أُنشودَةٌa song فيin ضَميريmy inner self كَمhow often أُواريهاI conceal it
أُنشودَةٌ في ضَميري كَم أُواريها
وَماand not شِفائِيَmy cure إِلّاexcept أَنthat أُغَنّيهاI sing it
وَما شِفائِيَ إِلّا أَن أُغَنّيها
A song within me—how often I conceal it!
A song in my conscience, how I conceal it
There is a hymn within my conscience; how often I conceal it,
And my only cure is to sing it.
And my cure is only to sing it
Yet my only cure lies in singing it aloud.
وَلّىdeparted الشِتاءُwinter وَنَفسيand my soul فيin كَآبَتِهاher gloom
وَلّى الشِتاءُ وَنَفسي في كَآبَتِها
وَاِستَضحَكَand broke into laughter الصَيفُsummer إِلّاexcept فيin نَوحيهاher recesses (apparently intended)
وَاِستَضحَكَ الصَيفُ إِلّا في نَوحيها
Winter has passed, yet my soul remains in her gloom;
Winter has passed and my soul in its gloom
Winter has departed, while my soul remains in its gloom,
And summer broke into laughter, except in her recesses.
Summer has laughed except in its weeping
And summer has laughed, everywhere but in my soul's wailing grounds.
كَأَنَّهاas though she were زَهرَةٌa flower فيin الظِلِّthe shade نابِتَةٌgrowing
كَأَنَّها زَهرَةٌ في الظِلِّ نابِتَةٌ
لاno نورَlight يَغمُرُهاfloods her لاno ماءَwater يَسقيهاwaters her
لا نورَ يَغمُرُها لا ماءَ يَسقيها
As though she were a flower growing in the shade,
It's as if it's a flower in the shade growing
As though it were a flower sprouting in the shadows,
No light bathes her, no water gives her drink.
No light inundates it, no water waters it
No light floods over it, no water quenches its thirst.
كَأَنَّهاas though she were الحَربُwar فيin قَلبيmy heart زَلازِلُهاits earthquakes
كَأَنَّها الحَربُ في قَلبي زَلازِلُها
وَبَعضُand some أَهلِيَmy kin أَقوامٌpeoples تُعانيهاsuffer it
وَبَعضُ أَهلِيَ أَقوامٌ تُعانيها
As though she were war, its earthquakes in my heart,
It's as if it's the war in my heart, its quakes
As though it is war—its earthquakes shaking my heart,
And some of my kin are peoples suffering it.
And some of my family are folks who endure it
While some of my own kin are people suffering its toll.
حِكايَةٌa tale أَتَقَلّىI writhe in anguish حينَwhen أَسمَعُهاI hear it
حِكايَةٌ أَتَقَلّى حينَ أَسمَعُها
وَيَأكُلُand devours الحُزنُsorrow قَلبيmy heart حينَwhen أَرويهاI recount it
وَيَأكُلُ الحُزنُ قَلبي حينَ أَرويها
A tale—I writhe in anguish when I hear it,
A tale I waver when I hear it
It is a tale over which I writhe in pain when I hear it,
And sorrow devours my heart when I recount it.
And sorrow eats my heart when I recount it
And grief consumes my heart whenever I narrate it.
وارَحمَتاهُoh, pity! لِأُرُبّاfor Europe فَماfor never فَتَكَتsavaged
وارَحمَتاهُ لِأُرُبّا فَما فَتَكَت
أَفعىa viper بِأَفعىagainst a viper كَأَهليهاas her people بِأَهليهاagainst her people
أَفعى بِأَفعى كَأَهليها بِأَهليها
Alas for Europe! Never has
And His compassion to Urubba, it did not destroy
Oh, what pity for Europe! For never has a viper slaughtered
One viper savaged another as her people have savaged one another.
A viper with a viper like its people with its people
Another viper, the way its people have slaughtered one another.
لَمnot يَبقَremain غَيرُother than الضَواريbeasts of prey فيamong خَلائِقِهاher creatures
لَم يَبقَ غَيرُ الضَواري في خَلائِقِها
وَمِنand of حَضارَتِهاher civilization إِلّاexcept مَخازيهاher disgraces
وَمِن حَضارَتِها إِلّا مَخازيها
Nothing remains among her creatures but beasts of prey,
Nothing remained but the beasts among its creatures
Nothing remains in its nature but predatory beasts,
And of her civilization, only its disgraces.
And of its civilization except its privies
And nothing of its civilization but its shameful disgraces.
كانَتshe was تَعُدُّprepares (contextual reading) الدَواهيcalamities فيin مَصانِعِهاher factories
كانَت تَعُدُّ الدَواهي في مَصانِعِها
لِغَيرِهاfor others فَأَصابَتهاthen struck her دَواهيهاher calamities
لِغَيرِها فَأَصابَتها دَواهيها
She was preparing calamities in her factories
It used to count plots in its factories
It used to prepare calamities within its factories,
For others; then her own calamities struck her.
For others, so its plots befell it
Intended for others, yet its own calamities struck it down.
وَكُلُّand every طابِخِone who cooks سُمٍّpoison سَوفَwill يَأكُلُهُeat it
وَكُلُّ طابِخِ سُمٍّ سَوفَ يَأكُلُهُ
وَكُلُّand every حافِرِone who digs بِئرٍa well واقِعٌfalling فيهاinto it
وَكُلُّ حافِرِ بِئرٍ واقِعٌ فيها
And everyone who cooks poison will eat it,
And every cook of poison will eat it
For every cook who brews poison shall eventually eat of it,
And everyone who digs a well will fall into it.
