إِذاif شِئتَyou wish أَنto تَرقىclimb جِدارَكَyour wall مَرَّةًonce
إِذا شِئتَ أَن تَرقى جِدارَكَ مَرَّةً
لِأَمرٍfor a purpose فَآذِنthen notify جارَthe neighbor of بَيتِكَyour house مِنfrom قَبلُbeforehand
لِأَمرٍ فَآذِن جارَ بَيتِكَ مِن قَبلُ
If you wish, on some occasion, to climb your wall
If you wish to transcend your wall one time
for some purpose, notify your neighbor beforehand.
For some matter, then first notify your neighbor
وَلاand do not تَفجَأَنهُsurprise him بِالطُلوعِby climbing up فَرُبَّماfor sometimes
وَلا تَفجَأَنهُ بِالطُلوعِ فَرُبَّما
أَصابَbefell الفَتىthe young man مِنfrom هَتكِviolating the privacy of جارَتِهِhis female neighbor خَبَلُharm
أَصابَ الفَتى مِن هَتكِ جارَتِهِ خَبَلُ
And do not surprise him by climbing up, for sometimes
And do not surprise him with your rising, lest
harm befalls a young man for violating his female neighbor's privacy.
The young man be stricken by your violating his privacy
وَمازالَand kept on يَفتَنُّdevising varied ways اِمرُؤٌa man فيin اِختِيالِهِhis swaggering
وَمازالَ يَفتَنُّ اِمرُؤٌ في اِختِيالِهِ
وَفيand in مَشيهِhis gait حَتّىuntil مَشىhe walked وَلَهُand he had كَبلُa shackle
وَفي مَشيهِ حَتّى مَشى وَلَهُ كَبلُ
And a man kept devising new ways to swagger
And man continues to be tempted by his imaginings
and to walk, until he walked with a shackle on him.
And his gait until he walked bound in shackles
وَإِِنَّand indeed سَبيلَthe path of الخَيرِgoodness لِلمَرءِfor a man واضِحٌclear
وَإِِنَّ سَبيلَ الخَيرِ لِلمَرءِ واضِحٌ
إِلىuntil يَومٍa day يَقضيhe dies ثُمَّthen تَنقَطِعُare cut off السُبُلthe paths
إِلى يَومٍ يَقضي ثُمَّ تَنقَطِعُ السُبُل
And indeed, the path of goodness is clear to a man
Verily the path of good for a man is clear
until the day he dies; then the paths are cut off.
Until a day he settles, then the paths are cut off
وَيَسمَعُand he hears أَقوالَthe words of الرِجالِmen تُعيبُهُdisparaging him
وَيَسمَعُ أَقوالَ الرِجالِ تُعيبُهُ
وَأَهوَنُand less painful مِنهاthan them فيin مَواقِعِهاtheir points of impact النَبلُarrows
وَأَهوَنُ مِنها في مَواقِعِها النَبلُ
And he hears men's words disparaging him,
And he hears the words of men blaming him
and arrows, where they strike, hurt less than those words.
While arrows in their settling are lighter than them
يَحُلُّhe dwells in دِيارَthe abodes of المُندِياتِshameful things بِرُغمِهِagainst his will
يَحُلُّ دِيارَ المُندِياتِ بِرُغمِهِ
وَيَرحَلُand he departs عَنهاfrom them وَالفُؤادُand the heart بِهِin it تَبلُlovesickness
وَيَرحَلُ عَنها وَالفُؤادُ بِهِ تَبلُ
He dwells unwillingly in the abodes of shame,
He visits the abodes of beautiful women against their will
and leaves them with love's torment in his heart.
And departs from them while his heart within him melts
إِذاwhen مُسَكُthe sustaining bonds of العَيشِlife اِنقَضَتhave ended وَتَقَضَّبَتand have been severed
إِذا مُسَكُ العَيشِ اِنقَضَت وَتَقَضَّبَت
فَماthen does not يَسأَلُask الضِرغامُthe lion ماwhat فَعَلَdid الشِبلُthe cub
فَما يَسأَلُ الضِرغامُ ما فَعَلَ الشِبلُ
When the bonds sustaining life have ended and been severed,
When the pleasures of life have passed and withered
the lion does not ask what became of the cub.
The grown hyena asks not what the cub has done
عَلِقتُI clung بِحَبلِto the rope of العُمرِlife خَمسينَfifty حِجَّةًyears
عَلِقتُ بِحَبلِ العُمرِ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً
فَقَدso indeed رَثَّhas frayed حَتّىuntil كادَnearly يَنصَرِمُis severed الحَبلُthe rope
فَقَد رَثَّ حَتّى كادَ يَنصَرِمُ الحَبلُ
I have clung to the rope of life for fifty years;
I clung to the rope of life for fifty pilgrimages
and it has frayed so much that the rope is about to snap.
So it frayed until it almost snapped
وَهَلand can يَنفَعُbenefit الطَلُّthe dew الَّذيwhich هُوَit نازِلٌis falling
وَهَل يَنفَعُ الطَلُّ الَّذي هُوَ نازِلٌ
بِذاتِin a land of رِمالٍsands عِندَماwhen جَحَدَrefused الوَبلُthe downpour
بِذاتِ رِمالٍ عِندَما جَحَدَ الوَبلُ
And can the dew that is falling be of any use
Does rainfall descending on shifting sands avail
in a sandy land when the downpour refuses to fall?
When the clouds have cruelly withheld their gift?
Sol 6.1