وَأَوَدُّ أَنْ أَحيا بفِكْرَةِ شاعرٍ

وَأَوَدُّ أَنْ أَحيا بفِكْرَةِ شاعرٍ

فأَرى الوُجُودَ يضيقُ عَنْ أَحلامي

فأَرى الوُجُودَ يضيقُ عَنْ أَحلامي

And I wish to live with a poet's vision,

I wish that I could live the life of a poet

I wish to live with the spirit of a poet,

and find existence too narrow for my dreams,

To see existence expand beyond my dreams

Finding existence too narrow for my dreams,

إلاَّ إِذا قَطَّعْتُ أَسبابي مع الدُّ

إلاَّ إِذا قَطَّعْتُ أَسبابي مع الدُّ

نيا وعِشْتُ لوَحْدتي وظَلامي

نيا وعِشْتُ لوَحْدتي وظَلامي

unless I sever my ties with the

Unless I sever ties with worldly affairs

Unless I sever my ties with the world,

world, and live for my solitude and my darkness,

And live for my solitude and darkness

And live for my solitude and my shadows,

في الغابِ في الجبلِ البعيدِ عن الورى

في الغابِ في الجبلِ البعيدِ عن الورى

حيثُ الطَّبيعَةُ والجمالُ السَّامي

حيثُ الطَّبيعَةُ والجمالُ السَّامي

in the forest, on the mountain far from humankind,

In the forest, on a faraway mountain

In the forest, on the mountain far from men,

where nature and sublime beauty dwell.

Where nature and sublime beauty reign

Where nature dwells alongside sublime beauty,

وأَعيشُ عِيشَةَ زاهدٍ متَنَسِّكٍ

وأَعيشُ عِيشَةَ زاهدٍ متَنَسِّكٍ

مَا إنْ تُدَنِّسْهُ الحَيَاةُ بِذَامِ

مَا إنْ تُدَنِّسْهُ الحَيَاةُ بِذَامِ

And I would live the life of a devout ascetic,

And live the life of a devout ascetic

Living the life of a devout ascetic,

whom life never stains with disgrace,

Unstained by the tribulations of life

Whom life does not defile with any blemish,

هجرَ الجماعَةَ للجبالِ تَوَرُّعاً

هجرَ الجماعَةَ للجبالِ تَوَرُّعاً

عنها وعَنْ بَطْشِ الحَيَاةِ الدَّامي

عنها وعَنْ بَطْشِ الحَيَاةِ الدَّامي

who left society for the mountains, piously withdrawing

He abandoned society for the mountains in piety

Who forsook the crowd for the peaks in piety,

from it and from life's bloody violence.

Fleeing from it and the grip of oppressive life

Far from them and from life’s bloody tyranny.

تمشي حواليه الحَيَاةُ كأنَّها

تمشي حواليه الحَيَاةُ كأنَّها

الحلمُ الجميلُ خفيفَةَ الأَقدامِ

الحلمُ الجميلُ خفيفَةَ الأَقدامِ

Life walks around him as though it were

Life walks around him as though it were

Life walks around him as though it were,

a beautiful dream, light of foot.

A beautiful, gentle dream

A beautiful dream, light upon its feet,

وَتَخرُّ أَمواجُ الزَّمانِ بهَيْبةٍ

وَتَخرُّ أَمواجُ الزَّمانِ بهَيْبةٍ

قُدْسِيَّةٍ في يَمِّها المُتَرامي

قُدْسِيَّةٍ في يَمِّها المُتَرامي

And the waves of time fall with awe

And waves of time crash around him

And the waves of time bow down in awe,

that is sacred, into their far-stretching sea.

With sacred, awe-inspiring rhythm

With sacred reverence in its sprawling deep.

فأَعيشُ في غابي حَياةً كُلُّها

فأَعيشُ في غابي حَياةً كُلُّها

للفنِّ للأحلامِ للإلهامِ

للفنِّ للأحلامِ للإلهامِ

So I would live in my forest a life wholly

So I live in my forest a life full of

Thus I would live in my forest, a life devoted,

for art, for dreams, for inspiration.

Art, dreams and inspiration

To art, to dreams, and to inspiration.

