أصُولُ الضَّادِ طَيِّبَةُ الأُرُومِ
تَفَرَّعُ كُلَّ تَفْريعٍ مَرُومِ
The roots of the letter dhaad are fragrant and lush,
Each branch blossoming into fragrance.
تَرَى فِي رَوْضِهَا مَا تشْتهِيهِ
مُنَاكَ مِنَ البَوَاسِقِ وَالنُّجُومِ
In its garden you find whatever you desire-
Comfort in its towering trees and stars.
وَتَلْقَى مِنْ طَرِيفِ الوَشْيِ فِيهَا
أفَانِينَ الأزَاهِرِ وَالوُشُومِ
And from the gentle rustling branches
You hear the melodies of flowers and herbs.
فَدَعْ مَا يَدَّعيهِ كُلُّ خَصْمٍ
خَفِيِّ الكَيْدِ أَوْ فَدْمٍ غَشُومِ
So ignore the claims of each disputant,
Whether a sly schemer or hot-tempered fool.
وَسَلْ عَمَّا جَنَى مِنْهَا لِجِيلٍ
فَجِيلٍ كُلُّ مُطَّلِعٍ عَلِيمِ
Ask what bounty it brought each generation,
Generation after generation of learned scholars.
أَمَا فِي عَصْرِنَا هَذَا فُحُولٌ
أعَادُوا رَوْعَةَ العَصْرِ العَظِيمِ
For in our time there are outstanding men
Who restored the glory of that great age,
وَآتَوْهَا مَفَاخِرَ أَثَّلُوهَا
تَزِيدُ مَفَاخِرَ الإرْثِ الكَريمِ
Bringing it new glories to adorn
The precious inherited treasure.
تَبَوَّأَ هَيْكَلٌ بِالحَقِّ فِيهِمْ
يُجَشِّمُهُ الثِّقَالُ مِنَ الهُمُومِ
A sanctum arose among them in truth
Weighed down by the heaviest cares,
فَمَا يُغْنِيهِ مِنْ حُسْنٍ طِلاءٌ
وَمَا يَبْغِيهِ إلاّ فِي الصَّمِيمِ
So no adornment can improve its beauty,
Its needs lie only in the essence.
إذَا لَمْ تَبْتَدِعْ فِكْراً جَمِيلاً
تُصَوِّرُهُ بِأُسْلُوبٍ وَسِيمِ
If you do not originate some beautiful idea,
Depicting it in a fine style,
فَمَا يُغْنِي عَلَى التَّكْرَارِ قَوْلٌ
وَإنْ هُوَ غَيْرُ تَرْدِيدٍ عَقِيمِ
Of what use is speech, however often repeated,
If it is but empty repetition?
وَهَلْ فِي الرَّسْمِ أَوْ فِي النَّقْشِ تُجْدِي
إعادَاتُ النُّقُوشِ أَوِ الرُّسُومِ
What good are drawings or carvings
With endlessly recurring shapes and figures?
أمَا تُوحِي الصُّرُوحُ عَلَتْ وَرَاعَت
كَإيحاءِ الأَثَافِي وَالرسُومِ
Do not dilapidated buildings suggest
Ruin, like remnants and vestiges?
أمَا فِي البَرْقِ مَعْنىً غَيْرُ وَمْضٍ
بِلاَ أثَرٍ يُلَعْلِعُ فِي الغُيُومِ
Is lightning devoid of meaning beyond a flash,
Leaving no trace in the clouds?
أمَا فِي النُّورِ أَوْ فِي النَّارِ إلاَّ
ذُبَالٌ أَوْ ضِرَامٌ فِي هَشِيمِ
Does fire or light contain aught
But fuel or ember in the ashes?
أتَى هَذَا الزَّمَانُ بِأَلْفِ الوْنٍ
جَدِيدٍ فِي الفُنُونِ وَفِي العُلُومِ
This age has brought a thousand brilliant hues
Novel in the arts and sciences,
كُنُوزٌ لِلأَدِيبِ بِهَا ثَرَاءٌ
فَلَيْسَ بِقائِمٍ عُذْرُ العَدِيمِ
Treasures for the writer to enrich him,
So lack of means is no excuse for the destitute.
