لَقَد فَنَيتَ وَّهَل تَبقى إِذا عَمَرَت

لَقَد فَنَيتَ وَّهَل تَبقى إِذا عَمَرَت

جَوّالَةٌ بَينَ تَغريبٍ وَاِشراقِ

جَوّالَةٌ بَينَ تَغريبٍ وَاِشراقِ

You have indeed perished; can you endure if there lives on

You have vanished, yet will you remain when you live on

A wanderer between sunset and sunrise?

A wanderer between sunset and sunrise

وَكَم سَحابَةِ قَومٍ غَرَّ لامِعُها

وَكَم سَحابَةِ قَومٍ غَرَّ لامِعُها

وَإِن دَعَتكَ بِإِرعادٍ وَإِبراقِ

وَإِن دَعَتكَ بِإِرعادٍ وَإِبراقِ

And how many a people's cloud has deceived you with its gleam,

And how many clouds of a people alluringly shine

Even if it beckoned you with thunder and lightning.

Yet if they call you with thunder and lightning

إِنَّ السُيوفَ مَخاريقٌ إِذا عُصِيَت

إِنَّ السُيوفَ مَخاريقٌ إِذا عُصِيَت

بِها الفَوارِسُ أَودى كُلُّ مِخراقِ

بِها الفَوارِسُ أَودى كُلُّ مِخراقِ

Swords are toy whips; when blows are struck

The swords are destructive when the knights disobey them

With them against horsemen, every valiant warrior perishes.

Each polished sword is destroyed

أَورَقتُ عَصراً فَإِن أَورَقتُ في طَلَبٍ

أَورَقتُ عَصراً فَإِن أَورَقتُ في طَلَبٍ

فَإِنَّ إيراقَ كَفّي هاجَ إيراقي

فَإِنَّ إيراقَ كَفّي هاجَ إيراقي

I prospered for a time; if my quest proved fruitless,

I blossomed in a season, and if I blossom seeking

The wealth in my hand was what stirred my failure.

My palms bleed their blossoming

وَالجَدُّ يَأتيكَ بِالأَشياءِ مُمكِنَةً

وَالجَدُّ يَأتيكَ بِالأَشياءِ مُمكِنَةً

وَلا تُنالُ بِإِشآمٍ وَإِعراقِ

وَلا تُنالُ بِإِشآمٍ وَإِعراقِ

And good fortune brings you things ready to hand;

And seriousness brings you things made possible

They are not won by traveling to the Levant and Iraq.

Not attained by wailing and shedding tears

أَغرَقتُ في حُبِّيَ الدُنِّيا عَلى سَفَهٍ

أَغرَقتُ في حُبِّيَ الدُنِّيا عَلى سَفَهٍ

فَقَد تَكَسَّبتُ إِحراقاً بِإِغراقِ

فَقَد تَكَسَّبتُ إِحراقاً بِإِغراقِ

I plunged too deeply, foolishly, into my love for this world,

I drowned in my blind love of life

And through that plunging earned myself a burning.

And so I gained burning in my drowning

أَطرِق كَرى لَيسَ لي عِلمٌ بِشَأنِ غَدٍ

أَطرِق كَرى لَيسَ لي عِلمٌ بِشَأنِ غَدٍ

وَلا لِغَيري وَلا يَزِنكَ إِطراقي

وَلا لِغَيري وَلا يَزِنكَ إِطراقي

Bow your head, curlew; I know nothing of tomorrow's affairs,

Bow your head, for I know not tomorrow’s matter

Nor does anyone else; let my bowed head lend you no distinction.

Nor does anyone else, so do not blame my bowing

فَالحَمدُ لِلَّهِ ما فارَقتُ سَيِّئَةً

فَالحَمدُ لِلَّهِ ما فارَقتُ سَيِّئَةً

وَكَيفَ لي مِن ضَنى دَينٍ بِإِفراقِ

وَكَيفَ لي مِن ضَنى دَينٍ بِإِفراقِ

So praise be to God: I have not forsaken a single sin.

So praise be to God, I have not abandoned any evil

And how can I recover from the wasting sickness of debt?

How could I have little faith by abandoning religion?

وَالنُسكُ لانُسكَ مَوجودٌ فَنَبغِيَهُ

وَالنُسكُ لانُسكَ مَوجودٌ فَنَبغِيَهُ

فَعَدِّ عَن فُقَهاءِ اللَفظِ مُرّاقِ

فَعَدِّ عَن فُقَهاءِ اللَفظِ مُرّاقِ

And piety—no piety exists for us to seek;

Devotion is to be found, so we must seek it

So turn away from jurists of words, those renegades.

Away from the jurists of superfluous words

وَما اِحتِيالِيَ في الأَقدارِ إِن جَعَلَت

وَما اِحتِيالِيَ في الأَقدارِ إِن جَعَلَت

عَصبَ التِجارِ لِشُعثِ الهامِ سُرّاقِ

عَصبَ التِجارِ لِشُعثِ الهامِ سُرّاقِ

And what recourse have I against fate, if it assigns

And my tricks with fate, if it has made

The merchants' striped cloth to shaggy-headed thieves?

The sinews of trade to the dishevelled first pilferers

هَذِّب سَجاياكَ لا يَكثُرُ بِها دَنَسٌ

هَذِّب سَجاياكَ لا يَكثُرُ بِها دَنَسٌ

مِنَ الدَنايا لِيَرقى في العُلا راقِ

مِنَ الدَنايا لِيَرقى في العُلا راقِ

Refine your character; let no stain accumulate in it

Refine your nature, let no filth from the world

From base deeds, so that an aspirant may rise to the heights.

Multiply, so you may rise up pure

فَكُلُّ مِرآةِ قَومٍ زُبرَةٌ صُقِلَت

فَكُلُّ مِرآةِ قَومٍ زُبرَةٌ صُقِلَت

حَتّى أَرَتهُم بِصافي اللَونِ رَقراقِ

حَتّى أَرَتهُم بِصافي اللَونِ رَقراقِ

For every mirror of a people is a lump of iron, polished

For each people's mirror is a polished glass

Until it showed them their reflection in a clear, shimmering hue.

That showed them in the clarity of smoothness

يَرقى المُعَزِّمُ وِلداناً لِيورِثَهُم

يَرقى المُعَزِّمُ وِلداناً لِيورِثَهُم

نَفَعاً وَلا نَفَعَ إِلّا بُسلَةُ الراقي

نَفَعاً وَلا نَفَعَ إِلّا بُسلَةُ الراقي

The spell-reciter chants charms over children, to bequeath to them

The determined one climbs, to bequeath the children

Benefit—yet the only benefit is the charmer's fee.

No benefit but the composure of the climber