ضَعِplace السِرَّthe secret فيin صمّاءsomething impenetrable لَيسَتthat is not بِصَخرةa rock
ضَعِ السِرَّ في صمّاء لَيسَت بِصَخرة
صَلودunyielding كَماas عايَنتyou have seen مِنamong سائرِthe rest of الصَخرthe rocks
صَلود كَما عايَنت مِن سائرِ الصَخر
Entrust your secret to one unyielding—yet no stone,
Place the secret in something impenetrable—not a rock,
Hard and smooth like all the rocks you have seen—
unyielding like the other rocks you have seen.
وَلَكِنَّهاbut it is قَلبُthe heart of امرىءٍa man ذيpossessed of حَفيظَةa sense of honor
وَلَكِنَّها قَلبُ امرىءٍ ذي حَفيظَة
تَرىdeems ضَيعةthe neglect of الأَسرارsecrets قاصِمةَbreaking الظَهرthe back
تَرى ضَيعة الأَسرار قاصِمةَ الظَهر
But rather the heart of a man of vigilant honor,
Rather, it is the heart of a man whose sense of honor
Who deems the betrayal of secrets a back-breaking blow.
deems letting secrets slip a back-breaking blow.
يَموتُhe dies وَماyet not ماتَتhave died كَرائمthe noble acts of فِعلِهhis doing
يَموتُ وَما ماتَت كَرائم فِعلِه
وَيُبلىand he decays وَماyet not يُبلىfades ثَناهُpraise of him عَلىthrough الدَهرِthe ages
وَيُبلى وَما يُبلى ثَناهُ عَلى الدَهرِ
He dies, yet the noblest of his deeds do not die;
He dies, yet his noble deeds do not die;
He passes away, yet his praise never fades with time.
and he decays, yet praise of him does not fade through the ages.
فَذاكَthat, then, is the one وَلاand not صمّاءُan unyielding rock مَنwhoever رامَsought كسرهاto break it
فَذاكَ وَلا صمّاءُ مَن رامَ كسرها
بِمعولهwith his pickaxe ذَلَّتyielded بِكفَّيهbeneath his two hands للكسرto breaking
بِمعوله ذَلَّت بِكفَّيه للكسر
That is the unyielding one—not a rock, for whoever seeks to break it
That is the one—not a hard rock that, when someone seeks to break it
With his pickaxe finds it yielding in his hands to be broken.
with his pickaxe, yields beneath his hands to breaking.
