أوجَزَspoke concisely الدَهرُtime فيin المَقالِspeech إِلىuntil أَنthat
أوجَزَ الدَهرُ في المَقالِ إِلى أَن
جَعَلَmade الصَمتَsilence غايَةَthe utmost limit الإيجازِbrevity
جَعَلَ الصَمتَ غايَةَ الإيجازِ
Time spoke concisely, until
Time has been brief in speech, so that
it made silence the utmost brevity:
It made silence the pinnacle of concision,
مَنطِقاًan utterance لَيسَis not بِالنَثيرِin prose وَلاnor الشِعpoetic (first part)
مَنطِقاً لَيسَ بِالنَثيرِ وَلا الشِع
ريcompletion of 'poetic' وَلاnor فيin طَرائِقِthe ways الرُجّازِthe rajaz poets
ري وَلا في طَرائِقِ الرُجّازِ
an utterance neither prose nor poetry,
A speech neither verbose nor poetry
nor in the manner of rajaz poets.
Nor in the ways of prose.
وَعَدَتناpromised us الأَيّامُthe days كُلَّevery عَجيبٍwonder
وَعَدَتنا الأَيّامُ كُلَّ عَجيبٍ
وَتَلَونَand they followed up الوعودَthe promises بِالإِنجازِwith fulfillment
وَتَلَونَ الوعودَ بِالإِنجازِ
The days promised us every wonder,
The days have brought us every wonder,
and followed their promises with fulfillment.
And promises changed with fulfillment.
هِيَthey (the days) مِثلُlike الغَوانيbeautiful women إِنif تَحسُنِare beautiful الأَوthe faces (first part)
هِيَ مِثلُ الغَواني إِن تَحسُنِ الأَو
جُهُcompletion of 'the faces' مِنهاof them فَالثِقلُthen the heaviness فيin الأَعجازِthe hindquarters
جُهُ مِنها فَالثِقلُ في الأَعجازِ
They are like beautiful women: if their faces are fair,
They are like singing girls - if their faces
the heaviness lies in their hindquarters.
Are beautiful, the weight is in the buttocks.
مَنwhoever يُرِدdesires صَفوَthe serenity عَيشَةٍa life يَبغِseeks مِنfrom دُنworld (first part)
مَن يُرِد صَفوَ عَيشَةٍ يَبغِ مِن دُن
ياهُcompletion of 'his world' أَمراًa thing مُبَيَّنَclearly demonstrated الإِعجازِunattainability
ياهُ أَمراً مُبَيَّنَ الإِعجازِ
Whoever desires an untroubled life seeks from his world
Whoever wants a life of purity, seeks from his
something plainly impossible.
World something clearly concise.
فَاِفعَلِso do الخَيرَgood إِنif جَزاكَrepays you الفَتىthe young man عَنfor
فَاِفعَلِ الخَيرَ إِن جَزاكَ الفَتى عَن
هُit وَإِلّاand if not فَاللَهُthen God بِالخَيرِwith good جازِa requiter
هُ وَإِلّا فَاللَهُ بِالخَيرِ جازِ
So do good, whether a young man repays you for
So do good, and if the youth rewards you for it
it or not: God rewards with good.
Or else God will reward you for the good.
لاdo not تُقَيِّدconstrain عَلَيَّupon me لَفظيmy wording فَإِنّيfor indeed I
لا تُقَيِّد عَلَيَّ لَفظي فَإِنّي
مِثلُlike غَيريothers besides me تَكَلُّميmy speech بِالمَجازِin figurative language
مِثلُ غَيري تَكَلُّمي بِالمَجازِ
Do not bind me to my wording, for I,
Do not restrict my words, for I
like others, speak figuratively.
Am like others, speaking in metaphors.
تُنسَبُare assigned affiliations الشُهُبُthe bright stars مِنamong them يَمانٍa Yemeni one وَشاand a Syrian (first part)
تُنسَبُ الشُهُبُ مِن يَمانٍ وَشا
ميٍّcompletion of 'Syrian' وَيُلغىand is disregarded اِنتِسابُهاtheir affiliation فيin الحِجازِthe Hijaz
ميٍّ وَيُلغى اِنتِسابُها في الحِجازِ
The bright stars are classed as Yemeni and Syrian,
The comets are attributed to Yemen and Syria
while their affiliation with the Hijaz is disregarded.
And their attribution is denied in Hejaz.
إِنَّماnothing but عِشَرَةُcompanionship الأَنامِhumankind نِفاقٌhypocrisy
إِنَّما عِشَرَةُ الأَنامِ نِفاقٌ
وَتَباهٍand boasting فيin باطِلٍfalsehood وَتَجازِand mutual requital
وَتَباهٍ في باطِلٍ وَتَجازِ
Human companionship is nothing but hypocrisy,
Verily, mixing with people is hypocrisy
and boasting over falsehood, and mutual requital.
And pretense in falsehood and hypocrisy.
Sol 6.1