لَكِنَّماyet الْكُبَرَاءُthe great فِيamong أَقْوَامِهِمْtheir peoples
لَكِنَّما الْكُبَرَاءُ فِي أَقْوَامِهِمْ
سِيَرٌlife stories وَكُلُّand every حِديثِهِمُaccount of them ذُوpossessing بَالِimportance
سِيَرٌ وَكُلُّ حِديثِهِمُ ذُو بَالِ
Yet the great among their peoples are living histories,
Yet the great among their peoples
and every tale of theirs is of consequence.
Are life stories, and every account of them carries weight.
فَأذْكُرْso recall لَهُto his credit حُسْنexcellence الْبَلاَءِservice وَقَدْwhen indeed دَعَاcalled
فَأذْكُرْ لَهُ حُسْن الْبَلاَءِ وَقَدْ دَعَا
دَاعِيthe herald of الوَلاَءِloyalty إِلىto جَلِيلِnoble فِعالِdeeds
دَاعِي الوَلاَءِ إِلى جَلِيلِ فِعالِ
So I recall, to his credit, his splendid service, when
So recall his fine service, when he was called
loyalty’s summons called him to noble deeds.
By the herald of loyalty to noble deeds.
هَلْwhether جَاءَكُمْreached you نَبَأُnews بِأَمْرٍof a matter مُعْضِلٍperplexing
هَلْ جَاءَكُمْ نَبَأُ بِأَمْرٍ مُعْضِلٍ
رَاعَalarmed الكِنَانَةَal-Kinanah (Egypt, the Quiver) فِيin سِنِينَyears خَوَاليbygone
رَاعَ الكِنَانَةَ فِي سِنِينَ خَوَالي
Has word reached you of a baffling affair
Has news reached you of a perplexing matter
with which they alarmed Egypt in years gone by?
That alarmed al-Kinanah in years gone by?
لَوْلاَbut for تَيَقُّظthe vigilance of أَحْمَدَAhmad وَجهَابِذَand experts
لَوْلاَ تَيَقُّظ أَحْمَدَ وَجهَابِذَ
مِنْof ضَرْبِهhis kind أَعْيَاwould have proved too hard عَلَىfor الحُلاَّلِthe problem-solvers
مِنْ ضَرْبِه أَعْيَا عَلَى الحُلاَّلِ
Had it not been for Ahmad’s vigilance, and masterminds
But for the vigilance of Ahmad and experts
of his stamp, it would have baffled even the great problem-solvers.
Of his kind, it would have baffled the problem-solvers.
يَاO تُرْعَةَcanal الْبَحْرَيْنِthe two seas فَاجَأتِyou startled الْحِمَىthe homeland
يَا تُرْعَةَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ فَاجَأتِ الْحِمَى
بِعَظِيمَةٍwith a grave affair شَغَلَتْdistracted عَنْfrom الأَشْغَالِwork
بِعَظِيمَةٍ شَغَلَتْ عَنْ الأَشْغَالِ
O canal of the two seas, you startled the homeland
O canal of the two seas, you startled the homeland
with a grave event that drove all other business from mind.
With a grave affair that distracted it from its work.
سِيَّانَalike خَطْبُكِyour plight مُعْرَباًin Arabic أَوْor مُعْجَماًin a foreign tongue
سِيَّانَ خَطْبُكِ مُعْرَباً أَوْ مُعْجَماً
بِاسْمِby the name of القَنَاةِthe canal (qanah) دُعِيْتِyou were called أَمْor بِقَنَالِby 'canal'
بِاسْمِ القَنَاةِ دُعِيْتِ أَمْ بِقَنَالِ
Your affair is the same, in Arabic or foreign speech,
Your plight is the same, in Arabic or a foreign tongue,
whether named al-Qanāh or called “canal.”
Whether you are called 'qanah' or 'canal'.
كُونِيremain عَلَىunder الْعَهْدِthe pact الْعَتِيدِstanding وَمَاand not بِنَاin us
كُونِي عَلَى الْعَهْدِ الْعَتِيدِ وَمَا بِنَا
مِنْfrom فَيْضِthe flow of مَائِكِyour water أَنْthat يَفِيضَit pour forth بِمَالِwith money
مِنْ فَيْضِ مَائِكِ أَنْ يَفِيضَ بِمَالِ
Remain true to that ancient covenant; we have no longing
Remain under the standing pact; we have no wish
for your waters’ abundance to pour forth wealth.
For your waters' flow to pour forth money.
قَدْalready فَرَّطَتْwere careless فِيwith حَظِّناour share آبَاؤُنَاour fathers
قَدْ فَرَّطَتْ فِي حَظِّنا آبَاؤُنَا
فَالخَلْقُso the world عَلَّhas drunk again وَنَحْنُwhile we غَيْرُnot نِهَالِdrinkers of a first draught
فَالخَلْقُ عَلَّ وَنَحْنُ غَيْرُ نِهَالِ
Our forefathers squandered our rightful share:
Our fathers have already squandered our share;
mankind drank twice, while we have yet to taste the first draught.
So the world has drunk again, while we have not had our first draught.
