لا الحِلمُ جادَ بِهِ وَلا بِمِثالِهِ
لَولا اِدِّكارُ وَداعِهِ وَزِيالِهِ
The dream would not have bestowed him, nor even his like,
Not a dream fulfilled nor ideal attained
Neither the dream bestowed him, nor even his likeness,
But for the memory of his farewell and departure.
Save for memory of his farewell and companion
Had not the memory of his farewell and departure intervened.
إِنَّ المُعيدَ لَنا المَنامُ خَيالَهُ
كانَت إِعادَتُهُ خَيالَ خَيالِهِ
Indeed, sleep, which brings his image back to us,
For sleep that repeats our dreams to us
Truly, the phantom that slumber restored to us
Brought back only an image of his image.
Would be but dreams of dreams again
Was but the shadow of a shadow returned.
بِتنا يُناوِلُنا المُدامَ بِكَفِّهِ
مَن لَيسَ يَخطُرُ أَن نَراهُ بِبالِهِ
All night he handed us wine with his own hand—
He hands us the wine cup with his hand
We passed the night as he handed us wine with his palm,
One to whom it never occurs that we might see him.
One whose image comes not to mind
He who we never imagined would cross our sight.
نَجني الكَواكِبَ مِن قَلائِدِ جيدِهِ
وَنَنالُ عَينَ الشَمسِ مِن خَلخالِهِ
We plucked the stars from the necklaces upon his neck,
We string the stars into necklaces at his throat
We plucked the stars from the necklaces on his throat,
And gained the sun's very orb from his anklet.
And take the sun’s eye from his anklet
And attained the sun's very eye from his anklet.
بِنتُم عَنِ العَينِ القَريحَةِ فيكُمُ
وَسَكَنتُمُ ظَنَّ الفُؤادِ الوالِهِ
You departed from the eye made sore for you,
You have turned from the discerning eye within you
You departed far from the eye that weeps sore for you,
And dwelt in the imagining of the love-distraught heart.
And dwelt in the heart’s passionate thoughts
Yet you dwelt in the thoughts of a heart distracted by love.
فَدَنَوتُمُ وَدُنُوُّكُم مِن عِندِهِ
وَسَمَحتُمُ وَسَماحُكُم مِن مالِهِ
So you drew near, your nearness coming from it,
You approached and your approach was from his side
You drew near—but this nearness came only from within it,
And gave generously, your giving drawn from its wealth.
You forgave and your pardon was of his wealth
And you gave freely—yet your gifts were taken from its own store.
إِنّي لَأُبغِضُ طَيفَ مَن أَحبَبتُهُ
إِذ كانَ يَهجُرُنا زَمانَ وِصالِهِ
Indeed, I hate the apparition of the one I loved,
Indeed I hate the phantom of the one I loved
I have come to loathe the phantom of the one I love,
For it forsook us in the days of union with him.
When he was absent from us for a time
For it abandons us even in the moment of reunion.
مِثلُ الصَبابَةِ وَالكَآبَةِ وَالأَسى
فارَقتُهُ فَحَدَثنَ مِن تَرحالِهِ
Like longing, melancholy, and sorrow,
Like sadness, gloom, and sorrow
Like the longing, the gloom, and the sorrow,
I parted from him, and they arose from his departure.
When I left him, strange lands me enchanted
I parted from him, and they sprang from his leaving.
وَقَدِ اِستَقَدتُ مِنَ الهَوى وَأَذَقتُهُ
مِن عِفَّتي ما ذُقتُ مِن بَلبالِهِ
And I have exacted vengeance on love and made it taste
And I have weaned myself from passion and let it taste
I have exacted my due from passion and made it taste
Through my chastity, what I tasted of its torment.
Of my chastity what I have tasted of its torment
Of my chastity, what I once tasted of its torment.
وَلَقَد ذَخَرتُ لِكُلِّ أَرضٍ ساعَةً
تَستَجفِلُ الضِرغامَ عَن أَشبالِهِ
And I have stored up for every land an hour
And I have stored for every land an hour
And I have held in reserve for every land an hour
That drives the lion in terror from his cubs.
That entices the darkness away from its cubs
That would startle the lion away from his cubs.
