أَرى الشَيءَ أَحياناً بِقَلبي مُعَلَّقاً

أَرى الشَيءَ أَحياناً بِقَلبي مُعَلَّقاً

فَلا بُدَّ أَن يَبلى وَأَن يَتَمَزَّقا

فَلا بُدَّ أَن يَبلى وَأَن يَتَمَزَّقا

At times I see a thing attached to my heart;

I see things sometimes hanging in my heart

It must, then, wear out and be torn apart.

So they must wear out and tear apart

تَصَرَّفتُ أَطواراً أَرى كُلَّ عِبرَةٍ

تَصَرَّفتُ أَطواراً أَرى كُلَّ عِبرَةٍ

وَكانَ الصِبا مِنّي جَديداً فَأَخلَقا

وَكانَ الصِبا مِنّي جَديداً فَأَخلَقا

I have passed through stages, seeing every lesson;

I went through phases, seeing every lesson

And my youth was once fresh, then grew threadbare.

And youth was made anew in me, so it was shaped

وَكُلُّ اِمرِئٍ في سَعيِهِ الدَهرُ رُبَّما

وَكُلُّ اِمرِئٍ في سَعيِهِ الدَهرُ رُبَّما

تَفَتَّحَ أَحياناً لَهُ أَو تَغَلَّقا

تَفَتَّحَ أَحياناً لَهُ أَو تَغَلَّقا

And for every man in his striving, time may

And every person, in their lifelong quest

open up for him at times, or close itself off.

May find it open sometimes or closed

وَمَن يُحرَمِ التَوفيقَ لَم يُغنِ رَأيُهُ

وَمَن يُحرَمِ التَوفيقَ لَم يُغنِ رَأيُهُ

وَحَسبُ امرِئٍ مِن رَأيِهِ أَن يُوَفَّقا

وَحَسبُ امرِئٍ مِن رَأيِهِ أَن يُوَفَّقا

And whoever is denied success is not helped by his judgment;

And he who lacks good fortune, his view avails naught

And all a man needs from his judgment is to be granted success.

And it suffices one that his view avails

وَما زادَ شَيءٌ قَطُّ إِلّا لِنَقصِهِ

وَما زادَ شَيءٌ قَطُّ إِلّا لِنَقصِهِ

وَما اجتَمَعَ الإِلفانُ إِلّا تَفَرَّقا

وَما اجتَمَعَ الإِلفانُ إِلّا تَفَرَّقا

And nothing ever increased except to diminish;

And nothing ever grew unless it was diminished

And no two close companions met without parting.

And the two thousands never gathered unless they split

أَنا ابنُ الأُلى بادوا فَلِلمَوتِ نُسبَتي

أَنا ابنُ الأُلى بادوا فَلِلمَوتِ نُسبَتي

فَيا عَجَباً ما زِلتُ بِالمَوتِ مُعرِقا

فَيا عَجَباً ما زِلتُ بِالمَوتِ مُعرِقا

I am the son of those who perished, so my lineage is death's;

I am the son of those who passed, so my kinship is to death

So how strange—I have always been deeply rooted in death!

So strange that I remained intimate with death

وَثِقتُ بِأَيّامي عَلى غَدَراتِها

وَثِقتُ بِأَيّامي عَلى غَدَراتِها

وَلَم تُعطِني الأَيّامُ مِنهُنَّ مَوثِقا

وَلَم تُعطِني الأَيّامُ مِنهُنَّ مَوثِقا

I trusted my days, despite their betrayals,

And I trusted in my days despite their treachery

and the days gave me no pledge of their own.

And the days did not give me from them a pact

أَلا حُقَّ لِلعاني بِما هُوَ صائِرٌ

أَلا حُقَّ لِلعاني بِما هُوَ صائِرٌ

إِلَيهِ وَشيكاً أَن يَبيتَ مُؤَرِّقا

إِلَيهِ وَشيكاً أَن يَبيتَ مُؤَرِّقا

Surely the captive has cause, given what he is heading

Is it not the right of the suffering one for what is coming

toward so soon, to spend the night sleepless.

to him soon that he pass the night wakeful

أَيا ذِكرَ مَن تَحتَ الثَرى مِن أَحِبَّتي

أَيا ذِكرَ مَن تَحتَ الثَرى مِن أَحِبَّتي

وَصَلتُ بِهِم عَهدي عَلى بُعدِ مُلتَقى

وَصَلتُ بِهِم عَهدي عَلى بُعدِ مُلتَقى

O remembrance of my loved ones who lie beneath the earth,

Oh memory of those under dust who are my loved ones

I have kept my bond with them, though reunion is far off.

And I made a pact with them from a distant place of meeting

تَشَوَّقتُ فَارفَدَّت دُموعي وَلَم أَكُن

تَشَوَّقتُ فَارفَدَّت دُموعي وَلَم أَكُن

بِأَوَّلِ مَحزونٍ بَكى وَتَشَوَّقا

بِأَوَّلِ مَحزونٍ بَكى وَتَشَوَّقا

I yearned, so my tears streamed forth, and I was not

I yearned so my tears flowed and I was not

the first grieving one to weep and yearn.

The first to weep from yearning