أتىhe came فيin أوانthe season of القَطْرthe rain أشهَىmore desirable منthan القَطْرِthe rain
أتى في أوان القَطْر أشهَى من القَطْرِ
فنورٌthus light علىupon نورٍlight وبِشْرٍand joy علىupon بِشْرِjoy
فنورٌ على نورٍ وبِشْرٍ على بِشْرِ
He came in the season of rain, more welcome than the rain;
He came at the time of rain, more desirable than rain
thus light upon light, and joy upon joy.
So light upon light and good news upon good news
وزيرٌa minister علىin the cause of الحقِّthe truth المُبينِmanifest مُؤازِرٌa supporter
وزيرٌ على الحقِّ المُبينِ مُؤازِرٌ
لمُرسِلهِof the one who sent him وَهْوَand he البرئُfree منof الوِزْرِsin
لمُرسِلهِ وَهْوَ البرئُ من الوِزْرِ
A minister, in the cause of manifest truth, lending support
A minister supporting the clear truth
to the one who sent him, while he is free of sin.
Free from burden for the One who sent him
لقدindeed سارَhe journeyed نحوtoward الغربthe west كالقمرlike the moon الذيthat
لقد سارَ نحو الغرب كالقمر الذي
يغيبit vanishes فيبدوthen it appears منهُfrom it فيat غُرَّةthe beginning of الشهرِthe month
يغيب فيبدو منهُ في غُرَّة الشهرِ
Indeed he journeyed westward like the moon that
He traveled west like the moon that sets
vanishes, then appears from there at the month's beginning.
Then reappears as the new crescent
حكىresembled ليلةَthe night of الإسراءِthe Night Journey يومُthe day of رحيلهِhis departure
حكى ليلةَ الإسراءِ يومُ رحيلهِ
ويومُand the day of لقاهُmeeting him قدindeed حكىresembled ليلةِthe Night of القَدْرِDecree
ويومُ لقاهُ قد حكى ليلةِ القَدْرِ
The day of his departure mirrored the night of the Night Journey;
He related the night of ascension when leaving
and the day of meeting him mirrored the Night of Decree.
And the night of destiny when meeting
علىon وجههِhis face منfrom سُورةِthe surah of النُّورLight آيةٌa verse
على وجههِ من سُورةِ النُّور آيةٌ
وفيand in سيفهِhis sword منfrom سورةِthe surah of الفَتْحِConquest والنَّصْرِand Victory
وفي سيفهِ من سورةِ الفَتْحِ والنَّصْرِ
On his face is a verse from the Surah of Light,
Upon his face a verse from Surat An-Nur
and in his sword, one from the surahs of Conquest and Victory.
And in his sword one of victory and conquest
فيتلوso he recites علىto أصحابهِhis companions آيةَthe verse of الضُّحَىMorning Brightness
فيتلو على أصحابهِ آيةَ الضُّحَى
ويتلوand he recites علىto أعدائِهِhis enemies آيةَthe verse of النَّحرِslaughter
ويتلو على أعدائِهِ آيةَ النَّحرِ
So he recites to his companions the verse of Morning Brightness,
He recites to his companions the brightness of daybreak
and to his enemies he recites the verse of slaughter.
And to his enemies the tightening of the noose
علىupon قلبِهِhis heart قدindeed خطَّhe inscribed منout of خوفِfear of ربِّهِhis Lord
على قلبِهِ قد خطَّ من خوفِ ربِّهِ
أساطيرَwritings ذيthe possessor of النورَينِthe two lights فيin ذلكَthat السِّفْرِvolume
أساطيرَ ذي النورَينِ في ذلكَ السِّفْرِ
Upon his heart he has inscribed, out of fear of his Lord,
Upon his heart he outlined from fear of his Lord
the writings of Dhu al-Nurayn, Possessor of the Two Lights, in that volume.
The fables of the one with two lights on that journey
وقامَand he fulfilled بحقِّthe duty of الفَرضِobligatory worship والنَّفلِand voluntary worship ناهِضاًrising
وقامَ بحقِّ الفَرضِ والنَّفلِ ناهِضاً
منfrom الصَّلواتِthe prayers الخمسِfive بالشَّفعِwith the even-numbered prayer والوَتْرِand the odd-numbered prayer
من الصَّلواتِ الخمسِ بالشَّفعِ والوَتْرِ
And he rose to fulfill the duties of obligatory and voluntary worship,
He stood for the obligation and supererogation
from the five prayers through the even- and odd-numbered prayers.
Of the five prayers in pairs and singly
علىupon الرَّاشِدِRashid (the rightly guided) الهاديthe guide التحيَّةُsalutation والرِّضَىand favor
على الرَّاشِدِ الهادي التحيَّةُ والرِّضَى
منfrom اللهGod تَقرَّاهاthey recite it الملائكُthe angels فيat الفَجْرِdawn
من الله تَقرَّاها الملائكُ في الفَجْرِ
Upon Rashid, the guide, be salutation and favor
Greetings and pleasure to the rightly guided leader
from God, recited by the angels at dawn.
