ياO جاكُJacques إِنَّكَindeed you are فيin زَمانِكَyour time واحِدٌpeerless
يا جاكُ إِنَّكَ في زَمانِكَ واحِدٌ
وَلِكُلِّand for every عَصرٍage واحِدٌone لاnot يُلحَقُcan be equaled
وَلِكُلِّ عَصرٍ واحِدٌ لا يُلحَقُ
O Jacques, you are peerless in your time.
O Jack, you are unique in your time
And every age has one whom none can equal.
And every age has one that cannot be matched
إِنَّindeed الأُلىthose who قَدhave عاصَروكَlived in your time وَفاتَهُمand it eluded them
إِنَّ الأُلى قَد عاصَروكَ وَفاتَهُم
أَنto يَسمَعوكَhear you كَأَنَّهُمas though they لَمhad not يُخلَقواbeen created
أَن يَسمَعوكَ كَأَنَّهُم لَم يُخلَقوا
Indeed, those who were your contemporaries but missed
Those before have lived with you and missed
Hearing you are as though they had never been created.
Hearing you, as if they were never created
قَدindeed جاءَcame موسىMoses بِالعَصاwith the staff وَأَتَيتَناand you came to us
قَد جاءَ موسى بِالعَصا وَأَتَيتَنا
بِالعودِwith the lute يَشدوit sings فيin يَدَيكَyour hands وَيَنطِقُand speaks
بِالعودِ يَشدو في يَدَيكَ وَيَنطِقُ
Moses came with the staff, and you came to us
Moses came with a staff, and you came to us
With the lute, which sings in your hands and speaks.
With a lute singing in your hands and speaking
فَإِذاso when اِرتَجَلتَyou improvise لَناfor us الغِناءَsinging فَكُلُّناthen all of us
فَإِذا اِرتَجَلتَ لَنا الغِناءَ فَكُلُّنا
مُهَجٌhearts تَسيلُmelt away وَأَنفُسٌand souls تَتَحَرَّقُburn with longing
مُهَجٌ تَسيلُ وَأَنفُسٌ تَتَحَرَّقُ
So when you improvise a song for us, we are all
So when you improvised songs for us, we were all
Hearts melting away and souls burning with longing.
Smitten, with passions set ablaze
فَمُطالِبٌso one requesting بِإِعادَةٍfor a repeat وَمَطالِبٌand requests
فَمُطالِبٌ بِإِعادَةٍ وَمَطالِبٌ
بِزِيادَةٍfor more وَمُهَلِّلٌand one cheering وَمُصَفِّقُand one applauding
بِزِيادَةٍ وَمُهَلِّلٌ وَمُصَفِّقُ
So one asks for an encore, and there are calls
Some calling for repetition, some
For more; one cheers, and another applauds.
For more, applauding and cheering
تَتَسابَقُrace one another الأَسماعُears صَوبَكَtoward you كُلَّماwhenever
تَتَسابَقُ الأَسماعُ صَوبَكَ كُلَّما
غَنَّيتَهاyou sing to them شَوقاًin longing إِلَيكَfor you وَتُعنِقُand hurry onward
غَنَّيتَها شَوقاً إِلَيكَ وَتُعنِقُ
Ears race toward you whenever
Ears competing towards you whenever
You sing to them; yearning for you, they hurry onward.
You sang them yearningly, and they would hug
وَتَوَدُّand wish أَفئِدَةٌhearts هَتَكتَyou have torn شَغافَهاtheir innermost veils
وَتَوَدُّ أَفئِدَةٌ هَتَكتَ شَغافَها
لَوif only أَنَّهاthey بِذُيولِهاto their trailing hems تَتَعَلَّقُcould cling
لَو أَنَّها بِذُيولِها تَتَعَلَّقُ
And hearts whose innermost veils you have torn wish
And hearts wishing if they could hang
That they could cling to their trailing hems.
By their fringes onto you
خُلُقٌcharacter كَماas شاءَwould wish الجَليسُthe companion وَشيمَةٌand a disposition
خُلُقٌ كَما شاءَ الجَليسُ وَشيمَةٌ
يَذكوgrows fragrant بِهاthrough it صَدرُthe heart النَدِيِّof the gathering وَيَعبَقُand wafts perfume
يَذكو بِها صَدرُ النَدِيِّ وَيَعبَقُ
A character just as a companion would wish, and a disposition
A nature as the companion desired, an essence
Through which the gathering’s heart grows fragrant and breathes perfume.
That makes the bosom of the friendly radiant and fragrant
وَمُروءَةٌand nobility لَوif أَنَّهاit قَدhad قُسِّمَتbeen distributed
وَمُروءَةٌ لَو أَنَّها قَد قُسِّمَت
بَينَamong اليَهودِthe Jews لَأَحسَنواthey would surely have done good وَتَصَدَّقواand given alms
بَينَ اليَهودِ لَأَحسَنوا وَتَصَدَّقوا
And such nobility that, had it been shared
And a generosity that if it were
Among the Jews, they would have done good and given alms.
Divided among the Jews, they would excel and give charity
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.