وَكَلَّفتَني أَمراً لَو انَّ أَقلَّهُ

وَكَلَّفتَني أَمراً لَو انَّ أَقلَّهُ

يكلَّفُهُ ثَهلانُ كادَ يَميدُ

يكلَّفُهُ ثَهلانُ كادَ يَميدُ

And you burdened me with a task—if even its least part

You burdened me with a task, that if even

were laid on Mount Thahlān, it would almost reel.

The slightest of it was burdened on an exhausted camel, it would collapse

إِعادة ماضٍ وَاستدامَةَ حالَةٍ

إِعادة ماضٍ وَاستدامَةَ حالَةٍ

وَتحصيلَ آتٍ إِنَّ ذا لَشَديدُ

وَتحصيلَ آتٍ إِنَّ ذا لَشَديدُ

Restoring the past, perpetuating a state,

Repeating the past and continuing a state

and securing what is to come—this is hard indeed.

And collecting the future, indeed this is severe

تَصَرَّفتُ في ماضٍ وَآتٍ وَحاضِرٍ

تَصَرَّفتُ في ماضٍ وَآتٍ وَحاضِرٍ

كَأَني فِعلٌ بانَ عَنهُ جُمُودُ

كَأَني فِعلٌ بانَ عَنهُ جُمُودُ

I ranged through past and future and present,

I dealt with past, future and present

as though I were a verb whose fixity had departed.

As if I am an act that its stillness has departed from it

وَما زالَ بي التَشبيهُ حَتّى تَظافَرَت

وَما زالَ بي التَشبيهُ حَتّى تَظافَرَت

مَوانِعُ صَرفٍ ما لَهنَّ مَحيدُ

مَوانِعُ صَرفٍ ما لَهنَّ مَحيدُ

And the comparison clung to me until there came together

And the comparison has not ceased to concur in me

barriers to full declension, with no way around them.

Obstacles of disposal, for which there is no deviator

فَلَيتَ اِنصِرافي في مِكانِ تَصَرُّفي

فَلَيتَ اِنصِرافي في مِكانِ تَصَرُّفي

فَيَنقصُ ذا عَنّي وَذاكَ يَزيدُ

فَيَنقصُ ذا عَنّي وَذاكَ يَزيدُ

So if only my turning away could replace my turning about,

If only my retreat to the place of my disposal

so that this might lessen for me, and that increase.

So this would decrease from me, and that would increase