إِذاwhenever شِئتُI wish هاجَتنيstirred me دِيارٌdwellings مُحيلَةٌdesolate
إِذا شِئتُ هاجَتني دِيارٌ مُحيلَةٌ
وَمَربِطُand a tethering-place أَفلاءٍfoals أَمامَbefore خِيامِtents
وَمَربِطُ أَفلاءٍ أَمامَ خِيامِ
Whenever I wish, desolate dwellings stir my longing,
When I wish, a land of exile stirs me,
and a tethering-place for foals before the tents,
And a meadow of antelopes before tents.
بِحَيثُat the place where تَلاقىmet الدَوُّthe desert plain وَالحَمضُand saltwort هاجَتاthe two stirred up
بِحَيثُ تَلاقى الدَوُّ وَالحَمضُ هاجَتا
لِعَينَيَّfor my eyes أَغراباًlarge buckets ذَواتَpossessing سِجامِcopious flow
لِعَينَيَّ أَغراباً ذَواتَ سِجامِ
where the desert plain and saltwort meet; they stir
Where bitterness and acid meet raging,
great buckets of streaming tears in my eyes.
Strangers appear before my eyes, possessing swords.
فَلَمso did not يَبقَremain مِنهاof them غَيرُother than أَثلَمَbreached خاشِعٍsunken
فَلَم يَبقَ مِنها غَيرُ أَثلَمَ خاشِعٍ
وَغَيرُand other than ثَلاثٍthree hearthstones لِلرَمادِto the ashes رِئامِtenderly tending
وَغَيرُ ثَلاثٍ لِلرَمادِ رِئامِ
Nothing of them remained but a breached, sunken trench,
Of it remains only a submissive dark cloud,
and three hearthstones, tenderly nursing the ashes.
And three for the ashes of coals spitting.
أَلَمdid ... not? تَرَنيyou see me عاهَدتُI made a covenant with رَبّيmy Lord وَإِنَّنيwhile indeed I
أَلَم تَرَني عاهَدتُ رَبّي وَإِنَّني
لَبَينَsurely between رِتاجٍa great gate قائِمٌstanding وَمَقامِand the Station
لَبَينَ رِتاجٍ قائِمٌ وَمَقامِ
Have you not seen me pledge myself to my Lord, while I
Did you not see me make a pact with my Lord while
stood between the great gate and the Station,
I stand between a saddle and stop?
عَلىupon قَسَمٍan oath لاnot أَشتُمُI revile الدَهرَever مُسلِماًa Muslim
عَلى قَسَمٍ لا أَشتُمُ الدَهرَ مُسلِماً
وَلاand not خارِجاًcoming out مِنfrom فِيَّmy mouth سوءَevil كَلامِspeech
وَلا خارِجاً مِن فِيَّ سوءَ كَلامِ
under oath never to revile a Muslim,
On an oath not to insult fate while Muslim
nor let foul speech issue from my mouth?
Nor utter from within me an evil word.
أَلَمdid ... not? تَرَنيyou see me وَالشِعرَand poetry أَصبَحَhas now come to be بَينَناbetween us
أَلَم تَرَني وَالشِعرَ أَصبَحَ بَينَنا
دُروءٌbarriers مِنَfrom الإِسلامِIslam ذاتُpossessing حُوامِencircling protection
دُروءٌ مِنَ الإِسلامِ ذاتُ حُوامِ
Have you not seen how, between me and poetry, there now stand
Did you not see me - poetry has set between us
barriers of Islam, guarding me all around?
A shield from Islam bearing crosses?
بِهِنَّthrough them شَفىhealed الرَحمَنُthe Merciful صَدريmy breast وَقَدand indeed جَلاdispelled
بِهِنَّ شَفى الرَحمَنُ صَدري وَقَد جَلا
عَشاdimness بَصَريmy sight مِنهُنَّfrom them ضَوءَlight ظَلامِdarkness
عَشا بَصَري مِنهُنَّ ضَوءَ ظَلامِ
Through them the Merciful healed my breast and has dispelled
With it the Merciful healed my chest though
the dimness of my sight with their light amid darkness.
