في ذِمَّةِ الماضي اِنطَوَت

في ذِمَّةِ الماضي اِنطَوَت

ساعاتُ أَحلامي العِذاب

ساعاتُ أَحلامي العِذاب

In the keeping of the past lie folded

In the custody of the past have been hidden

The hours of my sweet dreams;

The hours of my tormenting dreams

أَيّامَ لا هَمٌّ سِوى

أَيّامَ لا هَمٌّ سِوى

هَمِّ المعلِّمِ وَالكِتاب

هَمِّ المعلِّمِ وَالكِتاب

Days when there was no worry but

Days when I had no care but

Worry over the teacher and the book;

The teacher’s task and the book

أَيّامَ كانَ أَبي الشَبا

أَيّامَ كانَ أَبي الشَبا

بَ وَكنتُ نوراً لِلشَّباب

بَ وَكنتُ نوراً لِلشَّباب

Days when my father was youth itself

Days when my father was in his prime

And I was a light for youth;

And I was the light of youth

أَيّامَ حُلمي لَم يَكُن

أَيّامَ حُلمي لَم يَكُن

إِلّا شُعاعاً من شِهاب

إِلّا شُعاعاً من شِهاب

Days when my dream was nothing

Days when my dream was naught

But a ray from a meteor.

But a ray of shooting stars

إِن أُنسَ لا أَنسَ الهِضا

إِن أُنسَ لا أَنسَ الهِضا

بَ وَما عَلى تِلكَ الهِضاب

بَ وَما عَلى تِلكَ الهِضاب

If I am made to forget, I will not forget the hills

If I forget, I'll not forget the slopes

And what lies upon those hills,

And what's on those slopes

وَالشَمسُ توشِكُ أَن تَغي

وَالشَمسُ توشِكُ أَن تَغي

بَ وَيعلنَ الجَرسُ الغِياب

بَ وَيعلنَ الجَرسُ الغِياب

With the sun about to set

And the sun is about to disappear

And the bell announcing the departure,

And the bell announces departure

وَأَبي عَلى صَخرٍ يُحَدِّ

وَأَبي عَلى صَخرٍ يُحَدِّ

قُ في عَشِيَّةِ صيفِ آب

قُ في عَشِيَّةِ صيفِ آب

And my father, upon a rock, gazing

And my father on a rock pondering

On a summer evening in August.

In the evening of the month of August

فيما تُراهُ كانَ يفكُرُ

فيما تُراهُ كانَ يفكُرُ

وَهو يَنظُرُ في الضَباب

وَهو يَنظُرُ في الضَباب

What do you suppose he was thinking of,

As to what was he thinking

As he gazed into the mist?

As he gazed into the fog

لَم أَنسَ أَترابي الأولى

لَم أَنسَ أَترابي الأولى

كانوا وَكنتُ لَهُم مداما

كانوا وَكنتُ لَهُم مداما

I have not forgotten my companions, who

I'll not forget my first companions

Once were, and for whom I was wine.

They were and I was their confidante

إِن جِئتُهُم مُتَبَسِّماً

إِن جِئتُهُم مُتَبَسِّماً

أَلقَ اِرتِياحاً وَاِبتِساما

أَلقَ اِرتِياحاً وَاِبتِساما

If I came to them smiling,

If I came to them smiling

I would find ease and smiles;

I found comfort and a smile

وَإِذا غَضبتُ تشاوَروا

وَإِذا غَضبتُ تشاوَروا

فيما يُعيدُ ليَ السَلاما

فيما يُعيدُ ليَ السَلاما

And if I grew angry, they would confer

And if I got angry, they consulted

On what would restore my peace.

On what would restore peace to me

عَبث الشَبابُ بِهِم

عَبث الشَبابُ بِهِم

فَغَيَّرَ خُلقَهُم عاماً فَعاما

فَغَيَّرَ خُلقَهُم عاماً فَعاما

Youth toyed with them,

The frivolity of youth messed with them

And changed their character year after year.

