يا ليلُ مَا تصنعُ النَّفْسُ التي سَكَنتْ

يا ليلُ مَا تصنعُ النَّفْسُ التي سَكَنتْ

هذا الوجودَ ومن أعدائها القَدَرُ

هذا الوجودَ ومن أعدائها القَدَرُ

O night, what is the soul to do, the soul that has dwelt

O night, what can the soul do, that dwelled

O Night, what shall the soul do, having made its home

in this existence, with Fate among its enemies?

In this existence, with destiny as its foe,

In this existence, where Fate stands as its foe?

ترضى وتَسْكُتُ هذا غيرُ محتَمَلٍ

ترضى وتَسْكُتُ هذا غيرُ محتَمَلٍ

إِذاً فهل ترفُضُ الدُّنيا وتنتحرُ

إِذاً فهل ترفُضُ الدُّنيا وتنتحرُ

Should it acquiesce and keep silent? This is unbearable.

Content and silent - this is unbearable!

To accept and stay silent—this cannot be borne,

Then should it reject the world and take its own life?

Will it then reject the world and commit suicide?

Should it then reject the world and seek its own end?

وذا جنونٌ لَعَمْري كُلُّهُ جَزَعٌ

وذا جنونٌ لَعَمْري كُلُّهُ جَزَعٌ

باكٍ ورأيٌ مريضٌ كُلُّه خَوَرُ

باكٍ ورأيٌ مريضٌ كُلُّه خَوَرُ

And this is madness, by my life—sheer anguish

Madness, by my life! All of this is but grief -

Yet that is madness, by my life, born of sheer panic,

that weeps, and a sick judgment—sheer weakness.

Weeping, with sickly thoughts - all in vain.

A weeping surrender, a sickly thought fraught with frailty.

فإنّما الموت ضَرْبُ من حبائِلِهِ

فإنّما الموت ضَرْبُ من حبائِلِهِ

لا يُفلتُ الخلقُ مَا عاشوا فما النَّظرُ

لا يُفلتُ الخلقُ مَا عاشوا فما النَّظرُ

For death is but one of his snares.

For death is but one of its snares,

For death is merely one of his many snares;

Creatures cannot escape while they live—what use is reflection?

From which no being escapes, for all their sight.

No creature escapes while they live—so why look there?

هذا هو اللغْزُ عَمَّاهُ وعَقَّدَهُ

هذا هو اللغْزُ عَمَّاهُ وعَقَّدَهُ

على الخليقةِ وَحْشٌ فاتكٌ حَذِرُ

على الخليقةِ وَحْشٌ فاتكٌ حَذِرُ

This is the riddle, obscured and tangled

This is the puzzle, which it obscured and complicated

This is the riddle—obscured and knotted tight,

for creation by a deadly, wary beast.

For creation - a fierce, cautious beast.

Bound upon creation by a beast, lethal and wary.

قَدْ كبَّلَ القَدَرُ الضَّاري فرائِسَهْ

قَدْ كبَّلَ القَدَرُ الضَّاري فرائِسَهْ

فما استطاعوا له دفعاً ولا حزَروا

فما استطاعوا له دفعاً ولا حزَروا

Savage Fate has shackled his prey,

Destiny bound its harmful horses,

Predatory Fate has shackled his prey,

so they could neither repel him nor gauge him.

So they cannot resist it, nor take precautions.

Powerless to repel him, unable to foresee him.

وخاطَ أعينَهم كي لا تُشاهِدَهُ

وخاطَ أعينَهم كي لا تُشاهِدَهُ

عينٌ فتعلمَ مَا يأتي وما يَذَرُ

عينٌ فتعلمَ مَا يأتي وما يَذَرُ

And he sewed their eyes shut, lest he be seen

It blinded their eyes, lest they witness it,

He stitched their eyes shut, lest they perceive him,

by any eye, and it learn what he does and what he leaves undone.

An eye that knows what comes and goes.

Lest any eye discern what comes and what departs.

