لاmay ... not زالَcease to be أَحمَدُAhmad فيamong الوَرىhumankind مَحموداpraised
لا زالَ أَحمَدُ في الوَرى مَحمودا
فَلَقَدfor indeed كَسانيhas clothed me جودُهُhis generosity المَوجوداwhat was available
فَلَقَد كَساني جودُهُ المَوجودا
May Ahmad never cease to be praised among humankind.
Ahmad is still praised among people
For his generosity has clothed me with what he had.
For his generosity has adorned me
خِلٌّa friend إِذاwhen اِستَعرَضتُI surveyed جَوهَرَthe gems خَطِّهِhis handwriting
خِلٌّ إِذا اِستَعرَضتُ جَوهَرَ خَطِّهِ
أَبصَرتُI saw مِنهُin it قَلائِداًnecklaces وَعُقوداand strings of gems
أَبصَرتُ مِنهُ قَلائِداً وَعُقودا
A friend: when I survey the gems of his handwriting,
A sincere friend whose essence I reviewed
I see in it necklaces and strings of gems.
I saw necklaces and bracelets from him
لاfirst part of 'his lām letters' (split لاماته) ماتُهُremaining part of 'his lām letters' (split لاماته) لَوif مِلنَthey leaned كُنَّthey would be سَوالِفاًsides of necks
لا ماتُهُ لَو مِلنَ كُنَّ سَوالِفاً
أَلِفاتِهِhis alif letters لَوif مِسنَthey swayed كُنَّthey would be قُدوداslender figures
أَلِفاتِهِ لَو مِسنَ كُنَّ قُدودا
His lām letters, if they leaned, would be the sides of necks;
His companions, had they lived, would be :
His alif letters, if they swayed, would be slender figures.
chains to his friendship, ever bound
تُجلىare unveiled عَلَيكَbefore you رِقاعُهُhis sheets بِحُروفِهِwith his letters
تُجلى عَلَيكَ رِقاعُهُ بِحُروفِهِ
فَتَخالُهُنَّso you imagine them عَوالِياًtall spears وَخُدوداand cheeks
فَتَخالُهُنَّ عَوالِياً وَخُدودا
His sheets, bearing his letters, are unveiled before you,
His papers reveal themselves in his handwriting
And you imagine them to be tall spears and cheeks.
I mistook them for rolling dunes
أَماas for الرِياضُthe gardens فَلَوthen if بَدَتthey appeared لِسُطورِهِbefore his lines
أَما الرِياضُ فَلَو بَدَت لِسُطورِهِ
لَتَوَهَّمَتهاthey would surely take them to be رَوضَهاtheir garden المَنضوداneatly arranged
لَتَوَهَّمَتها رَوضَها المَنضودا
As for the gardens, were they to appear before his lines,
As for poetry, if revealed in his lines
They would take those lines for their own neatly ordered garden.
One would imagine it a well-tended garden
لَولاwere it not for أَبوAbu (father of) العَبّاسِal-Abbas يُرخَصُis made cheap وَشَيُهُhis brocade
لَولا أَبو العَبّاسِ يُرخَصُ وَشَيُهُ
لَمdid not أَكسُI clothe شِعريmy poetry مِنfrom سِواهُanyone other than him بُرُدواmantles
لَم أَكسُ شِعري مِن سِواهُ بُرُدوا
Were it not that Abu al-Abbas's brocade is made cheap,
If not for Abu Al Abbaas permitting his talent
I would not clothe my verse in mantles from anyone else.
I would not have clothed my poetry in anything but coldness
مُتَفَرِّدٌpeerless مُذever since كانَhe existed بِالأَدَبِin literary artistry الَّذيthat
مُتَفَرِّدٌ مُذ كانَ بِالأَدَبِ الَّذي
يُهديoffers إِلىto الأَسماعِthe ears مِنهُfrom it فَريداa rare pearl
يُهدي إِلى الأَسماعِ مِنهُ فَريدا
He has always been peerless in the literary art that
Unique in literature since time began
He draws upon to offer the ears a rare pearl.
Guiding to the ears from him something unmatched
وَمُهَذَّبٌand refined ماnot زالَceased تاجُthe crown فِخارُهُhis glory
وَمُهَذَّبٌ ما زالَ تاجُ فِخارُهُ
مُذsince صيغَit was fashioned فَوقَabove جَبينِهِhis brow مَعقوداfastened
مُذ صيغَ فَوقَ جَبينِهِ مَعقودا
And refined: the crown of his glory has remained,
Refined, with the crown of his pride
Since it was fashioned, fastened above his brow.
Ever affixed above his forehead
تَبلىwear out العُلومُthe sciences فَماso whatever اِكتَسىhe donned مِنof بَزِّهاtheir fabric
تَبلى العُلومُ فَما اِكتَسى مِن بَزِّها
عادَbecame again الَّذيthat which قَدalready رَثَّgrew threadbare مِنهُof it جَديداnew
عادَ الَّذي قَد رَثَّ مِنهُ جَديدا
Learning wears out; whatever of its fabric he dons,
Knowledge decays, so whatever he gained of its luster
What had grown threadbare in it becomes new again.
He returned anew, vigorously replenished
لاmay ... not زالَcease to be مَنشورُunfurled العَلاglory مشنfrom (probable typo for مِن) طَيِّهِhis folds
لا زالَ مَنشورُ العَلا مشن طَيِّهِ
أَبَداًforever عَلَيهِabove him مُطَنَّباًsecured with guy ropes مَمدوداoutstretched
أَبَداً عَلَيهِ مُطَنَّباً مَمدودا
May glory, unfurled from his folds,
The banner of his lofty knowledge still billowing
Forever remain above him, firmly guyed and outstretched.
Forever vigorously waving above him
Sol 6.1