أقلامُكَyour pens الصّفْرُyellow ياO بُنَيّmy little son إنْif كَتَبَتْthey write
أقلامُكَ الصّفْرُ يا بُنَيّ إنْ كَتَبَتْ
رسْمَthe form الحُروفِof the letters علىupon صَفْحاتِthe pages مسْطورِof a manuscript
رسْمَ الحُروفِ على صَفْحاتِ مسْطورِ
Your yellow pens, my little son, when they trace
the forms of letters upon a manuscript’s pages,
شبّهْتُهاI likened them وسَوادُwhile the blackness الحِبْرِof the ink يخْضُبُهاstains them
شبّهْتُها وسَوادُ الحِبْرِ يخْضُبُها
صَفّارَةًa whistle غُمِسَتْwas dipped فيinto جوْفِthe hollow of قَمْرورِa qamrūr (meaning uncertain)
صَفّارَةً غُمِسَتْ في جوْفِ قَمْرورِ
I likened them, with the ink’s blackness staining them,
to a whistle dipped into the hollow of a qamrūr.
الخطُّthe script واللّفْظُand the wording والمعْنىand the meaning وماand what انتخَبَتْit selected
الخطُّ واللّفْظُ والمعْنى وما انتخَبَتْ
للكتْبِfor writing منْof آلةٍan implement نورٌlight علىupon نورِlight
للكتْبِ منْ آلةٍ نورٌ على نورِ
The script, the wording, the meaning, and what was chosen
of implements for writing—light upon light.
Translation model: Sol 6.1