قل لمن الغز السؤال وأرجى

قل لمن الغز السؤال وأرجى

دونه من ذكاه ما لا يسف

دونه من ذكاه ما لا يسف

Say to him who made the question a riddle and held back

Say to the one who asks the riddle and I hope

before it that part of his wit which never stoops low:

That he, with his intelligence, does not reveal

ان يكن قد سترته بحجاب

ان يكن قد سترته بحجاب

فلكم قد صد عن حجاب وسجف

فلكم قد صد عن حجاب وسجف

If you have indeed hidden it behind a veil,

If I have veiled it with a veil

he has often turned away from a veil and a curtain.

Then how often has he been blocked from the veil and shed

قلت ما اسم إذا رقمت فما ان

قلت ما اسم إذا رقمت فما ان

فيه يلقى لموضع النقط حرف

فيه يلقى لموضع النقط حرف

You said: What name, when written, has no

I said, what is the name if numbered, nothing that

letter in it on which dots may be placed?

In it, a dot finds a place for a letter

ثلثا ثلثه كثلثيه لكن

ثلثا ثلثه كثلثيه لكن

باعتبارين بان ما فيه عسف

باعتبارين بان ما فيه عسف

Two-thirds of its third are like its two-thirds, but

A third, a third of it, like two thirds of it, but

under two reckonings, it is clear that no strained interpretation is involved.

With two considerations, that there is no injustice in it

فاستمع ما يصاغ للسمع منه

فاستمع ما يصاغ للسمع منه

حين يصغى إليه قرط وشنف

حين يصغى إليه قرط وشنف

So listen to what is fashioned from it for the ear,

So listen to what is crafted for hearing from it

when one listens to it: an earring and an ear-pendant.

When it is listened to, an earring and bracelet

ذلك اسم إذا تفكرت فيه

ذلك اسم إذا تفكرت فيه

فهو للظهر وهو للبطن ألف

فهو للظهر وهو للبطن ألف

That is a name which, when you reflect on it,

That is the name, if you think about it

is a companion to the back, and to the belly.

It is for the back and it is for the belly, A

وهو بعض الورى وصدر المطايا

وهو بعض الورى وصدر المطايا

وهو من سائق الظعائن حلف

وهو من سائق الظعائن حلف

And it is part of creation, and the breast of the mounts.

And it is part of creation and the chest of desires

And it is an ally of the driver of the women in litters.

And it is from the driver of the camels, sworn

وهو أيضا ثلثاه ربع لثلث

وهو أيضا ثلثاه ربع لثلث

منه فاعجب والثلث للنصف نصف

منه فاعجب والثلث للنصف نصف

And its two-thirds are also a quarter of a third

And it is also a third of it, a quarter of a third

of it—so marvel! And the third is half of the half.

Of it, so wonder, and a third for half, half

وإذا ما محوت حرفين منه

وإذا ما محوت حرفين منه

ذهب الخمس والبقية حرف

ذهب الخمس والبقية حرف

And when you erase two letters from it,

And if I erase two letters from it

one-fifth vanishes, and the remainder is a letter.

The fifth is gone and the rest is a letter

فتفطن لما أقول ففيه

فتفطن لما أقول ففيه

لك عما سألتني عنه كشف

لك عما سألتني عنه كشف

So heed what I say, for in it

So be perceptive of what I say, in it

is an unveiling for you of what you asked me about.

For you, about what you asked me, an unveiling