يا إلهَ الوُجُودِ هذي جِراحٌ

يا إلهَ الوُجُودِ هذي جِراحٌ

في فُؤادي تَشْكو إليكَ الدَّواهي

في فُؤادي تَشْكو إليكَ الدَّواهي

O God of existence, these are wounds

O God of existence, these are wounds

O God of Being, here lie wounds unveiled,

In my heart, lamenting calamities to You.

In my heart complaining to You of their pain

Within a heart complaining of its doom;

هذهِ زفرةٌ يُصَعِّدها الهمُّ

هذهِ زفرةٌ يُصَعِّدها الهمُّ

إلى مَسْمَعِ الفَضَاء السَّاهي

إلى مَسْمَعِ الفَضَاء السَّاهي

This is a sigh that grief sends rising

This is a sigh elevated by worry

This is a sigh that heavy grief exhaled

To the ear of heedless space.

To the hearing of the vacant sky

Towards the hearing of the absent gloom.

هذهِ مُهْجَةُ الشَّقاءِ تُناجيكَ

هذهِ مُهْجَةُ الشَّقاءِ تُناجيكَ

فهلْ أَنْتَ سامعٌ يا إلهي

فهلْ أَنْتَ سامعٌ يا إلهي

This is misery's heart communing with You;

This is the anguish of misery whispering to You

This is the soul of misery, calling Thee—

So are You listening, O my God?

So are You listening, my God?

Art Thou then listening, O God, to me?

أَنْتَ أَنْزَلْتَني إلى ظُلْمَةِ الأَرضِ

أَنْتَ أَنْزَلْتَني إلى ظُلْمَةِ الأَرضِ

وقَدْ كنتُ في صباحِ زَاهِ

وقَدْ كنتُ في صباحِ زَاهِ

You brought me down into the darkness of earth,

You brought me down into the darkness of earth

You brought me down into this earthen night,

Though I had been in a radiant morning,

While I was in the morning of my prime

Though I once dwelled within a radiant morn;

كالشُّعاعِ الجميلِ أَسْبَحُ في الأُفْقِ

كالشُّعاعِ الجميلِ أَسْبَحُ في الأُفْقِ

وأُصْغي إلى خَريرِ المياهِ

وأُصْغي إلى خَريرِ المياهِ

Like a lovely ray, swimming in the horizon,

Like a beautiful ray I swam on the horizon

Like a fair ray swimming the horizon's light,

And listening to the murmur of waters,

And listened to the murmur of the waters

Listening to waters where the streams are born;

وأُغنِّي بَيْنَ اليَنابيعِ للفجرِ

وأُغنِّي بَيْنَ اليَنابيعِ للفجرِ

وأَشدو كالبلبلِ التَّيَّاهِ

وأَشدو كالبلبلِ التَّيَّاهِ

And singing among the springs to dawn,

And sang among the springs to the dawn

Singing amidst the springs to greet the day,

And warbling like the proud nightingale.

And warbled like a swooning nightingale

Chanting like nightingales in proud display.

أَنْتَ أوصَلْتَني إلى سُبُلِ الدُّنيا

أَنْتَ أوصَلْتَني إلى سُبُلِ الدُّنيا

وهذي كثيرَةُ الاشْتِباهِ

وهذي كثيرَةُ الاشْتِباهِ

You brought me to the paths of the world,

You led me to the paths of worldly life

You led me to the world's bewildering trails,

And these are full of uncertainty.

And they are so full of confusion

Paths fraught with ambiguity and doubt;

ثمَّ خَلَّفْتَني وحيداً فريداً

ثمَّ خَلَّفْتَني وحيداً فريداً

بَيْنَ داعٍ من الرِّياحِ ونَاهِ

بَيْنَ داعٍ من الرِّياحِ ونَاهِ

Then You left me alone, solitary,

Then You left me alone and unique

Then left me lonely where the tempest wails,

Between a wind that beckons and one that forbids.

Between a caller from the winds and a wailer

Torn between winds that buffeted about.

أَنْتَ أوقفتني على لُجَّةِ الحُزْنِ

أَنْتَ أوقفتني على لُجَّةِ الحُزْنِ

وجَرَّعتني مَرارَةَ آهِ

وجَرَّعتني مَرارَةَ آهِ

You set me upon the deep of sorrow,

You stood me at the abyss of sorrow

You placed me on the precipice of grief,

And made me swallow the bitterness of 'Ah!'

