لِلشِّعْرِfor poetry فيin الدَّهْرِtime حُكْمٌsway لاnot يُغَيِّرُهُchanges it
لِلشِّعْرِ في الدَّهْرِ حُكْمٌ لا يُغَيِّرُهُ
مَاwhatever بِالْحَوادِثِin events مِنْof نَقْضٍundoing وَتَغْيِيرِand change
مَا بِالْحَوادِثِ مِنْ نَقْضٍ وَتَغْيِيرِ
Poetry holds sway through time, unaltered
Poetry has in time an authority that nothing alters,
By the undoing and change that events bring.
Not what events bring of destruction and change.
يَسْمُوrises بِقَوْمٍwith some people وَيَهْوِيand fall آخَرُونَothers بِهِthrough it
يَسْمُو بِقَوْمٍ وَيَهْوِي آخَرُونَ بِهِ
كَالدَّهْرِlike time يَجْرِيruns its course بِمَيْسُورٍwith ease وَمَعْسُورِand hardship
كَالدَّهْرِ يَجْرِي بِمَيْسُورٍ وَمَعْسُورِ
It raises some people, while others fall through it,
It elevates some folk and others are debased by it,
Like time, it runs its course through ease and hardship.
Like time itself flowing with ease and hardship.
لَهُit has أَوَابِدُwild-roaming verses لاnot تَنْفَكُّcease سَائِرَةًtraveling
لَهُ أَوَابِدُ لا تَنْفَكُّ سَائِرَةً
فِيacross الأَرْضِthe earth مَاwhat lies بَيْنَbetween إِدْلاجٍnight travel وَتَهْجِيرِand noonday travel
فِي الأَرْضِ مَا بَيْنَ إِدْلاجٍ وَتَهْجِيرِ
It has wild-roaming verses that never cease traveling
It has everlasting marvels that march on unceasing
Across the earth, on journeys by night and at noon.
Through the earth amid darkness and illumination.
مِنْof كُلِّevery عَائِرَةٍrunaway verse تَسْتَنُّgallops فِيat طَلَقٍa racing pace
مِنْ كُلِّ عَائِرَةٍ تَسْتَنُّ فِي طَلَقٍ
يَغْتَالُrobs بِالْبُهْرِthrough exhaustion أَنْفَاسَthe breaths الْمَحَاضِيرِswift steeds
يَغْتَالُ بِالْبُهْرِ أَنْفَاسَ الْمَحَاضِيرِ
Each a runaway verse, galloping at a pace
From every vanished encampment it gleans in the open
That robs swift steeds of breath through exhaustion.
To steal away men's breaths in their settlements.
تَجْرِيruns مَعَwith الشَّمْسِthe sun فِيin تَيَّارِa current كَهْرَبَةٍelectricity
تَجْرِي مَعَ الشَّمْسِ فِي تَيَّارِ كَهْرَبَةٍ
عَلَىon إِطارٍa ring مِنَof الأَضَواءِlights مَسْعُورِablaze
عَلَى إِطارٍ مِنَ الأَضَواءِ مَسْعُورِ
It races with the sun in a current of electricity,
It runs with the sun in a current like flickering light
Upon a blazing ring of lights.
On a frame made of rays filled with radiance.
تُطَارِدُchases الْبَرْقَlightning إِنْif مَرَّتْit passes وَتَتْرُكُهُand leaves it
تُطَارِدُ الْبَرْقَ إِنْ مَرَّتْ وَتَتْرُكُهُ
فِيin جَوْشَنٍa breastplate مِنْof حَبِيكِthe woven fabric الْمُزْنِrain clouds مَزْرُورِfastened shut
فِي جَوْشَنٍ مِنْ حَبِيكِ الْمُزْنِ مَزْرُورِ
When it passes, it chases lightning and leaves it
It chases the lightning should it pass by and leaves it
In a fastened breastplate woven from rain clouds.
In boiling foam of the churned-up sea.
صَحَائِفٌpages لَمْnot تَزَلْcease تُتْلَىare recited بِأَلْسِنَةٍby tongues
صَحَائِفٌ لَمْ تَزَلْ تُتْلَى بِأَلْسِنَةٍ
لِلدَّهْرِof time فيin كُلِّevery نَادٍassembly مِنْهُof it مَعْمُورِthronged
لِلدَّهْرِ في كُلِّ نَادٍ مِنْهُ مَعْمُورِ
Pages that have never ceased to be recited by tongues
Pages that voices still chant in each circle of time
Of time, in every one of its thronged assemblies.
That is lived in: for poetry every clan has renown.
يَزْهَىtakes pride بِهَاin them كُلُّevery سَامٍnoble person فِيin أَرُومَتِهِhis lineage
يَزْهَى بِهَا كُلُّ سَامٍ فِي أَرُومَتِهِ
وَيَتَّقِيand guards against الْبَأْسَharm مِنْهَاfrom them كُلُّevery مَغْمُورِobscure person
وَيَتَّقِي الْبَأْسَ مِنْهَا كُلُّ مَغْمُورِ
Every man of noble lineage takes pride in them,
With it each chief of repute takes pride in his manor
And every obscure man guards against their harm.
