إِذاif كُنتِyou were قوتَsustenance النَفسِthe soul ثُمَّthen هَجَرتِهاyou abandoned it
إِذا كُنتِ قوتَ النَفسِ ثُمَّ هَجَرتِها
فَكَمthen how long تَلبَثُremains النَفسُthe soul الَّتيwhose أَنتِyou قوتُهاits sustenance
فَكَم تَلبَثُ النَفسُ الَّتي أَنتِ قوتُها
If you were the soul’s sustenance and then abandoned it,
If you were the food of my soul, then abandoned it
then how long can the soul whose sustenance you are survive?
How long can the soul last, when you are its nourishment?
أَغَرَّكِhas it deceived you? أَنّيthat I قَدindeed تَصَبَّرتُI made myself endure جاهِداًstriving hard
أَغَرَّكِ أَنّي قَد تَصَبَّرتُ جاهِداً
وَفيand in النَفسِthe soul مِنّيof mine مِنكِfrom you ماthat which سَيُميتُهاwill kill it
وَفي النَفسِ مِنّي مِنكِ ما سَيُميتُها
Has it deceived you that I have struggled to be patient,
Does it fool you that I have endured stoically?
while within my soul lies something from you that will kill it?
While within my soul, there is enough of you in me to kill it
سَأَصبِرُI shall endure صَبرَthe endurance of الضَبِّthe spiny-tailed lizard فيin الماءِthe water أَوor كَماas
سَأَصبِرُ صَبرَ الضَبِّ في الماءِ أَو كَما
يَعيشُlives بِدَيمومِin the trackless desert of الصَريمَةِal-Ṣarīmah حوتُهاits fish
يَعيشُ بِدَيمومِ الصَريمَةِ حوتُها
I shall endure as a desert lizard endures in water, or as
I will endure with the patience of a hyena in water or like
its fish lives in the trackless desert of al-Ṣarīmah.
The whale lives with the permanence of deprivation
Sol 6.1