دانتyielded لكto you الدنياthe world وملتand you turned لأرغدtoward the more pleasant
دانت لك الدنيا وملت لأرغد
دارينtwo abodes فيon يومa day تزفّyou are led in wedding procession وفيand on غدthe morrow
دارين في يوم تزفّ وفي غد
The world has yielded to you, and you have turned toward the more pleasant
The world has surrendered to you, and two abodes in one day you wed
of two abodes, on your wedding day and on the morrow.
O crown of the faith of God and the world, whom
ياO تاجcrown of دينthe faith of اللهGod والدنياand the world الذيwhose
يا تاج دين الله والدنيا الذي
لاقتbefitted مكانتهhis rank بفرقthe crown of الفرقدFarqad (a star)
لاقت مكانته بفرق الفرقد
O crown of God's faith and of the world, whose
His rank has met with the difference of spheres
rank befitted the crown of Farqad.
By God, my love poems have no riddle
للهto God (expressing admiration) ماwhat! لغزٌa riddle بهwithin it غزليةٌa love lyric
لله ما لغزٌ به غزليةٌ
سجدتprostrated themselves لهاto it الدَّالاتthe dāl letters نوعa kind of تعبدworship
سجدت لها الدَّالات نوع تعبد
God be praised—what a riddle, with a love lyric within it,
The letters prostrated to it, a kind of worship
before which the dāl letters prostrated themselves in a kind of worship.
The tongue testified to it as the Opening Chapter, so a mouth
شهدَtestified اللسانthe tongue بهاthrough it لفاتحةٍfor an opening فماًa mouth
شهدَ اللسان بها لفاتحةٍ فماً
عذباًsweet إذاwhen ماan emphatic particle ذقتهyou taste it قلتَyou say ازددincrease!
عذباً إذا ما ذقته قلتَ ازدد
The tongue testified that its opening had a mouth
Sweet when tasted, you would say give me more
so sweet that, when you taste it, you say, 'More!'
From every rhyme that arises for every possessor
منfrom كلِّevery قافيةٍrhymed verse تقومُserves لكلِّfor each ذيpossessor of
من كلِّ قافيةٍ تقومُ لكلِّ ذي
ديوانa collection of نظمٍverse قبلناbefore us بمجلدas a bound volume
ديوان نظمٍ قبلنا بمجلد
From every rhymed verse that serves, for each possessor
Of a book of poetry before us in a tome
of a collection of verse before us, as a whole volume.
It dispels my worries so I recite its meter
هيَit دافعthe dispeller of همِّيmy sorrow فأنشدso I sing بحرهاits sea; its poetic meter
هيَ دافع همِّي فأنشد بحرها
ياO نيلNile of مصرEgypt قدindeed أتيتَyou have come بمفردwith something peerless
يا نيل مصر قد أتيتَ بمفرد
It dispels my sorrow, so I sing of its sea:
O Nile of Egypt, you have come in solitary
'O Nile of Egypt, you have brought something peerless!'
Is there other than my words standing with attributes what
هلis ...? غيرother than قوليmy speech قائمٌequal to the task بصفاتof describing the qualities of ماwhat
هل غير قولي قائمٌ بصفات ما
قدalready قلتI have said ياO ابنson of عليّʿAlī لاno ومحمدby Muḥammad
قد قلت يا ابن عليّ لا ومحمد
Is any speech but mine equal to describing the qualities of what
I have said O son of Ali, no, and Muhammad
I have spoken of, O son of ʿAlī? No, by Muḥammad!
Partial English translation: 13 of 14 Arabic lines translated.