أطَلَّتِ الآلامُ من جُحْرِهِ
وَلُفَّتِ الأسْقامُ في طِمْرِهِ
Suffering crept out of its lair
And sickness coiled in its burrow
بُرْدَتُهُ الليل على بَرْدِه
وكِنُّهُ الْقَيْظُ على حَرِّه
Its chill blanketed the night with its chill
And its roast smothered the heat with its heat
مُشَرَّدٌ يَأوِي إلى هَمِّهِ
إذا أوَى الطيرُ إِلى وَكْرِه
A vagrant seeking refuge in his worries
When the birds take refuge in their nests
ما ذاق حُلْوَ اللثْم في خَدِّهِ
ولا حنانَ المَسِّ في شَعْرِهِ
He has not tasted the sweetness of a kiss on his cheek
Nor the tenderness of a touch in his hair
وَلاَ حَوَتْه الأمُّ في صَدْرِها
ولا أبٌ ناغاهُ في حِجْرِه
His mother did not cradle him in her chest
Nor did a father croon him in his lap
قد صَبَرَ النفْسَ على ما بها
وانتظَر الموعودَ من صَبْرِه
His soul has been patient with what it contains
And awaits the promised reward for its patience
البَطْنُ مهضومٌ طواه الطَّوَى
ونامَ أهلُ الأرضِ عن نَشْرِهِ
His belly is worn out, shrouded by agony
And the people of the land sleep heedless of his plight
والوجهُ لليأْسِ به نَظْرَةٌ
يَقذِفُها الْحِقْدُ على دَهْرِه
And his face conveys despair with a glance
That hatred casts upon the days of his life
جَرَّحه الدهرُ فمِنْ نَابِه
تلك الأخاديدُ ومن ظُفْره
Time has scarred him, from its sharpness
Are those wrinkles, and from its claws
قد كتب اللّهُ على خَدِّه
خَطّاً يَبِينُ البُؤُسُ في سَطْرِهِ
God has etched a line on his cheek
A clear mark of misery in its verse
وغار ضوءُ الحِسِّ من عَيْنهِ
وفرَّ لَمْحُ الأُنسِ من ثَغْرِه
The light has faded from his eyes
And the glint of companionship vanished from his smile
والبشرُ أين البِشْرُ وَيْحي له
يا رحمةَ اللّه على بِشْرِهِ
And people - where are the people? Woe to him!
O God's mercy upon His creation!
يجرُّ رِجْلَيْه بَطيء الْخُطَا
كالْجُعَلِ المكْدُودِ من جَرِّه
He drags his feet slowly
Like a worn out camel from its pulling
إِن نام أبْصرتَ به كُتْلَةً
تجمعُ ساقَيْهِ إلى نَحْرِه
If he sleeps, you see him as a mass
Drawing his legs up to his throat
احتَبَسَتْ أوَّاهُ في قَلْبِهِ
واختنقت ويْلاهُ في صَدْرِه
His groans are trapped in his heart
And his sorrows choked in his chest
وجفَّ ماءُ العَيْنِ في مُوقِها
ماذا أفَاد العينَ من هَمْرِه
The tears in his eyes have dried in their pits
What good did tears do him in his bitterness?
سالت به نَهراً على لُقْمةٍ
فعادَ كالسائلِ في نَهْره
They flowed from him like a river over a morsel
Yet he returned like one seeking water in a river
لا يَجِدُ المأوَى ولو رَامَهُ
أحالَهُ الدهر على قَبْره
He cannot find refuge even if he wanted it
Time has directed him to his grave
هناك يَثْوِي هادئاً آمِناً
من شَظَفِ العَيْشِ ومن وَعْرِه
There he will rest, calm and safe
From the disgrace of living and its hardship
فكم بصدر القَبْر من ضَجْعةٍ
أحنى من الدهر ومن نُكْرِهِ
For in the heart of the grave lies many a slumber
More bent than time's injustice and forgetfulness
مَتْعَبَةُ الإِنسانِ في حِسِّهِ
وشِقْوةُ الإِنسان من فِكْرِه
The weariness of man in his senses
And the misery of man from his thoughts
كيف يُرجَّى الصفْوُ من كَائنٍ
الْحمَأُ المسنونُ في ذَرِّه
How can purity be expected of a being
Whose particles are saturated with blemish?
