وَتينَةٍ غَضَّةِ الأَفنانِ باسِقَةٍ

وَتينَةٍ غَضَّةِ الأَفنانِ باسِقَةٍ

قالَت لِأَترابِها وَالصَيفُ يَحتَضِرُ

قالَت لِأَترابِها وَالصَيفُ يَحتَضِرُ

And a fig tree, tender-boughed and tall,

A lofty palm tree with tender foliage

And a fig tree, tender of branch and lofty in stature,

Said to her peers as summer lay dying:

Said to her companions as summer was ending

Spoke to her companions as the summer was drawing to its close:

بِئسَ القَضاءُ الَّذي في الأَرضِ أَوجَدَني

بِئسَ القَضاءُ الَّذي في الأَرضِ أَوجَدَني

عِندي الجَمال وَغَيري عِندَهُ النَظَرُ

عِندي الجَمال وَغَيري عِندَهُ النَظَرُ

“Wretched is the decree that brought me into being on earth!

How wretched is the fate that brought me into being on this earth

"Wretched is the decree that brought me into existence on this earth;

I have beauty, while others have sight.

I have beauty while others have the gaze

I possess the beauty, while others possess the pleasure of looking.

لَأَحبِسَنَّ عَلى نَفسي عَوارِفَها

لَأَحبِسَنَّ عَلى نَفسي عَوارِفَها

فَلا يَبينُ لَها في غَيرِها أَثَرُ

فَلا يَبينُ لَها في غَيرِها أَثَرُ

I shall surely keep my bounties to myself,

I will withhold my charms from myself

I will surely withhold my rich favors for myself alone,

So no trace of them appears in anyone else.

So no trace of me shows in another

So that no trace of them shall be seen by any other.

كَم ذا أُكَلِّفُ نَفسي فَوقَ طاقَتِها

كَم ذا أُكَلِّفُ نَفسي فَوقَ طاقَتِها

وَلَيسَ لي بَل لِغَيري الفَيء وَالثَمَرُ

وَلَيسَ لي بَل لِغَيري الفَيء وَالثَمَرُ

How long must I burden myself beyond my strength,

How much do I task myself beyond my capacity

How much must I burden myself beyond my capacity,

While the shade and fruit belong not to me, but to others?

While the profit and fruit belong not to me but to another

When neither the shade nor the fruit is for me, but for others?

لِذي الجَناح وَذي الأَظفارِ بي وَطَرٌ

لِذي الجَناح وَذي الأَظفارِ بي وَطَرٌ

وَلَيسَ في العَيشِ لي فيما أَرى وَطَرُ

وَلَيسَ في العَيشِ لي فيما أَرى وَطَرُ

The winged and the clawed have need of me,

The winged and clawed have access to me

The winged ones and the clawed ones have a desire for me,

Yet, as I see it, I have no purpose in life.

Yet in life I see for myself no access

Yet in this life, I see no desire fulfilled for myself.

إِنّي مُفَصِلَةٌ ظِلّي عَلى جَسَدي

إِنّي مُفَصِلَةٌ ظِلّي عَلى جَسَدي

فَلا يَكونُ بِهِ طول وَلا قِصَرُ

فَلا يَكونُ بِهِ طول وَلا قِصَرُ

I shall tailor my shadow to fit my body,

I am but a shadow split off from my body

I am tailoring my shadow to fit exactly over my body,

So it is neither too long nor too short.

Having neither length nor shortness with it

So there shall be no extra length to it, nor shortness.

وَلَستُ مُثمِرَةً إِلّا عَلى ثِقَةٍ

وَلَستُ مُثمِرَةً إِلّا عَلى ثِقَةٍ

إِن لَيسَ يَطرُقُني طَير وَلا بَشَرُ

إِن لَيسَ يَطرُقُني طَير وَلا بَشَرُ

And I shall bear fruit only with assurance,

And I only bear fruit based on a supposition

And I will not bear fruit unless I am certain

Provided no bird or human comes calling on me.”

That no bird or mortal can reach me

That neither bird nor human will approach me."

عادَ الرَبيعُ إِلى الدُنيا بِمَوكِبِهِ

عادَ الرَبيعُ إِلى الدُنيا بِمَوكِبِهِ

فَاِزَّينَت وَاِكتَسَت بِالسُندُس وَالشَجَرُ

فَاِزَّينَت وَاِكتَسَت بِالسُندُس وَالشَجَرُ

Spring returned to the world with his procession,

Spring has returned to the world with its procession

Spring returned to the world with its grand procession,

So it adorned itself and donned fine silk, as did the trees.

So it has adorned itself with silk and trees

And the trees adorned and clothed themselves in green silk.

وَظَلَّتِ التينَةُ الحَمقاءُ عارِيَةً

وَظَلَّتِ التينَةُ الحَمقاءُ عارِيَةً

كَأَنَّها وَتَدٌ في الأَرضِ أَو حَجَرُ

كَأَنَّها وَتَدٌ في الأَرضِ أَو حَجَرُ

Yet the foolish fig tree remained bare,

While the foolish palm tree remained bare

But the foolish fig tree remained stark naked,

As though she were a stake in the ground, or a stone.

As if she were a peg in the ground or a stone

As though she were a stake driven into the ground, or a stone.

وَلَم يُطِق صاحِبُ البُستانِ رُؤيَتَها

وَلَم يُطِق صاحِبُ البُستانِ رُؤيَتَها

فَاِجتَثَّها فَهَوَت في النارِ تَستَعِرُ

فَاِجتَثَّها فَهَوَت في النارِ تَستَعِرُ

And the orchard’s owner could not bear to see her,

The owner of the orchard could not bear the sight of her

The master of the orchard could not bear the sight of her,

So he uprooted her; then she fell into the fire, blazing.

So he uprooted her and she fell into the fire, aflame

So he uprooted her, and she fell into the fire, blazing.

مَن لَيسَ يَسخو بِما تَسخو الحَياةُ بِهِ

مَن لَيسَ يَسخو بِما تَسخو الحَياةُ بِهِ

فَإِنَّهُ أَحمَقٌ بِالحِرصِ يَنتَحِرُ

فَإِنَّهُ أَحمَقٌ بِالحِرصِ يَنتَحِرُ

Whoever is not generous with what life freely gives,

Whoever does not give freely as life gives

Whoever is not generous with what life has generously given,

Is indeed a fool who kills himself through avarice.

Is foolish in greed to destroy himself

Is a fool who, through greed, brings about his own destruction.