عَقْدَانِ مِنْ زَمَنِي أُقَاسِي دُونَمَا

عَقْدَانِ مِنْ زَمَنِي أُقَاسِي دُونَمَا

أَمَلٍ يُوَاسِينِي وَنَحْسِي لاَ يَلِينْ

أَمَلٍ يُوَاسِينِي وَنَحْسِي لاَ يَلِينْ

For two decades of my life I have suffered without

Two decades of my life I endure hardship without

Hope to console me, and my ill fortune will not relent.

Any solace to console me, and my ill fortune does not abate

أَسْعَى لِنَيْلِ وَسِيلَةٍ أَحْيَا بِهَا

أَسْعَى لِنَيْلِ وَسِيلَةٍ أَحْيَا بِهَا

وَأُزِيحُ جُوعاً كَافِراً يَا مُؤْمِنِينْ

وَأُزِيحُ جُوعاً كَافِراً يَا مُؤْمِنِينْ

I strive to obtain a means by which to live,

I strive to find a means by which I might live

And drive away a godless hunger, O believers.

And banish the ungrateful hunger, O you who believe!

العَقْلُ فِي كَفَّيَّ أَضْحَى وَاجِماً

العَقْلُ فِي كَفَّيَّ أَضْحَى وَاجِماً

وَالعَهْدُ قَدْ أَعْيَاهُ خَذْلُ النَّاكِثِينْ

وَالعَهْدُ قَدْ أَعْيَاهُ خَذْلُ النَّاكِثِينْ

Reason in my two palms has grown silent with grief,

Reason in my hands has become mute

And the covenant has been exhausted by the betrayal of oath-breakers.

And the covenant, the perfidy of oath-breakers has exhausted

يَتَضَاحَكُونَ إِذَا الْتَقَوْا بِنَوَائِبِي

يَتَضَاحَكُونَ إِذَا الْتَقَوْا بِنَوَائِبِي

وَأَنَا بِهَمِّي نَازِفاً أُحْصِي السِّنِينْ

وَأَنَا بِهَمِّي نَازِفاً أُحْصِي السِّنِينْ

They laugh together when they encounter my misfortunes,

They laugh together when they meet my misfortunes

And I, bleeding with my sorrow, count the years.

While I, my cares bleeding, count out the years

كَمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ قَدْ سَلَكْتُ فِجَاجَهُ

كَمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ قَدْ سَلَكْتُ فِجَاجَهُ

وَرَجَعْتُ مَخْذُولاً بِتَسْوِيفٍ مَتِينْ

وَرَجَعْتُ مَخْذُولاً بِتَسْوِيفٍ مَتِينْ

Many are the roads whose passes I have traversed,

How many a rugged path have I trodden

And I returned, let down by unyielding delay.

Only to return disappointed, put off with feeble excuses

ظَمْآنَ أَعْدُو دُونَ زَادٍ هَائِماً

ظَمْآنَ أَعْدُو دُونَ زَادٍ هَائِماً

وَالفَتْكُ يَرْنُو بِاشْتِهَاءٍ مُنْذُ حِينْ

وَالفَتْكُ يَرْنُو بِاشْتِهَاءٍ مُنْذُ حِينْ

Thirsty, I run without provisions, wandering,

Thirsty, I run without provision, lost,

And slaughter has gazed hungrily for some time.

And betrayal lurks with rapacious craving as always

يَرْجُو اجْتِثَاثِي دُونَمَا نَزْعٍ سُدَىً

يَرْجُو اجْتِثَاثِي دُونَمَا نَزْعٍ سُدَىً

وَالرُّوحُ مِثْلِي بِالمَآسِي تَسْتَهِينْ

وَالرُّوحُ مِثْلِي بِالمَآسِي تَسْتَهِينْ

It hopes to uproot me without any futile wrenching,

They hope to uproot me effortlessly

And the soul, like me, makes light of tragedies.

Though the soul makes light of tragedies like mine

كَمْ جَرَّدُوا خَلْفِي عُيُوناً تَقْتَفِي

كَمْ جَرَّدُوا خَلْفِي عُيُوناً تَقْتَفِي

آثَارَ أَقْلاَمِي وَعَادُوا خَائِبِينْ

آثَارَ أَقْلاَمِي وَعَادُوا خَائِبِينْ

How many eyes they dispatched behind me to track

How they have set behind me many eyes to track

The traces of my pens, and they returned disappointed.

