كَم ساعةٍ آلَمني مَسُّها

كَم ساعةٍ آلَمني مَسُّها

وَأَزعَجَتني يَدُها القاسِيَه

وَأَزعَجَتني يَدُها القاسِيَه

Many an hour has pained me with her touch,

How many hours have pained me with their touch

and her cruel hand has distressed me.

And disturbed me with their harsh hand

فَتَشتُ فيها جاهِداً لم أَجِد

فَتَشتُ فيها جاهِداً لم أَجِد

هُنَيهَةً واحدةً صافِيَه

هُنَيهَةً واحدةً صافِيَه

I searched within her diligently, yet did not find

I searched within them desperately but could not find

a single serene moment.

A single pure, serene moment

وَكم سَقَتني المرَّ أختٌ لها

وَكم سَقَتني المرَّ أختٌ لها

فَرُحتُ أَشكوها إلى التالِيَه

فَرُحتُ أَشكوها إلى التالِيَه

And how often a sister of hers made me drink bitterness,

And how much bitterness did their sister hours make me drink

so I went to complain of her to the next.

That I would complain about to the next one

فَأَسلَمَتني هذه عَنوَةً

فَأَسلَمَتني هذه عَنوَةً

لِساعةٍ أُخرى وَبى ما بيَه

لِساعةٍ أُخرى وَبى ما بيَه

Then this one handed me over by force

This one handed me over by force

to another hour, with my suffering still upon me.

To another hour, and so it remained

وَيحَكَ يا مِسكينُ هل تَشتَكي

وَيحَكَ يا مِسكينُ هل تَشتَكي

جارَحَةَ الظُفرِ إلى ضارِيَه

جارَحَةَ الظُفرِ إلى ضارِيَه

Alas for you, poor soul! Do you complain

And woe to you, o wretched one, do you complain

of a clawing beast to a ravening one?

About the claw's wound to the one who inflicted it?

حاذِر منَ الساعات ويلٌ لمَن

حاذِر منَ الساعات ويلٌ لمَن

يَأمنُ تلكَ الفِئَةَ الطاغِيه

يَأمنُ تلكَ الفِئَةَ الطاغِيه

Beware of the hours! Woe to whoever

Beware of the hours, woe to those

feels safe from that tyrannical band.

Who feel safe from their tyrannical gang

وَإن تجِد من بَينِها ساعةً

وَإن تجِد من بَينِها ساعةً

جَعبَتُها من غَصَصٍ خالِيَه

جَعبَتُها من غَصَصٍ خالِيَه

And if among them you find an hour

And if you find among them an hour

whose quiver is empty of choking sorrows,

Whose bosom is free of anguish

فالهُ بها لَهوَ الحكيم الذي

فالهُ بها لَهوَ الحكيم الذي

لم يُنسِه حاضِرُه ماضِيَه

لم يُنسِه حاضِرُه ماضِيَه

then take your pleasure in her like the sage

Then enjoy it, like the wise man who

whose present has not made him forget his past.

Does not let the present make him forget the past

وَامرَح كما يَمرَحُ ذو نَشوةٍ

وَامرَح كما يَمرَحُ ذو نَشوةٍ

في قُلَّةٍ من تحتِها الهاوِيَه

في قُلَّةٍ من تحتِها الهاوِيَه

And revel as one intoxicated revels

And frolic as one intoxicated frolics

on a summit with the abyss beneath it.

When the abyss lies beneath him

فهيَ وَإن بَشَّت وَإن داعَبَت

فهيَ وَإن بَشَّت وَإن داعَبَت

مُحتالةٌ ختّالةٌ عادِيَه

مُحتالةٌ ختّالةٌ عادِيَه

For she, though she smiles and though she caresses,

For it, though it shines and caresses

is scheming, treacherous, aggressive.

Is a treacherous, accustomed trickster

عِناقُها خَنقٌ وَتَقبيلُها

عِناقُها خَنقٌ وَتَقبيلُها

كما تعضُّ الحيَّةُ الباغِيَه

كما تعضُّ الحيَّةُ الباغِيَه

Her embrace is strangulation, and her kiss

Its embrace is strangling, its kiss

is like the bite of a vicious serpent.

Is like the bite of a raging serpent

هذا هو العيشُ فَقُل لِلذي

هذا هو العيشُ فَقُل لِلذي

تَجرَحُهُ الساعةُ والثانِيَه

تَجرَحُهُ الساعةُ والثانِيَه

This is life; so tell the one

Such is life, so say to the one

whom one hour wounds, and then the next:

Wounded by the hour and the next

يا شاكيَ الساعاتِ أَسمِع عَسى

يا شاكيَ الساعاتِ أَسمِع عَسى

تُنجيكَ منها الساعةُ القاضِيَه

تُنجيكَ منها الساعةُ القاضِيَه

O complainer of the hours, make yourself heard! Perhaps

O you who complain of the hours, perhaps

the hour of death will save you from them.

The deciding hour will save you from them