إذاif كانis مِنfrom فَوديmy temple وَميضُflashes البَوارِقِlightning bolts
إذا كان مِن فَودي وَميضُ البَوارِقِ
فمِنْthen from مُقلتيmy eye فَيضُa flood الغُيوثِthe rains الدَّوافقِpouring
فمِنْ مُقلتي فَيضُ الغُيوثِ الدَّوافقِ
If flashes of lightning come from my temple,
When lightning flashed from my scabbard,
then from my eye comes a flood of pouring rain.
From my frown poured heavy rainfalls.
تبسَّمsmiled هذاthis الشيبُgray hair عندat نزولهits arrival
تبسَّم هذا الشيبُ عند نزوله
تبسُّمَthe smile of مَظنونِsuspect الفؤادthe heart منافِقa hypocrite
تبسُّمَ مَظنونِ الفؤاد منافِق
This gray hair smiled upon its arrival,
This grey hair smiled when it descended,
with the smile of a hypocrite whose heart is suspect.
The smile of a heart's beloved hypocrite.
شَنْئْتُI detested نجومَstars الليلthe night منfor أجْلthe sake of لونهits color
شَنْئْتُ نجومَ الليل من أجْل لونه
وأبغَضْتُand I loathed منon جرّاهits account يومthe day of الحدائقthe gardens
وأبغَضْتُ من جرّاه يوم الحدائق
I detested the stars of night because of its color,
I hated the stars of night for their color,
and on its account I loathed the day of the gardens,
And who dragged them like gardens at dawn.
علىdespite أنّهthat it is فيin زَعمهits claim غيرnot كاذبٍlying
على أنّه في زَعمه غير كاذبٍ
خلافunlike شبابٍyouth زَعمهits claim غيرُnot صادقtruthful
خلاف شبابٍ زَعمه غيرُ صادق
although it does not lie in what it claims,
Yet he claims, not falsely, to be unlike
unlike youth, whose claim is untrue.
A youth whose claim of truth was not honest.
وأحسَبand I think أنَّthat الصِّدقtruthfulness أوجبَnecessitated كونَهُits being
وأحسَب أنَّ الصِّدق أوجبَ كونَهُ
كثيرhaving many الأعاديenemies أوor قليلhaving few الأصادقfriends
كثير الأعادي أو قليل الأصادق
And I think truthfulness has left it
I reckon that honesty made him
with many enemies, or few friends.
Of many enemies, few friends sincere.
تمسَّكhold fast بميعادto the promise of المَشيبgray hair وعهدِهand its pledge
تمسَّك بميعاد المَشيب وعهدِه
وكنْand be بمَواثيقin the covenants of الصِّباyouth غيرnot واثقtrusting
وكنْ بمَواثيق الصِّبا غير واثق
Hold fast to gray hair's promise and its pledge,
Hold fast to the tryst of grey hair and its pact,
and put no trust in youth's covenants.
And do not trust in the covenants of youth.
أياO دهرُTime قدalready شيَّبْتَyou have grayed قلبيmy heart وناظريand my eye
أيا دهرُ قد شيَّبْتَ قلبي وناظري
فأهونُso the least burdensome ماwhat عنديI have مَشيبُthe graying of مَفارِقيmy hair-partings
فأهونُ ما عندي مَشيبُ مَفارِقي
O Time, you have turned my heart and my eye gray;
O fate, you have greyed my heart and my vision,
so the graying of my hair-partings is my lightest burden.
The greying of my temples is slightest to me.
أَعندكdo you think أَنّيthat I am أَيُّهاO الدَّهرُTime واهِنٌweak
أَعندك أَنّي أَيُّها الدَّهرُ واهِنٌ
وقدand already ذَرَّhas risen فيin إلفِone familiar with النّوائبcalamities شارِقيmy rising sun
وقد ذَرَّ في إلفِ النّوائب شارِقي
Do you think, O Time, that I am weak,
Do you think me weakened, o fate,
when my sun has risen in one familiar with calamities—
When I crossed the fires of afflictions blazing?
أَغَرُّwhite-blazed دَجوجِيٌّpitch-black كأَنَّas though سَبيبهits mane and tail hair
أَغَرُّ دَجوجِيٌّ كأَنَّ سَبيبه
جناحاthe two wings of غرابٍa raven أُودِعاwere placed صدرَthe breast of باشِقِa sparrowhawk
جناحا غرابٍ أُودِعا صدرَ باشِقِ
white-blazed and pitch-black, as though its flowing hair were
Deluded like a raven whose nape feathers
a raven's two wings set on a sparrowhawk's breast,
Were lodged in the chest of a smiling moon.
