وَرَدَarrived الكتابُthe letter فضاعَand spread طيّبُthe sweetness نَشرِهِof its fragrance
وَرَدَ الكتابُ فضاعَ طيّبُ نَشرِهِ
وطَرِبتُand I rejoiced قبلَbefore نظامهِits verse منat نثرِهِits prose
وطَرِبتُ قبلَ نظامهِ من نثرِهِ
The letter arrived, and its sweet fragrance spread.
The book arrived, its fragrance dispersed as it spread,
And its prose delighted me before its verse.
And I was delighted by its prose before its systematic arrangement.
أحياrevived بزَورتهِwith its visit الفُؤادَthe heart كأنَّماas though
أحيا بزَورتهِ الفُؤادَ كأنَّما
فيin كلِّevery سَطرٍline وجهُthe face كاتبِof the writer سطرِهِof its line
في كلِّ سَطرٍ وجهُ كاتبِ سطرِهِ
It revived the heart with its visit, as though
It revived my heart as if in every line,
In every line was the face of the one who wrote it.
There was the face of the author of that line.
شخَصَتْstared fixedly لهُat it أبصارُgazes عينِof the eye محبِّهِof his lover
شخَصَتْ لهُ أبصارُ عينِ محبِّهِ
حتىuntil كأنَّas though سَوادَهاits blackness منfrom حِبرِهِits ink
حتى كأنَّ سَوادَها من حِبرِهِ
The gaze of his lover's eye was fixed upon it,
Eyes of its lover stared at it,
Till the eye's dark pupil seemed made of the letter's ink.
As if their blackness was from its ink.
وتذكَّرَand recalled العهدَthe bond القديمَof old متيَّمٌone enslaved by love
وتذكَّرَ العهدَ القديمَ متيَّمٌ
لَقِيَencountered الجِنايةَharm والجَنَىand fruit منfrom ذِكرِهِremembering it
لَقِيَ الجِنايةَ والجَنَى من ذِكرِهِ
And a love-stricken man recalled the bond of old;
A longing one remembered the old days,
He found both hurt and fruit in remembering it.
He met persecution and attained comfort from its mention.
ياO مَنyou who يطارحُنيexchanges with me القريضَpoetry فكاهةًfor amusement
يا مَن يطارحُني القريضَ فكاهةً
هيهاتِfar beyond reach! قدindeed ذَهَبَdeparted القريضُpoetry بعصرِهِwith its age
هيهاتِ قد ذَهَبَ القريضُ بعصرِهِ
O you who exchange poetry with me for amusement,
O you who jokes with poetry to me,
Alas! Poetry has departed with its age.
Alas, poetry and its era have passed away.
والشعِرُand poetry منamong أرَبِthe desires الصَباءِof youth وأينand where ليfor me
والشعِرُ من أرَبِ الصَباءِ وأين لي
أسفاًalas! ومَنand who ليfor me بالصَباءِwith youth وشعِرِهِand its poetry
أسفاً ومَن لي بالصَباءِ وشعِرِهِ
And poetry is among youth's desires—but where can I find it?
Poetry is from the folly of youth, and where can I,
Alas! Who can give me youth and its poetry?
Regretfully, find youth or its poetry.
غَلَبَprevailed المشيبُgray hair علىover الشَبابِyouth بأبيضٍwith a white blade
غَلَبَ المشيبُ على الشَبابِ بأبيضٍ
ذَلِقٍkeen-edged فصارَso became سوادُهُits blackness فيin أسْرِهِits captivity
ذَلِقٍ فصارَ سوادُهُ في أسْرِهِ
Gray hair conquered youth with a white blade,
Gray hair has overcome youth with whiteness,
Keen-edged, so youth's dark hair became its captive.
Smooth, so its blackness is captured.
ضيفٌa guest علىupon رأْسيmy head حَمَلتُI bore ثقيلَهُits weight
ضيفٌ على رأْسي حَمَلتُ ثقيلَهُ
وقَريتُهُand I fed it as a guest طِيبَthe sweetness الحياةِof life بأسرِهِin its entirety
وقَريتُهُ طِيبَ الحياةِ بأسرِهِ
A guest upon my head—I bore its weight,
A guest on my head, I carried its heaviness,
And served it all life's sweetness.
