أَنْتَ تَبْغِي السِّيَرَا

أَنْتَ تَبْغِي السِّيَرَا

شَاغِلاً عَمَّا تَرَى

شَاغِلاً عَمَّا تَرَى

You seek life stories,

You seek out tales,

as a distraction from what you see,

Preoccupied with what you see,

مُؤْثِراً أَنْ تَعْلَمَ الـ

مُؤْثِراً أَنْ تَعْلَمَ الـ

ـجَارِي مِمَّا قَدْ جَرَى

ـجَارِي مِمَّا قَدْ جَرَى

preferring to understand the

Preferring to know the

present through what has already passed,

Flow of events to what has passed,

رَاضِياً مِنْ خِبْرَةٍ

رَاضِياً مِنْ خِبْرَةٍ

أَنْ لا تَجُوزَ الخَبَرَا

أَنْ لا تَجُوزَ الخَبَرَا

content, in matters of experience,

Content with knowledge

to go no further than hearsay.

That does not exceed the news.

فَإِذَا مَا كَانَ لِي

فَإِذَا مَا كَانَ لِي

حُسْنُ حَظٍّ قُدِّرَا

حُسْنُ حَظٍّ قُدِّرَا

So if, for me,

So if I chance to have

good fortune is decreed,

Good luck one day,

طِبْتَ نَفْساً لِحَدِيـ

طِبْتَ نَفْساً لِحَدِيـ

ـثٍ سُقْتُهُ مُعْتَذِرا

ـثٍ سُقْتُهُ مُعْتَذِرا

you will take pleasure in a

You’d enjoy a tale whose

tale I have related apologetically,

Telling I’d excuse

عَاطِلٍ يَحْلَى مَتَى

عَاطِلٍ يَحْلَى مَتَى

تُلْقِي عَلَيْهِ نَظَرَ

تُلْقِي عَلَيْهِ نَظَرَ

unadorned, yet growing lovely whenever

As time sweetly passed whenever

you cast a glance upon it.

You cast your eyes upon it.