جَزى اللَهُ الأَجَلُّ المَرءَ نوحاً

جَزى اللَهُ الأَجَلُّ المَرءَ نوحاً

جَزاءَ البِرِّ لَيسَ لَهُ كِذابُ

جَزاءَ البِرِّ لَيسَ لَهُ كِذابُ

May God, the Most Exalted, reward the man Noah

God rewarded the most noble man, Noah

with a reward for righteousness, with no falsehood in it,

With the reward of righteousness, he cannot be denied

بِما حَمَلَت سَفينَتُهُ وَأَنجَت

بِما حَمَلَت سَفينَتُهُ وَأَنجَت

غَداةَ أَتاهُمُ المَوتُ القُلابُ

غَداةَ أَتاهُمُ المَوتُ القُلابُ

for what his ship carried and saved

For what his ship carried and saved

on the morning when overturning death came upon them.

The morning after death came to take them suddenly

وَفيها مِن أَرومَتِهِ عِيالٌ

وَفيها مِن أَرومَتِهِ عِيالٌ

لَديهِ لا الظِماءُ وَلا السِغابُ

لَديهِ لا الظِماءُ وَلا السِغابُ

Within it were dependants of his own lineage,

In it were his helpless family members

beside him, neither thirsty nor hungry,

With him, neither thirsty nor hungry

وَإِذ هُم لا لَبوسَ لَهُم تَقيهِم

وَإِذ هُم لا لَبوسَ لَهُم تَقيهِم

وَإِذ صَمُّ السِلامِ لَهُم رِطابُ

وَإِذ صَمُّ السِلامِ لَهُم رِطابُ

when they had no clothing to protect them,

And when they had no clothes to protect them

and when solid stones were wet and soft for them.

And the downpour of peace was dripping on them

عَشِيَّةَ أَرسَلَ الطوفانَ تَجري

عَشِيَّةَ أَرسَلَ الطوفانَ تَجري

وَفاضَ الماءُ لَيسَ لَهُ جِرابُ

وَفاضَ الماءُ لَيسَ لَهُ جِرابُ

On the evening He sent the flood, it sailed,

In the evening, the flood was unleashed flowing

and the water overflowed, with no leather bag to contain it,

And the water rose boundless

عَلى أَمواجِ أَخضَرَ ذي حَبيكٍ

عَلى أَمواجِ أَخضَرَ ذي حَبيكٍ

كَأَنَّ سُعارَ زاخِرِهِ الهِضابُ

كَأَنَّ سُعارَ زاخِرِهِ الهِضابُ

upon the waves of a green sea woven with ripples,

On waves of deep green, interwoven

as though the fury of its swelling waters were hills.

As if the flames of its valleys were blazing

وَأُرسِلَتِ الحَمامَةُ بَعدَ سَبعٍ

وَأُرسِلَتِ الحَمامَةُ بَعدَ سَبعٍ

تَدُلُّ عَلى المَهالِكِ لا تَهابُ

تَدُلُّ عَلى المَهالِكِ لا تَهابُ

The dove was sent out after seven nights,

And after seven days, the dove was sent

pointing out places of peril, unafraid.

To show the demise, it did not fear

تَلَمَّسُ هَل تَرى في الأَرضِ عَيناً

تَلَمَّسُ هَل تَرى في الأَرضِ عَيناً

وَغايَتُهُ بِها الماءُ العُبابُ

وَغايَتُهُ بِها الماءُ العُبابُ

She searched to see whether any living soul was on earth,

Feeling if it could see any place on earth

and his purpose through her concerned the surging water.

And the water took it to the flowing stream

فَجاءَت بَعدَما رَكَضَت بِقِطفٍ

فَجاءَت بَعدَما رَكَضَت بِقِطفٍ

عَلَيهِ الثَأطُ وَالطينُ الكُثابُ

عَلَيهِ الثَأطُ وَالطينُ الكُثابُ

Then she returned, after speeding away, with a plucked cluster,

It came back after it trotted with plucking

bearing black mud and heaped-up clay.

On it, the sticky wet mud

فَلَمّا فَرَّشوا الآياتِ صاغوا

فَلَمّا فَرَّشوا الآياتِ صاغوا

لَها طَوقاً كَما عُقِدَ السِخابُ

لَها طَوقاً كَما عُقِدَ السِخابُ

When they laid out the signs, they fashioned

So when they unfurled the signs, they made

a collar for her, as a scented necklace is strung.

For it a collar, as the clouds are knotted

إِذا ماتَت تُوَرِّثُهُ بَنيها

إِذا ماتَت تُوَرِّثُهُ بَنيها

وَإِن تُقتَل فَلَيسَ لَها اِستِلابُ

وَإِن تُقتَل فَلَيسَ لَها اِستِلابُ

When she dies, she bequeaths it to her young,

If it died, its children would inherit it

and if she is killed, she cannot be stripped of it.

