لَعَمري لَقَد طالَ هذا السَفَر

لَعَمري لَقَد طالَ هذا السَفَر

عَلَيَّ وَأَصبَحتُ أَحدو النَفَر

عَلَيَّ وَأَصبَحتُ أَحدو النَفَر

By my life, this journey has indeed grown long

By my life, this journey has been so long for me,

for me, and I now chant to urge the company onward.

And I have become one of the few.

أَأَخرُجُ مِن تَحتِ هَذي السَماءِ

أَأَخرُجُ مِن تَحتِ هَذي السَماءِ

فَكَيفَ الإِباقُ وَأَينَ المَفَر

فَكَيفَ الإِباقُ وَأَينَ المَفَر

Can I go out from beneath this sky?

Shall I emerge from beneath this sky?

Then how can I flee, and where is escape?

How can I escape, and where is the refuge?

وَكم عُشتُ مِن سَنَةٍ في الزَمانِ

وَكم عُشتُ مِن سَنَةٍ في الزَمانِ

وَجاوَزتُ مِن رَجَبٍ أَو صَفَر

وَجاوَزتُ مِن رَجَبٍ أَو صَفَر

And how many years have I lived through time,

How many years have I lived in time?

and how many a Rajab or Safar have I passed!

And how many months of Rabi' or Safar have I traversed?

وَما جُعِلَت لِأُسودِ العَرينِ

وَما جُعِلَت لِأُسودِ العَرينِ

أَظافيرُ إِلّا اِبتِغاءَ الظَفَر

أَظافيرُ إِلّا اِبتِغاءَ الظَفَر

Nor were the lions of the lair given

The claws of the lions in their dens

claws except to seek victory.

Are only for gaining prey.

لَحا اللَهُ قَوماً إِذا جِئتَهُم

لَحا اللَهُ قَوماً إِذا جِئتَهُم

بِصِدقِ الأَحاديثِ قالوا كِفَر

بِصِدقِ الأَحاديثِ قالوا كِفَر

May God curse a people who, when you come to them

May God destroy a people when you come to them

with truthful accounts, say, "Unbelief!"

With the truth of speech, and they claim it's blasphemy.

وَإِن غُفِرَت مُوبِقاتُ الذُنوبِ

وَإِن غُفِرَت مُوبِقاتُ الذُنوبِ

فَكُلُّ مَصائِبِهِم تُغتَفَر

فَكُلُّ مَصائِبِهِم تُغتَفَر

And if ruinous sins are forgiven,

And if the destructive sins are forgiven,

then all their disastrous deeds can be forgiven.

Then all their afflictions can be overlooked.

وَرَوحُ الفَتى أَشبَهَت طائِراً

وَرَوحُ الفَتى أَشبَهَت طائِراً

أُطيرَ فَما عادَ لَمّا نَفَر

أُطيرَ فَما عادَ لَمّا نَفَر

And a young man's soul is like a bird

The spirit of a young man is like a bird—

set flying, which did not return once it fled.

It flies off and does not come back when it takes flight.

هَنيئاً لِجِسمي إِذا ما اِستَقَرَّ

هَنيئاً لِجِسمي إِذا ما اِستَقَرَّ

وَصارَ لِعُنصُرِهِ في العَفَر

وَصارَ لِعُنصُرِهِ في العَفَر

May my body fare well when it comes to rest

Congratulations to my body when it comes to rest

and returns to its element in the dust.

And becomes a pile of dust.

وَلَستُ أُبالي إِذا ما بَليتُ

وَلَستُ أُبالي إِذا ما بَليتُ

مَن وَطِئَ القَبرَ أَو مَن حَفَر

مَن وَطِئَ القَبرَ أَو مَن حَفَر

And I shall not care, once I have decayed,

I do not care who treads the grave or who digs it.

who treads on the grave or who digs it.

Your world hides from the seeker,

تَحَجُّبُ دُنياكَ عَن طالِبٍ

تَحَجُّبُ دُنياكَ عَن طالِبٍ

وَلَيسَ تَحَجُّبُها مِن خَفَر

وَلَيسَ تَحَجُّبُها مِن خَفَر

Your world veils herself from a seeker,

And it does not hide from the watcher.

and her veiling is not out of modesty.