لَو رَأى آدَمٌ فَتاهُ لَزالَ الـ

ـحِقدُ مِن قَلبِهِ عَلى حَوّاءِ

If Adam had seen his son, hatred

If Adam were to behold his descendant, the grudge

Would have vanished from his heart for Eve

Would vanish from his heart against Eve.

صَيَّرَ الأَرضَ جَنَّةً دونَها الجَنـ

ـنَةُ في الحُسنِ وَالبَها وَالرُواءِ

He would have made the earth a paradise, with beauty

For he has transformed the earth into a garden; the Paradise of old

And splendor and lushness beyond the Garden's

Falls short of it in beauty, splendor, and fairness.

ما أَظُنُّ النَعيمَ فيهِ الَّذي في الـ

ـأَرضِ مِن بَهجَةٍ وَمِن لَألاءِ

I don't think the bliss there

I do not think the bliss found therein holds the same

Equals the joy and radiance of earth

Joy and radiance found upon the earth.

كُلُّ ما في الوُجودِ لِلمَرءِ عَبدٌ

وَهوَ عَبدُ الشَهواتِ وَالأَهواءِ

Everything in existence is a slave to man

All that exists is but a servant to man,

Yet he is slave to passions and desires

While he is a slave to his lusts and whims.

كائِنٌ كُلُّ كائِنٍ حارَ فيهِ

فَهوَ حُلوٌ مُرٌّ وَدانٍ ناءِ

Every creature perplexed with being

A creature about whom every being is bewildered;

Is at times sweet and bitter and miserable

He is at once sweet and bitter, near and far.

وَهوَ طَوراً يَكونُ نِصفَ إِلَهٍ

وَهوَ طَوراً أَدنى مِنَ العَجماءِ

At times halfway divine

At times he appears to be half a god,

At others lower than a dumb beast

And at other times, lower than a beast.

عَجَباً كَيفَ طاعَهُ الطينُ وَالما

ءُ وَما كانَ غَيرَ طينٍ وَماءِ

Strange, that clay and water obeyed Him

It is a wonder how clay and water obeyed him,

Though He was naught but clay and water

When he himself was naught but clay and water.

سادَ في الكَونِ مِثلَما سادَ فيهِ

خالِقُ الكَونِ مُبدِعُ الأَشياءِ

He prevailed in the universe as none other

He has mastered the cosmos much as the One

The Creator of all, Maker of everything

Who created the cosmos and originated all things has mastered it.

فَهوَ في الماءِ سابِحٌ وَعَلى الغَبـ

ـراءِ ماشٍ وَطائِرٌ في الفَضاءِ

He swims in the sea, walks on dry land

So he is a swimmer in the waters, and upon the

And flies through the air

Dusty earth a walker, and a flyer in the vast expanse.

تَخِذَ الجَوَّ مَلعَباً ثُمَّ أَمسى

راكِضاً في الهَواءِ رَكضَ الهَواءِ

He took the atmosphere for a playground

He took the atmosphere for a playground, then became

Then raced through space faster than wind

A racer in the air, dashing with the wind.

فَهوَ فَوقَ السَحابِ يَحكيهِ في مَسـ

ـراهُ لَكِنَّهُ أَخو خُيَلاءِ

Above the clouds he chases them but

He is above the clouds, mimicking them in his course,

He is brother to the arrogant steeds

Though he travels with the bearing of pride.

وَهوَ بَينَ الطُيورِ تَحسَبُهُ العَنـ

ـقاءَ لَولا اِستِحالَةُ العَنقاءِ

Among the birds you'd think him a heron

Amidst the birds, you would deem him the Phoenix,

But for the heron's impossibility

Were it not that the Phoenix is a myth.

أَبصَرَتهُ فَأَكبَرَت أَن تَرى في ال

جَوِّ صَيّادَها عَلى الغَبراءِ

When they saw him they were too proud

They saw him and were awestruck to behold, in the

To see their hunter in the sky

Sky, he who hunted them upon the ground.

فَاِستَوى في قُلوبِها الذُعرُ حَتّى

كادَ يَحكي البَلاءَ خَوفُ البَلاءِ

Terror gripped them as if disaster

Terror settled evenly in their hearts, until

Had come, fear doubling the calamity

The fear of calamity nearly resembled calamity itself.

وَتَناجَت تَبغي النَجاةَ فِراراً

أَينَ أَينَ المَفَرُّ مِن ذا القَضاءِ

They conferred seeking escape, fleeing

They cried out to one another, seeking salvation in flight:

Where, where to flee the inevitable?

"Where, oh where, is the escape from this destiny?"

وَيحَ هَذي الطُيورِ تَجني عَلى المَو

تى وَتَرجو سِلماً مِنَ الأَحياءِ

Woe to these birds blaming the dead

Woe unto these birds! They prey upon the dead,

And hoping the living would be spared

Yet hope for peace from the living.

إِهبِطي أَو فَحَلِّقي أَو فَسيري

إِنَّما المُنتَهى إِلى الأَرزاءِ

Land or keep soaring, walk on

Descend, or soar high, or travel on;

For all paths lead to the burial ground

The ultimate end is but to misfortune.

