وَفَدْتُI arrived وَمِصْرُand Egypt فِيin الظَّلْمَاءِthe darkness
وَفَدْتُ وَمِصْرُ فِي الظَّلْمَاءِ
مُوِحشةٌdesolate كمَاas تدْرِيyou know
مُوِحشةٌ كمَا تدْرِي
I arrived, and Egypt in the darkness
I came, and Egypt was in darkness,
Was desolate, as you know.
Lonely as you know.
وَليْسَand not العَائِدُونَthose returning دجىًat night
وَليْسَ العَائِدُونَ دجىً
إِلىto الديوَانِthe office بِالكُثرِin great numbers
إِلى الديوَانِ بِالكُثرِ
And those returning after dark were not
And those returning at dusk
Numerous at the office.
To the Diwan were not many.
فَمَاso not اسْتَجْليْتُI discerned إِلاَّexcept
فَمَا اسْتَجْليْتُ إِلاَّ
أَوْجُهاًfaces لِلصَّفْوَةِof the elite الْغُرِّthe illustrious
أَوْجُهاً لِلصَّفْوَةِ الْغُرِّ
So I discerned only
So I saw only the faces
Faces of the illustrious elite.
Of the virtuous elite.
وَقَدْand indeed سَهِرُواthey stayed awake كَمَاjust as بَكَرُواthey came early
وَقَدْ سَهِرُوا كَمَا بَكَرُوا
بِلاَwithout وَهَنٍweakness وَلاَand without فَترِflagging
بِلاَ وَهَنٍ وَلاَ فَترِ
And they had stayed up late, just as they had come early,
They had stayed up as they rose early,
Without weakness or flagging.
Without fatigue or remiss.
وَفِيهِمْand among them أَوَّلاًfirst سَامٍSami
وَفِيهِمْ أَوَّلاً سَامٍ
وَفِيهِمْand among them ثانِياًsecond فِكْرِيFikri
وَفِيهِمْ ثانِياً فِكْرِي
And first among them was Sami,
Among them, first was Sam,
And second among them, Fikri.
And second, my Fikri.
هُمَاthe two of them لِلْحَلِّfor loosing وَالْعَقْدِand binding
هُمَا لِلْحَلِّ وَالْعَقْدِ
هُمَاthe two of them لِلنَّهْيِfor forbidding وَالأَمْرِand commanding
هُمَا لِلنَّهْيِ وَالأَمْرِ
Both are charged with loosing and binding,
They both handle binding and loosing,
Both with forbidding and commanding.
Commanding and forbidding,
هُمَاthe two of them لِلْمِيَرَةِfor provisions الكَافِيَةِsufficient to meet
هُمَا لِلْمِيَرَةِ الكَافِيَةِ
الْحَاجَاتِthe needs فِيin الْقُطْرِthe country
الْحَاجَاتِ فِي الْقُطْرِ
Both see to provisions that meet
They both handle sufficient oversight
The needs throughout the country.
Of the country’s needs.
يَنَامُsleep الشَّعْبُthe people مَاas long as سَهِرَتُkeeps watch
يَنَامُ الشَّعْبُ مَا سَهِرَتُ
عَلَيْهِover it مُقْلَةُthe eye of الْبِرِّbenevolence
عَلَيْهِ مُقْلَةُ الْبِرِّ
The people sleep so long as watch is kept
The people sleep while
Over them by the eye of benevolence.
The caretakers of righteousness stay up.
فَبَعْدَso after تحِيةٍa greeting عَجْلىhasty
فَبَعْدَ تحِيةٍ عَجْلى
وَتَمْهِيدٍand a preamble مِنَof الْعُذْرِapology
وَتَمْهِيدٍ مِنَ الْعُذْرِ
So, after a hasty greeting
So after a hasty greeting,
And a preamble of apology,
And prefacing with an excuse,
جَلَسْتُI sat وَأَنْتَwhile you مَشْغُولٌoccupied
جَلَسْتُ وَأَنْتَ مَشْغُولٌ
بِأَمْرٍwith a task أَيِّمَاwhat a أَمْرِtask
بِأَمْرٍ أَيِّمَا أَمْرِ
I sat while you were occupied
I sat while you were busy
With a task—what a task!
With some matter, whatever it was.
تُحَرِّكُyou move دَائِباًceaselessly قَلَماًa pen
تُحَرِّكُ دَائِباً قَلَماً
عَلَىover قُرْطَاسِهِits paper يَجْرِيit runs
عَلَى قُرْطَاسِهِ يَجْرِي
You moved a pen ceaselessly,
You kept moving a pen
As it ran over its paper.
That flowed on its paper.
وَتَضَطَرِبُand it trembles السَّجيرَةُthe cigarette بَيْنَbetween
وَتَضَطَرِبُ السَّجيرَةُ بَيْنَ
أُنْمُلُتَيْكَyour two fingertips وَالثَّغْرِand the mouth
أُنْمُلُتَيْكَ وَالثَّغْرِ
And the cigarette trembled between
And the cigarette quivered between
Your two fingertips and your mouth,
Your fingers and lips.
فَتُحْدِثُso it creates مِنْfrom حَرِيقِthe burning of التَّبْغِtobacco
فَتُحْدِثُ مِنْ حَرِيقِ التَّبْغِ
جَوّاًan atmosphere عَابِقَladen with النَّشْرِfragrance
جَوّاً عَابِقَ النَّشْرِ
So, from the burning of tobacco, it made
So it produced a smoke that climbed
An air laden with fragrance.
Dispersing as it rose.
