لاno عَيْشَlife إِلَّاexcept لِلنَّفَادِto be exhausted
لا عَيْشَ إِلَّا لِلنَّفَادِ
فَاحْبِبْso love حَيَاتَكَyour life أَوْor فَعَادِthen be hostile
فَاحْبِبْ حَيَاتَكَ أَوْ فَعَادِ
All life is destined to end.
No life but for the lucid,
So love your life, or hate it;
So love your lives then renew it,
وَابْخِلْand be miserly بِنَفْسِكَwith your life أَوْor فَجُدْthen be generous
وَابْخِلْ بِنَفْسِكَ أَوْ فَجُدْ
كُلُّall الأُمُورِthings إِلَىtoward فَسَادِdecay
كُلُّ الأُمُورِ إِلَى فَسَادِ
and hoard your life, or spend it freely:
Stingy be with your souls, or strive hard,
all things are bound for decay.
All matters come to rot eventually.
أَيْنَwhere الأُلَىthose who شَقُّواthey cleaved الْبُحُوthe seas (continued)
أَيْنَ الأُلَى شَقُّوا الْبُحُو
رَcompletion of 'seas' وَشَيَّدُواand they built ذَاتَthe one possessing الْعِمَادِthe pillars
رَ وَشَيَّدُوا ذَاتَ الْعِمَادِ
Where are those who cleaved the seas
Where are the elevateds who traversed boon,
and built the city of pillars?
And built the columned towering thobe?
مَلَكُواthey ruled التَهَائِمَthe lowlands وَالنَجَاand the highlands (continued)
مَلَكُوا التَهَائِمَ وَالنَجَا
ئِدَcompletion of 'highlands' وَالْحَوَاضِرَand the cities وَالْبَوَادِيand the desert lands
ئِدَ وَالْحَوَاضِرَ وَالْبَوَادِي
They ruled the lowlands and the highlands,
They possessed rambling beasts, blankets and wastelands,
the cities and the desert lands.
Rather where are the loyal and unfailing ones?
بَلْrather أَيْنَwhere أَصْحَابُthe leaders of الْوُفُوthe delegations (continued)
بَلْ أَيْنَ أَصْحَابُ الْوُفُو
دِcompletion of 'delegations' وَأَيْنَand where أَرْبَابُthe masters of الْجِلادِcombat
دِ وَأَيْنَ أَرْبَابُ الْجِلادِ
But where are the leaders of delegations,
Where are the masters of scourging?
and where are the masters of combat—
The feeders, the jabbers, those claiming on each medium!
الطَّاعِمُونَthe feasters الطَّاعِنُوthe spear-thrusters (continued)
الطَّاعِمُونَ الطَّاعِنُو
نَcompletion of 'spear-thrusters' الْقَائِلُونَthe speakers بِكُلِّin every نَادِيgathering
نَ الْقَائِلُونَ بِكُلِّ نَادِي
the feasters, the spear-thrusters,
Revealers of harm and forgivers of slaves' sins.
the speakers in every gathering,
Where are the crafters of amplitude gravid,
الْكَاشِفُونَthe dispellers of الضُّرَّdistress وَالْand the
الْكَاشِفُونَ الضُّرَّ وَالْ
عَافُونَpardoners عَنْof ذَنْبِthe sin of الْعِبَادِpeople
عَافُونَ عَنْ ذَنْبِ الْعِبَادِ
the dispellers of distress, and the
And words unmatched and singular?
pardoners of people's sins?
Like the straying poet, or
بَلْrather أَيْنَwhere صُنَّاعُthe craftsmen of الْقَريverse (continued)
بَلْ أَيْنَ صُنَّاعُ الْقَري
ضِcompletion of 'verse' الْجَزْلِstately وَالْكَلِمِand the words الْفِرَادِpeerless
ضِ الْجَزْلِ وَالْكَلِمِ الْفِرَادِ
But where are the craftsmen of verse—
Quss bin Sa’eda Al Eyadi!
stately—and of peerless words,
Fate toyed with their gathering,
كَالشَّاعِرِlike the poet الضِّلِّيلِthe wayward أَوْor
كَالشَّاعِرِ الضِّلِّيلِ أَوْ
قُسِّQuss بْنِson of سَاعِدَةَSāʿidah الإِيَادِيof Iyād
قُسِّ بْنِ سَاعِدَةَ الإِيَادِي
like the Wayward Poet, or
Hurling them in every valley!
Quss ibn Sāʿidah al-Iyādī?
As though lingering scantly
لَعِبَplayed الزَّمَانُTime بِجَمْعِهِمْwith their company
لَعِبَ الزَّمَانُ بِجَمْعِهِمْ
وَرَمَىand cast بِهِمْwith them فيinto كُلِّevery وَادِيvalley
وَرَمَى بِهِمْ في كُلِّ وَادِي
Time toyed with their company
As whiteness amid blackness.
and cast them into every valley.
فَكَأَنَّهُمْso, as though they لَمْdid not يَلْبَثُواthey linger
فَكَأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَلْبَثُوا
إِلَّاexcept بَيَاضَاًwhiteness فيamid سَوادِblackness
إِلَّا بَيَاضَاً في سَوادِ
So it is as though they had lingered
only as whiteness amid blackness.
Partial English translation: 19 of 22 Arabic lines translated.