عصرناour age هذاthis ملئfull بالفتنof trials
عصرنا هذا ملئ بالفتن
طبعهits nature خلقcreating شرورevils ومحنand ordeals
طبعه خلق شرور ومحن
This age of ours is full of trials.
Our era is full of tribulations
Its nature is to breed evils and ordeals.
Its nature created evils and afflictions
محفلgathering-place الماضينthose gone before فيهwithin it مقفرdeserted
محفل الماضين فيه مقفر
صوحتhas withered فيهwithin it حياةa life تنضرflourishing
صوحت فيه حياة تنضر
The gathering-place of those gone before lies deserted within it.
The gathering of the ancestors in it is empty
A flourishing life has withered there.
The life in it withered and dried
أنكرتhave disowned أنفسناour souls أنظارناour views
أنكرت أنفسنا أنظارنا
وجفتand has dried up نغمتهاtheir melody أوتارناour strings
وجفت نغمتها أوتارنا
Our souls have disowned our views.
We denied our own eyes
And the melody of our strings has dried up.
And our strings became silent
شعلةthe flame التوحيدGod's oneness فيناwithin us سلباtaken away
شعلة التوحيد فينا سلبا
نارهits fire والنورand the light مناfrom us سلباtaken away
ناره والنور منا سلبا
The flame of God's oneness within us has been stolen.
The flame of monotheism in us was robbed
Its fire and light have been taken from us.
Its fire and light were robbed from us
وإذاand when ماever (conditional emphasis) اعتلbecomes impaired تقويمthe right ordering الحياةlife
وإذا ما اعتل تقويم الحياة
فمنso through التقليدadherence to tradition للقومfor the people نجاهsalvation
فمن التقليد للقوم نجاه
And when life's right ordering becomes impaired,
And if the system of life became corrupted
a people's salvation lies in following tradition.
Then from tradition comes the salvation of the people
سننthe ways الآباءthe forefathers حبلthe cord المللهthe religious community
سنن الآباء حبل الملله
ومنand through التقليدadherence to tradition جمعuniting الأمةthe community
ومن التقليد جمع الأمة
The forefathers' ways are the cord of the religious community.
The traditions of the forefathers are the rope of safety
And adherence to tradition holds the community together.
And from tradition comes the unity of the nation
ياO خلياone bereft فيin خريفautumn منof ثمرfruit
يا خليا في خريف من ثمر
ارقبawait الغيثthe rain ولاand do not تجفforsake الشجرthe trees
ارقب الغيث ولا تجف الشجر
O you who are bereft of fruit in autumn,
O vine in the autumn of fruit
await the rain, and do not forsake the trees.
Watch for the rain and do not let the trees dry
قدindeed حرمتyou have been deprived of البحرthe sea فاذso + start of 'remember' كرخسرend of 'remember' + 'loss' كاyour (suffix)
قد حرمت البحر فاذ كرخسر كا
ياO قليلone scant in الماءwater واحفظand preserve نهركاyour river
يا قليل الماء واحفظ نهركا
You have been deprived of the sea, so remember your loss,
You have been deprived of the sea, so remember you lost
O you of scant water, and preserve your river.
O little water, and protect your river
فعسىso perhaps سيلthe torrent الجبالthe mountains الهادرroaring
فعسى سيل الجبال الهادر
منهfrom it فيin مجراكyour channel لجa deep sea زاخرsurging
منه في مجراك لج زاخر
So perhaps the mountains' roaring torrent
Perhaps the violent torrents of mountains
will bring a surging sea into your channel.
Will flood abundantly in your valley
حالthe condition إسرائيلIsrael فيهاin this تبصرهyou discern it
حال إسرائيل فيها تبصره
إنif تكنshould be روحكyour spirit روحاa spirit مبصرهseeing
إن تكن روحك روحا مبصره
In this you can discern Israel's condition,
You can see the state of Israel in it
if your spirit is a seeing spirit.
If your soul is an insightful soul
انظرنdo look كيفhow اتبلاهاhas afflicted her الزمنtime
انظرن كيف اتبلاها الزمن
وعرتهاand have assailed her فيamid الخطوبcalamities المحنtrials
وعرتها في الخطوب المحن
Look how time has afflicted her,
Look how time has tested it
and trials have assailed her amid calamities.
And stripped it bare in dire tribulations
وجههاher face فيat كلevery حينmoment يلطمis slapped
وجهها في كل حين يلطم
كادnearly فيin أعراقهاher veins يفنىis exhausted الدمthe blood
كاد في أعراقها يفنى الدم
Her face is slapped at every moment.
Its face is slapped in every instant
The blood in her veins has nearly run out.
Nearly draining the blood from its veins
عصرتhas squeezed عنقودهاher grape-cluster كفthe hand الخطوبcalamities
عصرت عنقودها كف الخطوب
ذكرthe memory هارونAaron وموسىand Moses فيin القلوبthe hearts
ذكر هارون وموسى في القلوب
The hand of calamities has squeezed her grape-cluster.
The hands of afflictions wrung out its grapes
The memory of Aaron and Moses lives in hearts.
The mention of Aaron and Moses is in the hearts
إنif خباhas faded فيin اللحنthe melody منهاof hers قبسa spark
إن خبا في اللحن منها قبس
لمhas not يزلceased فيin الصدرthe breast منهاof hers نفسa breath
لم يزل في الصدر منها نفس
If a spark of hers has faded in the melody,
If an ember of it dimmed
a breath of hers still lingers in the breast.
