راحَت نُضارُ فَلا عَيشٌ يَلَذُ لَنا

راحَت نُضارُ فَلا عَيشٌ يَلَذُ لَنا

وَخَلَّفت بِفُؤادي الهمَّ وَالحزنا

وَخَلَّفت بِفُؤادي الهمَّ وَالحزنا

Nudar has departed; life has no sweetness for us.

The radiance of Nudhar has departed, leaving us no pleasant life,

And she has left anguish and sorrow in my heart.

And she has left sorrow and grief in my heart,

فَما عَرَت مُهجَتي حالٌ تسرُّ بِها

فَما عَرَت مُهجَتي حالٌ تسرُّ بِها

وَلا رَأَت مُقلَتي مِن بَعدِها حَسَنا

وَلا رَأَت مُقلَتي مِن بَعدِها حَسَنا

No state has visited my soul in which it could rejoice,

So my soul found no condition to delight it,

Nor has my eye seen anything fair since her departure.

Nor did my eyes behold beauty after her.

كانَت نضارُ لَنا رُوحا نَعيشُ بِها

كانَت نضارُ لَنا رُوحا نَعيشُ بِها

فَتُنعِشُ الأَشرفينِ العَين وَالأُذُنا

فَتُنعِشُ الأَشرفينِ العَين وَالأُذُنا

Nudar was a spirit through whom we lived,

Nudhar was to us a spirit by which we lived,

Reviving the two noblest senses, the eye and ear.

Reviving the noblest sense, the eye and the ear,

فَالسَمعُ مِن لَفظِها للدُرِّ مُلتَقطٌ

فَالسَمعُ مِن لَفظِها للدُرِّ مُلتَقطٌ

وَالطَرفُ مِن لَحظِها بِالحُسنِ قَد فُتِنا

وَالطَرفُ مِن لَحظِها بِالحُسنِ قَد فُتِنا

For hearing gathered pearls from her words,

Hearing her speech gathering pearls,

And the eye was spellbound by the beauty of her glance.

And sight from her glance made drunk with beauty.

ذاتُ اِرتياحٍ إِلى القُرآنِ تَسرُدُهُ

ذاتُ اِرتياحٍ إِلى القُرآنِ تَسرُدُهُ

طَوراً وَتَسرُدُ طَوراً بَعدَها السُنَنا

طَوراً وَتَسرُدُ طَوراً بَعدَها السُنَنا

Delighting in the Qur’an, she would recite it

She took comfort in reciting the Quran,

At times, and at others follow it by reciting the prophetic traditions.

Relating its verses and then its traditions.

وَذاتُ بِرٍّ لِذي فَقرٍ وَمَسكَنةٍ

وَذاتُ بِرٍّ لِذي فَقرٍ وَمَسكَنةٍ

تَبرُّهُ خِلسَةً لا تَرقبُ العَلَنا

تَبرُّهُ خِلسَةً لا تَرقبُ العَلَنا

And she was charitable to one in poverty and want,

And she showed kindness to the poor and destitute,

Aiding him in secret, never seeking public notice.

Giving to them in secret, not seeking fame.

يَفدِي نُضيرَةَ أَترابٌ لَهُنَّ هَوىً

يَفدِي نُضيرَةَ أَترابٌ لَهُنَّ هَوىً

بِزينَةٍ وَارتياحٍ ههُنا وَهنا

بِزينَةٍ وَارتياحٍ ههُنا وَهنا

May her peers be a ransom for Nudayra, they who delight

Young men, enamored of her beauty and grace,

In finery and pleasure, here and there.

Throng here and there to win her.

وَهمُّها هِيَ في أَجرٍ تحصِّلُه

وَهمُّها هِيَ في أَجرٍ تحصِّلُه

وَفي عُلومٍ تُزَكّي كُلَّ مَن زَكنا

وَفي عُلومٍ تُزَكّي كُلَّ مَن زَكنا

But her own concern was the reward she would earn,

But her mind is set on earning reward

And learning that ennobles all who understand:

And gaining knowledge to cleanse all of us.

