إِذاif آمَنَbelieves الإِنسانُthe human being بِاللَهِin God فَليَكُنthen let him be
إِذا آمَنَ الإِنسانُ بِاللَهِ فَليَكُن
لَبيباًwise وَلاand not يَخلِطmix بِإيمانِهِwith his faith كُفراunbelief
لَبيباً وَلا يَخلِط بِإيمانِهِ كُفرا
If a human being believes in God, let him be
If man believes in God, let him be wise
wise, and not mingle unbelief with his faith.
And not mix his faith with blasphemy
إِذاif نَفَرَتflees نَفسٌa soul عَنِfrom الجِسمِthe body لَمnot تَعُدreturn
إِذا نَفَرَت نَفسٌ عَنِ الجِسمِ لَم تَعُد
إِلَيهِto it فَأَبعِدthen how far! بِالَّذيby what فَعَلَتit did نَفراin flight
إِلَيهِ فَأَبعِد بِالَّذي فَعَلَت نَفرا
If a soul flees the body, it does not return
When the soul departs the body it will not
to it—how distant a flight it has made!
Return, so drive it away by what it has done in aversion
كَأَنَّas though وَليداًan infant ماتَdied قَبلَbefore سُقوطِهِhis falling
كَأَنَّ وَليداً ماتَ قَبلَ سُقوطِهِ
عَلىonto الأَرضِthe earth ناجٍescaping مِنfrom حِبالَتِهِhis snare طَفراin a leap
عَلى الأَرضِ ناجٍ مِن حِبالَتِهِ طَفرا
It is as though an infant who died before falling
As if a newborn died before falling
to earth had leapt free of his snare.
On the ground, saved from his swaddling clothes in deliverance
تَمَنَّيتُI wished أَنّيthat I بَينَbetween رَوضٍa meadow وَمَنهَلٍand a watering-place
تَمَنَّيتُ أَنّي بَينَ رَوضٍ وَمَنهَلٍ
مَعَwith الوَحشِwild beasts لاnot مِصراًa city أَحُلُّI settle in وَلاكَفراnor a village
مَعَ الوَحشِ لا مِصراً أَحُلُّ وَلاكَفرا
I wished I were between a meadow and a watering-place,
I wish I were between a garden and a spring
among wild beasts, inhabiting neither city nor village.
With the wild beasts, not building Egypt nor blaspheming
يَقولونَthey say مَسكُthe hide of الجَفرِthe young goat (al-Jafr) أودِعَwas entrusted with حِكمَةًwisdom
يَقولونَ مَسكُ الجَفرِ أودِعَ حِكمَةً
إِذاif كُتِبَتwere written أَطراسُهاits parchment sheets مَلَأَتwould fill جَفراa broad well
إِذا كُتِبَت أَطراسُها مَلَأَت جَفرا
They say the young goat's hide, al-Jafr, was entrusted with wisdom;
They say the hyena's mind holds wisdom
if its pages were written out, they would fill a broad well.
If its tablets were written, they would fill volumes
وَغافِرَةٍand many a veiled woman فيamid نيقَةٍrefinement رَضِعَتnursed on غِنىًwealth
وَغافِرَةٍ في نيقَةٍ رَضِعَت غِنىً
كَمُغفِرَةٍlike a mother ibex فيon النيقِthe mountain peak مُرضِعَةٍsuckling غَفراan ibex kid
كَمُغفِرَةٍ في النيقِ مُرضِعَةٍ غَفرا
And many a veiled woman, amid refinement, nursed on wealth,
And a she-camel in Rut suckled wealth
is like a she-ibex on a mountain peak, suckling a kid.
Like forgiveness suckling mercy in forgiveness
مَتىwhenever مَلَأَتfills كَفَّيكَyour two palms دُنياكَyour worldly life أَرسَلَتit sends
مَتى مَلَأَت كَفَّيكَ دُنياكَ أَرسَلَت
مُلِمّاًa calamity يُعيدُreturns الكَفَّthe hand مِنof جودِهاits bounty صِفراempty
مُلِمّاً يُعيدُ الكَفَّ مِن جودِها صِفرا
Whenever your worldly life fills both your palms, it sends
Whenever your hands are filled with your worldly goods
a calamity that makes the hand empty of its bounty again.
It sends a bare-handed one to return the palm empty
أَمِنis it from أُمِّMother of دَفرٍStench (Dafr) تَبتَغونَyou seek عَطِيَّةًa gift
أَمِن أُمِّ دَفرٍ تَبتَغونَ عَطِيَّةً
وَقَدand indeed فَرَّقَتshe has scattered فيهِمamong them سُلالَتَهاher offspring دَفراfoul-smelling
وَقَد فَرَّقَت فيهِم سُلالَتَها دَفرا
Do you seek a gift from Umm Dafr, Mother of Stench,
Do you seek a gift from the mother of insects?!
though she has scattered her foul offspring among them?
