أَبَنَيتَhave you built? دونَagainst المَوتِdeath حِصناa fortress
أَبَنَيتَ دونَ المَوتِ حِصنا
فَأَخَذتَand so you gained مِنهُfrom it بِذاكَby that أَمناsafety
فَأَخَذتَ مِنهُ بِذاكَ أَمنا
Have you built a fortress against death,
You built a fortress against death,
and thereby gained safety from it?
Thus gaining from it some safety.
هَيهاتِfar from it! كَلّاno indeed! إِنَّsurely مَوdeath (first part)
هَيهاتِ كَلّا إِنَّ مَو
تاًdeath (completion) لاnot تَشُكُّyou doubt وَإِنَّand surely دَفناburial
تاً لا تَشُكُّ وَإِنَّ دَفنا
Far from it! No! There is surely death—
Alas! Nay, death is sure
have no doubt—and surely burial.
And burial unavoidable.
لَتُبَدِّلَنَّكَwill surely exchange for you غَمرَةُthe engulfing turmoil الدُthe world (first part)
لَتُبَدِّلَنَّكَ غَمرَةُ الدُ
نياthe world (completion) بِظَهرِfor the surface الأَرضِthe earth بَطناa belly
نيا بِظَهرِ الأَرضِ بَطنا
The world's engulfing turmoil will surely exchange for you
The darkness of this world
the earth's surface for its belly.
Will turn you over in the earth's belly.
وَلَتَنزِلَنَّand you will surely descend بِمَنزِلٍinto a dwelling
وَلَتَنزِلَنَّ بِمَنزِلٍ
أَغلِقhow irrevocably held! بِرَهنِكَwith your pledge فيهِin it رَهناas a pledge
أَغلِق بِرَهنِكَ فيهِ رَهنا
And you will surely descend into a dwelling—
You will come to dwell in a place
how irrevocably you will be held there as a pledge!
Closed on your pledge that was in it a pledge.
فَلَقَدfor indeed رَأَيتَyou have seen مَعاشِراًcommunities
فَلَقَد رَأَيتَ مَعاشِراً
طَحَنَتهُمُground them down الأَيّامُthe days طَحناa thorough grinding
طَحَنَتهُمُ الأَيّامُ طَحنا
For you have seen communities
You saw groups of people
whom the days have utterly ground down.
Whom the days ground with grinding.
ماnot زالَتِhave ceased الأَيّامُthe days تُفdestroy (first part)
ما زالَتِ الأَيّامُ تُف
نيdestroy (completion) أَهلَهاtheir people قَرناًa generation فَقَرناthen another generation
ني أَهلَها قَرناً فَقَرنا
The days have never ceased to destroy
The days did not cease alternating
their people, generation after generation.
Their people, generation after generation.
ياO ذاyou الَّذيwho سَيَرُصُّwill pile up واheir (first part)
يا ذا الَّذي سَيَرُصُّ وا
رِثُهُhis heir (completion) عَلَيهِupon him ثَراًsoil وَلِبناand mud bricks
رِثُهُ عَلَيهِ ثَراً وَلِبنا
O you, whose heir will pile
O you whose heir
soil and mud bricks upon you!
Will strew dust and clay on you!
لَوif قَدindeed دُعيتَyou were summoned غَداًtomorrow لَتُسto be questioned (first part)
لَو قَد دُعيتَ غَداً لَتُس
أَلbe questioned (completion) ذاthis مُحاسَبَةًa reckoning وَوَزناand a weighing
أَل ذا مُحاسَبَةً وَوَزنا
If tomorrow you were summoned to be questioned
If tomorrow you were called to account
about this, in a reckoning and a weighing,
And weighing, you would be questioned.
وَرَأَيتَand you saw فيin ميزانِscales غَيanother (first part)
وَرَأَيتَ في ميزانِ غَي
رِكَsomeone other than you (completion) ماwhat جَمَعتَyou amassed رَأَيتَyou would see غَبناloss
رِكَ ما جَمَعتَ رَأَيتَ غَبنا
and saw in another's scales
In scales not your own you would see
what you had amassed, you would see your loss.
What you had gathered and see a loss.
Sol 6.1