ياO! حُسْنَهُits beauty منْas a مُلْزَمٍbound volume آثارُهُits marks
يا حُسْنَهُ منْ مُلْزَمٍ آثارُهُ
بذَويupon practitioners of الوِراقَةِthe book trade أحسَنُthe finest of الآثارِmarks
بذَوي الوِراقَةِ أحسَنُ الآثارِ
How lovely a bound volume, whose marks
Upon those in the book trade are the finest of marks!
وكأنّماand as though الكُرّاسُthe quire طِرْفٌa noble steed أشْهَبٌgrey
وكأنّما الكُرّاسُ طِرْفٌ أشْهَبٌ
شدّواthey fastened tightly علىupon شفَتَيْهِits two lips عودَthe stick of الزّيارِthe twitch (horse restraint)
شدّوا على شفَتَيْهِ عودَ الزّيارِ
And it is as though the quire were a grey steed,
Upon whose lips they have fastened a wooden twitch.
وكأنّماand as though قلَمُthe pen of الكِتابِthe book بصَفْحِهِon its page
وكأنّما قلَمُ الكِتابِ بصَفْحِهِ
يكْويbrands وذاكَand that النّقْطُthe dots نَقْطُdots of النّارِfire
يكْوي وذاكَ النّقْطُ نَقْطُ النّارِ
And it is as though the book's pen, upon its page,
Were branding it, and those dots were dots of fire.
Sol 6.1