قَرَنتَyou yoked الجِيادِthe steeds بِأَجمالِهاto their camels
قَرَنتَ الجِيادِ بِأَجمالِها
لِتُعسِفَso you may drive harshly نَفَساًa soul بِآمالِهاwith its hopes
لِتُعسِفَ نَفَساً بِآمالِها
You yoked the steeds to their camels,
You harnessed the steeds with their beauty,
to drive a soul harshly with its hopes.
To tyrannize a soul with its hopes.
وَلاand no بُدَّescape مِنfrom سَيرِهاits journey مَرَّةًonce
وَلا بُدَّ مِن سَيرِها مَرَّةً
بَعدَafter اِلتِفاتٍa glance إِلىtoward مالِهاits wealth
بَعدَ اِلتِفاتٍ إِلى مالِها
And it must journey once,
Yet they must travel once,
after a glance toward its wealth.
After turning to their possessions.
وَأَفضَلُand the best ماwhat اِكتَسَبَتhas earned أُمَّةٌa nation
وَأَفضَلُ ما اِكتَسَبَت أُمَّةٌ
وَإِنeven if شَقِيَتit suffers حُسنُthe goodness أَعمالِهاof its deeds
وَإِن شَقِيَت حُسنُ أَعمالِها
And the best that a nation has earned,
The best that a nation has gained,
even if it suffers, is the goodness of its deeds.
However miserable, is the beauty of its deeds.
وَلاand no خَيرَgood فيin أَنthat تُمَدَّbe prolonged الحَياةُlife
وَلا خَيرَ في أَن تُمَدَّ الحَياةُ
وَنُقصانُهاand its shortening مِثلُlike إِكمالِهاits completion
وَنُقصانُها مِثلُ إِكمالِها
And there is no good in prolonging life,
No good in extending life,
and its shortening is like its completion.
Its shortening is like completing it.
فَوَيهاًso, hurrah! وَواهاًand alas! لِسَيلِfor the torrent of المَنوDeath (word continues)
فَوَيهاً وَواهاً لِسَيلِ المَنو
نِcompletion of 'Death' كَمhow many جَرَّdragged away عيراًa caravan بِأَحمالِهاwith its loads
نِ كَم جَرَّ عيراً بِأَحمالِها
So hurrah, and alas, for the torrent of Death:
Alas, alas for the torrents of time!
how many a caravan it has dragged away with its loads!
How much laden caravans have they drawn with their burdens!
أُمورٌevents تُوافيcome to meet جُنودَthe hosts of الرَدىdeath
أُمورٌ تُوافي جُنودَ الرَدى
بِتَفصيلِهاin their particulars بَعدَafter إِجمالِهاtheir general outline
بِتَفصيلِها بَعدَ إِجمالِها
Events come to meet the hosts of death,
Matters that meet the troops of decline,
in their particulars, after their general outline.
By detailing them after summarizing them.
وَقَدand indeed أَعمَلَput to work الناسُpeople أَفكارَهُمtheir thoughts
وَقَد أَعمَلَ الناسُ أَفكارَهُم
فَلَمyet not يُغنِهِمavail them طولُthe duration إِعمالِهاof putting them to work
فَلَم يُغنِهِم طولُ إِعمالِها
And people have put their thoughts to work,
People have used their thoughts,
yet prolonged use of them has availed them nothing.
Yet the length of their use has not benefited them.
فَهَلso, will? يُرمِلُmake a widow of الدَهرُTime أُمَّthe mother of الأَنامِhumankind
فَهَل يُرمِلُ الدَهرُ أُمَّ الأَنامِ
فَتَفقِدُso she loses نَسلاًoffspring بِإِرمالِهاthrough her widowhood
فَتَفقِدُ نَسلاً بِإِرمالِها
Will Time, then, widow the mother of humankind,
Will time make the mother of men senile,
so that she loses offspring through her widowhood?
So she loses a progeny with her barrenness?
Sol 6.1