وحاطَهُمْ بفنونٍ من حَبائِلِهِ

وحاطَهُمْ بفنونٍ من حَبائِلِهِ

فما لَهُمْ أبداً من بطشِه وَزرُ

فما لَهُمْ أبداً من بطشِه وَزرُ

And he surrounded them with his manifold snares,

It surrounded them with its cunning snares,

He encircled them with the art of his traps,

so they never have refuge from his violence.

So they are forever helpless against its grip.

So they find no shelter ever from his assault.

لا الموت يُنْقِذُهُمْ من هولِ صولَتِهِ

لا الموت يُنْقِذُهُمْ من هولِ صولَتِهِ

ولا الحياةُ تَساوى النّاسُ والحَجَرُ

ولا الحياةُ تَساوى النّاسُ والحَجَرُ

Neither death saves them from the terror of his onslaught,

Neither death saves them from its terrible onslaught,

Neither death can save them from his terrifying might,

nor life; people and stone have become equal.

Nor does life make people and stone equal.

Nor life; for mankind and stone are made equal.

حارَ المساكينُ وارتاعوا وأعْجَزَهم

حارَ المساكينُ وارتاعوا وأعْجَزَهم

أن يحذَروه وهلْ يُجديهمُ الحَذَرُ

أن يحذَروه وهلْ يُجديهمُ الحَذَرُ

The wretched were bewildered and terrified, unable

The wretches were confounded and horrified, powerless

The wretched souls were bewildered, terrified, unable

to guard against him—and can caution avail them

To beware it - does wariness avail them?

To guard against him—and what use is their guard?

وهُمْ يعيشونَ في دنيا مشيَّدةٍ

وهُمْ يعيشونَ في دنيا مشيَّدةٍ

منَ الخطوب وكونٍ كلَّه خَطرُ

منَ الخطوب وكونٍ كلَّه خَطرُ

while they live in a world built

They live in a world built from perils,

While they dwell in a world erected

of calamities, and a universe that is all peril?

A universe, all of it a danger.

Upon calamities, in a universe fraught with peril.

وكيف يحذرُ أعمَى مُدْلِجٌ تَعِبٌ

وكيف يحذرُ أعمَى مُدْلِجٌ تَعِبٌ

هولَ الظَّلامِ ولا عَزمٌ ولا بَصَرُ

هولَ الظَّلامِ ولا عَزمٌ ولا بَصَرُ

And how can a blind, weary traveler by night beware

How can a weary, sightless blind man beware

How can a blind, weary night-traveler take heed

the terror of darkness, with neither resolve nor sight?

The horror of darkness, without will or sight?

Of the darkness's horror, with neither will nor sight?

قَدْ أيقنوا أنَّهُ لا شيءَ يُنقِذُهُمْ

قَدْ أيقنوا أنَّهُ لا شيءَ يُنقِذُهُمْ

فاستسلموا لِسُكونِ الرُّعْبِ وانتظروا

فاستسلموا لِسُكونِ الرُّعْبِ وانتظروا

They were certain that nothing could save them,

They are certain that nothing can save them,

They realized with certainty that nothing saves them,

so they surrendered to terror's stillness and waited.

So they surrendered to the stillness of terror and waited.

So they surrendered to the silence of terror and waited.

ولو رأوه لسارتْ كي تحارِبَه

ولو رأوه لسارتْ كي تحارِبَه

من الوَرَى زُمَرٌ في إثرِها زُمَرُ

من الوَرَى زُمَرٌ في إثرِها زُمَرُ

And were they to see him, they would march to fight him—

If only they saw it, armies would march to fight it,

Yet had they seen him, there would march to war

bands of humankind, with bands following in their wake.

One host after another raging troops.

Legions of mankind, troop following troop.

وثارتِ الجنّ والأملاكَ ناقمةً

وثارتِ الجنّ والأملاكَ ناقمةً

والبحرُ والبَرُّ والأفلاكُ والعُصرُ

والبحرُ والبَرُّ والأفلاكُ والعُصرُ

And the jinn and angels would rise in wrath,

The jinn and angels would rise in anger,

The Jinn and Angels would rise in vengeance,

and the sea, the land, the heavenly spheres, and the ages.

