ماwhat ليwith me غَدَوتُI have become كَقافِlike the letter qāf رُؤبَةٍRuʾba قُيِّدَتwas bound
ما لي غَدَوتُ كَقافِ رُؤبَةٍ قُيِّدَت
فيin الدَهرِtime لَمnot يُقدَرwas possible لَهاfor it إِجراؤُهاsetting it in motion
في الدَهرِ لَم يُقدَر لَها إِجراؤُها
Why have I become like Ruʾba’s qāf, shackled—
Why have I become like Ruʾba’s qāf, bound fast,
Through all time, no one has been able to set it running?
throughout time, with no way to set it moving?
أُعلِلتُI was made weak عِلَّةَthe weakness of قالَ'he said' (qāla) وَهيَand it قَديمَةٌis ancient
أُعلِلتُ عِلَّةَ قالَ وَهيَ قَديمَةٌ
أَعياbaffled الأَطِبَّةَthe physicians كُلَّهُمall of them إِبراؤُهاits cure
أَعيا الأَطِبَّةَ كُلَّهُم إِبراؤُها
I suffer the infirmity of qāla—an ancient defect;
I was afflicted with the weakness of qāla ('he said'), an ancient ailment,
Every physician has been powerless to cure it.
whose cure has baffled every physician.
طالَhas grown long الثَواءُthe sojourn وَقَدand already أَنىthe time has come لِمَفاصِليfor my joints
طالَ الثَواءُ وَقَد أَنى لِمَفاصِلي
أَنto تَستَبِدَّhave sole possession بِضَمِّهاof enfolding them صَحراؤُهاtheir desert
أَن تَستَبِدَّ بِضَمِّها صَحراؤُها
Long has my sojourn lasted; the time has come for my joints
My stay has grown long, and it is time for my joints
To be claimed wholly in the desert’s embrace.
to be enfolded by their desert alone.
فَتَرَتgrew slack وَلَمand not تَفتُرgrow slack لِشُربِfrom drinking مَدامَةٍwine
فَتَرَت وَلَم تَفتُر لِشُربِ مَدامَةٍ
بَلbut rather لِلخُطوبِbecause of calamities يَغولُهاravages them إِسراؤُهاtheir nightly passage
بَل لِلخُطوبِ يَغولُها إِسراؤُها
My strength has slackened—not from drinking wine,
They grew slack, but not from drinking wine;
But from calamities, whose night journey drains it away.
rather from calamities, whose nightly passage ravages them.
مَلَّgrew wearisome المُقامُthe sojourn فَكَمso how long أُعاشِرُI live among أُمَّةًa people
مَلَّ المُقامُ فَكَم أُعاشِرُ أُمَّةً
أَمَرَتcommanded بِغَيرِcontrary to صَلاحِهاits welfare أُمَراؤُهاits rulers
أَمَرَت بِغَيرِ صَلاحِها أُمَراؤُها
I am weary of remaining—how long must I live among a nation
My sojourn has grown wearisome: how long must I live among a people
Whose rulers command what does not serve its good?
whose rulers have commanded what opposes their welfare?
ظَلَمواthey wronged الرَعيَّةَthe subjects وَاِستَجازواand they deemed lawful كَيدَهاplotting against them
ظَلَموا الرَعيَّةَ وَاِستَجازوا كَيدَها
فَعَدَواso they disregarded مَصالِحَهاits interests وَهُمthough they أُجَراؤُهاits hired servants
فَعَدَوا مَصالِحَها وَهُم أُجَراؤُها
They wronged the subjects and deemed it lawful to scheme against them;
They wronged their subjects and deemed plotting against them lawful;
They assailed the nation’s interests, though they are its hirelings.
thus they disregarded their interests, though they are their hired servants.
فِرَقاًfactions شَعَرتُI perceived بِأَنَّهاthat they لاnot تَقتَنيacquire
فِرَقاً شَعَرتُ بِأَنَّها لا تَقتَني
خَيراًgoodness وَأَنَّand that شِرارَهاtheir worst members شُعَراؤُهاtheir poets
خَيراً وَأَنَّ شِرارَها شُعَراؤُها
As for the factions, I perceived that they acquire
Factions that, I have found, acquire no
No good—and that their worst are their poets.
goodness, and whose worst members are their poets.
أَثَرَتrecounted أَحاديثَtales of الكِرامِthe generous بِزَعمِهاaccording to their claim
أَثَرَت أَحاديثَ الكِرامِ بِزَعمِها
وَأَجادَand perfected حَبسَthe confinement of أَكُفِّهاtheir hands إِثراؤُهاtheir enrichment
وَأَجادَ حَبسَ أَكُفِّها إِثراؤُها
They have handed down tales of noble men, so they claim,
They recounted tales of the generous, so they claim,
Yet wealth has taught them perfectly to close their hands.
and their growing wealth perfected the imprisonment of their hands.
