خَمسونَfifty قَدalready عِشتُهاI have lived them فَلاso do not تَعِشِlive
خَمسونَ قَد عِشتُها فَلا تَعِشِ
وَالنَعشُand the bier لَفظٌa word مِنfrom قَولِكَyour saying اِنتَعِشِrevive!
وَالنَعشُ لَفظٌ مِن قَولِكَ اِنتَعِشِ
Fifty years I have lived—so live no more.
Fifty years have I lived, so live thou not the same,
And 'bier' is a word drawn from your saying, 'Revive!'
For the bier's word from thy speech is "Rise again."
وَالمَوتُand death خَيرٌbetter لِمَنfor whoever تَأَمَّلَهُhas reflected on it
وَالمَوتُ خَيرٌ لِمَن تَأَمَّلَهُ
مِنthan عُمرِthe life of جاريflowing اللُعابِsaliva مُرتَعِشِtrembling
مِن عُمرِ جاري اللُعابِ مُرتَعِشِ
And death, for whoever reflects on it, is better
And death is better for him who contemplates it
than the life of one who drools and trembles,
Than a life of play to which pertains the law's discipline.
لاnot يَقرَأُhe reads السَطرَthe line بِالنَهارِby daylight وَقَدand yet once
لا يَقرَأُ السَطرَ بِالنَهارِ وَقَد
كانَhe was يُجَلّيseeing keenly كَالصَقرِlike a falcon ثُمَّthen عَشيhe grew dim-sighted
كانَ يُجَلّي كَالصَقرِ ثُمَّ عَشي
who cannot read a line by daylight, though he once
He reads not the line by daylight, yet he
saw keenly as a falcon, then grew dim-sighted.
Was reading glibly like the hawk ere the dusk drew nigh.
Sol 6.1