فَإِنْ يَنْعَوْا عَلَى الفُصْحَى قُصُوراً
فَقَدْ يَقَعُ المَلاَمُ مِنَ المُلِيمِ
If they complain that Arabic has shortcomings,
The blame may fall on the critic.
أَمِنْهَا العَجْزُ أمْ مِنَّا وَمَاذا
عَلَى المَخْدُومِ مِنْ عَجْزِ الخَدِيمِ
Does the incapacity come from it or us? What is
The servant's fault in the master's failure?
لَهَا وَادٍ هُوَ الدُّنْيَا جَمِيعاً
وَنُقْصِرُهَا عَلَى وَادِي الصَّريمِ
It encompasses the entire world,
Yet we limit it to the Valley of Serene Joy.
تَتَبَّعْ هَيْكَلاً فِيمَا نَحَاهُ
بِخُطَّتِهِ مِنَ النَّحْوِ القَويمِ
Study the architecture of an edifice,
Built on the soundest grammatical principles,
وَأَعْدِدْ وَاجْتَهِدْ واخْلُقْ وَنَسِّقْ
بِتَقْديرٍ مِنَ الذَّوْقِ السَّلِيمِ
And invent, strive, create, and arrange
With sound judgment and refined taste.
فَمَا الإِنِشَاءُ إنْشَاءٌ إذَا مَا
بِهِ انْطَبَقَ الرَّسِيمِ على الرسيم
For composition is no composition unless
The prose harmonizes with the verse.
تَرَسُّلُ هَيْكَلٍ مَاءٌ مُصَفَّى
حَبَتْهُ بِسِرِّهَا بِنْتُ الكُرُومِ
The stream of immaculate water
Flows smoothly in well-crafted phrases.
أَحَبُّ إلَيْكَ مِنْ كَأْسِ الحُمَيَّا
عَلَى شَوْقٍ وَمِنْ أُنْسِ النَّدِيمِ
More delightful to you than a goblet of wine
When filled with longing and a boon companion,
تَرَى فِيهِ ذَكَاءً عَبْقَرِيّاً
وَدَِّقةَ فِطْنَةٍ وَصَفَاءَ خِيمِ
You find in it brilliant genius
And refined discernment in purest thought.
وَتَسْمَعُ لِلسَّلاسَةِ فِيهِ جَرْساً
كَغُنَّةِ صَوتِهِ السَّلِسِ الرَّخِيمِ
And in its eloquence you hear a tone
Like the melody of a gentle, subtle voice.
بَيَانٌ مَا تَشَاء ُتُصِيبُ فِيهِ
سُرُورَ مُسَاهِمٍ وَأَسَى قَسِيمِ
It can express whatever meaning you wish
To bring joy to a friend or sorrow to a foe.
تَزُورُ بِهِ دِياراً لَمْ تَزُرْهَا
مُلِمّاً بِالمَقَامِ وَبِالمُقيمِ
With it you visit lands you've never seen
Knowing the locale and its folk intimately,
فَتَشْهَدُهَا وَتَعْرِفُ سَاكِنِيها
كَأَنَّكَ فِي الدِّيارِ مِنَ الصَّميمِ
As if you are native to that place
At home with its innermost secrets.
وَتَسْتَدْنِي الجِنَانَ مُنوَّراتٍ
تَفُوحُ بِهِنَّ أعْرَافُ النَّعِيمِ
You draw near to radiant gardens
Redolent with the scents of bliss,
يُلَطِّفُهَا وَبِالتَّلْطِيفِ تَزْكُو
فَتَفْضُل كلُ طِيبٍ فِي الشَّمِيمِ
Made more fragrant and refined
Than any perfume in the breeze.
وَتَفْتَقِدُ الأسَى مَنْ كُلِّ قَلْبٍ
بِحَيْثُ قَرَارَةُ الجُرْحِ الألِيمِ
You heal the sorrows of every heart
Wherever the wound is deep.
فَحِسُّكَ حِسُّهُ لَكِنَّ بُرْءاً
كُلُومُكَ وَهْيَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الكُلُومِ
You feel its pain yet remain detached,
Your torment is not that torment.
وَتَنْظُرُ فِي السَّرَائِرِ وَالطَّوَايَا
مُمَحَّصَةَ الحَميدِ مِنَ الذَّمِيمِ
You look into hearts and motives
Discerning the good from the bad.