And made me drink the bitterness of sighs

And made me drain the bitter cup of pain;

أَنْتَ أنشأْتني غريباً بنفسي

أَنْتَ أنشأْتني غريباً بنفسي

بَيْنَ قومي في نَشْوَتي وانتباهي

بَيْنَ قومي في نَشْوَتي وانتباهي

You made me a stranger in my own soul,

You made me a stranger to myself

You formed me strange—a soul without relief,

Among my people, in my rapture and my wakefulness.

Among my people during my joy and heedfulness

Alien amidst my kin, awake or slain.

أَنْتَ كرَّهْتَني الحَيَاةَ وما فيها

أَنْتَ كرَّهْتَني الحَيَاةَ وما فيها

وحبَّبْتَني جُمودَ السَّاهي

وحبَّبْتَني جُمودَ السَّاهي

You made me loathe life and all it holds,

You made me hate life and what is in it

You made me loathe this life and all it holds,

And made me love the numbness of the heedless.

And made me love the stillness of the vacant

Loving the silence of the senseless stone;

أَنْتَ جَبَّلْتَ بَيْنَ جنْبيَّ قلباً

أَنْتَ جَبَّلْتَ بَيْنَ جنْبيَّ قلباً

سَرْمَديّ الشُّعورِ والانتباهِ

سَرْمَديّ الشُّعورِ والانتباهِ

You molded within my breast a heart

You created in my ribs a heart

You molded in my ribs a heart that folds

Everlasting in feeling and awareness.

Eternal in feeling and awareness

Eternal feeling, wakeful and alone.

أَنْتَ عذَّبتني بَدِقَّة حِسِّي

أَنْتَ عذَّبتني بَدِقَّة حِسِّي

وتعقَّبْتَني بكُلِّ الدَّواهي

وتعقَّبْتَني بكُلِّ الدَّواهي

You tormented me with the keenness of my senses,

You tortured me with the acuteness of my senses

You tortured me with senses far too keen,

And pursued me with every calamity:

And pursued me with every pain

Pursued me with disasters, fierce and vast;

بالأَسى بالسَّقام بالهمِّ بالوحشة

بالأَسى بالسَّقام بالهمِّ بالوحشة

باليأسِ بالشَّقا المُتناهي

باليأسِ بالشَّقا المُتناهي

With sorrow, with sickness, with worry, with loneliness,

With sorrow, with illness, with worry, with loneliness

With sickness, sorrow, dread of the unseen,

With despair, with utmost misery,

With despair, with endless misery

With despair and misery that shall ever last.

بالمنايا تَغْتال أَشْهى أَمانيَّ

بالمنايا تَغْتال أَشْهى أَمانيَّ

وتُذوي محاجري وشِفاهي

وتُذوي محاجري وشِفاهي

With deaths that slay my dearest hopes

With death ambushing my dearest wishes

With deaths that slay the hopes I hold most dear,

And wither my eye sockets and my lips.

And melting my eyelids and lips

Withering my eye-sockets and my lips;

فإذا مَنْ أُحِبُّ حُفْنَةُ تُرْبٍ

فإذا مَنْ أُحِبُّ حُفْنَةُ تُرْبٍ

تافهٍ مِنْ تَرائبٍ وجِبَاهِ

تافهٍ مِنْ تَرائبٍ وجِبَاهِ

And behold, those I love are a handful of dust,

So when those I love are a handful of dust

Until the ones I loved, now standing near,

Worthless, from breastbones and foreheads.

Worthless residue and skulls

Are distinctless dust that from the finger slips.

