مَا قَدَّْسَ المثلَ الأَعلى وجمَّلَهُ

مَا قَدَّْسَ المثلَ الأَعلى وجمَّلَهُ

في أَعيُنِ النَّاسِ إلاَّ أنَّهُ حُلُمُ

في أَعيُنِ النَّاسِ إلاَّ أنَّهُ حُلُمُ

Nothing made the highest ideal holy and beautiful

Nothing hallowed the Supreme Ideal nor lent it grace,

In people's eyes except its being a dream.

In the eyes of men, save that it stays a dream to trace.

ولو مَشَى فيهُمُ حيًّا لحطَّمَهُ

ولو مَشَى فيهُمُ حيًّا لحطَّمَهُ

قومٌ وقالوا بخبثٍ إنَّهُ صَنَمُ

قومٌ وقالوا بخبثٍ إنَّهُ صَنَمُ

And had it walked alive among them, it would have been shattered

For walked it living in their midst, they would shatter its frame,

By people who would say with malice, 'It is an idol.'

A mob declaring spitefully, 'An idol is its name.'

ولا يعبدُ النَّاسُ إلاَّ كلَّ منعدمٍ

ولا يعبدُ النَّاسُ إلاَّ كلَّ منعدمٍ

مُمنَّعٍ ولمنْ حاباهُمُ العَدَمُ

مُمنَّعٍ ولمنْ حاباهُمُ العَدَمُ

And people worship none but the nonexistent,

Men do not worship anything but what is wholly gone,

Inaccessible, and those whom nonexistence has favored.

The inaccessible, and those the Void has smiled upon.

حتَّى العَباقرةُ الأَفذاذُ حُبُّهُمُ

حتَّى العَباقرةُ الأَفذاذُ حُبُّهُمُ

يلقى الشَّقاءَ وتَلقى مجدَها الرِّمَمُ

يلقى الشَّقاءَ وتَلقى مجدَها الرِّمَمُ

Even the peerless geniuses—their love

Even the peerless geniuses, the love they earn is dread,

Meets misery, while moldering bones attain their glory.

They meet with misery, while glory crowns the crumbling dead.

النَّاسُ لا يُنْصِفونَ الحيَّ بينهُمُ

النَّاسُ لا يُنْصِفونَ الحيَّ بينهُمُ

حتَّى إِذا مَا توارى عنهُمُ نَدِموا

حتَّى إِذا مَا توارى عنهُمُ نَدِموا

People do not treat the living person among them fairly;

Men render no true justice to the living in their day,

Only when he vanishes from their sight do they regret it.

Not until he vanishes do they regret and pray.

الويْل للنَّاسِ من أَهْوائهمْ أَبداً

الويْل للنَّاسِ من أَهْوائهمْ أَبداً

يمشي الزَّمانُ وريحُ الشَّرِّ تحتدمُ

يمشي الزَّمانُ وريحُ الشَّرِّ تحتدمُ

Woe forever to people because of their passions!

Woe unto people from their whims for all eternity,

Time walks on, and the wind of evil rages.

Time marches on, while winds of evil rage relentlessly.

أَرى هيكَلَ الأَيَّامِ يعلُو مُشيَّداً

أَرى هيكَلَ الأَيَّامِ يعلُو مُشيَّداً

ولا بدَّ أن يأتي على أُسِّهِ الهَدْمُ

ولا بدَّ أن يأتي على أُسِّهِ الهَدْمُ

I see the edifice of days rising, built high,

I see the structure of the days rise lofty and tall,

And destruction must lay waste to its very foundation.

Yet on its very base the blow of ruin is sure to fall.

فيُصْبِحُ مَا قَدْ شيَّدَ اللهُ والورى

فيُصْبِحُ مَا قَدْ شيَّدَ اللهُ والورى

خراباً كأنَّ الكُلَّ في أَمسهِ وَهْمُ

خراباً كأنَّ الكُلَّ في أَمسهِ وَهْمُ

So what God and humankind have built becomes

So all that God and man have built becomes a ruined heap,

Ruins, as though all of it had been an illusion yesterday.

As if the whole of yesterday was but a dream in sleep.

فقل لي مَا جدْوَى الحَيَاةِ وكربها

فقل لي مَا جدْوَى الحَيَاةِ وكربها

وتلكَ التي تَذْوي وتلكَ التي تنمو

وتلكَ التي تَذْوي وتلكَ التي تنمو

So tell me: what is the use of life and its anguish,

So tell me, what avails this life, its anguish and its woe,

And that which withers, and that which grows,

And that which withers to the dust, and that which starts to grow?

وفوْجٍ تغذِّيه الحَيَاةُ لِبَانَهَا

وفوْجٍ تغذِّيه الحَيَاةُ لِبَانَهَا

وفوْجٍ يُرى تَحْتَ التُّرابِ لهُ رَدْمُ

وفوْجٍ يُرى تَحْتَ التُّرابِ لهُ رَدْمُ

And a throng that life nourishes with her milk,

A throng that Life sustains and feeds with milk of its own store,

And a throng whose mound is seen beneath the soil,

A throng observed beneath the dust, buried forevermore.

وعقلٍ من الأَضواءِ في رأسِ نابغٍ

وعقلٍ من الأَضواءِ في رأسِ نابغٍ

وعقلٍ من الظَّلماءِ يحملهُ فَدْمُ

وعقلٍ من الظَّلماءِ يحملهُ فَدْمُ

And a mind of light in the head of a genius,

A mind composed of brilliance in a genius's head confined,

And a mind of darkness carried by a dolt,

A mind composed of darkness which a dullard bears behind.

وأَفئدةٍ حَسْرى تذُوبُ كآبَةً

وأَفئدةٍ حَسْرى تذُوبُ كآبَةً

وأَفئدةٍ سَكْرَى يرفُّ لها النَّجمُ

وأَفئدةٍ سَكْرَى يرفُّ لها النَّجمُ

And weary hearts melting with melancholy,

And hearts of sorrow, melting down in grief and apathy,

And drunken hearts for which the star flutters?

And drunken hearts, for which the stars flutter in ecstasy.

لِتعْسِ الوَرَى شاءَ الإِلهُ وجودَهم

لِتعْسِ الوَرَى شاءَ الإِلهُ وجودَهم

فكانَ لهمْ جهلٌ وكانَ لهمْ فهمُ

فكانَ لهمْ جهلٌ وكانَ لهمْ فهمُ

For humankind's misery, God willed their existence;

For the wretchedness of man, God willed their presence in the land,

So they had ignorance, and they had understanding.

So came their share of ignorance, and power to understand.