باعُوكِthey sold you بَيْعَa sale الْغَبْنِunfair loss فِيin سَفَهٍfolly وَلَوْand had they
باعُوكِ بَيْعَ الْغَبْنِ فِي سَفَهٍ وَلَوْ
عَقَلُواthey acted wisely لَمَاwould not have بَاعُواthey sold هُدًىguidance بِضَلالِfor error
عَقَلُوا لَمَا بَاعُوا هُدًى بِضَلالِ
They sold you at a ruinous loss, in folly; had they
They sold you below your worth, in folly; had they
understood, they would not have sold guidance for error.
Acted wisely, they would not have sold guidance for error.
وَأَبَىand forbade عَلَيْنَاfor us بِرُّنَاour dutiful care بِصِغَارِنَاfor our little ones
وَأَبَى عَلَيْنَا بِرُّنَا بِصِغَارِنَا
سَبْقَoutstripping الزَّمَانِtime وَرَهْنَand mortgaging الاسْتِقْبَالِthe future
سَبْقَ الزَّمَانِ وَرَهْنَ الاسْتِقْبَالِ
And they denied us the kindness we owe our young—
And our care for our little ones forbade us
those ahead of their age, the future’s pledge.
To outrun time and mortgage the future.
لَقَدِindeed اعْتَبَرْنَاwe learned a lesson بِالْقَدِيمِfrom the past وَإِنَّنَاand indeed we
لَقَدِ اعْتَبَرْنَا بِالْقَدِيمِ وَإِنَّنَا
نَخْشَىwe fear حِسَابthe reckoning of اللهِGod وَالأَطْفَالِand the children
نَخْشَى حِسَاب اللهِ وَالأَطْفَالِ
We have indeed taken warning from the past, and truly
We have indeed learned from the past, and surely we
we fear the reckoning of God—and of the children.
Fear being called to account by God and the children.
خَلَدَتْhas endured عَلَىthrough الأْيَّامِthe days ذِكْرَىthe memory of رُفْقَةٍa band of companions
خَلَدَتْ عَلَى الأْيَّامِ ذِكْرَى رُفْقَةٍ
كَنِظَامِlike a string of شُهْبٍbright stars أَوْor كَعِقْدِlike a necklace of لآلِيpearls
كَنِظَامِ شُهْبٍ أَوْ كَعِقْدِ لآلِي
Across the ages there abides the memory of a fellowship,
The memory of a band of companions lives on through time,
like an array of radiant stars, or a necklace of pearls.
Like a string of bright stars or a necklace of pearls.
رَاضُواthey tamed مُعَادَلَةَthe equation القَنَاةِof the canal وَسَدَّدُواand aimed
رَاضُوا مُعَادَلَةَ القَنَاةِ وَسَدَّدُوا
أَرْقَامَهُمْtheir figures كَشَبَاlike the points of القَنَاspears المَيَّالِswaying
أَرْقَامَهُمْ كَشَبَا القَنَا المَيَّالِ
They mastered the canal’s equation and set straight
They tamed the canal's equation and aimed
their figures, like the supple, swaying shafts of spears.
Their figures like the points of swaying spears.
لَمْdid not يُؤْثِرُواprefer خَيْراًany good عَلَىover مَاwhat أَمَّلُواthey hoped for
لَمْ يُؤْثِرُوا خَيْراً عَلَى مَا أَمَّلُوا
مِنْof رَدِّthwarting كَيْدِthe plot of المُدْغِلthe deceitful one المُحْتَالِthe schemer
مِنْ رَدِّ كَيْدِ المُدْغِل المُحْتَالِ
They preferred no good above the hope they cherished:
They preferred no other good to what they hoped for:
to foil the plot of the treacherous deceiver.
Thwarting the plot of the deceitful schemer.
أَيْنَwhere الَّذِيwhat يَقْضِيdecide وُلاَةُthe governors of شُؤُونِهِمْtheir affairs
أَيْنَ الَّذِي يَقْضِي وُلاَةُ شُؤُونِهِمْ
مِمَّاcompared with what بِهِby it نَقْضِيwe judge تَفَرُّدُsole authority وَالِيa ruler
مِمَّا بِهِ نَقْضِي تَفَرُّدُ وَالِي
How far what the stewards of their affairs decree
How does what those who govern their affairs decide
is from what brings our doom: one governor’s will alone!
Compare with what we judge by—the sole authority of one ruler?
فَتَحَرَّكَso stirred الشَّعبُthe people الْقَدِيمُlong-standing سُكُونُهُits stillness
فَتَحَرَّكَ الشَّعبُ الْقَدِيمُ سُكُونُهُ
حَتَّىto the point that لَقَدْindeed نَعَتُوهُthey dubbed it بِالمِكْسَالِas the sluggard
حَتَّى لَقَدْ نَعَتُوهُ بِالمِكْسَالِ
Then the people stirred—so ancient was its stillness
So the people stirred, after so long a stillness
that they had even dubbed it the arch-idler.
That they had even been dubbed 'the sluggard'.
وَبَدَتْand appeared بَوَادِرُthe first signs of عِلْمِهِits awareness بِوُجُودِهِof its existence
وَبَدَتْ بَوَادِرُ عِلْمِهِ بِوُجُودِهِ
وَشُعُورِهِand its sense بِجُمُودِهِof its stagnation القَتَّالِdeadly
وَشُعُورِهِ بِجُمُودِهِ القَتَّالِ
And the first signs appeared of its awareness of its existence,
And the first signs appeared of their awareness of their existence
and of its sense of its deadly stagnation.
And of their sense of their deadly stagnation.
Sol 6.1