خُذْtake منْfrom حَياتِكَyour life للمَماتِfor death الآتيto come
خُذْ منْ حَياتِكَ للمَماتِ الآتي
وبَدارِand hasten ماas long as دامَremains الزّمانُtime مُواتِيfavorable
وبَدارِ ما دامَ الزّمانُ مُواتِي
Take from your life for the death to come,
Take provision from your life for the death to come.
and hasten while time remains favorable to you.
And hasten while time remains favorable.
لاdo not تَغْتَرِرْbe deceived فهُوَfor it is السّرابُthe mirage بقِيعَةٍon a barren plain
لا تَغْتَرِرْ فهُوَ السّرابُ بقِيعَةٍ
قدْindeed خودِعَwas deceived الماضِيthe one gone before بهِby it والآتيand the one to come
قدْ خودِعَ الماضِي بهِ والآتي
Do not be deluded: it is a mirage on a desert plain;
Do not be deceived, for it is a mirage on a barren plain.
both those gone before and those to come have been deceived by it.
Those gone before and those yet to come have been deceived by it.
ياO مَنْyou who يُؤمِّلُhope for واعِظاًan admonisher ومُذَكِّراًand one who reminds
يا مَنْ يُؤمِّلُ واعِظاً ومُذَكِّراً
يوْماًone day لِيوقِظَهُto awaken him منَfrom الغَفَلاتِheedless lapses
يوْماً لِيوقِظَهُ منَ الغَفَلاتِ
O you who hope that an admonisher, a reminder,
O you who hope for an admonisher and one to remind you,
will one day awaken you from heedlessness:
One day to awaken you from your heedless lapses,
هَلاّwhy not اعْتَبَرْتَyou took heed وَياand oh لَهاfor it منْof عَبْرةa tear
هَلاّ اعْتَبَرْتَ وَيا لَها منْ عَبْرة
بمَدافِنِat the burial places of الآباءthe fathers والأمّهاتِand the mothers
بمَدافِنِ الآباء والأمّهاتِ
Why have you not taken warning? Oh, what a lesson lies
Why have you not taken heed—and oh, what a tear!—
in the graves of fathers and mothers!
At the burial places of fathers and mothers?
قِفْstand بالبَقيعِat al-Baqi ونادِand call out فيin عَرَصاتِهits open grounds
قِفْ بالبَقيعِ ونادِ في عَرَصاتِه
فلَكَمْfor how many بِهاin them منْof جِيرَةٍneighbors وَلِداتِand age-mates
فلَكَمْ بِها منْ جِيرَةٍ وَلِداتِ
Stand at al-Baqi and call out across its open grounds:
Stand at al-Baqi and call out across its open grounds:
How many neighbors and contemporaries are there!
For how many neighbors and age-mates lie there!
دَرَجواthey passed away ولَسْتُand I am not بخالِدٍimmortal منْfrom بَعْدِهِمْafter them
دَرَجوا ولَسْتُ بخالِدٍ منْ بَعْدِهِمْ
مُتَميِّزٍset apart عنْهُمْfrom them بوَصْفِby the attribute of حَياةِlife
مُتَميِّزٍ عنْهُمْ بوَصْفِ حَياةِ
They passed away; you are not immortal after them,
They passed away, and I am not immortal after them,
distinguished from them by the attribute of life.
Set apart from them by the condition of being alive.
واللهِby God ماnot اسْتَهْلَلْتَyou gave your first cry حَيّاًalive صارِخاًscreaming
واللهِ ما اسْتَهْلَلْتَ حَيّاً صارِخاً
إلاexcept وأنتَwhile you تُعَدّare counted فيamong الأمْواتِthe dead
إلا وأنتَ تُعَدّ في الأمْواتِ
By God, no sooner had you raised your first cry at birth
By God, no sooner did you cry out at birth, alive and screaming,
than you were counted among the dead.
Than you were counted among the dead.
لاno فَوْتَescape عنْfrom دَرْكِthe reach of الحِمامِdeath لِهارِبٍfor a fugitive
لا فَوْتَ عنْ دَرْكِ الحِمامِ لِهارِبٍ
والنّاسُand people صَرْعَىlie slain مَعْرَكِthe battlefield of الآفاتِcalamities
والنّاسُ صَرْعَى مَعْرَكِ الآفاتِ
There is no escape from death’s overtaking grasp for any fugitive,
No fugitive can escape death's reach.
while mankind lies fallen on the battlefield of afflictions.
And people lie slain on the battlefield of calamities.
كَيْفَhow الحياةُlife لِدارجٍfor a wayfarer متَكَلِّفٍstriving for
كَيْفَ الحياةُ لِدارجٍ متَكَلِّفٍ
سِنَةَdrowsiness الكَرىof sleep بمَدارِجِon the paths of الحيّاتِthe serpents
سِنَةَ الكَرى بمَدارِجِ الحيّاتِ
What life is there for a wayfarer bearing
How can a wayfarer live, striving for
a drowse of sleep along the pathways of serpents?
The drowsiness of sleep on the paths of serpents?
أسَفاًalas عَلَيْناfor us مَعْشَرَcompany of الأمْواتِthe dead لاnot
أسَفاً عَلَيْنا مَعْشَرَ الأمْواتِ لا
تنْفَكُّyou break free عنْfrom شُغْلِpreoccupation بِهاكَwith 'take this' وَهاتِand 'give!'
تنْفَكُّ عنْ شُغْلِ بِهاكَ وَهاتِ
Alas for us, company of the dead! You do not
Alas for us, company of the dead! You never
cease being busied with “Take this!” and “Bring that!”
Break free from the business of 'take this' and 'give!'
ويَغُرُّناand deceives us لَمْعُthe gleam السّرابِof the mirage فنَغْتَديso we go forth at dawn
ويَغُرُّنا لَمْعُ السّرابِ فنَغْتَدي
فيin غَفْلَةٍheedlessness عنْof هادِمِthe destroyer of اللّذّاتِpleasures
في غَفْلَةٍ عنْ هادِمِ اللّذّاتِ
The mirage’s gleam beguiles us, and so we press on,
And the mirage's gleam deceives us, so we go forth at dawn,
heedless of the Destroyer of Delights.
Heedless of the destroyer of pleasures.
واللهِby God ماnot نَصَحَgave sincere counsel to امْرَأًa man مَنْwhoever غَشّهُdeceived him
واللهِ ما نَصَحَ امْرَأً مَنْ غَشّهُ
والحَقُّand truth ليسَis not بخافِتِdim-lit المِشْكاةِthe lamp-niche
والحَقُّ ليسَ بخافِتِ المِشْكاةِ
By God, no man truly counsels one whom he deceives;
By God, whoever deceives a man has not counseled him sincerely.
and truth is not dim in its lamp-niche.
And truth's lamp-niche is not dim.
Sol 6.1