اَياAh! ماhow أَحْسَنَbeautiful الْمَنْثُوthe stock flower (continued)
اَيا ما أَحْسَنَ الْمَنْثُو
رَcompletion of 'the stock flower' مَنْظُوماًstrung together وَمَنْثُوراand scattered
رَ مَنْظُوماً وَمَنْثُورا
Ah, how beautiful the stock flower,
O how beautiful is poetry,
strung together and scattered!
Whether in verse or prose,
وَماand how أَطْيَبَهُsweet it is نَشراًin fragrance
وَما أَطْيَبَهُ نَشراً
وَماand how أَشْرَقَهُradiant it is نُوراin light
وَما أَشْرَقَهُ نُورا
And how sweet its fragrance!
And how sweet is its diffusion,
And how radiant its light!
And how brilliant is its light.
وَياand oh! لِلْوَرْدِfor the rose ماhow أَبْهاsplendid
وَيا لِلْوَرْدِ ما أَبْها
هُit مَنْظُوراًbeheld وَمَخْبُوراand experienced
هُ مَنْظُوراً وَمَخْبُورا
And oh, the rose—how splendid
O, the rose - how splendid it is,
it is, beheld and experienced!
Seen or hidden.
يَقِلُّfalls short الْمِسْكُmusk مَفْتُوقاًunsealed
يَقِلُّ الْمِسْكُ مَفْتُوقاً
لَهُbeside it والرَّوْضُand the garden مَمْطُوراrain-drenched
لَهُ والرَّوْضُ مَمْطُورا
Unsealed musk falls short
Musk is diminished beside it,
beside it, as does the rain-drenched garden.
And the garden made fragrant.
كَاَنَّas though عَوارِضاًteeth revealed in a smile غُرَّاًbright white
كَاَنَّ عَوارِضاً غُرَّاً
بِهِin it أَوْor أَعْيُناًeyes حُوراdark-pupilled and bright-white
بِهِ أَوْ أَعْيُناً حُورا
As though there were gleaming teeth
As if its petals were rosy cheeks
in it, or eyes of vivid black and white.
Or the eyes of maidens.
تَراهُyou see it كَأنَّماas though أَهْدىoffered as a gift
تَراهُ كَأنَّما أَهْدى
أَكْفّاًhands لَمْdid not تَزِرْbear زُوراfalsehood
أَكْفّاً لَمْ تَزِرْ زُورا
You see it as though a gift were offered—
You'd think it hands of virgins,
hands that never bore falsehood—
Sealed and adorned.
عَذارىmaidens غُلْنَfettered أَيْدِيَهُtheir hands (suffix continued)
عَذارى غُلْنَ أَيْدِيَهُ
نَّcompletion of 'their' (feminine plural) تَخْتِيماًwith rings وَتَسْوِيراand with bracelets
نَّ تَخْتِيماً وَتَسْوِيرا
by maidens who fettered their hands
We lived by it a life
with rings and bracelets.
Confined to pleasures,
قَصَرْناwe confined عِنْدَهُbeside it عَيْشاًa life
قَصَرْنا عِنْدَهُ عَيْشاً
عَلَىto اللَّذاتِpleasures مَقْصُوراrestricted
عَلَى اللَّذاتِ مَقْصُورا
We confined our life beside it
And joy - and the youth who accompanied
to pleasures alone,
The days joyfully.
سُرُوراًin joy وَالْفَتىand the young man مَنْone who صاkept company (continued)
سُرُوراً وَالْفَتى مَنْ صا
حَبَcompletion of 'kept company' الأَيّامَthe days مَسْرُوراjoyful
حَبَ الأَيّامَ مَسْرُورا
in joy; a youth is one who keeps
It was as if we were with Abul-Yumn,
company with the days in gladness.
Who lived a fulfilled life.
كَأَنّاas though we بِاَبِيthrough Abu الْيُمْنِal-Yumn ('good fortune')
كَأَنّا بِاَبِي الْيُمْنِ
صَحِبْناwe accompanied الْعُمْرَthe lifetime مَعْمُوراfilled
صَحِبْنا الْعُمْرَ مَعْمُورا
As though, through Abu al-Yumn,
Such clarity - we see in it
we had lived a lifetime filled
No storms across the days.
صَفاءًserenity ماnot نَرىwe see فِيهِin it
صَفاءً ما نَرى فِيهِ
مَدىthroughout الأَيامِthe days تَكْدِيراclouding
مَدى الأَيامِ تَكْدِيرا
with serenity, in which we see no
clouding through all the days.
Partial English translation: 20 of 22 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1