Sol 5.6

  1. Nuḍār is gone; no life can now delight us,

    leaving sorrow and grief within my heart.

  2. No state has befallen my soul in which it can rejoice,

    nor has my eye seen beauty since she departed.

  3. Nuḍār was the spirit by which we lived,

    reviving the two noblest senses: eye and ear.

  4. The ear, hearing her words, would gather pearls,

    and the eye, looking upon her, was captivated by beauty.

  5. She delighted in the Qur’an and recited it in full,

    then at other times recited the Prophetic traditions after it.

  6. She was charitable to those in poverty and need,

    helping them secretly, never seeking public notice.

  7. Peers would give themselves for Nuḍayra, though their hearts are set

    on finery and pleasure, here and there.

  8. Her own concern, however, was a reward she might earn

    and fields of learning that purify everyone of discernment:

  9. jurisprudence, grammar, history, and knowledge,

    and thoughtful reflection whose gaze aspired to attain the sciences.

  10. God had illumined her inward sight with piety,

    so He did not let her time be wasted on anything else.

  11. She made the pilgrimage, visited God’s Messenger, and then came

    to Egypt, having gained reward and fair renown.

  12. Eloquent, she disciplined her speech through grammar,

    so you would find in it neither grammatical fault nor stammer.

  13. She would send a reed pen’s tip roving with her fingertips in

    the arena of a page, obedient and never balking.

  14. It walks upon its head across the page when first setting out;

    then, if it runs, she draws the reins from its head.

  15. Its upper end sinks as it rises upon its lower—

    the work of Time upon us: how foul an age it is!

Sol 5.6