لم يَسْمُ للأملاك في أوْجِهَا
ولا هَوَى للوَحْشِ في قَفْرِه
He did not name the angels in their faces
Nor did he desire beasts in their habitats
رام اللبابَ المَحْضَ من سَعْيِهِ
فلم يَنَلْ منه سِوَى قِشْرِه
He sought sincere wisdom in his quest
Yet obtained from it nothing but its rind
يسعَى وما يَدْرِي إلى نفعِهِ
سَعَى حَثِيثاً أم إِلى ضَرِّهِ
He strives without knowing what benefits him
Whether he strives vigorously or to his detriment
آمنتُ باللّه فكم عالِمٍ
أعجزه المحجوبُ من سِرِّه
I have believed in God, yet how many scholars
Has the unseen overwhelmed in its mystery?
اللّه في طِفْلٍ غزاهُ الضَّنَى
بأدْهَمِ الخَطْبِ ومُغْبَرِّه
God is in a child overcome by poverty
With dark sorrows and dusty rags
في ظُلُماتٍ مَوْجُها زاخرٌ
كأنّهُ ذو النُّونِ في بَحْرِهِ
In deep darkness, his face radiant
As if he were Jonah in his sea
والناسُ بالشاطىء من غافلٍ
أو ساخر أمْعَنَ في سُخْره
While the people on shore, heedless
Or mocking, persist in their ridicule
والمَوْجُ كالذُؤْبانِ حَوْلَ الفتى
يسدُّ أُذْنَ الأُفْقِ منْ زَأرِه
And the waves like wolves around the lad
Blocking the horizon with their howling
نادَى وما نادَى سوَى مَرَّةٍ
حتّى طواهُ اليَمُّ في غَمْرِه
He called out but called only once
Until the sea engulfed him in its depths
تظنُّه طِفْلاً فإن حقّقَتْ
عيناكَ لم تَعْثُرْ على عُشْرهِ
You'd think him a child, but if
Your eyes discerned, you'd find no trace of his youth
كأنَّه الشّكُّ إِذا ما مَشَى
أو ما يَرى النائمُ في ذُعْرِه
It's as if he were doubt, when it walks
Or what the sleeping sees in their nightmare
طَغَى به الجوعُ ففي دَمْعِهِ
ما فعلَ الجوعُ وفي نَبْرِه
Hunger has overwhelmed him, so in his tears
Is what hunger has done, and in his cry
واهاً لكفٍ لَصِقَتْ بالثرَى
وائْتَدَمَتْ بالبُؤْسِ من عَفْرِه
Woe to a palm stuck to the dirt
And bloodied by misery from its scraping
ماذا على الإحسانِ لو ردَّها
نَديْةَ الأطْرافِ من بِرِّهِ
What would kindness lose by returning it
As a gift of limbs in gratitude?
ماذا على الإِحسان لو ردَّها
رَطيبةَ الألْسُنِ من شُكره
What would kindness lose by returning it
As the sweetness of tongues in thanks?
كم بَسْمَةٍ أرسلَها مُحْسنٌ
أزْهَى من الروْضِ ومن زَهْرِه
How many smiles has a benefactor sent
More radiant than a meadow and its flowers?
ولُقْمةٍ سدَّتْ فما جائعاً
رجَّحَتِ المِيزانَ في حَشْره
And a morsel that has satiated the hungry
Tipping the scale in their favor in the reckoning?
ومِنَّةٍ كانت جَنَاحاً له
طارَ بهِ الذائعُ من ذِكْرِهِ
And a favor that has been like wings
By which good repute has spread from its mention?
ودَمْعةٍ يُذْرِفها مُشْفِقاً
أصْفَى من المَذْخُورِ من دُرِّه
And a tear shed in compassion
Purer than treasure from its essence?
