عتبتُ على دَهري بأَفعاله الَّتي

عتبتُ على دَهري بأَفعاله الَّتي

براني بها بريَ السِهام من الهَمِّ

براني بها بريَ السِهام من الهَمِّ

I reproached Time for those deeds of its

I reproached my fate for its deeds, which

with which grief pared me down as arrows are pared,

whittled me down with grief as arrows are whittled,

ليصرِفَ عنّي فادِحاتِ نوائبٍ

ليصرِفَ عنّي فادِحاتِ نوائبٍ

أَضاقَ بِها ذَرعي وأَضنى بها جِسمي

أَضاقَ بِها ذَرعي وأَضنى بها جِسمي

hoping it would turn crushing calamities away from me—

so that it might avert crushing misfortunes from me,

calamities that cramped my powers and wasted my body.

with which it taxed my endurance and wasted my body.

فَقالَ أَلَم تَعلَم بأَنَّ حَوادثي

فَقالَ أَلَم تَعلَم بأَنَّ حَوادثي

وأَخطارَها اللاتي تلمُّ بذي الفَهمِ

وأَخطارَها اللاتي تلمُّ بذي الفَهمِ

Then Time said: “Did you not know that my vicissitudes,

It said, 'Do you not know that my calamities

and their perils, which descend upon a person of understanding,

and their dangers, which befall those of understanding,

يضيقُ بها ذو الجهل ذَرعاً وإنَّما

يضيقُ بها ذو الجهل ذَرعاً وإنَّما

إذا أَشكلت رُدَّت لِمن كان ذا علمِ

إذا أَشكلت رُدَّت لِمن كان ذا علمِ

would leave the ignorant with no capacity to bear them? For it is only

overwhelm the ignorant, and that only

when they grow perplexing that they are referred to one endowed with knowledge.”

when they prove perplexing are they referred to one possessed of knowledge?'