قَرَأْتُI read دِيوَانَكَyour collected poems لاَnot أَنْثَنِيI turn aside
قَرَأْتُ دِيوَانَكَ لاَ أَنْثَنِي
عَنْfrom مُونِقٍsomething delightful إِلاَّexcept إِلىto مُوِنقِsomething delightful
عَنْ مُونِقٍ إِلاَّ إِلى مُوِنقِ
I read your collected poems, never turning aside
I read your poetry collection, not turning
from one delight except to another,
Away from a verse except to another verse
كَأَنَّنِيas though I فِيin رَوْضَةٍa garden تَزْدَهِيis resplendent
كَأَنَّنِي فِي رَوْضَةٍ تَزْدَهِي
بِالمُزْهِرِwith flowering growth الغضِّfresh and tender وَبِالمُوْرِقِand with leafy growth
بِالمُزْهِرِ الغضِّ وَبِالمُوْرِقِ
as though I were in a garden, resplendent
As if I were in a garden bursting
with tender blossoms and leafy growth.
With fresh blossoms and flowers bright
أَمُعْرِضٌturning away? أَنْتَyou عَنْfrom الشِّعْرِpoetry يَاO
أَمُعْرِضٌ أَنْتَ عَنْ الشِّعْرِ يَا
مَنْone whose شِعْرُهhis poetry هَذَاthis فَمَاso what تَتَّقِيyou fear
مَنْ شِعْرُه هَذَا فَمَا تَتَّقِي
Are you turning away from poetry, O
Are you averse to poetry, O you
you whose verse is this—what do you fear?
Whose poetry this is—how can you avoid it?
هَلْis there? فِيin تَوَخِّيseeking غَايَةٍa goal بَعْدَهُbeyond it
هَلْ فِي تَوَخِّي غَايَةٍ بَعْدَهُ
مِنْany مُرْتَقىًa height يَبْلُغُهُhe reaches it المُرْتَقِيthe climber
مِنْ مُرْتَقىً يَبْلُغُهُ المُرْتَقِي
Is there, in seeking a goal beyond it,
Is there after attainment of an aim
any height that a climber can reach?
A higher ascent the climber can attain?
لَعَلَّperhaps تِيهاًpride مِنكَfrom you أَبْدَيْتُهُI revealed it
لَعَلَّ تِيهاً مِنكَ أَبْدَيْتُهُ
مُجْتَرِئاًpresuming فِيin صُورةِthe guise of المُشْفِقِa well-wisher
مُجْتَرِئاً فِي صُورةِ المُشْفِقِ
Perhaps I have brought some pride of yours to light,
Perhaps out of you I revealed something
presuming in the guise of a well-wisher.
Rashly in the guise of the anxious
أَمَّاas for الَّذِيthat which دَبَّجْتَهُyou artfully composed it مُرْسَلاًunbound
أَمَّا الَّذِي دَبَّجْتَهُ مُرْسَلاً
مِنَof الطِّرَازِthe style الوَاضِحِmanifest الرَّوْنَقِbrilliance
مِنَ الطِّرَازِ الوَاضِحِ الرَّوْنَقِ
As for what you artfully composed, unbound,
As for what you fashioned fluently
in a style of manifest brilliance,
In polished, lucid style and elegance
فِيin نَثْرِكَyour prose الفَنِّيِّartistic وهْوَand it is الَّذِيthat which
فِي نَثْرِكَ الفَنِّيِّ وهْوَ الَّذِي
لاَnot يُلْحَقُis matched اليَوْمَtoday وَلَمْand has not يُسْبَقِbeen surpassed
لاَ يُلْحَقُ اليَوْمَ وَلَمْ يُسْبَقِ
in your artistic prose, which
In your artistic prose—that which
is unmatched today and has never been surpassed—
Is unmatched today or in times past
بِكُلِّwith every مَعْنىًthought بَارِعٍmasterly بَاهِرٍdazzling
بِكُلِّ مَعْنىً بَارِعٍ بَاهِرٍ
وَكلِّand every لَفْظٍword نَاصِعٍlucid مُشْرِقِradiant
وَكلِّ لَفْظٍ نَاصِعٍ مُشْرِقِ
with every masterly, dazzling thought
With every ingenious, splendid meaning
and every lucid, radiant word,
And every eloquent, shining word
أَطْلِقَit was set free وَالإِحْسَانُand excellence قَيْدٌa bond لَهُfor it
أَطْلِقَ وَالإِحْسَانُ قَيْدٌ لَهُ
أَعْجِبْmarvel! بِهِat it مِنْas قَيِّدٍone bound مُطْلَقِunfettered
أَعْجِبْ بِهِ مِنْ قَيِّدٍ مُطْلَقِ
it was set free, yet excellence is its bond:
It flowed freely, for kindness constrains it
how wondrous it is: bound, yet free!
