تُغازِلُنيflirts with me المَنيَّةُdeath مِنfrom قَريبِnearby
تُغازِلُني المَنيَّةُ مِن قَريبِ
وَتَلحَظُنيand eyes me مُلاحَظَةَthe gaze of الرَقيبِthe watchman
وَتَلحَظُني مُلاحَظَةَ الرَقيبِ
Death flirts with me from close by,
Death flirts with me from up close
And eyes me with a watchman's gaze.
And watches me like a guard does
وَتَنشُرُand unfolds ليfor me كِتاباًa book فيهِin it طَيِّيmy folding away (death)
وَتَنشُرُ لي كِتاباً فيهِ طَيِّي
بِخَطِّin the handwriting of الدَهرِTime أَسطُرُهُits lines مَشيبيmy gray hair
بِخَطِّ الدَهرِ أَسطُرُهُ مَشيبي
And unfolds for me a book wherein lies my folding away,
It lays out a book for me
In Time's handwriting—its lines are my gray hairs.
With the handwriting of time, its lines are my gray hair
كِتابٌa book فيin مَعانيهِits meanings غُموضٌobscurity
كِتابٌ في مَعانيهِ غُموضٌ
يَلوحُbecomes apparent لِكُلِّto every أَوّابٍone oft-returning to God مُنيبِrepentant
يَلوحُ لِكُلِّ أَوّابٍ مُنيبِ
A book whose meanings are obscure,
A book with ambiguous meanings
Yet clear to every penitent who turns to God.
That shines for every repentant turner
أَرىI see الأَعصارَthe ages تَعصِرُwring out ماءَthe sap of عوديmy stem
أَرى الأَعصارَ تَعصِرُ ماءَ عودي
وَقِدماًand formerly كُنتُI was رَيّانَwell-watered القَضيبِthe bough
وَقِدماً كُنتُ رَيّانَ القَضيبِ
I see the ages wringing the sap from my stem,
I see eras wring out my fragrance
Though once my bough was brimming with sap.
When once I was moistening the twigs
أَدالَhas supplanted الشَيبُgray hair ياO صاحِfriend شَبابيmy youth
أَدالَ الشَيبُ يا صاحِ شَبابي
فَعُوِّضتُso I was given in exchange البَغيضَthe hateful مِنَin place of الحَبيبِthe beloved
فَعُوِّضتُ البَغيضَ مِنَ الحَبيبِ
Gray hair has supplanted my youth, my friend,
Gray hair crept in, oh friend of my youth
So I was given the hateful in place of the beloved.
So I replaced the hated with the beloved
وَبَدَّلتُand I substituted التَثاقُلَsluggishness مِنin place of نَشاطيmy vigor
وَبَدَّلتُ التَثاقُلَ مِن نَشاطي
وَمِنand in place of حُسنِthe beauty of النَضارَةِfreshness بِالشُحوبِwith pallor
وَمِن حُسنِ النَضارَةِ بِالشُحوبِ
And I exchanged my vigor for sluggishness,
And traded my vigor for sluggishness
And the beauty of freshness for pallor.
And the beauty of bloom for pallor
كَذاكَlikewise الشَمسُthe sun يَعلوهاcomes over it اِصفِرارٌyellowing
كَذاكَ الشَمسُ يَعلوها اِصفِرارٌ
إِذاwhen جَنَحَتit inclines وَمالَتand leans لِلغُروبِtoward setting
إِذا جَنَحَت وَمالَت لِلغُروبِ
So too the sun takes on a yellow pallor
Thus the sun, yellowness ascends it
When it dips and inclines toward setting.
When it inclines toward setting
تُحارِبُناwage war on us جُنودٌarmies لاnot تُجارىcan be matched
تُحارِبُنا جُنودٌ لا تُجارى
وَلاand not تُلقىcan be confronted بِآسادِby the lions of الحُروبِwars
وَلا تُلقى بِآسادِ الحُروبِ
Armies that none can match wage war on us,
Armies assail us that cannot be fought
Nor can the lions of war confront them.
And cannot be met with warriors of war
هِيَthey are الأَقدارُfate's decrees وَالآجالُand death's appointed times تَأتيcome
هِيَ الأَقدارُ وَالآجالُ تَأتي
فَتَنزِلُand so descend بِالمُطَبَّبِupon the patient وَالطَبيبِand the physician
فَتَنزِلُ بِالمُطَبَّبِ وَالطَبيبِ
They are fate's decrees and death's appointed hours, which come
They are the fates and terms that come
And descend upon patient and physician alike.
So they afflict the diseased and the medic
تُفَوِّقُnock and aim أَسهُماًarrows عَنfrom قَوسِa bow of غَيبٍthe unseen
تُفَوِّقُ أَسهُماً عَن قَوسِ غَيبٍ
وَماand not أَغراضُهاtheir targets غَيرُother than القُلوبِhearts
وَما أَغراضُها غَيرُ القُلوبِ
They aim arrows from an unseen bow,
Their arrows surpass the bow of the unseen
And their only targets are hearts.
With no purpose but hearts
فَأَنّىhow then بِاِحتِراسٍby taking precautions مِنagainst جُنودٍarmies
فَأَنّى بِاِحتِراسٍ مِن جُنودٍ
مُؤَيَّدَةٍsupported تُمَدُّare reinforced مِنَfrom الغُيوبِthe unseen
مُؤَيَّدَةٍ تُمَدُّ مِنَ الغُيوبِ
How, then, can one guard against armies
How can one be guarded from armies
Supported and reinforced from the unseen?
Supported, stretching from the unknown?
وَماand not آسىI grieve عَلىover الدُنياthis world وَلَكِنbut
وَما آسى عَلى الدُنيا وَلَكِن
عَلىover ماwhat قَدindeed رَكِبتُI have committed مِنَof الذُنوبِsins
عَلى ما قَد رَكِبتُ مِنَ الذُنوبِ
And I do not grieve over this world, but
And I do not grieve for the life but
Over the sins I have committed.
For the sins I have ridden
فَياso, oh لَهَفيmy anguish عَلىover طولِthe length of اِغتِراريmy delusion
فَيا لَهَفي عَلى طولِ اِغتِراري
وَياand oh وَيحيalas for me مِنَbecause of اليَومِthe day العَصيبِdreadful
وَيا وَيحي مِنَ اليَومِ العَصيبِ
Ah, my anguish at my long delusion,
Oh my craving for the length of my heedlessness
And woe to me for the dreadful day!
Oh woe to me from the painful day
إِذاif أَناI لَمdo not أَنُحmourn نَفسيmy soul وَأَبكيand weep
إِذا أَنا لَم أَنُح نَفسي وَأَبكي
عَلىover حوبيmy sin بِتَهتانٍwith a downpour سَكوبِstreaming
عَلى حوبي بِتَهتانٍ سَكوبِ
If I do not mourn my own soul and weep
If I do not spare myself and weep
Over my sin with torrents of streaming tears,
For my love with pouring tears
فَمَنthen who هَذاis this الَّذيwho بَعديafter me سَيَبكيwill weep
فَمَن هَذا الَّذي بَعدي سَيَبكي
عَلَيهاover it (my soul) مِنamong بَعيدٍsomeone distant أَوor قَريبِsomeone near
عَلَيها مِن بَعيدٍ أَو قَريبِ
Then who, after I am gone, will weep
Then who after me will cry
For my soul, be they far or near?
For it from afar or near?
Sol 6.1