بدا لعيني تاعس ناعس

بدا لعيني تاعس ناعس

على الثرى في الصبح بالي الثياب

على الثرى في الصبح بالي الثياب

A wretched, drowsy man appeared before my eyes,

My eyes saw a wretched, gloomy man

A miserable, drowsy figure appeared before my eyes,

On the earth at dawn, in threadbare clothes;

Lying on the ground in the morning, his clothes tattered

Upon the damp earth at dawn, in tattered clothes,

جاث على الرجلين جاني الحشى

جاث على الرجلين جاني الحشى

والظهر هاوي الجسم ذاوي الشباب

والظهر هاوي الجسم ذاوي الشباب

Crouched on his legs, hunched at the belly,

Crouching on his knees, his ribs protruding

Crouching on his knees, with entrails wrung by pain,

And back, his body drooping, his youth withered.

His back hunched, his youth gone

With a bent back, a falling body, and withered youth.

فهاج من حزني ومن

فهاج من حزني ومن

كما يهيج النار عود الثقاب

كما يهيج النار عود الثقاب

So it stirred some of my sorrow, and some of—

So I was roused to sorrow and grief

It stirred up my sorrow and my anguish,

As a matchstick rouses fire.

Like fire kindles a flint stone

Just as a matchstick kindles a fire.

ورحت من شعر إلى عبرة

ورحت من شعر إلى عبرة

والشعر والعبرة جهد المصاب

والشعر والعبرة جهد المصاب

And I passed from verse to tears;

And I went from verse to tears

I turned from poetry to weeping,

Verse and tears are all the afflicted can muster.

For verse and tears express the pain of the afflicted

For poetry and tears are the utmost effort of the afflicted.

وقمت أدعوه على رأسه

وقمت أدعوه على رأسه

لعلني أحظى ببعض الجواب

لعلني أحظى ببعض الجواب

I stood by his head, calling to him,

I stood over him and called out

I stood over him, calling out to him,

Hoping to receive some answer.

Hoping for some response

Hoping I might receive some reply:

يا أيها الأوي إلى حفرة

يا أيها الأوي إلى حفرة

فى سفح طود عند ملقى الشعاب

فى سفح طود عند ملقى الشعاب

O you who take shelter in a hollow,

O you lying in a grave

"O you who seeks shelter in a hollow,

At a mountain's foot, where ravines meet;

On a hillside where the torrents flow

At the mountain's foot, where the ravines meet,

يا أيها الهاوي على وجهه

يا أيها الهاوي على وجهه

تحت أديم الجو فوق التراب

تحت أديم الجو فوق التراب

O you who have fallen upon your face,

O you fallen on your face

O you who lies prostrate upon your face,

Beneath the sky's skin, above the dust;

Under the canopy of sky over dust

Beneath the open sky and upon the dust,

يا أيها الملتم في طمره

يا أيها الملتم في طمره

 كالقنفذ انهالت عليه الكلاب

كالقنفذ انهالت عليه الكلاب

O you huddled in your ragged garment,

O you buried in your grave

O you, curled up within your rags,

Like a hedgehog set upon by dogs;

Like a hedgehog fallen upon by dogs

Like a hedgehog besieged by hounds,

هون من الغم عليك فما أحسـ

هون من الغم عليك فما أحسـ

ـب إلا منه هذا الضباب

ـب إلا منه هذا الضباب

Ease your grief, for I do not sup-

Be gentle in your grief, do not assume

Ease the burden of your grief, for I reckon

-pose this haze comes from anything else.

This is merely fog

That this heavy fog arises from nothing else.

أنومك الآن خدل لنا

أنومك الآن خدل لنا

أم لك أم أنك صلب الإهاب؟

أم لك أم أنك صلب الإهاب؟

Does your sleep now fail us,

Does sleep now deceive us

Is your sleep now due to numbness,

Or you—or are you tough-skinned?

Or are you tough, unyielding?

Or is it that your skin has turned to stone?

لا تفعل الأحجار ما نمت في

لا تفعل الأحجار ما نمت في

 جنبك والأحجار صم صلاب

جنبك والأحجار صم صلاب

Even stones do not act as you do, sleeping on

Rocks do not act as you do

Even stones would not endure the state in which you sleep,

Your side, though stones are deaf and hard.

And rocks are hard and stubborn

Resting on your side, though stones are deaf and hard.

هل أنت إلا بشر مثلنا

هل أنت إلا بشر مثلنا

أم أنت جن زال عنك الحجاب

أم أنت جن زال عنك الحجاب

Are you not simply a human like us,

Are you anything but a mortal like us

Are you not a human being like us?

Or a jinn from whom the veil has fallen?

Or are you a jinn relieved of your veil?

