Sol 6.1

  1. عَجِزنا عَن مُراغَمَةِ الحِمامِ

    وَداءُ المَوتِ مُغرىً بِالأَنامِ

    We have proved powerless to defy death,

    and death's disease is intent upon humankind.

  2. وَما جَزَعُ الجَزوعِ وَإِن تَناهى

    بِمُنتَصِفٍ مِنَ الداءِ العُقامِ

    Nor can the anguished one's anguish, however great,

    win redress from the incurable disease.

  3. وَأَينَ نحورُ عَن طُرُقِ المَنايا

    وَفي أَيدي الرَدى طَرَفُ الزَمامِ

    And where can we turn away from death's paths,

    while the end of the rein lies in death's hands?

  4. نَوائِبُ ما أَصَخنَ إِلى عِتابٍ

    يَطولُ وَلا خَدِرنَ عَلى مَلامِ

    Calamities heed no reproach,

    however long, nor slacken under blame.

  5. هِيَ الأَيّامُ تَأكُلُ كُلَّ حَيٍّ

    وَتَعصِفُ بِالكِرامِ وَبِاللِئامِ

    It is the days that devour every living being

    and sweep away the noble and the base.

  6. وَكُلُّ مُفارِقٍ لِلعَيشِ يَلقى

    كَما لَقِيَ الرَضيعُ مِنَ الفِطامِ

    And everyone who parts from life encounters

    what the suckling met at weaning.

  7. وَكَم لِيَدِ النَوائِبِ مِن صَريعٍ

    بِداءِ السَيفِ أَو داءِ السَقامِ

    And how many lie felled by the hand of calamity,

    by the sword's affliction or the affliction of sickness.

  8. فَمَن وَرَدَ المَنِيَّةَ عَن وَفاةٍ

    كَآخِرَ عاثِرِ العِرنَينِ دامِ

    So one who comes to death through a natural end

    is like another who falls, his nose bloodied.

  9. وَلَو أَمِنَ الجَبانُ مِنَ المَنايا

    لَأَغمَدَ سَيفَهُ البَطَلُ المُحامي

    And if the coward were safe from death,

    the valiant defender would sheathe his sword.

  10. وَما يَغتَرُّ بِالدُنيا لَبيبٌ

    يَفِرُّ مِنَ الحَياةِ إِلى الحِمامِ

    And no wise person is beguiled by the world;

    he flees from life to death.

  11. تُنافِرُ ثُمَّ تَرجِعُ بَعدَ وَهنٍ

    رُجوعَ القَوسِ تَرمَحُ بِالسِهامِ

    It shies away, then returns after slackening,

    like a bow recoiling as it kicks out arrows.

  12. خُطوبٌ لا أُجِمُّ لَها جَوادي

    وَعَزمٌ لا أَحُطُّ لَهُ لِثامي

    Calamities for which I give my steed no rest,

    and a resolve for which I do not lower my veil.

  13. رَأَيتُ المَوتَ يَبلُغُ كُلَّ نَفسٍ

    عَلى بُعدِ المَسافَةِ وَالمَرامِ

    I have seen death reach every soul,

    despite the distance and the far-off goal.

  14. سَواءٌ إِن شَدَدتُ لَهُ حَزيمي

    زِماعاً أَو حَلَلتُ لَهُ حِزامي

    It is all one whether I tighten my girdle to face it

    in resolve, or loosen my belt before it.

  15. عَزاءَكَ ما اِستَطَعتَ فَكُلُّ حُزنٍ

    يَؤولُ بِهِ الغُلوَّ إِلى الأَثامِ

    Keep your fortitude as best you can, for every grief

    is carried by excess into sin.

  16. وَعُمرُ المَرءِ يَنقُصُ كُلَّ يَومٍ

    وَلا عُمرٌ يَقَرُّ عَلى التَمامِ

    And a person's lifespan diminishes every day,

    and no lifespan stays complete.

  17. وَما تُنجي الدُموعُ مِنَ المَنايا

    فَتُرسِلَها بِأَربَعَةٍ سِجامِ

    Nor can tears save you from death,

    that you should send them streaming from four eye-corners.

  18. وَكُنّا عِندَ مُختَلِفِ اللَيالي

    وَكَرِّ الدَهرِ عاماً بَعدَ عامِ

    And we, amid the succession of nights

    and time's return, year after year,

  19. إِذا أَخَذَ الرَدى مِنّا رَجَعنا

    إِلى صَبرٍ يُشَرَّدُ بِالغَرامِ

    whenever death took one of us, returned

    to patience that consuming sorrow drives away.