Changing their ways year after year

إِن الشَباب ملاعِبُ ال

إِن الشَباب ملاعِبُ ال

أَيّامِ فَاِحذَر أَن تُضاما

أَيّامِ فَاِحذَر أَن تُضاما

Youth is the playground of the

For youth is but playfulness of days

Days; beware lest you be wronged.

So beware you don't get fooled

في ذِمَّةِ القَصيّ

في ذِمَّةِ القَصيّ

حُشاشَةٌ ذابَت هِياما

حُشاشَةٌ ذابَت هِياما

In the keeping of the faraway

In the custody of the past

Lies a remnant of life, melted in longing.

Is a tenderness that melted away

خَفَّت إِلَيها في التُرا

خَفَّت إِلَيها في التُرا

بِ يَتيمَةٌ بَينَ اليَتامى

بِ يَتيمَةٌ بَينَ اليَتامى

To it, in the dust, hastened

To it in turbulence floated

An orphan among orphans.

An orphan among orphans

هيَ نَفسيَ الثَكلى وَقَد

هيَ نَفسيَ الثَكلى وَقَد

صَلّى العَذابُ لَها وَصاما

صَلّى العَذابُ لَها وَصاما

She is my bereaved soul, and

It is my bereaved soul that

Torment has prayed for her and fasted.

Affliction has prayed and fasted for

أُمي وَقد وَجَدَ الضَنى

أُمي وَقد وَجَدَ الضَنى

في مُقلَتَيها مُدخَلة

في مُقلَتَيها مُدخَلة

My mother—affliction has found

My mother, and poverty has found

A way into her eyes—

In her eyes a gateway

تَرثي الحَياةَ كَأَنَّها

تَرثي الحَياةَ كَأَنَّها

مِن نِصفِ شَهرٍ أَرمَلَه

مِن نِصفِ شَهرٍ أَرمَلَه

Mourns life, as though she

She laments life as if

Had been widowed half a month ago.

She lost her husband halfway through the month

كَم مَرَّةٍ نَظَرَت إِلَيَّ

كَم مَرَّةٍ نَظَرَت إِلَيَّ

فَتَمتَمَت ما أَجمَلَه

فَتَمتَمَت ما أَجمَلَه

How often she looked at me,

How many times did she look at me

And murmured, “How beautiful he is!

Mumbling, how beautiful it would have been

لَو كُنتُ أَقرَأُ من خِلا

لَو كُنتُ أَقرَأُ من خِلا

لِ عُيونِهِ مُستَقبَلَه

لِ عُيونِهِ مُستَقبَلَه

If only I could read, through

Had I been able to read in her eyes

His eyes, his future!”

The future it beholds

أَنا في سَبيلِ لا أَكا

أَنا في سَبيلِ لا أَكا

دُ اليَومَ أُدرِكُ أَوَّلَه

دُ اليَومَ أُدرِكُ أَوَّلَه

I am on a path; I can scarcely

I'm on a path I can no longer

Discern its beginning today.

Complete today, reach its beginning

يا أُمِ رِفقاً وَاِصبِري

يا أُمِ رِفقاً وَاِصبِري

لا بُدَّ لي أَن أُكمِلَه

لا بُدَّ لي أَن أُكمِلَه

Mother, be gentle and patient;

Oh mother, be gentle and patient

I must complete it.

I must complete it

أَنجَزتُ مَرحَلَةَ الشَقا

أَنجَزتُ مَرحَلَةَ الشَقا

وَعَلَيَّ أَيضاً مَرحَلَه

وَعَلَيَّ أَيضاً مَرحَلَه

I have completed one stage of misery,

I finished the stage of misery

And I have another stage as well.

And I also have a stage ahead of me

حَملَ المَسيحُ صَليبَهُ

حَملَ المَسيحُ صَليبَهُ

حَتّى أَعالي الجَلجَلَه

حَتّى أَعالي الجَلجَلَه

Christ bore his cross

Christ carried his cross

To the heights of Golgotha.

To the lofty Golgotha