Or are you a spirit from whom the veil has been lifted?

لا بل فقير لم تجد رحمة

لا بل فقير لم تجد رحمة

عند ذوي (الفيلات) ذات القباب

عند ذوي (الفيلات) ذات القباب

No, rather a poor man; you found no mercy

No, just a poor man who found no mercy

No, you are a pauper who found no mercy

Among the owners of domed villas.

In the houses of the wealthy with domed roofs

At the hands of those with domed villas.

بطونهم ملأى وأكياسهم

بطونهم ملأى وأكياسهم

وأنت خاوي البطن خالي الوطاب

وأنت خاوي البطن خالي الوطاب

Their bellies are full, and their purses too,

Their bellies are filled and purses overflowing

Their bellies and their purses are full,

While your belly is hollow, your milk-skins empty.

While yours is empty, devoid of food

While your stomach is hollow and your vessels are empty.

ونومهم طاب وإحساسهم

ونومهم طاب وإحساسهم

وأنت مرتاع بقفر يباب

وأنت مرتاع بقفر يباب

Their sleep is sweet, and their feelings too,

Their sleep is sweet, their senses calm

Their sleep is sweet, and their senses pleased,

While you are frightened in a desolate wilderness.

While you lie anxious in a desolate place

While you lie terrified in a desolate wasteland.

طواك عسف الدهر في حفرة

طواك عسف الدهر في حفرة

بجانب الطود كطي الكتاب

بجانب الطود كطي الكتاب

Fate's tyranny folded you into a hollow,

Fate has crushed you in a grave

The tyranny of fate has folded you into a pit,

Beside the mountain, like a rolled scroll.

Beside a hill, like a folded book

Beside the mountain, just as one closes a book.

أقمت فيها سائر اليوم في

أقمت فيها سائر اليوم في

ضنى وفقر وعنا واكتئاب

ضنى وفقر وعنا واكتئاب

You stayed there all day in

Where you have stayed all day in

You remained there all through the day,

Suffering, poverty, hardship, and dejection,

Distress, poverty, misery and melancholy

In emaciation, poverty, hardship, and gloom.

حتى إذا آن أوان الكرى

حتى إذا آن أوان الكرى

وصار جنح الليل مثل الغراب

وصار جنح الليل مثل الغراب

Until, when the hour of sleep arrived,

Until the time of nightfall came

Until, when the time for slumber arrived,

And night's darkness became like a raven,

And the wings of night spread like a raven

And the wing of night became black as a raven,

غضضت من عينيك مستغفيا

غضضت من عينيك مستغفيا

والسهد في عينيك قطر مذاب

والسهد في عينيك قطر مذاب

You lowered your eyes, seeking to doze,

I bid farewell, tears flowing from your eyes

You closed your eyes, seeking sleep,

While sleeplessness in your eyes was molten copper;

The wakefulness in your eyes a melted bead

While insomnia burned in your eyes like molten lead.

وملت مثل القوس موتورة

وملت مثل القوس موتورة

بنبلها مشهورة للضراب

بنبلها مشهورة للضراب

And you bent like a strung bow,

And you curled up like a bow, its string cut

You bent yourself like a strung bow,

With its arrows, brandished for combat,

Famous for shooting arrows

Drawn tight with arrows, ready to strike.

منكس العنق إلى الأرض من

منكس العنق إلى الأرض من

همك والهم مذل الرقاب

همك والهم مذل الرقاب

Your neck bowed toward the earth by

Head bowed to the earth in sorrow

With your neck bowed toward the earth from

Your worries—and worry humbles necks.

And sorrow humiliates necks

Your burden—for sorrow humbles even the proudest necks.

كأنما ليلك عيش امرىء

كأنما ليلك عيش امرىء

منذر قوم ما لهم من متاب

منذر قوم ما لهم من متاب

As though your night were the life of a man

As if your night were the life of a man

It is as if your night is the life of a man

Warning a people for whom there is no repentance;

Who warned his people but they had no shelter

Warning a people who have no way to repent.

كأنما عينك في سهدها

كأنما عينك في سهدها

عين علينا راصد كل باب

عين علينا راصد كل باب

As though your eye, in its sleeplessness,

As if the wakefulness in your eyes

As if your eye, in its wakefulness,

Were a spying eye upon us, watching every door.

Were eyes watching over us, guarding every door

Is a watchman over us, guarding every door.

شاهدت من شخصك ما راعني

شاهدت من شخصك ما راعني

ونالني منه أسى واضطراب

ونالني منه أسى واضطراب

I saw in your person what appalled me,

I saw in your figure something which startled me

I saw in your figure something that terrified me,

And it brought me grief and agitation.

And caused me grief and turmoil

And I was seized by sorrow and unrest.

