كمhow often ملؤاthey filled الجوَّthe air بصيحاتهمwith their cries
كم ملؤا الجوَّ بصيحاتهم
وطاولواand they vied in height with النجمَthe star بلاwithout طائلِbenefit
وطاولوا النجمَ بلا طائلِ
How often they filled the air with their cries!
How they filled the air with their cries,
And vied in height with the star, to no avail.
And fruitlessly assailed the stars.
وسيروهاand they sent them circulating صحفاًas newspapers بعضهاsome of them
وسيروها صحفاً بعضها
عنaway from بعضِهاothers among them فيin شغلٍpreoccupation شاغلِall-consuming
عن بعضِها في شغلٍ شاغلِ
And sent them circulating as newspapers, some of them
They made of them scrolls, some
Too deeply preoccupied to heed the others.
Engrossed with others in tiresome toil—
تحتشدُcrowd together الأقلامَthe pens فيهاin them كماjust as
تحتشدُ الأقلامَ فيها كما
يختلطُmingles الحابلُthe trapper بالنابلِwith the archer
يختلطُ الحابلُ بالنابلِ
Pens crowd together in them, just as
Pens crowd together on them as
The trapper mingles with the archer.
The warp mixes with the woof.
وتجمعُand they gather الحقَtruth إلىtogether with خصمهِits adversary
وتجمعُ الحقَ إلى خصمهِ
وليتهاand if only they تقضيwould put an end علىto الباطلِfalsehood
وليتها تقضي على الباطلِ
And they bring truth together with its adversary—
They gather right to wrong,
If only they would put an end to falsehood!
Would that they might put an end to falsehood!
رأيتهاI saw them كالعضبِlike a keen-edged sword إماif نباit failed to cut
رأيتها كالعضبِ إما نبا
فالذنبُthen the blame فيfor ذاكَthat علىrests on الحاملِthe bearer
فالذنبُ في ذاكَ على الحاملِ
I saw them as a keen-edged sword: should it fail to cut,
I saw them like reeds—if crooked,
Then the blame for that lies with the bearer.
The fault therein lies with the bearer.
Sol 6.1