وَلربَّ لاعبةٍ عَجيبٍ امرُها

وَلربَّ لاعبةٍ عَجيبٍ امرُها

جمعت من الاضداد كيف تشاءُ

جمعت من الاضداد كيف تشاءُ

And many a performer, wondrous in her ways,

The Lord has a wondrous, complex creation

Has combined opposites however she pleases.

She is made of contradictions, as He wishes

جَمَدت فقلنا تِلكَ غُضوٌ واحدٌ

جَمَدت فقلنا تِلكَ غُضوٌ واحدٌ

وَتحرَّكت فجميعها أَعضآءُ

وَتحرَّكت فجميعها أَعضآءُ

She froze, and we said, “She is a single limb.”

Motionless, we said, "That's but a single whole"

And she moved, and she was all limbs.

Moving, all her parts like limbs would function

كالمآءِ سيّالٌ وَثَلجٌ جامدٌ

كالمآءِ سيّالٌ وَثَلجٌ جامدٌ

وَيَزيد في السَيَلان فهو هَوآءُ

وَيَزيد في السَيَلان فهو هَوآءُ

Fluid as water, and solid as snow,

Like water, fluid, and ice, solidified

And growing more fluid still, it becomes air.

More flowing makes her naught but air, gentrified

وَكأَنَّ أَعظُمَها بغير مفاصلٍ

وَكأَنَّ أَعظُمَها بغير مفاصلٍ

او كُلُّهنَّ مَفاصِلٌ أسوآءُ

او كُلُّهنَّ مَفاصِلٌ أسوآءُ

And it was as though her bones had no joints,

Her greatest parts seem to have no joints

Or all of them were joints alike.

Or all her parts are joints, hexagonal

وَتماوَتَت فالمَوتُ منها عاجِبٌ

وَتماوَتَت فالمَوتُ منها عاجِبٌ

أَمواتُهُ بازآئها احيآءُ

أَمواتُهُ بازآئها احيآءُ

And she feigned death, and Death marveled at her:

She swung and death in her was so perplexing

Compared with her, his dead are alive.

Her dying parts by the living, vexing

ثم اِستَوَت ولقوَّةٍ بحياتها

ثم اِستَوَت ولقوَّةٍ بحياتها

كادَت تَعيش بمسّها الأَشيآءُ

كادَت تَعيش بمسّها الأَشيآءُ

Then she stood upright, and such was her vitality,

Then she steadied, and by her life force

That things almost came alive at her touch.

Nearly animated things she would endorse