أَبوAbu (father of) شُجاعٍShujaʿ طامِعٌyearning فيfor المقامْremaining
أَبو شُجاعٍ طامِعٌ في المقامْ
ياO عينْeye ماhow أَخدَعَdeceptive هذاthis المَنَامْdream
يا عينْ ما أَخدَعَ هذا المَنَامْ
Abu Shujaʿ yearns to remain.
Abu Shuja' yearns for glory,
O eye, how deceptive this dream is!
Oh eye, how deceitful is this dream!
يحتلبis milked العيشُlife أَفاويقَهits successive milk yields
يحتلب العيشُ أَفاويقَه
وكلُّand every ثَدْيٍbreast دَرُّهُits milk flow للفِطَامْfor weaning
وكلُّ ثَدْيٍ دَرُّهُ للفِطَامْ
Life is milked for its successive yields,
Life milks its udders,
and every breast's milk leads to weaning.
And every breast, its milk is for weaning.
قدindeed نَفَذَتْhas proved effective حيلتُهhis cunning فيamong الوَرىhumankind
قد نَفَذَتْ حيلتُه في الوَرى
فهلْso is there لهfor him منany حيلةٍstratagem فيagainst الحِمَامْdeath
فهلْ له من حيلةٍ في الحِمَامْ
His cunning has indeed prevailed among humankind;
His tricks in life are exhausted,
so has he any stratagem against death?
Does he have a trick for the bathroom?
وسُرَّand he was pleased بالزائدِat the increase فيin ملكِهِhis realm
وسُرَّ بالزائدِ في ملكِهِ
وانماyet only نُقْصَانُهhis decline فيin التَّمَامْcompleteness
وانما نُقْصَانُه في التَّمَامْ
And he rejoiced at the increase in his realm,
He was pleased by the excess in his kingdom,
yet his decline lies only in completeness.
Yet his flaw was in completeness.
أَينwhere ابنُson of فَيلَفسَّPhilip منfrom قبلهِbefore him
أَين ابنُ فَيلَفسَّ من قبلهِ
نالَattained جَسيماتِmomentous things الأمورِundertakings العِظَامْmighty
نالَ جَسيماتِ الأمورِ العِظَامْ
Where is the son of Philip, who came before him,
Where is the son of Faylas who came before him?
who attained momentous, mighty achievements?
He attained great and mighty matters.
خلَّفَleft behind ضوءَlight الشَّمسِthe sun منfrom خَلْفِهِbehind him
خلَّفَ ضوءَ الشَّمسِ من خَلْفِهِ
ومرَّand passed on يَسرِيtravels by night ظاعناًdeparting فيin الظَّلامْdarkness
ومرَّ يَسرِي ظاعناً في الظَّلامْ
He left the sunlight behind him,
He left the sun’s radiance behind him,
and passed on, traveling by night, departing into darkness.
And passed by, leaning into the darkness.
لمdid not يدفعِward off الهِمْيَعَdeath عنfrom نفسهِhimself
لم يدفعِ الهِمْيَعَ عن نفسهِ
الاَّexcept كماas يَدفَعُwards off جَفنُeyelid البِهامْlambs and kids
الاَّ كما يَدفَعُ جَفنُ البِهامْ
He could not ward death off from himself,
He did not ward off cares about himself,
except as a lamb's eyelid might.
Except as an eyelid wards off drowsiness.
يتَّبعُfollows up الدهرُTime أَفاعيلَهits deeds
يتَّبعُ الدهرُ أَفاعيلَه
والمنعُand withholding خيرٌbetter منthan عَطَاءِgiving اللئَامْthe ignoble
والمنعُ خيرٌ من عَطَاءِ اللئَامْ
Time follows up its deeds;
Fate pursues his deeds,
and withholding is better than gifts from the ignoble.
And refusal is better than the gifts of the vile.
وماand not أَبوAbu (father of) جَعْدَةَJaʿda (in the wolf's epithet) فيamong ثُلَّةٍa flock
وما أَبو جَعْدَةَ في ثُلَّةٍ
أَسرعَswifter منهthan it فيamong نفوسِsouls الأَنَامْhumankind
أَسرعَ منه في نفوسِ الأَنَامْ
Nor is Abu Jaʿda, the wolf, amid a flock,
And Abu Ja'da is no match
swifter than it among the souls of humankind.
For him in speed in people's souls.
نُوسِعُهُwe heap upon it اللومَblame ويجتَاحُنَاand it sweeps us away
نُوسِعُهُ اللومَ ويجتَاحُنَا
والفِعْلُand the deed لاnot تَرْفَعُهُyou undo it بالكَلامْwith words
والفِعْلُ لا تَرْفَعُهُ بالكَلامْ
We heap blame upon it, while it sweeps us away,
We blame him though he overwhelms us,
and you cannot undo a deed with words.
And words cannot make up for deeds.
Sol 6.1