تَقَفَّيتُ أزمَاناً مَسِيحَ زَمَاني

تَقَفَّيتُ أزمَاناً مَسِيحَ زَمَاني

فَأَغرَقني في أَبحُرِ الهَيمَانِ

فَأَغرَقني في أَبحُرِ الهَيمَانِ

For ages I followed the Messiah of my age,

For ages I followed the Messiah of my time.

and he drowned me in oceans of love-madness,

So he drowned me in seas of love's delirium.

وَطوَّح بي في لُجِّ كُلِّ مُتِيهَةٍ

وَطوَّح بي في لُجِّ كُلِّ مُتِيهَةٍ

إِلى أَن تَنَاهَت حَيرَتِى فَرَمَاني

إِلى أَن تَنَاهَت حَيرَتِى فَرَمَاني

and hurled me into the abyss of every trackless waste,

And flung me into the depths of every bewildering wilderness,

until my bewilderment reached its utmost bound—then he cast me off.

Until my bewilderment reached its limit; then he cast me away.

فَأصبَحتُ لاَ أدرِى وِإن كُنتُ دَارِياً

فَأصبَحتُ لاَ أدرِى وِإن كُنتُ دَارِياً

بِسَبعٍ رَمَينَا الجَمرَ أم بِثَمَانِ

بِسَبعٍ رَمَينَا الجَمرَ أم بِثَمَانِ

I came to know nothing, though once I had known:

So I no longer knew, though I had known,

Did we cast seven stones at the jamarāt, or eight?

Whether we cast seven ritual pebbles or eight.

يَلُوحُ يَمَاني البَرُوقِ بِوِجهَتِى

يَلُوحُ يَمَاني البَرُوقِ بِوِجهَتِى

فَأحسَبَهُ إِن لاَحَ غَيرَ يَمَاني

فَأحسَبَهُ إِن لاَحَ غَيرَ يَمَاني

A Yemen-born flash of lightning gleams my way,

The Yemeni lightning gleams in my direction,

yet whenever it flashes, I take it for something non-Yemeni.

So if it gleams, I take it to be other than Yemeni.

وَإِن نُثِرَ الصَّرفُ الجُمانُ بِساحَتِي

وَإِن نُثِرَ الصَّرفُ الجُمانُ بِساحَتِي

حَسِبتُ الجُمانَ الصِّرفَ غَيرَ جُمانِ

حَسِبتُ الجُمانَ الصِّرفَ غَيرَ جُمانِ

And if pure pearls are scattered in my courtyard,

And if genuine pearls were scattered in my courtyard,

I take those pure pearls for no pearls at all.

I would take the genuine pearls for something other than pearls.