سَلا عَن تَذَكُّرِهِ تُكتَما

سَلا عَن تَذَكُّرِهِ تُكتَما

وَكانَ رَهيناً بِها مُغرَما

وَكانَ رَهيناً بِها مُغرَما

He ceased calling Tuktam to mind,

He has put thoughts of Tuktam behind him,

though once he was her captive, deeply enamored.

though he had been her captive, enamored.

وَأَقصَرَ عَنها وَآياتُها

وَأَقصَرَ عَنها وَآياتُها

تُذكّرُهُ داءَهُ الأَقدَما

تُذكّرُهُ داءَهُ الأَقدَما

He turned away from her, yet her traces

And he turned away from her, though her traces

recall to him his oldest malady.

remind him of his oldest affliction.

فَأَوصى الفَتى بِاِبتِناءِ العُلى

فَأَوصى الفَتى بِاِبتِناءِ العُلى

وَأَن لا يَخونَ وَلا يَأثَما

وَأَن لا يَخونَ وَلا يَأثَما

So he counseled the young man to build lofty honor,

So he counseled the young man to build lofty honor,

never to betray and never to sin;

and neither betray nor commit sin,

وَيَلبِسُ لِلدَهرِ إجلالَهُ

وَيَلبِسُ لِلدَهرِ إجلالَهُ

فَلَن يَبنِيَ الناسُ ما هَدَّما

فَلَن يَبنِيَ الناسُ ما هَدَّما

to clothe himself in the reverence owed to Time,

and cloak himself in reverence for Time;

for people can never rebuild what Time has torn down.

for people will never rebuild what Time has torn down.

وَإِن أَنتَ لا قَيتَ في نَجدَةٍ

وَإِن أَنتَ لا قَيتَ في نَجدَةٍ

فَلا يَتَهَيَّبكَ أَن تَقدُما

فَلا يَتَهَيَّبكَ أَن تَقدُما

And if you encounter the foe in a feat of valor,

And if you meet an opponent in battle,

do not let advancing fill you with dread.

let advancing not daunt you.

فَإِنَّ المَنِيَّةَ مَن يَخشَها

فَإِنَّ المَنِيَّةَ مَن يَخشَها

فَسَوفَ تَصادِفُهُ أَينَما

فَسَوفَ تَصادِفُهُ أَينَما

For Death—whoever fears it—

For Death—whoever fears her—

will meet him wherever he may be.

will meet him wherever he may be.

وَأَن تَتَخَطّاكَ أَسبابُها

وَأَن تَتَخَطّاكَ أَسبابُها

فَإِنَّ قُصاراكَ أَن تَهرَما

فَإِنَّ قُصاراكَ أَن تَهرَما

And if its causes pass you by,

And if her causes pass you by,

the utmost you can reach is to grow old.

then your utmost lot is to grow decrepit.

وَأَحبِب حَبيبَكَ حُبّاً رُوَيداً

وَأَحبِب حَبيبَكَ حُبّاً رُوَيداً

فَلَيسَ يَعولُكَ أَن تَصرَما

فَلَيسَ يَعولُكَ أَن تَصرَما

Love your beloved with a measured love,

And love your beloved with measured love,

so parting will not overwhelm you;

so that severing ties will not overwhelm you,

فَتُظلَمَ بِالودِّ مِن وَصلِهِ

فَتُظلَمَ بِالودِّ مِن وَصلِهِ

رَقيقٌ فَتَسفِهِ أَو تَندَما

رَقيقٌ فَتَسفِهِ أَو تَندَما

lest love leave you wronged by one whose bond

lest you be wronged in love by one whose bond

is frail, and make you act foolishly or repent.

is frail, and act foolishly or regret it.

وَأَبغض بَغيضكَ بُغضاً رُوَيداً

وَأَبغض بَغيضكَ بُغضاً رُوَيداً

إِذا أَنتَ حاوَلتَ أَن تَحكُما

إِذا أَنتَ حاوَلتَ أَن تَحكُما

And hate the one you hate with measured hate,

And hate your hated one with measured hate,

if you seek to judge with wisdom.

if you seek to act wisely.

فَلَو أَنَّ مِن حَتفِهِ ناجِياً

فَلَو أَنَّ مِن حَتفِهِ ناجِياً

لَأَلفَيتُهُ الصَدَعَ الأَعصَما

لَأَلفَيتُهُ الصَدَعَ الأَعصَما

For if any creature could escape its death,

For if anyone could escape his death,

the sturdy, white-legged ibex would have done so:

I would surely have found him to be the young, white-legged ibex.

بِإِسبيلَ أَلقَت بِهِ أَمُّهُ

بِإِسبيلَ أَلقَت بِهِ أَمُّهُ

عَلى رَأَسِ ذي حُبكَ أَيهَما

عَلى رَأَسِ ذي حُبكَ أَيهَما

on Mount Isbīl his mother bore him,

At Isbil his mother bore him

upon a pathless summit of interwoven ridges.

on the summit of a ridged, unscalable mountain.