فقهٍ وَنحوٍ وَتَأريخٍ وَمَعرِفَةٍ

فقهٍ وَنحوٍ وَتَأريخٍ وَمَعرِفَةٍ

وَلَحظِ فكرٍ إِلى نيلِ العُلومِ رَنا

وَلَحظِ فكرٍ إِلى نيلِ العُلومِ رَنا

Jurisprudence, grammar, history, and knowledge,

Jurisprudence, grammar, history and knowledge,

And a thoughtful gaze intent on attaining the sciences.

With the glances of thought striving for the sciences.

قَد نَوَّرَ اللَهُ بِالتَقوى بَصيرَتَها

قَد نَوَّرَ اللَهُ بِالتَقوى بَصيرَتَها

فَلَم يضيّع لَها في غَيرِها الزَمَنا

فَلَم يضيّع لَها في غَيرِها الزَمَنا

God had illuminated her insight through piety,

God has enlightened her insight with piety,

So He did not let her time be wasted on anything else.

So she has not wasted her time on other things.

حَجَّت وَزارَت رَسولَ اللَهِ ثُمَ أَتَت

حَجَّت وَزارَت رَسولَ اللَهِ ثُمَ أَتَت

لِمصرَ قَد أَحرَزَت أَجراً وَحُسنَ ثَنا

لِمصرَ قَد أَحرَزَت أَجراً وَحُسنَ ثَنا

She made the pilgrimage and visited God’s Messenger, then came

She made the pilgrimage and visited the Messenger of God, then came

To Egypt, having earned reward and high praise.

To Egypt, achieving merit and fair praise.

فَصيحةٌ ثَقَّفَت بِالنَحوِ مَنطِقَها

فَصيحةٌ ثَقَّفَت بِالنَحوِ مَنطِقَها

فَلَن تَرى فيهِ لا لَحنا وَلا لَكنا

فَلَن تَرى فيهِ لا لَحنا وَلا لَكنا

Eloquent, she had refined her speech through grammar,

An eloquence refined by grammar,

So you will find in it neither grammatical error nor faulty pronunciation.

So you’ll see in it neither solecism nor awkwardness.

تُجيلَ طَرفَ يَراعٍ بِالأَنامِلِ في

تُجيلَ طَرفَ يَراعٍ بِالأَنامِلِ في

مَيدانِ طُرسٍ مُطيعاً لَم يَكُن حَرنا

مَيدانِ طُرسٍ مُطيعاً لَم يَكُن حَرنا

With her fingertips she guides a reed pen’s tip across

She trains the sight of one who looks with coils of braids in

The field of a page—obedient, never balking.

The field of horses obedient to her, not rebellious.

يَمشي عَلى رَأسِهِ في الطُرسِ مَبتدأً

يَمشي عَلى رَأسِهِ في الطُرسِ مَبتدأً

فَإِن جَرى جَذَبَت مِن رَأسِهِ الرَسَنا

فَإِن جَرى جَذَبَت مِن رَأسِهِ الرَسَنا

It walks upon its head across the page as it begins;

A stallion paces on its head for her in the hippodrome,

And if it runs, she pulls the rein from its head.

Then if it runs she pulls on its lead rein.

يَنحَطُّ أَعلاهُ إِذ يَسمو بِأَسفَلِهِ

يَنحَطُّ أَعلاهُ إِذ يَسمو بِأَسفَلِهِ

فعلُ الزَمانِ بِنا أَقبِح بِهِ زَمَنا

فعلُ الزَمانِ بِنا أَقبِح بِهِ زَمَنا

Its upper end sinks as its lower end rises—

Its top goes down when it rises from below,

Such is Time’s treatment of us—how vile an age!

Yet the ways of Time with us are the ugliest ways.