كَأَنّيas though I بِالتُرابِwith the earth عَلَيكَupon you رَدماheaped up
كَأَنّي بِالتُرابِ عَلَيكَ رَدما
بِرَبعٍin an abode لاnot أَرىI see لَكَof you فيهِin it رَسماa trace
بِرَبعٍ لا أَرى لَكَ فيهِ رَسما
It is as though I see earth heaped upon you,
As though with dust I see you heaped,
In an abode where I see no trace of you.
Within a tomb that shows no trace or seam,
بِرَبعٍin an abode لَوif تَرىyou see الأَحبابَthe loved ones فيهِin it
بِرَبعٍ لَو تَرى الأَحبابَ فيهِ
رَأَيتَyou would see لَهُمfor them مُباعَدَةًestrangement وَصَرماand severance
رَأَيتَ لَهُم مُباعَدَةً وَصَرما
In an abode where, if you saw the loved ones,
As though, if here your friends were,
You would find them distant and cut off.
You'd see them shun you as they walk between,
أَلاtake heed ياO ذاyou الَّذيwho هُوَhe كُلَّevery يَومٍday
أَلا يا ذا الَّذي هُوَ كُلَّ يَومٍ
يُساقُis driven إِلىtoward البِلىdecay قِدماًonward فَقِدماthen onward
يُساقُ إِلى البِلى قِدماً فَقِدما
Take heed, O you who, every day,
O fleeting one, whose feet each day,
Are driven toward decay, onward and ever onward:
Nearer death's confines stray and stray!
ضَرَبتَyou turned عَنِfrom اِدِّكارِremembering المَوتِdeath صَفحاًaside
ضَرَبتَ عَنِ اِدِّكارِ المَوتِ صَفحاً
كَأَنَّكَas though you لاnot تَراهُyou see it عَلَيكَfor you حَتماinevitable
كَأَنَّكَ لا تَراهُ عَلَيكَ حَتما
You have turned aside from remembering death,
You turn your thoughts away from death
As though you did not see it as inevitable for you.
As though it had no claim on you, no right to smite;
أَلَمdid ... not? تَرَyou see أَنَّthat أَقسامَthe allotted shares المَناياdeaths
أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ أَقسامَ المَنايا
تُوَزَّعُare distributed بَينَناamong us قِسماًa portion فَقِسماthen another portion
تُوَزَّعُ بَينَنا قِسماً فَقِسما
Have you not seen that the shares of death
Do you not see how life's estate
Are distributed among us, portion by portion?
'Mongst us is apportioned share and share?
سَيُفنيناwill annihilate us الَّذيthe one who أَفنىannihilated جَديساًJadis
سَيُفنينا الَّذي أَفنى جَديساً
وَأَفنىand annihilated قَبلَهاbefore it إِرَماًIram وَطَسماand Tasm
وَأَفنى قَبلَها إِرَماً وَطَسما
We shall be annihilated by the one who annihilated Jadis,
The same destroyer who laid low our sires
And, before it, annihilated Iram and Tasm.
And tribes before, us too will end.
وَرُبَّand many a مُسَلَّطٍone wielding power قَدindeed كانَwas فيناamong us
وَرُبَّ مُسَلَّطٍ قَد كانَ فينا
عَزيزاًmighty مُنكَرَfearsome in السَطَواتِthe onslaughts ضَخماmassive
عَزيزاً مُنكَرَ السَطَواتِ ضَخما
And many a potentate was once among us,
The mighty ones we knew are gone,
Mighty, fearsome in his onslaughts, massive.
Their prides and powers lost, their names undone.
وَلَوand if يَنشَقُّsplits open وَجهُthe face الأَرضِof the earth عَنهُaway from him
وَلَو يَنشَقُّ وَجهُ الأَرضِ عَنهُ
عَدَدتَyou would count عِظامَهُhis bones عَظماًa bone فَعَظماthen another bone
عَدَدتَ عِظامَهُ عَظماً فَعَظما
And if the earth's face split open to reveal him,
If earth should open up and show
You would count his bones, bone by bone.
