إِنif مازَتِdistinguished الناسُpeople أَخلاقٌcharacter traits يُعاشُone lives بِهاby them
إِن مازَتِ الناسُ أَخلاقٌ يُعاشُ بِها
فَإِنَّهُمthen indeed they عِندَin respect of سوءِbadness الطَبعِnatural disposition أَسواءُequals
فَإِنَّهُم عِندَ سوءِ الطَبعِ أَسواءُ
If people are distinguished by qualities one can live by,
If people excel in character and morals,
they are alike in their evil disposition.
Yet when ill-natured they are most vile.
أَوor كانَwere كُلُّall بَنيsons of حَوّاءَEve يُشبِهُنيresembles me
أَو كانَ كُلُّ بَني حَوّاءَ يُشبِهُني
فَبِئسَthen wretched is ماwhat وُلِدَتbore فيamong الخَلقِcreated beings حَوّاءُEve
فَبِئسَ ما وُلِدَت في الخَلقِ حَوّاءُ
Or if all the sons of Eve resemble me,
Were all Eve's daughters made in my likeness,
then wretched is what Eve has borne among creatures.
Poorly was Eve created in form and feature.
بُعديmy distance مِنَfrom الناسِpeople بُرءٌrecovery مِنfrom سَقامِهِمُtheir sickness
بُعدي مِنَ الناسِ بُرءٌ مِن سَقامِهِمُ
وَقُربُهُمand their nearness لِلحِجىto reason وَالدينِand faith أَدواءُmaladies
وَقُربُهُم لِلحِجى وَالدينِ أَدواءُ
My distance from people cures me of their sickness,
My remoteness from men cures me of their sickness,
and their nearness brings maladies to reason and faith.
While closeness to them breeds ruin and disease.
كَالبَيتِlike a verse أُفرِدَwas set apart لاno ايطاءَrepetition of a rhyme-word يُدرِكُهُreaches it
كَالبَيتِ أُفرِدَ لا ايطاءَ يُدرِكُهُ
وَلاnor سَنادٌmismatched sounds before the rhyme consonant وَلاnor فيin اللَفظِthe wording إِقواءُinconsistent rhyme-consonant vowels
وَلا سَنادٌ وَلا في اللَفظِ إِقواءُ
Like a verse set apart: no repeated rhyme-word can mar it,
Like a house standing alone, no shade to shelter it,
nor faulty pre-rhyme sounds, nor discordant rhyme-vowels in its wording.
No company, no strength in speech or plea.
نوديتَyou were hailed أَلوَيتَyou have withered, or reached winding sands فَاِنزِلso dismount لاnot يُرادُis meant أَتىreached
نوديتَ أَلوَيتَ فَاِنزِل لا يُرادُ أَتى
سَيريmy journey لِوىa winding stretch الرَملِthe sand بَلrather لِلنَبتِfor vegetation إِلواءُwithering
سَيري لِوى الرَملِ بَل لِلنَبتِ إِلواءُ
You were hailed: 'You have withered—dismount!' This does not mean that
When the rain pours down, scouring the sandy waste,
my journey reached the winding sands; rather, it means a plant's withering.
It brings no nurture, only erosion.
وَذاكَand that أَنَّthat سَوادَblackness الفَودِthe temple-hair غَيَّرَهُchanged it
وَذاكَ أَنَّ سَوادَ الفَودِ غَيَّرَهُ
فيin غُرَّةٍa bright white patch مِنfrom بَياضِwhiteness الشَيبِgray hair أَضواءُgleams
في غُرَّةٍ مِن بَياضِ الشَيبِ أَضواءُ
And that is because the blackness of my temple-hair has been changed
The black locks of my youth are turned to white
by gleams from the whiteness of gray hair in a bright patch.
By shocks of sorrow, like flashes of light.
إِذاwhen نُجومُstars قَتيرٍwhite hairs فيin الدُجىthe darkness طَلَعَتrose
إِذا نُجومُ قَتيرٍ في الدُجى طَلَعَت
فَلِلجُفونِthen for the eyelids مِنَfrom الإِشفاقِapprehension أَنواءُrainstorms
فَلِلجُفونِ مِنَ الإِشفاقِ أَنواءُ
When stars of white hair rise in the darkness,
When the faint stars in the darkening twilight shine,
the eyelids have rainstorms born of apprehension.
My teardrops fall in pity for their decline.
Sol 6.1