ياO مُنطقَyou who give voice to الموتىthe dead إليكto you هديةa gift
يا مُنطقَ الموتى إليك هدية
منfrom شاعرٍa poet عملواthey worked علىtoward إخراسهsilencing him
من شاعرٍ عملوا على إخراسه
O you who give the dead a voice, here is a gift for you,
O logic of the dead, to you a gift
From a poet whom they worked to silence.
From a poet whom they worked to silence
عدَّتwere deemed مواهبهhis talents جنايةَa crime عصرِهhis age
عدَّت مواهبه جنايةَ عصرِه
فتآمرواso they conspired للحدِّfor the curtailment منof أنفاسهِhis breaths
فتآمروا للحدِّ من أنفاسهِ
His talents were deemed a crime in his age,
They deemed his talents a crime of his era
So they conspired to curtail his breaths.
So they conspired to limit his breath
وتفننواand they showed ingenuity فيin وأدِburying alive كلevery كريمةٍnoble thing
وتفننوا في وأدِ كل كريمةٍ
ويتيمةٍand a peerless gem وقفتنyou (feminine plural) stood; unclear here علىupon إحساسهhis sensibility
ويتيمةٍ وقفتن على إحساسه
And they devised ways to bury alive every noble thing,
And were creative in suppressing every poem
And every peerless gem [unclear in context: “you stood”] upon his sensibility.
And orphan that stood by his feeling
وتعقبوهand they tracked him وطاردوهand they pursued him ففاتهمso he eluded them
وتعقبوه وطاردوه ففاتهم
ودموعهand his tears طفحتoverflowed بثورةِwith the tumult كاسهof his cup
ودموعه طفحت بثورةِ كاسه
And they tracked and hunted him, but he eluded them,
They chased and pursued him but he escaped them
And his tears overflowed with the tumult of his cup.
And his tears overflowed in anger
وأتىand he came إلىto المنفىexile فماbut not رحمواthey showed mercy لهto him
وأتى إلى المنفى فما رحموا له
فكراًa mind ولاnor قلباًa heart يُدقbeing battered بياسهِby his despair
فكراً ولا قلباً يُدق بياسهِ
And he came into exile, yet they had no pity
He came to exile but they had no mercy
For his mind, nor for a heart battered by his despair,
Upon his mind or heart however it longed
حتىuntil هَرعتyou hurried إليهto him تنقذُyou rescue وشلةًa scant trickle
حتى هَرعت إليه تنقذُ وشلةً
بقيتremained وُترجعهand you return him إلىto قِرطاسهhis paper
بقيت وُترجعه إلى قِرطاسه
Until you hurried to him to rescue a scant trickle
Until helpers rushed to rescue shreds
That remained, and to return him to his paper,
That remained and brought him back to his paper
وُتعِّنفُand you rebuke الزمنَtime الغشومَthe tyrannical مهذِّباًas a refiner
وُتعِّنفُ الزمنَ الغشومَ مهذِّباً
لقياسِهof its measure بلrather ضارباًstriking بقياسِهat its measure
لقياسِه بل ضارباً بقياسِه
And to rebuke tyrannical time, refining
They chastised the cruel time civilizing
Its measure—rather, striking at its measure—
Its measuring, even striking at its measuring
ومقدّراًand esteeming غُررthe finest examples المآثرِof noble deeds وحدَهاthem alone
ومقدّراً غُرر المآثرِ وحدَها
لاnot حاسداًan envier يختالُhe swaggers فيin أدنِاسهhis filth
لا حاسداً يختالُ في أدنِاسه
And esteeming only the finest noble deeds,
And appreciating gems of deeds alone
Not as an envier swaggering in his own filth,
Not envious, reveling in filth
ومُخلصاand sincere مثليlike me الذيthe one who ياoh طالماso often
ومُخلصا مثلي الذي يا طالما
أَسدىbestowed منfrom الموتىthe dead ومنand from وَسواسِهhis whisperings
أَسدى من الموتى ومن وَسواسِه
And sincere, like me—the one who, oh, so often,
And loyal like me who so often
Bestowed gifts from the dead and from his own whisperings.
Offered from the dead and from temptation
جحدتwere denied عوارَفهُhis kindnesses وليسand there is not لمثلهfor one like him
جحدت عوارَفهُ وليس لمثله
مهماhowever much أُسئhe was mistreated سوىanything but الوفاءِloyalty لناسِهto his people
مهما أُسئ سوى الوفاءِ لناسِه
His kindnesses were denied; yet for one like him,
They denied his principles but for the likes of him
However ill-treated, there is nothing but loyalty to his people.
However mistreated, only loyalty to his people remains
Sol 6.1