مَهْمَا تأمَّلْتُ الحياةَ

مَهْمَا تأمَّلْتُ الحياةَ

وَجُبْتُ مَجْهَلَها الرَّهِيبْ

وَجُبْتُ مَجْهَلَها الرَّهِيبْ

However much I contemplated life,

No matter how I contemplate life

However long I contemplated life,

and traversed its fearsome, unknown wilderness,

And delve into its tremendous mysteries

And traversed its terrible, dark unknown,

ونَظَرْتُ حولي لَمْ أَجِدْ

ونَظَرْتُ حولي لَمْ أَجِدْ

إلاَّ شُكُوكَ المُسْتَريبْ

إلاَّ شُكُوكَ المُسْتَريبْ

and looked around me, I found nothing

And look around, I find naught

I looked around yet found no trace,

but the doubts of the doubter,

But doubts that perturb the mind

Save for the doubts of a skeptical mind,

حتَّى دَهِشْتُ وما أُفِدْتُ

حتَّى دَهِشْتُ وما أُفِدْتُ

بدهشتي رأياً مُصيبْ

بدهشتي رأياً مُصيبْ

until I was bewildered, yet gained no

Until I grow perplexed, and gain

Until I was dazed, yet gained no light

sound judgment through my bewilderment.

No insight from my perplexity

Of guiding wisdom from my awe,

لكنَّني أَجْهَدْتُ نَفْسي

لكنَّني أَجْهَدْتُ نَفْسي

وهيَ باديَةُ اللُّغوبْ

وهيَ باديَةُ اللُّغوبْ

But I exhausted my soul,

Yet I strive with all my soul

And yet I drove my weary soul,

though her weariness was plain,

Though it be weary and forlorn

Though signs of languor plainly showed,

وَدَفَعْتُها وهيَ الهزيلَةُ

وَدَفَعْتُها وهيَ الهزيلَةُ

في مُغالَبَةِ الكُروبْ

في مُغالَبَةِ الكُروبْ

and drove her on, frail as she was,

And spur it on, though it be frail

And urged it on, so frail and worn,

into a struggle against sorrows,

In the struggle against adversity

To struggle against the weight of woes,

في مَهْمَهٍ مَتَقَلِّبٍ

في مَهْمَهٍ مَتَقَلِّبٍ

تُخْشَى غَوَائِلُهُ جَديبْ

تُخْشَى غَوَائِلُهُ جَديبْ

in an ever-changing wilderness,

In an uncertain endeavor

In a shifting wasteland, vast and bare,

barren, its perils feared.

Whose perils make one shudder

Whose perils are dreaded, whose soil is dry,

فإذا أصابَتْ من

فإذا أصابَتْ من

مَنَاهِلِهِ شراباً تَسْتَطيبْ

مَنَاهِلِهِ شراباً تَسْتَطيبْ

Then, if she obtains from

But if from its springs

So if it chanced to taste from its

its watering places a drink she relishes,

It finds a draft to relish

Watering places a pleasant draught,

أَروتْ جوانِحَهَا وذلك

أَروتْ جوانِحَهَا وذلك

حَسْبُها كيما تَؤُوبْ

حَسْبُها كيما تَؤُوبْ

she slakes the thirst within her breast, and that

It revives its being, and that

It quenched its inner thirst, and that

is enough for her to return.

Suffices it, that it may repent

Sufficed to let it journey back,

ومَنِ ارتوى في هذه

ومَنِ ارتوى في هذه

الدُّنيا تَسَنَّمَهَا خَطِيبْ

الدُّنيا تَسَنَّمَهَا خَطِيبْ

And whoever quenches his thirst in this

And he who slaked his thirst in

For whoever drinks their fill in this

world scales its heights as an orator.

This life, ascended its summits

World, ascends it like a conqueror,

أَوْ لا فقد رَكِبَتْ من

أَوْ لا فقد رَكِبَتْ من

الأَيَّامِ مَرْكَبَها العَصِيبْ

الأَيَّامِ مَرْكَبَها العَصِيبْ

Otherwise, she has ridden

Or else the days have embarked him

Or if not, then it has ridden upon

her harrowing mount of days,

On their miserable ship

The days on a steed most hard to tame,

وَقَضَتْ كما شاءَ الخُلودُ

وَقَضَتْ كما شاءَ الخُلودُ

وفي جوانِحِهَا اللَّهيبْ

وفي جوانِحِهَا اللَّهيبْ

and perished as Eternity willed,

And passed away, as eternity willed

And perished exactly as Fate decreed,

with the blaze within her breast.

With fiery passion in its being

With the burning flame within its ribs.