حَياةٌ عَناءٌ وَمَوتٌ عَنا

حَياةٌ عَناءٌ وَمَوتٌ عَنا

فَلَيتَ بَعيدَ حِمامٍ دَنا

فَلَيتَ بَعيدَ حِمامٍ دَنا

Life is toil, and death is bondage;

Life is hardship, and death is hardship too,

would that far-off death drew near.

If only the cooing dove were far away!

يَدٌ صَفَرَت وَلَهاةٌ ذَوَت

يَدٌ صَفَرَت وَلَهاةٌ ذَوَت

وَنفَسٌ تَمَنَّت وَطَرفٌ رَنا

وَنفَسٌ تَمَنَّت وَطَرفٌ رَنا

A hand lies empty, and a uvula has withered;

A hand grew yellow, and a blade grew blunt,

and a soul has yearned, and an eye has gazed.

A soul desired, and an eye shed tears.

وَمَوقِدُ نيرانِهِ في الدُجى

وَمَوقِدُ نيرانِهِ في الدُجى

يَرومُ سَناءً بِرَفعِ السَنا

يَرومُ سَناءً بِرَفعِ السَنا

And he who kindles his fires in the dark

And the fire of his brazier in the darkness

seeks glory by raising the glow.

Seeks to kindle the years with raising smoke.

يُحاوِلُ مَن عاشَ سَترَ القَميصِ

يُحاوِلُ مَن عاشَ سَترَ القَميصِ

وَمَلءَ الخَميصِ وَبُرءَ الضَنى

وَمَلءَ الخَميصِ وَبُرءَ الضَنى

Whoever lives seeks the covering of a shirt,

Whoever lived tries to mend his shirt

and a hollow belly's filling, and healing from wasting illness.

And fill his shirt and cure his grief.

وَمَن ضَمَّهُ جَدَثٌ لَم يُبَل

وَمَن ضَمَّهُ جَدَثٌ لَم يُبَل

عَلى ما أَفادَ وَلا ما اِقتَنى

عَلى ما أَفادَ وَلا ما اِقتَنى

And whoever a grave enfolds cares nothing

And he whom the grave embraced cannot be blamed

for what he gained or what he acquired.

For what he gained or what he hoarded.

يَصيرُ تُراباً سَواءٌ عَلَيهِ

يَصيرُ تُراباً سَواءٌ عَلَيهِ

مَسُّ الحَريرِ وَطَعنُ القَنا

مَسُّ الحَريرِ وَطَعنُ القَنا

He turns to dust; alike to him are

He becomes dust equally, whether

the touch of silk and the thrust of spears,

Silk or spearhead touches him.

وَشُربُ الفَناءِ بِخَضرِ الفِرنِدِ

وَشُربُ الفَناءِ بِخَضرِ الفِرنِدِ

كَأَنَّ عَلى أُسِّهِنَّ الفِنا

كَأَنَّ عَلى أُسِّهِنَّ الفِنا

and drinking death from green-patterned blades,

And drinking the cup of oblivion with green fernid

as though nightshade berries lay upon their bases.

Is as if upon their wedding nights the brides perished.

وَلا يَزدَهي غَضَبٌ حِلمَهُ

وَلا يَزدَهي غَضَبٌ حِلمَهُ

أَلَقَّبَهُ ذاكِرٌ أَم كَنى

أَلَقَّبَهُ ذاكِرٌ أَم كَنى

No anger disturbs his forbearance,

Nor does anger diminish his forbearance

whether someone calls him by an epithet or a kunya.

If he is titled “remembering” or “forgetting.”

يُهَنَّأُ بِالخَيرِ مَن نالَهُ

يُهَنَّأُ بِالخَيرِ مَن نالَهُ

وَلَيسَ الهَناءُ عَلى ما هُنا

وَلَيسَ الهَناءُ عَلى ما هُنا

Whoever attains good fortune is congratulated;

He is congratulated for good he attained,

yet happiness does not rest on what is here.

But congratulations are not for what he intended.

وَأَقرَب لِمَن كانَ في غَبطَةٍ

وَأَقرَب لِمَن كانَ في غَبطَةٍ

بِلُقيا المُنى مِن لِقاءِ المَنا

بِلُقيا المُنى مِن لِقاءِ المَنا

And how close, for one who lives in bliss,

And it is nearer for him who was in felicity

is the fulfillment of wishes to the meeting with death!

