ما زلتُ أسمَعُ أنّ الشُّهبَ ثاقبةٌ

ما زلتُ أسمَعُ أنّ الشُّهبَ ثاقبةٌ

حتى رأيتُ شهاباً وهْوَ مَثْقوبُ

حتى رأيتُ شهاباً وهْوَ مَثْقوبُ

I kept hearing that shooting stars are piercing,

I still hear that meteors pierce

until I saw Shihab—and he was pierced.

Until I saw a pierced meteor

في كَفّهِ الدَّهْرَ أو في طَهرِه قَلَمٌ

في كَفّهِ الدَّهْرَ أو في طَهرِه قَلَمٌ

فنِصفْهُ كاتبٌ والنِّصفُ مَكْتوب

فنِصفْهُ كاتبٌ والنِّصفُ مَكْتوب

A pen is always in his hand, or in his purity;

In the palm of time, or in its purity, a pen

so half of him is a writer, and the other half is written upon.

So half of it is a writer, and half is written