دهرٌ رمتني بريبه ريبه

دهرٌ رمتني بريبه ريبه

ما تنقضي من خطوبه خطبه

ما تنقضي من خطوبه خطبه

Time—its misfortunes have pelted me with its woes;

Time has treated me unfairly, so unfairly,

No calamity among its calamities comes to an end.

With unending troubles and tribulations.

ما سببٌ من صروفه عجبٌ

ما سببٌ من صروفه عجبٌ

إلا اجتماعٌ لهله سببه

إلا اجتماعٌ لهله سببه

No strange turn among its vicissitudes has a cause

Its strange turns are a wonder,

Other than the coming together of its people.

Just random events for no reason.

يا طيب عيش الوحيد منفردا

يا طيب عيش الوحيد منفردا

لنفسه همّه ومكتسبه

لنفسه همّه ومكتسبه

How sweet the life of the solitary, living alone,

O the joy of living alone, self-reliant,

His concern and his earnings are for himself.

Concerned only with oneself and one's gains.

كم ثعلب لا يفوته طلبٌ

كم ثعلب لا يفوته طلبٌ

اثقله عند عدوه ذنبه

اثقله عند عدوه ذنبه

Many a fox that misses nothing it pursues

How many a sly fox overlooking his quest

Has been weighed down by its tail as it runs.

Is burdened at the foe's door with his sin.

وكم بعير عود له جلدٌ

وكم بعير عود له جلدٌ

أوهنهُ في قيامه قتبه

أوهنهُ في قيامه قتبه

And many an old camel endowed with endurance

And many a camel, whose skin is all scar,

Has been weakened by its pack saddle as it rises.

Whose kneeling has worn his knees threadbare.

وصاحب لي أرضيته زمنا

وصاحب لي أرضيته زمنا

والدهرُ تتلو سرورهُ نخبه

والدهرُ تتلو سرورهُ نخبه

And I had a friend whom I pleased for a time—

And a friend who pleased me for ages,

And time's afflictions follow its joys—

With joys dispelled by time's blows.

حتّى إذا ما الزمان قصّر بي

حتّى إذا ما الزمان قصّر بي

وجرّعتني كؤوسه نوبه

وجرّعتني كؤوسه نوبه

Until, when time let me down

Until when time let me down,

And its calamities made me drink its cups,

And made me drink deep of its cups,

شكَوت ما بي فبات مشتكيا

شكَوت ما بي فبات مشتكيا

دهرا عبوسا دارت بنا كربه

دهرا عبوسا دارت بنا كربه

I complained of my plight, and he spent the night complaining

I complained of what pained me, spending the night complaining

Of a scowling age whose woes had circled round us.

Of a sullen fate that brought us distress.

بي جرب وهو يشتكي جربا

بي جرب وهو يشتكي جربا

شعلي حكاكي وشعله جربه

شعلي حكاكي وشعله جربه

I have scabies, and he complains of scabies:

I suffered, still complaining of suffering,

My concern is my itching, and his concern is his scabies.

My ardour kindled, my ardour aflame.

أبدي ازورارا وصدّ عن غضَب

أبدي ازورارا وصدّ عن غضَب

من غير جرم بل خانه أدبه

من غير جرم بل خانه أدبه

He showed aversion and turned away in anger,

Revealing passions, though free of crime,

For no offence; rather, his manners failed him.

Rather betrayed by manners urbane,

قلت له قول حوّل فطن

قلت له قول حوّل فطن

قد راضه من زمانه عجبه

قد راضه من زمانه عجبه

I said to him the words of a resourceful, discerning man,

I said to time words that gave pause to thought:

Whom the wonders of his time had already schooled:

"Strange pleasures you reap from your days."

من لم يكن في رضاه ينفعني

من لم يكن في رضاه ينفعني

رضاه عني يسرني غضبه

رضاه عني يسرني غضبه

If, when a man is pleased, I gain no benefit from

He who finds not, in pleasing me, pleasure

His being pleased with me, his anger delights me.

May his pleasure in my pain give me joy.