And if killed, it cannot be avenged

بِآيَةِ قامَ يَنطُقُ كُلُّ شَيءٍ

بِآيَةِ قامَ يَنطُقُ كُلُّ شَيءٍ

وَخانَ أَمانَةَ الديكِ الغُرابُ

وَخانَ أَمانَةَ الديكِ الغُرابُ

Through a sign, everything rose and spoke,

With a sign, everything spoke

and the raven betrayed the rooster's trust.

And the crow betrayed the trust of the rooster

كَذي الأَفعى يُرَبّيها لَدَيهِ

كَذي الأَفعى يُرَبّيها لَدَيهِ

وَذي الجِنِيِّ أَرسَلَها تُسابُ

وَذي الجِنِيِّ أَرسَلَها تُسابُ

Like the keeper of a viper, who rears her beside him,

Like the snake he raised next to him

and the keeper of a jinni, who sent her forth to roam free.

And the jinni he sent, it caused harm

فَلا رَبُّ المَنِيَّةِ يَأمَنَنها

فَلا رَبُّ المَنِيَّةِ يَأمَنَنها

وَلا الجِنِيُّ أَصبَحَ يُستَتابُ

وَلا الجِنِيُّ أَصبَحَ يُستَتابُ

So let the keeper of death never feel safe from her,

Neither the lord of death feels safe from it

nor has the jinni come to be called upon to repent.

Nor does the jinn remain to be questioned

بِإِذنِ اللَهِ فَاِشتَدَت قِواهُم

بِإِذنِ اللَهِ فَاِشتَدَت قِواهُم

عَلى مَلَكَينِ وَهيَ لَهُم وِثابُ

عَلى مَلَكَينِ وَهيَ لَهُم وِثابُ

By God's permission, their powers grew strong

By God's will, they gained strength

upon two angels, and it is a resting-place for them.

Over two angels, and those were their prize

وَفيها مِن عِبادِ اللَهِ قَومٌ

وَفيها مِن عِبادِ اللَهِ قَومٌ

مَلائِكُ ذُلِّلوا وَهُمُ صِعابُ

مَلائِكُ ذُلِّلوا وَهُمُ صِعابُ

Within it are a company of God's servants,

Among them were servants of God, a people

angels subdued, though they are unyielding.

Angels were subdued, and they were fierce

سَراةُ صَلابَةٍ خَلقاءَ صيغَت

سَراةُ صَلابَةٍ خَلقاءَ صيغَت

تُزِلُّ الشَمسَ لَيسَ لَها إِيابُ

تُزِلُّ الشَمسَ لَيسَ لَها إِيابُ

The crest of a smooth, solid mass was fashioned;

Elite of solid creation, molded

it sends the sun slipping away, with no return for it.

To bring down the sun, it has no returning

وَأَعلاقُ الكَواكِبِ مُرسَلاتٌ

وَأَعلاقُ الكَواكِبِ مُرسَلاتٌ

تُرَدَّدُ وَالرِياحُ لَها رِكابُ

تُرَدَّدُ وَالرِياحُ لَها رِكابُ

The precious ornaments of the stars are sent forth,

And the orbits of the planets unleashed

driven to and fro, with the winds as their mounts.

Circling while the winds are their mounts

وَأَعلاطُ النُجومِ مُعَلَّقاتٌ

وَأَعلاطُ النُجومِ مُعَلَّقاتٌ

كَحَبلِ القِرقِ غايَتُها النِصابُ

كَحَبلِ القِرقِ غايَتُها النِصابُ

The unnamed stars are suspended,

And the rings of the stars suspended

like a qirq game's cord, their end at the handle.

Like the bowstring, its end is the arrowhead

غُيوثٌ تَلتَقي الأَرحامُ فيها

غُيوثٌ تَلتَقي الأَرحامُ فيها

تُحِلُّ بِها الطَروقَةُ وَاللِجابُ

تُحِلُّ بِها الطَروقَةُ وَاللِجابُ

Rains in which wombs meet,

Shelters where wombs connect in them

through which breeding she-camels and poor milkers yield milk.

Loosening there the tied loincloth

وَتَرذى النابُ وَالجَمعاءُ فيهِ

وَتَرذى النابُ وَالجَمعاءُ فيهِ

بِوَحشِ الأَصمَتَينِ لَهُ ذُبابُ

بِوَحشِ الأَصمَتَينِ لَهُ ذُبابُ

In it the aged she-camel and the sound one grow exhausted;

And the leopard and the buffalo wander in it

among the wild beasts of the two silent wastes, it has a keen edge.

With the speechless beasts, it has flies