تُغازِلُني المَنيَّةُ مِن قَريبِ

تُغازِلُني المَنيَّةُ مِن قَريبِ

وَتَلحَظُني مُلاحَظَةَ الرَقيبِ

وَتَلحَظُني مُلاحَظَةَ الرَقيبِ

Death woos me from close at hand,

Death flirts with me from close at hand,

and watches me with a sentinel’s gaze.

and watches me with a watcher's scrutiny.

وَتَنشُرُ لي كِتاباً فيهِ طَيِّي

وَتَنشُرُ لي كِتاباً فيهِ طَيِّي

بِخَطِّ الدَهرِ أَسطُرُهُ مَشيبي

بِخَطِّ الدَهرِ أَسطُرُهُ مَشيبي

She unfolds before me a book wherein my life is folded up;

And unfolds for me a book in which my life is folded away;

its script is Time’s, and my gray hairs are its lines.

in time's handwriting, its lines are my gray hair.

كِتابٌ في مَعانيهِ غُموضٌ

كِتابٌ في مَعانيهِ غُموضٌ

يَلوحُ لِكُلِّ أَوّابٍ مُنيبِ

يَلوحُ لِكُلِّ أَوّابٍ مُنيبِ

A book whose meanings are obscure,

A book whose meanings are obscure

yet plain to every penitent who turns to God.

becomes clear to every penitent who turns back to God.

أَرى الأَعصارَ تَعصِرُ ماءَ عودي

أَرى الأَعصارَ تَعصِرُ ماءَ عودي

وَقِدماً كُنتُ رَيّانَ القَضيبِ

وَقِدماً كُنتُ رَيّانَ القَضيبِ

I see the ages squeezing the sap from my bough,

I see the ages squeezing the sap from my stem,

though once I was a flourishing, sap-filled stem.

though once my bough was full of sap.

أَدالَ الشَيبُ يا صاحِ شَبابي

أَدالَ الشَيبُ يا صاحِ شَبابي

فَعُوِّضتُ البَغيضَ مِنَ الحَبيبِ

فَعُوِّضتُ البَغيضَ مِنَ الحَبيبِ

Gray age, my friend, has supplanted my youth,

Gray hair, my friend, has supplanted my youth;

and I have been given the hateful in place of the beloved.

so I was given the hateful in place of the beloved.

وَبَدَّلتُ التَثاقُلَ مِن نَشاطي

وَبَدَّلتُ التَثاقُلَ مِن نَشاطي

وَمِن حُسنِ النَضارَةِ بِالشُحوبِ

وَمِن حُسنِ النَضارَةِ بِالشُحوبِ

My vigor was exchanged for sluggishness,

And I have traded my vigor for sluggishness,

and the beauty of fresh radiance for pallor.

and the beauty of fresh bloom for pallor.

كَذاكَ الشَمسُ يَعلوها اِصفِرارٌ

كَذاكَ الشَمسُ يَعلوها اِصفِرارٌ

إِذا جَنَحَت وَمالَت لِلغُروبِ

إِذا جَنَحَت وَمالَت لِلغُروبِ

So too the sun is overspread with yellow

So too a yellow pallor spreads over the sun

when it inclines and bends toward setting.

when it inclines and leans toward sunset.

تُحارِبُنا جُنودٌ لا تُجارى

تُحارِبُنا جُنودٌ لا تُجارى

وَلا تُلقى بِآسادِ الحُروبِ

وَلا تُلقى بِآسادِ الحُروبِ

Armies fight against us that none can match,

Armies wage war upon us that cannot be matched,

nor can they be met by the lions of war.

nor confronted with the lions of war.

هِيَ الأَقدارُ وَالآجالُ تَأتي

هِيَ الأَقدارُ وَالآجالُ تَأتي

فَتَنزِلُ بِالمُطَبَّبِ وَالطَبيبِ

فَتَنزِلُ بِالمُطَبَّبِ وَالطَبيبِ

They are the decrees of fate and the appointed ends; they come

They are fate's decrees and appointed times of death; they come

and descend upon both patient and physician.

and descend upon the patient and the physician.

تُفَوِّقُ أَسهُماً عَن قَوسِ غَيبٍ

تُفَوِّقُ أَسهُماً عَن قَوسِ غَيبٍ

وَما أَغراضُها غَيرُ القُلوبِ

وَما أَغراضُها غَيرُ القُلوبِ

They nock arrows upon a bow unseen,

They nock arrows to shoot from a bow of the unseen,

and their only targets are hearts.

and their targets are nothing but hearts.

فَأَنّى بِاِحتِراسٍ مِن جُنودٍ

فَأَنّى بِاِحتِراسٍ مِن جُنودٍ

مُؤَيَّدَةٍ تُمَدُّ مِنَ الغُيوبِ

مُؤَيَّدَةٍ تُمَدُّ مِنَ الغُيوبِ

How, then, can one guard against armies

How, then, can one guard against armies

reinforced and supplied from the unseen?

supported and reinforced from the unseen?

وَما آسى عَلى الدُنيا وَلَكِن

وَما آسى عَلى الدُنيا وَلَكِن

عَلى ما قَد رَكِبتُ مِنَ الذُنوبِ

عَلى ما قَد رَكِبتُ مِنَ الذُنوبِ

I do not grieve for this world, but rather

And I do not grieve over this world, but

for all the sins I have committed.

over the sins I have committed.

فَيا لَهَفي عَلى طولِ اِغتِراري

فَيا لَهَفي عَلى طولِ اِغتِراري

وَيا وَيحي مِنَ اليَومِ العَصيبِ

وَيا وَيحي مِنَ اليَومِ العَصيبِ

Oh, my anguish at my long delusion!

So alas for my long self-delusion,

Oh, woe is me for that grievous Day!

and woe to me for the dreadful day!

إِذا أَنا لَم أَنُح نَفسي وَأَبكي

إِذا أَنا لَم أَنُح نَفسي وَأَبكي

عَلى حوبي بِتَهتانٍ سَكوبِ

عَلى حوبي بِتَهتانٍ سَكوبِ

If I do not mourn myself and weep

If I do not lament my soul and weep

over my sin with a streaming torrent of tears,

over my sin with tears streaming in torrents,

فَمَن هَذا الَّذي بَعدي سَيَبكي

فَمَن هَذا الَّذي بَعدي سَيَبكي

عَلَيها مِن بَعيدٍ أَو قَريبِ

عَلَيها مِن بَعيدٍ أَو قَريبِ

then who is there that, after me, will weep

then who, after I am gone, will weep

for my soul, whether distant or near?

over it, whether distant or near?