Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
and we do not know the interpretation of nightmares.’
45 Said the one of the two who had been delivered,
remembering [Joseph] after a long time:
‘I will inform you of its interpretation;
so let me go [to meet Joseph in the prison].’
46 ‘Joseph,’ [he said], ‘O truthful one,
give us your opinion concerning seven fat cows
who are eaten by seven lean ones,
and seven green ears
and [seven] others dry,
that I may return to the people
so that they may know [the truth of the matter].’
47 He said, ‘You will sow for seven consecutive years.
Then leave in the ear whatever [grain] you harvest,
except a little that you eat.
48 Then after that there will come seven hard years
which will eat up
whatever you have set aside for them
— all except a little which you preserve [for seed].
49 Then after that there will come a year
wherein the people will be granted relief
and provided with rains therein.1
50 The king said, ‘Bring him to me!’
When the messenger came to him,2
he said, ‘Go back to your master,
1 The translation given here is in accordance with the reading yu‘ṣarūn narrated from al-Imam al-Ṣādiq; see Majma‘ al-Bayān and Tafsīr al-Qummī; see also Lisān al-‘Arab, under ‘aṣr. The same reading is attributed to al-A‘raj and ‘Īsā al-Baṣrī (Mu‘jam al-Qirā’āt al-Qur’āniyyah). However, in accordance with the reading ya‘ṣirūn, the meaning will be ‘they will press [i.e. grapes or oil seeds, for juice and oil] therein.’
2 That is, to Joseph (‘a).
