هاتوا اذكروا لي هاتوا

هاتوا اذكروا لي هاتوا

ما هذه الكائنات

ما هذه الكائنات

Come, tell me—come, tell me:

Come, tell me, come:

What are these beings?

What are these beings?

ما انت ما انا ماذا

ما انت ما انا ماذا

وجودنا والحياة

وجودنا والحياة

What are you? What am I? What are—

What are you? What am I? What are

—our existence and life?

our existence and life?

ما هذه الارض قد قا

ما هذه الارض قد قا

مت فوقها الشاهقات

مت فوقها الشاهقات

What is this earth, upon which have ris—

What is this earth? There have risen

—en the towering peaks?

above it the towering heights.

ما البحر تسبح بالنا

ما البحر تسبح بالنا

ر فوقه المنشآت

ر فوقه المنشآت

What is the sea, where, propelled by fi—

What is the sea? By fire there sail

—re, ships sail upon it?

the ships upon its surface.

مالبر تقطعه كالز

مالبر تقطعه كالز

زوابع القطرات

زوابع القطرات

What is the land, crossed like whirl—

What is the land, traversed

—winds by the trains?

by trains like whirlwinds?

وما السماء وتلك

وما السماء وتلك

الابعاد والفجوات

الابعاد والفجوات

And what is the sky, and those—

And what is the sky, and those

—vast reaches and voids?

distances and voids?

ما الانجم الزهر فيها

ما الانجم الزهر فيها

والخنس الجاريات

والخنس الجاريات

What are the radiant stars within it,

What are the bright stars within it,

the withdrawing, coursing ones?

and the retreating, coursing stars?

ما هذه السدم البي

ما هذه السدم البي

ض حشوها النيرات

ض حشوها النيرات

What are these white nebulae,

What are these white nebulae,

their depths packed with luminous bodies?

filled with radiant bodies?

الى متى هذه الن

الى متى هذه الن

نيرات مشتعلات

نيرات مشتعلات

How long will these lumi—

How long will these

—naries remain ablaze?

radiant bodies keep blazing?

ماذا تريد بهذا ال

ماذا تريد بهذا ال

إسراع تلك الكرات

إسراع تلك الكرات

What do those spheres seek in this—

What do they intend by this

—haste?

haste, those spheres?

ما العقل ما الفكر ماذا

ما العقل ما الفكر ماذا

الذكاء والملكات

الذكاء والملكات

What is reason? What is thought? What are—

What is reason? What is thought? What are

—intelligence and the faculties?

intelligence and the faculties?

ماذا الزمان وماذا

ماذا الزمان وماذا

من الزمان الفوات

من الزمان الفوات

What is time, and what is—

What is time, and what is

—the passing away of time?

the passing of time?

وما المكان وماذا

وما المكان وماذا

من المكان الجهات

من المكان الجهات

And what is space, and what are—

And what is space, and what are

—the directions within space?

the directions of space?

ما الجسم ما الجذب ماذا

ما الجسم ما الجذب ماذا

السكون والحركات

السكون والحركات

What is matter? What is attraction? What are—

What is the body? What is attraction? What are

—rest and motion?

rest and motion?

وما الهوى يتلاقى

وما الهوى يتلاقى

له الفتى والفتاة

له الفتى والفتاة

And what is love, for which—

And what is love, for which

—the young man and maiden meet?

the young man and the young woman meet?

وفي اللقاء لذاذ

وفي اللقاء لذاذ

وفي الفراق اذاة

وفي الفراق اذاة

In meeting there is delight,

And in meeting there is delight,

and in parting, pain.

and in parting, pain.

جمع ومن بعد هذا

جمع ومن بعد هذا

الجمع النظيم شتات

الجمع النظيم شتات

A union—and after this—

A gathering—and after this

—well-ordered union, dispersal.

well-ordered gathering, dispersal.

وما لشيء زوال

وما لشيء زوال

وما لشيء ثبات

وما لشيء ثبات

Why should anything pass away,

And nothing perishes,

and why should anything endure?

and nothing remains constant.

