كَيفَhow اِحتَيالُكَyour scheming وَالقَضاءُand fate مُدَبَّرٌordained
كَيفَ اِحتَيالُكَ وَالقَضاءُ مُدَبَّرٌ
تَجنيyou inflict الأَذىharm وَتَقولُand you say إِنَّكَthat you مُجبَرُcompelled
تَجني الأَذى وَتَقولُ إِنَّكَ مُجبَرُ
How can you scheme when fate is ordained?
You inflict harm and say that you are compelled.
أَرواحُناour souls مَعَناwith us وَلَيسَand there is not لَناfor us بِهاof them
أَرواحُنا مَعَنا وَلَيسَ لَنا بِها
عِلمٌknowledge فَكَيفَso how إِذاwhen حَوَتهاenclosed them الأَقبُرُthe graves
عِلمٌ فَكَيفَ إِذا حَوَتها الأَقبُرُ
Our souls are with us, yet of them we have no
Knowledge—how, then, when the graves enclose them?
وَمَتَىand when سَرىjourneyed عَنbeyond أَربَعينَforty حَليفُهاtheir companion
وَمَتَى سَرى عَن أَربَعينَ حَليفُها
فَالشَخصُso the person يَصغُرُdwindles وَالحَوادِثُand calamities تَكبَرُgrow
فَالشَخصُ يَصغُرُ وَالحَوادِثُ تَكبَرُ
And when their companion journeys beyond forty,
The person dwindles, and calamities grow.
نَفسٌa soul تُحِسُّsenses بِأَمرِof the condition of أُخرىanother هَذِهِthis one
نَفسٌ تُحِسُّ بِأَمرِ أُخرى هَذِهِ
جِسرٌa bridge إِلَيهاto it بِالمَخاوِفِamid fears يُعبَرُis crossed
جِسرٌ إِلَيها بِالمَخاوِفِ يُعبَرُ
A soul senses another's condition; this one
Is a bridge to the other, crossed amid fears.
مَنwho لِلدَفينِfor the buried one بِأَنthat يُفَرَّجَis opened up لَحدُهُhis grave-niche
مَن لِلدَفينِ بِأَن يُفَرَّجَ لَحدُهُ
عَنهُfrom around him فَيَنهَضَso he rises وَهوَwhile he is أَشعَثُdisheveled أَغبَرُdust-covered
عَنهُ فَيَنهَضَ وَهوَ أَشعَثُ أَغبَرُ
Who can assure the buried that his grave will be opened
Around him, so he rises, disheveled and dust-covered?
وَالدَهرُand time يَقدُمُgrows old وَالمَعاشِرُand communities تَنقَضيpass away
وَالدَهرُ يَقدُمُ وَالمَعاشِرُ تَنقَضي
وَالعَجزُand weakness تَصديقٌbelief بِمَينٍin a lie يُخبَرُis reported
وَالعَجزُ تَصديقٌ بِمَينٍ يُخبَرُ
And time grows old, while communities pass away,
And weakness is believing a lie that is told.
زَعِمَclaimed الفَلاسِفَةُthe philosophers الذينَwho تَنَطَّسواinvestigated meticulously
زَعِمَ الفَلاسِفَةُ الذينَ تَنَطَّسوا
أَنَّthat المَنِيَّةَdeath كَسرُهاits fracture لاnot يُجبَرُis mended
أَنَّ المَنِيَّةَ كَسرُها لا يُجبَرُ
The philosophers who investigated deeply claimed
That death's fracture cannot be mended.
قالواthey said وَآدَمُand Adam مِثلُlike أَوبَرَAwbar وَالوَرىand humankind
قالوا وَآدَمُ مِثلُ أَوبَرَ وَالوَرى
كَبَناتِهِlike his daughters جَهِلَdid not know اِمرُؤٌa man ماwhat أَوبَرُAwbar
كَبَناتِهِ جَهِلَ اِمرُؤٌ ما أَوبَرُ
They said: Adam is like Awbar, and humankind
Like his daughters; someone did not know what Awbar was.
كُلُّall الَّذينَthose that تَحكَونَyou recount عَنabout مَولاكُمُyour Lord
كُلُّ الَّذينَ تَحكَونَ عَن مَولاكُمُ
كَذِبٌfalsehood أَتاكُمcame to you عَنfrom يَهودَJews يُحَبَّرُis embellished
كَذِبٌ أَتاكُم عَن يَهودَ يُحَبَّرُ
All those tales you recount about your Lord
Are lies that reached you from Jews, embellished.
