تَأَمَّلَ في أَمسِهِ الدابِرِ

تَأَمَّلَ في أَمسِهِ الدابِرِ

فَكادَ يُجَنُّ مِنَ الحاضِرِ

فَكادَ يُجَنُّ مِنَ الحاضِرِ

He reflected on his bygone yesterday,

He contemplated his departed past,

And nearly went mad from the present.

And nearly went mad from the present.

أَهاجَ التَذَكُّرُ أَشجانَهُ

أَهاجَ التَذَكُّرُ أَشجانَهُ

وَكَم لِلسَعادَةِ مِن ذاكِرِ

وَكَم لِلسَعادَةِ مِن ذاكِرِ

Recollection stirred his sorrows—

Memory stirred up his sorrows,

And how many remember happiness!

For how often is happiness remembered.

فَتىً كانَ أَنعَمَ مِن جاهِلٍ

فَتىً كانَ أَنعَمَ مِن جاهِلٍ

فَأَصبَحَ أَتعَسَ مِن شاعِرِ

فَأَصبَحَ أَتعَسَ مِن شاعِرِ

A youth once happier than an ignorant man

A youth who once lived softer than the blissfully ignorant,

Had become more wretched than a poet.

Then became more wretched than a poet.

أَضاعَ الغِنى وَأَضاعَ الصِحابَ

أَضاعَ الغِنى وَأَضاعَ الصِحابَ

وَرُبَّ مَريضٍ بِلا زائِرِ

وَرُبَّ مَريضٍ بِلا زائِرِ

He lost his wealth, and lost his friends,

He lost his wealth and lost his companions,

And many a sick man has no visitor.

And oh, how many a sick man lies without a visitor.

وَيا طالَما أَحدَقوهُ بِالفَتى

وَيا طالَما أَحدَقوهُ بِالفَتى

كَما تُحدِقُ الجُندُ بِالظافِرِ

كَما تُحدِقُ الجُندُ بِالظافِرِ

And oh, how often they surrounded the youth,

For so long they thronged around the lad,

As troops surround the victor.

As soldiers surround a victorious conqueror.

فَلَمّا اِنقَضى مَجدُهُ أَعرَدوا

فَلَمّا اِنقَضى مَجدُهُ أَعرَدوا

وَما الناسُ إِلّا مَعَ القادِرِ

وَما الناسُ إِلّا مَعَ القادِرِ

But when his glory ended, they fled;

But when his glory faded, they turned away,

And people stand only with the powerful.

For people stand only with the powerful.

وَما الناسُ إِلّا عَبيدُ القَوي

وَما الناسُ إِلّا عَبيدُ القَوي

فَكُن ذاكَ أَو كُن بِلا شاكِرِ

فَكُن ذاكَ أَو كُن بِلا شاكِرِ

And people are but slaves to the strong,

And people are but slaves to the strong,

So be strong, or have no one to thank you.

So be that strong one, or go unthanked.

أَشَدُّ مِنَ الدَهرِ مكراً بَنوهُ

أَشَدُّ مِنَ الدَهرِ مكراً بَنوهُ

فَوَيلٌ لِمَن لَيسَ بِالماكِرِ

فَوَيلٌ لِمَن لَيسَ بِالماكِرِ

More cunning than Time are its sons;

More cunning than Fate itself are Fate's children,

So woe to anyone who is not cunning.

So woe to him who possesses no guile.

فَكُن بَينَهُم خاتِلاً غادِراً

فَكُن بَينَهُم خاتِلاً غادِراً

وَلا تَشتَكِ الغَدرَ مِن غادِرِ

وَلا تَشتَكِ الغَدرَ مِن غادِرِ

So be deceitful and treacherous among them,

Be a deceiver and a traitor among them,

And do not complain of treachery from a traitor.

And never complain of treachery from the treacherous.

تَعيسٌ تُعانِقُهُ النائِباتُ

تَعيسٌ تُعانِقُهُ النائِباتُ

عِناقَ الحَبائِلِ لِلطائِرِ

عِناقَ الحَبائِلِ لِلطائِرِ

A wretched man whom calamities embrace,

A wretched soul, embraced by calamities,

As snares embrace a bird;

As the snare embraces the bird.

كَثيرُ الهُمومِ بِلا ناصِرٍ

كَثيرُ الهُمومِ بِلا ناصِرٍ

كَسيرُ الفُؤادِ بِلا جابِرِ

كَسيرُ الفُؤادِ بِلا جابِرِ

Laden with cares, with no one to help,

Burdened with cares, without a defender;

Brokenhearted, with no one to mend him.

Broken of heart, with no one to mend it.

قَضى لَيلَهُ ساهِياً ساهِراً

قَضى لَيلَهُ ساهِياً ساهِراً

إِلى كَوكَبٍ مِثلَهُ ساهِرِ

إِلى كَوكَبٍ مِثلَهُ ساهِرِ

He spent his night distracted and awake,

He passed his night distracted and sleepless,

Facing a star, wakeful like himself.

Gazing at a star as sleepless as he.

يُفَتِّشُ عَن آفِلٍ في الثَرى

يُفَتِّشُ عَن آفِلٍ في الثَرى

وَما كانَ في الأُفقِ بِالسافِرِ

وَما كانَ في الأُفقِ بِالسافِرِ

Searching for one that had set beneath the earth,

Searching the dust for something vanished,

And had not appeared on the horizon.

