ودادُكyour affection فيin قلبيmy heart ألذُّmore delightful منthan المُنَىwishes
ودادُك في قلبي ألذُّ من المُنَى
وذكُركand remembrance of you أحلَىsweeter فيin اللَّهاةthe uvula منthan الشّهدِhoney
وذكُرك أحلَى في اللَّهاة من الشّهدِ
Your affection in my heart is more delightful than wishes,
Your love in my heart is sweeter than wishes
and remembrance of you is sweeter on the palate than honey.
And your memory more delicious than honey during life's joys
فلستُso I am not بمحتاجin need إلىof أنthat تُعينَهyou support it
فلستُ بمحتاج إلى أن تُعينَه
بماwith what نتجَتْهthey have borne الباسقاتُthe towering palms منof الولدِoffspring
بما نتجَتْه الباسقاتُ من الولدِ
So I have no need for you to reinforce it
So I have no need for the fruits produced
with the offspring borne by the towering palms.
By the tall palm trees and the children
ولكنّماbut rather أذكرتَنىyou reminded me بشمائلof qualities
ولكنّما أذكرتَنى بشمائل
جعلنَthey granted علىover المُهدَىthe recipient الفضيلةmerit للمُهِدىto the giver
جعلنَ على المُهدَى الفضيلة للمُهِدى
But you reminded me of qualities
But indeed when you reminded me of the noble qualities
that give the giver merit over the recipient.
You made excellence obligatory for the guided one over the cradle of the guided one
أتتناthey came to us هداياكyour gifts التيwhich لمdid not نجدwe find لهاfor them
أتتنا هداياك التي لم نجد لها
جزاءrecompense سوىexcept الشكرthanks المكلَّلcrowned بالحمدِwith praise
جزاء سوى الشكر المكلَّل بالحمدِ
Your gifts came to us, for which we found no
Your gifts have come to us, for which we could find
recompense but thanks crowned with praise.
No reciprocation except gratitude garlanded with praise
معاليقُpendants ياقوتof ruby تخالُyou imagine ثقوبهاtheir holes
معاليقُ ياقوت تخالُ ثقوبها
بأَبشِيزwith a drill كاتِa worker of التّبرgold نُظِّمنَthey were strung فيin عِقدِa necklace
بأَبشِيز كاتِ التّبر نُظِّمنَ في عِقدِ
Ruby pendants—you would think their holes were bored
Jeweled chokers whose holes
with a goldsmith's drill, and the pendants strung in a necklace.
Are strung with amber beads arranged in a necklace
وإنّand indeed نتاجَthe produce النحلِof bees والنخلِand palms واحدٌone and the same
وإنّ نتاجَ النحلِ والنخلِ واحدٌ
وهلand is there بينbetween شكلthe shape الحاءِof ḥāʾ والخاءِand khāʾ منany بُعدِdistance
وهل بين شكل الحاءِ والخاءِ من بُعدِ
And indeed, the produce of bees and palms is one;
Surely the produce of bees and date palms is one
and is there any difference between the shapes of ḥāʾ and khāʾ?
Is there any difference between the shape of ‘h’ and ‘kh’?
أتتthey came فيin مُروطٍcloaks منof يراعٍreeds كأنهاas though they were
أتت في مُروطٍ من يراعٍ كأنها
منof القصَبfine linen المصرىِّEgyptian تختالthey strut فيin بُردِstriped mantles
من القصَب المصرىِّ تختال في بُردِ
They came in cloaks of reed, as though
They came in a box as if it were
they strutted in striped mantles of fine Egyptian linen.
Made of Egyptian reed displaying its coldness
وقدand indeed قدَّرتْmeasured كفُّthe hand الصَّناعِof the skilled artisan التئامَهاtheir fitting together
وقد قدَّرتْ كفُّ الصَّناعِ التئامَها
كتقديرlike the measuring of دوادَDavid المساميرَthe rivets فيin السَّردِmail-weaving
كتقدير دوادَ المساميرَ في السَّردِ
And the skilled artisan's hand had measured their fitting,
The craftsman’s palm predetermined their perfection
as David measured the rivets in weaving mail.
