شَدَتْ فَجَلَتْ أَسْماعَنَا بِمُخَفّفٍ

شَدَتْ فَجَلَتْ أَسْماعَنَا بِمُخَفّفٍ

يُحَدِّثُهَا عن سِرِّهَا وتُحَدِّثُهْ

يُحَدِّثُهَا عن سِرِّهَا وتُحَدِّثُهْ

She sang, and burnished our hearing with a light lute,

It captivated our ears with a gentle tune

which speaks to her of her secret, and she speaks to it.

Conversing with it about its secret, and it converses with him

مَشَاكلَةٌ أَوتارَهُ في طِباعِهَا

مَشَاكلَةٌ أَوتارَهُ في طِباعِهَا

عناصِرُ منها أَلَّفَ الخَلْقَ مُحْدِثُهْ

عناصِرُ منها أَلَّفَ الخَلْقَ مُحْدِثُهْ

Matching its strings in nature are

A conversation whose strings are tuned to its moods

the elements from which creation's Maker composed it.

Elements from it, its speaker has composed creation

فللنَّارِ منه الزِبرُ والأَرْضُ بمُّهُ

فللنَّارِ منه الزِبرُ والأَرْضُ بمُّهُ

وللريح مَثْنَاهُ ولِلْمَاءِ مَثْلَثُهْ

وللريح مَثْنَاهُ ولِلْمَاءِ مَثْلَثُهْ

Thus its treble belongs to fire, and earth is its bass;

For fire is from it zabr, and earth from it mubah

its second string belongs to wind, and its third to water.

For wind its octave, and for water its fifth

وكلًّ امرئٍ تشتاقُهُ مِنْه نَغَمَةٌ

وكلًّ امرئٍ تشتاقُهُ مِنْه نَغَمَةٌ

على حَسَبِ الطَّبْعِ الذي مِنْهُ يَبْعَثُهْ

على حَسَبِ الطَّبْعِ الذي مِنْهُ يَبْعَثُهْ

And a note from it stirs every man's longing,

And every person yearns for a melody from it

in keeping with the temperament through which it rouses him.

According to the nature from which it originates

شَكَا ضَرْبَ يُمْنَاهَا فَظَلَّتْ يَسَارُها

شَكَا ضَرْبَ يُمْنَاهَا فَظَلَّتْ يَسَارُها

تُطَوِّقُهُ طَوْراً وطَوْراً تُرَعِّثُهْ

تُطَوِّقُهُ طَوْراً وطَوْراً تُرَعِّثُهْ

It complained of her right hand's blows, so her left kept

It complained of the stroke of its right, so its left

now adorning it with a necklace, now with earrings.

Encircled it for a while, stirring it

فما بَرِحَتْ حتى أَرَتْني مُخَارِقاً

فما بَرِحَتْ حتى أَرَتْني مُخَارِقاً

تُجَاوِبُهُ في أحسن الشَّدْوِ عَثْعَثَهْ

تُجَاوِبُهُ في أحسن الشَّدْوِ عَثْعَثَهْ

So she went on until she showed me Mukhāriq,

Until it showed me, while I was departing

with ʿAthʿatha answering him in the loveliest song;

Responding to it in the most beautiful humming and buzzing

وحَتّى حَسِبْتُ البابِلِيّينَ أَلْقَيَا

وحَتّى حَسِبْتُ البابِلِيّينَ أَلْقَيَا

على لَفْظِها السّحْرَ الذي مِنْهُ تَنْفِثُهْ

على لَفْظِها السّحْرَ الذي مِنْهُ تَنْفِثُهْ

and until I thought the two Babylonians had cast

That I reckoned the Babylonians had cast

upon her words the magic she breathes forth from them.

On its words the magic with which it breathes