وَكَلَّفتَني أَمراً لَو انَّ أَقلَّهُ

وَكَلَّفتَني أَمراً لَو انَّ أَقلَّهُ

يكلَّفُهُ ثَهلانُ كادَ يَميدُ

يكلَّفُهُ ثَهلانُ كادَ يَميدُ

You charged me with a task—were even its least part

And you charged me with a task—if even its smallest part

laid upon Mount Thahlan, it would nearly sway:

were laid upon Thahlan, it would nearly sway.

إِعادة ماضٍ وَاستدامَةَ حالَةٍ

إِعادة ماضٍ وَاستدامَةَ حالَةٍ

وَتحصيلَ آتٍ إِنَّ ذا لَشَديدُ

وَتحصيلَ آتٍ إِنَّ ذا لَشَديدُ

to restore the past and perpetuate the present state,

Restoring the past and sustaining a state,

and attain what is to come—surely this is arduous.

and securing what is to come—this is hard indeed.

تَصَرَّفتُ في ماضٍ وَآتٍ وَحاضِرٍ

تَصَرَّفتُ في ماضٍ وَآتٍ وَحاضِرٍ

كَأَني فِعلٌ بانَ عَنهُ جُمُودُ

كَأَني فِعلٌ بانَ عَنهُ جُمُودُ

I have ranged through past, future, and present,

I moved through past, future, and present,

as though I were a verb from which fixity had fled.

as though I were a verb no longer invariable.

وَما زالَ بي التَشبيهُ حَتّى تَظافَرَت

وَما زالَ بي التَشبيهُ حَتّى تَظافَرَت

مَوانِعُ صَرفٍ ما لَهنَّ مَحيدُ

مَوانِعُ صَرفٍ ما لَهنَّ مَحيدُ

And the likeness stayed with me until there gathered

And the comparison stayed with me until there converged

impediments to declension, from which there is no escape.

barriers to declension with no way around them.

فَلَيتَ اِنصِرافي في مِكانِ تَصَرُّفي

فَلَيتَ اِنصِرافي في مِكانِ تَصَرُّفي

فَيَنقصُ ذا عَنّي وَذاكَ يَزيدُ

فَيَنقصُ ذا عَنّي وَذاكَ يَزيدُ

Would that my departure replaced my ranging,

So, if only my withdrawal could replace my activity,

so this ranging would lessen from me, while that departure increased.

so this would lessen for me, and that would increase.