أَرى الحِرصَ يَدعوني فَاِتبَعُ صَوتَهُ

أَرى الحِرصَ يَدعوني فَاِتبَعُ صَوتَهُ

وَيَزجُرُني اليَأسُ الخَفِيُّ مُداخِلُه

وَيَزجُرُني اليَأسُ الخَفِيُّ مُداخِلُه

I see greed calling me, so I follow its voice.

I see greed calling me, so I follow its voice,

And despair rebukes me, its inroads hidden.

And hidden despair warns me away from its approaches.

فَلا الحِرصُ يُغنيني وَلا اليَأسُ مانِعي

فَلا الحِرصُ يُغنيني وَلا اليَأسُ مانِعي

نَصيبي مِنَ الشَيءِ الَّذي أَنا نائِلُه

نَصيبي مِنَ الشَيءِ الَّذي أَنا نائِلُه

So neither greed enriches me nor does despair deny me

Yet neither greed benefits me, nor despair stops me -

My share of what I am to receive.

My share is what I am destined to obtain.

يُرَجّونَ أَيّامَ السَلامَةِ وَالغِنى

يُرَجّونَ أَيّامَ السَلامَةِ وَالغِنى

وَتَغتالُهُم دونَ الرَجاءِ غَوائِلُه

وَتَغتالُهُم دونَ الرَجاءِ غَوائِلُه

They hope for days of safety and wealth,

They hope for days of safety and wealth,

Yet its calamities slay them before hope is fulfilled.

Yet unforeseen catastrophes take them unawares.

وَبالِغٌ أَمرٍ كانَ يَأمَلُ دونَهُ

وَبالِغٌ أَمرٍ كانَ يَأمَلُ دونَهُ

وَمُختَلِجٍ مِن دونِ ما كانَ يامُلُه

وَمُختَلِجٍ مِن دونِ ما كانَ يامُلُه

And one reaches a goal beyond what he had hoped for,

And one meets a fate he had hoped to avoid,

And another is snatched away short of what he had hoped for.

While another is struck by what he never feared.