أفيis there on كلّevery يومٍday ليfor me حميمٌa dear companion أفارقُهُI part from him
أفي كلّ يومٍ لي حميمٌ أفارقُهُ
وخِلٌّand an intimate friend نآنِيhas gone far from me ماnot نَبَتْwere unfriendly بيtoward me خَلائِقُهْhis character traits
وخِلٌّ نآنِي ما نَبَتْ بي خَلائِقُهْ
Must I part each day with a dear companion,
Is there a confidant I part with everyday,
and a friend who has left me, though his nature never turned against me?
And a friend reminding me of all his virtues?
ومُضطجِعٌand lying down فيamid ريبِthe vicissitudes of دهرٍTime مُسَلَّطٍgiven free rein
ومُضطجِعٌ في ريبِ دهرٍ مُسَلَّطٍ
تُطالعنيconfront me فيin كلّevery فجٍّpath طوارقُهْits sudden calamities
تُطالعني في كلّ فجٍّ طوارقُهْ
And I lie amid the vicissitudes of unbridled Time,
Lying in the doubts of a tyrannical fate,
its sudden calamities confronting me on every path.
Its calamities upon me from all sides emerge.
ومُلتَفِتٌand looking back فيin إثْرِthe wake of ماضٍone departed مُغَرِّبٍjourneying far away
ومُلتَفِتٌ في إثْرِ ماضٍ مُغَرِّبٍ
تراماهُtossed him about أجراعُthe sandy plains of الرّدىdeath وأبارقُهْand its stony ridges
تراماهُ أجراعُ الرّدى وأبارقُهْ
And I look after one departed far away,
Gazing for a past that exiled me,
whom death's sandy plains and stony ridges have tossed about.
Whose lightnings and thunders did on me converge,
فثَلْمٌso a breach علىupon ثَلْمٍa breach وزُرْءٌand a loss مضاعفٌredoubled
فثَلْمٌ على ثَلْمٍ وزُرْءٌ مضاعفٌ
علىupon فتقِthe rent of رُزْءٍbereavement ضلّwas lost بالدّهرِin Time راتقُهْits mender
على فتقِ رُزْءٍ ضلّ بالدّهرِ راتقُهْ
So breach upon breach, and loss redoubled,
Agony over agony and sorrow redoubled,
upon a rent of grief whose mender is lost in Time.
Upon shreds of misery that in life submerge.
مصائبُcalamities لوif أُنزِلْنَthey were brought down بالشّمسِupon the sun لمnot تُنِرْshine
مصائبُ لو أُنزِلْنَ بالشّمسِ لم تُنِرْ
وَبالبدرand upon the full moon لمnot تُمْدَدْbe spread بليلٍby night سُرادِقُهْits canopy
وَبالبدر لم تُمْدَدْ بليلٍ سُرادِقُهْ
Calamities that, were they laid upon the sun, it would not shine,
Afflictions - had they rained on the sun, it would not shine,
and upon the full moon, its canopy would not spread by night.
And the moon - they would eclipse its nights with surge.
فمُعْتَبَطٌso one struck dead without illness خولِسْتُهُI was robbed of him ومؤجَّلٌand one reprieved
فمُعْتَبَطٌ خولِسْتُهُ ومؤجَّلٌ
تلبّثlingered حتّىuntil خِلتنِيI thought myself لاnot أُفارقُهْparting from him
تلبّث حتّى خِلتنِي لا أُفارقُهْ
So one, struck down without illness, was stolen from me; another was reprieved,
So I meet it with resolve, and postponement,
who lingered until I thought I would never part from him.
Until it leaves me with no friends or peers.
تجافَىkept away الرّدىdeath عنهfrom him فلمّاthen when أمِنْتُهُI felt safe from it
تجافَى الرّدى عنه فلمّا أمِنْتُهُ
سقانِيَmade me drink فيهthrough him مُرَّthe bitterness of ماwhat أناI ذائِقُهْam tasting it
سقانِيَ فيه مُرَّ ما أنا ذائِقُهْ
Death held aloof from him; then, when I felt safe from it,
Fate shunned it, so when I felt secure,
it made me drink, through him, the bitterness I now taste.
