الملح ما أكثر إبزاره
لا ملح أهل الزهد والنسك
Salt—how abundant are its seasonings!
The salt—how abundant its seasoning!
No salt of ascetics and pious devotees, this.
Not the salt of those devoted to asceticism and worship.
كأن شهدانجه بينه
حبات رومي من الفلك
Its hempseed amid it seems
As though its hemp seeds within it
like Byzantine beads from the celestial sphere.
Were Roman beads from the celestial sphere.
كأنما الشونيز من فوقه
ما نفت الفضة في السبك
The black cumin scattered over it seems
As though the nigella seeds atop it
like dross cast off by silver in the smelting.
Were what silver casts off during melting.
كأنما العناب في وجهه
تنقيط قرآن على الصك
The jujubes upon its surface seem
As though the jujubes on its face
like the dotted script of a Qur’an upon a parchment.
Were the dots of a Qur'an upon a document.
بأنجدان فض من مهرق
وسمسم قد فض من سلك
Asafoetida spilled from a paper packet,
With asafoetida scattered from a parchment sheet,
and sesame spilled from a string of beads.
And sesame already scattered from a string.
يشبه من ثنى ابازيره
إذا تأملناه أو يحكي
It resembles one who has doubled its spices,
With its layers of spices, it resembles—
when we contemplate it—or else it evokes
When we contemplate it—or mirrors—
سحيق كافور مشوب به
قراضة العنبر والمسك
finely ground camphor, mingled with
Powdered camphor mingled with
shavings of ambergris and musk.
Scrapings of ambergris and musk.
Sol 6.1