زُحافُ الشِعرِ قَبضٌ ثُمَّ كَفٌّ

زُحافُ الشِعرِ قَبضٌ ثُمَّ كَفٌّ

بِهِنَّ لِأَحرُفِ الأَجزاءِ نَقصُ

بِهِنَّ لِأَحرُفِ الأَجزاءِ نَقصُ

Verse’s ziḥāfs are qabḍ, then kaff;

The metrical variations of verse are qabḍ, then kaff;

through them, letters are lost from the metrical feet.

through them, the letters of the metrical feet are reduced;

وَخَبنٌ ثُمَّ طَيٌّ ثُمَّ عَصبٌ

وَخَبنٌ ثُمَّ طَيٌّ ثُمَّ عَصبٌ

وَعَقلٌ ثُمَّ إِضمارٌ وَوَقصُ

وَعَقلٌ ثُمَّ إِضمارٌ وَوَقصُ

And khabn, then ṭayy, then ʿaṣb;

and khabn, then ṭayy, then ʿaṣb;

and ʿaql, then iḍmār and waqṣ.

and ʿaql, then iḍmār and waqṣ.

وَسائِرُ ما عَدا عِلَلٌ طَوارٍ

وَسائِرُ ما عَدا عِلَلٌ طَوارٍ

لَها في الشِعرِ أَمكِنَةٌ تُخَصُّ

لَها في الشِعرِ أَمكِنَةٌ تُخَصُّ

All that lies beyond these is incidental ʿilal,

All other changes are supervening metrical modifications (ʿilal),

for which particular positions in verse are set apart.

with particular places assigned to them in verse.