وإذا فتنةُ الحَيَاة وسِحْرُ الكونِ

وإذا فتنةُ الحَيَاة وسِحْرُ الكونِ

ضَرْبٌ من الغَمامِ الزَّاهي

ضَرْبٌ من الغَمامِ الزَّاهي

And behold, life's enchantment and the universe's magic

And the temptation of life and the magic of existence

And lo, the charm of life, the cosmic spell,

Are a kind of radiant cloud

Are a kind of lofty, vain clouds

Is but a fleeting cloud of bright illusion;

يتلاشى فَوْقَ الخضَمِّ ويبقى ال

يتلاشى فَوْقَ الخضَمِّ ويبقى ال

يَمُّ كالعهدِ مُزْبدُ الأَمواهِ

يَمُّ كالعهدِ مُزْبدُ الأَمواهِ

That vanishes above the ocean, and there remains the

That fade above the multitudes, leaving behind

Vanishing on the deep, leaving to dwell

Sea, as ever, its waters foaming.

Woe, like the foam of deluges

The sea as ever, frothing in confusion.

يا إله الوُجُود مَا لَكَ لا ترثي

يا إله الوُجُود مَا لَكَ لا ترثي

لحُزْنِ المُعَذَّبِ الأَوَّاهِ

لحُزْنِ المُعَذَّبِ الأَوَّاهِ

O God of existence, why do You not pity

O God of existence, why don't You mourn

O God of Being, do You feel no grace

The sorrow of the tormented, sighing soul?

The sorrow of the suffering, moaning one?

For one who suffers, sighing in despair?

قَدْ تأَوَّهْتُ في سكونِ اللَّيالي

قَدْ تأَوَّهْتُ في سكونِ اللَّيالي

ثمَّ أَطبقتُ في الصَّباحِ شِفاهي

ثمَّ أَطبقتُ في الصَّباحِ شِفاهي

I have moaned in the stillness of the nights,

I moaned in the stillness of the nights

I groaned in silence through the night's dark space,

Then closed my lips in the morning.

Then suppressed my lips in the morning

Then sealed my lips when morning filled the air.

وَتَغَزَّلْتُ بالحَيَاةِ وبالح

وَتَغَزَّلْتُ بالحَيَاةِ وبالح

بِّ وغنَّيتُ كالسَّعيدِ اللاَّهي

بِّ وغنَّيتُ كالسَّعيدِ اللاَّهي

And I sang love lyrics to life and to

And flirted with life and love

I flirted with this life and love's sweet art,

Love, and sang like one happy and carefree.

And sang like a heedless happy one

Singing like one whom happiness beguiles;

وزَرَعْتُ الأَحلامَ في قلبيَ الدَّا

وزَرَعْتُ الأَحلامَ في قلبيَ الدَّا

مي وحوَّطْتُها بكلِّ انتباهي

مي وحوَّطْتُها بكلِّ انتباهي

And I sowed dreams in my heart—

And planted dreams in my lasting heart

I planted dreams within my bleeding heart,

Bleeding—and fenced them round with all my care.

And surrounded them with all my attention

Guarding them closely with my watchful wiles.

ثمَّ لمَّا حَصَدْتُ لمْ أَجْنِ إلاَّ

ثمَّ لمَّا حَصَدْتُ لمْ أَجْنِ إلاَّ

الشَّوكَ مَا تُرى فعلتُ إلهي

الشَّوكَ مَا تُرى فعلتُ إلهي

Then, when I harvested, I reaped nothing but

But when I harvested, I reaped nothing

But when I reaped, I gathered naught but thorn—

Thorns. What, I wonder, have I done, my God?

Except thorns - what have You done, my God?

What have I done, my God, to be so torn?

يا رِياحَ الوُجُود سيري بعنفٍ

يا رِياحَ الوُجُود سيري بعنفٍ

وتغنِّي بصَوْتِكِ الأَوَّاهِ

وتغنِّي بصَوْتِكِ الأَوَّاهِ

O winds of existence, blow fiercely,

O winds of existence, blow violently

O winds of Being, blow with violent force!

And sing in your moaning voice.

And sing with Your moaning voice

Sing with your voice that wails across the sky!

وانفحيني مِنْ روحِكِ الفَخْمِ مَا يُبْ

وانفحيني مِنْ روحِكِ الفَخْمِ مَا يُبْ

لغُ صَوْتي آذَانَ هذا الإِلهِ

لغُ صَوْتي آذَانَ هذا الإِلهِ

And grant me enough of your majestic spirit to

And blow from Your splendid breath into me

Breathe your grand spirit into my weak course,

Carry my voice to the ears of this God.

