مَحَاسِنُthe beauties of الدَّيْرِthe monastery تَسْبِيْحيmy hymn of praise وَمَسّاحِيand my praise (unclear reading)
مَحَاسِنُ الدَّيْرِ تَسْبِيْحي وَمَسّاحِي
وَخَمْرُهُand its wine فيin الدُّجىthe darkness صُبْحيmy dawn وَمِصْباحيand my lamp
وَخَمْرُهُ في الدُّجى صُبْحي وَمِصْباحي
The monastery's beauties are my hymn and praise.
Its wine, in darkness, is my dawn and lamp.
أَقَمْتُI stayed فِيهِin it إلىuntil أنْthat صارbecame هيكَلُهُits sanctuary
أَقَمْتُ فِيهِ إلى أنْ صار هيكَلُهُ
بَيْتيmy home وَمِفْتَاحُهُand its key للأُنْسِto convivial joy مِفْتاحيmy key
بَيْتي وَمِفْتَاحُهُ للأُنْسِ مِفْتاحي
I stayed there until its sanctuary became
my home, and its key my key to convivial joy.
مُنَادِماًsharing wine with فيin قَلاَلِيْهِits monastic cells رَهابِنَةًmonks
مُنَادِماً في قَلاَلِيْهِ رَهابِنَةً
راحَتْbecame خَلاَئِفُهُمْtheir successors أَصْفَىpurer مِنthan الرَّاحِwine
راحَتْ خَلاَئِفُهُمْ أَصْفَى مِن الرَّاحِ
Sharing wine with monks within its cells,
whose successors proved purer than wine.
قَدْindeed عُدِّلُواthey were counterbalanced ثِقْلِthe heaviness of أَبْدَانٍbodies بِمعْرِفَةٍby knowledge
قَدْ عُدِّلُوا ثِقْلِ أَبْدَانٍ بِمعْرِفَةٍ
مِنْهُمْof theirs لخِفّةِfor lightness of أبدانٍbodies وأَرْوَاحِand spirits
مِنْهُمْ لخِفّةِ أبدانٍ وأَرْوَاحِ
Their bodily heaviness was counterbalanced by knowledge
of theirs, bringing lightness to bodies and spirits.
وَوَشّحُواand they adorned غُرَرَthe choicest of الآدابِletters فَلْسَفَةًphilosophy
وَوَشّحُوا غُرَرَ الآدابِ فَلْسَفَةً
وَحِكْمَةًand wisdom بعلومِwith sciences ذاتِpossessing إيْضَاحِclarity
وَحِكْمَةً بعلومِ ذاتِ إيْضَاحِ
They adorned the choicest letters with philosophy
and wisdom, with sciences full of clarity.
فَطِبُّthus the medicine of بُقْرَاطَHippocrates لَحْنُthe melody of المُوصِلِيِّal-Mawsili وفيand in
فَطِبُّ بُقْرَاطَ لَحْنُ المُوصِلِيِّ وفي
نَحْوِthe grammar of المُبَرّدِal-Mubarrad أَشْعارُthe poems of الطِّرْمّاحِal-Tirimmah
نَحْوِ المُبَرّدِ أَشْعارُ الطِّرْمّاحِ
Thus Hippocrates' medicine is al-Mawsili's melody, and in
al-Mubarrad's grammar are al-Tirimmah's poems.
وَمُنْشِدٌand a reciter حِيْنَwhen يُبْدِيْهاreveals it النّوَالُbounty لَنَاto us
وَمُنْشِدٌ حِيْنَ يُبْدِيْها النّوَالُ لَنَا
أَلْمَعُis it a flash بَرْقٍof lightning بَدَاthat appeared أَمْor ضَوْءُthe light of مِصْبَاحِa lamp
أَلْمَعُ بَرْقٍ بَدَا أَمْ ضَوْءُ مِصْبَاحِ
And a reciter asks, when bounty reveals it to us:
"Is it a flash of lightning that appeared, or a lamp's light?"
أَخْلَفْتُI failed فيin العُمْرِthe lifetime عُمْريmy life حِيْنَwhen رَاحَturned إلىtoward
أَخْلَفْتُ في العُمْرِ عُمْري حِيْنَ رَاحَ إلى
غَيْرِother than البَطَالَةِleisure قَلْبيmy heart غَيْرَnot مُرْتَاحِat ease
غَيْرِ البَطَالَةِ قَلْبي غَيْرَ مُرْتَاحِ
I failed my life, in this lifetime, when there turned toward
anything but leisure my heart, finding no rest.