While nothing unveiled showed upon the horizon.

وَتَاللَهِ يُجدي فَتىً بائِساً

وَتَاللَهِ يُجدي فَتىً بائِساً

كَلامُ المُنَجِّم وَالساحِرِ

كَلامُ المُنَجِّم وَالساحِرِ

And, by God, a wretched youth is helped

By God, of what avail to a wretched youth

By the words of the astrologer and the sorcerer.

Are the words of the astrologer and the sorcerer?

وَلَمّا تَوَلَّت دَراري السَماءُ

وَلَمّا تَوَلَّت دَراري السَماءُ

وَغابَ الهِلالُ عَنِ الناظِرِ

وَغابَ الهِلالُ عَنِ الناظِرِ

And when the brilliant stars of heaven withdrew,

And when the pearls of the heavens retreated,

And the crescent vanished from the watcher's sight,

And the crescent moon vanished from sight,

بَكىثُمَّ صاحَ أَحَتّى النُجومُ

بَكىثُمَّ صاحَ أَحَتّى النُجومُ

تَصُدُّ عَنِ الرَجُلِ العاثِرِ

تَصُدُّ عَنِ الرَجُلِ العاثِرِ

He wept, then cried: Do even the stars

He wept, then cried out: "Do even the stars

Turn away from the stumbling man?

Turn away from the stumbling man?"

إِلى ما أُعانِدُ هَذا الزَمانَ

إِلى ما أُعانِدُ هَذا الزَمانَ

عِنادَ السَفينَةِ لِلزاخِرِ

عِنادَ السَفينَةِ لِلزاخِرِ

How long shall I defy this age,

"How long must I battle this age,

As a ship defies the surging sea,

As a ship battles the swelling sea?"

وَأَدعو وَما ثَمَّ سامِعٍ

وَأَدعو وَما ثَمَّ سامِعٍ

وَأَشكو وَلَكِن إِلى ساخِرِ

وَأَشكو وَلَكِن إِلى ساخِرِ

And call out, with no one there to hear,

"I call out, yet there is no one to hear;

And complain—but to a mocker,

I complain, but only to those who mock."

وَأَرجو الوَفاء وَتَأبى النُفوسُ

وَأَرجو الوَفاء وَتَأبى النُفوسُ

وَأَنّى الوُلاةُ لِلعاقِرِ

وَأَنّى الوُلاةُ لِلعاقِرِ

And hope for faithfulness, while souls refuse it?

"I hope for loyalty, but souls refuse it;

And whence come rulers for the barren?

For how can the barren give birth?"

سَإِمتُ الحَياةَ فَلَيتَ الحِمامَ

سَإِمتُ الحَياةَ فَلَيتَ الحِمامَ

يُعيدُ إِلى أَصلِهِ سائِري

يُعيدُ إِلى أَصلِهِ سائِري

I am weary of life; if only death

"I have wearied of life; would that Death

Would restore my whole being to its origin,

Return my spirit to its origin,"

فَتَنطَلِقُ النَفسُ مِن سِجنِها

فَتَنطَلِقُ النَفسُ مِن سِجنِها

وَيُسجَنُ تَحتَ الثَرى ظاهِري

وَيُسجَنُ تَحتَ الثَرى ظاهِري

So the soul might escape from its prison,

"That the soul might break free from its prison,

And my outer self be imprisoned beneath the earth.

And my shell be imprisoned beneath the dust."

وَزادَ سَوادَ الدُجى يَأسَهُ

وَزادَ سَوادَ الدُجى يَأسَهُ

وَقَد كادَ يُسفِرُ عَن باهِرِ

وَقَد كادَ يُسفِرُ عَن باهِرِ

And night's blackness deepened his despair,

The blackness of the night deepened his despair,

Though it was nearly unveiling a radiant light.

Just as the dazzling dawn was about to break.

فَشاءَ التَخَلُّصَ مِن دَهرِهِ

فَشاءَ التَخَلُّصَ مِن دَهرِهِ

الخَأون وَمِن عَيشِهِ الحاذِرِ

الخَأون وَمِن عَيشِهِ الحاذِرِ

So he wished to free himself from his time,

So he sought deliverance from his fate—

Treacherous as it was, and from his fearful life.

That traitor—and from his fearful life.

فَأَغمَدَ في صَدرِهِ مُديَةً

فَأَغمَدَ في صَدرِهِ مُديَةً

أَشَدُّ مَضاءً مِنَ الباتِرِ

أَشَدُّ مَضاءً مِنَ الباتِرِ

So he sheathed a knife in his chest,

He plunged a blade deep into his chest,

Sharper than a cleaving sword.

Sharper than the keenest sword.

وَكَم مِثلَهُ قَد قَضى نَحبَهُ

وَكَم مِثلَهُ قَد قَضى نَحبَهُ

شَهيدَ التَأَمُّلِ في الغابِرِ

شَهيدَ التَأَمُّلِ في الغابِرِ

And many a man like him has met his death,

And how many like him have met their end,

A martyr to reflection upon the past.

A martyr to the contemplation of the past.