النونُ حاجبه والعينُ مقلتُه

النونُ حاجبه والعينُ مقلتُه

والميمُ لا شكَّ إن فكرتَ فيه فَمُ

والميمُ لا شكَّ إن فكرتَ فيه فَمُ

Nūn is his eyebrow, and ʿayn his eye.

His eyebrow is a nun, his eyelash a meem

And mīm—no doubt, if you ponder it—is a mouth.

Undoubtedly, if you ponder over it, it’s a mouth

فالنونُ صورتُه قوسٌ بِلاَ وترٍ

فالنونُ صورتُه قوسٌ بِلاَ وترٍ

والطرفُ نُشَّابه أو صارمٌ خَذِمُ

والطرفُ نُشَّابه أو صارمٌ خَذِمُ

For nūn’s shape is a bow without a bowstring.

The nun’s shape is a bow without a string

And his gaze is its arrows, or a keen-cutting sword.

And his eyelid is either youthful or a piercing sword

سلاحُه طرفُه ما شاءَ صرَّفَه

سلاحُه طرفُه ما شاءَ صرَّفَه

يرمى فيُصْمِى ولكن لا يسيل دَمُ

يرمى فيُصْمِى ولكن لا يسيل دَمُ

His weapon is his gaze; he directs it however he wishes.

Its edge is his weapon, however he wanted, he wielded it

He shoots and kills outright, yet no blood flows.

He shoots with it, performing ritual prayer, but no blood spills

وفوقَ مبسمه سيناتُه رسمتْ

وفوقَ مبسمه سيناتُه رسمتْ

ناهيك من أحرفٍ ما خطها قَلَمُ

ناهيك من أحرفٍ ما خطها قَلَمُ

And above his smiling mouth, his sīn letters have been drawn.

And above his smile, his teeth are depicted

What splendid letters—no pen has traced them!

Not to mention the letters written by the pen

وتحتها دررٌ قد زانَها شَنَبٌ

وتحتها دررٌ قد زانَها شَنَبٌ

كأنَّها لؤلؤٌ في السلك منتظمُ

كأنَّها لؤلؤٌ في السلك منتظمُ

And beneath them are pearls, graced with cool, sweet freshness.

And below them are pearls adorned with a moustache

As though they were pearls strung in order on a thread.

As if they were evenly arranged pearls on a wire

وفوقَ صُدْغيه لامٌ أصلها أَلِفٌ

وفوقَ صُدْغيه لامٌ أصلها أَلِفٌ

بقدرةِ الله عنها الحاسِدُون عَمُوا

بقدرةِ الله عنها الحاسِدُون عَمُوا

And above his temples is a lām whose stem is an alif.

And above his cheeks, a lam whose origin is an alif

By God's power, the envious have become blind to it.

By God’s power, the envious are blind to it