لعمرُكby your life إنَّindeed العدلَjustice لفظٌa word اداؤُهُits utterance
لعمرُك إنَّ العدلَ لفظٌ اداؤُهُ
بسيطٌsimple ولكنand yet كنهُهits essence متعسِّرُhard to grasp
بسيطٌ ولكن كنهُه متعسِّرُ
By your life, justice is a word whose utterance
By your life, justice is a word whose practice
Is simple, but whose essence is hard to grasp.
Is simple, yet its essence is difficult.
تخيَّلَهconceived it عقلٌa mind نشيطٌactive أرادَهintended it
تخيَّلَه عقلٌ نشيطٌ أرادَه
دليلاًa guide لقومٍfor people فيin الحياةlife تعثَّرواthey stumbled
دليلاً لقومٍ في الحياة تعثَّروا
An active mind conceived it, intending it
An active mind imagined it
As a guide for people who stumbled through life.
As evidence for people who stumbled in life.
يفسِّرُهُinterprets it المغلوبُthe vanquished أمراًa matter مناقضاًcontrary
يفسِّرُهُ المغلوبُ أمراً مناقضاً
لماto what يرتأيهِviews it غالبٌa victor ويفسِّرand interprets
لما يرتأيهِ غالبٌ ويفسِّر
The vanquished interprets it in a way contrary
The defeated interpret it as something contrary
To how a victor views and interprets it.
To what the victor interprets and explains.
ولماand when رآهsaw it الحاكمونthe rulers قذيفةًa projectile
ولما رآه الحاكمون قذيفةً
تُضعضِعُundermines منof أهوائهمtheir whims وتدمِّرand destroys
تُضعضِعُ من أهوائهم وتدمِّر
And when the rulers saw it as a projectile
And when the rulers saw it as a projectile
That undermines their whims and destroys them,
That would shake their whims and destroy them,
ولمand did not يجدواthey find مَندوحةًan escape عنfrom قَبولهaccepting it
ولم يجدوا مَندوحةً عن قَبوله
لإرضاءِto appease مخدوعينَdeceived people بالعدلby justice غَّررواthey were beguiled
لإرضاءِ مخدوعينَ بالعدل غَّرروا
And found no escape from accepting it
And found no escape from accepting it
To appease dupes beguiled by justice,
To satisfy those deceived by justice, they fooled,
أتَوهthey approached it بتاؤيلاتِهمwith their interpretations يُفسدونهthey corrupt it
أتَوه بتاؤيلاتِهم يُفسدونه
قوانينَlaws باسمin the name of العدلjustice تَنهىforbid وتأمُرand command
قوانينَ باسم العدل تَنهى وتأمُر
They approached it with their interpretations, perverting it
They corrupted it with their interpretations,
Into laws that, in justice's name, forbid and command.
Laws in the name of justice that forbid and command.
لقدindeed كانَwas أولىmore deserving بالرفاهِof comfort وبالغِنىand of wealth
لقد كانَ أولى بالرفاهِ وبالغِنى
ذكيُkeen فؤادٍheart جائعhungry يتضوَّرwrithes with hunger
ذكيُ فؤادٍ جائع يتضوَّر
Indeed, more deserving of comfort and wealth
Indeed, the keen heart of the hungry poor
Was one keen of heart, hungry and writhing with hunger.
Was more deserving of prosperity and wealth.
وقدand indeed كانwas أولىmore deserving بالحفاءِof barefootedness وبالعَرىand of nakedness
وقد كان أولى بالحفاءِ وبالعَرى
وبالجوعِand of hunger هذاthis الأبلهُthe fool المتبختِرthe swaggering one
وبالجوعِ هذا الأبلهُ المتبختِر
And indeed, more deserving of barefootedness and nakedness
And the foolish arrogant one was more deserving
And of hunger was this swaggering fool.
Of deprivation, nakedness, and hunger.
Sol 6.1