هَيْهَاتَfar from it! لَيْسَthere is not لِحَافِظٍfor Hafiz مِنْany (emphatic) مُشْبِهٍpeer
هَيْهَاتَ لَيْسَ لِحَافِظٍ مِنْ مُشْبِهٍ
فِيin الْقَوْلِpoetry غَيْرُexcept سَمِيِّهِhis namesake الشِّيرَازِيal-Shirazi
فِي الْقَوْلِ غَيْرُ سَمِيِّهِ الشِّيرَازِي
Far from it! Hafiz has no peer
In poetry except his namesake, al-Shirazi.
جَارَاهُhe matched him فِيin حُسْنِthe beauty of الْبَيَانِexpression وَفَاتَهُand surpassed him
جَارَاهُ فِي حُسْنِ الْبَيَانِ وَفَاتَهُ
فِيin الْمَنْطِقِspeech الْعَرَبِيِّArabic بِالإِعْجَازِwith inimitable eloquence
فِي الْمَنْطِقِ الْعَرَبِيِّ بِالإِعْجَازِ
He matched him in beauty of expression and surpassed him
In Arabic speech, with inimitable eloquence.
لَبِقٌdeft بِتَصْرِيفِat shaping الْكَلامِspeech يَسُوقُهُhe guides it
لَبِقٌ بِتَصْرِيفِ الْكَلامِ يَسُوقُهُ
مَاas شَاءَhe wills بَيْنَbetween سُهُولَةٍsmoothness وَعَزَازِand hard ground
مَا شَاءَ بَيْنَ سُهُولَةٍ وَعَزَازِ
Deft at shaping speech, he guides it
As he wills, across smooth and rugged ground.
فَإِذَاso when تَغَزَّلَhe sings of love فَالنُّفُوسُthen souls نَوَازِعٌyearning
فَإِذَا تَغَزَّلَ فَالنُّفُوسُ نَوَازِعٌ
وَإِذَاand when تَحَمَّسَhe sings of valor فَالْقُلُوبُthen hearts نَوَازِيleaping
وَإِذَا تَحَمَّسَ فَالْقُلُوبُ نَوَازِي
So when he sings of love, souls yearn,
And when he sings of valor, hearts leap.
كَالصَّارِمِlike the keen sword الْبَتَّارِsharp-cutting فيin إِفْرِنْدِهِits watered pattern
كَالصَّارِمِ الْبَتَّارِ في إِفْرِنْدِهِ
وَصِقَالِهِand its polish وَالْمَارِنِand the supple spear الْهَزْهَازِquivering
وَصِقَالِهِ وَالْمَارِنِ الْهَزْهَازِ
Like a keen, cleaving sword in its watered pattern
And polish, and like a supple, quivering spear.
حَاكَhe wove الْقَرِيضَverse بِلَهْجَةٍin an idiom عَرَبِيَّةٍArabic
حَاكَ الْقَرِيضَ بِلَهْجَةٍ عَرَبِيَّةٍ
أَغْنَتْit dispensed عَنِwith الإِسْهَابِprolixity بِالإِيْجَازِthrough concision
أَغْنَتْ عَنِ الإِسْهَابِ بِالإِيْجَازِ
He wove verse in an Arabic idiom
Whose brevity made prolixity needless.
أَلْفَاظُهَاits words نَمَّتْgave evidence عَلَىof مَاwhat تَحْتَهَاbeneath them
أَلْفَاظُهَا نَمَّتْ عَلَى مَا تَحْتَهَا
وَصُدُورُهَاand its opening half-lines دَلَّتْpointed عَلَىto الأَعْجَازِthe closing half-lines
وَصُدُورُهَا دَلَّتْ عَلَى الأَعْجَازِ
Its words revealed what lay beneath them,
And its opening half-lines pointed to the closing ones.
فَإِذَاso when تَلاهَاrecites it قَارِئٌa reader لَمْdoes not يَشْتَبِهْbecome confused
فَإِذَا تَلاهَا قَارِئٌ لَمْ يَشْتَبِهْ
فِيin الْقَوْلِthe language بَيْنَbetween حَقِيقَةٍliteral meaning وَمَجَازِand metaphor
فِي الْقَوْلِ بَيْنَ حَقِيقَةٍ وَمَجَازِ
So when a reader recites it, he never confuses
Literal meaning with metaphor in its language.
عَبِقَتْit was fragrant كَأَنْفَاسِlike the breaths of النَّسِيمِthe breeze تَعَلَّقَتْclung
عَبِقَتْ كَأَنْفَاسِ النَّسِيمِ تَعَلَّقَتْ
بِالرَّوْضِto the meadow غِبَّafter الْعَارِضِthe raincloud الْمُجْتَازِpassing
بِالرَّوْضِ غِبَّ الْعَارِضِ الْمُجْتَازِ
It was fragrant as the breaths of the breeze that clung
To the meadow after a raincloud had passed.
قَدْindeed كَانَwas جِيدُthe neck of الْقَوْلِpoetry عُطْلاًunadorned قَبْلَهُbefore him
قَدْ كَانَ جِيدُ الْقَوْلِ عُطْلاً قَبْلَهُ
فَحَبَاهُso he bestowed on it أَحْسَنَthe finest حِلْيَةٍjewelry وَطِرازِand embroidery
فَحَبَاهُ أَحْسَنَ حِلْيَةٍ وَطِرازِ
Poetry's neck had indeed been bare before him;
So he graced it with the finest jewelry and embroidery.
مَلَكَتْcaptured مَوَدَّتُهُlove for him الْقُلُوبَhearts فَأَصْبَحَتْso they became
مَلَكَتْ مَوَدَّتُهُ الْقُلُوبَ فَأَصْبَحَتْ
تَلْقَاهُgreet him بالتَّوْقِيرِwith reverence وَالإِعْزَازِand esteem
تَلْقَاهُ بالتَّوْقِيرِ وَالإِعْزَازِ
Love for him captured hearts, so now they
Greet him with reverence and esteem.
لاmay he never زَالَcease يَبْلُغُattain شَأْوَthe summit of كُلِّevery فَضِيلَةِvirtue
لا زَالَ يَبْلُغُ شَأْوَ كُلِّ فَضِيلَةِ
بِمَضَاءِwith the cutting power of صَمْصَامٍa keen sword وَصَوْلَةِand the swoop of بَازِa hawk
بِمَضَاءِ صَمْصَامٍ وَصَوْلَةِ بَازِ
May he ever attain the summit of every virtue
With a keen sword's cutting power and a hawk's swoop.
Sol 6.1