ياO أُمَّmother of دَفرٍstench إِنَّماonly أَكرِمتِyou were honored عَنthrough
يا أُمَّ دَفرٍ إِنَّما أَكرِمتِ عَن
أَمَهٍforgetfulness وَحَقُّكِand your due is أَنthat يُقالَone should say دَفارِStinker
أَمَهٍ وَحَقُّكِ أَن يُقالَ دَفارِ
O Mother of Stench, you were honored only through
forgetfulness; you deserve to be called 'Stinker.'
وَإِذاand when اِلتَثَمتِyou veil your face ظُنِنتِyou are thought ذاتَpossessing نَضارَةٍfreshness
وَإِذا اِلتَثَمتِ ظُنِنتِ ذاتَ نَضارَةٍ
وَمَتىand whenever سَفَرتِyou unveil قُبِحتِyou are found ugly فيin الإِسفارِunveiling
وَمَتى سَفَرتِ قُبِحتِ في الإِسفارِ
When you veil your face, you are thought fresh and fair;
but whenever you unveil, your unveiled face is ugly.
غَلَبَhas prevailed السِفاهُfolly فَكَمso how many تَلَقَّبَhas taken the title مَعشَرٌa company
غَلَبَ السِفاهُ فَكَم تَلَقَّبَ مَعشَرٌ
بِالمُؤمِنينَas believers وَهُمthough they مِنَare among الكُفّارِthe unbelievers
بِالمُؤمِنينَ وَهُم مِنَ الكُفّارِ
Folly has prevailed: how many a company has styled itself
'believers,' though they belong among the unbelievers.
وَمِنَand among البَليَّةِthe afflictions أَنthat يُسَمّىis called صادِقاًtruthful
وَمِنَ البَليَّةِ أَن يُسَمّى صادِقاً
مَنsomeone وَصفُهُhis description الأَولىmore fitting كَذوبٌan inveterate liar فارِa fabricator
مَن وَصفُهُ الأَولى كَذوبٌ فارِ
And one affliction is to call truthful
someone more rightly described as an inveterate liar and fabricator.
طَلَبَsought اللَئيمُthe base man مِنَfrom اللِئامِthe base تَحَرُّماًprotection
طَلَبَ اللَئيمُ مِنَ اللِئامِ تَحَرُّماً
وَالخافِرونَand the protectors أَتوهُcame to him بِالإِخفارِwith broken pledges
وَالخافِرونَ أَتوهُ بِالإِخفارِ
The base man sought protection from the base,
and his protectors brought him betrayal.
وَرَمَيتُand I cast أَعواميmy years وَرائيbehind me مِثلَjust like ماas
وَرَمَيتُ أَعوامي وَرائي مِثلَ ما
رَمَتِcast behind المَطيُّthe riding camels مَهامِهَthe trackless wastes of السُفّارِthe travelers
رَمَتِ المَطيُّ مَهامِهَ السُفّارِ
I cast my years behind me, just as
riding camels leave the travelers' trackless wastes behind.
بَذَلَgave الكَريمُthe generous man عَتائِراًsacrificial victims مِنfrom سارِحِgrazing livestock
بَذَلَ الكَريمُ عَتائِراً مِن سارِحِ
فَأَفادَand gained مِنfrom شُكرٍgratitude عَتائِرَfragrant offerings فارِmusk
فَأَفادَ مِن شُكرٍ عَتائِرَ فارِ
The generous man offered sacrificial beasts from grazing stock,
and gained, in thanks, fragrant offerings of musk.
وَرَكِبتُand I rode مِنهاof them أَربَعينَforty مَطيَّةًmounts
وَرَكِبتُ مِنها أَربَعينَ مَطيَّةً
لَمnot تَخلوwere free مِنof عَنَتٍhardship وَسوءِand viciousness of نِفارِshying
لَم تَخلو مِن عَنَتٍ وَسوءِ نِفارِ
And I rode forty of them as mounts,
none free of hardship and vicious shying.
حادِثconverse with كِتابَكَyour book فَهُوَfor it is آمَنُsafer جانِباًas company
حادِث كِتابَكَ فَهُوَ آمَنُ جانِباً
مِنthan أَهَلِpeople of تَسبيدٍhead-shaving وَأَهلِand people of وِفارِfull locks
مِن أَهَلِ تَسبيدٍ وَأَهلِ وِفارِ
Converse with your book: it is safer company
than the shaven-headed and those with full locks.
وَفَوائِدُand the benefits of الأَسفارِbooks جُمعُthe plural of السِفرِa book فيin الدُthe world (first part)
وَفَوائِدُ الأَسفارِ جُمعُ السِفرِ في الدُ
نِيا(completes 'the world') تَفوقُsurpass فَوائِدَthe benefits of الأَسفارِjourneys
نِيا تَفوقُ فَوائِدَ الأَسفارِ
And the benefits of books—'asfār,' the plural of 'sifr'—in this
world surpass the benefits of journeys.
وَالعَيسُand the pale camels تُؤَثَرُare favored بِالنُضارِwith gold وَتَمتَريand milk forth
وَالعَيسُ تُؤَثَرُ بِالنُضارِ وَتَمتَري
نَضرَthe freshness of المَعيشَةِlife فيin فَلاdeserts وَجِفارِand broad hollows
نَضرَ المَعيشَةِ في فَلا وَجِفارِ
And pale camels are favored with gold, and milk
the freshness of life in deserts and broad hollows.
حَسَّستِthey brushed away الظَلامَthe darkness فآضَthen it became تَعصُرُهُwrings it الضُحىthe morning
حَسَّستِ الظَلامَ فآضَ تَعصُرُهُ الضُحى
مِنfrom بَينِbetween أَعطافٍflanks لَهاof theirs وَذَفارِand hollows behind the ears
مِن بَينِ أَعطافٍ لَها وَذَفارِ
They brushed away the darkness, which morning then wrung
from their flanks and the hollows behind their ears.