لا تُزْهِرُ الجنةُ إِلاّ بما
يَسْفَحُه الباكِي على وِزْره
Paradise does not bloom except by what
The weeping sheds for their sins
لو عَرَفَ الإِنسانُ ما أجرُه
ما ضَنَّ بالنفْسِ على أَجْرِه
If man knew his reward
He would not begrudge his soul its wage
يبقَى قليلُ المالِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ
ويَذْهَبُ المالُ على كُثْرِهِ
Little wealth remains after him
While wealth leaves despite its abundance
بِيضُ أيادِي المرْءِ في قَومِهِ
أغْلَى من البِيضِ ومن صُفْرِه
The whiteness of a man's hands among his people
Is more precious than ivory and its yellowness
والحُرُّ لا يَنْعَمُ في وَفْرِه
حتى يَنالَ الأحْداثُ عن قَدْرِه
And the free man does not enjoy in his abundance
Until the youths attain what befits their merit
والناسُ كالماءِ فمن ضَحْحضَحٍِ
ومن عَميقٍ حِرْتُ في سَبْرِه
And people are like water, so from the shallow
And from the deep, I struggled in its measurement
ليس الذي يُنْفِقُ من يُسْرِه
مِثْلَ الذي يُنْفِقُ من عُسْره
It is not one who spends from his ease
Like one who spends from his hardship
كم دِرْهَمٍ أُلْقِيَ في سِجْنِهِ
ولم يَنَلْ عَفْواً مَدَى عُمْرِه
How many coins have been thrown in his prison
Yet he did not attain pardon in his lifetime?
لم يَرَ حُسْنَ الصُّبحِ في شَمْسِه
ولا جَمالَ الليلِ في بَدْرِه
He did not see the beauty of dawn in its sun
Nor the splendor of night in its moon
يطْمَعُ وَخْزُ الجوعِ في وَصْلِهِ
ويُرْسِلُ الزَّفْراتِ من هَجْرِهِ
He craves the sting of hunger in his stomach
And unleashes sighs from its separation
والمالُ كالْخَمْرِ إذا ما طَغَى
ضاقت فِجَاجُ الأرضِ عن شَرِّه
And wealth is like wine, if it runs wild
The expanses of earth tighten from its evil
متى يَهُبُّ العقلُ من نَوْمِه
أو يستفيقُ المالُ من سُكْرِه
When will the mind awaken from its slumber?
Or wealth sober up from its drunkenness?
متى أَرَى النفسَ وقد أُطْلِقَتْ
من رِبْقَةِ المالِ ومن أسْرِه
When will I see the soul freed
From the shackles of money and its captivity?
متى أرَى الْحُبَّ كضَوْءِ الضُّحَى
كُلُّ امْرِىءٍ يَسْبَحُ في طُهْرِه
When will I see love like the dawn’s glow
With each person swimming in their purity?
متى أرَى الناسَ وقد نُزِّهُوا
عن شَرَهِ الذئبِ وعن غَدْرِه
When will I see people purified
Of the wolf's evil and its betrayal?
أُخُوَّةُ الغُصْنِ إِلى صِنْوِهِ
وبَسْمَةُ الزهْرِ إِلى قَطْرِهِ
A branch's kinship to its origin
And a flower's smile towards its rain
ورَحْمَةٌ رَفّافَةٌ لم تَدَعْ
قلْباً يُوارِي النارَ في صَخْرِهِ
And a gentle kindness that did not leave
A heart that conceals fire in its stone
لا يُحْسَدُ الجاهُ على مالِه
أو يُنْهَرُ الْبُؤْسُ على فَقْرِهِ
Status is not envied for its money
Nor is poverty blamed for its lack
كم شارِدٍ في مِصْرَ يا كُثْرَه
من عَدَدٍ يَسْخُر مِنْ حَصْرِه
How many astray in Egypt, O its abundance!
From a number that mocks its count
ذَخِيرةُ الأمة أبناؤها
ماذا أفادَ النيلُ من ذُخْرِه
A nation's treasure is its children
What use was the Nile with its reserves?
ماذا أفادَ النيلُ من ساعدٍ
أسْرَعَ مِنْ ضِغْثٍ إِلى كَسْرِه
What use was the Nile of an arm
Quick to break more than a twig?