وربما سوف تن

وربما سوف تن

حل هذه المشكلات

حل هذه المشكلات

And perhaps these problems will—

And perhaps there will yet be

—be solved.

a solution to these problems.

اهدوا العوي سبيلا

اهدوا العوي سبيلا

ان كان فيكم هداة

ان كان فيكم هداة

Guide minds along a path,

Show the bewildered a path,

if there are guides among you.

if there are guides among you.

بطيئة حين امشي

بطيئة حين امشي

بعقلي الخطوات

بعقلي الخطوات

Slow, when I walk—

Slow, when I walk

—with my mind, are the steps.

with my mind, are my steps.

يسير عقلي ولكن

يسير عقلي ولكن

تعوقه العثرات

تعوقه العثرات

My mind moves onward, but—

My mind moves along, but

—obstacles impede it.

stumbles impede it.

اذا تفكرت كانت

اذا تفكرت كانت

للشك بي وخزات

للشك بي وخزات

Whenever I reflect, there are—

When I reflect, there are

—doubt’s stings within me.

pricks of doubt within me.

في كل شيء اراه

في كل شيء اراه

تحوم بي الشبهات

تحوم بي الشبهات

In everything I see,

In everything I see,

uncertainties hover around me.

doubts hover around me.

لقد نظرت فما ان

لقد نظرت فما ان

اغنتني النظرات

اغنتني النظرات

Indeed, I have looked, yet not at all—

I have indeed looked, but

—have my observations availed me.

my observations have availed me nothing.

كأنما كل تلك

كأنما كل تلك

الاشياء مستترات

الاشياء مستترات

As though all those—

As though all those

—things lay concealed;

things were hidden,

اوان عيني فيها

اوان عيني فيها

اذا نظرت قذاة

اذا نظرت قذاة

or else my eye, amid them,

or as though my eye contained,

whenever it looked, was itself a mote.

when I looked, a speck of dust.

وربما قلت حقاً

وربما قلت حقاً

فخانت الكلمات

فخانت الكلمات

Perhaps I spoke a truth,

And perhaps I spoke the truth,

and words betrayed it.

but the words betrayed me.

ورب قول صحيح

ورب قول صحيح

ليطت به الغلطات

ليطت به الغلطات

Many a sound statement—

And many a sound statement

—has been marred by errors.

has had errors attached to it.

وسيئات فريق

وسيئات فريق

لغيرهم حسنات

لغيرهم حسنات

One faction’s vices—

And one group's bad deeds

—are virtues to others.

are good deeds to others.

دع الغرور فما فيك

دع الغرور فما فيك

وحدك الملكات

وحدك الملكات

Put vanity aside: the faculties are not—

Abandon conceit: not in you

—in you alone.

alone do the faculties reside.

لكل حي على ه

لكل حي على ه

ذي الأرض مخترعات

ذي الأرض مخترعات

Every living creature upon this—

Every living creature on

—earth has inventions of its own.

this earth has inventions.

ان كنت طرت فقد

ان كنت طرت فقد

طارت قبلك الحشرات

طارت قبلك الحشرات

If you have flown, then already—

If you have flown, then

—the insects flew before you;

insects flew before you.

أو كنت غصت فقد

أو كنت غصت فقد

غاصت مثلك السلحفاة

غاصت مثلك السلحفاة

or if you have dived, then already—

Or if you have dived, then

—the turtle dived as you do.

the turtle has dived like you.

سلم فإن برا

سلم فإن برا

هيني هذه مفحمات

هيني هذه مفحمات

Concede, for these proofs of—

Concede, for these proofs

—mine are confounding.

of mine are unanswerable.

لا يستوي النور عند

لا يستوي النور عند

البصير والظلمات

البصير والظلمات

Light is not equal, in the eyes of—

Light is not, for

—one who sees, to darkness;

the sighted, the same as darkness.

فما الغداة عشي

فما الغداة عشي

ولا العشي غداة

ولا العشي غداة

morning is not evening,

For morning is not evening,

nor is evening morning.

nor is evening morning.