Sol 6.1

  1. إيه يا شاعِري كَفاكَ مَقاما

    ها هُنا فَالفَناءُ جَمُّ الضِفافِ

    Ah, my poet, you have lingered long enough

    here, for annihilation has many shores.

  2. لَيسَ شَطُّ الأَعرافِ هذا وَلكِن

    هُوَ رُكنٌ مِن شاطِىءِ الأَعرافِ

    This is not the shore of al-A'raf, but

    it is a corner of al-A'raf's shoreline.

  3. سَتَرى مَخبَأَ اللَيالي وَتَلقى

    مَصرَعَ الوَقتِ في دُجاهُ الضافي

    You will see the hiding place of the nights, and find

    the death of time in its enveloping darkness,

  4. حَيثُ لا مَعلَمٌ هُنالِكَ يَهدي

    لا وَلا فَوقَهُ يُصاخُ لِطافِ

    where no landmark is there to guide—

    no, nor is any drifting figure heeded above it.

  5. فَسَرى فُلكُها يَشُقُّ الدَياجى

    في ذَميلٍ مَسيرُهُ رَكّاضِ

    So her vessel sailed by night, cleaving the darkness,

    at a gentle trot, swift in its course.

  6. يَمخَرُ المَوجَ وَالعُبابَ بِقَيدو

    مٍ كَريهٍ عَلى الرَدى خَوّاضِ

    It plows the waves and the surging swell with

    a hideous prow, plunging through death.

  7. وَإِذا بي أَحَسُّ صَوتاً حَنوناً

    طائِفاً في الرَدى بِأَرخَمِ جَرسِ

    And suddenly I sensed a tender voice,

    drifting through death in the mellowest tone,

  8. يَتَهادى عَلى السُكونِ رَخيما

    وَيُناجي الأَرواحَ في مِثلِ هَمسِ

    gliding, mellow-toned, over the stillness,

    and communing with the spirits as if in a whisper,

  9. وَهِيَ في المَوتِ لا تَحِسُّ بِنَجوى

    مِن غَناءِ وَلا تُصيخُ لِحِسِّ

    while in death they sense no whisper

    of song, nor do they heed a sound.

  10. سَكَنَت سَكنَةً يُعانِقُها الصَم

    تُ وَأَسرى بِها فَناءٌ مُغسِيِّ

    They settled into a stillness embraced by

    silence, and darkening annihilation bore them away by night.

  11. أَخَذَ الصَوتُ في اِزدِيادِ خُفوتٍ

    وَسَجوٍ عَلى السُكونِ مَديدِ

    The voice began to grow ever fainter

    and more hushed, drawn out over the stillness,

  12. مُستَديراً عَلى الفَضاءِ يُداني

    طَرفُ هذا الفَضاءِ حَدَّ الوُجودِ

    circling over the expanse; close

    to existence's boundary lies the edge of this expanse.

  13. وَبَدا فَوقَ هامَةِ الأُفقِ نورٌ

    ساطِعُ الجَوِّ خاطِفٌ مِن بَعيدِ

    And above the horizon's crown a light appeared,

    brightening the sky, dazzling from afar.

  14. وَإِذا مَوكِبٌ يَتيهُ عَلَيهِ

    مِثلُ قَصرٍ مِنَ الضِياءِ مَشيدِ

    And lo, a procession paraded proudly upon it,

    like a towering palace built of light.

  15. هُوَ رَكبُ الحَياةِ يَمشي حَثيثاً

    مُستَخِفّاً إِلى ضَريحِ اللَيالي

    It is life's cavalcade, moving swiftly,

    moving lightly toward the tomb of the nights.

  16. فَهُوَ مَثوى الأَحقابِ بَعدَ تَمامٍ

    وَمَقَرُّ الأَجيالِ بَعدَ اِكتِمالِ

    For it is the resting place of ages after their end,

    and the abode of generations once complete.

  17. قِف تَأَمَّل فُلكَ الحَياةِ عَلَيهِ

    مَلَكٌ في وَضاءَةٍ وَجَلالِ

    Stop; contemplate life's vessel: upon it

    is an angel in radiance and majesty,

  18. عَبقَرِيُّ الخَيالِ في سُندِسٍ خُضرٍ

    يَغني في بَهرَةٍ وَاِختِيالِ

    a genius of imagination, in fine green silk,

    singing in splendor and proud display.

  19. وَسَرَت خَلفَهُ زَوارِقُ شَتّى

    تَتَراءى كَأَنَّها أَحلامُ

    And behind him sailed boats of many kinds,

    appearing as though they were dreams.

  20. فَتَرى زَورَقَ الجَمالِ عَلَيهِ

    مُسمِعاتٌ غِناؤُهُنَّ سَلامُ

    Then you see the boat of beauty; upon it

    are songstresses whose song is peace.

  21. وَتَرى زَورَقَ الشُرورِ عَلَيهِ

    مُسمِعاتٌ غِناؤُهُنَّ سِقامُ

    And you see the boat of evils; upon it

    are songstresses whose song is sickness.

  22. وَتَرى خَلفَها زَوارِقَ شَتّى

    مُنشِئاتٍ وَكُلَّها آثامُ

    And behind them you see boats of many kinds,

    setting sail, and all of them are sins.

  23. جُبِلَت هذِهِ الياةُ عَلى الش

    رِّ وَإِن كانَ نامِياً في الخَيرِ

    This life was fashioned upon

    evil, even though it was growing within good.

  24. وَأَرى الخَيرَ مِن ثِمارٍ ضِرارٍ

    وَجَدَت خَصبَ أَرضِها في الشَرِّ

    And I see good among the fruits of harm,

    that found their fertile soil in evil.

  25. إِن هذا التُرابَ وَهوَ قَبيحٌ

    فاحَ مِن روحِهِ أَريجُ الزَهرِ

    Indeed, this dust, ugly though it is—

    from its spirit wafted the fragrance of flowers.

  26. لَيسَ هذا النَعيمُ غَيرَ شَقاءٍ

    فَحَذارِ حَذارِ مِن أُمِّ دَفرِ

    This bliss is nothing but misery,

    so beware, beware of the Mother of Stench.

  27. وَمَضى الرَكبُ في الرَدى وَتَلاشى

    أَثَرُ الرَكبِ في ضَريحِ اللَيالي

    And the cavalcade passed on through death; gone

    was the cavalcade's trace in the tomb of the nights.

  28. فَكَأَنَّ الحَياةَ كانَت مَناماً

    وَغُرورُ الحَياةِ طَيفُ خَيالِ

    So it was as if life had been a dream,

    and life's deception a phantom of imagination.