ما زلت أسكب دمع عيني باكيا

ما زلت أسكب دمع عيني باكيا

خالي وما خالي علىّ بعائد

خالي وما خالي علىّ بعائد

I have not ceased pouring tears from my eye, mourning

I still shed tears from my weeping eyes

my maternal uncle—and my maternal uncle will not return to me.

Missing those who are gone and will not return

حتى نظرت إلى الوجود بمقلة

حتى نظرت إلى الوجود بمقلة

ذهبت غشاوتها وطرف رائد

ذهبت غشاوتها وطرف رائد

Until I looked upon existence with an eye

Until I looked at existence with tired eyes

whose veil had fallen away, and a searching gaze.

Their bleariness went away and my tears dried

فرأيت دهرا ناصبا شرك الردى

فرأيت دهرا ناصبا شرك الردى

والكل يدخل في شراك الصائد

والكل يدخل في شراك الصائد

Then I saw Time setting the snare of death,

I saw time setting up traps of misery

and everyone entering the hunter’s snares.

And everyone walks into the trapper's snare

يرمى بسهم طالما حاد الورى

يرمى بسهم طالما حاد الورى

عنه وما هو عنهم بالحائد

عنه وما هو عنهم بالحائد

He shoots an arrow that humankind has so often turned

It casts an arrow that long deviates people

away from, yet it does not turn away from them.

From it, yet it does not deviate from them

فهم البلى وبنو البلى خلقوا له

فهم البلى وبنو البلى خلقوا له

وتوارثوه بائدا عن بائد

وتوارثوه بائدا عن بائد

For they are decay itself and sons of decay, created for it,

They are decay, children of decay created for it

and have inherited it, one doomed to perish from another.

And inherited it, from one to the next