وَفيand in الديوانِthe bureau غُزلانٌgazelles
وَفي الديوانِ غُزلانٌ
رَمَتcast; shot أَعيُنهاtheir eyes مَرضىlanguid; sick
رَمَت أَعيُنها مَرضى
And in the bureau are gazelles,
In the diwan are gazelles
And within the Diwan are gazelles,
Their languid eyes casting glances.
Whose sick eyes have shed tears.
Whose eyes cast arrows at the heartsick;
رَبيباتُfemale fosterlings قُصورِpalaces الخُلal-Khuld ('eternity'; first part)
رَبيباتُ قُصورِ الخُل
دِcompletion of 'al-Khuld' ماnot إِنparticle reinforcing negation تَعرِفُthey know الغُمضاslumber
دِ ما إِن تَعرِفُ الغُمضا
Fosterlings of the palaces of al-Khuld,
Maidens of the palace chambers,
Nurslings of the palaces of Eternity,
They know no slumber.
When did you last close your eyes in slumber?
Who know not the closing of eyes;
وَلاand not اِعتَدنَthey grew accustomed لعَمرُby the life of اللَGod (first part)
وَلا اِعتَدنَ لعَمرُ اللَ
هِcompletion of 'God' فيin الدَوِّيَّةِthe wilderness الرَبضاlying down
هِ في الدَوِّيَّةِ الرَبضا
Nor, by God's life, have they grown accustomed
You have never known, I swear,
Nor are they accustomed—by the life of God—
To lying down in the wilderness.
A life of ease or comfort.
To a lair in the desolate wild;
وَلاand not جانَبنَthey shunned مُذsince كُنَّthey existed
وَلا جانَبنَ مُذ كُنَّ
نَعيمَthe delights of العَيشِlife وَالخَفضاand ease
نَعيمَ العَيشِ وَالخَفضا
Nor, since they came to be, have they shunned
You have not enjoyed since you were
Nor have they shunned, since they came to be,
The delights of life and ease.
The pleasures of life and luxury.
The bliss of life and its comforts.
وَيَردُدنَand they refer عُرىbonds; reins الأَمرِaffairs
وَيَردُدنَ عُرى الأَمرِ
إِلىto أَحوَرَa dark-eyed man مُستَقضىappointed judge
إِلى أَحوَرَ مُستَقضى
And they turn the reins of affairs over
You refer the course of events
They refer the knots of all affairs
To a dark-eyed man appointed judge,
To a tyrant, unjust and cruel,
To a wide-eyed youth, a sought-after judge,
إِمامٍa leader ظالِمٍunjust فَظٍّharsh
إِمامٍ ظالِمٍ فَظٍّ
فَماso whatever قالَhe said بِهِwith it يُرضىis accepted
فَما قالَ بِهِ يُرضى
An unjust, harsh leader;
Whose word no man accepts.
A tyrant leader, harsh and coarse,
So whatever he pronounces is accepted.
When death has singled out one of them
Whose spoken word must be obeyed.
إِذاwhen ماemphatic particle أَوتَرَstrung a bow الموتِthe bow-stringer (first part)
إِذا ما أَوتَرَ الموتِ
رُcompletion of 'bow-stringer' مِنهُمamong them عَجَّلَhe hastened النَبضاthe twanging
رُ مِنهُم عَجَّلَ النَبضا
Whenever a bow-stringer strings his bow—
It quickens the dying pulses;
When the archer among them strings his bow,
One of them—he hastens to twang it.
And if to another it portioned out
He is swift to release the shaft;
وَإِنand if أَقرَضَhe lent ذاthis one هَذاthis one
وَإِن أَقرَضَ ذا هَذا
نَوالاًa gift; favor عَجَّلَhe hastened النَقضاthe revocation
نَوالاً عَجَّلَ النَقضا
And if this one lends that one
Sustenance, it rendered it null.
And if one lends a favor to another,
A favor, he hastens to revoke it.
Had it not been that the weak and helpless
He hastens to revoke the deed.
وَلَولاand were it not that كانَتِwere الحيتاthe fish (first part)
وَلَولا كانَتِ الحيتا
نُcompletion of 'fish' يَأكُلُeats بَعضُهاsome of them بَعضاothers
نُ يَأكُلُ بَعضُها بَعضا
And were it not that fish
Prey on each other for subsistence,
And were it not that the fish of the sea
Eat one another,
Then the earth would have been filled
Devour the flesh of one another,
إِذَنthen قَدsurely مَلَأَتthey filled بِالكُثthrough abundance (first part)
إِذَن قَد مَلَأَت بِالكُث
رِcompletion of 'abundance' ياO مُسلِمَةُMuslima الأَرضاthe earth
رِ يا مُسلِمَةُ الأَرضا
Then they would surely have filled, by their multitude,
With their weeping, O Muslim folk!
They would have filled, with their teeming numbers,
O Muslima, the earth.
O Muslima, the whole of the earth.
Partial English translation: 19 of 20 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1