مولايmy lord صبراًpatience! لِلْقضاwith fate
مولاي صبراً لِلْقضا
فَالصّبرْfor patience محمودُpraiseworthy العواقبْin its outcomes
فَالصّبرْ محمودُ العواقبْ
My lord, be patient with fate;
My Master, patience for fate's decree
for patience has praiseworthy outcomes.
For patience has praiseworthy ends
إنّindeed الزّمانtime وأنتand you أدْرىknow best
إنّ الزّمان وأنت أدْرى
بالزّمانِabout time أَبوthe father العَجائبْof wonders
بالزّمانِ أَبو العَجائبْ
Indeed, time—and you know best
Indeed time, as you know more than I
about time—is the father of wonders.
Father of wonders time always is
يضعُit lowers العَزِيزَthe mighty ويرفعُand raises النّذلَthe base man
يضعُ العَزِيزَ ويرفعُ النّذلَ
الخسيسَthe contemptible علىabove الكواكِبْthe stars
الخسيسَ على الكواكِبْ
It lowers the mighty and raises the base,
It lowers the noble and raises the base
the contemptible, above the stars.
The lowly to the stars' place
ونوائبُand the calamities الأَيّامِof days عَنْin place of
ونوائبُ الأَيّامِ عَنْ
بيضgleaming الظُّبىsword-edges أبداًforever نوائِبْsubstitutes
بيض الظُّبى أبداً نوائِبْ
And the calamities of days serve
And days' afflictions never cease
forever in place of gleaming sword-edges.
To plague the white birds forever
وإذاand when أعانَaids كمالُكَyour perfection الدَّهرَtime
وإذا أعانَ كمالُكَ الدَّهرَ
الخؤونَthe treacherous فمَنْthen whom تُحَاربْdo you fight?
الخؤونَ فمَنْ تُحَاربْ
And when your perfection aids time,
And if your perfection aids time
that traitor, whom then can you fight?
In its sorrows, who then can you war?
إنّindeed الكمالَperfection لَقَلّindeed, seldom ماparticle completing 'seldom'
إنّ الكمالَ لَقَلّ ما
تَصْفوrun clear لِصاحبِهfor its possessor المشَاربْthe drinking-waters
تَصْفو لِصاحبِه المشَاربْ
Indeed, perfection—how seldom
Indeed perfection is rarely pure
do the waters run clear for its possessor!
For its seeker to drink from its springs
تاللهِby God لاnot يَلقىattains المُنَىwishes
تاللهِ لا يَلقى المُنَى
وينالُand gains غاياتthe utmost limits الرَّغائبْof desires
وينالُ غايات الرَّغائبْ
By God, none attains his wishes
By God, one meets not death
and reaches the furthest bounds of desire,
Nor attains all of one's hopes
ويسودُand surpasses أَربابَthe masters المكارمِof noble deeds
ويسودُ أَربابَ المكارمِ
حاضِراًthose present مِنهمْamong them وغائبْand absent
حاضِراً مِنهمْ وغائبْ
and surpasses the masters of noble deeds,
To master the generous souls
those present among them and those absent,
Present or absent from them
ويفوتُand eludes طالبَهhis pursuer ويُدْركُand overtakes
ويفوتُ طالبَه ويُدْركُ
حينَwhen يطلبُhe pursues كلَّevery هاربْfugitive
حينَ يطلبُ كلَّ هاربْ
and eludes his pursuer and overtakes
And misses his seeker yet finds
every fugitive when he gives chase,
When sought, every fleeting soul
إلاّexcept فتىًa youth ماضِيunyielding in العزيمةresolve
إلاّ فتىً ماضِي العزيمة
لاnot يفكّرhe thinks فيabout العواقبْconsequences
لا يفكّر في العواقبْ
save a youth of unyielding resolve,
Except a stalwart young man
who gives no thought to consequences.
Who thinks not of ends
كالسَّيفِlike a sword قدalready صقلَتْhave polished صَفيحةَthe blade
كالسَّيفِ قد صقلَتْ صَفيحةَ
عزمهof his resolve أيديthe hands التجاربْof experience
عزمه أيدي التجاربْ
Like a sword, whose blade has been polished—
Like a sword whose blade
his resolve—by the hands of experience.
Has been honed by the hands of trials
يُبديhe reveals منfrom الآراءcounsels نجْماًa star
يُبدي من الآراء نجْماً
فيin بهيمthe pitch-darkness الخطبِof calamity ثاقبpiercing
في بهيم الخطبِ ثاقب
He brings forth from his counsels a star,
He shows in opinions a star
piercing the pitch-darkness of calamity.