Its breath remained in the chest
سارtraveled فيin إثرthe wake الجدودthe forefathers المحملthe camel-litter
سار في إثر الجدود المحمل
حينماwhen انفضdispersed لديهاin her midst المحفلthe assembly
حينما انفض لديها المحفل
The camel-litter traveled in the forefathers' wake,
It followed the ancestors who carried
when the assembly in her midst dispersed.
When its gathering there had scattered
ياO منone who انفضhas fallen away لهfor him جمعa following وجاهand standing
يا من انفض له جمع وجاه
وخباand have dimmed فيin صدرهhis breast شمعcandles الحياهlife
وخبا في صدره شمع الحياه
O you whose following and standing have fallen away,
O you whose gathering and status scattered
and in whose breast life's candles have dimmed,
And the candle of life dimmed in your chest
آيةthe verse التوحيدGod's oneness فيin القلبthe heart اسطراinscribe
آية التوحيد في القلب اسطرا
ومنand from التقليدadherence to tradition أمسكhold fast بالعرىto the bonds
ومن التقليد أمسك بالعرى
inscribe the verse of God's oneness in your heart,
Inscribe the sign of monotheism in your heart
and hold fast to the bonds of tradition.
And hold on to tradition's rein
اجتهادindependent religious reasoning فيin زمانan age القهقرىdecline
اجتهاد في زمان القهقرى
يذهبscatter الأقوامthe peoples منهbecause of it شذراinto fragments
يذهب الأقوام منه شذرا
Independent reasoning in an age of decline
Diligence in the age of regression
sends peoples scattering into fragments.
Takes the nations away piece by piece
اقتداءfollowing برسومin the ways of الأولينthose who came before
اقتداء برسوم الأولين
هوit أولىpreferable لاnot اجتهادindependent religious reasoning الغافلينthe heedless
هو أولى لا اجتهاد الغافلين
Following the ways of those who came before
Imitating the ways of the early ones
is preferable—not the independent reasoning of the heedless.
Is better than the negligence of the oblivious
لمnot يصبwere afflicted آباؤناour forefathers بالهوسwith madness
لم يصب آباؤنا بالهوس
طهرتwere pure أعمالهمtheir deeds كالأنفسlike the souls
طهرت أعمالهم كالأنفس
Our forefathers were not afflicted with madness.
Our ancestors were not possessed by passion
Their deeds were pure, like their souls.
Their deeds were as pure as their souls
فكرهمtheir thought كانwas رقيقاsubtle مرهفاfinely honed
فكرهم كان رقيقا مرهفا
فعلهمtheir conduct أوفىmore faithful بشرعto the law of المصطفىthe Chosen One
فعلهم أوفى بشرع المصطفى
Their thought was subtle and finely honed.
Their thinking was gentle and perceptive
Their conduct was more faithful to the Chosen One's law.
Their actions were loyal to the Chosen One's law
فكرthe thought الرازيal-Razi ونجوىand intimate counsel جعفرJa'far
فكر الرازي ونجوى جعفر
أينwhere والعربand the Arabs هداةguides البشرhumankind
أين والعرب هداة البشر
Al-Razi's thought and Ja'far's intimate counsel—
Where is the thinking of Razi and the whispering of Ja'far
where are they, though the Arabs are humankind's guides?
While the Arabs are guides of mankind
ضيقhas been constricted الدينreligion عليناfor us يسرهits ease
ضيق الدين علينا يسره
وادعىand has claimed كلevery لئيمbase fellow سرهits secret
وادعى كل لئيم سره
Religion's ease has been constricted for us,
The religion has narrowed on us, make it easy
and every base fellow has claimed its secret.
And every scoundrel claims his secret
قدindeed جهلتyou have been ignorant of الدينreligion عنهfrom it حائداstraying
قد جهلت الدين عنه حائدا
الزمنkeep firmly to ياO حرfree man نهجاa path واحداone
الزمن يا حر نهجا واحدا
You have been ignorant of religion, straying from it.
They are ignorant of the religion, straying from it
Keep firmly to one path, O free man.
O hot era, follow one approach
باحdisclosed ليto me بالسرthe secret نباضthe pulse الحياهlife
باح لي بالسر نباض الحياه
أنماthat only فيin الخلفdiscord مقراضthe shears الحياهlife
أنما في الخلف مقراض الحياه
The pulse of life disclosed the secret to me:
Tell me the secret pulse of life
that life's shears lie only in discord.
It is only found in the successors, the shears of life
وحدةunity الشرعsacred law حياةthe life الأمةthe community
وحدة الشرع حياة الأمة
فمنfor from القرآنthe Qur'an روحthe spirit الملةthe religious community
فمن القرآن روح الملة
The unity of sacred law is the community's life.
The unity of law is the life of the nation
For the religious community's spirit comes from the Qur'an.
For the Quran is the spirit of the faith
نحنwe طينclay وهوand it قلبthe heart لاno (in 'no doubt') جرمdoubt (idiomatic here)
نحن طين وهو قلب لا جرم
هوit حبلthe rope اللهGod منwhoever شاءwishes اعتصمholds fast
هو حبل الله من شاء اعتصم
We are clay, and it is the heart, beyond doubt.
We are but clay and it is the heart, no doubt
It is God's rope: whoever wishes may hold fast to it.
It is the rope of God, so hold on to it if you wish
فانتظمso be strung فيupon سلكهits thread كالدررlike pearls
فانتظم في سلكه كالدرر
أوor غباراas dust فيin الرياحthe winds انتثرscatter
أو غبارا في الرياح انتثر
So be strung upon its thread like pearls,
So fall in line with it like pearls
or scatter as dust in the winds.
Or dissipate into dust in the winds
Sol 6.1