أَنا مَن أَنا يا تُرى في الوُجودِ

وَما هُوَ شَأني وَما مَوضِعي

Who am I in this existence, I wonder

Who am I, I wonder, in this vast existence?

And what is my status and position?

What is my purpose, and what is my place?

أَنا قَطرَةٌ لَمَعَت في الضُحى

قَليلاً عَلى ضِفَّةِ المَشرَعِ

I am a droplet that gleamed at dawn

I am a droplet that glistened in the morning light,

Briefly on the bank of the stream

Resting briefly upon the river's bank,

سَيَأتي عَلَيها المَساءُ فَتَغدو

كَأَن لَم تَرَقرَق وَلم تَلمَعِ

Evening will come upon it and it will become

Evening will descend upon it, and it will become

As if it had not glittered nor shone

As if it never shimmered and never shone.

أَنا نَغمَةٌ وَقَّعَتها الحَياةُ

لِمَن قَد يَعي وَلِمن لا يَعي

I am a melody placed by life

I am a melody played by the hand of life,

For one who may perceive and one who may not

For he who understands and he who does not.

سَيَمشي عَلَيها السُكوتُ فَتُمسي

كَأَن لَم تَمُرَّ عَلى مِسمَعِ

Silence will walk upon it and it will become

Silence will tread upon it, and it will fade

As if it had not passed by a hearing

As if it never passed across a hearing ear.

أَنا شَبَحٌ راكِضٌ مُسرِعٌ

مَعَ الزَمَنِ الراكِضِ المُسرِعِ

I am a phantom running hastily

I am a phantom running in haste,

With time that runs hastily

Alongside time, which races and speeds.

سَيُرخي عَلَيهِ السِتارُ وَيُخفي

كَأَن لم يَجِدَّ وَلَم يَهطَعِ

The curtain will be drawn over it and conceal

The curtain will fall upon him and conceal him,

As if it had not trotted nor dashed about

As if he never strove nor hurried on his way.

أَنا مَوجَةٌ دَفَعَتها الحَياةُ

إِلى أَوسَعٍ فَإِلى أَوسَعِ

I am a wave pushed by life

I am a wave propelled by life,

Toward wider and still wider

Into the vastness, and ever wider still,

سَتَنحَلُّ في الشَطِّ عَمّا قَليلٍ

كَأَن لَم تَدَفَّع وَلَم تُدفَعِ

It will dissolve in the shore after a little while

It will soon dissolve upon the shore,

As if it had not been pushed nor pushed

As if it never surged nor was driven forth.

فَيا قَلبُ لا تَغتَرِر بِالشَبابِ

وَيا نَفسُ بِالخُلدِ لا تَطمَعي

So, O heart, be not deluded by youth

O heart, do not be deceived by youth,

And O soul, do not aspire to immortality

And O soul, do not covet immortality,

فَإِنَّ الكُهولَةَ تَمضي كَما

تَوَلّى الشَبابُ وَلَم يَرجُعِ

For old age will pass just as

For old age passes just as

Youth turned away and did not return

Youth departed and returned no more.

وَلَكِنَّ فيها جَمالاً بَديعاً

وَفيها حَنينٌ إِلى الأَبدَعِ

But in it there is a wondrous beauty

Yet within it lies a wondrous beauty,

And in it there is a yearning for the most creative

And within it, a longing for the most sublime.

وَمَن لا يَرى الحُسنَ في ما يَراهُ

فَما هُوَ بِالرَجُلِ الأَلمَعي

And whoever does not see beauty in what he sees

And he who sees no beauty in what he beholds,

Is not the most radiant man

Is truly not a man of wisdom or wit.

بَني وَطَني مَن أَنا في الوُجودِ

وَما هُوَ شَأني وَما مَوضِعي

My homeland, who am I in existence

O sons of my homeland, who am I in this existence?

And what is my status and position?

What is my purpose, and what is my place?

أَنا أَنتُم إِن ضَحِكتُم لِأَمرٍ

ضَحِكتُ وَأَدمُعُكُم أَدمُعي

I am you - if you laugh at something

I am you; if you laugh at something,

I laugh, and if you cry, I cry

I laugh, and your tears are my very own.

وَمُطرِبُ أَرواحِكُم مُطرِبي

وَموجِعُ أَكبادِكُم موجِعي

And whatever gladdens your souls gladdens me

That which delights your souls delights mine,

And whatever pains your livers pains me

And what pains your hearts is my pain too.

