يُرغي وَيُزبِدُ بِالقافاتِ تَحسَبُها

يُرغي وَيُزبِدُ بِالقافاتِ تَحسَبُها

قَصفَ المَدافِعِ في أُفقِ البَساتينِ

قَصفَ المَدافِعِ في أُفقِ البَساتينِ

He foams and froths with qāfs; you would take them for

He babbles and foams with rhymes, you'd think them

The thunder of cannons on al-Basatin's horizon.

The blasts of cannons on the skyline of orchards.

مِن كُلِّ قافٍ كَأَنَّ اللَهَ صَوَّرَها

مِن كُلِّ قافٍ كَأَنَّ اللَهَ صَوَّرَها

مِن مارِجِ النارِ تَصويرَ الشَياطينِ

مِن مارِجِ النارِ تَصويرَ الشَياطينِ

Each qāf seems as though God had fashioned it

From every rhyme, as if God had shaped it

From fire's smokeless flame, as He fashioned devils.

From the flames of Hell, a drawing of devils.

قَد خَصَّهُ اللَهُ بِالقافاتِ يَعلِكُها

قَد خَصَّهُ اللَهُ بِالقافاتِ يَعلِكُها

وَاِختَصَّ سُبحانَهُ بِالكافِ وَالنونِ

وَاِختَصَّ سُبحانَهُ بِالكافِ وَالنونِ

God has favored him with qāfs, which he chews,

God endowed him with rhymes, confounding them.

And He—glory be to Him—reserved kāf and nūn for Himself.

He chose him, Glory to Him, with kaf and nun.

يَغيبُ عَنهُ الحِجا حيناً وَيَحضُرُهُ

يَغيبُ عَنهُ الحِجا حيناً وَيَحضُرُهُ

حيناً فَيَخلِطُ مُختَلّاً بِمَوزونِ

حيناً فَيَخلِطُ مُختَلّاً بِمَوزونِ

Reason deserts him at times, and visits him

Sense escapes him a while, then comes back to him,

At others, so he mixes unmetrical verse with metrical verse.

Then he mixes, confused, measure and nonsense.

لا يَأمَنُ السامِعُ المِسكينُ وَثبَتَهُ

لا يَأمَنُ السامِعُ المِسكينُ وَثبَتَهُ

مِن كُردُفانِ إِلى أَعلى فِلَسطينِ

مِن كُردُفانِ إِلى أَعلى فِلَسطينِ

The hapless listener is never safe from his leap

The poor listener can't rely on his sanity

From Kordofan to upper Palestine.

From Kurdufan to the heights of Palestine,

بَينا تَراهُ يُنادي الناسَ في حَلَبٍ

بَينا تَراهُ يُنادي الناسَ في حَلَبٍ

إِذا بِهِ يَتَحَدّى القَومَ في الصينِ

إِذا بِهِ يَتَحَدّى القَومَ في الصينِ

While you see him calling to people in Aleppo,

While you see him hailing people in Aleppo,

Suddenly he is challenging the people in China.

Then challenging folk in China the next minute.

وَلَم يَكُن ذاكَ عَن طَيشٍ وَلا خَبَلٍ

وَلَم يَكُن ذاكَ عَن طَيشٍ وَلا خَبَلٍ

لَكِنَّها عَبقَرِيّاتُ الأَساطينِ

لَكِنَّها عَبقَرِيّاتُ الأَساطينِ

And that was not from recklessness or madness,

Yet that wasn't from whim or dementia -

But these are the feats of genius of the great masters.

But the genius flights of the masters.

يَبيتُ يَنسُجُ أَحلاماً مُذَهَّبَةً

يَبيتُ يَنسُجُ أَحلاماً مُذَهَّبَةً

تُغني تَفاسيرُها عَنِ اِبنِ سيرينِ

تُغني تَفاسيرُها عَنِ اِبنِ سيرينِ

He spends the night weaving gilded dreams,

He passes the night weaving gilded dreams

Whose interpretations leave no need for Ibn Sirin:

Whose interpretations outdo Ibn Sirin's.

طَوراً وَزيراً مُشاعاً في وِزارَتِهِ

طَوراً وَزيراً مُشاعاً في وِزارَتِهِ

يُصَرِّفُ الأَمرَ في كُلِّ الدَواوينِ

يُصَرِّفُ الأَمرَ في كُلِّ الدَواوينِ

At times, a minister with an unrestricted portfolio,

Now a minister ubiquitous in office,

Directing affairs in every government office;

Controlling affairs in each department,

وَتارَةً زَوجَ عُطبولٍ خَدَلَّجَةٍ

وَتارَةً زَوجَ عُطبولٍ خَدَلَّجَةٍ

حَسناءَ تَملِكُ آلافَ الفَدادينِ

حَسناءَ تَملِكُ آلافَ الفَدادينِ

And at others, husband to a long-necked, full-figured woman,

Now the husband of a slender, languid beauty,

A beauty who owns thousands of feddans.

A fair one commanding thousands of suitors,

يُعفى مِنَ المَهرِ إِكراماً لِلِحيَتِهِ

يُعفى مِنَ المَهرِ إِكراماً لِلِحيَتِهِ

وَما أَظَلَّتهُ مِن دُنيا وَمِن دينِ

وَما أَظَلَّتهُ مِن دُنيا وَمِن دينِ

He is exempted from the bridal dower, in honor of his beard

Exempted from dowry in honor of his beard

And the worldly and religious shade it has cast over him.

And all the worldly and religious shadows it casts.