ما سائر بين الورى دائرٌ

ما سائر بين الورى دائرٌ

بآيةٍ سائرةٍ دائرَهْ

بآيةٍ سائرةٍ دائرَهْ

What travels and circles among humankind,

He who roams among mankind, wandering,

with a traveling, circling sign?

With a wandering, circulating sign,

يجولُ في مستبهِم ضيِّق

يجولُ في مستبهِم ضيِّق

منه حِذاءَ الحلَق الوافرهْ

منه حِذاءَ الحلَق الوافرهْ

It roams in an obscure, narrow part

Roams confusedly in a narrow strait,

of it, opposite the plentiful rings.

From which the spacious throat is protected.

تنظرُ منه أبداً كلمّا

تنظرُ منه أبداً كلمّا

ليست له عينُك بالناظرهْ

ليست له عينُك بالناظرهْ

You always look to it whenever

You look at him again and again, yet

your eye is not gazing at it.

Your eyes cannot descry him.

يوجَدُ منه ناحلٌ مسمِنٌ

يوجَدُ منه ناحلٌ مسمِنٌ

يُحمَلُ في واردةٍ صادرهْ

يُحمَلُ في واردةٍ صادرهْ

Among its kind, a lean one that fattens is found,

A lank-haired, fasting one may be found in him,

carried in something that comes and goes.

Borne in an outgoing caravan.

ووادعٌ يُدئب أقرانَهُ

ووادعٌ يُدئب أقرانَهُ

وغائبٌ صورتهُ حاضرهْ

وغائبٌ صورتهُ حاضرهْ

And one at rest that keeps its peers toiling,

And a devotee diligently pursuing his peers,

and an absent one whose image is present.

While his image is present.

قضت به خرقاءُ مضعوفةٌ

قضت به خرقاءُ مضعوفةٌ

قضيةَ القادرة القاهرهْ

قضيةَ القادرة القاهرهْ

A clumsy, weakened one judged through it,

Ruinous, broken fate has decreed for him

with the judgment of the capable, overpowering one.

The decree of the prevailing, conquering one.

كأنما تعقِد في نظمه

كأنما تعقِد في نظمه

سحراً ولكن أختها الساحرهْ

سحراً ولكن أختها الساحرهْ

As though she knots into its arrangement

As though she complicates in his composition

a spell—and yet her sister is the sorceress.

Sorcery, but her sister is the sorceress.

تعطيك إما ظفَراً أو ردىً

تعطيك إما ظفَراً أو ردىً

سماتُه العادلة الجائرهْ

سماتُه العادلة الجائرهْ

They give you either victory or death—

The traits of fairness and injustice give you

its marks, just and unjust.

Either victory or perdition.

فساعةً متجرُها مربح

فساعةً متجرُها مربح

وساعةً خائبة خاسرهْ

وساعةً خائبة خاسرهْ

So at one time her trade is profitable,

One hour her merchandise is profitable,

and at another she is disappointed and losing.

Another disappointing, causing loss.

شواهد الإيمان في صمته

شواهد الإيمان في صمته

ودِينُه في أُمَّةٍ كافرهْ

ودِينُه في أُمَّةٍ كافرهْ

Signs of faith are in its silence,

The proofs of faith are in his silence,

and its religion is among an unbelieving people.

And his religion among an infidel nation.