هَلis there? مِنany مُعينٍhelper عَلىagainst أَحداثِcalamities of أَزمانيmy times
هَل مِن مُعينٍ عَلى أَحداثِ أَزماني
أَسَأتَyou wronged مُعتَمِداًdeliberately ليme بَعدَafter إِحسانِkindness
أَسَأتَ مُعتَمِداً لي بَعدَ إِحسانِ
Is there any helper against the calamities of my times?
Is there any helper against the events of my times?
You deliberately wronged me after kindness.
You have wronged me, though I trusted in you after your kindness.
كَلّاno indeed أَلَيسَتdoes not? تَقينيshield me لِلزَمانِagainst Time يَدٌa hand
كَلّا أَلَيسَت تَقيني لِلزَمانِ يَدٌ
لِقاسِمٍbelonging to Qasim ذاتُpossessing تَمكينٍpower وَسُلطانِand authority
لِقاسِمٍ ذاتُ تَمكينٍ وَسُلطانِ
No! Does not a hand shield me against Time—
Nay! Do not my hands protect me from time?
Qasim's, endowed with power and authority?
For Qasim, endowed with support and authority,
الزاجِرِthe one who drives back الدَهرِTime عَنّيfrom me إِذwhen شَحاopened wide فَمَهُits mouth
الزاجِرِ الدَهرِ عَنّي إِذ شَحا فَمَهُ
وَمَدَّand stretched out كَفَّيهِits two hands فيin ظُلمٍinjustice وَعُدوانِand aggression
وَمَدَّ كَفَّيهِ في ظُلمٍ وَعُدوانِ
Who drove Time away from me when it opened its mouth wide
Who drove away the pain of time from me when it was stingy,
And stretched out both its hands in injustice and aggression.
And stretched out his hands against injustice and aggression.
حَمَّلتَyou charged نَفسَكَyourself لاmay it not زالَتcease to be مُعَمَّرَةًlong-lived
حَمَّلتَ نَفسَكَ لا زالَت مُعَمَّرَةً
رَدَّwarding off المَكارِهِhardships عَنfrom نَفسيmy soul وَجُثمانيand my body
رَدَّ المَكارِهِ عَن نَفسي وَجُثماني
You took upon yourself—may you ever live long—
You took it upon yourself though your life remains long,
The warding of hardships from my soul and body.
To deflect harm from myself and my body.
كَذاكَthus كانَwas عُبَيدُUbayd اللَهِAllah واحَزَنيoh, my grief!
كَذاكَ كانَ عُبَيدُ اللَهِ واحَزَني
عَلَيهِfor him ماas long as عِشتُI live فيin سِرّيmy privacy وَإِعلانيand my public expression
عَلَيهِ ما عِشتُ في سِرّي وَإِعلاني
Such was Ubayd Allah—oh, my grief
Thus was Ubayd Allah, which saddened me,
For him, as long as I live, in private and in public!
For as long as I live, in my innermost thoughts and openly.
أَقولُI say لَمّاwhen عَلاrose صَوتُthe cry of النَعِيِّthe death announcement بِهِconcerning him
أَقولُ لَمّا عَلا صَوتُ النَعِيِّ بِهِ
وَماand not مَلَكتُI controlled عَلَيهِfor him دَمعَthe tears of أَجفانيmy eyelids
وَما مَلَكتُ عَلَيهِ دَمعَ أَجفاني
I said, when the cry announcing his death rose,
I say, when the voice of lament for him was raised,
And I could not hold back my eyelids' tears for him:
And my eyelids could not hold back their tears for him:
ياO ناعِيَيهِhis two death-announcers بِحَقٍّin truth ماتَhe died وَيحَكُماwoe to you both!
يا ناعِيَيهِ بِحَقٍّ ماتَ وَيحَكُما
أَتَدرِيانِdo you two know? لَناto us ماذاwhat تَقولانِyou two say
أَتَدرِيانِ لَنا ماذا تَقولانِ
O you two who announce his death, has he truly died? Woe to you both!
