يوم انا طالب هقيت اني عرفت

يوم انا طالب هقيت اني عرفت

كل مافي الكون من سر الحياه

كل مافي الكون من سر الحياه

When I was a student, I thought I understood

When I was a student, I thought I knew

every secret of life contained in the universe.

every secret of life in the universe.

يوم انا طالب تحمّست ووعدت

يوم انا طالب تحمّست ووعدت

اني اصلح ما تبيّن لي خطاه

اني اصلح ما تبيّن لي خطاه

When I was a student, I grew impassioned and vowed

When I was a student, I grew enthusiastic and vowed

to set right whatever wrong became clear to me.

to set right whatever I saw to be wrong.

يوم انا طالب على الغيمه رسَمت

يوم انا طالب على الغيمه رسَمت

ضحكة الدنيا على عذب الشفاه

ضحكة الدنيا على عذب الشفاه

When I was a student, upon a cloud I painted

When I was a student, upon a cloud I drew

the world’s smile on sweet lips.

the world's smile upon sweet lips.

يوم أنا طالب تخيّلت وحَلمت

يوم أنا طالب تخيّلت وحَلمت

اني البس من هَدب شمسي عباه

اني البس من هَدب شمسي عباه

When I was a student, I imagined and dreamed

When I was a student, I imagined and dreamed

that I would wear a cloak made from my sun’s fringe.

that I would wear a cloak of my sun's lashes.

يوم انا طالب حَسبت اني وصلت

يوم انا طالب حَسبت اني وصلت

اثرني ما دست بالرجل الوطاه

اثرني ما دست بالرجل الوطاه

When I was a student, I thought I had arrived—

When I was a student, I thought I had arrived;

only to find I had yet to set foot upon the earth.

it turned out I had not even set foot on the ground.

وانتهى ربيع الاحلام وظهرت

وانتهى ربيع الاحلام وظهرت

اصدم الواقع ويصدمنى عطاه

اصدم الواقع ويصدمنى عطاه

The springtime of dreams ended, and I emerged

And the spring of dreams ended, and I emerged

to collide with reality, shocked by what it dealt me.

to collide with reality and be struck by its gifts.

ينجرح شوف العيون الى التفت

ينجرح شوف العيون الى التفت

كن في حجر العيون اكبر قذاه

كن في حجر العيون اكبر قذاه

The gaze of my eyes is wounded whenever it turns,

My gaze is wounded whenever I turn,

as though the greatest mote were lodged in their sockets.

as though the largest mote were lodged in my eye sockets.

ان بغيت امشي لقيت انّي وقفت

ان بغيت امشي لقيت انّي وقفت

وان رفعت الصوت ما جاني صداه

وان رفعت الصوت ما جاني صداه

If I tried to walk, I found myself standing still;

If I wished to walk, I found I had stopped;

and if I raised my voice, its echo never came to me.

and if I raised my voice, its echo did not reach me.

الحقايق فاجأتني ما بدأت

الحقايق فاجأتني ما بدأت

والزمان اسرع من اللي في رجاه

والزمان اسرع من اللي في رجاه

Truths caught me unawares before I had even begun,

Truths took me by surprise—I had not yet begun;

and time ran faster than what hope had held.

and time outpaces whoever waits for it in hope.

وانكسر غصن الخيال اللي زرعت

وانكسر غصن الخيال اللي زرعت

والتوى صدري على تسعين اه

والتوى صدري على تسعين اه

The branch of imagination I had planted broke,

And the branch of imagination I planted broke,

and my breast knotted itself around ninety cries of “Ah.”

and my chest twisted around ninety sighs.

لكن اني رغم هذا ما انهزمت

لكن اني رغم هذا ما انهزمت

واستمريت ادعس الشوك بحفاه

واستمريت ادعس الشوك بحفاه

Yet despite all this, I was not defeated;

But despite this, I was not defeated,

I went on trampling thorns barefoot.

and I kept treading thorns with bare feet.

كلما زادت مواجيعي صبرت

كلما زادت مواجيعي صبرت

بين ثلج وبين جمرات الغضاه

بين ثلج وبين جمرات الغضاه

The more my pains increased, the more I endured,

Whenever my pains grew, I endured,

between ice and the embers of the ghada tree.

between snow and the embers of ghada wood.

ما غلبت الوقت لكن ما انغلبت

ما غلبت الوقت لكن ما انغلبت

اعتصر نبعي من بطون الصفاه

اعتصر نبعي من بطون الصفاه

I did not defeat time, but neither was I defeated;

I did not defeat time, but I was not defeated;

I wrung my wellspring from the depths of solid rock.

I wring my spring from the depths of stone.

كلها لعيون معشوق(ن) عشقت

كلها لعيون معشوق(ن) عشقت

ديرتي ديرة رفيعين الجباه

ديرتي ديرة رفيعين الجباه

All of it for the sake of a beloved I loved—

All of it for the sake of a beloved I adored:

my homeland, the land of people with heads held high.

my homeland, land of those who hold their heads high.

في ثراها غالي احبابي دفنت

في ثراها غالي احبابي دفنت

وفي سماها اجمع الحلم وهواه

وفي سماها اجمع الحلم وهواه

In her soil I buried the dearest of my loved ones,

In her soil I buried the dearest of my loved ones,

and in her sky I gather the dream and its longing.

and in her sky I gather the dream and its longing.