And hosted it, enjoying life in its entirety.
ولقدand indeed عَجِبتُI marveled لمادحٍat a praiser لمdid not يَهْجُنيlampoon me
ولقد عَجِبتُ لمادحٍ لم يَهْجُني
كَرَمُgenerosity الطبيعةِof disposition كانَwas آيةَthe sign عُذرِهِof his excuse
كَرَمُ الطبيعةِ كانَ آيةَ عُذرِهِ
And indeed I marveled at a praiser who did not lampoon me;
I'm amazed by one who didn't satirize me,
His generous nature was the proof that excused him.
The generosity of nature was a sign of his excuse.
أمسىbecame يَشُقُّis difficult عليَّfor me تسليمٌassent لهُto him
أمسى يَشُقُّ عليَّ تسليمٌ لهُ
ويَشُقُّand is difficult إنكارٌdenial لِرِفعةِof the loftiness قدرِهِof his worth
ويَشُقُّ إنكارٌ لِرِفعةِ قدرِهِ
It has become hard for me to assent to him,
It has become difficult for me to accept surrender to him,
And hard to deny his exalted worth.
And it is difficult to deny the loftiness of his worth.
خَبَرٌa report تداوَلَهُcirculated it الرُواةُthe narrators فأكبرواand deemed it great
خَبَرٌ تداوَلَهُ الرُواةُ فأكبروا
وهوَyet it الصغيرُthe small one إذاwhen هَمَمتَyou set out بخُبْرِهِto test it
وهوَ الصغيرُ إذا هَمَمتَ بخُبْرِهِ
A report the narrators circulated and deemed great,
A report circulated by narrators who exaggerated it,
Yet it is trifling when you set about testing it.
While it was small when you considered its core.
لاdo not تُعطِgive حُكمَكَyour judgment ماwhat بداappeared لكَto you أمرُهُits matter
لا تُعطِ حُكمَكَ ما بدا لكَ أمرُهُ
حتىuntil تقومَyou stand علىupon حقيقةِthe truth أمرِهِof its matter
حتى تقومَ على حقيقةِ أمرِهِ
Do not pass judgment on a matter as it first appears to you,
Do not give your judgement on what first appears to you,
Until you have ascertained the truth of the matter.
Until you stand on the truth of the matter.
خيرُthe best الكلامِof speech كلامُspeech صِدقٍof truth نافعٌbeneficial
خيرُ الكلامِ كلامُ صِدقٍ نافعٌ
وأجلُّهُand its noblest فيin الشِعرِpoetry فَهْوَso it كذُرخرِهِperhaps 'like its treasure' (unclear as written)
وأجلُّهُ في الشِعرِ فَهْوَ كذُرخرِهِ
The best speech is truthful speech that benefits,
The best words are truthful beneficial words,
And its noblest is in poetry, where it is like its treasure [uncertain reading].
And the greatest of them in poetry are like its pearls.
مَنwhoever ضاعَwas wasted أكثرُmost شِعرِهِof his verse فيon باطلٍfalsehood
مَن ضاعَ أكثرُ شِعرِهِ في باطلٍ
فكأنماthen it is as though قدindeed ضاعَwas wasted أكثرُmost عُمرِهِof his life
فكأنما قد ضاعَ أكثرُ عُمرِهِ
For one whose verse is mostly wasted on falsehood,
One whose poetry is mostly vain,
It is as though most of his life has been wasted.
It is as if most of his life is lost.
مرَّتْpassed بناصيتيover my forelock الخُطوبُthe calamities فراعَهاso frightened them
مرَّتْ بناصيتي الخُطوبُ فراعَها
جَلَديmy endurance وروَّعنيand terrified me الزَمانُTime بمكرِهِwith its guile
جَلَدي وروَّعني الزَمانُ بمكرِهِ
Calamities passed over my forelock, frightened by
Hardships have passed by my forelock and startled me,
My endurance; and Time terrified me with its guile.
