فيمَ اِنفِرادُكَ لا أَنيـ

فيمَ اِنفِرادُكَ لا أَنيـ

ـسَ تَراهُ في القَفرِ المُخيفْ

ـسَ تَراهُ في القَفرِ المُخيفْ

Why are you alone, with no companion

In your solitude, I do not console myself

to be seen in the fearsome wilderness,

Seeing you in the frightening desert grave

في رِبقَةِ الوَهجِ الحَرو

في رِبقَةِ الوَهجِ الحَرو

رِ وَغَلِّ عاصِفَةٍ عَصوفْ

رِ وَغَلِّ عاصِفَةٍ عَصوفْ

in the halter of the scorching glare

In the glow of burning sands

and the fetters of a raging storm?

And raging sandy storms

وَصَبَرتَ لِلهوجِ اللَوا

وَصَبَرتَ لِلهوجِ اللَوا

فِحِ في الضُحى صَبرُ الأَنوفْ

فِحِ في الضُحى صَبرُ الأَنوفْ

And you endured the wild, scorching winds

You endured the ferocity of winds

at forenoon with the endurance of the proud.

With patience of rocks at dawn

أَرَضيتَ بِالصَحراءِ عَن

أَرَضيتَ بِالصَحراءِ عَن

ظِلِّ المُنَمَّقَةِ الغَريفْ

ظِلِّ المُنَمَّقَةِ الغَريفْ

Were you content with the desert instead of

You settled for the desert

the leafy shade of the adorned place?

Instead of the shaded grove

وَطَلَبتَ وَحدَةَ راهِبٍ

وَطَلَبتَ وَحدَةَ راهِبٍ

فيها وَعُزلَةَ فَيلَسوفْ

فيها وَعُزلَةَ فَيلَسوفْ

And did you seek a monk's solitude

You sought the loneliness of a hermit there

there, and a philosopher's seclusion?

And isolation of a philosopher

هَل كُنتَ يَوماً في القُصور

هَل كُنتَ يَوماً في القُصور

وَعِفتَ ضافِيَةَ القُصورِ

وَعِفتَ ضافِيَةَ القُصورِ

Were you once in palaces,

Were you once in palaces

and did you shun the palaces' lavish comforts,

And rejected the hospitality of palaces?

وَأَبيتَ أَن تُبنى عَلَيـ

وَأَبيتَ أَن تُبنى عَلَيـ

ـكَ صُروحَ بُهتانٍ وَزورِ

ـكَ صُروحَ بُهتانٍ وَزورِ

and refuse to have built upon you

You refused to build over you

edifices of slander and falsehood,

Edifices of disgrace and falsehood

فَنَجَوتَ لِلصَّحراءِ مِن

فَنَجَوتَ لِلصَّحراءِ مِن

صَخَبِ المَزاهِرِ وَالزُمورِ

صَخَبِ المَزاهِرِ وَالزُمورِ

and so escape to the desert from

So you escaped to the desert

the din of lutes and pipes,

From the clamor of flowers and lutes

تَعلو عَلى نَغَمِ الأَنيـ

تَعلو عَلى نَغَمِ الأَنيـ

ـنِ وَنَشجَةِ القَلبِ الكَسيرِ

ـنِ وَنَشجَةِ القَلبِ الكَسيرِ

rising above the strains of moaning

Rising above the melody of lyres

and the sob of the broken heart?

And the lament of the broken heart

أَم كُنتَ شاهِدَ مَصرَعِ الـ

أَم كُنتَ شاهِدَ مَصرَعِ الـ

أَخلاقِ في البَيتِ الكَبيرِ

أَخلاقِ في البَيتِ الكَبيرِ

Or did you witness the death of

Or were you a witness to the death of morals

morals in the great house,

In the great house

فَهَرَبتَ إِنَّكَ في الجَما

فَهَرَبتَ إِنَّكَ في الجَما

دِ إِذَن لَذو أَسمى شُعورِ

دِ إِذَن لَذو أَسمى شُعورِ

and flee? Truly, among lifeless things you

So you fled; you indeed

must then have the noblest feeling.

