لاهُمَّO God إِنَّindeed الغَربَthe West أَصبَحَhas become شُعلَةًa flame
لاهُمَّ إِنَّ الغَربَ أَصبَحَ شُعلَةً
مِنfrom هَولِهاits terror أُمُّthe mother of الصَواعِقِthe thunderbolts تَفرَقُtrembles
مِن هَولِها أُمُّ الصَواعِقِ تَفرَقُ
O God, the West has indeed become a flame,
Alas! The West has become a raging flame,
Before whose terror the mother of thunderbolts trembles.
At the terror of which the mother of lightning bolts scatters.
العِلمُscience يُذكيstokes نارَهاits fire وَتُثيرُهاand stirs it
العِلمُ يُذكي نارَها وَتُثيرُها
مَدَنِيَّةٌa civilization خَرقاءُreckless لاnot تَتَرَفَّقُacts gently
مَدَنِيَّةٌ خَرقاءُ لا تَتَرَفَّقُ
Science stokes its fire, and it is fanned
Science fans its fire and inflames it;
By a reckless civilization that shows no gentleness.
A ragged civilization shows no mercy.
وَلَقَدand indeed حَسِبتُI had thought العِلمَscience فيناamong us نِعمَةًa blessing
وَلَقَد حَسِبتُ العِلمَ فينا نِعمَةً
تَأسوheals الضَعيفَthe weak وَرَحمَةًand a mercy تَتَدَفَّقُpours forth
تَأسو الضَعيفَ وَرَحمَةً تَتَدَفَّقُ
And indeed I had thought science among us a blessing
I had thought science for us a blessing -
That heals the weak, and a mercy pouring forth.
It would help the weak and be a flowing mercy.
فَإِذاthen behold بِنِعمَتِهِwith its blessing بَلاءٌan affliction مُرهِقٌcrushing
فَإِذا بِنِعمَتِهِ بَلاءٌ مُرهِقٌ
وَإِذاand behold بِرَحمَتِهِwith its mercy قَضاءٌa doom مُطبِقُall-encompassing
وَإِذا بِرَحمَتِهِ قَضاءٌ مُطبِقُ
Yet behold, its blessing is a crushing affliction,
But lo! its blessing has become an ordeal,
And behold, its mercy an all-encompassing doom.
And lo! its mercy has become a crushing fate.
عَجِزَproved powerless الرُماةُthe marksmen عَنِagainst الرُماةِthe marksmen فَأَرسَلواso they sent
عَجِزَ الرُماةُ عَنِ الرُماةِ فَأَرسَلوا
كِسَفاًmasses يَموجُbillows بِهاamid them دُخانٌsmoke يَخنُقُthat chokes
كِسَفاً يَموجُ بِها دُخانٌ يَخنُقُ
The marksmen proved powerless against the marksmen, so they sent
The archers, baffled by the archers, unleashed
Masses amid which choking smoke billows.
A fog through which suffocating smoke undulates.
تَتَعَوَّذُseek refuge الآفاقُthe horizons مِنهُfrom it وَتَنثَنيand recoil
تَتَعَوَّذُ الآفاقُ مِنهُ وَتَنثَني
عَنهُfrom it الرِياحُthe winds وَيَتَّقيهِand guards against it الفَيلَقُthe army
عَنهُ الرِياحُ وَيَتَّقيهِ الفَيلَقُ
The horizons seek refuge from it, and recoiling
The horizons recoil from it, the winds avoid it,
From it are the winds, and the army guards against it.
And the cavalry flees from it in terror.
وَتَنابَلواand they exchanged arrows بِالكيمِياءِwith chemistry فَأَسرَفواso they went to excess
وَتَنابَلوا بِالكيمِياءِ فَأَسرَفوا
وَتَساجَلواand they vied with one another بِالكَهرُباءِwith electricity فَأَغرَقواso they went to extremes
وَتَساجَلوا بِالكَهرُباءِ فَأَغرَقوا
And they traded arrows with chemistry, going to excess;
They have gone too far with chemistry, so they exceeded;
And they competed using electricity, going to extremes.
They have competed with electricity, so they drowned.
وَتَنازَلواand they battled one another فيin الجَوِّthe air حينَwhen بَداit appeared لَهُمto them
وَتَنازَلوا في الجَوِّ حينَ بَدا لَهُم
أَنَّthat البَسيطَةَthe earth عَنrelative to مَداهُمtheir reach أَضيَقُnarrower
أَنَّ البَسيطَةَ عَن مَداهُم أَضيَقُ
And they battled one another in the air, when it seemed to them
They descended in the sky when it seemed to them
That the earth was too narrow for their reach.
That the earth's expanse was too confining.
نَفِسواthey begrudged عَلىto الحيتانِthe whales واسِعَthe vastness of مُلكِهاtheir dominion
نَفِسوا عَلى الحيتانِ واسِعَ مُلكِها
فَتَفَنَّنواso they showed ingenuity فيin سَلبِهِseizing it وَتَأَنَّفواand they showed disdain
فَتَفَنَّنوا في سَلبِهِ وَتَأَنَّفوا
They begrudged the whales their vast dominion,
They breathed freely in the spacious realm of the whales,
So they devised ingenious ways to seize it, and showed disdain.
And delighted in robbing it and were insolent.
مَلَكواthey took possession of مَسابِحَهاtheir swimming grounds عَلَيهاfrom them بَعدَafter ماthe fact that
مَلَكوا مَسابِحَها عَلَيها بَعدَ ما
غَلَبواthey defeated النُسورَthe eagles عَلىfor mastery of الجِواءِthe skies وَحَلَّقواand they soared
غَلَبوا النُسورَ عَلى الجِواءِ وَحَلَّقوا
They seized their swimming grounds from them, after
After overpowering the eagles in the air, they ruled
They had wrested the skies from the eagles and soared aloft.
The whales' own element against them.
إِنif كانَis عَهدُthe age of العِلمِscience هَذاthis شَأنُهُits state
إِن كانَ عَهدُ العِلمِ هَذا شَأنُهُ
فيناamong us فَعَهدُthen the age of الجاهِلِيَّةِignorance أَرفَقُgentler
فينا فَعَهدُ الجاهِلِيَّةِ أَرفَقُ
If this is the state of the age of science
If this is the character of the age of science for us,
Among us, then the age of ignorance is gentler.
Then the age of ignorance would be more gentle.
Sol 6.1