Piercing-bright in the darkest of times
ويمدّand extends للرّاجينto those who hope كفّاًa hand
ويمدّ للرّاجين كفّاً
لاnot تُدانيهcan rival it السحائبُthe rainclouds
لا تُدانيه السحائبُ
And he extends to those who hope a hand
And extends to those hoping a hand
that rainclouds cannot rival.
That no clouds can equal
ويقدّand cleaves هاماتthe heads اللّيوثِof lions بصارمٍwith a keen sword
ويقدّ هامات اللّيوثِ بصارمٍ
عَضْبsharp المضاربat the striking edges
عَضْب المضارب
And he cleaves lions' heads with a sword
And offers the mane of lions with a blade
keen along its striking edges.
Bitter for striking and sharp
أبداforever يجوبُhe traverses الأَرضthe earth فيin
أبدا يجوبُ الأَرض في
طَلبpursuit of العُلىeminence مَعَwith كلّevery جائبwayfarer
طَلب العُلى مَعَ كلّ جائب
Ever he traverses the earth in
Ever roaming the earth seeking
pursuit of eminence, with every wayfarer.
Heights with every passerby
يَعلوhe mounts أَموناًa sure-footed she-camel جَسْرةًsturdy
يَعلو أَموناً جَسْرةً
يَفْريhe cleaves بهاwith her مُهجَthe hearts السّباسبْof the desert plains
يَفْري بها مُهجَ السّباسبْ
He mounts a sure-footed, sturdy she-camel;
Ascending dangerously steep
with her he cleaves the hearts of desert plains.
Bridges he crosses in bounds
تسموsoars بهwith him نَفسٌa spirit عِصَاfirst part of 'self-made'
تسمو به نَفسٌ عِصَا
مِيَةٌcompletion of 'self-made' إلىto أعلَىthe highest المراتبranks
مِيَةٌ إلى أعلَى المراتب
A self-made spirit bears him aloft
Borne by a lofty spirit
to the highest ranks.
To the highest of ranks
ظَاميthirsting الفؤادِat heart إلىfor الطِّرادmounted combat
ظَامي الفؤادِ إلى الطِّراد
علىupon المطهّمَةِthe finely formed steeds السَّلاهِبْthe tall ones
على المطهّمَةِ السَّلاهِبْ
His heart thirsts for mounted combat
My heart's darkness to the hunt
upon tall, finely formed steeds.
On the red mares racing
ماnot أنفكَّhe has ceased فيupon صَهَواتِهاtheir backs
ما أنفكَّ في صَهَواتِها
كاللَّيثِlike a lion مَطلوباًpursued وطالِبْand pursuing
كاللَّيثِ مَطلوباً وطالِبْ
He is ever upon their backs,
Never stopping in their strides
like a lion, pursued and pursuing.
As a lion sought and seeking
يَلقَىhe meets العدَىthe enemies بعزيمةٍwith a resolve
يَلقَى العدَى بعزيمةٍ
تَعنوbow لهاbefore it البيضthe gleaming swords القواضبْkeen-edged
تَعنو لها البيض القواضبْ
He meets his foes with a resolve
Meeting foes with resolve
before which gleaming, keen-edged swords bow.
Before which the whites yield
فيin كفِّهhis palm مُتلهّبblazing الصّفحاتthe flat faces
في كفِّه مُتلهّب الصّفحات
مشحوذُwhetted الجوانبْat the edges
مشحوذُ الجوانبْ
In his palm is a blade with blazing faces,
In his grip flames the pages
whetted along its edges.
Honed the edges
كالبرقِlike lightning يُعْجِبُinspires admiration صورةًin appearance
كالبرقِ يُعْجِبُ صورةً
لكنَّهbut it لِلْحتْفِof death جالبْa bringer
لكنَّه لِلْحتْفِ جالبْ
Like lightning, its form delights,
Like lightning, amazing in form
yet it is a bringer of death.
Yet death-dealing in its blow
ومثقّفٌand a straightened spear ماضيkeen السِّنانِof point
ومثقّفٌ ماضي السِّنانِ
لأنفُسِof the souls الأَبطالof heroes سالِبْa snatcher
لأنفُسِ الأَبطال سالِبْ
And a straightened spear, keen of point,
And refined, biting the cores
a snatcher of the souls of heroes.
Of the bravest heroes' souls
ويراعَةٌand a reed pen تأتيكَcomes to you مِنْfrom
ويراعَةٌ تأتيكَ مِنْ
طُرفِthe rarities البراعةِof eloquence بالغرائبْwith wonders
طُرفِ البراعةِ بالغرائبْ
And a reed pen that brings you
And he has a cleverness that comes
wonders from the rarities of eloquence.
From the height of brilliance in wonders