The traces of my pens, only to return disappointed

وَتَشَبَّثُوا مِثْلَ الذُّبَابِ بِأَحْرُفِي

وَتَشَبَّثُوا مِثْلَ الذُّبَابِ بِأَحْرُفِي

يَتَسَمَّعُونَ نَشِيجَ لَحْظِي وَالأَنِينْ

يَتَسَمَّعُونَ نَشِيجَ لَحْظِي وَالأَنِينْ

And they clung like flies to my letters,

They clung like flies to my letters

Eavesdropping on my gaze's sobbing and the moans.

Hearkening to the sigh of my glance and moan

كَالسُّهْدِ بِالأَجْفَانِ عَاثُوا وَالأَسَى

كَالسُّهْدِ بِالأَجْفَانِ عَاثُوا وَالأَسَى

قَدْ هَدَّنِي هَدّاً وَأَشْقَانِي الطَّنِينْ

قَدْ هَدَّنِي هَدّاً وَأَشْقَانِي الطَّنِينْ

Like sleeplessness in the eyelids, they wreaked havoc; and sorrow

Like bats with their wings they wrought havoc, and grief

Has crushed me utterly, and the buzzing has made me miserable.

Has guided me and discordant wailing wearies me

هُمْ لَمْ يَشُوا إِلاَّ بِبَحْرٍ سَاقَهُ

هُمْ لَمْ يَشُوا إِلاَّ بِبَحْرٍ سَاقَهُ

المِجْدَافُ قَهْراً نَحْوَ مِينَاءٍ ضَنِينْ

المِجْدَافُ قَهْراً نَحْوَ مِينَاءٍ ضَنِينْ

They denounced only a sea that was driven

They never sailed but on a sea rowed

By the oar, by force, toward a miserly harbor.

Forcefully by oars towards a grudging harbor

لاَ ظِلَّ يُرْجَى لاِمْتِدَادِي عِنْدَهُ

لاَ ظِلَّ يُرْجَى لاِمْتِدَادِي عِنْدَهُ

أَوْ نَارَ بِالخُلْجَانِ تُقْرِي المُسْنِتِينْ

أَوْ نَارَ بِالخُلْجَانِ تُقْرِي المُسْنِتِينْ

No shade is to be hoped for my expanse there,

No shade I hope for to extend over me there

Or a fire in the bays to welcome the famine-stricken.

Or a fire to warm cold mouths

أَطْوِي رُفَاتِي فَوْقَ نَعْشِي سَالِكاً

أَطْوِي رُفَاتِي فَوْقَ نَعْشِي سَالِكاً

دَرْباً مَلِيئاً بِالأَذَى لاَ أَسْتَكِينْ

دَرْباً مَلِيئاً بِالأَذَى لاَ أَسْتَكِينْ

I fold my remains atop my bier, treading

I wrap my remains above my bier, travelling

A path full of harm; I do not yield,

A path filled with harm, not shrinking

حَتَّى أُزِيلَ الحُزْنَ عَنِّي رَاجِياً

حَتَّى أُزِيلَ الحُزْنَ عَنِّي رَاجِياً

إِيمَاضَ قَلْبِي فِي دَيَاجِي المُعْدِمِينْ

إِيمَاضَ قَلْبِي فِي دَيَاجِي المُعْدِمِينْ

Until I lift sorrow from myself, hoping for

Until sadness is lifted from me, hoping

My heart's flash in the dark nights of the destitute,

For the passing of my heart among the annihilators

أَوْ أَلْتَقِي وَهْمَ اقْتِنَائِي صَادِراً

أَوْ أَلْتَقِي وَهْمَ اقْتِنَائِي صَادِراً

مِنْ نَزْفِ آلاَمِي وَأُسْقِي الحَالِمِينْ

مِنْ نَزْفِ آلاَمِي وَأُسْقِي الحَالِمِينْ

Or encounter the illusion of my acquisition, arising

Or I meet the fancy of my quest, issuing

From the bleeding of my pains, and give the dreamers drink.

From the shedding of my pains, and water the dreamers