Enough to make my voice reach the ears of this God

That my small voice may reach this God on high.

فهْو يُصغي إلى القويِّ ولا يُص

فهْو يُصغي إلى القويِّ ولا يُص

غي لصَوتٍ بَيْنَ العَواصِفِ واهِ

غي لصَوتٍ بَيْنَ العَواصِفِ واهِ

For He listens to the strong, and does not

For He listens to the strong and does not listen

For He hears only those whom strength empowers,

Listen to a voice weak amid the storms.

To a voice amidst storms and wailing

Not frail complaints amidst the stormy hours.

وانثُري الوَرْدَ للثُّلوجِ بدَاداً

وانثُري الوَرْدَ للثُّلوجِ بدَاداً

واصعقي كلّ بُلبلٍ تَيَّاهِ

واصعقي كلّ بُلبلٍ تَيَّاهِ

And scatter the roses far and wide into the snows,

And scatter roses over the snow meaninglessly

Scatter the roses on the snows to die,

And strike down every proud nightingale.

And shock every swooning nightingale

Strike down the nightingale in its proud flight;

فالوُجُودُ الشقيُّ غيرُ جديرٍ

فالوُجُودُ الشقيُّ غيرُ جديرٍ

بالأَغاني وبالجمالِ الزَّاهي

بالأَغاني وبالجمالِ الزَّاهي

For wretched existence is unworthy

For miserable existence is not worthy

This wretched world deserves no lullaby,

Of songs and radiant beauty.

Of songs or of beautiful bloom

No songs of beauty, no resplendent light.

واسحقي الكَائِناتِ كوْناً بكَوْنٍ

واسحقي الكَائِناتِ كوْناً بكَوْنٍ

قبل أنْ تنتهي أذلّ تَنَاهِ

قبل أنْ تنتهي أذلّ تَنَاهِ

And crush all beings, world by world,

And crush the worlds, one universe at a time

Crush all existence, sphere upon sphere crashing,

Before they come to the most abject end.

Before the most miserable end comes

Before it ends in abject, low decay;

فالإِلهُ العَظيمُ لم يخلُقِ الدُّنيا

فالإِلهُ العَظيمُ لم يخلُقِ الدُّنيا

سِوَى للفناءِ تَحْتَ الدَّواهي

سِوَى للفناءِ تَحْتَ الدَّواهي

For the great God created the world

For the great God created the world

For God created worlds for brutal smashing,

Only to perish beneath calamities.

Only for demise under pain

To perish underneath the doom's array.

يا ضميرَ الوُجُود يا عالمَ الأَروا

يا ضميرَ الوُجُود يا عالمَ الأَروا

حِ يا أَيُّها الفضاءُ السَّاهي

حِ يا أَيُّها الفضاءُ السَّاهي

O conscience of existence, O realm of

O conscience of existence, O knower of spirits

O conscience of the world, O realm of souls!

Spirits, O heedless space,

O You vacant sky

O absent-minded void, so vast and deep!

يا خضَمَّ الحَيَاةِ يَزْخَرُ في الآ

يا خضَمَّ الحَيَاةِ يَزْخَرُ في الآ

فاق في التُّرْبِ في قرارِ المياهِ

فاق في التُّرْبِ في قرارِ المياهِ

O ocean of life, surging in the

O tumult of life, foaming

O ocean of this life that surges and rolls

Horizons, in the dust, in the depths of the waters,

In the horizons, in the soil, in the stillness of waters

In soil, in horizons, where waters sleep!

خبِّروني هلْ للورى من إلهٍ

خبِّروني هلْ للورى من إلهٍ

راحمٍ مِثْلُ زَعْمِهِمْ أَوَّاهِ

راحمٍ مِثْلُ زَعْمِهِمْ أَوَّاهِ

Tell me: do mortals have a God

Tell me, is there for the people a kind God

Tell me, is there a God for humankind,

Merciful, as they claim, tenderhearted,

As they claim, full of mercy?

Merciful as they claim? Alas, I find...

يَخْلُقُ النَّاسَ باسماً ويواسي

يَخْلُقُ النَّاسَ باسماً ويواسي

هم ويرنو لهم بعطفٍ إِلهي

هم ويرنو لهم بعطفٍ إِلهي

Who creates people smiling, and comforts

Who creates mankind in His name

Who creates people smiling, and who sends

Them, and gazes upon them with divine kindness,

And consoles them and looks upon them with divine affection

His solace, gazing down with divine care?

