لاdo not ترجفيtremble ياO بنانfingertips القارىءof the reader الأناnow (reading uncertain)
لا ترجفي يا بنان القارىء الأنا
لاnot انشقsplit open بابa door ولاnor صافحتyou shook hands شياطاناa devil (unclear spelling)
لا انشق باب ولا صافحت شياطانا
Do not tremble now, O reader's fingertips.
Do not tremble, oh my fragile ego
Tremble not, O fingers of the reader here, / No door has cracked, nor have I clasped a demon's hand.
No door has split open, nor have you shaken hands with a devil.
No door has opened, no devil befriended
Tremble not, but spread open a book whose pages / Are a path to Fire; were it not for them, it would not be.
لاdo not ترجفيtremble وانشريand unfold سفراa volume صحائفهits pages
لا ترجفي وانشري سفرا صحائفه
دربa path الىto النارthe fire لولاwere it not for هنthem ماnot كاناwould have existed
درب الى النار لولا هن ما كانا
Do not tremble; unfold a volume whose pages
Do not tremble, spread out pages, their chapters
Leading to a distant world, to shadows deep, / That were once a life and ages upon this earth.
Are a path to fire that, without them, would not exist.
A path to fire, without it, it would not have been
Bloody imagination wove tales of some, / While bitter reality spun tidings and tunes.
أفضىled الىto عالمa world ناءdistant الىinto ظلمdarknesses
أفضى الى عالم ناء الى ظلم
كانتhad been حياةlife علىupon الدنياthe world وأزماناand ages
كانت حياة على الدنيا وأزمانا
It led to a distant world, into darknesses
It led to a world of mischief and injustice
A virgin realm where no foot has trod its paths, / Deep as the sea, its shores concealed by God.
That had been life on earth, and ages.
Life was upon this world and its eras
A dark valley of fire, unvisited by / The Sheikh of Ma'arra seeking inspiration for forgiveness.
حاكwove الخيالthe imagination المدمىbloodied بعضهاsome of them قصصاinto tales
حاك الخيال المدمى بعضها قصصا
والواقعand reality المرbitter انباءtidings وألحاناand melodies
والواقع المر انباء وألحانا
The bloodied imagination wove some of them into tales,
Imagination wove some tales
Nor did Dante's vision ever cross its threshold, / Though he waded through Hell's boiling blood and flames.
And bitter reality into tidings and melodies—
While bitter reality brought news and melodies
A valley of the sorrowful and oppressed, filled / With the specters of our angry living and our dead.
عذراءvirgin ماnot وطئتtrod رجلa foot مدراجهاits paths
عذراء ما وطئت رجل مدراجها
كالبحرlike the sea قاعاin its depths وغيبand the unseen of اللهGod شطآناshores
كالبحر قاعا وغيب الله شطآنا
Virgin—no foot has trodden their paths—
A virgin whose feet never trod its stairs
They cried out to God in complaint, softening / His heart, while He shook the shining stars in wrath.
Sea-like in depth, with shores like God's unseen.
Like a sea, unfathomed, God hid its turbulence
Pouring down like rain—if only the blaze / Had a voice that traveled as a gale and burst like a volcano.
وادa valley منof النارfire داجdark لاnot ألمvisited بهit
واد من النار داج لا ألم به
شيخthe sage المعرةof Maʿarra يستوحيهseeking inspiration from it غفراناforgiveness
شيخ المعرة يستوحيه غفرانا
A dark valley of fire, never visited
A valley of fire, burning, without pain
Woe to the drunken tyrants from tomorrow's retribution, / When this wretched planet quakes in warning.
By the sage of Maʿarra, seeking inspiration for Forgiveness;
The old man of experience inspires forgiveness
The crowd roared, scattered by the winds of disaster / At times, and at others folded by the hand of God.
ولاnor تخطىcrossed بدانتيwith Dante بابهits gate بصرa gaze
ولا تخطى بدانتي بابه بصر
خاضwaded through الجحيمHell دماblood يغليboiling ونيراناand fires
خاض الجحيم دما يغلي ونيرانا
Nor did a gaze with Dante cross its gate,
My corporeality did not cross its door or glance
O Lord, if in the long wait for a tomorrow / There were avail, the wind would not have borne our complaints to You.
A gaze that waded through Hell—boiling blood and fires.
He waded through hellfire, boiling and blazing
It was not ordained that we be tormented / By a tyrant, while the Merciful witnesses our affliction.
واديa valley of حزاناthe sorrowful ومظلومينand the oppressed تملؤهfill it
وادي حزانا ومظلومين تملؤه
أطيافshades أحيائناof our living الغضبىangry وموتاناand our dead
أطياف أحيائنا الغضبى وموتانا
A valley of the sorrowful and the oppressed, filled
The valley of our sorrow, filled with
The Fire is sweeter—so bring the Fire to smelt us / On Judgment Day, but let us enjoy our life in this world.
