ما اسمٌ له رأس يُرى في السما

ما اسمٌ له رأس يُرى في السما

ورجلُه ساخت بأقصى البلاد

ورجلُه ساخت بأقصى البلاد

What name has a head seen in the sky,

What name has a head seen in the sky

and a foot sunk at the farthest edge of the lands?

And its leg built in the farthest lands

أضحت كنِصف بيضة جوِّفت

أضحت كنِصف بيضة جوِّفت

تذكر في آخر هود وعاد

تذكر في آخر هود وعاد

It has become like half a hollowed-out egg,

It became like half an empty egg

mentioned at the end of Hūd and ʿĀd.

Reminding of the end of Hood and Aad

وإن ترُم ثانيَه فهو في

وإن ترُم ثانيَه فهو في

رأس الحِجى المطلوب والمستفاد

رأس الحِجى المطلوب والمستفاد

And if you seek its second letter, it is in

And if you hints its second, it is in

the head of wisdom, sought and acquired.

The head of the desired and beneficial pilgrimage

تصحيفه جاء بنظمي وقد

تصحيفه جاء بنظمي وقد

بيّنتُه لكل قاصٍ وباد

بيّنتُه لكل قاصٍ وباد

Its altered-dot form has appeared in my verse, and indeed,

Its misspelling came in my prose and I

I have made it clear to every distant one and desert-dweller.

Clarified it for every storyteller and preacher

وإن ترُم ثالثَه تلفَه

وإن ترُم ثالثَه تلفَه

أوائل المستمطرات العهاد

أوائل المستمطرات العهاد

And if you seek its third letter, you will find it

And if you hints its third, its beginnings

at the beginnings of clouds invoked for renewed rains.

Cover the first rains of clouds

وطرده كعكسه دائماً

وطرده كعكسه دائماً

تشويشه بحر كبرك الغماد

تشويشه بحر كبرك الغماد

And its forward reading is always like its reverse;

And its expulsion is like its reflection, always

its scrambled form is a sea, like Bark al-Ghimād.

Its disturbance is the sea of great terror

وإن ترم رابعه فهو قد

وإن ترم رابعه فهو قد

بدا لرائيه باقصى النجاد

بدا لرائيه باقصى النجاد

And if you seek its fourth letter, it has indeed

And if you hints its fourth, it has

appeared to its beholder at the farthest edge of the uplands.

Appeared to its seers in the farthest plateau

لولاه ما تمَّت لنا بلدة

لولاه ما تمَّت لنا بلدة

لا سيما بغداد دون البلاد

لا سيما بغداد دون البلاد

Without it, no town of ours would be complete,

Without it, our country would not be complete

especially Baghdad, rather than other towns.

Especially Baghdad among the countries

مشوش المجموع مثنٍ على

مشوش المجموع مثنٍ على

أهل الثنا مثلي بغير انتقاد

أهل الثنا مثلي بغير انتقاد

The rearranged whole offers praise to

Its scrambled total is a praise of

those worthy of praise, as I do, without censure.

The people of duality like me without criticism

ورجله إذا أبينَت محا

ورجله إذا أبينَت محا

بقلبه اليقظان أهل العناد

بقلبه اليقظان أهل العناد

And when its foot is severed, it wipes out

And its leg, when you clarify

with its wakeful heart the people of defiance.

With its vigilant heart the people of stubbornness

وإن ترُم رُبعَيه دم قالباً

وإن ترُم رُبعَيه دم قالباً

لنصفه تظفر بعين الرشاد

لنصفه تظفر بعين الرشاد

And if you seek its two quarters, keep reversing

And if you hints its two quarters, a mold of blood

half of it; you will attain the very essence of right guidance.

For its half, you will attain the eye of guidance

فاشرح لي الملغز لا زلت في

فاشرح لي الملغز لا زلت في

رتبة فضلٍ دائمٍ في المهاد

رتبة فضلٍ دائمٍ في المهاد

So explain the riddle to me; may you ever remain in

So explain the riddle to me while I am

a rank of enduring merit in the earthly resting-place.

In a position of continual virtue in the cradle