على ساحِلِ البَحْرِ أَنَّى يضجُّ

على ساحِلِ البَحْرِ أَنَّى يضجُّ

صُراخُ الصَّباحِ ونَوْحُ المَسَا

صُراخُ الصَّباحِ ونَوْحُ المَسَا

On the seashore, where resound

On the seashore, from whence comes the clamor

Upon the seashore where the tumult roars,

the cries of morning and the lament of evening,

Of dawn's outcry and the wailing of evening?

The scream of the morning, the evening’s lament,

تنهَّدتُ من مُهْجَةٍ أُتْرِعَتْ

تنهَّدتُ من مُهْجَةٍ أُتْرِعَتْ

بدَمْعِ الشَّقاءِ وشوْك الأَسى

بدَمْعِ الشَّقاءِ وشوْك الأَسى

I sighed from a heart filled to the brim

I sighed from an anguish that tore me asunder

I sighed from a soul that was flooded brim-deep

with tears of misery and thorns of sorrow.

With tears of misery and thorns of sorrow.

With tears of despair and the briars of woe,

فضَاعَ التَّنَهُّدُ في الضَّجَّةِ

فضَاعَ التَّنَهُّدُ في الضَّجَّةِ

بما في ثَنَايَاهُ مِنْ لوْعةِ

بما في ثَنَايَاهُ مِنْ لوْعةِ

So the sigh was lost in the din,

My sighs were lost in the clamor

But the sigh was lost in the clamor and surge,

with the anguish within its folds.

With the agony trapped between its folds.

With all of the anguish its folds held inside,

فَسِرْتُ وناديتُ يا أُمُّ هيَّا

فَسِرْتُ وناديتُ يا أُمُّ هيَّا

إليَّ فقد سئمتني الحَيَاةْ

إليَّ فقد سئمتني الحَيَاةْ

So I walked on and called: O Mother, come

So I wandered and called, "O mother, come!"

So I walked and I cried out: "O Mother, come near,

to me, for life has grown weary of me.

For life has wearied me, I've had enough.

To me, for Life has grown weary of me,"

وجِئْتُ إلى الغابِ أَسْكبُ أَوجاعَ

وجِئْتُ إلى الغابِ أَسْكبُ أَوجاعَ

قلبي نحيباً كلفْح اللَّهيبْ

قلبي نحيباً كلفْح اللَّهيبْ

And I came to the forest, pouring out the pains

To the woods I came to pour out the pains

And I came to the forest to pour out the pains

of my heart in sobs like the scorching blast of flame—

Of my heart in weeping like fiery flames -

Of my heart in a weeping that scorched like a flame,

نَحيباً تَدَافَعَ في مهجتي

نَحيباً تَدَافَعَ في مهجتي

وسَالَ يَرُنُّ بنَدْبِ القلوبْ

وسَالَ يَرُنُّ بنَدْبِ القلوبْ

sobbing that surged within my heart

Weeping that churned inside me

A weeping that surged in the depths of my soul

and flowed, resounding with the lament of hearts.

And flowed with the wailing of hearts.

And flowed, chiming loud with the mourning of hearts,

فَلَمْ يفْهمِ الغَابُ أَشجانَهُ

فَلَمْ يفْهمِ الغَابُ أَشجانَهُ

وظَلَّ يُرَدِّدُ أَلحانَهُ

وظَلَّ يُرَدِّدُ أَلحانَهُ

But the forest did not understand its sorrows,

But the woods did not understand his sorrows

Yet the forest grasped nothing of sorrow’s refrain,

and kept repeating its melodies.

And continued to echo its melodies.

And continued to echo its own merry tunes,

فَسِرْتُ وناديتُ يا أُمُّ هيَّا

فَسِرْتُ وناديتُ يا أُمُّ هيَّا

إليَّ فقد عذَّبتني الحَيَاةْ

إليَّ فقد عذَّبتني الحَيَاةْ

So I walked on and called: O Mother, come

So I wandered and called, "O mother, come!"

So I walked and I cried out: "O Mother, come near,

to me, for life has tormented me.

For life has tortured me, I've had enough.

To me, for Life has tormented me so,"

وقمتُ على النَّهرِ أَهْرقُ دمعاً

وقمتُ على النَّهرِ أَهْرقُ دمعاً

تفجَّرَ من فيضِ حُزني الأَليمْ

تفجَّرَ من فيضِ حُزني الأَليمْ

And I stood by the river, pouring out tears

And I stood by the river pouring out tears

I stood by the river to spill out the tears

that burst forth from the flood of my painful grief,

That burst forth from my intense anguish -

That burst from the flood of my agonizing grief,

يسيرُ بصَمْتٍ على وجْنتيّ

يسيرُ بصَمْتٍ على وجْنتيّ

ويلمعُ مثل دموعِ الجحيمْ

ويلمعُ مثل دموعِ الجحيمْ

flowing silently over my cheeks

Silently flowing down my cheeks

Traversing in silence the path of my cheeks,

and gleaming like the tears of hell.

Gleaming like hell's tears.

And glistening like the dark tears of Hell,

فمَا خَفَّفَ النَّهْرُ مِنْ عَدْوِهِ

فمَا خَفَّفَ النَّهْرُ مِنْ عَدْوِهِ

ولا سَكَتَ النَّهْرُ عن شَدْوِهِ

ولا سَكَتَ النَّهْرُ عن شَدْوِهِ

But the river did not slacken its rush,

Yet the river eased not its flow

But the river slowed not in the speed of its course,

nor did the river cease its singing.

Nor hushed its murmur.

Nor did the river cease singing its song,

فَسِرْتُ وناديتُ يا أُمُّ هيَّا

فَسِرْتُ وناديتُ يا أُمُّ هيَّا

إليَّ فقدْ أَضجرتني الحَيَاةْ

إليَّ فقدْ أَضجرتني الحَيَاةْ

So I walked on and called: O Mother, come

So I wandered and called, "O mother, come!"

So I walked and I cried out: "O Mother, come near,

to me, for life has wearied me.

For life has bored me, I've had enough.

To me, for Life has exhausted me now,"

ولمَّا ندبتُ ولم ينفعِ

ولمَّا ندبتُ ولم ينفعِ

ونَادَيْتُ أُمِّي فلمْ تسمعِ

ونَادَيْتُ أُمِّي فلمْ تسمعِ

And when I lamented to no avail,

When calling out brought me no relief

And when I had mourned to no avail,

and called to my mother, but she did not hear,

And my mother heard not my plea,

And called out to Mother who heard not my plea,

رَجعتُ بحزني إلى وَحْدَتي

رَجعتُ بحزني إلى وَحْدَتي

وردَّدْتُ نَوْحي على مسمعي

وردَّدْتُ نَوْحي على مسمعي

I returned with my grief to my solitude,

I returned with my sorrow to my solitude

I returned with my sorrow to solitude’s hold,

and repeated my lament to my own ears.

And echoed my wailing to my own ears.

And echoed my wailing to my own ears,

وَعَانَقْتُ في وَحْدتي لوْعتي

وَعَانَقْتُ في وَحْدتي لوْعتي

وقلتُ لنفسي أَلا فاسْكُتي

وقلتُ لنفسي أَلا فاسْكُتي

And in my solitude I embraced my anguish,

In my loneliness I embraced my agony

And embraced in my loneliness my burning grief,

and said to myself: Come now, be silent.

And said to myself, "Oh, be quiet now!"

And whispered to my own self: "Hush, be still."