Have the highest feelings

هَل كُنتَ قَطُّ مُجَنَّةً

هَل كُنتَ قَطُّ مُجَنَّةً

مِن كيدِ باغٍ ظالِمِ

مِن كيدِ باغٍ ظالِمِ

Have you ever been a shield

Were you an avenger

against the schemes of an unjust aggressor,

Of the plots of an unjust attacker

وَحَميتَ هامَةَ مُبتَلي

وَحَميتَ هامَةَ مُبتَلي

وَفَلَقتَ هامَةَ غاشِمِ

وَفَلَقتَ هامَةَ غاشِمِ

and protected an afflicted person's head

And you protected the zeal of the afflicted

and split a brute's skull,

And split the zeal of the oppressor

وَجَثُمتَ فَوقَ عِظامَهِ

وَجَثُمتَ فَوقَ عِظامَهِ

فَصَرَخنَ تَحتَ الجاثِمِ

فَصَرَخنَ تَحتَ الجاثِمِ

and crouched upon his bones,

And you crouched over his bones

so they screamed beneath the one crouching?

So he screamed under the croucher

هَل كُنتَ سَدّاً فَوقَهُ

هَل كُنتَ سَدّاً فَوقَهُ

تَكبو مَطايا القاحِمِ

تَكبو مَطايا القاحِمِ

Have you been a barrier over which

Were you a dam over which

the assailant's mounts stumble,

The floods of the mighty break

وَعَلى المَهامَةِ صُوَّة

وَعَلى المَهامَةِ صُوَّة

تَهتَدي ضَلالَ الهائِمِ

تَهتَدي ضَلالَ الهائِمِ

and on the wasteland a cairn,

And over zeal a voice

guiding the wanderer gone astray?

That guides the lost wanderer

إِن كُنتَ ذاكَ بَذَذتَ في الـ

إِن كُنتَ ذاكَ بَذَذتَ في الـ

إِحسانِ خِلقَةَ آدَمِ

إِحسانِ خِلقَةَ آدَمِ

If you were that, you surpassed, in

If you were that, you sowed

benevolence, Adam's kind.

In benevolence, the nature of man

أَنتَ الوَحيدُ هُنا وما

أَنتَ الوَحيدُ هُنا وما

لي لا أَقولُ أَنا الوَحيدْ

لي لا أَقولُ أَنا الوَحيدْ

You are the solitary one here—and why

You are alone here, and I have

do I not say, 'I am the solitary one'?

No one. I cannot say I am alone

هَيمانُ لا أَدري الغُدا

هَيمانُ لا أَدري الغُدا

ةَ طَريقَ مَنجاتي طَريدْ

ةَ طَريقَ مَنجاتي طَريدْ

Distraught, at dawn I do not know

Perplexed, I know not tomorrow's

the road to my deliverance—an outcast.

Path for my escape, an outcast

وَإِذا قَعَدتُ كَما قَعَد

وَإِذا قَعَدتُ كَما قَعَد

تَ أَضَرَّ بِالروحِ القُعودْ

تَ أَضَرَّ بِالروحِ القُعودْ

And when I sit, as you have sat,

When I sit still as you sat

sitting harms the soul.

Sitting harms the soul

وَالروحُ يا بَعضَ الجَما

وَالروحُ يا بَعضَ الجَما

دِ عَنىً وَمَحمَلُها بُؤودْ

دِ عَنىً وَمَحمَلُها بُؤودْ

And the soul, O piece of lifeless matter,

The soul, O part of eternity

is suffering, and its burden is heavy.

Is restless, and its burden is heaviness

تَأبى الجُمودَ حَصافَةً

تَأبى الجُمودَ حَصافَةً

مِنها وَيَأباها الجُمود

مِنها وَيَأباها الجُمود

It rejects inertia through prudence

It refuses immobility in its purity

of its own, and inertia rejects it.

And immobility refuses it

قُل لي إِذا لَكَ مَسلَكٌ

قُل لي إِذا لَكَ مَسلَكٌ

جَدَدُ وَمُطَّرَقٌ سَديدْ

جَدَدُ وَمُطَّرَقٌ سَديدْ

Tell me if you have a path,

Tell me, if you have

firm and level, and a sure, well-trodden road.

A new path, right and paved