To meet doom than to meet purpose.

أَعائِبَةٌ جَسَدي روحُهُ

أَعائِبَةٌ جَسَدي روحُهُ

وَما زالَ يَخدُمُ حَتّى وَنى

وَما زالَ يَخدُمُ حَتّى وَنى

Does its soul find fault with my body,

Wondrous is my body, its spirit

though it kept serving until it grew weary?

Has continuously served until it weakened.

وَقَد كَلَّفَتهُ أَعاجيبَها

وَقَد كَلَّفَتهُ أَعاجيبَها

فَطَوراً فُرادى وَطَوراً ثُنا

فَطَوراً فُرادى وَطَوراً ثُنا

And she has burdened it with her wonders,

And it has charged him its marvels

now singly, now in pairs.

At times singly, at times in pairs.

يُنافي اِبنُ آدَمَ حالَ الغُصونِ

يُنافي اِبنُ آدَمَ حالَ الغُصونِ

فَهاتيكَ أَجنَت وَهَذا جَنى

فَهاتيكَ أَجنَت وَهَذا جَنى

The son of Adam differs from the branches:

The son of Adam contradicts the state of the branches

for those bear fruit, while he commits wrong.

For those yielded fruit while this reaped.

تُغَيِّرُ صِنّاؤُهُ شيبَهُ

تُغَيِّرُ صِنّاؤُهُ شيبَهُ

فَهَل غَيَّرَ الظَهرَ لَمّا اِنحَنى

فَهَل غَيَّرَ الظَهرَ لَمّا اِنحَنى

His henna alters his gray hair;

Dyeing changes his gray hair,

but did he change his back when it bent?

But did it change his back when it bent?

إِذا هُوَ لَم يُخنِ دَهرٌ عَلَيهِ

إِذا هُوَ لَم يُخنِ دَهرٌ عَلَيهِ

جاءَ الفَرِيَّ وَقالَ الخَنى

جاءَ الفَرِيَّ وَقالَ الخَنى

If time has not laid him waste,

When he never betrayed time, it came to him

he commits monstrous deeds and utters obscenity.

Deceitfully and said, “Be dimmed!”

وَسَيّانِ مَن أُمُّهُ حُرَّةٌ

وَسَيّانِ مَن أُمُّهُ حُرَّةٌ

حَصانٌ وَمَن أُمُّهُ فَرتَنى

حَصانٌ وَمَن أُمُّهُ فَرتَنى

Alike are one whose mother is free

And horses are the equals of the noble

and chaste, and one whose mother is Fartanā.

While the sons of the lowly are but ponies.

وَلي مَورِدٌ بِإِناءِ المَنونِ

وَلي مَورِدٌ بِإِناءِ المَنونِ

وَلَكِنَّ ميقاتَهُ ما أَنى

وَلَكِنَّ ميقاتَهُ ما أَنى

And I have a drinking-place at Death's cup,

I have an appointment at the cup of death,

but its appointed time has not yet come.

But I know not when its time will come.

زَمانٌ يُخاطِبُ أَبناءَهُ

زَمانٌ يُخاطِبُ أَبناءَهُ

جِهاراً وَقَد جَهَلوا ما عَنى

جِهاراً وَقَد جَهَلوا ما عَنى

Time addresses its children

An age speaks to its sons openly

openly, yet they have not understood what it meant.

Though they are ignorant of what it meant.

يُبَدِّلُ بِاليُسرِ إِعدامَهُ

يُبَدِّلُ بِاليُسرِ إِعدامَهُ

وَتَهدِمُ أَحداثُهُ ما بَنى

وَتَهدِمُ أَحداثُهُ ما بَنى

It substitutes destitution for prosperity,

It changes its barrenness to ease

and its events demolish what it built.

And its events demolish what was built.

لَقَد فُزتَ إِن كُنتَ تُعطى الجِنانَ

لَقَد فُزتَ إِن كُنتَ تُعطى الجِنانَ

بِمَكَّةَ إِذ زُرتَها أَو مِنى

بِمَكَّةَ إِذ زُرتَها أَو مِنى

You have indeed triumphed, if you were granted the gardens of Paradise

You have succeeded if you were given heavens

at Mecca, when you visited it, or at Minā.

When you visited Mecca or Mina.