ليقعد الدَّهرُ بي ما شاءَ وليَقُم

ليقعد الدَّهرُ بي ما شاءَ وليَقُم

لَيسَ التَضاؤل للأَهوال من شيمي

لَيسَ التَضاؤل للأَهوال من شيمي

Let Time bring me low as it wishes, and raise me up;

Let time sit with me as long as it wants and let it stand up

Cowering before terrors is not among my traits.

Despondency in the face of calamities is not of my nature

ما جرَّدَ الدَهرُ عضباً من فوادحه

ما جرَّدَ الدَهرُ عضباً من فوادحه

إلّا وجرَّدتُ عضباً من شبا هِممي

إلّا وجرَّدتُ عضباً من شبا هِممي

Never has Time unsheathed a keen sword from its calamities

Whenever time bares its fangs with disasters

Without my unsheathing a keen sword from the edges of my resolve.

I too bare the fangs of my lofty ambitions

كَم عاذِرٍ عاذلٍ في الدهر قُلتُ له

كَم عاذِرٍ عاذلٍ في الدهر قُلتُ له

أَقصر فَلَيتكَ لم تعذُر ولم تلمِ

أَقصر فَلَيتكَ لم تعذُر ولم تلمِ

Many a man offering excuses and reproaches concerning Time have I told:

How many excusers in time have I told

Desist! Would that you had neither excused nor reproached.

You should have kept short, you should not have blamed or rebuked

غيري لتَهدي اللَيالي ولتضلّ به

غيري لتَهدي اللَيالي ولتضلّ به

فَلَستُ منها على حال بمتَّهمِ

فَلَستُ منها على حال بمتَّهمِ

Let the nights guide another, and lead him astray;

Others mislead the nights and go astray with them

For in no circumstance do I accuse them.

While I remain in a state, blameless

أَنضو اللَيالي وتَنضوني منادمةً

أَنضو اللَيالي وتَنضوني منادمةً

وما قرعتُ بها سنّاً من النَدمِ

وما قرعتُ بها سنّاً من النَدمِ

I wear out the nights, and they wear me out as boon companions,

The nights keep me company and I keep them company in turn

And never have I struck a tooth over them in remorse.

And I have never regretted that companionship

فَقُل لِمَن سامني صبراً على مضضٍ

فَقُل لِمَن سامني صبراً على مضضٍ

من القطيعة عمداً غير محتشِمِ

من القطيعة عمداً غير محتشِمِ

So tell him who demanded patience of me amid the anguish

So say to those who blamed me for patience over heartache

Of estrangement, deliberately and without shame:

From separation, intentionally, without dignity

لا تحسَبنّي وإِن أَلفَيتَني سَلَماً

لا تحسَبنّي وإِن أَلفَيتَني سَلَماً

يَوماً بمستسلم للحادث العممِ

يَوماً بمستسلم للحادث العممِ

Do not think me, even if you find me peaceable,

Do not think that if you find me one day to be submissive

Ever submissive to an all-encompassing calamity.

That I submit to the overwhelming misfortune

لئن صدعتَ صَفاةَ الشمل مجتهداً

لئن صدعتَ صَفاةَ الشمل مجتهداً

فَما عطفتَ على قُربى ولا رحِمِ

فَما عطفتَ على قُربى ولا رحِمِ

If indeed you have zealously split the rock of unity,

If you try hard to reconcile kindred ties

Then you have shown no tenderness toward kinship or blood ties.

You will neither be kind to relatives nor compassionate to womb-relations

ماذا عَلى الفَرع خانته الأصولُ إذا

ماذا عَلى الفَرع خانته الأصولُ إذا

تأَصَّل الفَرعُ بين المَجدِ والكَرَمِ

تأَصَّل الفَرعُ بين المَجدِ والكَرَمِ

What harm is there to the branch betrayed by its roots, when

What fault is it of the branch if its roots have betrayed it

The branch has taken root between glory and generosity?

When the branch is rooted in glory and generosity?