ألَاah ماwhat لهذاwith this الليلِnight تَدْجَىgrow dark جوانِبُهْits sides
ألَا ما لهذا الليلِ تَدْجَى جوانِبُهْ
علىabove شَفَقٍtwilight دامٍblood-red تَلَظَّىblaze ذوائِبُهْits tresses؟!
على شَفَقٍ دامٍ تَلَظَّى ذوائِبُهْ؟!
Ah, what ails this night, its sides growing dark
What ails this night that its edges are obscured
Above a blood-red twilight, its tresses ablaze?!
By lingering dusk, its fringes wrapped in gloom?!
وماand what ذلكَthat الظِّلُّthe shadow المَخوفdreaded بأفقِهِon its horizon
وما ذلكَ الظِّلُّ المَخوف بأفقِهِ
يُطِلُّlooms فترتَدُّso recoil ارتياعًاin terror كواكِبُهْits stars؟!
يُطِلُّ فترتَدُّ ارتياعًا كواكِبُهْ؟!
And what is that dreaded shadow on its horizon,
And what is that fearsome shadow on the horizon
Looming, so that its stars recoil in terror?!
That looms and then retreats, its stars terrified?!
أأيَّتُهَاO الأرضEarth انظريlook!، وَيْكِalas for you!! واسمَعِيand listen!!
أأيَّتُهَا الأرض انظري، وَيْكِ! واسمَعِي!
توثَّبَsprang up فِيكِwithin you الشَّرُّevil حُمْرًاred مخالِبُهْits claws
توثَّبَ فِيكِ الشَّرُّ حُمْرًا مخالِبُهْ
O Earth, look—alas for you!—and listen!
O Earth, behold! Listen!
Evil has sprung up within you, its claws crimson.
Evil has sprung up within you, its claws red.
أرَىI see فِتْنَةًturmoil حَمْرَاءَcrimson يَلْفِظُهَاspews it forth الثَّرَىthe soil
أرَى فِتْنَةً حَمْرَاءَ يَلْفِظُهَا الثَّرَى
دُخَانًاas smoke تُغَشِّيenshroud الكائناتِall beings سَحَائِبُهْits clouds
دُخَانًا تُغَشِّي الكائناتِ سَحَائِبُهْ
I see a crimson turmoil that the soil spews forth
I see a red sedition spewed up by the soil,
As smoke whose clouds enshroud all beings.
Its clouds veil all creatures.
وأشتمُّand I smell منfrom أنفاسهاits breaths حَرَّheat هَبْوَةٍa dust cloud
وأشتمُّ من أنفاسها حَرَّ هَبْوَةٍ
كأنَّas though هجيرَmidday heat الصَّيْفِof summer يلفَحُscorches حاصبُهْits grit-laden wind
كأنَّ هجيرَ الصَّيْفِ يلفَحُ حاصبُهْ
And from its breaths I smell the heat of a dust cloud,
And I smell the hot breath of its eruption
As though summer's noon heat scorched with its grit-laden wind.
As if the summer's heat were blowing through its bushes.
أرىI see قبضةَthe fist الشيطانِof Satan تستلُّdraws out خِنجرًاa dagger
أرى قبضةَ الشيطانِ تستلُّ خِنجرًا
توَهَّجَblazed شَوْقًاwith longing للدماءِfor blood مَضَارِبُهْits cutting edges
توَهَّجَ شَوْقًا للدماءِ مَضَارِبُهْ
I see Satan's fist drawing a dagger;
I see the hand of Satan unsheathing a dagger,
Its cutting edges blazed with longing for blood.
Eager for bloodshed, its blades bare.
تسلَّلَcrept in يبغيseeking مَقْتَلًاa fatal spot to strike منin «محمدٍMuhammad»
تسلَّلَ يبغي مَقْتَلًا من «محمدٍ»
لقدindeed خُيِّبَwas foiled البَاغيthe aggressor وَخَابَتْand failed مآرِبُهْhis designs
لقد خُيِّبَ البَاغي وَخَابَتْ مآرِبُهْ
He crept in, seeking a place to strike Muhammad dead.
It crept seeking to kill “Mohammed” -
Indeed, the aggressor was foiled, and his designs failed.
But the aggressor failed, and his schemes came to naught.
تقدَّمْadvance! سليلَoffspring النارِof fire! ماnot البابُthe door موصَدٌbarred!
تقدَّمْ سليلَ النارِ! ما البابُ موصَدٌ!
فَمَاذَاso what تَوَقَّاهُyou guard against it، وَمَاذَاand what تُجَانِبُهْyou shun it
فَمَاذَا تَوَقَّاهُ، وَمَاذَا تُجَانِبُهْ
Advance, offspring of fire! The door is not barred!
Step forward, spawn of fire! The door is not locked!
So what do you guard against, and what do you shun?
What did it protect him from? What did it ward off?
تأمَّلْlook closely!! فَهَلْso is there إلَّاexcept فتًىa youth فيin فراشِهِhis bed
تأمَّلْ! فَهَلْ إلَّا فتًى في فراشِهِ
إِلىtoward النورِthe light تَهْفُوyearn فيin الظَّلَامِthe darkness ترائبُهْhis chest bones؟!
إِلى النورِ تَهْفُو في الظَّلَامِ ترائبُهْ؟!
Look closely! Is there anyone but a youth in his bed,
Look! Do you see anything but a lad in his bed
Whose breast yearns toward the light in the darkness?!
While into the dark shine the spangles of his gown?
