ماnot البرقthe lightning فيin كانونهits brazier قدalready قدحstruck fire
ما البرق في كانونه قد قدح
والغيمand the cloud فيin كفِّthe palm of الثرياthe Pleiades قدحa cup
والغيم في كفِّ الثريا قدح
Lightning, kindled in its brazier,
Neither lightning in its glittering nor clouds in the palm of Pleiades shine brighter than your brilliant mind, nor more wakeful than your overflowing words.
and the cloud, a cup in the Pleiades' palm,
I see your hands kindling the mind like firewood, for no man rivals your excellence.
أضوأbrighter منthan ذهنكyour mind ناراًin flame ولاnor
أضوأ من ذهنك ناراً ولا
أرقّmore delicate منthan لفظكyour speech كأساًas a cup طفحoverflowed
أرقّ من لفظك كأساً طفح
are no brighter in flame than your mind, nor
A cup of tormenting words, when blended with camphor snow, freezes to ice, yet the brilliance of your words melts that ice with their warmth.
more delicate than your speech, a brimming cup.
People swim in the sea of your two moons out of love. Glory to the Owner of Glory!
أورىkindled نداكyour bounty الذهنthe mind زنداًas a fire-stick علىalthough (with أنَّ)
أورى نداك الذهن زنداً على
أنَّthat امرأًa man فيin فضلهits excellence ماnot قدحimpugned
أنَّ امرأً في فضله ما قدح
Your bounty kindled the mind's fire-stick, although
The torment of souls became sweet from that ice, and their sadness departed.
no man ever impugned its excellence.
I cannot forget it any more than white locks in hair or scars on skin.
وكأسand a cup ألفاظٍof words عِذابٍsweet إذاwhen
وكأس ألفاظٍ عِذابٍ إذا
مازجهاmingled with it كافورthe camphor of ثلجsnow نضحshed drops
مازجها كافور ثلج نضح
And a cup of sweet words, when
The night has washed with its soap and overflowed, dyeing the horizon, then wiped off lest the brink seize its call at daybreak,
snow's camphor mingled with it, shed its drops.
So the thread of night returned from its color white as a forehead when it clears.
وصغتand you fashioned ثلجاًsnow فاكتسىso it clothed itself in بردهits chill
وصغت ثلجاً فاكتسى برده
ذكاءthe fire of ألفاظكyour words حتىuntil نفحbreathed warmth
ذكاء ألفاظك حتى نفح
You fashioned snow, and its chill clothed itself in
And the mountains you saw folly covet moved on.
the fire of your words, until it breathed warmth.
That passion was no whale swimming in the sphere of shooting stars, no butting bull.
وسبحand praised God الناسthe people بدرّيهماwith the pearls of both of them
وسبح الناس بدرّيهما
حباًout of love فياso O للهGod (invoked) منwhat! (expressing wonder) ذيthese السبحrosaries
حباً فيا لله من ذي السبح
People praised God with the pearls of both,
The matter is more calamitous, and that which is absent from the complaint of souls is more copious than what is attainable.
out of love—O God, what rosaries these are!
The hand of fortune emptied its knife on the wretched, so they were slaughtered.
وصارand became بالثّلجthrough the snow عذابُthe torment of الورىhumankind
وصار بالثّلج عذابُ الورى
عذباًsweet وعاهtook it in غمهhis grief فانشرحso found relief
عذباً وعاه غمه فانشرح
Through snow, humankind's torment became
Souls narrowed from the excess pouring from heads and chests gashed open.
sweet; his grief took it in and found relief.
That bright horizon turned white from weeping, the plash foaming from barking,
لمdid not أنسهforget it كالشيبlike grey hair لماwhen أضاshone
لم أنسه كالشيب لما أضا
فيon الرأسthe head أوor فيon الجلدthe skin لماwhen جرحwounded
في الرأس أو في الجلد لما جرح
I have not forgotten it: like grey hair when it gleamed
The branch snapped, and how many birds cried over it after it had echoed!
upon the head, or on the skin when it wounded.
It was as though the sea evaporated, leaving its salt, which the horizon scattered over the wounds.
قدalready غسلwashed الليلthe night بصابونهwith its soap
قد غسل الليل بصابونه
وفاضand overflowed فيinto صبغthe dye of المساevening فانمسحso was wiped away
وفاض في صبغ المسا فانمسح
It washed the night with its soap
O you who bandages wounds with his words yet forbids Time from committing crimes!
and flooded evening's dye, which was wiped away.
By God, no cave has preserved on the page of Time sweeter salt than you!