وَهوَ بَينَ النُجومِ يَستَرِقُ السَم

عَ وَلا يَتَّقي رُجومَ السَماءِ

Among the stars he steals hearing

He is amongst the stars, eavesdropping on the heavens,

And fears no stoning from the heavens

And fearing not the stone-missiles of the sky.

مَشهَدٌ رَوَّعَ الدَراري فَباتَت

حائِراتٍ في القُبَّةِ الزَرقاءِ

A sight that startled the shining ones

A spectacle that terrified the shining stars, leaving them

And left them confused in the blue dome

Bewildered within the azure dome,

نافِراتٍ كَأَنَّها ظَبَياتٌ

رَأَتِ القانِصينَ في البَيداءِ

Shying like gazelles who see

Fleeing like gazelles that have

Hunters in the desert suddenly

Spotted hunters in the open desert,

سائِلاتٍ أَذا رَسولُ سَلامٍ

مِن بَني الأَرضِ أَم نَذيرُ فَناءِ

Asking, “Is he a messenger of peace

Asking: "Is this a messenger of peace

From earth's sons, or a bringer of doom?”

From the sons of Earth, or a harbinger of doom?"

هالَها أَن تَرى مِنَ الأُنسِ قَوماً

يَتَهادَونَ مِثلَها في الفَضاءِ

Dazed to see folk like themselves

It appalled them to see, among humankind, a folk

Strolling nonchalantly in space

Gliding as they do through the void.

فَرَأَيتَ الجَوزاءَ تَشكو الثُرَيّا

وَالثُرَيّا تَشكو إِلى الجَوزاءِ

You'd see the Pleiades complain to Orion

Thus you saw Gemini complaining to the Pleiades,

And Orion lament to the Pleiades:

And the Pleiades complaining to Gemini.

لا تُراعي يا شُهبُ مِنّا فَإِنّا

ما حَمَلنا إِلَيكِ غَيرَ الوَلاءِ

"O meteors, spare us, we only

"Do not fear us, O shooting stars, for we

Feel loyalty, no awe or dread."

Bear nothing towards you but friendship."

قَد كَرِهنا المُقامَ في الأَرضِ لَمّا

قيلَ إِنَّ السَما مَقَرُّ الهَناءِ

"We disliked earth when told

"We grew weary of dwelling upon the earth when

Heaven's the abode of bliss."

It was said that the sky is the abode of bliss."

إِنَّما شَوقُنا إِلَيكَ الَّذي أَسـ

ـرى بِنا لا الهِيامُ في الإِسراءِ

"Our longing for you drew us

"It is but our longing for you that has carried us aloft,

Not rapture with ascension."

Not a mere madness for the journey itself."

فَصِلينا نَزدَد غَراماً وَوَجداً

غَيرُ مُستَحسِنٍ كَثيرُ الإِباءِ

"Though we pray, ardour and fervor grow

"So grant us union, that we may increase in love and passion;

Despite the censurer's frequent rebukes."

Excessive refusal is not a virtue."

نَحنُ يا شُهبُ في حِماكِ ضُيوفٌ

وَجَميلٌ رِعايَةُ الغُرَباءِ

"We are your guests, O meteors,

"We, O stars, are guests within your sanctuary,

And hospitality graces hosts."

And the care of strangers is a beautiful deed."

أَكرِمي ذَلِكَ المُحَلِّقِ فَوقَ الـ

ـسُحبِ يُثني عَلَيكِ خَيرَ ثَناءِ

"Honor that flier above the clouds,

Honor him who hovers above the

Who praises you with excellent eulogy."

Clouds, who sings your praises in the finest tones.

وَأَنيري طَريقَهُ إِن دَجا اللَي

لُ وَدَبَّت عَقارِبُ الظَلماءِ

"Light his way when night falls

Illuminate his path when the night grows dark,

And the claws of darkness slash."

And the scorpions of darkness begin to creep.

صاغَكِ اللَهُ شُعلَةً مِن ضِياءٍ

وَبَرا المَرءَ شُعلَةً مِن ذَكاءِ

"God made you a torch of splendor

God fashioned you as a flame of light,

And the ideal man a torch of wisdom."

And He created man as a flame of intelligence.

تَخِذيهِ أَخاً يَكُن لَكِ عَوناً

كُلُّ نَفسٍ مُحتاجَةٌ لِلإِخاءِ

"Take him as a brother, a helper for you,

Take him as a brother; he will be an aid to you,

Every soul needs brotherhood."

For every soul stands in need of brotherhood.

لا تُفاخِر بِالواخِداتِ وَلا بِالـ

ـخَيلِ مِن أَدهَمٍ وَمِن شَهباءِ

"Do not boast of rare steeds

Boast no longer of the swift-trotting camels, nor of the

Of gorgeous bays or gray mares."

Horses, be they black or gray.

هانَ عَصرُ النِياقِ وَالراكِبيها

عِندَ عَصرِ البُخارِ وَالكَهرُباءِ

"The era of steeds and their riders has waned

The era of the she-camel and her riders has faded

In the age of steam and electricity."

Before the era of steam and electricity.