دُنياكَyour world تُشبِهُresembles ناضِحاًa water-drawing camel مُتَرَداًdriven to and fro
دُنياكَ تُشبِهُ ناضِحاً مُتَرَداً
مِنof شَأَنِهاits nature الإِقبالُcoming forward وَالإِدبارُand going back
مِن شَأَنِها الإِقبالُ وَالإِدبارُ
Your world resembles a water-drawing camel driven to and fro;
Your world resembles a gushing disobedient stream
coming and going are its nature.
Prone to advance and retreat
آلَيتُI swore ماnot الحِبرُthe ink المِدادُthe writing fluid بِكاذِبٍa liar
آلَيتُ ما الحِبرُ المِدادُ بِكاذِبٍ
بَلrather تَكذِبُlie العُلَماءُthe scholars وَالأَحبارُand the learned divines
بَل تَكذِبُ العُلَماءُ وَالأَحبارُ
I swear: ink—the writing fluid—is no liar;
I did not swear by ink or pen of any liar
rather, the scholars and learned divines lie.
Rather the scholars and wise men lie
زَعَمواthey claimed رِجالاًmen كَالنَخيلِlike palm trees جُسومُهُمtheir bodies
زَعَموا رِجالاً كَالنَخيلِ جُسومُهُم
وَمَعاشِرٌand peoples أُمّاتُهُمtheir statures أَشبارُhandspans
وَمَعاشِرٌ أُمّاتُهُم أَشبارُ
They claimed there were men whose bodies were like palm trees,
They claimed men tall as palm trees
and peoples whose statures were mere handspans.
While tribes have mothers as short as palm spadices
إِنif يَصغُرواthey be small أَوor يَعظُمواthey be great فَبِقُدرَةٍthen through power
إِن يَصغُروا أَو يَعظُموا فَبِقُدرَةٍ
وَلِرَبِّناand to our Lord الإِعظامُreverence وَالإِكبارُand exaltation
وَلِرَبِّنا الإِعظامُ وَالإِكبارُ
If they be small or great, it is through power;
Whether they are big or small it's by God's power
and to our Lord belong reverence and exaltation.
To our Lord belong might and pride
وَوَجَدتُand I found أَصنافَthe kinds التَكَلُّمِof speech سِتَّةًsix
وَوَجَدتُ أَصنافَ التَكَلُّمِ سِتَّةً
بِالمَينِby falsehood مِنهاamong them أُفرِدَwas singled out الإِخبارُdeclarative speech
بِالمَينِ مِنها أُفرِدَ الإِخبارُ
And I found the kinds of speech to be six;
I found six types of speech
among them, declarative speech alone was singled out for falsehood.
Of which telling news was singled out
خاطَتstitched إِبارُthe needles الشَيبِof gray hair فَودَكَyour temple بَعدَماafter
خاطَت إِبارُ الشَيبِ فَودَكَ بَعدَما
خَلُقَwore out الشَبابُyouth فَهَلso is there لَهُنَّfor them إِبارُpollination
خَلُقَ الشَبابُ فَهَل لَهُنَّ إِبارُ
The needles of gray hair stitched your temple, after
The hems of old age have stitched so, after
youth had worn out; is there any pollination for them?
Youth created, can they be stitched?
يُستَصغَرُis belittled الحَيُّthe living being الحَقيرُthe lowly وَدونَهُand beneath it
يُستَصغَرُ الحَيُّ الحَقيرُ وَدونَهُ
أُمَمٌnations تَوَهَّمُimagine أَنَّهُthat it is جَبّارُa mighty tyrant
أُمَمٌ تَوَهَّمُ أَنَّهُ جَبّارُ
A lowly living being is belittled, yet beneath it
The living low person is belittled, yet below him
are nations that imagine it a mighty tyrant.
Are nations fancying he is a tyrant
جَشِبٌcoarse fare كَفاكَsufficed you مُطاعِماًas a dining companion وَعَباءَةٌand a cloak
جَشِبٌ كَفاكَ مُطاعِماً وَعَباءَةٌ
أَغنَتكَspared you أَنthat تُتخَيَّرَbe selected الأَوبارُthe animal hair
أَغنَتكَ أَن تُتخَيَّرَ الأَوبارُ
Coarse fare has sufficed you as a dining companion, and a cloak
Bread and a cloak have sufficed you, so no need
has spared you the choosing of animal hair.
To be picky in choosing fur coats
أَمّاas for وَبارِWabār فَقَدthen indeed تَحَمَّلَdeparted أَهلُهاits people
أَمّا وَبارِ فَقَد تَحَمَّلَ أَهلُها
وَتَخَلَّفَتand remained behind بَعدَafter القَطينِthe inhabitants وَبارُhyraxes
وَتَخَلَّفَت بَعدَ القَطينِ وَبارُ
As for Wabār, its people have departed,
As for the Bedouins, their people endured
and after the inhabitants, hyraxes remained behind.
While only Bedouins and ruins remained
وَالشَخصُand the person فيin الغَبراءِthe dusty earth غُبِّرَwas covered in dust فَاِنثَنىthen turned away
وَالشَخصُ في الغَبراءِ غُبِّرَ فَاِنثَنى
وَكَأَنَّماand as though هُوَhe لِلغُبارِfor the dust غُبارُdust
وَكَأَنَّما هُوَ لِلغُبارِ غُبارُ
And a person on the dusty earth was covered in dust, then turned away,
A person in the dust became dusty, bent over
and seemed merely dust for the dust.
As if he were but dust to dust
ياO طالِباًseeker of ثَأرَvengeance for القَتيلِthe slain أَلَمhas it not يَبِنbecome clear
يا طالِباً ثَأرَ القَتيلِ أَلَم يَبِن
لَكَto you أَنَّthat كُلَّall العالَمينَhumankind جُبارُblood shed without compensation
لَكَ أَنَّ كُلَّ العالَمينَ جُبارُ
O seeker of vengeance for the slain, has it not become clear
O you who seek blood vengeance for the slain
to you that all mankind is blood shed without redress?
Know that the Lord of both worlds is a tyrant
وَتَخالَفُand differ الأَهواءُthe beliefs هَذاthis one مُدَّعٍclaiming
وَتَخالَفُ الأَهواءُ هَذا مُدَّعٍ
فِعلاًaction وَذَلِكَand that one دينُهُhis creed الإِجبارُcompulsion
فِعلاً وَذَلِكَ دينُهُ الإِجبارُ
And beliefs differ: this man claims
Conflicting whims, this one pretending
agency, while that man's creed is compulsion.
In deed, and his faith is coercion
Sol 6.1