يا راكِضاً في طِلابِ دُنيا

يا راكِضاً في طِلابِ دُنيا

لَيسَ لِمَن تَصرع اِنتِعاشُ

لَيسَ لِمَن تَصرع اِنتِعاشُ

O you racing in pursuit of the world,

O you who run in pursuit of worldly things

O you who races in pursuit of this world,

There is no recovery for anyone it strikes down.

There is no revival for one struck down

There is no recovery for the one it strikes down.

تَنَحَّ يا عُرضَةً لِرامٍ

تَنَحَّ يا عُرضَةً لِرامٍ

أَسهُمُه بِالرَدى تُراشُ

أَسهُمُه بِالرَدى تُراشُ

Move aside, O target for an archer

Withdraw, o easy target for archers

Step aside, O target for an archer

Whose arrows are fletched with death.

Whose arrows cause perdition

Whose arrows are feathered with destruction.

لَم تَخشَ ناراً هَوى لَظاها

لَم تَخشَ ناراً هَوى لَظاها

لِمَن لَهُ نَحوَها اِنحِياشُ

لِمَن لَهُ نَحوَها اِنحِياشُ

You did not fear a fire whose blaze is desired

You did not fear a fire whose flames blaze

You did not fear the fire whose blaze descends

By anyone drawn toward it.

For one inclined towards it, there is perdition

Upon the one who leans eagerly towards it.

أَعذَرُ مِنكَ الفَراشُ حالا

أَعذَرُ مِنكَ الفَراشُ حالا

عَلمتَ ما يَجهَل الفَراشُ

عَلمتَ ما يَجهَل الفَراشُ

The moth is more excusable than you in its plight:

I pardon you more than the moth

The moth has a better excuse than you in its state,

You know what the moth does not know.

You know what the moth does not know

For you knew well what the moth did not know.

تَطلُبُها لا تَنام عَينٌ

تَطلُبُها لا تَنام عَينٌ

عَنها وَلا يَستَقِرُّ جاشُ

عَنها وَلا يَستَقِرُّ جاشُ

You pursue it; no eye falls asleep

You seek it, the eye does not sleep

You seek it while no eye sleeps,

Heedless of it, nor does any heart grow still.

From it, nor does the eyelid settle

And no heart finds rest from it.

مَن لَكَ بِالرِيِّ مِن شَراب

مَن لَكَ بِالرِيِّ مِن شَراب

يَشتَدُّ مِن شُربه العطاشُ

يَشتَدُّ مِن شُربه العطاشُ

Who can quench your thirst with a drink

Who has for you from drink

Who can promise you quenching from a drink

That makes thirst fiercer when you drink it?

Whose drinking increases thirst

That only intensifies thirst upon drinking?

دَعها فَطُلّابُها رعاعٌ

دَعها فَطُلّابُها رعاعٌ

طاشَت بِأَلبابهم فَطاشُوا

طاشَت بِأَلبابهم فَطاشُوا

Leave it, for its seekers are rabble.

Leave it, for its seekers are rabble

Leave it be, for its seekers are mere rabble;

It played havoc with their minds, so they lost their senses.

Whose minds were deranged, so they perished

It turned their wits astray, so they wandered lost.

وَاِظمأ لِتَروى وَكُن كَقومٍ

وَاِظمأ لِتَروى وَكُن كَقومٍ

ماتُوا بِها عِفَّةً فَعاشُوا

ماتُوا بِها عِفَّةً فَعاشُوا

And go thirsty to have your thirst quenched, and be like those

And quench your thirst, and be like a people

Go thirsty that you may be quenched, and be like those

Who died in it, abstinent, and so lived.

Who died in chastity, so they lived

Who died to it in abstinence, and thus truly lived.

لَم يَرِدُوها فَهُم رِواءٌ

لَم يَرِدُوها فَهُم رِواءٌ

وَوارِدُوها هُم العِطاشُ

وَوارِدُوها هُم العِطاشُ

They did not come to drink from it, so their thirst is quenched;

They did not want it, so they were sated

They did not drink from it, yet they are fully quenched,

And those who come to drink from it are the thirsty.

And its wanters are the thirsty ones

While those who drink from it are the ones who thirst.

كَأَنَّ آمالنا ظِباءٌ

كَأَنَّ آمالنا ظِباءٌ

وَنَحنُ مِن حيرَة خِراشُ

وَنَحنُ مِن حيرَة خِراشُ

It is as though our hopes were gazelles,

It is as if our hopes are mirages

It is as though our hopes are fleeing gazelles,

And we, in our bewilderment, are Khirash.

And we are bewildered and scratched

And we, in our bewilderment, are frantic hunters.

إِن لآمالِنا اِنبِساطاً

إِن لآمالِنا اِنبِساطاً

بِهِ لِأَعمارِنا اِنكِماشُ

بِهِ لِأَعمارِنا اِنكِماشُ

Indeed, our hopes expand;

Our hopes have expanse

Truly, the expansion of our hopes

Through that, our lifespans shrink.

Through which our lifespans contract

Brings about the contraction of our lives.