تخَالُare imagined ثَوَابِتُthe fixed ones الأَضْواءِof the lights
تخَالُ ثَوَابِتُ الأَضْواءِ
فِيهِin it أَنْجُماًstars تَسْرِيthat glide
فِيهِ أَنْجُماً تَسْرِي
The fixed lights seemed
The fixed lights within it
Within it to be stars in motion.
Seemed to be stars drifting.
فَتَابَعْتُso I followed الدُّخَانَthe smoke يَمُوجُit billows
فَتَابَعْتُ الدُّخَانَ يَمُوجُ
بَيْنَbetween الْمُدِّthe flow وَالْجَزْرِand the ebb
بَيْنَ الْمُدِّ وَالْجَزْرِ
So I followed the smoke as it billowed
I watched the smoke billowing
Between the flow and the ebb.
With its surges and ebbs,
بِثَائِرِهِin its turbulence وَسَاجِيهِand its stillness
بِثَائِرِهِ وَسَاجِيهِ
أَفَانِينُvarieties مِنَof السِّحْرِmagic
أَفَانِينُ مِنَ السِّحْرِ
In its turbulence and its stillness
With its fragrant whisps
Lay many forms of magic.
Like spells of sorcery.
ظَلِلْتُI continued هُنَيْهَةًa moment أَرْنوgazing
ظَلِلْتُ هُنَيْهَةً أَرْنو
إِلَيْهِat it بِطَرْفِwith a gaze مُسْتَقْرِsteady
إِلَيْهِ بِطَرْفِ مُسْتَقْرِ
For a moment I kept gazing
I glanced at it a moment, inclining
At it with a steady gaze.
Toward it with a settled gaze.
فَأَبْدَىso it revealed لِيto me مَكَانَthe place of الْخَلْقِcreation
فَأَبْدَى لِي مَكَانَ الْخَلْقِ
وَالتَّقْدِيرِand planning فِيin الْفِكْرِthought
وَالتَّقْدِيرِ فِي الْفِكْرِ
So it revealed to me the seat of creation
So it showed me the place of genesis
And planning in the mind.
And destiny in thought.
وَصَوَّرَand it portrayed فِيin إِشارَاتٍsigns
وَصَوَّرَ فِي إِشارَاتٍ
رَفِيفَthe flutter of خَوَالِجِthe stirrings of الصَّدْرِthe breast
رَفِيفَ خَوَالِجِ الصَّدْرِ
And portrayed, in signs,
And it depicted in gestures
The flutter of stirrings in the breast.
The stirrings of emotions in the breast,
كَأَنيas though I شَاهِدٌa witness حَالَيْكَyour two states
كَأَني شَاهِدٌ حَالَيْكَ
بَيْنَbetween السَّطْرِthe line وَالسَّطْرِand the line
بَيْنَ السَّطْرِ وَالسَّطْرِ
As though I witnessed both your states
As if I saw your state
Between one line and the next:
Between line and line,
بِحَيْثُwhere الْقَوْلُِexpression فِيin يُسْرٍease
بِحَيْثُ الْقَوْلُِ فِي يُسْرٍ
وَحَيْثُand where الْقَوْلُexpression فِيin عُسْرِdifficulty
وَحَيْثُ الْقَوْلُ فِي عُسْرِ
Where words came with ease,
Where speech comes easily
And where words came with difficulty;
And where speech comes with difficulty,
وَحَيْثُand where إِذَاwhen نَبَاfailed الإِلْهَامُinspiration
وَحَيْثُ إِذَا نَبَا الإِلْهَامُ
لُذْتَyou sought refuge بِنجْدَةِin the aid of الذِّكْرِmemory
لُذْتَ بِنجْدَةِ الذِّكْرِ
And where, when inspiration failed,
Where, when inspiration awakens,
You sought refuge in memory's aid;
You find help in recollection.
وَحَيْثُand where تُعَالِجُyou grapple with الرَّأْيَيْنِthe two opinions
وَحَيْثُ تُعَالِجُ الرَّأْيَيْنِ
مِنْfrom عَبْدٍa slave وَمِنْand from حُرِّa free man
مِنْ عَبْدٍ وَمِنْ حُرِّ
And where you grappled with the two opinions,
And where you deal with two opinions,
From a slave and from a free man.
Of a servant and a freeman.
فَأُعْجَبُso I am amazed بِالدُّخَانِat the smoke وَمَاand what
فَأُعْجَبُ بِالدُّخَانِ وَمَا
جَلاَهit unveiled it لِيto me مِنَof السِّرِّthe mystery
جَلاَه لِي مِنَ السِّرِّ
So I marvel at the smoke, and at what
So I was amazed by the smoke and what
It unveiled to me of the mystery.
It had revealed to me of secrets,
كَأَنَّas though حِجَاكَyour intellect مِنْهُfrom it وَرَاbehind (first fragment)
كَأَنَّ حِجَاكَ مِنْهُ وَرَا
ءَcompletes 'behind' شَفَّافٍtransparent مِنَof السِّتْرِthe veil
ءَ شَفَّافٍ مِنَ السِّتْرِ
As though your mind, through it, behind
As if your cloud from it had lifted
A transparent veil,
A diaphanous veil.
أَرَانِيit showed me صِدْقَthe truth of مَاwhat قَالُوهُthey said it
أَرَانِي صِدْقَ مَا قَالُوهُ
عَنْfrom عِلْمٍknowledge وَعَنْand from خُبْرِexperience
عَنْ عِلْمٍ وَعَنْ خُبْرِ
Showed me the truth of what they said,
It showed me the truth of what they said
From knowledge and from experience.
Of knowledge and experience.
Sol 6.1