أكتُمConceal حَديثَكَyour words عَنfrom أَخيكَyour brother وَلاand do not تَكُنbe
أكتُم حَديثَكَ عَن أَخيكَ وَلا تَكُن
أَسرارُthe secrets قَلبَكَof your heart مِثلَlike أَسرارِthe lines اليَدِof the palm
أَسرارُ قَلبَكَ مِثلَ أَسرارِ اليَدِ
Hide what you say from your brother, and do not let
Conceal your words from your brother; do not let
your heart’s secrets be like the secrets of the hand.
your heart's secrets be like the lines of the palm.
وَلِكُلِّand for every عَصرٍage حائِدٌone who shuns battle وَمُقَدَّمٌand a champion
وَلِكُلِّ عَصرٍ حائِدٌ وَمُقَدَّمٌ
لِلحَربِfor war يَضرِبُstrikes فيat جَبينِthe brow الأَصيدِof the haughty one
لِلحَربِ يَضرِبُ في جَبينِ الأَصيدِ
Every age has one who holds back and one who advances—
And every age has a shirker and a champion
into battle, striking the brow of the proud.
of war, striking the haughty one's brow.
فَمَضىso passed away يَزيدٌYazid وَمَخلِدٌand Makhlid فيin دَولَةٍa reign
فَمَضى يَزيدٌ وَمَخلِدٌ في دَولَةٍ
وَثَنىand turned الزَمانُtime إِلىto يَزيدَYazid وَمَزيَدِand Mazyad
وَثَنى الزَمانُ إِلى يَزيدَ وَمَزيَدِ
Yazid and Mukhallad passed away within a single dynasty;
Thus Yazid and Makhlid passed away in one reign,
then time wheeled around again to Yazid and Mazyad.
and time turned to Yazid and Mazyad.
وَتَقارُبُand similarity الأَسماءof names لَيسَdoes not بِموجِبٍnecessitate
وَتَقارُبُ الأَسماء لَيسَ بِموجِبٍ
كَونَthe existence of التَقارُبِsimilarity فيin الفِعالِdeeds الأَزيَدِgreater
كَونَ التَقارُبِ في الفِعالِ الأَزيَدِ
The closeness of names does not entail
And similarity of names does not entail
that the resemblance in deeds be any greater.
similarity in the greater deeds.
فَالغُمرُfor the inexperienced man نافىdiffers from الغَمرَthe generous man عِندَwhen قِياسِهِcomparing him
فَالغُمرُ نافى الغَمرَ عِندَ قِياسِهِ
وَالسيدُand the wolf غَيرُnot مُشابِهٍresembling لِلسَيِّدِthe lord
وَالسيدُ غَيرُ مُشابِهٍ لِلسَيِّدِ
The callow man is nothing like the flood when the two are compared,
For the inexperienced man differs from the generous when compared,
nor is the wolf called al-sayyid like the human lord.
and the wolf bears no resemblance to the lord.
وَتُدَيُّرُand dwelling in الأَوطانِhomelands حُبَّlove وَطالَماand how often
وَتُدَيُّرُ الأَوطانِ حُبَّ وَطالَما
قُنِصَwere hunted الحَمامُdoves عَلىon الغُصونِthe boughs المُيَّدِswaying
قُنِصَ الحَمامُ عَلى الغُصونِ المُيَّدِ
Love sends you roaming through the homelands—and how often
And dwelling in one's homeland is love; yet often
have doves been snared upon swaying boughs.
doves have been hunted upon the swaying boughs.
ظُلِمَwas wronged الأَنامُhumankind فَناصَso confront بِيَدَكِyour deserts مُفرَداًalone
ظُلِمَ الأَنامُ فَناصَ بِيَدَكِ مُفرَداً
حَتّىuntil تُعدُّyou are counted مِنَamong الرِجالِthe men البُيّدِwho have perished
حَتّى تُعدُّ مِنَ الرِجالِ البُيّدِ
Humankind has suffered wrong; so contend alone, with your own hand,
Humankind was wronged; so brave your deserts alone,
until you are numbered among the men who have perished.
until you are counted among the men who have perished.
