1. بَارِكْ عَلَيْهَا بِذِكْرِ اللهِ مِنْ قِصَصِ

    وَاذْكُر بِهَا مَا أَتَى فِي سُورَةِ الْقَصَصِ

    Bless it with God's remembrance drawn from tales,

    and recall in it what came in Surat al-Qasas.

  2. حَيْثُ اغْتَدىَ السِّحْرُ يَلْهُو بِالْعُقُولِ وَقَدْ

    أَجَالَ بَيْنَ حِبَالِ كَيْدِهِ وَعِصِي

    There magic began to toy with minds, having

    sent them roaming among the ropes and rods of its guile.

  3. عَقَائِلُ الْعَقْلِ وَالسِّحْرِ الْحِلاَلِ ثَوَتْ

    مِن كَافِلِ الصَّوْنِ بَعْدَ الْكَوْنِ حِجْرَ وَصِي

    Noble ladies of reason and lawful magic have come to rest,

    from a protector's keeping, after coming into being, in a guardian's lap.

  4. وَأَقْبَلَتْ تَتَهَادَى كَالْبُدُورِ إِذَا

    سَبحْنَ مِنْ فَلَكِ التَّدْبِيرِ فِي حِصَصِ

    And they approached, swaying gracefully, like full moons when

    they glide from the sphere of governance in allotted shares.

  5. مَنْ لِلْبُدُورِ وَرَبَّاتِ الْخُدُورِ بِهَا

    الْمِثْلُ غَيْرُ مُطِيع وَالْمِثَالُ عَصِي

    Who could rival its full moons and ladies of curtained chambers?

    An equal is elusive, a likeness unattainable.

  6. مَا قُرصةُ الشَّمْسِ وَالشَّمْسِ المُنِيَرةِ إِنْ

    قِيسَتْ بِهِنَّ سِوَى مِنْ جُمْلَةِ الْقُرصِ

    The sun's disk—by the radiant sun!—if

    compared with them, is merely one disk among many.

  7. تَا اللهِ مَا حُكْمُهَا يَوْماً بِمُنْتَقَضٍ

    كَلاَّ وَلاَ بَدْرُهَا يَوْماً بِمُنْتَقَصِ

    By God, its ruling is never overturned;

    no indeed, nor is its full moon ever diminished.

  8. إِنْ قَالَ حُكْمِيَ فِيهَا بِالسَّوَاءِ فَقَدْ

    أَمِنْتُ مَا يَحْذَرُ الْقَاضِي مِنَ الْغُصَصِ

    If my judgment there declares equality, then indeed

    I am safe from the choking anguish a judge fears.

  9. أَو كُنْتُ أَرْخَصْتُ فِي التَّرْجِيحِ مُجْتَهداً

    لَمْ يَقْبَلِ الْوَرَعُ الْفُتيَى مَعَ الرُّخَصِ

    Or, had I been lenient in preferring one, exercising independent judgment,

    scrupulous piety would not accept a legal opinion with concessions.