تَلقى الوُجوهُ بِها الوُجوهَ وَبَينَها
ضَربٌ يَجولُ المَوتُ في أَجوالِهِ
In it, faces meet faces, with between them
Faces meet faces and between them
Where faces meet faces, and passing between them
Blows within whose sweeps death roams.
Stalks a death roaming in its times
Is a striking where Death roams freely in its rounds.
وَلَقَد خَبَأتُ مِنَ الكَلامِ سُلافُهُ
وَسَقَيتُ مَن نادَمتُ مِن جِريالِهِ
And I have stored away the first-pressed wine of speech,
And I have hidden the start of words
And I have stored away the purest vintage of speech,
And given my drinking companions its crimson wine.
And quenched those I blamed with their houses destroyed
While pouring for my companions only the dregs.
وَإِذا تَعَثَّرَتِ الجِيادُ بِسَهلِهِ
بَرَّزتُ غَيرَ مُعَثَّرٍ بِحِبالِهِ
And when fine steeds stumbled on its level ground,
And when the steeds stumble on its plain
And when steeds stumble upon the easy plains,
I raced ahead, untripped by its sand ridges.
I release others not hobbled by their reins
I surge forward, unhindered by any snare.
وَحَكَمتُ في البَلَدِ العَراءِ بِناعِجٍ
مُعتادِهِ مُجتابِهِ مُغتالِهِ
And ruled the bare wilderness with a swift camel,
And I judge in the barren land with she-camels
I have ruled the barren wastes with a swift white camel,
Familiar with it, traversing it, destroying it.
Accustomed, covered, concealing
Who knows the wild, traverses it, and conquers its void.
يَمشي كَما عَدَتِ المَطِيُّ وَرائَهُ
وَيَزيدُ وَقتَ جَمامِها وَكَلالِهِ
It walks as fast as the mounts racing behind it,
Walking as the pacing camels behind them
He walks at a pace that matches the others' gallop behind him,
And gains speed when they are rested and it is weary.
Prolonging their period of silence and stillness
And speeds on while they rest, despite his fatigue.
وَتُراعُ غَيرَ مُعَقَّلاتٍ حَولَهُ
فَيَفوتُها مُتَجَفِّلاً بِعِقالِهِ
And the mounts around it take fright, unhobbled,
While others, unhobbled, are stunned around them
The herds around him are startled, though unbound,
Yet it outstrips them, fleeing in fright despite its hobbles.
So they pass by them scornfully with their bridles
Yet he outstrips them in shy flight, though bound by his cord.
فَغَدا النَجاحُ وَراحَ في أَخفافِهِ
وَغَدا المِراحُ وَراحَ في إِرقالِهِ
So success lives, morning and evening, in its padded feet,
And success comes gently walking
Success sets out at dawn and returns in his hoof-prints,
And high spirits live, morning and evening, in its swift trot.
While sorrow goes stumbling in its chains
And joy moves with him, morning and night, in his trot.
وَشَرِكتُ دَولَةَ هاشِمٍ في سَيفِها
وَشَقَقتُ خيسَ المُلكِ عَن رِئبالِهِ
And I shared the sword of Hashim's dynasty,
And I made the state of Hashim share its sword
I have shared with the dynasty of Hashim in its Sword,
And cleft the thicket of kingship to reveal its lion—
And tore the rags of wretched power off its tatters
And parted the kingdom's thicket to reveal its Lion.
عَن ذا الَّذي حُرِمَ اللُيوثُ كَمالَهُ
يُنسي الفَريسَةَ خَوفَهُ بِجَمالِهِ
This one, whose perfection lions were denied,
Of the one whom the lions were denied perfection
The one whose perfection all other lions are denied,
Whose beauty makes his prey forget their fear of him.
Who makes prey forget its fear with his beauty
Who makes the prey forget its terror through his beauty.
وَتَواضَعُ الأُمَراءُ حَولَ سَريرِهِ
وَتُري المَحَبَّةَ وَهيَ مِن آكالِهِ
And princes humble themselves around his throne,
And princes bow before his throne
The princes humble themselves around his throne,
And display affection, though they are among his prey.
And love is seen to be one of his eaters
Feigning affection, though they are but prey for his feast.
