هانت عليه الحياه

هانت عليه الحياه

وأرهقته الخطوب

وأرهقته الخطوب

Life had grown cheap to it,

Life burdened him,

And calamities had worn it down,

And troubles overwhelmed him,

وأذهلته رؤاه

وأذهلته رؤاه

فلم يعُد كالقلوب

فلم يعُد كالقلوب

And its visions had bewildered it,

And his visions confounded him,

So it was no longer like other hearts.

So he was no longer like hearts,

ولم يعد غير ما

ولم يعد غير ما

تحكيه عنه الليال

تحكيه عنه الليال

And it was no longer anything but what

And he was nothing but

The nights recount about it:

What the nights related of him.

شُهد شأى علقما

شُهد شأى علقما

في طعمه فاستحال

في طعمه فاستحال

Honey that surpassed bitter colocynth

He witnessed the glory of the eminent,

In taste, and so was transformed.

And so his taste changed.

عوّذته بالقران

عوّذته بالقران

وبالحديث الشريف

وبالحديث الشريف

I invoked protection for it with the Qur'an,

I protected him with the Quran,

And with the noble Hadith,

And with the noble Hadith,

من الأسى والهوان

من الأسى والهوان

ومن دنوِّ الخريف

ومن دنوِّ الخريف

From sorrow and humiliation,

From sorrow and disgrace,

And from the approach of autumn.

And from the approach of autumn.

عوّذته فانقضى

عوّذته فانقضى

في الوهم عمر العذاب

في الوهم عمر العذاب

I invoked protection for it; thus ended,

I protected him and so

In illusion, the lifetime of torment;

The torment of illusion passed,

وزاد عمّا مضى

وزاد عمّا مضى

في الحق عمر الرغاب

في الحق عمر الرغاب

And grew longer than before,

And he gained from the past

In truth, the lifetime of longing.

A lifetime of desire in truth.

قلبٌ بنى عمره

قلبٌ بنى عمره

على تمنّى الأجل

على تمنّى الأجل

A heart that built its life

A heart built its life

On wishing for its appointed end,

On wishing for death,

فلم يكل أمره

فلم يكل أمره

إلى هوى أو أمل

إلى هوى أو أمل

And so did not entrust its fate

So its affair did not end

To passion or to hope;

With passion or hope.

ولم يكل أمره

ولم يكل أمره

إلّا إلى منتهاه

إلّا إلى منتهاه

And did not entrust its fate

And it did not leave its affair

Except to its own end.

Except to its end,

فباركت طهره

فباركت طهره

بالحزن كفُّ الإله

بالحزن كفُّ الإله

So its purity was blessed

So its purity blessed it

With sorrow by the hand of God.

With the sadness of God's grasp.

سألتهُ عن مناه

سألتهُ عن مناه

فقال لي بعتُها

فقال لي بعتُها

I asked it about its wishes,

I asked it about its dwelling,

And it said to me, “I sold them

And it told me it had sold it

لمُشتر لو تراه

لمُشتر لو تراه

تقول أُنسيتُها

تقول أُنسيتُها

To a buyer—if you saw him,

To a buyer - if only you could see him!

You would say, ‘I was made to forget them.’”

You would say I forgot it.

عجبتُ للمشتري

عجبتُ للمشتري

ما حاله يا ترى

ما حاله يا ترى

I marveled at the buyer:

I wondered at the buyer -

What is he like, I wonder?

What is his state, I wonder?

والبائعُ العبقري

والبائعُ العبقري

يقول لي أو ترى

يقول لي أو ترى

And the ingenious seller

And the brilliant seller

Says to me, “Or do you see?”

Says to me, "Or do you see?"

وطاف بي كالخيال

وطاف بي كالخيال

شيخ برته الخطوب

شيخ برته الخطوب

And around me wandered, like a phantom,

And an old man circled me like an apparition,

An old man whom calamities had whittled down.

His clarity clouded by troubles,

وفي يديه صِلال

وفي يديه صِلال

طعامها من قلوب

طعامها من قلوب

And in his hands were vipers,

His food from hearts.

Whose food consisted of hearts.

I asked him his name,

سألته ما اسمه

سألته ما اسمه

فقال هذا الزمن

فقال هذا الزمن

I asked him what his name was,

And he said, "This is the age."

And he said, “This is Time.”

And his appearance astonished me -

وهالني رسمُه

وهالني رسمُه

فكلّه من محن

فكلّه من محن

And his form appalled me,

All of it from affliction.

For he was wholly made of ordeals.

And my heart said to him,

وقال قلبي له

وقال قلبي له

أيّان فقدُ المُنى

أيّان فقدُ المُنى

And my heart said to him,

"When did you lose purpose?"

“When are wishes lost?”

His state answered him,

أجابه حاله

أجابه حاله

فقد الأماني الضّنى

فقد الأماني الضّنى

His condition answered it:

"I lost comforting wishes."

“The loss of wishes is wasting illness.”

"O heart, purpose

يا قلب إن المنى

يا قلب إن المنى

ورثتُها عن أبي

ورثتُها عن أبي

O heart, indeed, these wishes

I inherited from my father.

I inherited from my father;

Is lack of comfort

فهل يكون الضنى

فهل يكون الضنى

بعد المنى مطلبي

بعد المنى مطلبي

So will wasting illness be,

My pursuit after purpose?"

After wishes, what I seek?

"My Lord, what do I need

ربّاه ما حاجتي

ربّاه ما حاجتي

إلى امتِداد الأجل

إلى امتِداد الأجل

O my Lord, what need have I

With lengthening of my term?

Of a longer span of life,

And in the soil is my comfort

وفي الثرى راحتي

وفي الثرى راحتي

بعد انتهاء الأمل

بعد انتهاء الأمل

While in the earth lies my rest,

After the end of hope."

After hope has ended?