O you who lament him in truth, he died, but do you know,
Do you two know what you are saying to us?
What you are saying to us?
لَئِنif indeed فُجِعناwe have been bereaved بِماof one whom لاno خَلقَcreature يَعدِلُهُequals him
لَئِن فُجِعنا بِما لا خَلقَ يَعدِلُهُ
وَماand there is no لَهُfor him فيamong الوَرىhumankind إِلّاexcept اِبنَهُhis son ثانِan equal
وَما لَهُ في الوَرى إِلّا اِبنَهُ ثانِ
Though we are bereaved of one whom no creature equals,
If we have been afflicted with one whose equal no creature can create,
And none among mankind is his equal but his son,
And who in the land has no one but his son second to him,
تَبَّتmay it perish يَدٌa hand قَبَرَتهُburied him أَيُّwhat a بَحرِsea of نَدىًgenerosity
تَبَّت يَدٌ قَبَرَتهُ أَيُّ بَحرِ نَدىً
طَمىoverflowed وَهَضبَةِand a hill of عِزٍّglory ذاتِpossessing أَركانِpillars
طَمى وَهَضبَةِ عِزٍّ ذاتِ أَركانِ
Perish the hand that buried him! What a sea of generosity
May the hand that buried him be cursed! Which sea of generosity,
Overflowed—and what a hill of glory, endowed with pillars!
And lofty, pillared glory, has it hidden?
كانَhe was المُصيبَthe one who hits بِسَهمِwith the arrow of الرَأيِjudgment قَبضَتَهُhis grasp
كانَ المُصيبَ بِسَهمِ الرَأيِ قَبضَتَهُ
وَالقائِلَand the speaker of الحَقِّtruth مَوزوناًweighed بِميزانِwith a balance
وَالقائِلَ الحَقِّ مَوزوناً بِميزانِ
He was unerring, with judgment's arrow in his grasp,
He was precise in judgment, his hand the scale,
And spoke truth, weighed upon a balance.
And speaking the truth, measured with the scale.
كَمhow many a لَيلَةٍnight قَدindeed نَفىdrove away عَنّيfrom me الرُقادَsleep بِهاduring it
كَم لَيلَةٍ قَد نَفى عَنّي الرُقادَ بِها
ماwhat يَعلَمُknows اللَهُGod مِنof هَمٍّcare وَأَحزانِand sorrows
ما يَعلَمُ اللَهُ مِن هَمٍّ وَأَحزانِ
How many a night has sleep been driven from me
How many nights did wakefulness drive away sleep,
By what God knows of cares and sorrows!
With concerns and sorrows only God knows!
كَأَنَّas though حاطِبَةًa female wood-gatherer كانَتwas تُحَطِّبُgathering firewood فيin
كَأَنَّ حاطِبَةً كانَت تُحَطِّبُ في
قَلبيmy heart قَتاداًqatad thornwood وَتَكويهِand searing it بِنيرانِwith fires
قَلبي قَتاداً وَتَكويهِ بِنيرانِ
As though a wood-gathering woman were gathering wood in
It was as if Hatibah was gathering firewood in
My heart—thorny qatad wood—and searing it with fires.
My heart, and kindling it with flames.
إِنif نَترُكِwe abandon الشِركَpolytheism لاnot يَترُكهُhe abandons it مِنfrom يَدِهِhis hand
إِن نَترُكِ الشِركَ لا يَترُكهُ مِن يَدِهِ
لاno بُدَّescape لِلحُلوِfor sweetness فيin الإيمانِfaith مِنfrom جانِa harvester
لا بُدَّ لِلحُلوِ في الإيمانِ مِن جانِ
If we abandon polytheism, he does not let it go from his hand;
If we leave polytheism, he will not leave it from his hand,
Sweetness in faith must have a harvester.
The sweetness of faith necessarily has a side that is bitter.
Sol 6.1