وَيُميتُ قَبلَ قِتالِهِ وَيَبَشُّ قَب
لَ نَوالِهِ وَيُنيلُ قَبلَ سُؤالِهِ
And he kills before he fights, and smiles be-
He kills before fighting and rejoices before attaining
He slays before fighting, and smiles
fore he bestows his bounty, and gives before he is asked.
He reaches before asking and attains before seeking
Before bestowing, and gives before one can ask.
إِنَّ الرِياحَ إِذا عَمَدنَ لِناظِرٍ
أَغناهُ مُقبِلُها عَنِ اِستِعجالِهِ
Surely, when the winds head toward a watcher,
The winds, when they conspire against a watcher
If the winds intended to strike an eye with dust,
Their approach spares him the need to urge them to haste.
Their approach spares him having to hurry
Their mere approach would save it the need to blink.
أَعطى وَمَنَّ عَلى المُلوكِ بِعَفوِهِ
حَتّى تَساوى الناسُ في إِفضالِهِ
He gave, and favored kings with his pardon,
He gave and favored over kings with his pardon
He gave freely and graced kings with his pardon,
Until all people were equal in his generosity.
Until people equaled in his bestowal
Until all people became equal in his bounty.
وَإِذا غَنوا بِعَطائِهِ عَن هَزِّهِ
والى فَأَغنى أَن يَقولوا والِهِ
And when his gifts enrich them beyond the need to shake him,
And when they sang his giving, needing no urge
If his gifts suffice them without need of asking,
He keeps giving, sparing them the plea, 'Keep it coming.'
He enriched, no need to say "My Lord!"
He gives again, sparing them the need to call him Master.
وَكَأَنَّما جَدواهُ مِن إِكثارِهِ
حَسَدٌ لِسائِلِهِ عَلى إِقلالِهِ
And it is as though his bounty, through its abundance,
It was as if his open hand was a critic
It is as though his generosity, so vast and frequent,
Were envy of his petitioner for having so little.
Jealous of the asks of his decreased giving
Were envy of the beggar for possessing so little.
غَرَبَ النُجومُ فَغُرنَ دونَ هُمومِهِ
وَطَلَعنَ حينَ طَلَعنَ دونَ مَنالِهِ
The stars set, sinking below his ambitions,
The stars set, so they set, heedless of his worries
The stars set, yet sink far below his ambitions,
And when they rose, they rose below his reach.
And rose when they rose, heedless of his attainment
And rise, yet rise far beneath his attainments.
وَاللَهُ يُسعِدُ كُلَّ يَومٍ جَدَّهُ
وَيَزيدُ مِن أَعدائِهِ في آلِهِ
And God makes his fortune prosper every day,
And God makes happy each day His seriousness
God grants success to his endeavor every day,
And adds to his family from among his enemies.
And adds, of His enemies, to His family
And adds his enemies to the number of his subjects.
لَو لَم تَكُن تَجري عَلى أَسيافِهِ
مُهجاتُهُم لَجَرَت عَلى إِقبالِهِ
If there did not flow along his swords
Were their blood not flowing on his swords
If their lifeblood did not flow upon his swords,
Their lifeblood, it would flow upon his good fortune.
Their throats would flow toward his attainment
It would surely have flowed at his mere approach.
لَم يَترُكوا أَثَراً عَلَيهِ مِنَ الوَغى
إِلّا دِماءهُمُ عَلى سِربالِهِ
They left no trace of battle upon him,
They left upon him no trace from the tumult
They left no mark upon him from the heat of battle,
Except their blood upon his tunic.
Save their blood on his cloak
Save for their own blood upon his coat of mail.
فَلِمِثلِهِ جَمَعَ العَرَمرَمُ نَفسَهُ
وَبِمِثلِهِ اِنفَصَمَت عُرى أَقتالِهِ
So, for one like him, the mighty host gathered itself,
The like of him gathered resolve
For one like him the vast army gathers its strength,
And by one like him the bonds of his rivals were snapped.
And in the like of him the ropes of war came untied
And by one like him are the enemy's bonds shattered.
يا أَيُّها القَمَرُ المُباهي وَجهَهُ
لا تُكذَبَنَّ فَلَستَ مِن أَشكالِهِ
O moon, vying with his face in splendor,
O you the proud-faced shining moon
O Moon that boasts in rivalry with his face,
Do not be deceived, for you are no peer of his.
