بَلَوتُ مِن هَذِهِ الدُنيا وَساكِنِها

بَلَوتُ مِن هَذِهِ الدُنيا وَساكِنِها

عَجائِباً وَاِنتِهاءُ الثَوبِ تَقديدُ

عَجائِباً وَاِنتِهاءُ الثَوبِ تَقديدُ

I have encountered, in this world and its dwellers,

I have experienced the wonders of this world and its inhabitants,

wonders—and a garment's end is to be torn to shreds.

The end of the robe is patching,

رُدّي كَلامَكِ ما أَملَلتِ مُستَمِعاً

رُدّي كَلامَكِ ما أَملَلتِ مُستَمِعاً

وَهَل يُمَلُّ مِنَ الأَنفاسِ تَرديدُ

وَهَل يُمَلُّ مِنَ الأَنفاسِ تَرديدُ

Repeat your words; you have wearied no listener,

Stop your talk, you never bore a listener,

and is the repetition of breaths ever tiresome?

Is one ever bored of breathing over and over?

هاجَت بُكايَ أَغانيُّ القِيانِ بِها

هاجَت بُكايَ أَغانيُّ القِيانِ بِها

كَأَنَّها مِن ذَواتِ الثُكلِ تَعديدِ

كَأَنَّها مِن ذَواتِ الثُكلِ تَعديدِ

The singing girls' songs in it stirred my weeping,

The wailing of songs excites me,

as though they were the laments of bereaved mothers.

As if it were the enumeration of bereaved women,

وَالناسُ في الأَرضِ أَجناسٌ مُقَلَّدَةٌ

وَالناسُ في الأَرضِ أَجناسٌ مُقَلَّدَةٌ

كَالهَديِّ قُلِّدَ لَم يَذعَرهُ تَهديدُ

كَالهَديِّ قُلِّدَ لَم يَذعَرهُ تَهديدُ

And people on earth are groups wearing collars,

And people on earth are types that are imitated,

like a garlanded sacrificial beast, unfrightened by threats.

Like the gift, adorned, not startled by threats,

قالوا فَلَمّا أَحالوا أَظهَروا لَدَداً

قالوا فَلَمّا أَحالوا أَظهَروا لَدَداً

فَالقَولُ مَينٌ وَفي الأَصواتِ تَنديدُ

فَالقَولُ مَينٌ وَفي الأَصواتِ تَنديدُ

They spoke; then, when they uttered absurdities, they showed obstinacy,

They said, so when they became senile, they showed audacity,

so their words are lies, and their voices ring with denunciation.

So the saying is soft, and in the voices reprimand,

ضَلّوا عَنِ الرُشدِ مِنهُم جاحِدٌ جَحِدٌ

ضَلّوا عَنِ الرُشدِ مِنهُم جاحِدٌ جَحِدٌ

أَو مَن يَحُدُّ وَهَل لِلَّهِ تَحديدُ

أَو مَن يَحُدُّ وَهَل لِلَّهِ تَحديدُ

They strayed from right guidance: among them is an ungenerous denier,

They went astray from righteousness, among them a blatant unbeliever,

or one who sets bounds—and can God be bounded?

Or one who limits, and does God have limits?

لَفظٌ يُبَدَّدُ مِن شَرخٍ وَمُكتَهِلٍ

لَفظٌ يُبَدَّدُ مِن شَرخٍ وَمُكتَهِلٍ

وَالمالُ يُجَمَعُ لَم يَدرُكُهُ تَبديدُ

وَالمالُ يُجَمَعُ لَم يَدرُكُهُ تَبديدُ

Words are squandered by the young and the middle-aged,

A word scattered from a crack and bluntness,

while wealth is amassed, untouched by squandering.

And money is collected, unattainable dispersion,

رَمَوا فَأَشوَوا وَلَم يُثبِت قِياسُهُمُ

رَمَوا فَأَشوَوا وَلَم يُثبِت قِياسُهُمُ

شَيئاً سِوى أَنَّ رَميَ المَوتِ تَسديدُ

شَيئاً سِوى أَنَّ رَميَ المَوتِ تَسديدُ

They shot and missed, and their reasoning did not establish

They threw but they missed, and their measurement did not establish

anything, save that death's shot hits the mark.

Anything but that the throwing of death is accurate,

ما سَيِّدٌ غَيرُ رِعديدٍ عَلِمتُ بِهِ

ما سَيِّدٌ غَيرُ رِعديدٍ عَلِمتُ بِهِ

كَأَنَّما الحَتفُ إِن لاقاهُ رِعديدُ

كَأَنَّما الحَتفُ إِن لاقاهُ رِعديدُ

No lord I have known is anything but a trembling coward,

I knew no master but thunderous,

as though death, if it met him, were itself a trembling coward.

As if the basin, when faced with it, is thunder,

وَالخَيرُ يَجلُبُ شَرّاً وَالذُبابُ دَعا

وَالخَيرُ يَجلُبُ شَرّاً وَالذُبابُ دَعا

إِلى الجَنى إِنَّهُ في الطَعمِ قِنديدُ

إِلى الجَنى إِنَّهُ في الطَعمِ قِنديدُ

And good brings evil, and the flies have beckoned

And good brings evil, and flies called

to the fruit: in flavor, it is wine.

To paradise, it is sweet in taste,

وَخِلتُ أَنِيَ حَرفُ الوَقفِ سَكَّنَهُ

وَخِلتُ أَنِيَ حَرفُ الوَقفِ سَكَّنَهُ

وَقتٌ وَأَدرَكَهُ في ذاكَ تَشديدُ

وَقتٌ وَأَدرَكَهُ في ذاكَ تَشديدُ

And I thought myself a letter at a pause, stilled

And I thought I was the silent stop letter,

by time, and in that state overtaken by doubling.

A time, and it reached it in that emphasis,

وَأَشرَفُ الناسِ في أَعلى مَراتِبِهِ

وَأَشرَفُ الناسِ في أَعلى مَراتِبِهِ

مِثلُ الصَديدِ وَلَكِن قيلَ صِنديدُ

مِثلُ الصَديدِ وَلَكِن قيلَ صِنديدُ

And the noblest of people, at the height of his rank,

And the best of people in his highest ranks,

is like pus, yet is called a champion.

Is like rust, but it is said to be tin,

ما كِبرُهُ وَثَقيلُ اللَحنِ يَمنَعُهُ

ما كِبرُهُ وَثَقيلُ اللَحنِ يَمنَعُهُ

مِن سُرعَةِ الفَهمِ تَرسيلٌ وَتَمديدُ

مِن سُرعَةِ الفَهمِ تَرسيلٌ وَتَمديدُ

What warrants his pride, when the ponderous speaker is kept

His bigness and heavy tone prevents him

from quick understanding by slow delivery and prolongation?

From quickly understanding, dictation and extension,