When she has scattered her offspring amongst them in dispersion
وَكَمand how many مِنof عَفيرِdust-stained الوَجهِin face بَينَwithin أَديمِهاher skin
وَكَم مِن عَفيرِ الوَجهِ بَينَ أَديمِها
وَقَدand indeed كانَhe was يَرميshooting قبلَهاbefore it الأُدمَwhite gazelles وَالعُفراand dust-colored gazelles
وَقَد كانَ يَرمي قبلَها الأُدمَ وَالعُفرا
And how many a dust-faced man lies within her skin,
And how many a dirty-faced one between her straps
though before this he used to shoot white and dust-colored gazelles!
Used to pelt the skins and wool before her
غَدَوتُI went forth مَعَwith الأَحياءِthe living مُذsince حانَarrived مَولِديmy birth
غَدَوتُ مَعَ الأَحياءِ مُذ حانَ مَولِدي
إِلىuntil اليَومِtoday ماnot نَنفَكُّwe cease فيin دَأَبٍunceasing toil سَفراtravelers
إِلى اليَومِ ما نَنفَكُّ في دَأَبٍ سَفرا
I set out with the living when the hour of my birth arrived;
I have risen with the living since my birth
to this day we remain travelers, constantly toiling.
To this day we do not cease in constant journeying
وَرَبُّكَand your Lord عَمَّcovered الوَهدَthe lowlands بِالرِزقِwith sustenance وَالرُبىand the hills
وَرَبُّكَ عَمَّ الوَهدَ بِالرِزقِ وَالرُبى
وَأَمطَرَand rained بِالمَوتِwith death العَمائِرَinhabited places وَالقَفراand the wilderness
وَأَمطَرَ بِالمَوتِ العَمائِرَ وَالقَفرا
And your Lord has covered lowlands and hills with sustenance,
And your Lord has provided sustenance to the depressions and the dunes
and rained death upon peopled lands and wilderness.
And rained death upon the buildings and wastelands
وَإِنand if حَبَّبَmakes beloved اللَهُGod الحُسامَthe sword إِلىto اِمرِئٍa man
وَإِن حَبَّبَ اللَهُ الحُسامَ إِلى اِمرِئٍ
حَباهُHe grants him بِهِthrough it فيin كُلِّevery مَفزَعَةٍplace of fear خَفراprotection
حَباهُ بِهِ في كُلِّ مَفزَعَةٍ خَفرا
And if God makes a man love the sword,
And if God endears the sword to a man
He grants him, through it, protection in every terror,
He endows him with it in every peril as a victory
وَصَيَّرَand makes جَفناًan eyelid جَفنَهُits sheath وَغِرارَهُand its cutting edge
وَصَيَّرَ جَفناً جَفنَهُ وَغِرارَهُ
غِراراًbrief sleep لِعَينَيهِfor his two eyes وَشَفرَتَهُand its blade شُفراan eyelid's rim
غِراراً لِعَينَيهِ وَشَفرَتَهُ شُفرا
and makes its sheath an eyelid, and its cutting edge
And makes his eyelids eyelids for his eyes
a brief sleep for his eyes, and its blade an eyelid's rim.
And his skull a skull for his head and his blade a blade
وَقَدand indeed ضَفَرَتhas braided فَرعاًhair كَريمَةُa noblewoman of مَعشَرٍa clan
وَقَد ضَفَرَت فَرعاً كَريمَةُ مَعشَرٍ
فَماso none حَلَّundid إِلّاexcept الغاسِلاتُthe female corpse-washers لَهُfor it ضَفراa braid
فَما حَلَّ إِلّا الغاسِلاتُ لَهُ ضَفرا
A noblewoman of a clan once braided her hair;
And an honorable clan has woven a branch
none but the women washing her dead body undid its braid.
So none dissolved it but the washing women for him in plaiting
دَناdrew near نيرُهاher loom's heddle مِنto كَفِّهاher hand لِتَعَبُّدٍfor devotion
دَنا نيرُها مِن كَفِّها لِتَعَبُّدٍ
وَأَلقَتand she cast away دَنانيراًdinars بِراحَتِهاwith her palm صُفراyellow
وَأَلقَت دَنانيراً بِراحَتِها صُفرا
Her loom's heddle drew near her hand in devotion,
Its string drew near to her palm in worship
and she cast away yellow dinars with her palm.