  20. وَكانَ الصَبرُ يُقبِضُ كُلَّ وَجدٍ

    كَما قَبَضَ الصَباحُ مِنَ الظَلامِ

    And patience used to quell every anguish,

    as dawn diminished the darkness.

  21. وَفي حُسنِ العَزاءِ لَنا مُجيرٌ

    يُخَلِّصُنا مِنَ الكُرَبِ العِظامِ

    And in graceful endurance we have a protector

    who frees us from mighty sorrows.

  22. أَساكِنَةَ التَرابِ وَكُلُّ حَيٍّ

    جَديرٌ أَن يُغَيَّبَ في الرِجامِ

    O dweller in the dust—and every living being

    is bound to be hidden among the piled stones—

  23. تَقَنَّصَكِ الرَدى عَرَضاً وَأَمسى

    يُجاذِبُكِ المَسيرَ عَنِ المُقامِ

    death snared you by chance, then began

    to draw you from your dwelling onto the journey.

  24. وَلَجلَجَ مَن نَعاكِ وَكُلُّ ناعٍ

    يُجَمجِمُ أَو يُلَجلِجُ في الكَلامِ

    And your death's herald faltered, and every such herald

    mumbles or stammers in speech.

  25. وَكُلُّ حَشىً عَليكَ كَأَنَّ فيهِ

    سِنانَ الرُمحِ أَو طَرَفَ الحُسامِ

    And every heart grieving for you seems to hold

    a spearhead or the tip of a keen sword.

  26. أَيا قَبراً تَقَسَّمَ كُلَّ صَبرٍ

    وَقَلقَلَ عَبرَةَ المُقَلِ الدَوامي

    O grave that has torn all patience apart

    and stirred the tears of bleeding eyes,

  27. أَقامَت فيكَ ماجِدَةٌ حَصانٌ

    كَماءِ المُزنِ مِن بيضِ الخِيامِ

    a noble, chaste woman has made her home in you,

    like raincloud water, one of the fair women of the tents.

  28. تَطَرَّقَكَ النَسيمُ مِنَ الخُزامى

    وَدَرَّت فيكَ أَنواءُ الغَمامِ

    May the lavender breeze find its way to you,

    and may the rainclouds' showers pour over you.

  29. وَأَصبَحَتِ الشِفاهُ عَلَيكَ فَوضى

    تَهافَتُ بِالتَحِيَّةِ وَالسَلامِ

    And may lips flock about you in a throng,

    rushing with greetings and peace.

  30. فَما بَكَتِ الحَمامُ عَليكَ إِلّا

    كَما غَنَّتكَ أَصواتُ الحَمامِ

    For the doves have wept over you only

    as the voices of doves sang to you.

  31. أَلا لِلَّهِ كُلُّ فَتىً أَبيٍّ

    عَزيزِ الأَنفِ يَغضَبُ لِلذِمامِ

    Ah, to God belongs every unyielding young man,

    his nose held high, angered for honor's sake,

  32. يُجيرُ مِنَ الزَمانِ إِذا تَغاوى

    بِصَبرٍ لِلنَوائِبِ وَاِعتِزامَ

    who grants refuge from time when it runs amok,

    through patience under calamities and firm resolve.

  33. وَأَيّامٍ تُفَلِّلُ مِن غُروبي

    عَلى مَضَضٍ وَتُنقِصُ مِن عُرامي

    And many days that blunt my cutting edges,

    painfully, and diminish my fierce vigor,

  34. تَلاعَبُ بي أَماماً أَو وَراءً

    طِرادَ الشَيخِ يَلعَبُ بِالغُلامِ

    toy with me, forward or backward,

    as an old man plays chase with a boy.

  35. بَراني الدَهرُ سَهماً ثُمَّ وَلّى

    فَجَرَّدَني مِنَ الريشِ اللُؤامِ

    Time whittled me into an arrow, then turned away,

    and stripped me of the closely fitted feathers.

  36. وَها أَنَذا أَبُثُّكَ كُلَّ بَيتٍ

    رَقيقِ النَسجِ رَقراقِ النِظامِ

    And here I am, confiding to you each verse,

    delicate in weave, shimmering in its arrangement.