وَمَتّىand whenever رُزِقتَyou are endowed with شَجاعَةًcourage وَبَلاغَةًand eloquence
وَمَتّى رُزِقتَ شَجاعَةً وَبَلاغَةً
أَوطَنتَyou settle مِنwithin رَبعِthe abode العُلىof glory بِمُشَيَّدِin a lofty edifice
أَوطَنتَ مِن رَبعِ العُلى بِمُشَيَّدِ
Whenever you are endowed with courage and eloquence,
And whenever you are endowed with courage and eloquence,
you make your home in glory’s quarter, in a lofty edifice.
you settle in a lofty edifice within the abode of glory.
فَالطَيرُfor birds سَودَدُهاtheir eminence الرَفيعُlofty وَعُزُّهاand their might
فَالطَيرُ سَودَدُها الرَفيعُ وَعُزُّها
قُسِماwere both apportioned عالىamong خُطَبائِهاtheir orators وَالصَيَّدِand the hunters
قُسِما عالى خُطَبائِها وَالصَيَّدِ
For among birds, lofty sovereignty and might
For birds' lofty eminence and their might
are apportioned between their orators and their stately ones.
were apportioned among their orators and hunters.
وَأذاand when الحِمامُdeath أَتىcomes فَماthen not يَكفيكَهُshields you from it
وَأذا الحِمامُ أَتى فَما يَكفيكَهُ
نَفرُthe flight الجَبانِof the coward وَلاnor حِيادُthe evasion الحُيَّدِof those who dodge
نَفرُ الجَبانِ وَلا حِيادُ الحُيَّدِ
And when death comes, you will not be spared from it by
And when death comes, it cannot be warded off for you by
the coward’s flight or the evasions of those who turn aside.
the coward's flight, nor the evasions of those who dodge.
وَمُقَيَّدٌand one fettered عِندَbefore القَضاءِfate كَمُطلَقٍlike one free
وَمُقَيَّدٌ عِندَ القَضاءِ كَمُطلَقٍ
فيماin what يَنوبُbefalls وَمُطلَقٌand one free كَمُقَيَّدِlike one fettered
فيما يَنوبُ وَمُطلَقٌ كَمُقَيَّدِ
Under fate’s decree, the fettered man is like the free
And before fate, the fettered is like the free,
in whatever may befall, and the free is like the fettered.
in what befalls them, and the free is like the fettered.
فَالظَبيَّةُfor the gazelle الغَيداءُthe graceful صَبَّحَهاvisited her at dawn الرَدىdeath
فَالظَبيَّةُ الغَيداءُ صَبَّحَها الرَدى
أَدماءَwhite-coated تَرتَعُgrazing فيin النَباتِthe vegetation الأَغيَدِtender
أَدماءَ تَرتَعُ في النَباتِ الأَغيَدِ
Thus death came upon the graceful doe at dawn—
For death visited the graceful gazelle at dawn,
a pale gazelle grazing among the swaying plants.
white-coated, grazing amid the tender plants.
قَدَرٌfate يُريكَshows you حَليفَan ally of ضَعفٍweakness أَيِّداًmighty
قَدَرٌ يُريكَ حَليفَ ضَعفٍ أَيِّداً
وَيَرُدُّand turns قِرنَthe equal of الأَيدِstrength ضِدَّthe opposite of مُؤَيَّدِone aided
وَيَرُدُّ قِرنَ الأَيدِ ضِدَّ مُؤَيَّدِ
Fate may show you one allied with weakness as mighty,
Fate shows you weakness's ally as mighty,
and render the mighty man’s peer a well-supported adversary.
and turns strength's peer into one bereft of aid.
Sol 6.1