It let me sip the bitter taste I had tried to purge.
فسُرَّso was gladdened بهby him قلبيmy heart فغالthen destroyed مسَرَّتِيmy joy
فسُرَّ به قلبي فغال مسَرَّتِي
زمانٌTime ظلومٌdeeply unjust للسّرورِtoward joy يسارقُهْstealthily steals it
زمانٌ ظلومٌ للسّرورِ يسارقُهْ
My heart rejoiced in him, but my joy was destroyed
My heart rejoiced with it, so joy increased,
by deeply unjust Time, which steals delight away.
As time, so cruel to joy, sought to usurge.
أرىI see يومَهhis day يوميmy day وأشعرُand I sense فقدَهhis loss
أرى يومَه يومي وأشعرُ فقدَه
بأنّيthat I وإنْand even if طالlasts long التّلَوُّمُthe lingering لاحقُهْwill follow him
بأنّي وإنْ طال التّلَوُّمُ لاحقُهْ
I see his day as mine, and in his loss I sense
I see its day my day, and feel its loss,
that, however long I linger, I shall follow him.
For however long estrangement, we will converge.
وكمand how many صاحبٍa friend عُلِّقْتُهُI became attached to him فتقطّعَتْthen were severed
وكم صاحبٍ عُلِّقْتُهُ فتقطّعَتْ
بأيديby the hands of المناياdeaths منfrom يديَّmy hands علائقُهْhis bonds
بأيدي المنايا من يديَّ علائقُهْ
And how many a friend I cherished, whose ties were severed
How many friends did I hold, yet the fates
from my hands by the hands of death.
With death, severed the ties our hands would forge!
وكيفand how صفاءُserenity العيشlife للمرءfor a person بعدماafter
وكيف صفاءُ العيش للمرء بعدما
تغيّبَvanished عنهfrom him رَهْطُهُhis kin وأصادِقُهْand his friends
تغيّبَ عنه رَهْطُهُ وأصادِقُهْ
And how can life be serene for a person, after
How can life be clear, when his tribe and friends
his kin and his friends have vanished from him?
Vanish, and he sees not their tracks emerge?
فللّهِso, to God belong أعوادٌwooden bier poles حَمَلْنَthey bore عشيّةًone evening
فللّهِ أعوادٌ حَمَلْنَ عشيّةً
خبِيئةَthe hidden treasure of بيتٍa house لاnot يرىsees السّوءَharm طارقُهْits visitor
خبِيئةَ بيتٍ لا يرى السّوءَ طارقُهْ
How wondrous, by God, the timbers that bore one evening
By Allah, they carried one eve, to a home,
the hidden treasure of a house whose visitor never encounters harm.
A hidden tent, safe from harm and outrage.
علىover الكرمِgenerosity الفَضْفاضِabundant لُطَّتْwere drawn shut ستورُهُits curtains
على الكرمِ الفَضْفاضِ لُطَّتْ ستورُهُ
وبالبرِّand with righteousness والمعروفِand benevolence سُدَّتْwere sealed مخارقُهْits gaps
وبالبرِّ والمعروفِ سُدَّتْ مخارقُهْ
Its curtains were drawn over abundant generosity,
With generosity it spread its carpets,
and its gaps were sealed with righteousness and benevolence.
And goodness and kindness its portals did charge.
وَليسَand there is not بهِin it إلّاexcept العفافُchastity وماand not اِنطَوَتْfolded around
وَليسَ بهِ إلّا العفافُ وما اِنطَوَتْ
علىaround غيرanything other than ماwhat يُرضيpleases الإلهَGod نمارِقُهْits cushions
على غير ما يُرضي الإلهَ نمارِقُهْ
There was nothing in it but chastity; never did
Naught but chastity and what contents
its cushions enfold anything but what pleases God.
The Lord, not disobedience, behind curtains lies submerged.
