وأتتني الأربعون وما

وأتتني الأربعون وما

نقلتُ عن زلة قدما

نقلتُ عن زلة قدما

Forty came upon me, and I had not

And forty came upon me, yet I had not

moved a foot away from a single misstep.

moved a foot away from wrongdoing.

كلّما جدّدت عدّتها

كلّما جدّدت عدّتها

جدّدت لي عدتي ألما

جدّدت لي عدتي ألما

Whenever I renewed its count,

Whenever I counted its years anew,

it renewed my provision for me—in the form of pain.

my tally brought me fresh pain.

كنت أرجو أن أوافيها

كنت أرجو أن أوافيها

قاطناً من توبة جرما

قاطناً من توبة جرما

I had hoped to reach it

I had hoped to reach it

dwelling as a body formed of repentance,

cutting off sin through repentance [probable intended reading],

مصغياً للنُّصح أسمعه أُذنا

مصغياً للنُّصح أسمعه أُذنا

قد أوقرت صمما

قد أوقرت صمما

listening to counsel, hearing it with an ear

heeding counsel, making it heard by an ear

that deafness had weighed down.

already weighed down with deafness.

فأبت نفسٌ قد اتّخذت

فأبت نفسٌ قد اتّخذت

خصمها من جهلها حكما

خصمها من جهلها حكما

But a soul refused—one that had made

But my soul refused; it had made

its adversary, through ignorance, its judge.

its adversary, out of its ignorance, its judge.

تركبُ الآثامدائبة

تركبُ الآثامدائبة

ثم لا تستشعر النَّدما

ثم لا تستشعر النَّدما

It commits sins ceaselessly,

It rides into sins ceaselessly,

then feels no remorse.

then feels no remorse.

يقظات كلُّها حُلمٌ

يقظات كلُّها حُلمٌ

ووجود يشبه العَدما

ووجود يشبه العَدما

All wakeful moments are a dream,

Wakeful moments, all of them a dream,

and an existence resembling nonexistence.

and an existence resembling nonexistence.

لو رأيت الذنب منصرما

لو رأيت الذنب منصرما

لم أعدَّ العمر منصرما

لم أعدَّ العمر منصرما

Had I seen sin come to an end,

Had I seen sin come to an end,

I would not have deemed life spent.

I would not have reckoned my life at an end.

خالفت نفسي وقد علمت

خالفت نفسي وقد علمت

وجنى قلبي وقد علما

وجنى قلبي وقد علما

My soul rebelled, though it knew;

My soul disobeyed, though it knew,

and my heart transgressed, though it knew.

and my heart sinned, though it knew.

وعلى هذا فلي أملٌ

وعلى هذا فلي أملٌ

يرقبُ الإحسان والكرما

يرقبُ الإحسان والكرما

Yet despite all this, I have a hope

And despite this, I still have a hope

that awaits beneficence and generosity.

that awaits kindness and generosity.