لوif أنَّthat جعفَرَJaʿfar هابَfeared أسبابَcauses of الرَّدىdeath
لو أنَّ جعفَرَ هابَ أسبابَ الرَّدى
لَنَجاwould have escaped بِمُهْجَتِهِwith his life طِمِرٌّa fleet steed مُلجَمُbridled
لَنَجا بِمُهْجَتِهِ طِمِرٌّ مُلجَمُ
Had Ja‘far feared the paths of doom,
Had Jaʿfar feared the causes of death,
a fleet, bridled steed would have carried his life to safety.
a bridled, fleet steed would have borne him to safety.
ولكانَand he would have been مِنْout of حَذَرِfear of المَنُونِdeath بحيثُin a place where لاnot
ولكانَ مِنْ حَذَرِ المَنُونِ بحيثُ لا
يَسْمُوsoar إليهto it بهwith him العقابُthe eagle القَشْعَمُhuge and aged
يَسْمُو إليه به العقابُ القَشْعَمُ
But who can guard against Death in a place to which
And, for fear of death, he would have been in a place no
even the mighty eagle could not bear him aloft?
huge, aged eagle could soar to while bearing him.
لكنَّهُbut he لمّاwhen تَقارَبَdrew near وقتُهْhis appointed time
لكنَّهُ لمّا تَقارَبَ وقتُهْ
لماnot yet يَدْفَعِward off الحَدَثانَfate’s calamities عنهfrom him مُنَجِّمُan astrologer
لما يَدْفَعِ الحَدَثانَ عنه مُنَجِّمُ
Yet when his appointed hour drew near,
But when his appointed time drew near,
no astrologer could ward fate’s calamities away from him.
no astrologer had yet warded off fate’s calamities from him.
فلْيُبْطلِso let them invalidate العُلماءُthe scholars عِلْمَknowledge of نُجومِهِمْtheir stars
فلْيُبْطلِ العُلماءُ عِلْمَ نُجومِهِمْ
بَعْدَafter ابنِson of يَحْيَىYaḥyā البَرْمَكيِّal-Barmakī ليَعْلَمُواso that they may know
بَعْدَ ابنِ يَحْيَى البَرْمَكيِّ ليَعْلَمُوا
So let the learned cast aside their knowledge of the stars
So let the scholars declare their star-lore void
after what befell Ibn Yahya the Barmakid, that they may learn.
after Ibn Yaḥyā al-Barmakī, so that they may know.