Lie not, for you are not one of His forms
Do not be deceived; you are not of his likeness.
وَإِذا طَما البَحرُ المُحيطُ فَقُل لَهُ
دَع ذا فَإِنَّكَ عاجِزٌ عَن حالِهِ
And when the encircling ocean swells, say to it,
And if the pounding inclusive sea roars at you
And if the encompassing Ocean swells in pride, tell it:
Give this up: you cannot match his stature.
Say "Desist, for you cannot comprehend his state."
"Cease this, for you fall short of his nature."
وَهَبَ الَّذي وَرِثَ الجُدودَ وَما رَأى
أَفعالَهُم لِاِبنٍ بِلا أَفعالِهِ
He gave away what he inherited from his forefathers, and did not regard
And the Inheritor gifted that which He inherited
He gave away what he inherited from his sires, deeming
Their deeds as belonging to a son with no deeds of his own.
And saw not their deeds to a son without deeds
Their deeds insufficient for a son without deeds of his own.
حَتّى إِذا فَنِيَ التُراثُ سِوى العُلا
قَصَدَ العُداةَ مِنَ القَنا بِطِوالِهِ
Until, when the inheritance was exhausted, save for glory,
Until when the heritage ran out but for the banner
Until, when all heritage was spent save high glory,
He made for his enemies with long lances,
He went straight for the foes with its length
He sought the enemy with the length of his spears.
وَبِأَرعَنٍ لَبِسَ العَجاجَ إِلَيهِمِ
فَوقَ الحَديدِ وَجَرَّ مِن أَذيالِهِ
And with a vast host that wore dust as it advanced upon them,
With a deaf mute He clothed Himself toward them
With a massive host that wore the dust like a cloak against them,
Over its iron armor, dragging the dust's trailing skirts.
Above the iron, trailing its hem
Over their armor, trailing its hem along the ground.
فَكَأَنَّما قَذِيَ النَهارُ بِنَقعِهِ
أَو غَضَّ عَنهُ الطَرفَ مِن إِجلالِهِ
So it was as though daylight's eye were stung by its dust,
As if the daylight were embroidered with its spots
As if the Day itself were blinded by its dust,
Or had lowered its gaze before it in reverence.
Or averted its gaze from him in reverence
Or lowered its gaze in reverence before him.
الجَيشُ جَيشُكَ غَيرَ أَنَّكَ جَيشُهُ
في قَلبِهِ وَيَمينِهِ وَشِمالِهِ
The army is your army, yet you are its army,
The army is your army but you are its army
The army is yours, yet you alone are its army,
At its center, its right wing, and its left.
In its heart, its right, and its left
In its heart, its right wing, and its left.
تَرِدُ الطِعانَ المُرَّ عَن فُرسانِهِ
وَتُنازِلُ الأَبطالَ عَن أَبطالِهِ
You face bitter spear-combat on behalf of its horsemen,
You turn aside the repeated piercing from its horsemen
You deflect the bitter thrusts from its horsemen,
And duel champions on behalf of its champions.
And make champions concede to their champions
And duel the champions on behalf of your own.
كُلٌّ يُريدُ رِجالَهُ لِحَياتِهِ
يا مَن يُريدُ حَياتَهُ لِرِجالِهِ
Everyone wants his men for the sake of his own life;
Each man wants his own men for his life
Every king desires his men to preserve his life,
O you who want your life for the sake of your men!
O You who want your life for your men
O you who desire your life only for your men!
دونَ الحَلاوَةِ في الزَمانِ مَرارَةٌ
لا تُختَطى إِلّا عَلى أَهوالِهِ
Before the sweetness of life lies bitterness,
Apart from sweetness in time there is bitterness
Before the sweetness of Time lies a bitterness
Which can be crossed only through time's terrors.
That is not traversed but upon its horrors
That cannot be crossed save over its terrors.
فَلِذاكَ جاوَزَها عَلِيٌّ وَحدَهُ
وَسَعى بِمُنصُلِهِ إِلى آمالِهِ
That is why Ali alone passed beyond it,
And so Ali alone transcended it
Thus Ali alone has crossed beyond it,
And strove with his sword toward his hopes.
And walked with his blade toward his hopes
And strove with his blade to reach his hopes.
Sol 6.1