أَلاLo بَكَرَتshe came early تَلومُreproaching بِغَيرِwithout قَدرِrestraint
أَلا بَكَرَت تَلومُ بِغَيرِ قَدرِ
فَقَدfor indeed أَحفَيتِنيyou have wearied me وَدَخَلتِand you entered سِتريmy veil
فَقَد أَحفَيتِني وَدَخَلتِ سِتري
Lo, she came early, reproaching without restraint.
Alas! Why do you blame me undeservedly?
For you have worn me out and intruded behind my veil.
You have wronged me and pierced my veil.
فَإِنso if لَمdo not تَترُكيyou cease عَذليreproaching me سَفاهاًfoolishly
فَإِن لَم تَترُكي عَذلي سَفاهاً
تَلُمكِwill reproach you عَلَيَّon my account نَفسُكِyour own soul أَيَّany عَصرِtime
تَلُمكِ عَلَيَّ نَفسُكِ أَيَّ عَصرِ
So if you do not stop foolishly reproaching me,
If you do not stop rebuking me foolishly,
your own soul will one day reproach you on my account.
Your own soul will blame you in time.
أَسَرَّكِwould it please you أَنthat يَكونَshould be الدَهرُTime سَدّىunchecked
أَسَرَّكِ أَن يَكونَ الدَهرُ سَدّى
عَلَيَّupon me بِشَرِّهِwith its evil يَغدوit comes in the morning وَيَسريand travels by night
عَلَيَّ بِشَرِّهِ يَغدو وَيَسري
Would it please you that Time should be unchecked,
It pleases you that fate remains
coming upon me with its evil morning and night?
Set against me with its ills, night and day.
وَإِنand if لاnot تُرزَئيyou suffer the loss of نَفساًa life وَمالاًand wealth
وَإِن لا تُرزَئي نَفساً وَمالاً
يَضُرُّكِwould hurt you هُلكُهُits destruction فيduring طولِthe length of عُمريmy life
يَضُرُّكِ هُلكُهُ في طولِ عُمري
And if you expect no loss of life or wealth
If you do not care for yourself or wealth,
whose ruin would hurt you for as long as I live,
Its loss will harm you through my long life.
لَقَدindeed كَذَبَتكِhas lied to you نَفسُكِyour own soul فَاِكذِبيهاso give it the lie
لَقَد كَذَبَتكِ نَفسُكِ فَاِكذِبيها
فَإِنso whether جَزَعاًanguish وَإِنor whether إِجمالَgracefulness of صَبرِpatience
فَإِن جَزَعاً وَإِن إِجمالَ صَبرِ
your soul has indeed lied to you—so give it the lie.
Your own soul has lied to you, so lie to it,
Then either anguish or graceful patience.
Whether with stoicism or feigned patience.
فَإِنَّfor indeed الرُزءَthe calamity يَومَon the day وَقَفتُI stood أَدعوcalling
فَإِنَّ الرُزءَ يَومَ وَقَفتُ أَدعو
فَلَمand did not يَسمَعhear مُعاوِيَةُMuawiya بنُson of عَمروِAmr
فَلَم يَسمَع مُعاوِيَةُ بنُ عَمروِ
For the calamity was when I stood calling,
For I was shamed when I stood pleading
and Muawiya ibn Amr did not hear.
And Muawiya ibn ‘Amr did not hear me.
رَأَيتُI saw مَكانَهُhis place فَعَطَفتُso I turned aside زَوراًto visit
رَأَيتُ مَكانَهُ فَعَطَفتُ زَوراً
وَأَيُّand what مَكانِa place for زَورٍa visit ياO اِبنَson of بَكرِBakr
وَأَيُّ مَكانِ زَورٍ يا اِبنَ بَكرِ
I saw his resting-place and turned aside to visit—
I saw where he had been and turned aside,
and what a place to visit, O son of Bakr!
What place to turn aside to, O son of Bakr!
عَلىupon إِرَمٍa cairn وَأَحجارٍand stones وَصيرٍand an enclosure
عَلى إِرَمٍ وَأَحجارٍ وَصيرٍ
وَأَغصانٍand branches مِنَfrom السَلَماتِthe salam acacias سُمرِdark brown
وَأَغصانٍ مِنَ السَلَماتِ سُمرِ
Upon a cairn, stones, and an enclosure,
To a barren waste of stones and brush
and dark-brown branches of salam acacias.
And branches of oleander, somber,
وَبُنيانُand the structures القُبورِof the graves أَتىhas passed عَلَيهاover them
وَبُنيانُ القُبورِ أَتى عَلَيها
طَوالُlong stretches الدَهرِof time مِنof سَنَةٍa year وَشَهرِand a month
طَوالُ الدَهرِ مِن سَنَةٍ وَشَهرِ
And over the structures of graves have passed
While the structure of the tombs there
long stretches of time, year and month.
Had wasted with the years and months.
وَلَوand if أَسمَعتَهُyou had made him hear لَأَتىhe would have come حِثيثاًin haste
وَلَو أَسمَعتَهُ لَأَتى حِثيثاً
سَريعَswift السَعيِthe movement أَوor لَأَتاكَhe would have come to you يَجريrunning
سَريعَ السَعيِ أَو لَأَتاكَ يَجري
And had you made him hear, he would have come in haste,
Had you heard me, you would have come hastening,
swift in his stride, or come running to you,
Running swiftly or rushing to me.
بِشِكَّةِwith the war-gear of حازِمٍa resolute man لاno عَيبَfault فيهِin him
بِشِكَّةِ حازِمٍ لا عَيبَ فيهِ
إِذاwhen لَبِسَput on الكُماةُthe armored warriors جُلودَskins of نَمرِa leopard
إِذا لَبِسَ الكُماةُ جُلودَ نَمرِ
bearing the arms of a resolute man without fault,
With the firm step of one without fault,
when the armored warriors don leopard skins.
When warriors don leopard skins.
فَإِمّاso if تُمسِyou pass the evening فيin جَدَثٍa grave مُقيماًdwelling
فَإِمّا تُمسِ في جَدَثٍ مُقيماً
بِمَسهَكَةٍin a wind-scoured place مِنَby الأَرواحِthe winds قَفرِdesolate
بِمَسهَكَةٍ مِنَ الأَرواحِ قَفرِ
So if you pass the evening dwelling in a grave,
Now you lie in a burrow serenely,
in a desolate place scoured by the winds,
Inhabited by spirits of the wastes.
فَرُبَّتَyet many a غارَةٍraid أَوضَعتَyou sped فيهاin it
فَرُبَّتَ غارَةٍ أَوضَعتَ فيها
كَسَحِّlike the pouring out of الهاجِريthe man from Hajar جَرَيمَharvested fruit تَمرِdates
كَسَحِّ الهاجِري جَرَيمَ تَمرِ
yet you sped through many a raid,
Many a night raid have you led
like a man of Hajar pouring out harvested dates.
Like the creeping of a hyena at date stones.
وَعَزَّand was grievous عَلَيَّto me هُلكُكَyour death ياO بنَson of عَمروٍAmr
وَعَزَّ عَلَيَّ هُلكُكَ يا بنَ عَمروٍ
وَماand not ليI have عَنكَapart from you مِنany عَزمٍfortitude وَصَبرِand patience
وَما لي عَنكَ مِن عَزمٍ وَصَبرِ
And your death weighed heavily on me, O son of Amr,
And your death was hard for me, O son of ‘Amr!
and without you I have neither fortitude nor patience.
I have no firmness or patience for it.
Sol 6.1