كَيفَ اِحتَيالُكَ وَالقَضاءُ مُدَبَّرٌ

كَيفَ اِحتَيالُكَ وَالقَضاءُ مُدَبَّرٌ

تَجني الأَذى وَتَقولُ إِنَّكَ مُجبَرُ

تَجني الأَذى وَتَقولُ إِنَّكَ مُجبَرُ

How can you contrive when fate is ordained?

How can you scheme when fate is already decided?

You inflict harm, yet say you are compelled.

You reap harm and say you are compelled.

أَرواحُنا مَعَنا وَلَيسَ لَنا بِها

أَرواحُنا مَعَنا وَلَيسَ لَنا بِها

عِلمٌ فَكَيفَ إِذا حَوَتها الأَقبُرُ

عِلمٌ فَكَيفَ إِذا حَوَتها الأَقبُرُ

Our souls are with us, yet of them we have no

Our spirits are with us yet we have no

knowledge—how then, when graves have enclosed them?

Knowledge of them, so what when the graves contain them?

وَمَتَى سَرى عَن أَربَعينَ حَليفُها

وَمَتَى سَرى عَن أَربَعينَ حَليفُها

فَالشَخصُ يَصغُرُ وَالحَوادِثُ تَكبَرُ

فَالشَخصُ يَصغُرُ وَالحَوادِثُ تَكبَرُ

And when their companion journeys beyond forty,

And when its ally of forty years is done with,

the person dwindles, while misfortunes grow.

The person grows small while events grow large.

نَفسٌ تُحِسُّ بِأَمرِ أُخرى هَذِهِ

نَفسٌ تُحِسُّ بِأَمرِ أُخرى هَذِهِ

جِسرٌ إِلَيها بِالمَخاوِفِ يُعبَرُ

جِسرٌ إِلَيها بِالمَخاوِفِ يُعبَرُ

A soul senses the state of another; this

A soul feels the matter of another; this one

is a bridge to it, crossed amid fears.

Is a bridge to it, crossed by fears.

مَن لِلدَفينِ بِأَن يُفَرَّجَ لَحدُهُ

مَن لِلدَفينِ بِأَن يُفَرَّجَ لَحدُهُ

عَنهُ فَيَنهَضَ وَهوَ أَشعَثُ أَغبَرُ

عَنهُ فَيَنهَضَ وَهوَ أَشعَثُ أَغبَرُ

Who can ensure the buried man's grave is opened

Who will relieve the buried one by opening his grave

to free him, so he may rise, disheveled and dust-covered?

So he can get up, unkempt and dusty?

وَالدَهرُ يَقدُمُ وَالمَعاشِرُ تَنقَضي

وَالدَهرُ يَقدُمُ وَالمَعاشِرُ تَنقَضي

وَالعَجزُ تَصديقٌ بِمَينٍ يُخبَرُ

وَالعَجزُ تَصديقٌ بِمَينٍ يُخبَرُ

And time grows old, while communities pass away;

And time advances, friends pass away,

and weakness is believing a lie that is reported.

And weakness confirms what we are told.

زَعِمَ الفَلاسِفَةُ الذينَ تَنَطَّسوا

زَعِمَ الفَلاسِفَةُ الذينَ تَنَطَّسوا

أَنَّ المَنِيَّةَ كَسرُها لا يُجبَرُ

أَنَّ المَنِيَّةَ كَسرُها لا يُجبَرُ

The philosophers who probed deeply claimed

Those philosophers who waded into deep waters

that death's fracture cannot be mended.

Claimed that the breaking of death cannot be mended.

قالوا وَآدَمُ مِثلُ أَوبَرَ وَالوَرى

قالوا وَآدَمُ مِثلُ أَوبَرَ وَالوَرى

كَبَناتِهِ جَهِلَ اِمرُؤٌ ما أَوبَرُ

كَبَناتِهِ جَهِلَ اِمرُؤٌ ما أَوبَرُ

They said Adam is like Awbar, and humankind

They talked while Adam was like Upright and mankind

like his daughters; one knows not what Awbar is.

Was ignorant, as a fool is ignorant.

كُلُّ الَّذينَ تَحكَونَ عَن مَولاكُمُ

كُلُّ الَّذينَ تَحكَونَ عَن مَولاكُمُ

كَذِبٌ أَتاكُم عَن يَهودَ يُحَبَّرُ

كَذِبٌ أَتاكُم عَن يَهودَ يُحَبَّرُ

All that you recount about your Lord

All those who tell you tales about your Master

is embellished falsehood that came to you from Jews.

