حَياةٌ وَمَوتٌ وَاِنتِظارُ قِيامَةٍ

حَياةٌ وَمَوتٌ وَاِنتِظارُ قِيامَةٍ

ثَلاثٌ أَفادَتنا أُلوفَ مَعانِ

ثَلاثٌ أَفادَتنا أُلوفَ مَعانِ

Life, death, and waiting for resurrection:

Life and death and awaiting resurrection

Three things that have yielded us thousands of meanings.

Three things that brought us thousands of meanings

فَلا تَمهَرا الدُنيا المُروءَةَ إِنَّها

فَلا تَمهَرا الدُنيا المُروءَةَ إِنَّها

تُفارِقُ أَهليها فِراقَ لِعانِ

تُفارِقُ أَهليها فِراقَ لِعانِ

So do not give the world noble conduct as her bride-price, for she

So do not let this world delude you, it

Parts from her people as in a divorce by mutual cursing.

Will leave its people in miserable separation

وَلا تَطلُباها مِن سِنانٍ وَصارِمٍ

وَلا تَطلُباها مِن سِنانٍ وَصارِمٍ

بِيَومِ ضِرابٍ أَو بِيَومِ طِعانِ

بِيَومِ ضِرابٍ أَو بِيَومِ طِعانِ

And do not seek her through spearpoint and keen sword,

Do not seek it through swords and spears

On a day of sword-blows or a day of spear-thrusts.

With days of fighting or days of stabbing

وَإِن شِئتُما أَن تَخلُصا مِن أَذاتِها

وَإِن شِئتُما أَن تَخلُصا مِن أَذاتِها

فَحُطّا بِها الأَثقالَ وَاِتَّبِعاني

فَحُطّا بِها الأَثقالَ وَاِتَّبِعاني

And if you both wish to escape her harm,

And if you both wish to be rid of its troubles

Then lay down your burdens in her and follow me.

Unburden yourselves and follow me

فَما راعَني مِنها تَهَجُّمٌ ظالِمٍ

فَما راعَني مِنها تَهَجُّمٌ ظالِمٍ

وَلا خِمتُ عَن وَهدٍ لَها وَرِعانِ

وَلا خِمتُ عَن وَهدٍ لَها وَرِعانِ

For no tyrant's onslaught from her has frightened me,

It did not trouble me, no unjust attack

Nor have I shrunk from her hollows and mountain spurs.

Nor did I shy from guiding it aright

وَلا حَلَّ سَرِيَّ قَطُّ في أُذنِ سامِعٍ

وَلا حَلَّ سَرِيَّ قَطُّ في أُذنِ سامِعٍ

وَشِنفاهُ أَو قُرطاهُ يَستَمِعانِ

وَشِنفاهُ أَو قُرطاهُ يَستَمِعانِ

Nor has my secret ever lodged in a listener's ear,

My secret was never revealed to any listening ear

While his two ear ornaments or earrings listened too.

Whether with lips or ears listening

وَلَم أَرقُبِ النَسرَينَ في حَومَةِ الدُجى

وَلَم أَرقُبِ النَسرَينَ في حَومَةِ الدُجى

أَظُنُّهُما في كَفَّتَي يَقَعانِ

أَظُنُّهُما في كَفَّتَي يَقَعانِ

Nor have I watched the two Eagle stars in the heart of darkness,

I did not watch the two eagles in the darkness of night

Supposing they would both fall into my snare.

I imagined both grasped in each hand

عَجِبتُ مِنَ الصُبحِ المُنيرِ وَضِدِّهِ

عَجِبتُ مِنَ الصُبحِ المُنيرِ وَضِدِّهِ

عَلى أَهلِ هَذي الأَرضِ يَطَّلِعانِ

عَلى أَهلِ هَذي الأَرضِ يَطَّلِعانِ

I marvelled at the radiant dawn and its opposite,

I wondered at the brilliant dawn and its opposite

As they both look down upon the people of this earth.

