أَدركتَ فَجْرَ الحَيَاةِ أَعمًى

أَدركتَ فَجْرَ الحَيَاةِ أَعمًى

وكنتَ لا تَعْرِفُ الظَّلامْ

وكنتَ لا تَعْرِفُ الظَّلامْ

You reached life's dawn blind,

You reached the dawn of life blind,

You reached the dawn of life while blind,

And you did not know darkness;

And you did not know the darkness.

And were a stranger to the dark;

فأَطْبَقَتْ حَوْلَكَ الدَّياجِي

فأَطْبَقَتْ حَوْلَكَ الدَّياجِي

وغامَ مِنْ فوْقِكَ الغَمَامْ

وغامَ مِنْ فوْقِكَ الغَمَامْ

So the dark nights closed in around you,

So the gloom surrounded you,

Then the gloom closed in around you,

And the clouds darkened above you.

And the clouds gathered above you.

And clouds turned gray above your head;

وعِشْتَ في وَحْشَةٍ تُقاسي

وعِشْتَ في وَحْشَةٍ تُقاسي

خواطراً كلّها ضرامْ

خواطراً كلّها ضرامْ

And you lived in desolation, enduring

You lived in a frightful solitude

You lived in desolation, suffering

Thoughts that were all blazing fire,

With thoughts that were all thorns.

Thoughts that were all searing fire;

وغُرْبَة مَا بِها رَفيقٌ

وغُرْبَة مَا بِها رَفيقٌ

وظلمةٍ مَا لها خِتامْ

وظلمةٍ مَا لها خِتامْ

And exile with no companion,

And a loneliness that had no friend,

An estrangement with no comrade near,

And darkness with no end.

And a darkness that had no end,

And darkness that possesses no end;

تشقُّ تِيهَ الوُجُودِ فرداً

تشقُّ تِيهَ الوُجُودِ فرداً

قَدْ عضَّكَ الفَقْرُ والسُّقَامْ

قَدْ عضَّكَ الفَقْرُ والسُّقَامْ

You cleave the wilderness of existence alone;

Wandering the wilderness of existence alone,

You cross the wilderness of existence alone,

Poverty and sickness have bitten you.

Afflicted by poverty and disease.

Gnawed by poverty and disease;

وطارَدَتْ نَفْسَكَ المآسي

وطارَدَتْ نَفْسَكَ المآسي

وفَرَّ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ السَّلامْ

وفَرَّ مِنْ قَلْبِكَ السَّلامْ

And tragedies pursued your soul,

And misfortunes chased your soul

Tragedies have chased your spirit,

And peace fled from your heart.

As peace fled from your heart.

And peace has fled from your heart.

هوِّنْ على قلبك المعنَّى

هوِّنْ على قلبك المعنَّى

إنْ كُنْتَ لا تُبْصِرُ النُّجُومْ

إنْ كُنْتَ لا تُبْصِرُ النُّجُومْ

Be gentle with your tormented heart,

Be gentle with your heart if

Go gently on your tormented heart,

If you cannot see the stars,

You cannot see the stars,

If you are one who sees no stars,

ولا ترى الغابَ وهو يلغو

ولا ترى الغابَ وهو يلغو

وفوقه تَخْطُرُ الغُيومْ

وفوقه تَخْطُرُ الغُيومْ

Nor see the forest as it chatters,

Nor see the forest murmuring

Who sees not the forest as it murmurs,

And above it the clouds saunter;

With clouds floating over it.

With clouds strutting high above;

ولا ترى الجَدْوَلَ المغنِّي

ولا ترى الجَدْوَلَ المغنِّي

وحَوْلَهُ يَرْقُصُ الغيمْ

وحَوْلَهُ يَرْقُصُ الغيمْ

Nor see the singing stream,

Nor see the singing stream

Who sees not the brook that sings,

And clouds dance around it.

With mist dancing around it.

While clouds dance upon its banks;

فكلُّنا بائسٌ جديرٌ

فكلُّنا بائسٌ جديرٌ

برأْفَةِ الخَالقِ العَظيمْ

برأْفَةِ الخَالقِ العَظيمْ

For each of us is wretched, deserving

For we are all wretched and deserving

For we are all wretched, worthy

Of the great Creator's compassion.

Of the mercy of the Almighty Creator.

Of the Great Creator's mercy;

وكلُّنا في الحَيَاةِ أعمى

وكلُّنا في الحَيَاةِ أعمى

يَسُوقهُ زَعْزَعٌ عَقِيمْ

يَسُوقهُ زَعْزَعٌ عَقِيمْ

And each of us is blind in life;

And we are all blind in life,

And we are all blind in this life,

A barren gale drives him on,

Led by fruitless confusion.

Driven by a sterile gale;

وحوله تَزْعَقُ المنايا

وحوله تَزْعَقُ المنايا

كأنَّها جنَّةُ الجَحِيمْ

كأنَّها جنَّةُ الجَحِيمْ

And around him deaths shriek,

And around us shriek the fates

Around us the dooms are shrieking,

As though they were the demons of Hell.

As if they were the hellfire.

Like the very madness of Hell;

يا صاحِ إنَّ الحَيَاة قفرٌ

يا صاحِ إنَّ الحَيَاة قفرٌ

مروِّعٌ ماؤهُ سَرَابْ

مروِّعٌ ماؤهُ سَرَابْ

O friend, life is indeed a wasteland,

My friend, life is a wasteland,

O friend, truly life is a barren waste,

Terrifying, its water a mirage.

Frightening, with mirage water.

Terrifying, its water a mirage;

لا يجتني الطَّرْفُ منه إلاَّ

لا يجتني الطَّرْفُ منه إلاَّ

عَواطفَ الشَّوْكِ والتُّرابْ

عَواطفَ الشَّوْكِ والتُّرابْ

The eye gathers nothing from it but

The eye reaps from it only

The eye gathers nothing from it

The affections of thorns and dust.

The thorns and dust of sorrow.

Save emotions of thorns and dust;

وأَسعدُ النَّاس فيه أَعمى

وأَسعدُ النَّاس فيه أَعمى

لا يُبْصِرُ الهول والمُصَابْ

لا يُبْصِرُ الهول والمُصَابْ

And the happiest person there is a blind man,

And the happiest people in it are the blind

The happiest person here is blind,

Who sees neither horror nor calamity,

Who do not see the horror and calamity,

Who does not see the dread and woe,

ولا يرى أَنْفُسَ البرايا

ولا يرى أَنْفُسَ البرايا

تَذُوبُ في وقْدَةِ العَذَابْ

تَذُوبُ في وقْدَةِ العَذَابْ

Nor sees the souls of humankind

Who do not see the wilds of existence

Nor sees the souls of creation

Melting in the blaze of torment.

Melting in the flames of torment.

Melting in the blaze of agony;

فاحمد إِلهَ الحَيَاةِ واقنعْ

فاحمد إِلهَ الحَيَاةِ واقنعْ

فيها بأَلْحانِكَ العِذَابْ

فيها بأَلْحانِكَ العِذَابْ

So praise the God of life, and be content

So praise the God of life and be content

So praise the God of Life and be content

In it with your sweet melodies;

In it with your songs of lament.

Within it, with your sweet songs,

وعِشْ كما شاءَتِ اللَّيالي

وعِشْ كما شاءَتِ اللَّيالي

مِنْ آهَةِ النَّايِ والرَّبَابْ

مِنْ آهَةِ النَّايِ والرَّبَابْ

And live as the nights have willed,

And live however the nights willed

And live as the nights may wish,

On the sigh of the flute and the rebab.

With the sigh of the flute and lute.

From the sighs of the flute and the rabab.