رامَتsought بِهِthrough it الأَحبارُthe rabbis نَيلَattaining مَعيشَةٍa livelihood
رامَت بِهِ الأَحبارُ نَيلَ مَعيشَةٍ
فيin الدَهرِthis life وَالعَمَلُand conduct القَبيحُevil يُتَبِّرُbrings ruin
في الدَهرِ وَالعَمَلُ القَبيحُ يُتَبِّرُ
Through them the rabbis sought to earn a livelihood
In this life; evil conduct brings ruin.
عُكِسَwas overturned الأَنامُhumanity بِحِكمَةٍthrough wisdom مِنfrom رَبِّهِits Lord
عُكِسَ الأَنامُ بِحِكمَةٍ مِن رَبِّهِ
فَتَحَكَّمَso held sway الهَجَرِيُّal-Hajari فيهِover it وَسَنبَرُand Sanbar
فَتَحَكَّمَ الهَجَرِيُّ فيهِ وَسَنبَرُ
Humanity was turned upside down by wisdom from its Lord,
So al-Hajari and Sanbar held sway over it.
كَذِبٌfalsehood يُقالُis spoken عَلىon المَنابِرِthe pulpits دائِماًalways
كَذِبٌ يُقالُ عَلى المَنابِرِ دائِماً
أَفَلاthen does it not يَميدُsway لِماat what يُقالُis said المِنبَرُthe pulpit
أَفَلا يَميدُ لِما يُقالُ المِنبَرُ
Falsehood is always spoken from the pulpits;
Does the pulpit not, then, sway at what is said?
وَأَجَلُّand the finest طيبِهِمُtheir perfume دَمٌblood مِنfrom ظَبيَةٍa doe
وَأَجَلُّ طيبِهِمُ دَمٌ مِن ظَبيَةٍ
وَقَذىًand refuse مِنَfrom الحيتانِwhales وَهوَand it is العَنبَرُambergris
وَقَذىً مِنَ الحيتانِ وَهوَ العَنبَرُ
And the finest of their perfumes is blood from a doe,
And refuse from whales—that is ambergris.
وَلَعَلَّand perhaps دُنياناour world كَرِقدَةِlike the sleep of حالِمٍa dreamer
وَلَعَلَّ دُنيانا كَرِقدَةِ حالِمٍ
بِالعَكسِin reverse مِمّاof what نَحنُwe فيهِin it تُعَبَّرُis interpreted
بِالعَكسِ مِمّا نَحنُ فيهِ تُعَبَّرُ
And perhaps our world is like a dreamer's sleep,
Interpreted as the opposite of what we experience.
فَالعَينُso the eye تَبكيweeps فيin المَنامِthe dream فَتَجتَنيso it reaps
فَالعَينُ تَبكي في المَنامِ فَتَجتَني
فَرَحاًjoy وَتَضحَكُand it laughs فيin الرُقادِsleep فَتَعبَرُso it weeps
فَرَحاً وَتَضحَكُ في الرُقادِ فَتَعبَرُ
For the eye weeps in a dream, and so reaps
Joy; it laughs in sleep, and so sheds tears.
وَالنَفسُand the soul لَيسَthere is not لَهاfor it عَلىin the face of ماwhat نالَهاbefell it
وَالنَفسُ لَيسَ لَها عَلى ما نالَها
صَبرٌpatience وَلَكِنbut بِالكَراهَةِunwillingly تَصبِرُit endures
صَبرٌ وَلَكِن بِالكَراهَةِ تَصبِرُ
And the soul has, in the face of what befell it, no
Patience, yet it endures unwillingly.
يَغدوbecomes in the morning المُدَجَّجُthe fully armed man بازِياًa goshawk أَوor أَجدَلاًa falcon
يَغدو المُدَجَّجُ بازِياً أَو أَجدَلاً
فَيَروحُthen becomes by evening مُحتَكِماًruling عَلَيهِover him القُبَّرُthe larks
فَيَروحُ مُحتَكِماً عَلَيهِ القُبَّرُ
The fully armed man starts the day a goshawk or falcon;
Then by evening, larks hold sway over him.
Sol 6.1