Sol 6.1

  1. إِن نالَ مِن مِصرٍ قَضاءٌ نازِلٌ

    فَمَصيرُ هَذا الخَلقِ شَرُّ مَصيرِ

    If a descending doom has struck Egypt,

    then this creation's fate is the worst of fates.

  2. وَالدَهرُ قَصَّ قَنا جَذيمَةَ في الوَغى

    وَعَصاهُ تَنضو الخَيلَ تَحتَ قَصيرِ

    And Time cut Jadhima's spears short in battle,

    while his horse al-ʿAsa, bearing Qasir, wore out the other horses.

  3. وَرَمى حُذَيفَةَ مِن شَذاهُ بِمَروَةٍ

    وَسَطا عَلى مَروانَ في بُوَصيرِ

    And it knocked Hudhayfa from his boat with a flint,

    and fell upon Marwan at Busir.

  4. يُدعى الفَتى المَنصورَ وَهُوَ مُسَلَّمٌ

    لِلحَتفِ لا يَدعوا لَهُ بِنَصيرِ

    A man is called al-Mansur, 'the Victorious,' yet is handed over

    to death, with no helper summoned to his aid.

  5. يُلفى الحَصيرُ مِنَ المُلوكِ مُعَفَّراً

    لَم يوقَ مِن وَجهِ الثَرى بِحَصيرِ

    A secluded monarch is found covered in dust,

    not shielded from the earth's face by even a mat.

  6. قَصَّرتُ عَن رُتَبِ الكِرامِ لِأَنَّني

    في عالَمٍ جُبِلوا عَلى التَقصيرِ

    I have fallen short of the ranks of the noble, because I am

    in a world whose people were fashioned to fall short.

  7. وَقَد اِدَّعى بَصَرَ الغُرابِ الخُلدُ في

    ظَلماءَ لَيسَ غُرابُها بِبَصيرِ

    And the mole has claimed the crow's sight, in

    a darkness whose very crow cannot see.

  8. وَالمَرءُ فيهِ بَصيرَةٌ مَخبوءَةٌ

    لَيسَت بِغانِيَةٍ عَنِ التَبصيرِ

    And within man lies a hidden power of insight,

    which cannot dispense with guidance.