شَدَتْshe sang فَجَلَتْso she burnished أَسْماعَنَاour hearing بِمُخَفّفٍwith a light lute
شَدَتْ فَجَلَتْ أَسْماعَنَا بِمُخَفّفٍ
يُحَدِّثُهَاit speaks to her عنabout سِرِّهَاher secret وتُحَدِّثُهْand she speaks to it
يُحَدِّثُهَا عن سِرِّهَا وتُحَدِّثُهْ
She sang, and burnished our hearing with a light lute,
It captivated our ears with a gentle tune
which speaks to her of her secret, and she speaks to it.
Conversing with it about its secret, and it converses with him
مَشَاكلَةٌmatching أَوتارَهُits strings فيin طِباعِهَاtheir natures
مَشَاكلَةٌ أَوتارَهُ في طِباعِهَا
عناصِرُelements منهاfrom them أَلَّفَcomposed الخَلْقَcreation مُحْدِثُهْits Maker
عناصِرُ منها أَلَّفَ الخَلْقَ مُحْدِثُهْ
Matching its strings in nature are
A conversation whose strings are tuned to its moods
the elements from which creation's Maker composed it.
Elements from it, its speaker has composed creation
فللنَّارِso to fire منهof it الزِبرُthe treble string والأَرْضُand earth بمُّهُits bass string
فللنَّارِ منه الزِبرُ والأَرْضُ بمُّهُ
وللريحand to wind مَثْنَاهُits second string ولِلْمَاءِand to water مَثْلَثُهْits third string
وللريح مَثْنَاهُ ولِلْمَاءِ مَثْلَثُهْ
Thus its treble belongs to fire, and earth is its bass;
For fire is from it zabr, and earth from it mubah
its second string belongs to wind, and its third to water.
For wind its octave, and for water its fifth
وكلًّand every امرئٍman تشتاقُهُstirs his longing مِنْهfrom it نَغَمَةٌa note
وكلًّ امرئٍ تشتاقُهُ مِنْه نَغَمَةٌ
علىin حَسَبِaccordance with الطَّبْعِthe temperament الذيwhich مِنْهُfrom it يَبْعَثُهْit rouses him
على حَسَبِ الطَّبْعِ الذي مِنْهُ يَبْعَثُهْ
And a note from it stirs every man's longing,
And every person yearns for a melody from it
in keeping with the temperament through which it rouses him.
According to the nature from which it originates
شَكَاit complained ضَرْبَthe striking يُمْنَاهَاher right hand فَظَلَّتْso it kept on يَسَارُهاher left hand
شَكَا ضَرْبَ يُمْنَاهَا فَظَلَّتْ يَسَارُها
تُطَوِّقُهُadorning it with a necklace طَوْراًat one time وطَوْراًand at another تُرَعِّثُهْadorning it with earrings
تُطَوِّقُهُ طَوْراً وطَوْراً تُرَعِّثُهْ
It complained of her right hand's blows, so her left kept
It complained of the stroke of its right, so its left
now adorning it with a necklace, now with earrings.
Encircled it for a while, stirring it
فماso not بَرِحَتْshe ceased حتىuntil أَرَتْنيshe showed me مُخَارِقاًMukhāriq
فما بَرِحَتْ حتى أَرَتْني مُخَارِقاً
تُجَاوِبُهُshe answers him فيin أحسنthe loveliest الشَّدْوِsinging عَثْعَثَهْʿAthʿatha
تُجَاوِبُهُ في أحسن الشَّدْوِ عَثْعَثَهْ
So she went on until she showed me Mukhāriq,
Until it showed me, while I was departing
with ʿAthʿatha answering him in the loveliest song;
Responding to it in the most beautiful humming and buzzing
وحَتّىand until حَسِبْتُI thought البابِلِيّينَthe two Babylonians أَلْقَيَاthey both cast
وحَتّى حَسِبْتُ البابِلِيّينَ أَلْقَيَا
علىupon لَفْظِهاher utterance السّحْرَthe magic الذيwhich مِنْهُfrom it تَنْفِثُهْshe breathes it forth
على لَفْظِها السّحْرَ الذي مِنْهُ تَنْفِثُهْ
and until I thought the two Babylonians had cast
That I reckoned the Babylonians had cast
upon her words the magic she breathes forth from them.
On its words the magic with which it breathes
Sol 6.1