Like the arrangement of nails in a bracelet
تعانقنَthey embraced one another فيهاwithin them كاعتناقlike the embrace of حبائبٍsweethearts
تعانقنَ فيها كاعتناق حبائبٍ
فماso not نتعاطاهنَّwe take them إلاexcept علىwith جهدِeffort
فما نتعاطاهنَّ إلا على جهدِ
They embraced within them like sweethearts embracing;
They cling together like the embrace of loved ones
so we could take them only with effort.
We only take them gently
إذاwhen فرّقتهنّparted them البنانُthe fingertips تشبَّثتthey clung
إذا فرّقتهنّ البنانُ تشبَّثت
بمثلto something like هَباءdust motes الشمسِthe sun خوفاfor fear منof البُعدِseparation
بمثل هَباء الشمسِ خوفا من البُعدِ
When fingertips parted them, they clung
If the fingers separate them, they cling
to something like dust in sunlight, for fear of separation.
To the sun's rays, fearing distance
وأخرىand another تجلَّتappeared فيin قميِصthe shirt of زجاجةٍa glass bottle
وأخرى تجلَّت في قميِص زجاجةٍ
كماjust as ضُمِّنwas made to contain القنديلُthe lamp لألأةَthe gleam الوقْدِof flame
كما ضُمِّن القنديلُ لألأةَ الوقْدِ
And another appeared in a glass bottle's shirt,
Another was embodied in a glass flask
as a lamp is filled with the glitter of flame.
As a lantern encompasses the burning wick
نفَواthey banished قلبهاits heart القاسيhard وآوواand housed مكانَهُin its place
نفَوا قلبها القاسي وآووا مكانَهُ
رقيقاa tender one وإنand though ساواهit matched it فيin اللونcolor والقدِّand size
رقيقا وإن ساواه في اللون والقدِّ
They banished its hard heart and lodged in its place
They removed its hard heart and sheltered in its place
a tender one, though matching it in color and size.
One delicate, though equal in color and size
فوso, by اللهGod ماnot أدرىI know أذاكis that نَحِيتةٌa carving
فو الله ما أدرى أذاك نَحِيتةٌ
منof الزُّبدbutter أمor هذاthis مصوغٌfashioned منfrom الزُّبِدbutter
من الزُّبد أم هذا مصوغٌ من الزُّبِد
So, by God, I cannot tell—is that a carving
By God, I don’t know, is that transparent
of butter, or is this fashioned from butter?
Foam or molded from foam?
بكاwept للتنائىat separation بعضُهاsome of them فوقabove بعِضهاothers of them
بكا للتنائى بعضُها فوق بعِضها
دماًblood مُجْسَداcongealed فيin صِبغةthe hue اللحمof flesh والجلدand skin
دماً مُجْسَدا في صِبغة اللحم والجلد
Some of them, above the others, wept at separation,
Weeping for their separation, some atop others
blood congealed in the hue of flesh and skin.
Blood incarnated in the dye of flesh and skin
وزادتand they increased بلونwith the color الزعفرانof saffron تصبُّغاin coloration
وزادت بلون الزعفران تصبُّغا
ولاand not تَشنَعُbecomes ugly الحسناءُthe beautiful woman منfrom حمرةِthe redness الخدِّof the cheek
ولا تَشنَعُ الحسناءُ من حمرةِ الخدِّ
And they deepened their coloring with saffron's hue;
And with saffron they took on more color
nor is a beauty marred by a cheek's redness.
