نسيت في عرفانك الحكماءُ

نسيت في عرفانك الحكماءُ

فقبيحٌ أن تذكر الشعراءُ

فقبيحٌ أن تذكر الشعراءُ

Beside your wisdom, the sages are forgotten;

The wise forgot wisdom in knowing you,

So it is unseemly that poets should be mentioned.

So it is ugly for the poets to be mentioned.

أيُّ فضلٍ لهم يبينُ وهل للبد

أيُّ فضلٍ لهم يبينُ وهل للبد

رِ نورٌ إذا استنارت ذكاء

رِ نورٌ إذا استنارت ذكاء

What merit of theirs can appear? And has the full

What virtue do they make clear? Does mud have light

moon any light when Dhukāʾ, the sun, shines?

When the minds are enlightened with intelligence?

جئتَ في النظمِ مبصر الفكر والدن

جئتَ في النظمِ مبصر الفكر والدن

يا جميعاً بصيرةٌ عمياءُ

يا جميعاً بصيرةٌ عمياءُ

You came to verse clear-sighted in thought, while the

You came in poetry with insight into thought and religion,

whole world was blind in its inner sight.

O all-seeing though blind!

فأزلت العمى بآيات فضلٍ

فأزلت العمى بآيات فضلٍ

أذعنت طاعةً لها البلغاءُ

أذعنت طاعةً لها البلغاءُ

So you dispelled blindness with signs of excellence,

You removed blindness with verses of virtue,

to which the eloquent yielded in obedience.

To which eloquent speakers submitted obediently.

نشرتَ طيءَ الفصاحة لكن

نشرتَ طيءَ الفصاحة لكن

طُويت في انتشارها الفصحاءُ

طُويت في انتشارها الفصحاءُ

You unfolded the folds of eloquence, but

You spread the fragrance of eloquence, but

in its unfolding the eloquent were folded away.

When it spread, the eloquent were folded away.

حِكمٌ حلوة الينابيع عفواً

حِكمٌ حلوة الينابيع عفواً

سلسلتها رويَّةٌ سمحاءُ

سلسلتها رويَّةٌ سمحاءُ

Wise sayings, sweet at their springs, effortlessly

Wise sayings are the sweet springs flowing freely,

set flowing by gracious reflection.

Their flow gentle and lenient.

يرشف السمعُ لفظها العذب راحاً

يرشف السمعُ لفظها العذب راحاً

لجميع العقول منهُ انتشاءُ

لجميع العقول منهُ انتشاءُ

Hearing sips their sweet wording as wine;

The ears enjoy their sweet articulation relaxed,

all minds draw intoxication from it.

Their diffusion enlightens all minds.

لو تلاها مردِّداً لفظها المرءُ

لو تلاها مردِّداً لفظها المرءُ

لما احتجنَ روحَه الأعضاءُ

لما احتجنَ روحَه الأعضاءُ

If a man recited them, repeating their words,

If one recited them repeating their words,

his limbs would not keep his soul confined.

His soul would not need his limbs.

وكفى شاهداً بفضلك ما تر

وكفى شاهداً بفضلك ما تر

ويه عنك الهمزيَّة الغرَّاءُ

ويه عنك الهمزيَّة الغرَّاءُ

And sufficient witness to your merit is what is told

Your virtue that you show is enough as a witness,

of you by the radiant Hamziyya.

While the embellished fabrications turn away from you.

بنتُ فكرٍ مجلوَّة في قوافٍ

بنتُ فكرٍ مجلوَّة في قوافٍ

لم تلد قطُّ مثلها الآراءُ

لم تلد قطُّ مثلها الآراءُ

A daughter of thought, unveiled in rhymes,

I built a thought adorned with rhymes

ideas have never borne her like.

That opinions never gave birth to the like.

ألِفاتٌ مثل الغصون تلتها

ألِفاتٌ مثل الغصون تلتها

لكَ من كلِّ همزةٍ ورقاءُ

لكَ من كلِّ همزةٍ ورقاءُ

Alifs like boughs, recited

Branches follow it, for you from every witty letter,

for you by a gray dove from every hamza.

Delicate leaves.

لبست من جمان نظمك عقداً

لبست من جمان نظمك عقداً

ما تحلَّت بمثله عذراءُ

ما تحلَّت بمثله عذراءُ

She wore a necklace of the pearls of your verse;

I wore from the beauty of your poetry a necklace

no maiden has ever adorned herself with its like.

That no maiden wore its like.

أين يا ابن الفاروق منك ال

أين يا ابن الفاروق منك ال

ذي أبدعَ في نظمها ولا إطراءُ

ذي أبدعَ في نظمها ولا إطراءُ

Where beside you, O son of al-Faruq, is the

Where are you, O son of Al-Farooq, compared to him

one who excelled in composing her? This is no flattery.

Who perfected composing it without embellishment?

لو رأى ما أودعت فيها لأضحى

لو رأى ما أودعت فيها لأضحى

هو والنظمُ واصلٌ والرَّاءُ

هو والنظمُ واصلٌ والرَّاءُ

Had he seen what you placed within her, they would become—

If he saw what you embedded in it, he would become

he and verse—Wasil and the letter rāʾ.

Him, poetry, and the embellisher united.

زبرةٌ قد أشعتَ في المتن منها

زبرةٌ قد أشعتَ في المتن منها

جوهراً في فرنده يستضاءُ

جوهراً في فرنده يستضاءُ

An iron ingot, in whose body you have spread

An ingot you illuminated in the text with

jewel-like brilliance whose watered pattern gives light.

A gem that gives off light in its oven.

فهي فيه عادت كمثل عصا مو

فهي فيه عادت كمثل عصا مو

سى وتخميسك اليدُ البيضاءُ

سى وتخميسك اليدُ البيضاءُ

So within it she became like the staff of

So it returned in it like Moses’ staff

Moses, and your five-line adaptation the white hand.

And your palm, the white hand.