Their bones, how many they would be!
وَكَمand how many مِنof خُطوَةٍa step مَنَحَتهُgranted him أَجراًa reward
وَكَم مِن خُطوَةٍ مَنَحَتهُ أَجراً
وَكَمand how many مِنof خُطوَةٍa step مَنَحَتهُgranted him إِثماsin
وَكَم مِن خُطوَةٍ مَنَحَتهُ إِثما
And how many a step brought him a reward,
So many steps led some man wrong,
And how many a step brought him sin.
So many led another right.
تَوَسَّعpartake freely فيin حَلالِwhat is lawful اللَهِGod أَكلاًin eating
تَوَسَّع في حَلالِ اللَهِ أَكلاً
وَإِلّاand otherwise لَمnot تَجِدyou find لِلعَيشِin life طَعماa taste
وَإِلّا لَم تَجِد لِلعَيشِ طَعما
Eat freely of what God has made lawful,
Seek sustenance in ways not banned;
Or else you will find no savor in life.
Else life will no more relish or delight.
فَإِنَّكَfor indeed you لاnot تَرىyou see ماwhat أَنتَyou فيهِin it
فَإِنَّكَ لا تَرى ما أَنتَ فيهِ
وَأَنتَand you بِغَيرِهِto what is other than it أَعمىblind أَصَمّاdeaf
وَأَنتَ بِغَيرِهِ أَعمى أَصَمّا
For you do not perceive the condition you are in,
You cannot see the state you are in.
And to what lies beyond it you are blind and deaf.
Deaf, blind to all but self, your vision's dim.
أَرىI see الإِنسانَthe human being مَنقوصاًdeficient ضَعيفاًweak
أَرى الإِنسانَ مَنقوصاً ضَعيفاً
وَماand not يَألوhe holds back لِعِلمِfor knowledge of الغَيبِthe unseen رَجماby conjecture
وَما يَألو لِعِلمِ الغَيبِ رَجما
I see man as deficient and weak,
Man is hasty, weak and blind,
Yet he spares no effort to know the unseen through conjecture.
To knowledge of the absent little prone.
أَشَدُّthe most insistent الناسِof people لِلعِلمِto knowledge اِدِّعاءًin claiming
أَشَدُّ الناسِ لِلعِلمِ اِدِّعاءً
أَقَلُّهُمُthe least of them بِماabout what هُوَhe فيهِin it عِلماin knowledge
أَقَلُّهُمُ بِما هُوَ فيهِ عِلما
Of all people, the most insistent in claiming knowledge
Most loud in claims of knowledge, still
Knows least about the matter he is engaged in.
The least equipped with learning of their own.
وَفيand in الصَمتِsilence المُبَلِّغِthat conveys عَنكَon your behalf حُكمٌwisdom
وَفي الصَمتِ المُبَلِّغِ عَنكَ حُكمٌ
كَماjust as أَنَّthat الكَلامَspeech يَكونُcan be حُكماwisdom
كَما أَنَّ الكَلامَ يَكونُ حُكما
And in silence that speaks for you there is wisdom,
A silent lesson speaks of you.
Just as speech can embody wisdom.
As speech itself can be a lesson shown.
إِذاif لَمnot تَحتَرِسyou guard yourself مِنagainst كُلِّall طَيشٍrashness
إِذا لَم تَحتَرِس مِن كُلِّ طَيشٍ
أَسَأتَyou erred إِجابَةًin answering وَأَسَأتَand you erred فَهماin understanding
أَسَأتَ إِجابَةً وَأَسَأتَ فَهما
If you do not guard against all rashness,
If you do not guard against each urge and whim,
You will respond poorly and understand poorly.
You will misunderstand and fault will seem.
Sol 6.1