الأرضٌ للناسِ بحر

الأرضٌ للناسِ بحر

والمرءُ فيها سفينهْ

والمرءُ فيها سفينهْ

The earth is a sea for humankind,

The earth is an ocean for mankind

and man is a ship upon it.

And man in it is a ship

والمرأةُ النار والري

والمرأةُ النار والري

حُ شدَّةٌ ثم لِينهْ

حُ شدَّةٌ ثم لِينهْ

And woman is fire and the wind:

Woman is fire and tenderness

fierce, then gentle.

First intensity, then softness

والعمرُ نهرٌ ترى من

والعمرُ نهرٌ ترى من

حوادثِ الدهرِ طينهْ

حوادثِ الدهرِ طينهْ

And life is a river; you see, from

And life is a river you see in it

time's vicissitudes, its mud.

The mud of the vicissitudes of fate

وشاطئاهُ قرينٌ

وشاطئاهُ قرينٌ

قد قابلتهُ قرينهْ

قد قابلتهُ قرينهْ

And its two banks: a male companion,

Its shores a mate

faced by a female companion.

Who has met its mate

ولمْ تزلْ عَلِمَ اللّ

ولمْ تزلْ عَلِمَ اللّ

هُ مرآةَ المرءِ دونهْ

هُ مرآةَ المرءِ دونهْ

And she has always been—God knows—

The knowledge of God has always been

man's mirror, beneath him.

The mirror of man's essence

هذا تُشادُ بهِ الدا

هذا تُشادُ بهِ الدا

رُ وهي للدارِ زينهْ

رُ وهي للدارِ زينهْ

Through this man the house is built,

This adorns the house

and she is the house's adornment.

And it is the beauty of the home