بَلابلُ مِن مَرمَرٍ نُحِتَت

بَلابلُ مِن مَرمَرٍ نُحِتَت

ألا قاتلَ اللهُ مَن نَحَتا

ألا قاتلَ اللهُ مَن نَحَتا

Nightingales carved from marble.

Birds of marble were sculpted

Ah, may God confound whoever carved them!

Oh how I wish to kill who sculpted them

لقد صَوَّرَ السِّخرَ في حُسنَها

لقد صَوَّرَ السِّخرَ في حُسنَها

وأثبتَ لفن ما أثبتنا

وأثبتَ لفن ما أثبتنا

He has indeed depicted mockery in their beauty,

He truly mocked their beauty

And established for art what we have established.

And affirmed for art what we affirmed

فرَاعت مناظِرُها في الجَمال

فرَاعت مناظِرُها في الجَمال

ولم يحكِهَا في الجَمال فَتَى

ولم يحكِهَا في الجَمال فَتَى

So their forms dazzled with beauty,

Their sights became fair in beauty

And no young man matched them in beauty,

And no young man told of their beauty

إلى أن أتى شبهُها رَوعَةً

إلى أن أتى شبهُها رَوعَةً

فأزرَى بهَا شبهُهَا إذ أتَى

فأزرَى بهَا شبهُهَا إذ أتَى

Until their counterpart appeared in splendor;

Until their likeness came in splendor

Then their counterpart put them to shame when he came.

So their likeness was startled when it came

فبعضُهُمُ مُطرِقٌ خَجَلاً

فبعضُهُمُ مُطرِقٌ خَجَلاً

وَبَعضُهُم هَمَّ أَن يُفلِتَا

وَبَعضُهُم هَمَّ أَن يُفلِتَا

So some of them have their heads bowed in shame,

Some of them are hanging their heads in shame

And some thought of slipping away,

Others thought to slip away

وَبَعضُهُمُ عنهُ ملتَفتٌ

وَبَعضُهُمُ عنهُ ملتَفتٌ

وبعضهُمُ نحوهَ التفَتَا

وبعضهُمُ نحوهَ التفَتَا

And some are turning away from him,

Some of them are turning away

And some turned toward him.

And some turned towards it

عتَو قبلَ هذا بِحسنِهمُ

عتَو قبلَ هذا بِحسنِهمُ

كذا الدهرُ يقهرُ من قَد عَتا

كذا الدهرُ يقهرُ من قَد عَتا

Before this, they had grown arrogant because of their beauty;

They had rebelled before this with their beauty

Thus Time overpowers whoever has grown arrogant.

Thus time subdues those who rebel