The beautiful woman is not averse to rosy cheeks
فتلكso those بَرانٍjars أمor مخازنُstorehouses جوهرof jewels
فتلك بَرانٍ أم مخازنُ جوهر
حُشينَthey were filled فريداتٍrare gems منof العنبرambergris الوردِrose-colored
حُشينَ فريداتٍ من العنبر الوردِ
Are those jars, then, or storehouses of jewels,
Are those flasks or treasure stores
filled with rare gems of rose-colored ambergris?
Filled with unique amber and roses?
إذاwhen قلَّبتهنّturned them over الأكفُّthe hands تعجُّباin wonder
إذا قلَّبتهنّ الأكفُّ تعجُّبا
توهّمهاimagined them الراءونthe onlookers تلعبُplaying بالنَّردِat dice
توهّمها الراءون تلعبُ بالنَّردِ
When hands turn them over in wonder,
When palms turn them over in wonder
onlookers imagine those hands playing dice.
The observer imagines they are playing with dice
وشهباءand a gray-white one يُستجلَىis brought into view الضَّريبُfrost بلونِهاthrough its color
وشهباء يُستجلَى الضَّريبُ بلونِها
وطينتُهاand its clay منfrom عنصرthe substance الحَجرof stone الصَّلدِhard
وطينتُها من عنصر الحَجر الصَّلدِ
And a gray-white one, whose color brings frost into view,
And one whose flame can be ignited by its color
and whose clay is of the substance of hard stone.
Molded from the essence of solid rock
مقابَلةwith facing الأضلاعsides كانwas مثالُهاits form
مقابَلة الأضلاع كان مثالُها
قياساa model لذىfor the possessor of القَرنَينthe two horns فيin زُبَرthe blocks السدِّof the barrier
قياسا لذى القَرنَين في زُبَر السدِّ
With facing sides, its form was
Its ribs aligned as a model
a model for Dhul-Qarnayn's blocks in the barrier.
Of the two-horned one’s in pillars of granite
عَدُوَّةa foe of مانىMani فيin البياضwhiteness كأنّهاas though it
عَدُوَّة مانى في البياض كأنّها
ولونَand the color المشيبِof gray hair قدhad أقاماthe two remained علىon عهدِa pact
ولونَ المشيبِ قد أقاما على عهدِ
Mani's foe in whiteness, as though it
An enemy of blemishes in whiteness as if
and the hue of gray hair had remained bound by a pact.
The color of old age had pledged against it
وماand nothing عطَّرperfumed الأثوابَthe garments مثلُlike مقدَّمٍsomething preferred
وما عطَّر الأثوابَ مثلُ مقدَّمٍ
علىover المسكmusk والكافورand camphor والعُودِand aloeswood والنَّدِّand blended incense
على المسك والكافور والعُودِ والنَّدِّ
And nothing has perfumed garments like this, preferred
And nothing has perfumed clothes like a gift
over musk, camphor, aloeswood, and blended incense.
Above musk, camphor, aloeswood, and ambergris
أيادٍfavors توالتfollowed in succession منكfrom you عًجلَىswiftly كأنهاas though they were
أيادٍ توالت منك عًجلَى كأنها
شَرارٌsparks أطارتهsent them flying الأكفُّthe hands منfrom الزَّندِthe fire-stick
شَرارٌ أطارته الأكفُّ من الزَّندِ
Favors came from you in swift succession, as though they
Hands that came in quick succession as if
were sparks that hands sent flying from the fire-stick.
Sparks the palms released from flint
وإنىَand indeed I فيin عَجزىmy inability عنto الشكرgive thanks سائلٌam asking
وإنىَ في عَجزى عن الشكر سائلٌ
مساعدتىhelping me مَنthe one who كلَّمspoke to الناسَthe people فيin المهدِthe cradle
مساعدتى مَن كلَّم الناسَ في المهدِ
And in my inability to give thanks, I ask
And I, incapable of gratitude, ask
for help from the one who spoke to people in the cradle.
For aid from the one who spoke to people in the cradle
Sol 6.1