My skin shuddered and time frightened me with its deception.
ولَرُبَّماand often سَلِمَescaped unharmed الفتىthe young man مِمَّاfrom what دَرَىhe knew
ولَرُبَّما سَلِمَ الفتى مِمَّا دَرَى
ورَمَتْهُand struck him داهيةٌa calamity بماwith what لمdid not يَدرِهِknow it
ورَمَتْهُ داهيةٌ بما لم يَدرِهِ
And often a young man escapes what he knows,
And sometimes the youth is safe from what he supposes,
Yet a calamity strikes him with what he does not know.
While a wicked one hits him with what he did not expect.
ولَرُبَّand many a أشْيبَgray-haired man فيin الكُهولةِmiddle age غافلٌheedless
ولَرُبَّ أشْيبَ في الكُهولةِ غافلٌ
ولَرُبَّand many a أمرَدَbeardless youth عاقلٌwise فيin صِغْرِهِhis youth
ولَرُبَّ أمرَدَ عاقلٌ في صِغْرِهِ
And many a gray-haired man is heedless in middle age,
And sometimes an ignorant one grows gray in adulthood,
And many a beardless boy is wise in his youth.
While an intelligent one flourishes in his youth.
هيهاتِfar from it! ماnot قلبُthe heart الفتَىof a young man فيin سنِّهِhis age
هيهاتِ ما قلبُ الفتَى في سنِّهِ
أبداًever ولكنْbut قلبُهُhis heart فيin صَدرِهِhis breast
أبداً ولكنْ قلبُهُ في صَدرِهِ
Far from it! A young man's heart is not in his age,
Alas, the heart of a youth is never in his age,
Never—but his heart lies in his breast.
But rather his heart is in his chest.
ياO مَنyou who رَضعتَyou suckled الحِلمَforbearance منfrom أفواقِهِits yields of milk
يا مَن رَضعتَ الحِلمَ من أفواقِهِ
ورَبيتَand you were reared فيin مَهدِthe cradle الكمالِof perfection وحَجْرِهِand its lap
ورَبيتَ في مَهدِ الكمالِ وحَجْرِهِ
O you who suckled forbearance from its flowing milk,
O you who suckled wisdom from its springs,
And were reared in perfection's cradle and lap,
And was nurtured in the cradle of perfection and its neighborhood.
قدindeed نِلتَyou attained ماwhat مُنِعَwas denied الكثيرُthe many وطالماand often
قد نِلتَ ما مُنِعَ الكثيرُ وطالما
فَضَلَتْsurpassed لياليthe nights الدَهرِof Time ليلةُthe Night قَدْرِهِof its Decree
فَضَلَتْ ليالي الدَهرِ ليلةُ قَدْرِهِ
You have attained what many were denied; and many a time
You have attained what many were deprived of,
Time's Night of Decree has surpassed its other nights.
And the nights of time's superiority were like its night of destiny.
والنَّاسُand people منهمamong them كاسبٌone who gains قدindeed غاصَdived فيinto
والنَّاسُ منهم كاسبٌ قد غاصَ في
خيرِthe good الزَّمانِof Time وخاسرٌand one who loses فيin شرِّهِits evil
خيرِ الزَّمانِ وخاسرٌ في شرِّهِ
And some people gain, having dived into
And people are of two kinds, one who profits,
Time's good, while others lose amid its evil.
Plunging into the goodness of time, and one who loses in its evil.
فإذاso if اعتبرتَyou consider الجانبَينِthe two sides كِلَيْهماboth of them
فإذا اعتبرتَ الجانبَينِ كِلَيْهما
أقصَرتَyou desist عنfrom شكوىcomplaining of الزَمانِTime وشُكرِهِand thanking it
أقصَرتَ عن شكوى الزَمانِ وشُكرِهِ
So, if you consider both sides,
So if you consider both sides together,
You will cease complaining of Time and thanking it.
You fall short of complaining about time or thanking it.
Sol 6.1