أَلاAh! ياO عَفيفَAfif (name) الدينِal-Din (of the faith) هَلwhether أَنتَyou مُخبِريone who tells me
أَلا يا عَفيفَ الدينِ هَل أَنتَ مُخبِري
بِمُشكِلَةٍabout an enigma لاnot يَغمِزُdents العَجمُtesting عودَهاher wood
بِمُشكِلَةٍ لا يَغمِزُ العَجمُ عودَها
Ah, O Afif al-Din, will you tell me
Oh virtuous Daffad! Are you to inform me,
Of an enigma whose wood no testing can dent—
Of a plight whose knot even the eloquent cannot untie?
بِمثقلةٍof one weighed down حَملاًwith child إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle بَناتُهاher daughters
بِمثقلةٍ حَملاً إِذا ما بَناتُها
مَرَتهاstroked her to draw milk أَعارَتهاlent her الغَوانيbeautiful women نُهودَهاtheir breasts
مَرَتها أَعارَتها الغَواني نُهودَها
Of one heavy with child: when her daughters
Of a burden, whose daughters when they pass it on,
Milk her, beautiful women lend her their breasts?
Borrow breasts from the beautiful to feed it.
كَأَنَّas though أَليمَthe anguish الهَجرِof separation أَجرىmade flow دُموعَهاher tears
كَأَنَّ أَليمَ الهَجرِ أَجرى دُموعَها
فَفاضَتso they overflowed وَأَذكىand kindled فيin حَشاهاher belly وَقودَهاher fuel
فَفاضَت وَأَذكى في حَشاها وَقودَها
As though the anguish of separation had set her tears flowing,
As if the agony of estrangement made it shed tears,
So they overflowed, and it kindled the fuel in her belly.
Overflowing, igniting its embers within.
تُباريrivals ثِقالَthe heavy ones المُعصِراتِof the rain clouds بِدَرّهاwith her flowing milk
تُباري ثِقالَ المُعصِراتِ بِدَرّها
فَماso not تَرَكَتshe left لِلسّحبِfor the clouds إِلّاexcept رُعودَهاtheir thunder
فَما تَرَكَت لِلسّحبِ إِلّا رُعودَها
She rivals the heavy rain clouds with her flowing milk,
It competes with the heaviness of oil presses in its abundance.
So she has left the clouds nothing but their thunder.
Leaving no trace for the clouds except its rumblings.
Sol 6.1