And it cast dinars with its palm yellow
إِذاif هَجَرَتshe forsakes زيرَينِtwo zīrs (man and string) زيرَa ladies' man أَوانِسٍyoung women
إِذا هَجَرَت زيرَينِ زيرَ أَوانِسٍ
وَزيرَand a treble string غِناءٍsong فَهيَthen she راجِيَةٌhoping for عَفراdust
وَزيرَ غِناءٍ فَهيَ راجِيَةٌ عَفرا
If she forsakes the two—the lover of young women
If the companions of a musical tone abandon it
and the treble string of song—she is hoping for dust.
It remains desiring the companions of chanting
وَرَدناwe entered بِلاwithout وَفرٍwealth دِيارَthe dwellings of حَياتِناour life
وَرَدنا بِلا وَفرٍ دِيارَ حَياتِنا
وَنَترُكُand we leave فيهاin them يَومَon the day نَرتَحِلُwe depart الوَفراthe wealth
وَنَترُكُ فيها يَومَ نَرتَحِلُ الوَفرا
We entered the dwellings of our life without wealth,
And we have returned without farewells to our abode of life
and leave the wealth there on the day we depart.
And we will leave it one day when we travel farewells
وَلَوand had لَمnot يُقَدِّرordained خالِقُthe Creator of اللَيثِthe lion فَرسَهُits killing of prey
وَلَو لَم يُقَدِّر خالِقُ اللَيثِ فَرسَهُ
لِمَطعَمِهِfor its food لَمnot يُعطِهِhave given it النابَthe fang وَالظُفراand the claw
لِمَطعَمِهِ لَم يُعطِهِ النابَ وَالظُفرا
And had the lion's Creator not ordained its killing of prey
And if the Creator did not ordain for the lion its prey
for food, He would not have given it fang and claw.
He would not have given it the fang and claw
تَطولُlengthen اللَياليthe nights وَالزَمانُand time وَتَنبَريand arise
تَطولُ اللَيالي وَالزَمانُ وَتَنبَري
حَوادِثُcalamities لاnot تُبقيleave عَلىupon ظَهرِهاher back شَفراa single soul
حَوادِثُ لا تُبقي عَلى ظَهرِها شَفرا
The nights and time lengthen, and there arise
The nights grow long and time passes
calamities that leave not a soul upon the earth's back.
Events that leave no trace upon its back
وَلاand no رَيبَdoubt فيabout مَهوىthe fall of الرَفيعِthe lofty إِلىinto الثَرىthe dust
وَلا رَيبَ في مَهوى الرَفيعِ إِلى الثَرى
وَلَوeven if اِنَّهُhe جارىrivals السَماكينِthe two Simāk stars وَالغَفراand al-Ghafr
وَلَو اِنَّهُ جارى السَماكينِ وَالغَفرا
And there is no doubt of the lofty one's fall into the dust,
And there is no doubt about the goal of the exalted one to the earth
even if he rivals the two Simāks and al-Ghafr.
Even if he is equal to the whales and locusts
وَلَوand even if أَنَّthat أَبراجَthe towers of السَماءِheaven بُروجُهhis towers
وَلَو أَنَّ أَبراجَ السَماءِ بُروجُه
لَبُدِّلَhe would surely be given in exchange مِنهاin place of them غَيرَnot مُمتَنِعٍable to resist جَفراa pit
لَبُدِّلَ مِنها غَيرَ مُمتَنِعٍ جَفرا
And even if heaven's towers were his towers,
And if the celestial constellations were his constellations
he would be given a pit in their place, unable to resist.
Something other than them would be changed easily
عَجِبتُI marveled لِرَقٍّat parchment ضُمِّنَwas made to contain المَينَfalsehood بَعدَماafter
عَجِبتُ لِرَقٍّ ضُمِّنَ المَينَ بَعدَما
تَخَيَّرَهُselected it قَومٌa people لِتَوراتِهِمfor their Torah سِفراas a volume
تَخَيَّرَهُ قَومٌ لِتَوراتِهِم سِفرا
I marveled at parchment made to hold falsehood after
I wondered at parchment being chosen
a people had chosen it as a volume for their Torah,
By a people for their scripture a binding
كَماjust as وَسَقَcarried الراحَwine السَقاءُthe waterskin وَرُبَّماand sometimes
كَما وَسَقَ الراحَ السَقاءُ وَرُبَّما
يُضاهيit resembles مَزاداًwaterskins مِنamong مَشارِبِهِمtheir drinking-vessels وُفراhair-covered
يُضاهي مَزاداً مِن مَشارِبِهِم وُفرا
just as a waterskin carries wine; and sometimes
Just as the rainwater quenched the rainwater bearer
it resembles hairy waterskins among their drinking-vessels.
It sometimes rivals a reservoir of their wells
Sol 6.1