يا واحد العصر وفخر الورى — Aloshari

يا واحد العَصر وَفَخر الوَرى

وَمُنتَهى القَصد وَعَين المُراد

O peerless one of the age and pride of humankind,

And the ultimate aim, and the very thing desired;

وَعالم الأَرض وَتحريرها

وَمَركز الفَضل وَعالي العِماد

And the earth's scholar and its master of learning,

And the seat of excellence, with a lofty tent-pole;

وَابن الَّذي أفحم بُرهانه

أَعاظم الأَعجام وَالحيف باد

And the son of him whose proof silenced

The greatest of the non-Arabs, while injustice was plain.

قَد جاءَ عَنكُم عقد در بَدا

مُنتَظماً كَاللؤلؤ المُستجاد

From you has come a pearl necklace that appeared

Strung together like the choicest pearls.

يزهر كَالروض إِذا مسه

أَوائل المُستمطرات العهاد

It blooms like a garden when touched by

The first returning showers from clouds sought for rain.

ضمنته في ضمنه ملغزاً

أخفى مِن العَنقاء بَين العِباد

You enclosed it within its folds as a riddle,

More elusive than the Anqa among humankind.

فَخُذ جَوابي عَنهُ يا أَجمل الن

ناس وَمن أَضحى طَويل النجاد

So take my answer to it, O fairest of the

people, and you whose sword-belt is long.

ذاكَ رُباعي لَهُ مصدر

يذكره الناعت في كُل ناد

That is a four-letter word with a verbal noun,

Which the praiser mentions in every gathering.

وَإِن تَصحفه غَدا اسماً بِه

يوصف فَرد مِن ضُروب الجَماد

And if you change its dots, it becomes a name by which

An object of a certain inanimate kind is described.

وَنصفه الأَول يَلهو بِه ال

مصدور لو ذو علة في الفُؤاد

And its first half is a diversion for the

chest-afflicted, if one has an ailment of the heart.

وَنصفه الثاني إِذا رمته

مد لَكَ الباع بنيل المُراد

And its second half, when you seek it,

Extends your arm's reach to attain what you desire.

وَإِن تصحفه بَدا قَلبه

ذماً لِمَن أَضحى قَليل الرماد

And if you change its dots, its reversal appears

As a reproach to one whose ashes are few.

أَو تحذف الثالث أَضحى سَما

لِخالق الأَرض وَمُنشي البِلاد

Or remove the third letter, and it becomes a name

Of the earth's Creator and the Originator of the lands.

ثانيه وَالثالث مَعناه من

قَدر أَو أَمثاله يستفاد

Its second and third letters have a meaning that, from

'Decree' or words like it, may be inferred.

مَحا إِذا ما حذفوا عَجزه

وَالقَلب شَرط عِندَ أَهل السَداد

It reads 'erased' when they remove its ending,

And reversal is required by those of sound judgment.

آخره يوجد في أَول الدار

وَفي آخر هود وَصاد

Its last letter is found at the start of dār ('house'),

And at the end of Hūd and Ṣād.

فَخُذ جَواب اللغز مِن أَحمَد

مِن ألمعي الذهن وَأرى الزِناد

So take the riddle's answer from Ahmad,

From one keen of mind, whose fire-sticks spark.

ثُم صَلاة اللَه تَغشى الَّذي

سَماه في اللغز فخل العِناد

Then may God's blessing envelop the one

Whom he named in the riddle; so abandon obstinacy.