Marvel at it from one freed, not constrained
تَجْلُوyou unveil خَبَايَاthe secrets of الْعِلْمِknowledge فِيin حِقْبَةٍan age
تَجْلُو خَبَايَا الْعِلْمِ فِي حِقْبَةٍ
سَبِيلُهَاits path شَقَّتْwas arduous فَلَمْand so was not تُطْرَقِtrodden
سَبِيلُهَا شَقَّتْ فَلَمْ تُطْرَقِ
You unveil the secrets of knowledge in an age
The mysteries of knowledge unfold in a time
whose path was arduous and so went untrodden,
Whose path was cleared and left no track
مُسْتَكْشِفاًexploring مُسْتَنْبِطاًdeducing آخِذاًadhering
مُسْتَكْشِفاً مُسْتَنْبِطاً آخِذاً
فِيin الرَّيْبِdoubt بِالأَثْبَتِto what is surest وَالأَوْثَقِand most trustworthy
فِي الرَّيْبِ بِالأَثْبَتِ وَالأَوْثَقِ
exploring, deducing, holding fast
Exploring, deducing, seizing
amid doubt to what is surest and most trustworthy.
The certain and most assured in doubt
لاَnot تَقْبَلُyou accept الرَّأْيَthe opinion عَلَىwith عِلَّةٍa flaw
لاَ تَقْبَلُ الرَّأْيَ عَلَى عِلَّةٍ
تُبْرِزُهُtakes it out عَنْof حَيِّزِthe bounds of المَنْطِقِlogic
تُبْرِزُهُ عَنْ حَيِّزِ المَنْطِقِ
You accept no opinion bearing a flaw
You accept no view on mere whim
that takes it outside the bounds of logic,
That removes it from the sphere of logic
بِلاَwithout افْتِئَاتٍpresumption مِنْكَon your part أَوْor لُوثَةٍmental confusion
بِلاَ افْتِئَاتٍ مِنْكَ أَوْ لُوثَةٍ
تُصَدِّقُgives credence to الزَّعْمَthe claim وَلَمْand yet has not يَصْدُقِproved true
تُصَدِّقُ الزَّعْمَ وَلَمْ يَصْدُقِ
free of presumption on your part or mental confusion
Without your testing or blemish
that credits a claim though it has not proved true.
To verify the claim though it’s not verified
فَذَاكَso that يَاO مَنْone who يَعْرِضُdisplays الدُرَّpearls مَاthat which
فَذَاكَ يَا مَنْ يَعْرِضُ الدُرَّ مَا
حَيَّرْتَyou baffled فِيهِin it مَطْمَعَthe hope of المُنْتَقِيthe chooser
حَيَّرْتَ فِيهِ مَطْمَعَ المُنْتَقِي
So, O you who display pearls, that is the work
That, O you who brush off pearls, is what
in which you have baffled the chooser's hopes:
Perplexed the seeker’s hopes for choice
سِفْرٌa volume أَعَادَsent back الذِّكْرَmemory أَدْرَاجَهُalong its steps
سِفْرٌ أَعَادَ الذِّكْرَ أَدْرَاجَهُ
إِلىto شَبَابِthe youth of اللُّغَةِthe language الرَّيِّقِfresh
إِلى شَبَابِ اللُّغَةِ الرَّيِّقِ
a volume that made memory retrace its steps
A book brought memory’s steps back
to the language's fresh youth;
To the prime of lucid language
أَحْدَثَbrought about لِلْضَّادِfor the language of ḍād وَتَارِيخِهَاand its history
أَحْدَثَ لِلْضَّادِ وَتَارِيخِهَا
فَتْحاًa breakthrough وَلَمْand did not يُبْقِspare عَلَىupon مُغْلقِanything closed
فَتْحاً وَلَمْ يُبْقِ عَلَى مُغْلقِ
it brought the language of ḍād and its history
It opened new horizons for the letter dhad*
a breakthrough, leaving nothing closed.
Leaving none of its history veiled
Sol 6.1