إِذا كُنتُ قَد جاوَزتُ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

إِذا كُنتُ قَد جاوَزتُ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

وَلَم أَلقَ خَيراً فَالمَنِيَّةُ لي سِترُ

وَلَم أَلقَ خَيراً فَالمَنِيَّةُ لي سِترُ

If I have already passed fifty years,

If I have passed fifty pilgrimages

and found no good, then death is my shelter.

And have not achieved any good, death becomes my veil

وَما أَتَوَقّى وَالخُطوبُ كَثيرَةٌ

وَما أَتَوَقّى وَالخُطوبُ كَثيرَةٌ

مِنَ الدَهرِ إِلّا أَن يَحِلَّ بِيَ الهِترُ

مِنَ الدَهرِ إِلّا أَن يَحِلَّ بِيَ الهِترُ

And I fear nothing—though calamities are many—

I do not expect, though tribulations are many

from time except that senility should befall me.

Anything from fate but to be clad in rags

أَحاديثُ عَن قَيلِ بنِ عِترٍ وَرَهطِهِ

أَحاديثُ عَن قَيلِ بنِ عِترٍ وَرَهطِهِ

رُوَيدَكَ ما قَيلٌ وَوالِدُهُ عِترُ

رُوَيدَكَ ما قَيلٌ وَوالِدُهُ عِترُ

Tales about Qayl son of ʿItr and his clan.

Enough of the tales about Qayl son of 'Itr and his kin

Easy now—what are Qayl and his father, ʿItr?

No matter what is said of Qayl and his father 'Itr

غَدَت أُمُّنا الدُنيا إِلَينا مُسيئَةً

غَدَت أُمُّنا الدُنيا إِلَينا مُسيئَةً

لَها عِندَنا مِن كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ وِترُ

لَها عِندَنا مِن كُلِّ ناحِيَةٍ وِترُ

Our mother, the world, has become cruel toward us;

Our mother, this world, has turned hostile towards us

we have a wrong to avenge against her on every side.

We have nothing from her but shreds from all directions

وَنَحنُ كَرَكبِ المَوجِ ما بَينَ بَعضِهِم

وَنَحنُ كَرَكبِ المَوجِ ما بَينَ بَعضِهِم

وَبَينَ الرَدى إِلّا الذِراعُ أَوِ الفِترُ

وَبَينَ الرَدى إِلّا الذِراعُ أَوِ الفِترُ

And we are like voyagers on the waves: nothing lies between some of them

We are like the waves of the sea with naught between us

and death but a cubit or a thumb-to-index span.

And destruction but an arm's length or less