ويرى في وجودهِمْ رُوحَهُ السَّ

ويرى في وجودهِمْ رُوحَهُ السَّ

امي وآياتِ فنِّهِ المتناهي

امي وآياتِ فنِّهِ المتناهي

And sees in their existence His sublime

And sees in their existence His peaceful soul

Who sees His spirit in the life He tends,

Spirit, and the signs of His consummate art?

And the infinite signs of His art

And art infinite in the forms they bear?

إنَّني لم أجدْهُ في هاتهِ الدُّن

إنَّني لم أجدْهُ في هاتهِ الدُّن

يا فهلْ خَلْفَ أُفْقِها من إِلهِ

يا فهلْ خَلْفَ أُفْقِها من إِلهِ

I have not found Him in this

I did not find Him in this world

I found Him not within this world of pain;

World; so is there a God beyond its horizon?

So is there a God beyond its horizons?

Does He beyond the far horizon reign?

مَا الَّذي قَدْ أَتيتَ يا قلبيَ البا

مَا الَّذي قَدْ أَتيتَ يا قلبيَ البا

كي وماذا قَدْ قُلْتِهِ يا شِفاهي

كي وماذا قَدْ قُلْتِهِ يا شِفاهي

What have you done, O my weeping

What have you come to, my crying heart

What have you done, O weeping heart of mine?

Heart, and what have you said, O my lips?

And what have you said, my lips?

What have you uttered, O my trembling lips?

يا إلهي قَدْ أَنْطَقَ الهمُّ قلبي

يا إلهي قَدْ أَنْطَقَ الهمُّ قلبي

بالذي كانَ فاغتفر يا إِلهي

بالذي كانَ فاغتفر يا إِلهي

O my God, grief has made my heart speak

O my God, worry made my heart

O God, 'twas grief that forced this bold design,

What has been said; so forgive me, O my God.

Speak what was in it, so forgive, my God

Speaking of what has passed—let mercy eclipse.

قَدَمُ اليأْسِ والكآبَةِ داستْ

قَدَمُ اليأْسِ والكآبَةِ داستْ

قلبيَ المتْعَبَ الغريبَ الواهي

قلبيَ المتْعَبَ الغريبَ الواهي

The foot of despair and melancholy has trampled

The feet of despair and gloominess

The foot of bleak despair and misery

My weary, estranged, frail heart.

Trampled my tired, lonely, weak heart

Trampled my tired heart, strange and frail inside;

فتشظَّى وتلكَ بعضُ شَظَايَا

فتشظَّى وتلكَ بعضُ شَظَايَا

هُ فَسامِحْ قُنُوطَهُ المتناهي

هُ فَسامِحْ قُنُوطَهُ المتناهي

So it shattered, and these are some of

So it shattered and these are some of its pieces

It shattered—these are fragments that You see,

Its fragments; forgive its utter despair.

So forgive its endless despair

So pardon its despair, so terrified.

فَهْوَ يا ربِّ مَعْبَدُ الحقِّ

فَهْوَ يا ربِّ مَعْبَدُ الحقِّ

والإِيمانِ والنُّورِ والنَّقاءِ الإِلهي

والإِيمانِ والنُّورِ والنَّقاءِ الإِلهي

For it, O Lord, is the sanctuary of truth,

For it is, O Lord, the temple of truth

For 'tis, O Lord, a temple of the Truth,

And faith, and light, and divine purity.

And faith, light and divine purity

Of faith, of light, of purity divine;

وَهْوَ نايُ الجَمالِ والحبِّ والأَح

وَهْوَ نايُ الجَمالِ والحبِّ والأَح

لامِ لكنْ قَدْ حَطَّمَتْهُ الدَّواهي

لامِ لكنْ قَدْ حَطَّمَتْهُ الدَّواهي

And it is the flute of beauty, love, and

It is the flute of beauty, love and dreams

It is the flute of beauty, love, and youth,

Dreams, but calamities have shattered it.

But pain has shattered it

But crushed by dooms that made its song decline.