With shades of our angry living and our dead.
The angry ghosts of our dead and our living
If none shall enter the Gardens of Paradise / Save the wretched, the suffering, and the starving,
ضجواthey clamored لدىbefore اللهGod بالشكوىin complaint فرقso He softened لهاat it
ضجوا لدى الله بالشكوى فرق لها
قلباin heart وهزand He shook النجومthe stars الزهرradiant غضباناin anger
قلبا وهز النجوم الزهر غضبانا
They clamored before God in complaint; He softened
They complained bitterly to God, so it shook
And if Your command is that we accept what they have wrought, / Then keep Your servants, for Satan is now our master.
At heart, and angrily shook the radiant stars.
A heart and shook the blossoms, wrathful stars
وانثالand poured down كالغيثlike rain لوif أنthat لظىblazing fire
وانثال كالغيث لو أن لظى
صوتa voice سرىswept along زعزعاas a violent gale وانشقand burst open بركاناas a volcano
صوت سرى زعزعا وانشق بركانا
And down poured like rain—as though it were flame—
And poured like rain, if the raging
A voice that swept along as a gale and erupted as a volcano:
Voice crept and burst a volcano
ويلwoe to الطغاةthe tyrants السكارىdrunken منfrom عقابthe punishment of غدtomorrow
ويل الطغاة السكارى من عقاب غد
انif زلزلit shakes الكوكبthe planet المنكودill-fated ايذاناas a warning
ان زلزل الكوكب المنكود ايذانا
Woe to the drunken tyrants from tomorrow's punishment,
Woe to the drunken tyrants from tomorrow's punishment
If it shakes the ill-fated planet in warning!
If the despised planet shook as a warning
فزمزمso murmured الحشدthe throng والنكباءand the crosswind تنشرهscatters it
فزمزم الحشد والنكباء تنشره
حيناat times وتطويهand folds it up كفthe palm اللهof God أحياناat other times
حينا وتطويه كف الله أحيانا
Then the throng murmured, while the crosswind scattered it
So the crowd and the downtrodden roar it
At times, and God's palm folded it up at others.
Sometimes God's palm folds it, others spreads
رباهO my Lord لوif أنthat فيin طولthe length of انتظارwaiting for غدtomorrow
رباه لو أن في طول انتظار غد
جدوىany benefit لماthen would not أسمعتكhave made You hear الريحthe wind شكواناour complaint
جدوى لما أسمعتك الريح شكوانا
Lord, if in the long wait for tomorrow
O Lord, if in the long wait for tomorrow
There were any benefit, the wind would not have borne our complaint to You.
There is benefit, You would not have heard my complaints
ماnot كانwas حتماinevitable عليناfor us أنthat يعذبناhe torment us
ما كان حتما علينا أن يعذبنا
طاغa tyrant وانand that يشهدwitness الرحمنthe Merciful بلواناour ordeal
طاغ وان يشهد الرحمن بلوانا
It was not inevitable that we be tormented
It was not meant for us to be tormented
By a tyrant, and that the Merciful witness our ordeal.
By a tyrant and for the Merciful to watch our ordeal
النارfire أشهىmore desirable فهاتso bring النارthe fire تصهرناto melt us
النار أشهى فهات النار تصهرنا
يومon the Day of الحسابReckoning ومتعناand grant us enjoyment بدنياناof our earthly life
يوم الحساب ومتعنا بدنيانا
Fire is sweeter; then bring the fire to melt us
Fire is more delicious, bring the fire to melt us
On the Day of Reckoning, and let us enjoy our earthly life.
On Judgement Day and delight us in our world
انif كانit is لاnot يدخلenters الجناتthe gardens داخلهاone who enters them
ان كان لا يدخل الجنات داخلها
الاexcept شقياwretched علىamid الأواىhardship (reading uncertain) وغرثاناand famished
الا شقيا على الأواى وغرثانا
If none can enter the gardens
If none can enter the Gardens except wretched
Unless wretched amid hardship and famished,
Outcasts, sinners, and filthy ones
وكانand was أمركYour command أنthat نرضىwe be content بماwith what صنعواthey did
وكان أمرك أن نرضى بما صنعوا
فاحفظthen keep عبيدكYour slaves فالشيطانfor Satan مولاناour master
فاحفظ عبيدك فالشيطان مولانا
And Your command was that we be content with what they did,
And Your command was for us to accept what they did
Then keep Your slaves, for Satan is our master.
Then protect Your servants for the devil is our master
Partial English translation: 17 of 34 Arabic lines translated.