From God, reiterated by angels at dawn
هوhe الرَّحمَةُthe mercy العُظمَىsupreme التيthat أحيَتِbrought to life الرُّبَىthe hills
هو الرَّحمَةُ العُظمَى التي أحيَتِ الرُّبَى
إلىuntil أنthat كسَتْهاit clothed them حُلَةَa robe of السُّندسُfine silk الخُضْرِgreen
إلى أن كسَتْها حُلَةَ السُّندسُ الخُضْرِ
He is the supreme mercy that brought the hills to life,
He is the greatest mercy that revived the meadows
until it clothed them in a robe of fine green silk.
Until it dressed them in green silk
بنىbuilt عدلُهُhis justice سوراًa wall لسُوريَّةَfor Syria التِّيwhich
بنى عدلُهُ سوراً لسُوريَّةَ التِّي
أتاهاhe came to it بخِصْبِwith the fertility of الأرضِthe land كالنِّيلlike the Nile فيin مصرِEgypt
أتاها بخِصْبِ الأرضِ كالنِّيل في مصرِ
His justice built a wall for Syria, to which
His justice built a fence around Syria
he brought the land's fertility, like the Nile in Egypt.
That he brought fertility like the Nile in Egypt
أحاطَhe surrounded بهاit كالبحرِlike the sea فَهْيَso it is جزيرةٌan island
أحاطَ بها كالبحرِ فَهْيَ جزيرةٌ
لبحرٍof a sea كثيرِabundant in المَدِّflood tide مُمتنِعِadmitting no الجَزْرِebb
لبحرٍ كثيرِ المَدِّ مُمتنِعِ الجَزْرِ
He surrounded it like the sea, so it is an island
He surrounded it like a sea, so it is an island
in a sea with abundant flow and no ebb.
In a great sea, far-reaching, unconquerable
بصيرٌdiscerning بأمرِin the ways of الدَّهرِTime يَهشِمُhe crushes رأسَهُits head
بصيرٌ بأمرِ الدَّهرِ يَهشِمُ رأسَهُ
بأُنمُلةٍwith a fingertip صَمَّاءَunyielding تَلعَبُit toys بالدَّهرِwith Time
بأُنمُلةٍ صَمَّاءَ تَلعَبُ بالدَّهرِ
Discerning in the ways of Time, he crushes its head
With insight into the way of fate, he shatters its head
with an unyielding fingertip that toys with Time.
With a deaf, playing thumb, mocking fate
إذاwhen اسودَّgrows dark خطبٌa calamity يحجِبُit veils العينَthe eye كالدُّجَىlike night
إذا اسودَّ خطبٌ يحجِبُ العينَ كالدُّجَى
أتاهُhe meets it برأيٍwith counsel يَخرُقُit pierces الحُجْبَthe veils كالبدرِlike the full moon
أتاهُ برأيٍ يَخرُقُ الحُجْبَ كالبدرِ
When a calamity grows dark, veiling the eye like night,
When worried frowns veil the eyes like darkness
he meets it with counsel that pierces the veils like the full moon.
He brings a plan piercing the veil like the full moon
مدحتُI praised الوزيرَthe minister الرَّاشدَRashid (the rightly guided) اليومَtoday بالَّذيfor what
مدحتُ الوزيرَ الرَّاشدَ اليومَ بالَّذي
دَرَيتُI knew وأهملتُand I left aside الَّذيwhat لمnot أكُنْI was أَدرِيI know
دَرَيتُ وأهملتُ الَّذي لم أكُنْ أَدرِي
Today I praised the minister Rashid for what
Today I praised the upright minister with what
I knew, and left aside what I did not know.
I knew and neglected what I did not know
فكانَso it was الذيwhat أدريهِI know it بعضاًa part منof الذيwhat
فكانَ الذي أدريهِ بعضاً من الذي
جَهِلتُI did not know كإعطاءِlike paying الخَراجِthe land tax مِنfrom العُشْرِthe tithe
جَهِلتُ كإعطاءِ الخَراجِ مِن العُشْرِ
Thus what I know was only a fraction of what
So what I knew was part of what
I did not know—like paying the land tax out of a tithe.
I was ignorant of, like the tithe from total revenue
عليَّupon me ديونٌdebts رُتِّبَتْwere imposed لجَلالِهِto his grandeur
عليَّ ديونٌ رُتِّبَتْ لجَلالِهِ
فأصبحتُso I became مديوناًindebted أخافُI fear مِنof الكَسْرِbankruptcy
فأصبحتُ مديوناً أخافُ مِن الكَسْرِ
Debts owed to his grandeur have been laid upon me,
I have debts assigned to his excellency
so I have become indebted, fearing bankruptcy.
And have become indebted, fearing destitution
ولكنْbut غريميmy creditor يَقبلُhe accepts العُذرَthe excuse راثياًin pity
ولكنْ غريمي يَقبلُ العُذرَ راثياً
لضُعفيfor my weakness فيأبىso he refuses أنto يُعامِلَdeal بالعُسْرِwith harshness
لضُعفي فيأبى أن يُعامِلَ بالعُسْرِ
But my creditor accepts my excuse, in pity
But my creditor accepts my excuse gently
for my weakness, and so refuses to treat me harshly.
And refuses to deal harshly with hardship
Sol 6.1