يُسَائِلُكَquestion you الأشياعُthe followers زَاغَتْwavered عُيونُهُمtheir eyes
يُسَائِلُكَ الأشياعُ زَاغَتْ عُيونُهُم
وأنتَand you حَسيرٌexhausted ضائعُbereft اللُّبِّof reason ذاهبُهْwith it gone:
وأنتَ حَسيرٌ ضائعُ اللُّبِّ ذاهبُهْ:
Your followers question you, their eyes wavering,
Your followers will ask you, their eyes wandering,
While you are exhausted, your reason lost and gone:
And you are confused, your wits scattered:
تُرَانَاdid we, perhaps غَفَوْنَاdoze off أمor تُرَىperhaps عَبَرَتْpassed بناover us
تُرَانَا غَفَوْنَا أم تُرَى عَبَرَتْ بنا
نُفاثَةُa puff سِحْرٍof magic خدَّرَتْنَاnumbed us غرائِبُهْits marvels؟!
نُفاثَةُ سِحْرٍ خدَّرَتْنَا غرائِبُهْ؟!
Did we, perhaps, doze off—or might there have passed over us
“Did we sleep or did some magic charm
A puff of magic whose marvels numbed us?!
Bewitch us with its strange spells?!”
وماand not زالceased مناamong us كلُّevery أشوَسَfierce-eyed man قابضًاgripping
وما زال منا كلُّ أشوَسَ قابضًا
علىto سيفِهِhis sword لمdid not تَخْلُbecome empty منهof it رواجبُهْhis finger-joints
على سيفِهِ لم تَخْلُ منه رواجبُهْ
And every fierce-eyed man among us still held fast
Yet each knight still grips fast his sword
To his sword; his knuckles never let it go.
That has not lost its sharp cutting edge.
تُرَىI wonder كيفَhow لمdid not تُبصِرْsee غريمَكَyour foe ساريًاtraveling by night
تُرَى كيفَ لم تُبصِرْ غريمَكَ ساريًا
وأينand where تُرىI wonder يَمضيhe goes؟ وتَمضيand go ركائبُهْhis riding camels؟
وأين تُرى يَمضي؟ وتَمضي ركائبُهْ؟
How, I wonder, did you not see your foe traveling by night?
How did you not see your enemy passing
And where, I wonder, are he and his riding camels heading?
And which way did he go? Which way did his riders disappear?
تقدَّمْadvance!، وجُسْand probe فيin الدارthe house وَهْنًاlate at night؟ فماso what ترىyou see؟
تقدَّمْ، وجُسْ في الدار وَهْنًا؟ فما ترى؟
لقدindeed هَجَرَleft الدارَthe house النبيُّthe Prophet وصاحِبُهْand his companion!!
لقد هَجَرَ الدارَ النبيُّ وصاحِبُهْ!!
Advance, and probe the house late at night—what do you see?
Advance and feel your way softly in the house. What do you see?
The Prophet and his companion have indeed left the house!
The Prophet and his friend have left the house!
يحثَّانِthe two urge on فيthrough البَيداءِthe desert راحلَتَيهماtheir two riding camels
يحثَّانِ في البَيداءِ راحلَتَيهما
إلىtoward جَبَلٍa mountain يُئويshelters الحقيقةَthe truth جانبُهْits flank
إلى جَبَلٍ يُئوي الحقيقةَ جانبُهْ
They urge their two riding camels onward through the desert
They spur their two camels in the wasteland
Toward a mountain whose flank shelters truth.
Toward a mountain that shelters the truth in its sides.
فَقِفْso stand، وتنظَّرْand wait حائرًاbewildered نُصبَbefore غارِهِits cave
فَقِفْ، وتنظَّرْ حائرًا نُصبَ غارِهِ
تَحدَّاكَdefied you فيهin it ورْقُهُits gray doves وعناكِبُهْand its spiders
تَحدَّاكَ فيه ورْقُهُ وعناكِبُهْ
So stand and wait, bewildered, before its cave:
Stop and peer about, confused by the mouth of his cave that challenges you -
Its gray doves and spiders defied you there,
Its leaves and spiders scorn you!
لتعلمَso that you may know أنَّthat الحقَّtruth روحٌa spirit وفكرةٌand an idea
لتعلمَ أنَّ الحقَّ روحٌ وفكرةٌ
يذلُّis humbled لهاbefore it الطاغيthe tyrant وتَعْنُوand bow قواضِبُهْhis sharp swords
يذلُّ لها الطاغي وتَعْنُو قواضِبُهْ
So that you may know that truth is a spirit and an idea.
So you may know that truth is spirit and idea
Before it the tyrant is humbled, and his sharp swords bow.
To which the tyrant is subjected and his steeds grow weary.
فَطِرْso fly، أيهاO الشيطانSatan، نارًاas fire أوor انطلقrush forth
فَطِرْ، أيها الشيطان، نارًا أو انطلق
دُخَانًاas smoke، فأخسِرso how ruinous! بالذيby that which أنتyou كاسبُهْgaining it!
دُخَانًا، فأخسِر بالذي أنت كاسبُهْ!
So fly, O Satan, as fire, or rush forth
So begone, Satan! Set yourself on fire or vanish as smoke, and lose what you sought to gain!
As smoke—how ruinous is what you gain!
You have failed! Had not his Lord protected him
خَسِئْتَyou are driven away!! ولوand if لمnot يَعْصِمِprotect الحقَّthe truth ربُّهits Lord
خَسِئْتَ! ولو لم يَعْصِمِ الحقَّ ربُّه
طوىenfolded الأرضَthe earth ليلٌa night ماnot تزولُfades غياهِبُهْits deep darkness
طوى الأرضَ ليلٌ ما تزولُ غياهِبُهْ
You are cast out! Had truth not been guarded by its Lord,
A night would have descended whose darkness knows no end.
A night whose deep darkness never lifts would have enfolded the earth.
Partial English translation: 37 of 38 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1