1. وصلَتْني تُحْفةٌ

    تُجْتَلى فوقَ الطّبَقْ

    A precious gift has reached me,

    displayed upon a platter:

  2. من بَناتِ الزِّنْجِ قدْ

    نظّمَت علَى نسَقْ

    daughters of the Zanj,

    arranged in an orderly array.

  3. أجْلِسَتْ فيهِ على

    فُرُشٍ منَ الورَقْ

    They were seated upon it, on

    beds of leaves.

  4. ظُلِّلتْ وُجوهُها

    برَياحينِ الحبَقْ

    Their faces were shaded

    with fragrant sprigs of basil.

  5. ألْبِسَتْ أجْسامُها

    حُلَلاً من الغسَقْ

    Their bodies were clothed

    in robes of dusk,

  6. بِرُقومٍ قد بدَتْ

    في دُجاها كالشّفَقْ

    with markings that appeared

    in their darkness like twilight's glow.

  7. ذاتَ لوْنين كَما

    يُجْتَلى حُسْنُ الحدَقْ

    Two-hued, like

    the beauty one beholds in eyes,

  8. بمحاسِنٍ أتتْ

    فِرَقاً بعْدَ فرَقْ

    with charms that came

    in group after group.

  9. كلّما قد رُمِقَتْ

    حسْنُها أحْيا الرَّمَقْ

    Whenever they were gazed upon,

    their beauty revived life's last breath.

  10. من صديقٍ من يَقَلْ

    فيهِ ذو الفضْلِ صدَقْ

    From a friend—whoever says

    of him, 'A man of virtue,' speaks truly.

  11. عاجِزٌ عن شُكْرِه

    كُلُّ ذي لفْظٍ نطَقْ

    Powerless to thank him

    is everyone who has uttered a word,

  12. لندىً أو لعُلىً

    أو لجَمْعِ ما افْترَقْ

    for generosity or eminence,

    or for uniting what was scattered.

  13. عَوِّذوا مُهْديَها

    بالتي تتْلو الفلَقْ

    Invoke protection for their giver

    with the surah that follows al-Falaq.