عَشِقْتُI fell in love with مَنone whose رِيقَتُهُhis saliva قَرْقَفٌwine
عَشِقْتُ مَن رِيقَتُهُ قَرْقَفٌ
وَمالَهُand he had no إذْat the time of ذَاكَthat مِنany شَارِبِa moustache
وَمالَهُ إذْ ذَاكَ مِن شَارِبِ
I fell in love with one whose saliva is wine,
I fell for one whose spit was cloves,
and who then had no moustache.
Though then he had no drinking-mate.
قَلَنْدرِىٌّa Qalandari dervish حَلَقُواthey shaved حَاجِباًan eyebrow
قَلَنْدرِىٌّ حَلَقُوا حَاجِباً
لَهُhe has كَنُونِlike the letter nūn of الخَطِّwriting (khaṭṭ) مِنof حاجِبِan eyebrow
لَهُ كَنُونِ الخَطِّ مِن حاجِبِ
A Qalandari—they shaved away an eyebrow;
A handsome pale one, tweezed of brow—
what eyebrow he has is like the nūn in khaṭṭ (‘writing’).
His brow had script’s own flourishes.
سُلُطَانُa sultan حُسْنٍbeauty زَادَincreased فيin عَدْلهِhis justice
سُلُطَانُ حُسْنٍ زَادَ في عَدْلهِ
فاخْتَارَso he chose أَنْto يَبقَىremain بِلاwithout حَاجِبِa chamberlain
فاخْتَارَ أَنْ يَبقَى بِلا حَاجِبِ
A sultan of beauty who grew more just,
A sultan of beauty, his justice grew;
so he chose to remain without a chamberlain.
He chose to remain with no eyebrow.
Sol 6.1