ماnothing جَمَعَhave gathered الناسُpeople لِدُنياهُمfor their worldly lives
ما جَمَعَ الناسُ لِدُنياهُم
أَنفَعُmore useful فيin البَيتِthe home مِنَthan الخُبزِbread
أَنفَعُ في البَيتِ مِنَ الخُبزِ
Nothing people have gathered for their worldly lives
What people acquire for worldly affairs
Of all that men accumulate to serve their worldly spread,
Is more useful in the home than bread.
Is not more beneficial at home than bread
Nothing within the house is of greater use than bread.
وَالخُبزُand bread بِاللَحمِwith meat إِذاwhen نِلتَهُyou obtain it
وَالخُبزُ بِاللَحمِ إِذا نِلتَهُ
فَأَنتَthen you فيin أَمنٍsafety مِنَfrom التَرَزِstarvation
فَأَنتَ في أَمنٍ مِنَ التَرَزِ
And bread with meat, when you obtain it—
And bread with meat, when you obtain it
And bread when paired with meat—if such a prize you gain—
Then you are safe from starvation.
You are safe from poverty and distress
Keeps you secure and safe from hunger’s biting pain.
وَالقَلزُand drinking مِنfrom بُعدِafterward عَلىupon أَثَرِهِits heels
وَالقَلزُ مِن بُعدِ عَلى أَثَرِهِ
فَإِنَّماfor it is only اللِذاتُpleasures فيin القَلَزِdrinking
فَإِنَّما اللِذاتُ في القَلَزِ
And drinking afterward, close upon its heels—
Cheese after it, following in its tracks
And then a hearty draught to follow in its trace,
For pleasures lie only in drinking.
For pleasures are truly in cheese
For truly, life’s delight lies in that drinking pace.
وَقَدand already دَناhas drawn near الفِطرُEid al-Fitr وَصِبيانُناand our children
وَقَد دَنا الفِطرُ وَصِبيانُنا
لَيسواthey are not بِذيpossessed of تَمرٍdates وَلاnor أَرزِrice
لَيسوا بِذي تَمرٍ وَلا أَرزِ
And Eid al-Fitr has drawn near, while our children
The Eid has come and our children
The Feast of Breaking Fast draws near, yet our poor boys
Have neither dates nor rice.
Have no dates or rice
Have neither dates to eat, nor rice to bring them joys.
وَذاكَand that أَنَّbecause الدَهرَTime عاداهُمhas been their enemy
وَذاكَ أَنَّ الدَهرَ عاداهُم
عَداوَةَthe enmity of الشاهينِthe falcon لِلوزِtoward geese
عَداوَةَ الشاهينِ لِلوزِ
And that is because Time has been their enemy,
That's because time has treated them hostile
And this because harsh Time has turned their enemy,
With the falcon's enmity toward geese.
With the hostility of a falcon towards a goose
With all the falcon’s hate for geese, and cruelty.
كانَتthere was لَهُمbelonging to them عَنزٌa she-goat فَأَودىthen did away بِهاwith her
كانَت لَهُم عَنزٌ فَأَودى بِها
وَأَجَدَبواand were deprived مِنof لَبَنِmilk of العَنزِthe she-goat
وَأَجَدَبوا مِن لَبَنِ العَنزِ
They had a she-goat, but Time carried her off,
They had a goat but it perished
They once possessed a goat, but she has passed away,
And they were left without the she-goat's milk.
And they were deprived of the goat's milk
And they are drought-struck now, bereft of milk today.
فَلَوso if رَأَوthey saw خُبزاًbread عَلىon شاهِقٍa lofty peak
فَلَو رَأَو خُبزاً عَلى شاهِقٍ
لَأَسرَعواthey would surely hasten لِلخُبزِtoward the bread بِالجَمزِat a bounding run
لَأَسرَعوا لِلخُبزِ بِالجَمزِ
So if they saw bread on a lofty peak,
If they saw bread on a high shelf
For if they saw a loaf upon a mountain peak,
They would hasten toward the bread at a bounding run.
They would rush for the bread out of hunger
They’d race toward that bread with a frantic, leaping streak.
وَلَوand if أَطاقواthey could endure القَفرَthe barren waste ماnot فاتَهُمit eluded them
وَلَو أَطاقوا القَفرَ ما فاتَهُم
وَكَيفَbut how لِلجائِعِfor a hungry man بَالقَفرِwith the barren waste
وَكَيفَ لِلجائِعِ بَالقَفرِ
And if they could endure the barren waste, it would not elude them;
If they could endure hunger they wouldn't miss it
And could they bear the leap, they would not let it slip,
But how could a hungry man endure the barren waste?
But how can the hungry endure hunger?
But how can famished men attempt so high a skip?
Sol 6.1