إِذا شاءَ طالَعَ مَسجورَةٍ

إِذا شاءَ طالَعَ مَسجورَةٍ

تَرى حَولَها النَبعَ وَالساسَما

تَرى حَولَها النَبعَ وَالساسَما

Whenever he wished, he climbed above a brimming pool;

Whenever he wished, he visited a brimming pool,

around it, bow-wood and sāsam trees were seen.

around which you see nabʿ and sasam trees.

يَكونُ لِأَعدائِهِ مَجهَلاً

يَكونُ لِأَعدائِهِ مَجهَلاً

مَضَلّاً وَكانَت لَهُ مَعلَما

مَضَلّاً وَكانَت لَهُ مَعلَما

To his enemies it was an unknown place,

To his enemies it is unknown ground,

a maze; but to him, a familiar landmark.

a place to lose their way, though to him it was a landmark.

سَقَتها الرَواعِدُ مِن صَيّفٍ

سَقَتها الرَواعِدُ مِن صَيّفٍ

وَإِن مِن خَريفٍ فَلَن يَعدَما

وَإِن مِن خَريفٍ فَلَن يَعدَما

Summer thunderclouds watered it,

Thunderclouds watered it with summer rain,

nor would it ever lack autumn rain.

and if it came in autumn, he would never lack it.

أَتاحَ لَهُ الدَهرُ ذا وَفضَةٍ

أَتاحَ لَهُ الدَهرُ ذا وَفضَةٍ

يُقَلِّبُ في كَفِّهِ أَسهُما

يُقَلِّبُ في كَفِّهِ أَسهُما

Yet Time sent against him a man with a quiver,

Time set against him a man with a quiver,

turning arrows over in his palm.

turning arrows over in his palm.

فَراقِبهُ وَهوَ في قَترَةٍ

فَراقِبهُ وَهوَ في قَترَةٍ

وَكانَ يَرهَبُ أَن يَكلَما

وَكانَ يَرهَبُ أَن يَكلَما

He watched him from inside a hunter’s blind,

So watch him while he is in a hunting blind,

afraid lest he merely wound him.

and he feared merely wounding his quarry.

فَأَرسَلَ سَهماً لَهُ أَهزَعاً

فَأَرسَلَ سَهماً لَهُ أَهزَعاً

فَشَكَّ نَواهِقَهُ وَالفَما

فَشَكَّ نَواهِقَهُ وَالفَما

Then he shot at him a hurtling arrow,

Then he loosed at him a last remaining arrow,

which transfixed his throat-bones and mouth,

and pierced his muzzle-bones and mouth.

فَريغُ الغِرارُ عَلى قَدرِهِ

فَريغُ الغِرارُ عَلى قَدرِهِ

وَما كانَ يَرهَبُ أَن يُكلَما

وَما كانَ يَرهَبُ أَن يُكلَما

wide-bladed and proportioned to his size;

Broad was its cutting edge, fitted to his size,

yet he had never feared that he might be wounded.

though the ibex had not feared being wounded.

فَظَلَّ يَشِبُّ كَأَنَّ الوَلو

فَظَلَّ يَشِبُّ كَأَنَّ الوَلو

عَ كانَ بِصِحَّتِهِ مُغرَما

عَ كانَ بِصِحَّتِهِ مُغرَما

He kept springing up, as though ardent longing

He kept rearing, as though Death

were enamored of his robust health.

were enamored of his sound health.

أَتى حِصنَهُ ما أَتى تُبَّعاً

أَتى حِصنَهُ ما أَتى تُبَّعاً

وَأَبرَهَةَ المَلِكَ الأَعظَما

وَأَبرَهَةَ المَلِكَ الأَعظَما

His fastness met what had befallen Tubbaʿ

His stronghold met the fate that befell Tubbaʿ

and Abraha, the mightiest king.

and Abraha, the mightiest king.

لُقَيمُ بنُ لُقمانَ مِن اِختِهِ

لُقَيمُ بنُ لُقمانَ مِن اِختِهِ

فَكانَ اِبنُ أُختٍ لَهُ وَاِبنَما

فَكانَ اِبنُ أُختٍ لَهُ وَاِبنَما

Luqaym son of Luqman was born of Luqman’s sister,

Luqaym was Luqman's son by his sister,

and so was both his sister’s son and his son.

so he was both Luqman's nephew and his son.

لَيالي حُمَّقٍ فَاِستُحصِنَت

لَيالي حُمَّقٍ فَاِستُحصِنَت

إِلَيهِ فَغُرَّ بِها مُظلِما

إِلَيهِ فَغُرَّ بِها مُظلِما

In nights of folly she had sought his protection,

In nights of folly she was sheltered

and, in darkness, he was beguiled by her.

with him; he was deceived by her in the dark.

فَأَحبَلَها رَجلٌ نابَهُ

فَأَحبَلَها رَجلٌ نابَهُ

فَجاءَت بِهِ رَجُلاً مُحكَما

فَجاءَت بِهِ رَجُلاً مُحكَما

Thus he begot in her a man who would succeed him,

So a distinguished man made her pregnant,

and she bore him a man of consummate judgment.

and she bore him, a man of sound judgment.