وخافand it feared أنthat يغتبقtake an evening draught الأفقthe horizon منfrom
وخاف أن يغتبق الأفق من
أندائهits dews صدرat the onset of الدجىdarkness فاصطبحso it took a morning draught
أندائه صدر الدجى فاصطبح
It feared the horizon would drink at evening from
I swear, if the sun were weighed against a golden dinar, its weight would prevail!
its dews at nightfall, so it drank at dawn.
وعادand turned خيطthe thread of الليلnight منfrom لونهits hue
وعاد خيط الليل من لونه
أبيضwhite كالفرقlike a hair-parting إذاwhen ماan emphatic particle وضحshowed clear
أبيض كالفرق إذا ما وضح
And the thread of night, from its hue, turned
white as a hair-parting when it shows clear.
وسيرتand were set moving منهfrom it الجبالthe mountains التيwhich
وسيرت منه الجبال التي
رأىsaw بهاin them الساعةthe Hour of Judgment طرْفٌan eye طمحgazed upward
رأى بها الساعة طرْفٌ طمح
And mountains of it were set moving, in which
an eye gazing upward beheld the Hour.
ماnot كانwas ذاكthat الوجدanguish حوتاًa Fish جرىcoursed
ما كان ذاك الوجد حوتاً جرى
فيin فلكthe sphere of الشهبthe bright stars وثوراًand a Bull نطحbutted
في فلك الشهب وثوراً نطح
That anguish was no Fish that coursed
through the sphere of stars, nor a Bull that butted.
الأمرthe matter أدهىmore dreadful والذيand what غابremained hidden منof
الأمر أدهى والذي غاب من
شكوىthe complaints of الورىhumankind أكثرmore مماthan what سنحappeared
شكوى الورى أكثر مما سنح
The matter is graver, and what remains hidden of
humankind's complaints exceeds what appeared.
سلّتdrew out يدthe hand of السعدgood fortune علىagainst النحسthe unlucky one منamong
سلّت يد السعد على النحس من
أهلthe people of الشقاmisery سكّينهاits knife فانذبحso he was slaughtered
أهل الشقا سكّينها فانذبح
Fortune's hand drew, against an unlucky one among
the wretched, its knife—and he was slaughtered.
وضاقتand were constricted الأنفسthe souls منfrom فرطthe excess of ماwhat
وضاقت الأنفس من فرط ما
يُندفis carded منfrom رأسa head وقطنٍand cotton قزحQuzah
يُندف من رأس وقطنٍ قزح
Souls were stifled by the excess of what
was carded from Quzah's head and cotton.
وأبيضand grew white ذاكthat الطرفeye مماfrom how much بكىit wept
وأبيض ذاك الطرف مما بكى
وأزبدand foamed العوَّاءal-ʿAwwāʾ, the Howler مماfrom how much نبحit barked
وأزبد العوَّاء مما نبح
And that eye grew white from weeping,
and al-ʿAwwāʾ, the Howler, foamed from barking.
وانقصفand snapped الغصنthe branch فكمso how many طائرa bird
وانقصف الغصن فكم طائر
ناحlamented عليهover it بعدafter ماa clause-forming particle قدhad already صدحsung aloud
ناح عليه بعد ما قد صدح
And the branch snapped—how many a bird
lamented over it after it had sung!
كأنماas though البحرُthe sea طفاfloated up ملحهits salt
كأنما البحرُ طفا ملحه
فذرّهso scattered it الأفقthe horizon علىover ماwhat جرحit wounded
فذرّه الأفق على ما جرح
It was as though the sea's salt had floated up,
so the horizon scattered it over what it had wounded.
ياO مدْملَhealer of الجرحthe wound بألفاظهwith his words
يا مدْملَ الجرح بألفاظه
وناهياًand forbidding للدّهرto Time عماfrom what اجترحit perpetrated
وناهياً للدّهر عما اجترح
O you who heal the wound with your words,
and forbid Time the wrongs it has wrought!
للهby God! ماwhat! (expressing wonder) خائيةa khāʾ-rhymed ode خلدتimmortalized
لله ما خائية خلدت
فيon صفحةthe page of الدهرTime أجلّthe finest الملحgems of wit
في صفحة الدهر أجلّ الملح
By God, what a khāʾ-rhymed ode, immortalizing
on Time's page the finest gems of wit!
أقسمتI swore لوif وازنتit matched in weight الشمسthe sun فيin المthe bal- (word fragment)
أقسمت لو وازنت الشمس في الم
يزان-ance (completing 'balance') دينارthe dinar of سناهاits radiance رجحweighed heavier
يزان دينار سناها رجح
I swore: were it weighed against the sun in the bal-
ance, the dinar of its radiance would outweigh it.
Partial English translation: 19 of 44 Arabic lines translated.