مَنَحْتُكَI granted you أَلْقَابَtitles of الْعُلاhigh rank فَادْعُنِيso call me بِاسْمِيby my name
مَنَحْتُكَ أَلْقَابَ الْعُلا فَادْعُنِي بِاسْمِي
فَمَاfor ... not تَخْفِضُabase الأَلْقَابُtitles حُرّاًa free man وَلاnor تُسْمِيexalt
فَمَا تَخْفِضُ الأَلْقَابُ حُرّاً وَلا تُسْمِي
I granted you titles of high rank, so call me by my name.
You granted me titles of nobility, so call me by my name,
For titles neither abase a free man nor exalt him.
For titles do not lower the freeborn, nor do they define.
إِذَاif كَانَis عُقْبَانُthe eventual fate of الْجَدِيدِthe new إِلَىtoward بِلَىًdecay
إِذَا كَانَ عُقْبَانُ الْجَدِيدِ إِلَى بِلَىً
فَلاso no فَرْقَdifference مَاwhat بَيْنَbetween الْحَدِيثِthe new وَلاnor الرَّسْمِthe remnant
فَلا فَرْقَ مَا بَيْنَ الْحَدِيثِ وَلا الرَّسْمِ
If the fate of the new is decay,
When the patina of newness on a sword wears down to nothing,
there is no difference between the new and the worn remnant.
There's no difference between new and old in name or form.
تَأَمَّلْlook reflectively إِلَىat الدُّنْيَاthe world بِعَيْنٍwith an eye بَصِيرَةٍdiscerning
تَأَمَّلْ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا بِعَيْنٍ بَصِيرَةٍ
لَعَلَّكَperhaps you تَرْضَىwill be content بِالْقَلِيلِwith little مِنَof الْقَسْمِthe allotted share
لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَى بِالْقَلِيلِ مِنَ الْقَسْمِ
Look upon the world with a discerning eye;
Look upon this world with discerning eyes,
perhaps you will be content with little of your allotted share.
Perhaps you'll be content with the little your lot assigns.
فَمَاfor ... not الْعَيْشُlife إِلَّاexcept خَطْرَةٌa passing occurrence عَرَضِيَّةٌincidental
فَمَا الْعَيْشُ إِلَّا خَطْرَةٌ عَرَضِيَّةٌ
تَزُولُit vanishes كَمَاjust as زَالَvanished الْحَثِيثُthe swift one مِنَamong النَّسْمِthe breezes
تَزُولُ كَمَا زَالَ الْحَثِيثُ مِنَ النَّسْمِ
For life is but a fleeting, chance occurrence,
For what is life but a fleeting, chance adventure
vanishing as the swift breeze vanished.
That passes like a gentle breeze's sigh?
وَهَلْand are ...? نَحْنُwe إِلَّاanything but مِثْلُlike مَنْthose who كَانَwere قَبْلَنَاbefore us
وَهَلْ نَحْنُ إِلَّا مِثْلُ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَنَا
فَسَلْso ask عَنْabout جَدِيسٍJadis أَيْنَwhere وَلَّتْit departed وَعَنْand about طَسْمِTasm
فَسَلْ عَنْ جَدِيسٍ أَيْنَ وَلَّتْ وَعَنْ طَسْمِ
And are we anything but like those who were before us?
Are we not like those who lived before us?
So ask of Jadis—where has it gone?—and of Tasm.
Ask of Decimus, where did he go? And of Tasimus?
تَزَوَّدْtake provisions مِنَfrom الدُّنْيَاthe world بِمَاwith what فِيهِin it بُلْغَةٌsufficient sustenance
تَزَوَّدْ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَا فِيهِ بُلْغَةٌ
فَسَوْفَfor ... will تُعَانِيyou endure الْجَدْبَdrought يَاO رَاعِيَherdsman of الْوَسْمِيthe autumn rain
فَسَوْفَ تُعَانِي الْجَدْبَ يَا رَاعِيَ الْوَسْمِي
Provision yourself from this world with what will sustain you,
Take from this life what perfects it,
for you will endure drought, O herdsman of the autumn rains.
For you will suffer drought, O herder of the branded sheep!
لَعَمْرِيby my life لَنِعْمَexcellent indeed is الْمَرْءُthe man مَنْwho بَاتَpassed the night رَاضِياًcontent
لَعَمْرِي لَنِعْمَ الْمَرْءُ مَنْ بَاتَ رَاضِياً
بِمَاwith what خَصَّهُit allotted him مِنْfrom فَيْضِهِits bounty سَابِقُthe prior الرَّسْمِdecree
بِمَا خَصَّهُ مِنْ فَيْضِهِ سَابِقُ الرَّسْمِ
By my life, excellent indeed is the man who passes the night content
By my life! Happy is the man who sleeps content
with what the prior decree has allotted him from its bounty.
With what he's apportioned of its flowing grace.
