أَبعَيدَshortly after ...? الشّبابِyouth هَوىpassion وَصِباand youthful folly
أَبعَيدَ الشّبابِ هَوى وَصِبا
كلاcertainly not لاno لَهوَdiversion ولاnor لَعِباplay
كلا لا لَهوَ ولا لَعِبا
After youth—love and youthful ardor?
After youth—passion and youthful folly?
No indeed: no diversion and no play.
No indeed: no diversion and no play.
ذَرتِscattered السِّتونَsixty years بُرادَتَهاtheir filings
ذَرتِ السِّتونَ بُرادَتَها
فِيin مِسكِmusk عِذارَكِyour cheek-hair فاشتَهَبَاand it turned gray
فِي مِسكِ عِذارَكِ فاشتَهَبَا
Sixty has strewn its filings
Sixty years have scattered their filings
through the musk of your cheek-down, till it blazed white.
Into the musk of your cheek-hair, and it turned gray.
ياO نفسُsoul أحيَيlive on تَصِلِيyou will attain أمَلاًa hope
يا نفسُ أحيَي تَصِلِي أمَلاً
عيشيlive رَجَباًRajab تَرَيyou will see عَجَباa marvel
عيشي رَجَباً تَرَي عَجَبا
O soul, live on, that you may attain a hope;
O soul, live on: you will attain a hope.
live through Rajab, and you will see wonders.
Live through Rajab, and you will see a marvel.
فَخُذَنso set about فِيin شُكرِgiving thanks for الكَبرَةِold age مَاas long as
فَخُذَن فِي شُكرِ الكَبرَةِ مَا
جاءَcomes الإِصباحُdawn وَمَاand as long as ذَهَبَاit goes
جاءَ الإِصباحُ وَمَا ذَهَبَا
So take up, in gratitude for old age, all that
So give thanks for old age as long as
morning has brought, and all that has gone.
Dawn comes and goes.
فِيهاin it أحرَزتَyou gained مَعَارِفَknowledge of مَاwhat
فِيها أحرَزتَ مَعَارِفَ مَا
أبلَيتَyou wore out لِجِدّتِهِfor its newness الحِقَباlong ages
أبلَيتَ لِجِدّتِهِ الحِقَبا
In it you gained knowledge; for its freshness
In it you gained knowledge of what
you wore whole ages away.
You wore out long ages to renew.
وَالخمرُand wine إِذاwhen عُتِّقَتit is aged وَصَفَتand becomes clear
وَالخمرُ إِذا عُتِّقَت وَصَفَت
أغلَىmore valuable ثمَناًin price مِنهَاthan it عِنَبَاas grapes
أغلَى ثمَناً مِنهَا عِنَبَا
And wine, once aged and clarified,
And wine, once aged and clear,
is dearer in price than it was as grapes.
Is worth more than it was as grapes.
وَبَقيّةُand the remainder عُمرِlife المَرءِof a person لَهُfor him
وَبَقيّةُ عُمرِ المَرءِ لَهُ
إِنif كانَhe is بِهاin it طَبَّاًskilled دَرِباpracticed
إِن كانَ بِها طَبَّاً دَرِبا
What remains of a person's life is his,
And a person's remaining life is to his benefit,
if he knows how to use it and is well practiced:
If he is skilled and practiced in using it.
يَبنِيhe builds فِيهَاin it بإِنَابَتِهِthrough his repentance
يَبنِي فِيهَا بإِنَابَتِهِ
ماwhat هَدَّمَهُhe demolished أيامَduring the days of صِباyouth
ما هَدَّمَهُ أيامَ صِبا
within it, through repentance, he rebuilds
He rebuilds in it, through his repentance,
what the days of youth destroyed;
What he demolished in days of youth.
وَيُنَبّهُand he awakens عَينَan eye تُقىًof piety هَجَعَتthat slept
وَيُنَبّهُ عَينَ تُقىً هَجَعَت
وَيُعمِّرُand he restores بيتa house حِجىًof reason خرِباruined
وَيُعمِّرُ بيت حِجىً خرِبا
awakens an eye of piety that had slumbered,
And awakens an eye of piety that had slept,
and restores a ruined house of reason;
And restores a ruined house of reason.
ويُحَبُرand he finely crafts فيهاin it الشِّعرَpoetry علىin accordance with
ويُحَبُر فيها الشِّعرَ على
وَزنٍa meter هَزجيُدعَىlilting, called الخَبَباkhabab
وَزنٍ هَزجيُدعَى الخَبَبا
and in it he weaves poetry upon
And there he finely crafts poetry in
the measure of a chant called al-Khabab—
A lilting meter called khabab,
وَحشٍdesolate فيamong العُربِthe Arabs مَنازِلُهُits dwellings
وَحشٍ في العُربِ مَنازِلُهُ
مَجهولِunknown الأصلِin origin إذاwhen نُسِباits lineage is traced
مَجهولِ الأصلِ إذا نُسِبا
strange are its haunts among the Arabs,
Whose dwellings among the Arabs lie deserted,
its origin unknown whenever its lineage is traced;
Of unknown origin when its lineage is traced,
سَهلِeasy التَّقطِيعِscansion وَلَكِنbut لَمdid not
سَهلِ التَّقطِيعِ وَلَكِن لَم
يُنطقmake speak بَارِيكَyour Maker بِهِin it العَرَباthe Arabs
يُنطق بَارِيكَ بِهِ العَرَبا
easy to scan, and yet
Easy to scan, yet never did
its maker never caused the Arabs to utter it.
Your Maker make the Arabs speak in it.
نَكِرَتهُthey found it strange فَلَمso it did not يَضرِبdrive وَتِداًa tent-peg
نَكِرَتهُ فَلَم يَضرِب وَتِداً
فِيin الحَيِّthe tribal camp وَلَمand did not يَمدُدstretch سبَبَاa rope
فِي الحَيِّ وَلَم يَمدُد سبَبَا
They disowned it, so it struck no tent peg
They found it strange, so it drove no tent-peg
among the clan, nor stretched out a rope.
In the tribal camp, nor did it stretch a rope.
Sol 6.1