Are liars; an arrogant Jew transmitted to you lies.

رامَت بِهِ الأَحبارُ نَيلَ مَعيشَةٍ

رامَت بِهِ الأَحبارُ نَيلَ مَعيشَةٍ

في الدَهرِ وَالعَمَلُ القَبيحُ يُتَبِّرُ

في الدَهرِ وَالعَمَلُ القَبيحُ يُتَبِّرُ

The rabbis sought through it to gain a livelihood

The arrogant scholars sought livelihood

in this world; foul conduct brings ruin.

In this world, though the work was ugly.

عُكِسَ الأَنامُ بِحِكمَةٍ مِن رَبِّهِ

عُكِسَ الأَنامُ بِحِكمَةٍ مِن رَبِّهِ

فَتَحَكَّمَ الهَجَرِيُّ فيهِ وَسَنبَرُ

فَتَحَكَّمَ الهَجَرِيُّ فيهِ وَسَنبَرُ

Mankind was turned upside down by wisdom from its Lord,

Mankind was inverted by wisdom from its Lord,

so al-Hajari and Sanbar held sway over it.

So the Hegira era ruled it, and it grew mighty.

كَذِبٌ يُقالُ عَلى المَنابِرِ دائِماً

كَذِبٌ يُقالُ عَلى المَنابِرِ دائِماً

أَفَلا يَميدُ لِما يُقالُ المِنبَرُ

أَفَلا يَميدُ لِما يُقالُ المِنبَرُ

Falsehood is always spoken from the pulpits;

Lies are always told from the pulpits—

does the pulpit not then sway at what is said?

Will the pulpit never sway from what is said?

وَأَجَلُّ طيبِهِمُ دَمٌ مِن ظَبيَةٍ

وَأَجَلُّ طيبِهِمُ دَمٌ مِن ظَبيَةٍ

وَقَذىً مِنَ الحيتانِ وَهوَ العَنبَرُ

وَقَذىً مِنَ الحيتانِ وَهوَ العَنبَرُ

And their finest perfume is blood from a female gazelle,

The best of their perfumes is blood of gazelles

and refuse from whales, which is ambergris.

And ambergris from whales—that is amber.

وَلَعَلَّ دُنيانا كَرِقدَةِ حالِمٍ

وَلَعَلَّ دُنيانا كَرِقدَةِ حالِمٍ

بِالعَكسِ مِمّا نَحنُ فيهِ تُعَبَّرُ

بِالعَكسِ مِمّا نَحنُ فيهِ تُعَبَّرُ

And perhaps our world is like a dreamer's slumber,

Maybe this world of ours is like the dream of a sleeper,

interpreted as the opposite of our condition.

Symbolically opposite to what we are in.

فَالعَينُ تَبكي في المَنامِ فَتَجتَني

فَالعَينُ تَبكي في المَنامِ فَتَجتَني

فَرَحاً وَتَضحَكُ في الرُقادِ فَتَعبَرُ

فَرَحاً وَتَضحَكُ في الرُقادِ فَتَعبَرُ

For the eye weeps in a dream and reaps

So the eye weeps in a dream and thus attains

joy; it laughs in slumber, then weeps.

Joy, while awake it laughs and so expresses grief.

وَالنَفسُ لَيسَ لَها عَلى ما نالَها

وَالنَفسُ لَيسَ لَها عَلى ما نالَها

صَبرٌ وَلَكِن بِالكَراهَةِ تَصبِرُ

صَبرٌ وَلَكِن بِالكَراهَةِ تَصبِرُ

And the soul, faced with what has befallen it, has no

The soul has no patience for what has reached it

patience, yet unwillingly it endures.

But only resigns itself unwillingly.

يَغدو المُدَجَّجُ بازِياً أَو أَجدَلاً

يَغدو المُدَجَّجُ بازِياً أَو أَجدَلاً

فَيَروحُ مُحتَكِماً عَلَيهِ القُبَّرُ

فَيَروحُ مُحتَكِماً عَلَيهِ القُبَّرُ

The fully armed man sets out in the morning, a hawk or falcon,

The pretentious one may leave dressed up as a rebel or villager

then returns in the evening, with larks ruling over him.

Then come home to find his grave waiting for him.