ماnot كُلُّall ماwhat تَشتَهيyou desire يَكونُcomes to be
ما كُلُّ ما تَشتَهي يَكونُ
وَالدَهرُand time تَصريفُهُits turnings فُنونُvaried forms
وَالدَهرُ تَصريفُهُ فُنونُ
Not everything you desire comes to be.
Not all that you desire comes to pass
And time's turnings take many forms.
And time's transformations are manifold
قَدmay يَعرِضُappear الحَتفُdeath فيin حِلابٍdrawn milk
قَد يَعرِضُ الحَتفُ في حِلابٍ
دَرَّتyielded abundantly بِهِwith it اللَقحَةُthe milch she-camel اللَبونُmilk-giving
دَرَّت بِهِ اللَقحَةُ اللَبونُ
Death may lie in milk
Misfortune may strike in serene times
Yielded abundantly by a milk-giving she-camel.
As pearl droplets flow into sands
الصَبرُpatience أَنجىsafest مَطيِّmounts of عَزمٍresolve
الصَبرُ أَنجى مَطيِّ عَزمٍ
يُطوىis traversed بِهِon it السَهلُlevel ground وَالحُزونُand rugged terrain
يُطوى بِهِ السَهلُ وَالحُزونُ
Patience is the safest of resolve's mounts;
Patience gives strength to resolve’s steed
On it, level ground and rugged land are crossed.
To traverse plains and rugged lands
وَالسَعيُand striving شَيءٌa thing لَهُit has انقِلابٌa reversal
وَالسَعيُ شَيءٌ لَهُ انقِلابٌ
فَمِنهُso some of it فَوقٌabove وَمِنهُand some of it دونُbelow
فَمِنهُ فَوقٌ وَمِنهُ دونُ
And striving is subject to reversal:
Toil is fickle in its reversals
Some of it leads upward, and some downward.
Bringing ascent and decline in turns
وَرُبَّماand sometimes لانَsoftens مَنone whom تُعاصيyou defy
وَرُبَّما لانَ مَن تُعاصي
وَرُبَّماand sometimes عَزَّgrows mighty مَنone who يَهونُis lowly
وَرُبَّما عَزَّ مَن يَهونُ
And sometimes one you defy softens;
You may triumph o’er one who defies
And sometimes one who is lowly grows mighty.
Or one held mighty may be spurned
وَرُبَّand many a رَهنٍa pledge بِبَيتِin a house of هَجرٍabandonment
وَرُبَّ رَهنٍ بِبَيتِ هَجرٍ
فيمِثلِهِin one like it تَغلَقُare forfeited الرُهونُthe pledges
فيمِثلِهِ تَغلَقُ الرُهونُ
And many a pledge lies in a house of abandonment;
Many a hostage lies confined
In such a place, pledges are forfeited.
While like pledges are returned
لَمnot أَرَI have seen شَيئاًanything جَرىcame about بِبَينٍwith parting
لَم أَرَ شَيئاً جَرى بِبَينٍ
يَقطَعُsevers ماwhat تَقطَعُsevers المَنونُdeath
يَقطَعُ ما تَقطَعُ المَنونُ
I have never seen anything that brings parting
Naught have I seen run such a course
Sever what death severs.
As cutoff as death’s blade discerns
ماhow أَيسَرَeasy المُكثَlingering فيin مَحَلٍّa place
ما أَيسَرَ المُكثَ في مَحَلٍّ
مالَinclined إِلَيهِtoward it بِناwith us الرُكونُattachment
مالَ إِلَيهِ بِنا الرُكونُ
How easy it is to linger in a place
How facile is abidance in a place
To which attachment has drawn us.
To which our stillness slowly yearns
لاlet not يَأمَنَنَّever trust اِمرُؤٌa man هَواهُhis desire
لا يَأمَنَنَّ اِمرُؤٌ هَواهُ
فَإِنَّfor indeed بَعضَsome of الهَوىdesire جُنونُmadness
فَإِنَّ بَعضَ الهَوى جُنونُ
Let no man ever trust his desire;
Let no man feel too safe from passion
For some desire is madness.
For some passions are madness in turns
وَكُلُّand every حينٍage يَخونُbetrays قَوماًa people
وَكُلُّ حينٍ يَخونُ قَوماً
أَيُّwhich الأَحايِينِages لاnot يَخونُbetrays
أَيُّ الأَحايِينِ لا يَخونُ
And every age betrays a people;
Every epoch betrays some people
Which age does not betray?
What eras do not betray in their turns?
إِذاwhen اعتَرىbefalls الحَينُthe holders of أَهلَsovereignty مُلكٍpower
إِذا اعتَرى الحَينُ أَهلَ مُلكٍ
خَلَتbecame empty لَهُfor it مِنهُمُof them الحُصونُthe fortresses
خَلَت لَهُ مِنهُمُ الحُصونُ
When doom overtakes those who hold power,
When fortune assails a landed clan
The fortresses stand empty of them, left to it.
Their forts stand against them unspurned
كَرُّrecurring return الجَديدَينِthe ever-new night and day حَيثُwherever كاناthey both are
كَرُّ الجَديدَينِ حَيثُ كانا
مِمّاamong what تَفانَتperished one after another بِهِthrough it القُرونُthe generations
مِمّا تَفانَت بِهِ القُرونُ
The recurrence of ever-new night and day, wherever they are,
Blame the new over what is past
Is among the things by which generations have perished.
From what has claimed ages in their turns
وَلِلبِلىand decay has فيهِمُwithin them دَبيبٌa creeping advance
وَلِلبِلى فيهِمُ دَبيبٌ
كَأَنَّas though تَحريكَهُits movement سُكونُstillness
كَأَنَّ تَحريكَهُ سُكونُ
And decay creeps within them,
And on them decay makes its way
As though its movement were stillness.
As if motion itself there sojourns
كَيفَhow رَضيناwe have been content بِضيقِwith the narrowness of دارٍa dwelling
كَيفَ رَضينا بِضيقِ دارٍ
أَمor كَيفَhow قَرَّتfound comfort بِهاin it العُيونُthe eyes
أَم كَيفَ قَرَّت بِها العُيونُ
How have we been content with a cramped dwelling,
How did we consent to narrow quarters
Or how have our eyes found comfort in it?
Or how did eyes therein find rests?
تَكَنَّفَتناhave hemmed us in الهُمومُthe cares مِنهاfrom it
تَكَنَّفَتنا الهُمومُ مِنها
فَهُنَّso they فيهَwithin it لَناfor us سُجونُprisons
فَهُنَّ فيهَ لَنا سُجونُ
Cares from it have hemmed us in;
Worries encircled us therein
So within it they are prisons for us.
So they are our prisons in those nests
وَلَيسَand not يَجريruns بِناwith us زَمانٌa span of time
وَلَيسَ يَجري بِنا زَمانٌ
إِلّاexcept لَهُit has كَلكَلٌa heavy breast طَحونُcrushing
إِلّا لَهُ كَلكَلٌ طَحونُ
And no stretch of time carries us along
No era flows for us
Without a breast that grinds us down.
Save bearing mills grinding unrests
وَالمَرءُand a man ماas long as عاشاhe lives لَيسَnot يَخلوis free
وَالمَرءُ ما عاشا لَيسَ يَخلو
مِنfrom حادِثٍa calamity كانَhas happened أَوor يَكونُwill happen
مِن حادِثٍ كانَ أَو يَكونُ
And a man, as long as he lives, is never free
One lives not without some incident
From calamity, past or yet to come.
Occurring or looming as fortune’s bequests
Sol 6.1