And every debased one fears its reproof.
فَكَمْfor how often بِهَاthrough them رَسَخَتْstood firm أَرْكَانُthe pillars مَمْلَكَةٍa kingdom
فَكَمْ بِهَا رَسَخَتْ أَرْكَانُ مَمْلَكَةٍ
وَكَمْand how often بِهَاthrough them خَمَدَتْdied away أَنْفَاسُthe breaths مَغْرُورِa conceited man
وَكَمْ بِهَا خَمَدَتْ أَنْفَاسُ مَغْرُورِ
For how often through them have a kingdom's pillars stood firm,
How many a kingdom's pillars it made firm stand
And how often through them has a conceited man's breath been stilled!
And how many an overweening one's breath it extinguished.
وَالشِّعْرُand poetry دِيوانُa record أَخْلاقٍcharacter traits يَلوحُshines forth بِهِin it
وَالشِّعْرُ دِيوانُ أَخْلاقٍ يَلوحُ بِهِ
مَاwhat خَطَّهُinscribed it الْفِكْرُthought مِنْfrom بَحْثٍinquiry وَتَنْقِيرِand close scrutiny
مَا خَطَّهُ الْفِكْرُ مِنْ بَحْثٍ وَتَنْقِيرِ
And poetry is a record of character, in which shines
Poetry is the register of the mores wherein the mind
What thought has inscribed through inquiry and close scrutiny.
Has inscribed all it pondered and picked out.
كَمْhow often شَادَbuilt up مَجْدَاًglory وَكَمْand how often أَوْدَىbrought ruin بِمَنْقَبَةٍto a distinction
كَمْ شَادَ مَجْدَاً وَكَمْ أَوْدَى بِمَنْقَبَةٍ
رَفْعاًraising وَخَفْضَاًand lowering بِمَرْجُوٍّthrough what is hoped for وَمَحْذُورِand what is feared
رَفْعاً وَخَفْضَاً بِمَرْجُوٍّ وَمَحْذُورِ
How often it has built glory, and how often destroyed a distinction,
How much glory it builds up and how much shame it brings down,
Raising and lowering through what is hoped for and feared.
Exalting and abasing with hopes and terrors.
أَبْقَىpreserved زُهَيْرٌZuhayr بِهِthrough it مَاwhat شَادَهُbuilt it هَرِمٌHarim
أَبْقَى زُهَيْرٌ بِهِ مَا شَادَهُ هَرِمٌ
مِنَof الْفَخَارِglory حَدِيثاًas a tale جدَّvery مَأْثُورِhanded down
مِنَ الْفَخَارِ حَدِيثاً جدَّ مَأْثُورِ
Through it, Zuhayr preserved what Harim had built
Zuhayr eternized himself with what an old man built up
Of glory, as a much-recounted tale.
Of news turned legend repeated and broadcast.
وَفَلَّand blunted جَرْوَلُJarwal غَرْبَthe edge الزِّبْرِقَانِal-Zibriqan بِهِthrough it
وَفَلَّ جَرْوَلُ غَرْبَ الزِّبْرِقَانِ بِهِ
فَبَاءَso he came away مِنْهُfrom it بِصَدْعٍwith a fracture غَيْرِnot مَجْبُورِmended
فَبَاءَ مِنْهُ بِصَدْعٍ غَيْرِ مَجْبُورِ
And Jarwal blunted al-Zibriqan's edge through it,
And Jarwal by it came to ruin when he cast
So he came away from it with an unhealed fracture.
Aspersions that left him broken beyond repair.
أَخْزَىdisgraced جَرِيرٌJarir بِهِthrough it حَيَّthe tribe النُّمَيْرِNumayr فَمَاso did not
أَخْزَى جَرِيرٌ بِهِ حَيَّ النُّمَيْرِ فَمَا
عَادُواthey returned بِغَيْرِwith anything other than حَدِيثٍa tale مِنْهُfrom him مَشْهُورِwell-known
عَادُوا بِغَيْرِ حَدِيثٍ مِنْهُ مَشْهُورِ
Jarir shamed the tribe of Numayr through it, so they did not
Al-Nābigha disgraced Ḥayy of al-Numayr with it, so they
Come away with anything but a famous tale from him.
Spoke of nothing else repeated from him far and wide.
لَوْلاwere it not for أَبُوAbu الطَّيِّبِal-Tayyib الْمَأْثُورُhanded down مَنْطِقُهُhis speech
لَوْلا أَبُو الطَّيِّبِ الْمَأْثُورُ مَنْطِقُهُ
مَاnot سَارَtraveled فِيthrough الدَّهْرِtime يَوْمَاًever ذِكْرُthe memory كَافُورِKafur
مَا سَارَ فِي الدَّهْرِ يَوْمَاً ذِكْرُ كَافُورِ
Were it not for Abu al-Tayyib, whose speech is handed down,
Had glorious Abū Nuwās never spoken his splendid lines,
Kafur's memory would never have traveled through time.
In time his name would not once have been mentioned.
Sol 6.1