فَلاَ يَخْفَى عَلَيْكَ أَدَقُّ شَيْءٍ
يَجُولُ بِخَاطِر العانِي الكَظِيمِ
Nothing escapes you, not the subtlest thing
Troubling the mind of one in anguish.
وَتَرْعَى مَا النُّفُوسُ بِهِ تَنَاجَى
بِأَخْفَتَ مِنْ مُنَاجَاةِ النَّسِيمِ
You overhear the whispers of souls
More softly than the murmur of the breeze.
وَقَدْ تَلْقَى مُنَاكَ مُصَوَّرَاتٍ
وَلَمْ يَخْطُرْنَ فِي ظَنِّ الحَمِيمِ
You find depicted what never occurred
To the minds of even the closest confidant.
هُوَ الوَصْفُ العَجِيبُ وَلَيسَ تَلقَى
لَهُ وَجْهاً سِوَى الوَجْهِ القَسِيمِ
It is wondrous description, nothing like it
Except itself in excellence.
تَفَنَّنَ هَيْكَلٌ فِيهِ فَأَبْدَى
لَطِيفَ الحِسِّ فِي أجْلَى الرُّسُومِ
A skillful artisan produced it, displaying
Utmost refinement in the finest composition.
يُطِيلُ فَفِي الإطَالَةِ مِنْهُ سِرٌّ
يُديلُ الشَّوْقَ مِنْ سَأَمِ السَّئُومِ
Length adds mystery and charm,
Banishing the boredom of tedium.
فَإِنْ يُوجِزْ فَفِي الإِيجازَ رَجْعٌ
شَهِيٌّ مَا تَرَدَّدَ فِي الحُلُومِ
Concision brings pleasing echoes
Of flavors relished and savored.
فَأمَّا البَحْثُ يَنْضُو الرَّأْيَ فِيهِ
وَيَنْهَضُ مِنْهُ بِالعِبْءِ الجَسيْمِ
Discourse hones the intellect,
Lifting heavy burdens.
وَيَسْتَوْفِي بِهِ مَا قَدَّمَتْهُ
نُهَى البُلَغَاءِ مِنْ عَرَبِ وَرُومِ
It covers the ground of ancient masters,
Arab and Roman, omitting nothing.
وَيَبْذُلُ جَاهِداً فِيهِ قُواهُ
لإِصْلاحٍ خَصِيصٍ أَوْ عَمِيمِ
Striving to reform some specific abuse
Or broadly establish justice.
فَمِضْمَارٌ مَضَى فِيهِ حُسَيْنٌ
مَضَاءَ المَقْدِمِ الدَّرِبِ العَزُومِ
It is a track where two Hussains raced,
Pacesetters on the steep ascent.
وَجَارَى السَّابِقِينَ بِهِ فَجَلَّى
وَبَزَّ المُعَلِمِّينَ مِنَ القُزُومِ
They vied with former champions, proving themselves
And outstripping established masters.
كِتَابُ مُحَمَّد فِيهِ افتِنَانٌ
أفَاضَ مِنَ الحَديثِ عَلَى القَدِيمِ
Muhammad's book holds such fascination
Spanning old and new with inspiration.
وَحَلَّى بِاليَتيمِ سُمُوطَ دُرٍّ
تُسَلْسِلُ سِيرَةَ الفَرْدِ اليَتِيمِ
It strings precious pearls, the orphan's story,
An epic of that singular life.
إذَا مَا الوَحْيُ عَادَ بِهِ جَدِيداً
وَلَمْ يَكُ بِالهَجِينِ وَلاَ السَّقِيمِ
When revelation renews it
With neither gibberish nor drivel
فَذَلِكَ أنَّ أنْوَاراً تَجَلَّتْ
بِهِ مِنْ مَهْبِطِ اللهِ الحَكيمِ
It is because luminous rays have shone
From the Wise God's place of descent
لآياتِ الحِجَى وَالقَلبِ فِيهِ
رَوَائِعُ تَسْتَبِي لُبَّ الحَلِيمِ
Containing signs and portents for hearts
To captivate the sage's inner mind
هُوَ الشِّعْرُ الطَّلِيقُ مِنَ القَوَافِي
ومفْخَرَةُ النَّثِيرِ عَلَى النَّظِيمِ
It is eloquent poetry free of meter,
Surpassing composers in musical rhyme.
