فَدَيتكُ بيّن لي عَنِ اِسمِ مثلّثٍ

فَدَيتكُ بيّن لي عَنِ اِسمِ مثلّثٍ

وَليسَ تَراهُ العينُ إلّا مُربّعا

وَليسَ تَراهُ العينُ إلّا مُربّعا

May I be your ransom—tell me of a three-letter name,

Tell me about the name of a triangle

Which the eye sees only as a square.

Though the eye sees it only as a square

وَأوّل شيءٍ فيهِ آخرُه يرى

وَأوّل شيءٍ فيهِ آخرُه يرى

إِذا لاحَ للإِنسانِ كبّر أَربعا

إِذا لاحَ للإِنسانِ كبّر أَربعا

In it, the first letter of shayʾ ('thing') is seen as its last.

The first thing in it, its last is seen

When it appears to someone, he says 'God is greatest' four times.

When it appears, man says four times great

يُرى بِالنهارِ وهوَ بالأرضِ قائمٌ

يُرى بِالنهارِ وهوَ بالأرضِ قائمٌ

وَفي الليلِ يَبدو في السّما مُتربّعا

وَفي الليلِ يَبدو في السّما مُتربّعا

By day it is seen standing on the earth,

Seen in day, standing on the ground

And at night it appears in the sky, sitting cross-legged.

At night in the sky, a square does it make