فيمَwhy التجنيunjust reproach والصّباand youth طِينُهُits clay
فيمَ التجني والصّبا طِينُهُ
رطبٌmoist فماso not يعيَىhas difficulty بهwith it الطابعُthe stamper
رطبٌ فما يعيَى به الطابعُ
Why this unjust reproach, when youth's clay
Why bear grudges, when misfortune's clay
is moist, so the stamper has no trouble with it?
Is moist, and cannot hold the seal's stamp?
إنْif تُعْرضُواyou turn away عنِّيfrom me فمِنْthen, from دونِكُمْapart from you
إنْ تُعْرضُوا عنِّي فمِنْ دونِكُمْ
فيin الأرضthe earth ليfor me مضطَرَبٌroom to roam واسِعُspacious
في الأرض لي مضطَرَبٌ واسِعُ
If you turn away from me, then apart from you
If you turn from me, beyond you still
I have ample room on earth to roam.
The troubled, spacious earth remains for me.
ماnot منany خَصاصٍa chink قدindeed مَررناwe passed بهِby it
ما من خَصاصٍ قد مَررنا بهِ
إلاexcept عليهِat it محجرٌan eye socket راقعٌgazing
إلا عليهِ محجرٌ راقعٌ
No chink have we passed by
No barren plot we passed along the way
without an eye peering through it.
But on it squatted some insistent tramp.
هيهاتَfar from possible أنthat يخفقَshould fail ليfor me مطلبٌa quest
هيهاتَ أن يخفقَ لي مطلبٌ
والشَّعَرُand the hair الأسودُblack ليfor me شافعُan intercessor
والشَّعَرُ الأسودُ لي شافعُ
It is unthinkable that any quest of mine should fail,
Vain the wish that some desire takes wing!
while black hair intercedes for me.
My black-haired poems still will intercede.
Sol 6.1