إِذا ما بَدَت فينا عَطاياهُ عَقَّبَت

إِذا ما بَدَت فينا عَطاياهُ عَقَّبَت

وَكَم بادِئٍ لِلمُزنِ غَيرَ مُعَقَّبِ

وَكَم بادِئٍ لِلمُزنِ غَيرَ مُعَقَّبِ

Whenever his gifts appear among us, more follow;

When his gifts in us began, there followed after

Yet many a first sign of rain clouds has no sequel.

How many a sorrowful one with no relief coming after

وَلَمّا يُفَرِّرهُ تَقَلُّبَ دَهرِهِ

وَلَمّا يُفَرِّرهُ تَقَلُّبَ دَهرِهِ

فَقُلتَ لَعَلَّ الدَهرَ لَم يَتَقَلَّبِ

فَقُلتَ لَعَلَّ الدَهرَ لَم يَتَقَلَّبِ

And the vicissitudes of his time have not yet put him to flight,

And when the turns of fate toss him about

So you said, “Perhaps time has not changed.”

I said: perhaps fate itself does not toss about

وَيَدنو لَهُ المَطلوبُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

وَيَدنو لَهُ المَطلوبُ حَتّى كَأَنَّما

يُواكِبُ ضَوءَ الصُبحِ في كُلِّ مَطلَبِ

يُواكِبُ ضَوءَ الصُبحِ في كُلِّ مَطلَبِ

And what he seeks draws near to him, till it is as though

And the longed-for draws near him, until it seems

He keeps pace with dawn’s light in every quest.

The dawn's light accompanies each yearned-for thing