وَالطِرفُand the thoroughbred أَجفَرَهُquenched his sexual desire القَضاءُFate فَخَصَّهُso it singled him out
وَالطِرفُ أَجفَرَهُ القَضاءُ فَخَصَّهُ
بِالرُخصِfor cheapness ماwhat فيهِis in him مِنَof الإِجفارِloss of sexual desire
بِالرُخصِ ما فيهِ مِنَ الإِجفارِ
And Fate has stilled the thoroughbred's desire; he is singled out
for a low price by that loss of desire.
وَالآلُand the body شَخصُthe form of الحَيِّthe living person أَينَwherever لَقيتَهُyou meet him
وَالآلُ شَخصُ الحَيِّ أَينَ لَقيتَهُ
فَكَأَنَّهُso he seems like فيin المَينِdeceit آلُa mirage of قِفارِbarren wastes
فَكَأَنَّهُ في المَينِ آلُ قِفارِ
And the living man's bodily form, wherever you meet him,
seems, in its deceit, a mirage of barren wastes.
شَبَحٌa shape يَعودُreturns إِلىto التُرابِthe dust فَيَنطَويthen shrivels away
شَبَحٌ يَعودُ إِلى التُرابِ فَيَنطَوي
كَهَشيمِlike dried remnants of رُغلٍsaltbush أَوor حُطامِbrittle remains of صُفارِsufār plants
كَهَشيمِ رُغلٍ أَو حُطامِ صُفارِ
A shape that returns to dust and shrivels away,
like dried saltbush or the brittle remains of sufār.
أَينَwhere are الخَليطُthe companions لَقَدindeed تَأَبَّدَhas become desolate رَبعُهُtheir encampment
أَينَ الخَليطُ لَقَد تَأَبَّدَ رَبعُهُ
وَالحَيُّand the clan أَجمَعَall of it حَلَّhas settled فيin إِحفارِgraves
وَالحَيُّ أَجمَعَ حَلَّ في إِحفارِ
Where are the companions? Their encampment has grown desolate,
and all the clan has settled in graves.
أَمَلٌa hope تَعَلَّقَhas clung بِالنُجومِto the stars فَلاso do not تَقُلsay
أَمَلٌ تَعَلَّقَ بِالنُجومِ فَلا تَقُل
عِندَbeside النَعامِthe ostriches وَلاnor مَعَwith الأَغفارِthe young ibexes
عِندَ النَعامِ وَلا مَعَ الأَغفارِ
A hope has clung to the stars—so do not say
'beside the ostriches' or 'with the young ibexes.'
رُمناwe sought المَآرِبَour aims بِالسِفاهِthrough folly وَلَمthough not تَكُنwere
رُمنا المَآرِبَ بِالسِفاهِ وَلَم تَكُن
لتُنالَto be attained إِلّاexcept بِاِنتِضاءِby unsheathing شِفارِblades
لتُنالَ إِلّا بِاِنتِضاءِ شِفارِ
We pursued our aims through folly, though they were not
to be attained except by unsheathing blades.
أَلقاكَI meet you عَنafter عُفرٍlong absence وَجِسميand my body بَنيَّةٌa structure
أَلقاكَ عَن عُفرٍ وَجِسمي بَنيَّةٌ
عَفريَّةٌof dust وَالزَندُand the firestick غَيرُnot عَفارِʿafār wood
عَفريَّةٌ وَالزَندُ غَيرُ عَفارِ
I meet you after long absence; my body is a structure
of dust, and my firestick is not of ʿafār wood.
شَذَّis exceptional التَقيُّthe devout man فَماso not يُقاسُare measured عَلىagainst أَبيAbū
شَذَّ التَقيُّ فَما يُقاسُ عَلى أَبي
ذُرٍّDharr وَشيمَتُهُand his character رِجالُthe men of غِفارِGhifār
ذُرٍّ وَشيمَتُهُ رِجالُ غِفارِ
The devout man is an exception: one cannot take Abū
Dharr and his character as the measure of the men of Ghifār.
أَرَأَيتَhave you seen أَسَدَthe lions of الجِزعِthe ravine بَعدَafter فَريسِهاtheir prey
أَرَأَيتَ أَسَدَ الجِزعِ بَعدَ فَريسِها
تَعتامُchoosing بِالأَظفارِwith claws جَزَعَthe onyx of ظَفارِẒafār
تَعتامُ بِالأَظفارِ جَزَعَ ظَفارِ
Have you seen the ravine's lions, after their kill,
picking out the onyx of Ẓafār with their claws?
وَالصُبحُand dawn قَدalready غَسَلَhas washed الدُجىthe darkness بِمَعينِهِwith its flowing water
وَالصُبحُ قَد غَسَلَ الدُجى بِمَعينِهِ
إِلّاexcept بَقيَّةَa remnant of إِثمِدِantimony kohl الأَشفارِthe eyelid rims
إِلّا بَقيَّةَ إِثمِدِ الأَشفارِ
And dawn has washed the darkness with its flowing water,
except a remnant of kohl along the eyelid rims.
غُفرانَseek forgiveness from رَبِّكَyour Lord قَلَّماseldom فَعَلَdoes الفَتىa man
غُفرانَ رَبِّكَ قَلَّما فَعَلَ الفَتى
ماwhat لَيسَis not مُحوِجَهُmaking him need إِلىto اِستِغفارِseek forgiveness
ما لَيسَ مُحوِجَهُ إِلى اِستِغفارِ
Seek your Lord's forgiveness: seldom does a man do
anything that does not leave him needing to seek forgiveness.
Sol 6.1