تيقظ والأيام في غير نعسة

تيقظ والأيام في غير نعسة

فمنه على عين الزمان عيون

فمنه على عين الزمان عيون

He keeps vigil while the days are anything but asleep;

He kept vigil while the days knew no slumber;

for he has eyes fixed upon the eye of Time.

for his watchful eyes are upon the eye of Time.

ففي كل غور من مشاكل دهره

ففي كل غور من مشاكل دهره

له مرصد من رأيه وكمين

له مرصد من رأيه وكمين

In every depth of his age’s perplexities,

For in every depth of the troubles of his time,

he has a watchpost and an ambush laid by his judgment.

his judgment provides him with a watchpost and an ambush.

وفي كل أمر تقتضيه شؤونه

وفي كل أمر تقتضيه شؤونه

ظهور بحسب المقتضى وبطون

ظهور بحسب المقتضى وبطون

In every matter his affairs demand,

And in every matter that his affairs require,

he shows himself as need requires—or remains concealed.

there is emergence and concealment, as need dictates.

تسابق فعل الجد أفعال رأيه

تسابق فعل الجد أفعال رأيه

فتحكم فيما كان أو سيكون

فتحكم فيما كان أو سيكون

The deeds of his judgment outstrip the deeds of earnest endeavor,

The deeds of his judgment race against the work of fortune,

and so decide what has been and what will be.

and judge what has been or will be.

تراه غضيض الطرف وهو مراقب

تراه غضيض الطرف وهو مراقب

ويرجف منه الدهر وهو سكون

ويرجف منه الدهر وهو سكون

You see him with lowered gaze, yet ever watchful;

You see him with lowered gaze, yet he is watching;

Time trembles before him, though he is stillness itself.

and Time trembles before him, though he is stillness itself.

له بصر في ملبس الأمر نافذ

له بصر في ملبس الأمر نافذ

فيدرك كنه الأمر وهو مصون

فيدرك كنه الأمر وهو مصون

His vision pierces the matter’s disguising garb,

He has insight that pierces the obscurity of a matter,

and grasps its very essence while remaining guarded.

so he grasps its essence, though it remains guarded.

وتوحي له الحق المبين أصالة

وتوحي له الحق المبين أصالة

من الرأي فيما لا يكاد يبين

من الرأي فيما لا يكاد يبين

An innate soundness of judgment reveals to him the manifest truth

And the manifest truth is revealed to him by soundness

in things that scarcely admit of being made clear.

of judgment, in what can scarcely be discerned.

يوافيه قبل الفكر حكم وحكمة

يوافيه قبل الفكر حكم وحكمة

إذا شاجرته في الشؤون شؤون

إذا شاجرته في الشؤون شؤون

Judgment and wisdom reach him before deliberation

Judgment and wisdom reach him before thought,

when affairs become entangled with him amid his concerns.

when affairs contend with him amid other affairs.

تكهنت الأفكار في فهم رأيه

تكهنت الأفكار في فهم رأيه

وأحكامها فيما استكن ظنون

وأحكامها فيما استكن ظنون

Minds can only speculate in trying to fathom his judgment,

Thoughts have resorted to divination to fathom his judgment;

and their conclusions about what lies hidden are mere conjectures.

and their verdicts on what lies hidden are conjectures.

بظاهر بين الحزم والرأي جيشه

بظاهر بين الحزم والرأي جيشه

يشن له الغارات وهو قطين

يشن له الغارات وهو قطين

In evident outward force, resolve and judgment are his army,

In the open, between resolve and judgment, stands his army;

launching raids on his behalf while he remains at home.

it launches raids for him while he remains in place.

كأن غمار الدهر من حول حزمه

كأن غمار الدهر من حول حزمه

شكوك تجلى بينهن يقين

شكوك تجلى بينهن يقين

It is as though the surging chaos of Time around his resolve were

As though the depths of Time around his resolve

doubts among which certainty shines forth.

were doubts amid which certainty shone forth.