مولاي والأيام ينضب جامُها

مولاي والأيام ينضب جامُها

وتموت دون تمامها أحلامها

وتموت دون تمامها أحلامها

My Lord, the goblet of the days runs dry,

My Lord, the days drain their cups

and their dreams die before their fulfillment.

And their dreams die before fulfillment

يا من تقربني إليه مخاوفي

يا من تقربني إليه مخاوفي

ويرد نفسي عن حماه غمامها

ويرد نفسي عن حماه غمامها

O You to whom my fears draw me near,

O You who draw me near through my fears

yet my soul's clouds turn it away from Your sanctuary.

And return my soul from His cloudy shelter

هذا وجودي ليله ونهاره

هذا وجودي ليله ونهاره

هذي حياتي نورها وظلامها

هذي حياتي نورها وظلامها

This is my existence—its night and its day;

Such is my existence night and day

this is my life—its light and its darkness.

This is my life, its light and darkness

صبحٌ تبغضه إلي مطالب

صبحٌ تبغضه إلي مطالب

للعيش في كف الغيوب زمامها

للعيش في كف الغيوب زمامها

A dawn made hateful to me by demands

A morn I hate coming to me with demands

for living, their reins in the palm of the unseen;

To hold life in the palm of the absent mysteries

ودجىً كئيب الصمت مرتاع الرؤى

ودجىً كئيب الصمت مرتاع الرؤى

شابت كواكبه وطاب مقامها

شابت كواكبه وطاب مقامها

and darkness, mournful in silence, terror-stricken in its visions.

And a gloomy eve, silent in its sadness, alarmed in its visions

Its stars have grown gray, and their abode has grown pleasant.

Its stars have grayed and its stay pleasant

لا الصبح يهديني الطريق ولا الدجى

لا الصبح يهديني الطريق ولا الدجى

تعست حياة لا يقر نظامها

تعست حياة لا يقر نظامها

Neither dawn nor darkness shows me the way.

Neither morn guides me on the path, nor eve

Wretched is a life whose order never settles.

Wretched is a life whose system is unsettled

تتواثب الآلام في آفاقها

تتواثب الآلام في آفاقها

غرقى ومن ميت الضلوع طعامها

غرقى ومن ميت الضلوع طعامها

Pains leap about within its horizons,

Pains leap in their horizons

drowned, their food drawn from the dead one within the ribs.

I am drowning, and my ribs are their food

حرق على حرق يضيق ببعضها

حرق على حرق يضيق ببعضها

صبر الأنام ولا أزال أسامها

صبر الأنام ولا أزال أسامها

Burning agonies upon burning agonies—some of them overwhelm

Burn after burn tightens

human endurance, yet still I am made to suffer them.

The patience of people, but still I bear them

ومصارع مثّلت دورى راغما

ومصارع مثّلت دورى راغما

فيها ومسرحها أنا وحطامها

فيها ومسرحها أنا وحطامها

And scenes of death—I played my role unwillingly

And battlefields where my role was forced

in them; I am their stage and their wreckage.

On them, and its stage myself and my wreckage

يا ربّ هذي الدار مل نزيلها

يا ربّ هذي الدار مل نزيلها

فسلامها ألا يدوم سلامها

فسلامها ألا يدوم سلامها

O Lord, this dwelling's lodger has grown weary;

O Lord, I am tired of this house of visitors

so its peace lies in its peace not enduring.

So may its peace not last

الهين الميسور من أرزاقها

الهين الميسور من أرزاقها

تنهال دون مناله آلامها

تنهال دون مناله آلامها

The easy, attainable share of its provisions—

Make easy the guaranteed provision from its livelihood

its pains rain down before it can be attained.

While pains befall without gain

قلبي وما قلبي سوى أنشودة

قلبي وما قلبي سوى أنشودة

خلدت معانيها ومات كلامها

خلدت معانيها ومات كلامها

My heart—and my heart is nothing but a song

My heart, and what is my heart but an ode

whose meanings have become immortal, while its words have died.

That immortalized its meanings and its words died

روحي وهل روحي سوى أفاقة

روحي وهل روحي سوى أفاقة

تفنى على لهب الأسى أيامها

تفنى على لهب الأسى أيامها

My soul—and is my soul anything but an awakening

My soul, and is my soul anything but a glance

whose days perish upon the flame of sorrow?

That perishes in the flames of sorrow and days

شعري وأي قصيدة لم يسقها

شعري وأي قصيدة لم يسقها

دمعي ولم تبك الورى أنغامها

دمعي ولم تبك الورى أنغامها

My poetry—and what poem has not been watered

My poetry, and what poem have I not watered

by my tears, and has not made humankind weep with its melodies?

With my tears, and did not make the world weep with its melodies

يا رب نفسي قد أطلت سقامها

يا رب نفسي قد أطلت سقامها

ودواؤها في أن يحين حمامها

ودواؤها في أن يحين حمامها

O Lord, You have prolonged my soul's sickness,

O Lord, my soul has prolonged its illness

and its cure lies in the coming of its death.

And its remedy is the arrival of its death

أنا لا أذم من الرواية بدءها

أنا لا أذم من الرواية بدءها

لكن أقول متى يكون ختامها

لكن أقول متى يكون ختامها

I do not condemn the tale's beginning,

I do not blame the story for its beginning

but I say: when will its ending come?

But I say, when will its end be?