أبعد ما روعتني مصبحا

أبعد ما روعتني مصبحا

يلذ لي الطعم ويحلو الشراب

يلذ لي الطعم ويحلو الشراب

After you alarmed me this morning,

After I was alarmed in the morning

After you startled me at dawn,

Can food delight me and drink taste sweet?

When flavor pleased me and drink was sweet

Can food still delight me, or drink taste sweet?

أقسمت ما في العيش من راحة

أقسمت ما في العيش من راحة

سوى منى خلابة كالسراب

سوى منى خلابة كالسراب

I swear there is no comfort in life

I swore there is no comfort in life

I swear, there is no comfort in this life,

Except beguiling hopes, like a mirage.

Except what comes from me, a mirage

Save for beguiling hopes, elusive as a mirage.

والناس ويح الناس في وقفة

والناس ويح الناس في وقفة

أو جيئة حول المنى أو ذهاب

أو جيئة حول المنى أو ذهاب

And people—woe to people!—are at a standstill,

Oh people! The people standing

And people—woe to people!—are stuck in a halt,

Or coming round their hopes, or going away.

Or coming and going around hopes, how fickle!

Or pacing back and forth around their desires.

والنفس فيهم حكمت فهي لا

والنفس فيهم حكمت فهي لا

تفتأ تدعوهم إلى كل عاب

تفتأ تدعوهم إلى كل عاب

And the self rules them, and it never

And the self judges them so it does not

The ego governs them, so it never ceases

Ceases calling them to every vice.

Cease calling them to every fault

To summon them toward every shameful deed.

أما إذا أمعنت في مكرهم

أما إذا أمعنت في مكرهم

فإنه والله شيء عجاب

فإنه والله شيء عجاب

But if you probe their deceit,

But when I think on their schemes

If you look closely at their deception,

It is, by God, an astonishing thing:

By God, it is an amazing thing

It is, by God, a truly astonishing thing.

مكر يحاكي الصدق في وضعه

مكر يحاكي الصدق في وضعه

وباطل منهم يحاكي الصواب

وباطل منهم يحاكي الصواب

Deceit that imitates truth in its form,

A scheme resembling truth in its making

Deceit that mimics truth in its guise,

And their falsehood imitates what is right.

Yet falsehood from them mimics right

And falsehood from them that mimics the right.

لولا الهدى من بعض أهل الهدى

لولا الهدى من بعض أهل الهدى

أقسمت ما في الناس إلا الذئاب

أقسمت ما في الناس إلا الذئاب

Were it not for guidance from some of the rightly guided,

If not for guidance from some guided people

Were it not for the virtue of a righteous few,

I would swear that among people there are only wolves.

I swear there would be nothing in people but wolves

I would swear that among men there are only wolves.

هل آن لي الظعن فقد ضاق بي

هل آن لي الظعن فقد ضاق بي

مكثي على رغمي بهذا اليباب؟

مكثي على رغمي بهذا اليباب؟

Is it time for me to depart? I am stifled by

Is it time for me to assail? For staying

Is it time for me to depart? For I am constrained

My stay, against my will, in this wasteland.

Despite myself in this wasteland vexes me

By remaining against my will in this desolation.

كيف يطيب العيش في معشر

كيف يطيب العيش في معشر

شدوا عن المسكين فضل النصاب؟

شدوا عن المسكين فضل النصاب؟

How can life be pleasant among a people

How can life be sweet among a people

How can life be pleasant among a people

Who withhold from the poor their surplus beyond the prescribed minimum?

Who have denied the needy even scraps?

Who withhold the rightful share from the destitute?

كأنهم ليس لهم ذمة

كأنهم ليس لهم ذمة

وليس فيهم مؤمن بالحساب

وليس فيهم مؤمن بالحساب

As though they had no moral obligation,

It is as if they have no covenant

As if they possess no honor,

And none among them believed in the Reckoning.

And no belief in the Reckoning

And not one among them believes in the Day of Reckoning.

يا أيها المثرون هبوا إلى

يا أيها المثرون هبوا إلى

إسعاف أهل الفقر فالفقر ناب

إسعاف أهل الفقر فالفقر ناب

O wealthy ones, rise to

O you who hoard, come to

O you wealthy ones, rise up to

Aid the poor, for poverty has struck,

Aid the poor, for poverty brings ruin

Aid the poor, for poverty is a piercing fang

ونال من إخوانكم واحتوى

ونال من إخوانكم واحتوى

عليهم والفقر أس الخراب

عليهم والفقر أس الخراب

And harmed your brothers, and taken hold

And has afflicted your brothers, overwhelming them

That has seized your brothers and engulfed

Of them; poverty is the foundation of ruin.

For poverty destroys all things

Them completely—for poverty is the root of all ruin."