وَإِذاand when النُفوسُsouls تَجاوَزَتexceed أَقدارَهاtheir proper measure
وَإِذا النُفوسُ تَجاوَزَت أَقدارَها
حَذوَafter the fashion of البَعوضِmosquitoes تَغَيَّرَتchange سَجَراؤُهاtheir close companions
حَذوَ البَعوضِ تَغَيَّرَت سَجَراؤُها
When souls exceed the bounds of their true worth,
And when souls exceed their proper measure,
Following the gnats’ example, their intimates are changed—
like mosquitoes, their companions change—
كَصَحيحَةِlike a sound verse الأَوزانِthe meters زادَتهاadded to it القُوىthe powers
كَصَحيحَةِ الأَوزانِ زادَتها القُوى
حَرفاًa letter فَبانَso became clear لِسامِعٍto a listener نَكراؤُهاits ugliness
حَرفاً فَبانَ لِسامِعٍ نَكراؤُها
Like a poem sound in meter, to which force has added
like a soundly metered verse to which force has added
A letter, making its deformity plain to every listener.
a letter, making its ugliness plain to a listener.
كَرِيَتgrew drowsy فَسُرَّتso was gladdened بِالكَرىby sleep وَحَياتُهاand their life
كَرِيَت فَسُرَّت بِالكَرى وَحَياتُها
أَكرَتgrew longer فَجَرَّso drew نَوائِباًcalamities إِكراؤُهاits lengthening
أَكرَت فَجَرَّ نَوائِباً إِكراؤُها
It grew drowsy and rejoiced in slumber, while its life
They grew drowsy and rejoiced in sleep, while their life
Kept it wakeful—and that wakefulness drew calamities.
grew longer, and its lengthening drew calamities.
سُبحانَglory be to خالِقِكَyour Creator الَّذيwho قَرَّتbecame still بِهِthrough Him
سُبحانَ خالِقِكَ الَّذي قَرَّت بِهِ
غَبراءُthe dust-gray earth توقَدُis kindled فَوقَهاabove it خَضراؤُهاits green sky
غَبراءُ توقَدُ فَوقَها خَضراؤُها
Glory to your Creator, through whom the dusty earth rests secure
Glory be to your Creator, through whom stands firm
While the green heaven burns above it.
the dust-gray earth, whose green sky is kindled above it.
هَلdo تَعرِفُknow الحَسَدَenvy الجِيادُnoble steeds كَغَيرِهاlike others besides them
هَل تَعرِفُ الحَسَدَ الجِيادُ كَغَيرِها
فَالبُهمُfor the solid-colored horses تُحسَدُis envied بَينَهاamong them غَرّاؤُهاtheir white-blazed horse
فَالبُهمُ تُحسَدُ بَينَها غَرّاؤُها
Do thoroughbred steeds know envy, as others do?
Do noble steeds know envy, like other creatures?
Among the dark beasts, their blaze-faced one is envied.
For among the solid-colored horses, their white-blazed one is envied.
وَوَجَدتُand I found دُنياناour world تُشابِهُresembles طامِثاًa menstruating woman
وَوَجَدتُ دُنيانا تُشابِهُ طامِثاً
لاnot تَستَقيمُare regular لِناكِحٍfor a husband أَقراؤُهاher menstrual cycles
لا تَستَقيمُ لِناكِحٍ أَقراؤُها
I have found our world to resemble a menstruating woman
And I found our world resembles a menstruating woman,
Whose periods never run regularly for one who weds her.
whose cycles are never regular for a husband.
هُوِيَتwas loved وَلَمand did not تُسعِفoblige وَراحَand went away غَنِيُّهاher rich man
هُوِيَت وَلَم تُسعِف وَراحَ غَنِيُّها
تَعِباًweary وَفازَand won بِراحَةٍwith rest فُقَراؤُهاher poor
تَعِباً وَفازَ بِراحَةٍ فُقَراؤُها
She is desired but grants no aid; her rich man departs
She was loved but did not oblige; her rich man departed
Weary, while her poor attain repose.
weary, while her poor won repose.
وَتَجادَلَتand disputed فُقَهاؤُهاher jurists مِنout of حُبِّهاlove for her
وَتَجادَلَت فُقَهاؤُها مِن حُبِّها
وَتَقَرَّأَتand professed piety لِتَنالَهاto obtain her قُرّاؤُهاher reciters
وَتَقَرَّأَت لِتَنالَها قُرّاؤُها
Her jurists argued with one another out of love for her,
And her jurists disputed out of love for her,
And her reciters took up their readings so as to attain her.
and her reciters professed piety to win her.
وَإِذاand when زَجَرتُI rebuke النَفسَthe soul عَنaway from شَغَفٍpassionate love بِهاwith her
وَإِذا زَجَرتُ النَفسَ عَن شَغَفٍ بِها
فَكَأَنَّthen as though زَجرَrebuking غَويِّهاher wayward lover إِغراؤُهاenticing it
فَكَأَنَّ زَجرَ غَويِّها إِغراؤُها
Whenever I chide the soul away from passion for her,
And when I rebuke the soul to turn it from passion for her,
It is as though chiding the errant soul only entices it.
it is as though rebuking her wayward lover only enticed the soul.
Sol 6.1