيانِsinging slave-girls بِأَوتارِهاwith their strings
غِناءَ القِيانِ بِأَوتارِها
When the wind blows through them, you hear
the song of slave-girls with their strings.
وَفَوّارَةٍand a fountain ثَأرُهاits vengeance فيin السَماءِthe sky
وَفَوّارَةٍ ثَأرُها في السَماءِ
فَلَيسَتso it does not تُقَصِّرُfall short عَنof ثارِهاits vengeance
فَلَيسَت تُقَصِّرُ عَن ثارِها
And a fountain with vengeance to seek in the sky,
never falling short in its revenge.
تَرُدُّit returns عَلىto المُزنِthe rainclouds ماwhat أَنزَلَتthey sent down
تَرُدُّ عَلى المُزنِ ما أَنزَلَت
عَلىupon الأَرضِthe earth مِنof صَوبِthe downpour of مِدرارِهاtheir copious rain
عَلى الأَرضِ مِن صَوبِ مِدرارِها
It returns to the rainclouds what they sent down
upon the earth in their abundant downpour.
لَوَif اَنَّthat سُلَيمانَSolomon أَدَّتconveyed لَهُto him
لَوَ اَنَّ سُلَيمانَ أَدَّت لَهُ
شَياطينُهُhis demons بَعضَsome أَخبارِهاreports of it
شَياطينُهُ بَعضَ أَخبارِها
Had Solomon been brought
by his demons some account of it,
لَأَيقَنَhe would surely have known أَنَّthat بَنيthe sons of هاشِمٍHashim
لَأَيقَنَ أَنَّ بَني هاشِمٍ
يُفَضِّلُهاmakes them preeminent عُظمُthe greatness of أَخطارِهاtheir worth
يُفَضِّلُها عُظمُ أَخطارِها
he would have known for certain that the sons of Hashim
are made preeminent by the greatness of their worth.
فَلاso may it never زالَتِcease الأَرضُthe earth مَعمورَةًflourishing
فَلا زالَتِ الأَرضُ مَعمورَةً
بِعُمرِكَthrough your life ياO خَيرَbest of عُمّارِهاits builders
بِعُمرِكَ يا خَيرَ عُمّارِها
May the earth never cease to flourish
through your life, O best of its builders!
تَبَوَّأتُI settled in بَعدَكَafter you قَعرَthe depths of السُجونِthe prisons
تَبَوَّأتُ بَعدَكَ قَعرَ السُجونِ
وَقَدand indeed كُنتُI used to أَرثيfeel pity لِزُوّارِهاfor their visitors
وَقَد كُنتُ أَرثي لِزُوّارِها
After you, I dwelt in the depths of prisons,
though once I pitied those who visited them.
Sol 6.1