As would the land, the sea, the cosmos and time.

The sea, the land, the heavens, and the ages.

لكنّهُ قوّةٌ تُملي إرادتَها

لكنّهُ قوّةٌ تُملي إرادتَها

سِرًّا فَنَعْنو لها قهراً ونأتمرُ

سِرًّا فَنَعْنو لها قهراً ونأتمرُ

But he is a force that dictates its will

But it is a power that imposes its will

But he is a force that dictates his will

in secret; so we bow to it under compulsion and obey.

In secret - so we obey it by force and acquiesce.

In secret, so we bow perforce and obey.

حقيقةٌ مرّةٌ يا ليلُ مُبْغَضَةٌ

حقيقةٌ مرّةٌ يا ليلُ مُبْغَضَةٌ

كالموتِ لكنْ إليها الوِرْدُ والصَّدَرُ

كالموتِ لكنْ إليها الوِرْدُ والصَّدَرُ

A bitter truth, O night, detested

A bitter truth, O night, detestable

A bitter truth, O Night, a loathed reality,

like death; yet all coming and going lead to it.

As death, but to it belong the breast and heart.

Like death itself, yet to it we come and go.

تَنَهَّدَ اللَّيْلُ حتَّى قلتُ قَدْ نُثِرَتْ

تَنَهَّدَ اللَّيْلُ حتَّى قلتُ قَدْ نُثِرَتْ

تِلكَ النُّجومُ وماتَ الجنُّ والبَشَرُ

تِلكَ النُّجومُ وماتَ الجنُّ والبَشَرُ

Night sighed until I said, “Scattered are

The night sighed, until I said: scattered

The Night sighed, until I thought the stars

those stars, and the jinn and humankind have died.”

Are those stars, and dead are the jinn and mankind.

Were scattered, and death took Jinn and men.

وعادَ للصَّمتِ يُصغي في كآبته

وعادَ للصَّمتِ يُصغي في كآبته

كالفيلسوف إلى الدنيا ويفتكرُ

كالفيلسوف إلى الدنيا ويفتكرُ

And he returned to silence, listening in his gloom,

And it returned to silence, listening somberly

He returned to silence, listening in his gloom,

like a philosopher, to the world, and reflecting.

Like a philosopher, pondering the world.

Like a philosopher contemplating the world.

وقَهْقَهَ القَدَرُ الجبَّارُ سُخْريةً

وقَهْقَهَ القَدَرُ الجبَّارُ سُخْريةً

بالكائناتِ تَضاحَكْ أَيُّها القَدَرُ

بالكائناتِ تَضاحَكْ أَيُّها القَدَرُ

And tyrannical Fate guffawed in mockery

The Almighty destiny laughed mockingly

Then mighty Fate thundered with laughter in mockery

at all beings. Laugh on, O Fate!

At creatures - O destiny, you laugh!

At all beings—laugh on, O Fate!

تمشي إلى العَدَمِ المحتومِ باكيةً

تمشي إلى العَدَمِ المحتومِ باكيةً

طوائفُ الخَلْقِ والأشكالُ والصُّوَرُ

طوائفُ الخَلْقِ والأشكالُ والصُّوَرُ

They walk toward inevitable nothingness, weeping:

Weeping throngs of creation and forms and images

They walk weeping toward the inevitable void,

the multitudes of creation, and the shapes and forms.

Walk to inevitable oblivion.

The multitudes of creation, the shapes, and the forms.

وأنت فوقَ الأسى والموت مبتسمٌ

وأنت فوقَ الأسى والموت مبتسمٌ

ترنو إلى الكون يُبْنَى ثمَّ يندَثِرُ

ترنو إلى الكون يُبْنَى ثمَّ يندَثِرُ

And you, above sorrow and death, smile,

While you smile above grief and death,

While you stand above sorrow and death, smiling,

gazing at the universe as it is built, then vanishes.

Gazing at the universe, built up then ruined.

Gazing at a universe built up, then swept away.