أفي كل يومٍ أنت ناشدُ غايةٍ

أفي كل يومٍ أنت ناشدُ غايةٍ

يُظَنُّ بها مما تراوغك السحرُ

يُظَنُّ بها مما تراوغك السحرُ

Is it every day that you go seeking some end,

Do you seek a goal each day,

so that one might think, because of it, the dawns are dodging you?

thought to hold magic because of how it eludes you,

حريصٌ عليها إن يُلمَّ بها البلى

حريصٌ عليها إن يُلمَّ بها البلى

إذا كدَّرتها عندك المحنُ الغبر

إذا كدَّرتها عندك المحنُ الغبر

Eager for it, though decay may overtake it

eager for it, even if decay should touch it,

when dark trials have clouded it in your eyes.

when gloomy ordeals cloud it in your eyes?

وما الحرصُ إن لم تستقلَّ لك المنى

وما الحرصُ إن لم تستقلَّ لك المنى

بأسرارها أو يستتبَّ لك الأمر

بأسرارها أو يستتبَّ لك الأمر

What is striving, if hopes do not rise for you

And what use is eagerness, unless wishes rise for you

with their secrets, or your affairs do not come right?

with their secrets, or your affairs fall into place?

تمتَّعتَ من دنياكَ حتى تنكرت

تمتَّعتَ من دنياكَ حتى تنكرت

عليك وجوهُ العمر وانقلب العمر

عليك وجوهُ العمر وانقلب العمر

You took your pleasure from your world, until estranged from you

You enjoyed your world until they grew strange

were the faces of life, and life itself turned upside down;

to you—the faces of life—and life itself was overturned.

وحتى دعاك اليأس منها إلى الهدى

وحتى دعاك اليأس منها إلى الهدى

وليس الهدى إلا الحفيظةُ والذكر

وليس الهدى إلا الحفيظةُ والذكر

until despair of it called you to guidance—

And until despair of it called you toward guidance,

and guidance is nothing but zeal and remembrance.

and guidance is nothing but indignation and remembrance.

فهل فزتَ من غاياتها بسوى الأسى

فهل فزتَ من غاياتها بسوى الأسى

وكان الأسى ذخراً لو أن الأسى ذخر

وكان الأسى ذخراً لو أن الأسى ذخر

So have you won from all its ends anything but sorrow?

So have you gained from its goals anything but sorrow?

Sorrow would have been treasure, if sorrow could be treasured up.

And sorrow would be a treasure—if sorrow were a treasure.

حبتك المنى أسرارَها وتواطأَت

حبتك المنى أسرارَها وتواطأَت

لخدمتك الأيامُ وانقطع الغدر

لخدمتك الأيامُ وانقطع الغدر

Your hopes bestowed their secrets upon you; and together agreed—

Wishes granted you their secrets, and they conspired—

the days—to serve you, and betrayal came to an end.

the days—to serve you, and treachery ceased.

وعُدن كما أبدأنَ لا فيكَ مطمعٌ

وعُدن كما أبدأنَ لا فيكَ مطمعٌ

بهنَّ ولا فيهنَّ عرفٌ ولا نكر

بهنَّ ولا فيهنَّ عرفٌ ولا نكر

And they returned as they had begun: in you was no desire

And they returned as they began: no longing in you

for them, nor in them either kindness or wrong.

for them, and in them neither kindness nor wrongdoing.

فأنتَ وهُنَّ الأمسُ واليومُ بالمدى

فأنتَ وهُنَّ الأمسُ واليومُ بالمدى

قريبان لكن دون لقياهما الدهر

قريبان لكن دون لقياهما الدهر

Thus you and they—yesterday and today—across the span

So you and they are yesterday and today: in distance

are near, yet Time stands between the meeting of the two.

close, yet time itself bars their meeting.

لقد أتعبتك الحادثاتُ وأجهزت

لقد أتعبتك الحادثاتُ وأجهزت

عليكَ ولا خير بهنَّ ولا شر

عليكَ ولا خير بهنَّ ولا شر

Events have truly wearied you and moved in for the kill

Indeed, events have wearied you and dealt the final blow

against you; yet in them is neither good nor evil,

to you; there is neither good in them nor evil,

سوى ضيق صدر أثقلتك همومه

سوى ضيق صدر أثقلتك همومه

وأن الليالي لا يحيط بها الصدر

وأن الليالي لا يحيط بها الصدر

only a straitened breast whose cares have weighed you down,

save tightness of the breast, whose cares have weighed you down,

and that no breast can encompass the nights.

and that the breast cannot encompass the nights.

وأنت على الأيام تنشدُ راحةً

وأنت على الأيام تنشدُ راحةً

فيا جاهل الأيام راحتُكَ القبر

فيا جاهل الأيام راحتُكَ القبر

Yet through all the days you go on seeking repose;

And through the days you seek rest;

O you who know nothing of the days: your repose is the grave.

so, O you ignorant of the days, your rest is the grave.