My vision from it flowed light from darkness.
فَأَصبَحتُso I became أَسعىI strive فيin فَكاكِrelease قِلادَةٍa collar
فَأَصبَحتُ أَسعى في فَكاكِ قِلادَةٍ
رَهينَةِheld in pledge أَوزارٍburdens of sin عَلَيَّupon me عِظامِgreat
رَهينَةِ أَوزارٍ عَلَيَّ عِظامِ
So I began striving to free a collar,
I began to seek to unclasp a necklace
held in pledge for grievous burdens of sin upon me.
A hostage of burdens upon me bones.
أُحاذِرُI fear أَنthat أُدعىI am summoned وَحَوضيwhile my watering-pool مُحَلِّقٌdry
أُحاذِرُ أَن أُدعى وَحَوضي مُحَلِّقٌ
إِذاwhen كانَis يَومُthe day الوِردِcoming to water يَومَa day خِصامِdispute
إِذا كانَ يَومُ الوِردِ يَومَ خِصامِ
I fear being summoned while my watering-pool is dry,
I fear being called while my pool is suspended
when the day of coming to water is a day of dispute.
If the day of flowers were a day of dispute.
وَلَمand did not أَنتَهِI desist حَتّىuntil أَحاطَتsurrounded خَطِيئَتيmy sin
وَلَم أَنتَهِ حَتّى أَحاطَت خَطِيئَتي
وَرائيbehind me وَدَقَّتand grew frail لِلدُهورِwith the passing years عِظاميmy bones
وَرائي وَدَقَّت لِلدُهورِ عِظامي
And I did not desist until my sin had hemmed me in
I did not stop until my sins surrounded
from behind, and my bones grew frail with the years.
Me from behind and knocked on the doors of ages.
لَعَمريby my life لَنِعمَtruly excellent النِحيُthe butter-skin كانَit was لِقَومِهِfor his people
لَعَمري لَنِعمَ النِحيُ كانَ لِقَومِهِ
عَشِيَّةَthat evening غَبَّafter البَيعُthe sale نَحيُthe butter-skin of حُمامِHumam
عَشِيَّةَ غَبَّ البَيعُ نَحيُ حُمامِ
By my life, what a fine butter-skin it was for his people,
By my life - excellent was the inclination
that evening after the sale—Humam's butter-skin—
Of the man at evening the sale of pigeons.
بِتَوبَةِthrough the repentance of عَبدٍa servant قَدindeed أَنابَturned back in repentance فُؤادُهُhis heart
بِتَوبَةِ عَبدٍ قَد أَنابَ فُؤادُهُ
وَماand not كانَhe used to يُعطيhe gives الناسَthe people غَيرَanything but ظِلامِinjustices
وَما كانَ يُعطي الناسَ غَيرَ ظِلامِ
through the repentance of a servant whose heart had turned back,
With the repentance of a servant whose heart returned
and who had given people nothing but injustice.
Who did not give people anything but darkness.
أَطَعتُكَI obeyed you ياO إِبليسُIblis سَبعينَseventy حِجَّةًyears
أَطَعتُكَ يا إِبليسُ سَبعينَ حِجَّةً
فَلَمّاso when اِنتَهىreached its limit شَيبيmy gray hair وَتَمَّand was complete تَماميmy full span
فَلَمّا اِنتَهى شَيبي وَتَمَّ تَمامي
I obeyed you, O Iblis, for seventy years;
I obeyed you, O Devil, seventy arguments
so when my gray hair reached its limit and my full span was complete,
But when my old age ended and my time was complete
فَرَرتُI fled إِلىto رَبّيmy Lord وَأَيقَنتُand I became certain أَنَّنيthat I
فَرَرتُ إِلى رَبّي وَأَيقَنتُ أَنَّني
مُلاقٍdestined to meet لِأَيّامِin the days of المَنونَFate; death حِماميmy appointed death
مُلاقٍ لِأَيّامِ المَنونَ حِمامي
I fled to my Lord and became certain that I
I fled to my Lord and was certain that I
would meet my appointed death in the days of Fate.
Would meet the days of death's pigeon roost.
Sol 6.1