فِي الجو كَحَّالْ كَمْ كَحَّلْ من أجفَانْ

فِي الجو كَحَّالْ كَمْ كَحَّلْ من أجفَانْ

والبرق يقْدَحْ والسحَاب لُو عِينْ

والبرق يقْدَحْ والسحَاب لُو عِينْ

In the sky is an oculist—how many eyelids he has lined with kohl!

How the air is kohl, how much kohl from eyelids,

And lightning couches cataracts, and the cloud has an eye.

And lightning that strikes, clouds with eyes,

والريحْ يقسّطْ والسحَابْ المِقْدَاحْ

والريحْ يقسّطْ والسحَابْ المِقْدَاحْ

والقلب مِشْرَطْ وَالمِقَصْ النّسْرِينْ

والقلب مِشْرَطْ وَالمِقَصْ النّسْرِينْ

And the wind dispenses doses, and the cloud is the couching needle.

Winds that lash out, clouds that ignite,

And the Heart is a lancet, and the scissors are the Two Eagles.

A heart that's a blade, scissors made of eagles.

والثور علَّقْ والمُقَاتِلْ شَمَّرْ

والثور علَّقْ والمُقَاتِلْ شَمَّرْ

والجدي يبْزِل وَالبَزالْ الفَرْعِينْ

والجدي يبْزِل وَالبَزالْ الفَرْعِينْ

And the Bull has applied leeches, and the Warrior has rolled up his sleeves.

The bull is hung, the warrior girded,

And the Kid lets blood, and the bloodletting lancet is al-Farʿayn.

The stalwart staggers, the hero on his knees.

والبدرْ جردْ والمِحَك العَيُّوقْ

والبدرْ جردْ والمِحَك العَيُّوقْ

والليلْ يكَحِّلْ وَالظلاَمْ الإثْمِدْ

والليلْ يكَحِّلْ وَالظلاَمْ الإثْمِدْ

And the full moon has scraped, and the scraper is al-ʿAyyūq.

The moon is naked, the chisel true,

And night applies kohl, and darkness is antimony kohl.

The night applies kohl, the darkness sealed shut.

والنطحْ سيفْ والمجره سَيَّافْ

والنطحْ سيفْ والمجره سَيَّافْ

والأفقْ مُقْلَهْ والصبَاح المِرْوَدْ

والأفقْ مُقْلَهْ والصبَاح المِرْوَدْ

And al-Naṭḥ is a sword, and the Milky Way a swordsman.

The butting is a sword, the galaxy a swordsman,

And the horizon is an eyeball, and morning the kohl-stick.

The horizon an anvil, the dawn a hammer.

الروضْ كِيمْيَا والأزَاهِرْ جَابِرْ

الروضْ كِيمْيَا والأزَاهِرْ جَابِرْ

وَالرندْ صَبْغَه والشَّقِيقْ الأكْسِيرْ

وَالرندْ صَبْغَه والشَّقِيقْ الأكْسِيرْ

The garden is alchemy, and the blossoms are Jābir.

The meadow is chemistry, the flowers Jabir,

And the laurel is a tincture, and the anemone the elixir.

The salvia a dye, the poppy the elixir.

والزهرْ مَرْهَمْ وَالقَرَنْفُلْ فرار

والزهرْ مَرْهَمْ وَالقَرَنْفُلْ فرار

والنهرْ قلعي والنسيم التسخير

والنهرْ قلعي والنسيم التسخير

And the blossoms are a salve, and the carnation a volatile substance.

The blossom an ointment, the carnation quick flight,

And the river is tin, and the breeze is fixation.

The river an uprooter, the breeze a captive set free.

والدوح قَرْعَهْ وَالنَّوارْ الانْبِيقْ

والدوح قَرْعَهْ وَالنَّوارْ الانْبِيقْ

والريح ينفخ والجو مثل الكِيرْ

والريح ينفخ والجو مثل الكِيرْ

And the spreading trees are a gourd-shaped flask, and the blossoms the alembic.

The inkstand a knock, the lamps a gushing forth,

And the wind blows, and the air is like the bellows.

The wind blows, the air like sulphur.

والتُّرْب تَكْلِيسْ والكَمَائِمْ كَانُونْ

والتُّرْب تَكْلِيسْ والكَمَائِمْ كَانُونْ

والطَّلْ يقَطَّرْ وَالزَّهَرْ يصَعَّدْ

والطَّلْ يقَطَّرْ وَالزَّهَرْ يصَعَّدْ

And the soil is calcination, and the bud-sheaths a brazier.

The soil is packing, the pleiades a brazier,

And the dew is distilled, and the blossoms are sublimed.

The dew drips, the flowers rise in vapors,

والورد سِكَّهْ والبنفسحْ طَابعْ

والورد سِكَّهْ والبنفسحْ طَابعْ

والقطرْ يَطْبَعْ والاقَاحْ يجَسَّدْ

والقطرْ يَطْبَعْ والاقَاحْ يجَسَّدْ

And the rose is a coin-die, and the violet a stamp.

The rose is minted, the jasmine stamped,

And the rain stamps, and the daisies are solidified.

The raindrops imprint, pollination embodied.