نَفسُsoul الفَتىthe young man وَلَيسَتand it is not لَهُbelonging to him جَسَداًa body
نَفسُ الفَتى وَلَيسَت لَهُ جَسَداً
إِنَّindeed الوِلايَةَholding office بَعدَهاafter it عَزلُdismissal
إِنَّ الوِلايَةَ بَعدَها عَزلُ
The young man's soul is not his body;
Indeed, office is followed by dismissal.
لاnot تَخزِلُfilch الأَوقاتُthe passing hours مُهجَتَهُhis lifeblood
لا تَخزِلُ الأَوقاتُ مُهجَتَهُ
قَدmay تَفضَحُbring disgrace السَرِقاتُthefts وَالخَزلُand pilferings
قَد تَفضَحُ السَرِقاتُ وَالخَزلُ
The passing hours do not filch his lifeblood;
Thefts and pilferings may bring disgrace.
مَقِرٌbitter aloes يُدافُare dissolved لِيُستَصَحَّto procure health بِهِthrough it
مَقِرٌ يُدافُ لِيُستَصَحَّ بِهِ
وَدَمٌand blood يُراقُis let لِيَذهَبَso it may depart الأَزلُdistress
وَدَمٌ يُراقُ لِيَذهَبَ الأَزلُ
Bitter aloes are dissolved to restore health,
And blood is let so that distress may depart.
كَالدِنِّlike the wine-cask ضاقَgrew cramped بِماwith what تَضَمَّنَهُit contained
كَالدِنِّ ضاقَ بِما تَضَمَّنَهُ
حَتّىuntil يَكونَthere is لِراحِهِfor its wine بَزلُa tapping
حَتّى يَكونَ لِراحِهِ بَزلُ
Like a wine-cask cramped by what it holds,
Until its wine is drawn off.
وَسَناًand a radiance يُضيءُshines وَبَعدَهُand after it غَسَقٌdarkness
وَسَناً يُضيءُ وَبَعدَهُ غَسَقٌ
فَاِنظُرso consider أَجِدٌّis it earnestness ذاكَthat أَمor هَزلُjest
فَاِنظُر أَجِدٌّ ذاكَ أَم هَزلُ
And a radiance shines, with darkness after it;
So consider: is that earnestness or jest?
وَاللُبُّand the mind يَحمِلُbears مِنof هَواجِسِهِits anxious thoughts
وَاللُبُّ يَحمِلُ مِن هَواجِسِهِ
ماwhat لَيسَare not ناهِضَةًable to rise بِهِwith it البُزلُfull-grown camels
ما لَيسَ ناهِضَةً بِهِ البُزلُ
And the mind bears, among its anxious thoughts,
What full-grown camels cannot shoulder.
قَضِّspend الزَمانَtime بِعِفَّةٍwith self-restraint وَتُقىًand piety
قَضِّ الزَمانَ بِعِفَّةٍ وَتُقىً
فَلِكُلِّso for every مَطعَمِfood of آكِلٍan eater نُزلُa provision
فَلِكُلِّ مَطعَمِ آكِلٍ نُزلُ
Spend your time in self-restraint and piety,
For every eater has a provision of food.
وَلتَغدُand let them become هَوناتُsoft women المَناكِبِof shoulder أَمثاlike (first part)
وَلتَغدُ هَوناتُ المَناكِبِ أَمثا
لَcompletion of 'like' العَناكِبِspiders شَأنُهاtheir occupation الغَزلُspinning
لَ العَناكِبِ شَأنُها الغَزلُ
And let the soft-shouldered women become like
Spiders, whose occupation is spinning.
لاno خَيرَgood فيin جَزلِlavish العَطاءِgiving أَتىthat came
لا خَيرَ في جَزلِ العَطاءِ أَتى
رَجُلاًa man بِأَنَّbecause كَلامَهُhis speech جَزلُeloquent
رَجُلاً بِأَنَّ كَلامَهُ جَزلُ
No good lies in a lavish gift that comes
To a man because his speech is eloquent.
يَرجوhe hopes فَيَمدَحُso he praises غَيرَnot مُرتَقَبٍheedful of
يَرجو فَيَمدَحُ غَيرَ مُرتَقَبٍ
رَبّاًa Lord وَكُلُّand all مَقالِهِhis speech إِزلُfalsehood
رَبّاً وَكُلُّ مَقالِهِ إِزلُ
He hopes, and so he praises, heedless
Of a Lord; and all his speech is falsehood.
خَيرٌbetter لَعَمريby my life مِنthan جَمائِلِهِhis camel-herds الthe
خَيرٌ لَعَمري مِن جَمائِلِهِ ال
كَومِhigh-humped الجِلادِsturdy جَمائِلٌropes جُزلُthick
كَومِ الجِلادِ جَمائِلٌ جُزلُ
Better, by my life, than his camels—
High-humped and sturdy—are thick ropes.
شَهَرَتhas drawn سُيوفَswords of القَولِspeech طائِفَةٌa band
شَهَرَت سُيوفَ القَولِ طائِفَةٌ
كُذبٌliars وَأَفضَلُand better مِنهُمُthan them العُزلُthe unarmed
كُذبٌ وَأَفضَلُ مِنهُمُ العُزلُ
A band has drawn the swords of speech—
Liars; and better than they are the unarmed.
Sol 6.1