ماnot نُورُthe light of أَحْداقِناour eyes إلاexcept حَدَائِقَهُits gardens
ما نُورُ أَحْداقِنا إلا حَدَائِقَهُ
لاَمَblamed اللوائِمُthe reproachful women فِيْهِover it أَوْor لْحَىrebuked اللاّحِيthe faultfinder
لاَمَ اللوائِمُ فِيْهِ أَوْ لْحَى اللاّحِي
The light of our eyes is nothing but its gardens,
whether reproachful women blame me for it or a faultfinder rebukes me.
بُسْطُcarpets of البَنَفْسَجِviolets والمَنْثُورِand stock flowers بُسْطٌcarpets فيin
بُسْطُ البَنَفْسَجِ والمَنْثُورِ بُسْطٌ في
صُحُونِcourts of آسٍmyrtle وَخَيْرِيَّاتِand wallflowers of تُفّاحِapple trees
صُحُونِ آسٍ وَخَيْرِيَّاتِ تُفّاحِ
Carpets of violets and stock lie spread in
courts of myrtle and wallflower-like apple blossoms.
بَدَائِعُwonders لاnot لِدَيْرِbelonging to the monastery of العَلْثِal-ʿAlth هُنَّthey ولاnor
بَدَائِعُ لا لِدَيْرِ العَلْثِ هُنَّ ولا
لِدَيْرِto the monastery of حَنَّةَHanna مِنْof ذَاتِDhat الأَكَيْرَاحِal-Ukayrah
لِدَيْرِ حَنَّةَ مِنْ ذَاتِ الأَكَيْرَاحِ
Wonders belonging neither to the Monastery of al-ʿAlth nor
to the Monastery of Hanna at Dhat al-Ukayrah.
وَكَمْand how often حَنَنْتُI yearned إِلَىfor حاناتِهits taverns وَغَدَاand became
وَكَمْ حَنَنْتُ إِلَى حاناتِه وَغَدَا
شَوْقيmy longing يُكَابِرُvies with أَصْوَاتاًvoices بِأَقْدَاحِwith goblets
شَوْقي يُكَابِرُ أَصْوَاتاً بِأَقْدَاحِ
How often I yearned for its taverns, and there arose
my longing, vying with voices through goblets.
حَتّىuntil تَخَمَّرَgrew drunk خِمَاريmy vintner (vocalization uncertain) بِمَعرِفَتيthrough knowing me
حَتّى تَخَمَّرَ خِمَاري بِمَعرِفَتي
وَحَيَّرَتْand bewildered مُلَحيmy witticisms فيin السُّكْرِdrunkenness مَلاَّحيmy boatman
وَحَيَّرَتْ مُلَحي في السُّكْرِ مَلاَّحي
Until my vintner grew drunk through knowing me,
and my witticisms, in drunkenness, bewildered my boatman.
ياO دَيْرَmonastery of مُرَّانٌMurran لاmay you not تَعْدِمْlack ضُحىًmorning light وَدُجىًand darkness
يا دَيْرَ مُرَّانٌ لا تَعْدِمْ ضُحىً وَدُجىً
سِجَالَtorrents of كُلِّevery مُلحِّpersistent in الوَدْقِrain سَجَّاحِfreely pouring
سِجَالَ كُلِّ مُلحِّ الوَدْقِ سَجَّاحِ
O Monastery of Murran, may you never lack, in daylight or darkness,
the torrents of every cloud, unceasing in rain and freely pouring.
إنif يُفْنِexhausts كاسُكَyour cup أكياسيmy purses فإنّthen indeed بهاthrough it
إن يُفْنِ كاسُكَ أكياسي فإنّ بها
يَفُلُّrouts جَيْشَthe army of هُمُوميmy cares جيشُthe army of أفْرَاحيmy joys
يَفُلُّ جَيْشَ هُمُومي جيشُ أفْرَاحي
If your cup exhausts my purses, then through it
the army of my joys routs the army of my cares.
وإِنْand if أُقِمْI establish سوقَa market for إِطْرَابِيmy merrymaking فلاthen no عَجَبٌwonder
وإِنْ أُقِمْ سوقَ إِطْرَابِي فلا عَجَبٌ
هذاthis بِذَاكَin exchange for that إذَاwhen مَاan emphatic particle قَامَarise نُوَّاحِيmy mourners
هذا بِذَاكَ إذَا مَا قَامَ نُوَّاحِي
And if I set up a market for my merrymaking, no wonder:
this for that, when my mourners arise.