And every digger of a well will fall in it
And every digger of a pit is bound to fall inside.
لَوif دامَhad endured إيمانُهاher faith لَمwould not تَنطَلِقbreak loose سَقَرٌSaqar (Hell)
لَو دامَ إيمانُها لَم تَنطَلِق سَقَرٌ
بِدورِهاin her homes وَالأَفاعيand vipers فيin مَغانيهاher dwellings
بِدورِها وَالأَفاعي في مَغانيها
Had her faith endured, Saqar would not have broken loose
Had its faith endured, Hellfire would not have blazed
Had its faith endured, Hellfire would not have erupted
In her homes, nor vipers in her dwellings.
With its homes and snakes in its burrows
Within its homes, nor would serpents dwell in its abodes.
لَكِنbut أَكَبَّتshe bent over عَلىupon الآلاتِthe machines تَعبُدَهاworshipping them
لَكِن أَكَبَّت عَلى الآلاتِ تَعبُدَها
وَتَستَعينُand seeking help بِهاthrough them مِنfrom دونِapart from باريهاher Maker
وَتَستَعينُ بِها مِن دونِ باريها
But she bent over machines, worshipping them,
But it bent to machines, worshipping them
But it bent itself over machines, worshipping them,
And seeking their help instead of her Maker.
And seeking help through them besides its Creator
Seeking their aid instead of the aid of its Creator.
فَصارَthus became مالِكُهاtheir owner عَبداًa slave لِسُلطَتِهاto their power
فَصارَ مالِكُها عَبداً لِسُلطَتِها
وَصارَand became كُلُّevery ضَعيفٍweak person مِنamong أَضاحيهاtheir sacrificial victims
وَصارَ كُلُّ ضَعيفٍ مِن أَضاحيها
Thus their owner became a slave to their power,
So its owner became a slave to its authority
So its master became a slave to their authority,
And every weak person became one of their sacrificial victims.
And every weak one became one of its victims
And every weak person became one of their sacrifices.
وَصارَand became إِنسانُهاher people لِلحَلبِfor milking آوينَةًat times (apparently intended)
وَصارَ إِنسانُها لِلحَلبِ آوينَةً
وَالذَبحِand slaughter مِثلَlike المَواشيlivestock فيin مَراعيهاtheir pastures
وَالذَبحِ مِثلَ المَواشي في مَراعيها
And her people came to be milked at times,
And its human became for milking a bucket
Its humanity became merely for milking at times,
And slaughtered, like livestock in their pastures.
And slaughter like livestock in its pastures
And for slaughter at others, like cattle in their pastures.
ياO نَفسُsoul سُرّيrejoice وَياand O أُنشودَتيmy song اِنطَلِقيgo forth
يا نَفسُ سُرّي وَيا أُنشودَتي اِنطَلِقي
مَنwho عَلَّمَtaught الصَمتَsilence إِنَّindeed الصَمتَsilence يُؤذيهاharms her
مَن عَلَّمَ الصَمتَ إِنَّ الصَمتَ يُؤذيها
O soul, rejoice; O my song, go forth!
Oh self, walk softly, and oh my song, set forth
Oh soul, rejoice, and oh my song, break free!
Who taught her silence? Indeed, silence harms her.
Who taught silence? Silence hurts it
Who taught you silence? For truly, silence causes harm.
أَيُشرِقُdoes it shine? الأُفقُthe horizon لَمnot يُطلِعbring forth كَواكِبَهُits stars
أَيُشرِقُ الأُفقُ لَم يُطلِع كَواكِبَهُ
وَتَجمُلُand grows beautiful الأَرضُthe earth لَمnot تُخرِجbring forth أَقاحيهاits daisies
وَتَجمُلُ الأَرضُ لَم تُخرِج أَقاحيها
Can the horizon shine without bringing forth its stars?
Does the horizon shine without its planets arising?
Does the horizon shine if it does not reveal its stars?
And can the earth be beautiful without bringing forth its daisies?
And the earth beautify without producing its blooms?
Does the earth turn beautiful if it does not bring forth its daisies?
اليَومَtoday يَومُthe day القَوافيrhymes تَهتُفينَyou sing aloud بِهاwith them
اليَومَ يَومُ القَوافي تَهتُفينَ بِها
لاnot يَشرَبُdrink الناسُpeople خَمراًwine لَمnot تَصُبّيهاyou have poured it
لا يَشرَبُ الناسُ خَمراً لَم تَصُبّيها
Today is the day of rhymes; you sing them aloud.
Today is the day of rhymes, chanting them
Today is the day of rhymes for you to chant aloud;
People drink no wine that you have not poured.
People don't drink wine unless you pour it
People drink no wine that you have not poured out for them.
هَذاthis هُوَit is العيدُthe festival قَدalready لاحَتhave appeared مَواكِبُهُits processions
هَذا هُوَ العيدُ قَد لاحَت مَواكِبُهُ
ياO قَلبُheart هَلِّلcheer لَهاfor them ياO شِعرُpoetry حَيِّهاgreet them
يا قَلبُ هَلِّل لَها يا شِعرُ حَيِّها
This is the festival; its processions have come into view.
This is the feast, its processions have appeared
This is the festival; its processions have now appeared,
O heart, cheer for them; O poetry, greet them!
Oh heart, rejoice for it, oh poetry, cheer it
Oh heart, cheer for them! Oh poetry, bid them welcome!
Sol 6.1