خَيالُنا هذا لأهلِ الرُّتَبْ

خَيالُنا هذا لأهلِ الرُّتَبْ

والفَضْلُ والبذلُ لأهلِ الأدبْ

والفَضْلُ والبذلُ لأهلِ الأدبْ

This shadow play of ours is for people of rank;

This fantasy of ours belongs to people of rank

and excellence and generosity belong to people of letters.

Generosity and giving belong to people of grace

حوى فُنونَ الجدِّ والهزلِ في

حوى فُنونَ الجدِّ والهزلِ في

أَحسنِ سمط وأتى بالعَجَبْ

أَحسنِ سمط وأتى بالعَجَبْ

It has gathered the arts of earnestness and jest in

It encompasses the arts of seriousness and jest

the finest necklace, and brought forth marvels.

In the finest prose and came with wonder

فانظُره يا مَنْ فَهمه ثاقِبٌ

فانظُره يا مَنْ فَهمه ثاقِبٌ

ففيه للِعرفانِ أَدنى سَبَبْ

ففيه للِعرفانِ أَدنى سَبَبْ

So behold it, O you whose understanding is keen,

So look at it, O acute understander

for within it lies a ready means to insight.

For in it is the slightest cause for knowledge

إذ قامَ فيهِ ناطِقٌ واحدٌ

إذ قامَ فيهِ ناطِقٌ واحدٌ

عنْ كلِّ شَخصٍ ناظرٍ واحتَجَبْ

عنْ كلِّ شَخصٍ ناظرٍ واحتَجَبْ

Since within it a single speaker stood,

When one spokesman stood in it

and hid himself from every onlooker.

Speaking for every watching, veiled person

تَرْجَمْتُه طيفَ الخيالِ الذي

تَرْجَمْتُه طيفَ الخيالِ الذي

حكى هِلالاً طالعاً بالحدَبْ

حكى هِلالاً طالعاً بالحدَبْ

I titled it Tayf al-Khayal—'The Phantom of the Shadow Play'—which

I translated it, a phantom of imagination

resembled a rising crescent in its curvature.

That told of a crescent moon rising with humps

مذاهبُ الفضلِ بهِ حُجّةُ

مذاهبُ الفضلِ بهِ حُجّةُ

فَنَطَقوهُ سادتي بالذَّهَبْ

فَنَطَقوهُ سادتي بالذَّهَبْ

The ways of excellence are attested in it;

Through it, the ways of excellence are proven

so gird it, my masters, with gold.

So speak it, my lords, in gold