وأَرْجلٍ أوْهَنَ من هَمْسةٍ
ومن نسيم الصبح في مَرِّه
And legs weaker than a whisper
And the morning breeze in its passing
ومن فتاةٍ فَجْرُها لَيْلُها
ومن غُلامٍ ضَلَّ في فَجْرِه
And a girl whose dawn is her night
And a boy who strays in his youth
ألْقَتْهُ مِصْرٌ هَمَلاً ضائعاً
فصال يَبْغِي الثارَ مِن مِصْرِهِ
Egypt discarded him, lost and confused
So he parted seeking vengeance from Egypt
غاصَ من الآثامِ في آسِنٍ
يَكرَعُ مِلْءَ الفَمِ من مُرِّه
Plunged in sins up to his throat
Swallowing a mouthful of its bitterness
أسرَى من الليل وأمْضَى يَداً
من عَبَثِ الليل ومن مَكْرِه
Taken by the night and passing a hand
In the night's frivolity and its cunning
كم ضاق من شِقْوَته عَصْرُهُ
وضاق بالسُّخْطِ على عَصْرِه
How narrow his time felt from his misery
And narrow from anger at his time
شَجاً بِحَلْقِ الوَطَنِ الْمُفْتَدَى
وشَوْكَةٌ كالنَّصْلِ في ظَهْرِه
Thorn in the throat of the ransomed homeland
And a prick like a blade in its back
مدْرَسةُ النشْلِ وَسَلِّ المُدَى
أسَّسَها الشيْطانُ في جُحرِه
The school of decadence and wasted influence
The devil established it in his den
إذا هَوَى الْخُلق وضاع الحِجَا
فكلُّ شَيْءٍ ضاع في إثْرِه
When morals fall, pillars collapse
And everything collapses thereafter
من يُصْلِح الأُسْرةَ يصْلِحْ بها
ما دَمَّرَ الإِفسادُ في قُطْرِهِ
Who reforms the family reforms through it
What corruption ruined in its region
جنايةُ الوالدِ نَبْذُ ابنهِ
في عُسْرِه إنْ كان أو يُسْرِه
A father's crime is discarding his son
In hardship, whether ease or strain
لا تَتْرُكُ الذِئْبَةُ أجْراءَها
ولا يغيبُ الكلبُ عن وَجْرِه
The she-wolf does not abandon her cubs
Nor does the dog stray from its lair
البَيْتُ صَحْراءُ إذا لم تَجِدْ
طفُولةً تَمْرَحُ في كِسْرِه
A home is a desert when you do not find
Childhood frolicking in its courtyard
فعاقبوا الآباءَ إنْ قصَّروا
لابُدَّ للسادِرِ من زَجْرِه
So punish the fathers if they fall short
The disobedient must be deterred
وأنقذوا الطفْلَ فما ذَنْبُه
إِنْ جَمَحَ الوالدُ في خُسْرِه
And rescue the child, for what is his sin
If the father is foolish in his loss?
رَبُّوهُ يَنْمو ثَمَراً طيِّباً
لا ييأسُ الزراعُ من بَذْرِهِ
Raise him, and he will grow good fruit
The farmer does not despair of his seed
وعلِّموهُ عَملاً صالحاً
يَشُدُّ إن كافَحَ من أَزْرِه
And teach him righteous work
To support him if he struggles with his burden
ربُّوه في الريفِ لعلَّ القرَى
تُصْلِحُ ما أَعْضَلَ من أمْرِه
Raise him in the countryside, perhaps the villages
Will reform what went awry in his affair
النفْسُ مِرْآةٌ وغُصْنُ النَّقَا
يَطيبُ أو يَخْبُثُ من جذْرِه
The soul is a mirror, and the sapling of growth
Will be purified or tainted from its root
لعلّ هَمْسَ الغُصنِ في أُذْنِه
يُنْسِيهِ ما أضْمَرَ من ثَأْرِه
Perhaps the whisper of the branch in his ear
Will make him forget what he harbored of resentment
لعلّ أنْفاسَ نسيم الرُّبا
في صَدْرِه تُبْرِدُ من جَمْرِه
Perhaps the breaths of the meadow's breeze
In his chest will cool the embers within
النيلُ يستنجِدُ مُسْتَنْصِراً
فأَسْرعوا الْخَطْوَ إلى نَصْرِه
The Nile calls for help seeking aid
So quicken your steps to its victory
لا يذهبُ المعروفُ في لُجَّةٍ
ولا يَكُفُّ الْمِسْكُ عن نَشْرِه
Kindness does not vanish into the depths
Nor does musk cease its diffusion