جوادٌa noble steed علىover حُبِّthe love of القلوبhearts مُحَكَّمٌgiven dominion
جوادٌ على حُبِّ القلوب مُحَكَّمٌ
يُبينreveals بحسنthrough the beauty of الخَلْقphysical form عنof صُنعthe handiwork of خالقa creator
يُبين بحسن الخَلْق عن صُنع خالق
a noble steed, holding sway over hearts' affection,
Generous in loving hearts and steadfast,
revealing through its beautiful form a creator's handiwork,
Revealing by his noble manners his Maker.
بهيجٌsplendid يَهيجُstirs السّامعينthe listeners صهيلُهُits neighing
بهيجٌ يَهيجُ السّامعين صهيلُهُ
ويُشعِرُand makes one feel أنَّthat العِزَّglory خوضُplunging into الفيالقthe battalions
ويُشعِرُ أنَّ العِزَّ خوضُ الفيالق
splendid, its neighing stirring those who hear it
Radiant, his neighing stirs the listeners,
and making them feel that glory lies in plunging into battalions?
Hinting that honor is to plunge into perils.
وفيand in يَمنَتيmy right hand ماضيkeen الغِرارthe cutting edge كأنَّهas though it were
وفي يَمنَتي ماضي الغِرار كأنَّه
إذاwhen اخترطَتْهunsheathes it الكَفُّthe hand إيماضُa flash of بارقlightning
إذا اخترطَتْه الكَفُّ إيماضُ بارق
And in my right hand is a keen-edged sword, like
In my right hand is my past as a young man,
a flash of lightning when the hand unsheathes it.
When clutched, its flash is the glare of lightning.
لهit has ضِحْكُlaughter مَسرورٍa joyful person ودَمعةُand the tear of ثاكِلٍa bereaved parent
له ضِحْكُ مَسرورٍ ودَمعةُ ثاكِلٍ
وعِزَّةُand the pride of مَعشوقٍa beloved وذِلَةand the abasement of عاشقa lover
وعِزَّةُ مَعشوقٍ وذِلَة عاشق
It has a glad person's laughter and a bereaved parent's tear,
He has the laughter of one glad, the tear of a bereft,
and a beloved's pride and a lover's abasement.
The pride of the beloved, the humiliation of the lover.
يُسِرُّconceals قديمَold الحِقدِrancor وهوwhile it is مُلاطِفٌgentle
يُسِرُّ قديمَ الحِقدِ وهو مُلاطِفٌ
ويْبطِنُand conceals فيin السّلسالlimpid water نارthe fire of الصَّواعقthunderbolts
ويْبطِنُ في السّلسال نار الصَّواعق
It conceals old rancor while behaving gently,
He gratifies an ancient grudge yet is gentle,
and hides in limpid water the fire of thunderbolts.
And hides in chains the fires of thunderbolts.
لهit has منfrom حديدthe iron of الهندIndia أكرمُthe noblest والدٍfather
له من حديد الهند أكرمُ والدٍ
وبينand among قُيونthe smiths of الهندIndia أصنعthe most skillful حاذقan expert
وبين قُيون الهند أصنع حاذق
From India's iron it has the noblest father,
His sire was the finest Indian steel,
and among India's smiths, the most skillful craftsman.
Among the Indian swords the most skillfully wrought.
ومِنْand from شَقِّcleaving هاماتthe crowns of الفوارسhorsemen شاهدٌa witness
ومِنْ شَقِّ هامات الفوارس شاهدٌ
بهfor it منfrom حميدpraiseworthy الصَّمْتِsilence أبلغُthe most eloquent ناطِقspeaker
به من حميد الصَّمْتِ أبلغُ ناطِق
And from cleaving horsemen's heads comes a witness,
From the split of horse forelocks is a witness
speaking for it most eloquently through noble silence.
By which the most eloquent silence speaks.
وإمّاand whenever بداappears مِنfrom مَشرِقthe east of الغِمْدthe scabbard طالعاًrising
وإمّا بدا مِن مَشرِق الغِمْد طالعاً
فمَغْربهthen its setting-place بينbetween الطُّلىnecks والمَفارقand hair-partings
فمَغْربه بين الطُّلى والمَفارق
And whenever it appears, rising from the scabbard's east,
If he appeared rising from the scabbard's east,
then its setting-place is between necks and hair-partings.
His west is between the blades and the sheaths.
Sol 6.1