Shining on the people of this earth

وَقَد أَخرَجاني بِالكَراهَةِ مِنهُما

وَقَد أَخرَجاني بِالكَراهَةِ مِنهُما

كَأَنَّهُما لِلضيقِ ما وَسِعاني

كَأَنَّهُما لِلضيقِ ما وَسِعاني

And they have driven me from their midst against my will,

And they forced me out against my will

As though, for lack of space, they had no room for me.

As if there was no room for me between them

وَكَيفَ أُرَجّي الخَيرَ يَصدُرُ عَنهُما

وَكَيفَ أُرَجّي الخَيرَ يَصدُرُ عَنهُما

وَقَد أَكَلَتني فيهِما الضَبُعانِ

وَقَد أَكَلَتني فيهِما الضَبُعانِ

And how can I hope that good will issue from them,

How could I hope for good from them

When the two hyenas have devoured me within them?

When between them I was torn by beasts

وَما بَرَّ مَن ساواهُما في قِياسِهِ

وَما بَرَّ مَن ساواهُما في قِياسِهِ

بِبِرَّي عُقوقٍ بَل هُما سَبُعانِ

بِبِرَّي عُقوقٍ بَل هُما سَبُعانِ

And no one acted rightly who, in his comparison, likened them

He who equated them in his reasoning was no kin

To two parents kind to an unfilial child; rather, they are two beasts.

No, they are vicious beasts

وَما ماتَ مَيتٌ مَرَّةً في سِواهِما

وَما ماتَ مَيتٌ مَرَّةً في سِواهِما

كَخَصمَينِ في الأَرواحِ يَفتَرِعانِ

كَخَصمَينِ في الأَرواحِ يَفتَرِعانِ

And never once has a mortal died outside them;

None ever died just once between them

Like two adversaries, they seize souls by force.

Like two adversaries devouring souls

أَشاحا فَقالا ضِلَّةً لَيسَ عِندَنا

أَشاحا فَقالا ضِلَّةً لَيسَ عِندَنا

مَحَلٌّ وَفي ضيقِ الثَرى وَضَعاني

مَحَلٌّ وَفي ضيقِ الثَرى وَضَعاني

They turned away, then said in error, “We have no

They turned away and said, “You are lost, we have no place”

Room,” and laid me in the narrow confines of the earth.

And laid me to rest in a narrow grave

وَكيوانُ وَالمِرّيخُ عَبدانِ سُخِّرا

وَكيوانُ وَالمِرّيخُ عَبدانِ سُخِّرا

وَلَستُ أُبالي إِن هُما فَرَعاني

وَلَستُ أُبالي إِن هُما فَرَعاني

And Saturn and Mars are two slaves compelled to serve,

Capricorn and Mars are subjugated slaves

And I care not if they both overpower me.

I do not care if they have abandoned me

وَلَو شاءَ مَن صاغَ النُجومَ بِلُطفِهِ

وَلَو شاءَ مَن صاغَ النُجومَ بِلُطفِهِ

لَصاغَهُما كَالمُشتَري وَدَعانِ

لَصاغَهُما كَالمُشتَري وَدَعانِ

And had he who fashioned the stars with his subtle skill willed,

Had the Shaper of stars wished with His subtlety

He would have made them like Jupiter—both gentle.

He could have made them like Jupiter and called me

أَيَعكِسُ هَذا الخَلقَ مالِكُ أَمرِهِ

أَيَعكِسُ هَذا الخَلقَ مالِكُ أَمرِهِ

لَعَلَّ الحِجى وَالحَظُّ يَجتَمِعانِ

لَعَلَّ الحِجى وَالحَظُّ يَجتَمِعانِ

Will the master of its affairs reverse this creation?

Can the Master of Decree invert this creation?

Perhaps reason and fortune will come together.

Perhaps fate and fortune may convene