تَفَلْسَفَphilosophized قَوْمٌsome people فِيin الْمَقَالِdiscourse وَمَاand not دَرَوْاthey knew
تَفَلْسَفَ قَوْمٌ فِي الْمَقَالِ وَمَا دَرَوْا
جَرِيرَةَthe harmful consequence of مَاwhat أَبْقَواthey left عَلَىupon الدَّهْرِtime مِنْof وَسْمِa mark
جَرِيرَةَ مَا أَبْقَوا عَلَى الدَّهْرِ مِنْ وَسْمِ
Some people philosophized in their discourse, yet did not know
Some philosophized in maxims but never grasped
the harmful consequence of the mark they left upon time.
The essence of what little legacy time leaves behind.
وَلَوْand had رَاجَعُواthey reexamined هَذِيthese النُّفُوسَsouls لَعَالَجُواthey would have treated
وَلَوْ رَاجَعُوا هَذِي النُّفُوسَ لَعَالَجُوا
بِتَرْكِby abandoning الْخَطَايَاsins مُعْضِلَthe intractable الدَّاءِdisease بِالْحَسْمِby decisive excision
بِتَرْكِ الْخَطَايَا مُعْضِلَ الدَّاءِ بِالْحَسْمِ
And had they reexamined these souls, they would have treated
If only they'd look within themselves, they could treat
the stubborn disease by excision—by forsaking sins.
The crux of every ill by decisively cutting it out.
فَدَعْso leave هَذِهِthis الدُّنْيَاworld وَإِنْand even if هِيَit أَقْبَلَتْapproaches
فَدَعْ هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا وَإِنْ هِيَ أَقْبَلَتْ
عَلَيْكَtoward you بِإِيمَاضِwith flashes of الْبَشَاشَةِcheerfulness وَالْبَسْمِand smiles
عَلَيْكَ بِإِيمَاضِ الْبَشَاشَةِ وَالْبَسْمِ
So leave this world, even if it approaches
So leave this world be, even if it draws close
you with flashes of cheerfulness and smiles.
With a welcoming smile and shining face.
فَلَوْfor if جَرَّبَtested الإِنْسَانُa person أَخْلاقَthe character of دَهْرِهِhis age
فَلَوْ جَرَّبَ الإِنْسَانُ أَخْلاقَ دَهْرِهِ
لأَمْسَكَhe would hold fast بِالْيَأْسِto despair الْمُرِيحِthat brings relief عَنِfrom الْعسْمِcraving
لأَمْسَكَ بِالْيَأْسِ الْمُرِيحِ عَنِ الْعسْمِ
For if a person tested the character of his age,
Had man but tried the varying tempers of time,
he would cling to despair, which grants relief from craving.
He'd cleave to hopelessness, his soothing balm.
فَمَنْso who لِيfor me بِرَأْيٍwith a judgment صَادِقٍsound أَقْتَفِيI follow بِهِby it
فَمَنْ لِي بِرَأْيٍ صَادِقٍ أَقْتَفِي بِهِ
مَدَارِجَthe paths of قَوْمٍpeople أَدْرَكُواthey grasped الأَمْرَthe matter بِالْقَسْمِthrough deliberation
مَدَارِجَ قَوْمٍ أَدْرَكُوا الأَمْرَ بِالْقَسْمِ
Who, then, can give me sound judgment by which I may follow
Who can advise me with wisdom true,
the paths of people who grasped the matter through deliberation?
To climb the ranks of those who've won the prize?
بَرَتْنِيthey wore me down تَبَارِيحُthe agonies of الْحَيَاةِlife فَلَمْso ... not تَدَعْthey left
بَرَتْنِي تَبَارِيحُ الْحَيَاةِ فَلَمْ تَدَعْ
لَدَيَّwith me سِوَىexcept رُوحٍa soul تَرَدَّدَit moves to and fro فِيin جِسْمِa body
لَدَيَّ سِوَى رُوحٍ تَرَدَّدَ فِي جِسْمِ
The agonies of life have worn me down, leaving
Time's winds have relinquished me, leaving naught
with me nothing but a soul moving to and fro within a body.
But a spirit lingering in my frame.
يَقُولُونَthey say مَحْمُودٌMahmoud (praised) وَيَاand oh لَيْتَwould that أَنَّنِيthat I
يَقُولُونَ مَحْمُودٌ وَيَا لَيْتَ أَنَّنِي
كَمَاas زَعَمُواthey claimed أَوْلَيْتَyou bestowed لِيon me طَائِعاًwillingly كَاسْمِيlike my name
كَمَا زَعَمُوا أَوْلَيْتَ لِي طَائِعاً كَاسْمِي
They call me Mahmoud—“praised”—and would that I
"It's Mahmud," they say, "if only I were
had, as they claim, been willingly granted [praise] by you, befitting my name.
As obedient to them as my name implies!"
Sol 6.1