دَعْنيlet me be فلستُfor I am not علىagainst الزَّمانِtime بعاتبِreproachful
دَعْني فلستُ على الزَّمانِ بعاتبِ
ليسَis not الزَّمانُtime كماas علمتَyou know بصاحِبِa companion
ليسَ الزَّمانُ كما علمتَ بصاحِبِ
Let me be, for I do not reproach time.
Let me be, for I do not reproach fate,
Time, as you know, is no companion.
Fate is not, as you know, to be blamed.
وإذاand if وعدتَyou promised النَّفسَthe soul فيهِin it براحةٍwith repose
وإذا وعدتَ النَّفسَ فيهِ براحةٍ
وعَدَتْكَit promised you أنthat تُثنىyou be turned back بخَجْلةِwith the shame of كاذبِa liar
وعَدَتْكَ أن تُثنى بخَجْلةِ كاذبِ
And if you promise your soul repose in it,
And if you promise yourself comfort in it,
It promises you will be turned back with a liar’s shame.
It promises you will be shamed as a liar.
كَثُرتgrew numerous نوائبُهُits calamities عليَّupon me وإنَّماand yet
كَثُرت نوائبُهُ عليَّ وإنَّما
ألفيتُI found منهُfrom it ملجأًa refuge للهاربِfor the fugitive
ألفيتُ منهُ ملجأً للهاربِ
Its calamities have multiplied upon me, and yet
Its afflictions on me are many, yet
I found in it a refuge for the fugitive:
I have found in it a refuge from flight.
مولىًa patron ظفرتI won بودِّهhis affection متباعداًwhile far away
مولىً ظفرت بودِّه متباعداً
فرجوتso I hoped منهfrom him وسيلةَthe favored standing of المتقارِبِone drawing near
فرجوت منه وسيلةَ المتقارِبِ
A patron whose affection I won though far away,
I gained the love of a patron from afar
So I hoped to gain from him the standing of one close at hand.
So I hoped to find in him a means of rapprochement.
وطَمِعتُand I hoped منهُfrom him علىdespite البِعادِthe distance بضَوئهِfor his light
وطَمِعتُ منهُ على البِعادِ بضَوئهِ
إذfor تلكَthat عادةُthe habit of كلِّevery نجمٍstar ثاقبِpiercing
إذ تلكَ عادةُ كلِّ نجمٍ ثاقبِ
And I hoped for his light despite the distance,
And I coveted in my distance from him his glow,
For such is the way of every piercing star.
For that is the way of every shining star.
هوhe عِصمةُthe protection of الدَّاعيthe supplicant وغَوْثُand the succor of الملتجيthe refuge-seeker
هو عِصمةُ الدَّاعي وغَوْثُ الملتجي
وكِفايةُand the provision of الرَّاجيthe hopeful وكَنزُand the treasure of الطالبِthe seeker
وكِفايةُ الرَّاجي وكَنزُ الطالبِ
He is the supplicant’s protection and the refuge-seeker’s succor,
He is the protection of the supplicant and the succor of the refugee,
And the hopeful one’s provision and the seeker’s treasure.
The fulfillment of the hopeful and the treasure of the seeker.
فيin كفِهِّhis palm البيضاءِwhite خمسُfive أناملٍfingertips
في كفِهِّ البيضاءِ خمسُ أناملٍ
يدعونهاthey call them فيon الأرضِthe earth خمسَfive سَحائِبِclouds
يدعونها في الأرضِ خمسَ سَحائِبِ
In his white palm are five fingertips,
In his white palm are five fingers
Which on earth they call five clouds.
That on earth they call five clouds,
تُرويthey water القريبَwhat is nearby منof الجوانبِthe quarters حَولهاaround them
تُروي القريبَ من الجوانبِ حَولها
وتَسوقُand they drive عارِضهاtheir raincloud لأبَعدِto the farthest جانِبِquarter
وتَسوقُ عارِضها لأبَعدِ جانِبِ
They water the nearby quarters around them,
That water those near them around,
And drive their raincloud to the farthest quarter.
And drive their clouds to the farthest edge.
مولايَmy lord إنيindeed I قدhave دعوتكَI called upon you دَعوةًa plea
مولايَ إني قد دعوتكَ دَعوةً
بلسانِwith the tongue of قلبٍa heart لاnot لسانِthe tongue of مُخاطبِa speaker
بلسانِ قلبٍ لا لسانِ مُخاطبِ
My lord, I have indeed called upon you with a plea,
My patron, I have called upon you with a call
With the tongue of a heart, not the tongue of a speaker.
From the tongue of a heart, not the tongue of an orator.
نَقَشَengraved الرَّجاءُhope علىupon فُؤاديmy heart أسطُراًlines
نَقَشَ الرَّجاءُ على فُؤادي أسطُراً
أجلَىclearer وأثبَتَand more enduring منthan مِدادِthe ink of الكاتِبِthe writer
أجلَى وأثبَتَ من مِدادِ الكاتِبِ
Hope engraved lines upon my heart,
Hope has inscribed on my heart lines
Clearer and more enduring than the writer’s ink.
Clearer and more lasting than the ink of a scribe.
ماnot ضَرَّناit harmed us أنthat كُنتَyou were لستyou are not بحاضرٍpresent
ما ضَرَّنا أن كُنتَ لست بحاضرٍ
فيناamong us وفضلُand the bounty of نَداكَyour generosity ليسَis not بغائبِabsent
فينا وفضلُ نَداكَ ليسَ بغائبِ
It has not harmed us that you are not present
It does not harm us that you are not visibly present among us
Among us, while the bounty of your generosity is not absent.
For your overflowing grace is not absent.
فيin قُبَّةِthe dome of الأفلاكِthe celestial spheres بدرٌa full moon واحدٌsingle
في قُبَّةِ الأفلاكِ بدرٌ واحدٌ
يكفيit suffices لضوءِfor the illumination of مَشارقٍplaces of sunrise ومَغارِبِand places of sunset
يكفي لضوءِ مَشارقٍ ومَغارِبِ
In the dome of the celestial spheres is a single full moon,
In the dome of the heavens there is but one moon
It suffices to light the places of sunrise and sunset.
That suffices to illuminate east and west.
قُلِّدتَyou were invested with سيفَa sword of نِيابةٍdeputyship شرَّفتَهُyou ennobled it
قُلِّدتَ سيفَ نِيابةٍ شرَّفتَهُ
حتىuntil أريتَyou showed النَّاسَthe people فضلَthe merit of النائِبِthe deputy
حتى أريتَ النَّاسَ فضلَ النائِبِ
You were invested with a sword of deputyship, which you ennobled,
You were given the sword of authority, elevating it
Until you showed the people the deputy’s merit.
Until you showed men the merit of the deputy.
للسيفِthe sword has فضلٌmerit فيin المَضاءِkeenness وإنَّماand yet
للسيفِ فضلٌ في المَضاءِ وإنَّما
لاnot يَقبَلُadmits الإنكارَdenial فضلُthe merit of الضَّارِبِthe wielder
لا يَقبَلُ الإنكارَ فضلُ الضَّارِبِ
The sword has merit in its keenness, yet
The sword has merit in striking, but in truth
The wielder’s merit admits no denial.
None can deny the merit of the wielder.
Sol 6.1