أَما نَحنُ مِن مَصدَرٍ واحِدٍ

أَلَسنا جَميعاً إِلى مَرجِعِ

Are we not from one source

Do we not spring from a single source?

Are we not all bound for one destination?

Are we not all bound for one return?

رَفَعتُم مُقامي وَأَعلَيتُموهُ

لَما قَد صَنَعتُ وَلَم أَصنَعِ

You raised my status and exalted it

You have raised my station and elevated it,

For what I have done and not done

For what I have achieved, and what I have not.

أَحَقُّ بِإِكرامِكُم طائِرٌ

يُغَرِّدُ في الرَوضِ وَالبَلقَعِ

Is a bird that chirps in the garden and meadow

More deserving of your honor is a bird,

More deserving of your honor?

That sings in the lush garden and the wasteland alike.

وَأَولى بِهِ كَوكَبٌ طالِعٌ

عَلى سُهَّدٍ وَعَلى هُجَّعِ

Or a rising star

And more worthy of it is a rising star,

Over beds and resting places?

Shining upon the sleepless and the sleeping.

أَنا واحِدٌ مِنكُمُ يا نُجومُ

بِلادي مَتى تَسطَعوا أَسطُعِ

I am but one of you, O stars

I am but one of you, O stars of my land,

Whenever you shine, I shine

When you shine forth, I too shall shine.

فَمَن قامَ يَمدَحُني بَينَكُم

فَقَد تُمدَحُ الكَفُّ بِالإِصبَعِ

So whoever praises me amongst you

So whoever among you stands to praise me,

Has praised the palm by the finger

It is but the finger praising the hand.

وَما الغَيثُ غَيرُ الخِضَمِّ وَلَيسَ

الغَديرُ سِوى السُحُبِ الهَمَّعِ

And rain is naught but clouds

The rain is nothing but the vast ocean, and

Nor is a stream but billowing clouds

The stream is nothing but the pouring clouds.

فَلَولاكُم لَم أَكُن بِالخَطيبِ

وَلا الشاعِرِ الساحيرِ المُبدِعِ

Without you, I would not have been the orator

Were it not for you, I would be no orator,

Nor the sorcerer poet creating masterpieces

Nor the enchanting, creative poet.

أَنا الآنَ في سَكرَةٍ لا أَعي

فَيا لَيتَني دائِماً لا أَعي

I am now in an intoxication I do not comprehend

I am now in a trance where I know nothing;

Oh, would that I always do not comprehend!

Oh, how I wish to remain forever unaware!

فَذي لَيلَةٌ بِجَميعِ الزَمانِ

إِذا كانَ في الدَهرِ مَن أَجمَعِ

This is a night with all of time

For this is a night worth all of time,

If there was one who gathered it in time

If time can indeed be gathered into one.

فَيا أَيُّها اللَيلُ بِاللَهِ قِف

وَأَيُّها الصُبحُ لا تَطلُعِ

O night, for God's sake, stop!

O Night, by God, stand still!

And O dawn, do not rise!

And O Dawn, do not rise!

إِذا كُنتُ قَد بِنتُ عَن مَربَعي

فَإِنّي وَجَدتُ بِكُم مَربَعي

If I have built beyond my square

If I have departed from my home,

I have found my square in you

I have surely found my home in you.

يَميناً سَأَحمِلُ في أَضلُعي

هَواكُم ما بَقِيَت أَضلُعي

To my right I will carry in my ribs

I swear, I shall carry within my ribs

Your love for as long as I have ribs

Your love, as long as my ribs remain.

وَأَشكُرُكُم بِلِسانِ النَسائِمِ

وَالرَوضِ وَالجَدوَلِ المُترَعِ

And I thank you with the tongue of the breezes

And I will thank you with the tongue of the breezes,

And of the garden and the flowing stream

And the gardens, and the overflowing stream.

فَلا عُذرَ لِلطَيرِ إِمّا رَأى

جَمالَ الرَبيعِ وَلَم يَسجَعِ

So there is no excuse for a bird if it sees

For the bird has no excuse, when it sees

The beauty of spring and does not warble

The beauty of spring, if it does not sing.

إِذا لَم أَكُن مَعَكُم في غَدٍ

فَإِنّي سَأَمضي وَأَنتُم مَعي

If tomorrow I am not with you

If I am not with you tomorrow,

Then I will go while you are with me

I shall depart, but you will be with me.