تملَّكhe took possession of حَبَّاتِthe cores of القلوبِthe hearts لأجلbecause of ذاthis
تملَّك حَبَّاتِ القلوبِ لأجل ذا
دَعاهُcalled him حَبِيباًbeloved كلُّevery صَبٍlovesick lover مُتَيَّمِenslaved by love
دَعاهُ حَبِيباً كلُّ صَبٍ مُتَيَّمِ
He took possession of the cores of hearts; for this
He captured the hearts' affection for the sake of that one
every lovesick, enthralled lover called him beloved.
Every lovelorn youth called him "my love"
ويوسُفand Yusuf لمdid not يظْفَرْattain بمَسْحةِa touch of حُسْنِهhis beauty
ويوسُف لم يظْفَرْ بمَسْحةِ حُسْنِه
علىdespite أنهthe fact that he is رَبُّthe master of الجمالِbeauty المُكرَّمِthe honored
على أنه رَبُّ الجمالِ المُكرَّمِ
And Yusuf did not attain even a touch of his beauty,
Yet Joseph did not attain the delight of his beauty
though he is the honored master of beauty.
Though he is the lord of sublime beauty
فأينso where are النِّساءُthe women القاطِعاتُwho cut أَكُفَّهاtheir palms
فأين النِّساءُ القاطِعاتُ أَكُفَّها
وشَقُّand the splitting ابنthe son of مُزْنٍrain-clouds صَدْرَهits breast شَقَّthe splitting of مُغْرَمِa lovestruck lover
وشَقُّ ابن مُزْنٍ صَدْرَه شَقَّ مُغْرَمِ
Where, then, stand the women who cut their palms,
Where are the women cutting their palms
beside the moon, son of rain-clouds, splitting its breast like a lovestruck lover?
And the rending of Ibn Muzn's chest rending the enamored
ودُرٌّand a pearl يَتِيمٌorphaned لمdid not يُهَذِّبْهrefine him كافِلٌa guardian
ودُرٌّ يَتِيمٌ لم يُهَذِّبْه كافِلٌ
وآدابُهand his manners ليستare not إلىto الناسhumankind تَنْتمِيattributable
وآدابُه ليست إلى الناس تَنْتمِي
And he is an orphan pearl whom no guardian refined;
A lonely pearl not polished by a guardian
and his manners do not derive from humankind.
Its manners do not belong to people
يقولhe says أناI الأمِّيُّthe unlettered one فيin اللَّوحِthe Tablet ناظِرٌgazing
يقول أنا الأمِّيُّ في اللَّوحِ ناظِرٌ
وفيand in مَكْتَبِthe school of الأرْواحِspirits رَبِّيmy Lord مُعَلِّمِيmy teacher
وفي مَكْتَبِ الأرْواحِ رَبِّي مُعَلِّمِي
He says: I, the unlettered one, gaze upon the Tablet,
It says, I am the illiterate looking at the tablet
and in the school of spirits, my Lord is my teacher.
And my Lord taught me in the realm of spirits
إذاwhen لاحhe appeared فيin مَوْضُونَةِclosely woven السَّرْدِmail links خِلْتَهُyou would think him
إذا لاح في مَوْضُونَةِ السَّرْدِ خِلْتَهُ
خِضَمّاًa vast sea تَرَدَّىcloaked itself بالغَدِيرin the pool المُنَسَّمbreeze-stirred
خِضَمّاً تَرَدَّى بالغَدِير المُنَسَّم
When he appears in tightly woven mail, you would think him
When its prose splendor shines through
a vast sea cloaked in a breeze-stirred pool.
Tumbling, rippling in the lake
أأعْداءُهare his enemies خُشْبٌlogs مُسَنَّدةٌpropped up ولمand did not
أأعْداءُه خُشْبٌ مُسَنَّدةٌ ولم
تَحِنَّmoan with longing حَنِينَthe yearning moan of الجِذْعَthe tree trunk حينwhen التَّألُّمِsuffering
تَحِنَّ حَنِينَ الجِذْعَ حين التَّألُّمِ
Are his enemies propped-up logs, though they never
Are its foes stacks of firewood
moaned as the tree trunk moaned in anguish?
That did not sigh the tree's sigh when it hurt
أمor الصَّخْرُthe rocks إنَّindeed الصَّخْرَthe rocks سَلَّمgave greeting إذْwhen بَداhe appeared
أم الصَّخْرُ إنَّ الصَّخْرَ سَلَّم إذْ بَدا
وماand did not سَلَّمتْgreet تسْليمَwith the greeting of أخْرسَa mute person أعْجَمِinarticulate
وما سَلَّمتْ تسْليمَ أخْرسَ أعْجَمِ
Or are they rocks? Indeed, the rocks greeted him when he appeared,
Or is it the boulder - the boulder submitted when it appeared
and their greeting was not that of someone mute and inarticulate.
But the mute foreigner did not submit surrender
فسَلْso ask يومthe day of بَدْرBadr حينwhen لاحَتْshone نُجومُهits stars
فسَلْ يوم بَدْر حين لاحَتْ نُجومُه
وشمسٌand a sun بغَيْرِby anything other than النَّقْعthe dust لمdid not تتثَلَّمِbecome notched
وشمسٌ بغَيْرِ النَّقْع لم تتثَلَّمِ
So ask the day of Badr, when its stars shone,
So ask the day of Badr when its stars shone
and a sun, save for dust, remained unnotched
A sun without blemish that did not become tarnished
بكُلِّby any كَمِيٍarmored warrior كانwas فيin بَطْنِthe womb of أُمِّهhis mother
بكُلِّ كَمِيٍ كان في بَطْنِ أُمِّه
تعلَّمhe learned أنto يُغْذَىbe nourished ويُرْوَىand have his thirst quenched منfrom الدَّمِblood
تعلَّم أن يُغْذَى ويُرْوَى من الدَّمِ
by any armored warrior who, in his mother's womb,
With every fetus that was in its mother's womb
had learned to be fed and have his thirst quenched with blood.
It learned to be fed and sustained by blood
Sol 6.1