قيامُstanding in prayer سوادِthe blackness of اللّيلnight يَندىgrows dewy ظلامُهُits darkness
قيامُ سوادِ اللّيل يَندى ظلامُهُ
وصومُand fasting بياضِthe whiteness of اليومِday تُحمىgrow hot ودائِقُهْits midday heats
وصومُ بياضِ اليومِ تُحمى ودائِقُهْ
Standing in prayer through the blackness of night, its darkness moist with dew,
The night's darkness comes moist, the fasting of days
and fasting through the whiteness of day, its noonday heat blazing.
Keeps its instincts burning, attractions emerge.
فدَتْنيshe ransomed me كماas شاءتْshe wished وماand not شئتُI wished أنّهاthat she
فدَتْني كما شاءتْ وما شئتُ أنّها
فَدَتْنِيshe ransomed me ولاnor كانَwas الّذيthat which حُمَّwas decreed سابقُهْone who outruns it
فَدَتْنِي ولا كانَ الّذي حُمَّ سابقُهْ
She ransomed me, as she wished; I never wished that she
It ransomed me, however it wished, not how I wished,
should ransom me; nor was there any who could outrun what was decreed.
To ransom me - what prior was predestined and purged.
وَلَوand if أَنّنيthat I أَنصَفتُهاhad done her justice منin respect of رعايتيmy care
وَلَو أَنّني أَنصَفتُها من رعايتي
وقابلتُهand met it رُزءاًas a bereavement بماwith what هوit لائقُهْbefits it
وقابلتُه رُزءاً بما هو لائقُهْ
And had I done her justice in my devotion,
Had I been just, caring for it,
and met that loss with what befits it,
And matched its grace with what it deserved,
لأكرعتُI would have made drink نفسيmy soul بعدهاafter her مَكرعَthe drinking-place of الرّدىdeath
لأكرعتُ نفسي بعدها مَكرعَ الرّدى
تصابحهshares its morning draught حزناًin grief لهاfor her وتغابقُهْand shares its evening draught
تصابحه حزناً لها وتغابقُهْ
I would have made my soul drink, after her, at death's watering place,
I would race my soul in kindness, matching its sorrow,
sharing its morning draught in grief for her, and its evening draught.
And dusk and dawn for it cares would converge.
سقىmay water جَدَثاًa grave أصبحتyou have come to lie فيهin it مُجَلْجلٌa rumbling cloud
سقى جَدَثاً أصبحت فيه مُجَلْجلٌ
رواعدُهُits thunderclaps ماnot تنجليfade away وبوارقُهْand its lightning flashes
رواعدُهُ ما تنجلي وبوارقُهْ
May a rumbling cloud water the grave in which you now lie,
It quenched a grave in which I am restless,
its thunder and lightning never fading away.
Its pillars not calm, its lightnings surge.
يُطيحُdrives away الصَّداthirst الدّفَّاعُthe surging flood منهfrom it وتَرْتويand drink their fill
يُطيحُ الصَّدا الدّفَّاعُ منه وتَرْتوي
مغاربُهُits western reaches منfrom فيضهits overflow ومشارقُهْand its eastern reaches
مغاربُهُ من فيضه ومشارقُهْ
Its surging flood drives thirst away, and they drink their fill—
Sadness pours from it, its sunsets quench their thirst,
the grave's western and eastern reaches, from the cloud's overflow.
Its dawns and horizons knowledge disgorge.
لئِنif indeed غبتِyou have vanished عنfrom عينيmy eye فربّyet many an مُغيَّبٍabsent one
لئِن غبتِ عن عيني فربّ مُغيَّبٍ
يروحُgoes away وأبصارُwhile the eyes القلوبِof hearts روامقُهْgazing upon him
يروحُ وأبصارُ القلوبِ روامقُهْ
Though you have vanished from my sight, many an absent one
If you vanish from my eyes, many vanish,
goes away while the eyes of hearts gaze upon him.
While hearts' visions roam freely without verge.
Sol 6.1