لكِنَّني لا أَستطيعُ فإنَّ لي

لكِنَّني لا أَستطيعُ فإنَّ لي

أُمًّا يَصُدُّ حَنَانُها أَوهامي

أُمًّا يَصُدُّ حَنَانُها أَوهامي

But I cannot, for I have

But I cannot, for I have

But I cannot, for I possess,

a mother whose tenderness holds back my fancies,

A mother whose affection bars my fantasies

A mother whose tenderness curbs my wanderings,

وصِغارُ إخوانٍ يَرَوْنَ سَلامَهُمْ

وصِغارُ إخوانٍ يَرَوْنَ سَلامَهُمْ

في الكَائِناتِ مُعَلَّقاً بسَلامي

في الكَائِناتِ مُعَلَّقاً بسَلامي

and my little brothers see their safety

And young brothers who see their safety

And little brothers who see their safety,

in the world as bound to my own.

Suspended on my own wellbeing

In this existence, suspended upon mine.

فَقَدوا الأَبَ الحاني فكنتُ لضُعْفِ

فَقَدوا الأَبَ الحاني فكنتُ لضُعْفِ

هِمْ كهفاً يَصُدُّ غَوائلَ الأَيَّامِ

هِمْ كهفاً يَصُدُّ غَوائلَ الأَيَّامِ

They lost their tender father, so for their frailty I became

They lost their caring father, so I became

They lost a loving father, so to their weakness,

a sheltering cave, warding off the ravages of the days,

A shelter against the winds of time

I became a cave to block the calamities of days,

ويَقِيهمُ وَهجَ الحَيَاةِ ولَفْحَها

ويَقِيهمُ وَهجَ الحَيَاةِ ولَفْحَها

ويذودُ عنهم شَرَّةَ الآلامِ

ويذودُ عنهم شَرَّةَ الآلامِ

and shielding them from life's blaze and scorching blast,

Shielding them from life's ardor and gusts

Shielding them from life's glare and scorching heat,

and keeping the fury of pain away from them.

And guarding them against suffering's sting

And fending off the ferocity of pain.

فأَنا المُكَبَّلُ في سَلاسلَ حيَّةٍ

فأَنا المُكَبَّلُ في سَلاسلَ حيَّةٍ

ضحَّيتُ مِنْ رَأَفي بها أَحلامي

ضحَّيتُ مِنْ رَأَفي بها أَحلامي

So I am shackled in living chains;

So I am shackled in chains of life

So I am the one shackled in living chains,

out of my compassion for them, I sacrificed my dreams.

Sacrificing my dreams out of compassion

Who sacrificed his dreams out of pity for them.

وأَنا الَّذي سَكَنَ المدينَةَ مُكْرَهاً

وأَنا الَّذي سَكَنَ المدينَةَ مُكْرَهاً

ومشى إلى الآتي بقلبٍ دامِ

ومشى إلى الآتي بقلبٍ دامِ

And I am the one who settled in the city under compulsion,

And I am the one who unwillingly inhabits the city

I am he who dwelt in the city against his will,

and walked toward the future with a bleeding heart,

And walks uninspired into the unknown

And walked toward the future with a bleeding heart,

يُصغي إلى الدُّنيا السَّخيفَةِ راغماً

يُصغي إلى الدُّنيا السَّخيفَةِ راغماً

ويعيشُ مِثْلَ النَّاسِ بالأَوهامِ

ويعيشُ مِثْلَ النَّاسِ بالأَوهامِ

listening unwillingly to the frivolous world,

Listening despite myself to this foolish world

Listening to this absurd world reluctantly,

and living, like other people, on illusions.

And living like others in delusions

And living, like other people, on illusions.

وأَنا الَّذي يحيا بأَرضٍ قَفْرَةٍ

وأَنا الَّذي يحيا بأَرضٍ قَفْرَةٍ

مَدْحُوَّةٍ للشَّكِّ والآلامِ

مَدْحُوَّةٍ للشَّكِّ والآلامِ

And I am the one who lives in a barren land,

I am the one who lives in a desolate wasteland

I am he who lives in a desolate land,

spread out for doubt and pain.

Rife with doubts and pain

Spread wide for doubt and for suffering.

هَجَمَتْ بيَ الدُّنيا على أَهوالها

هَجَمَتْ بيَ الدُّنيا على أَهوالها

وخِضمِّها الرَّحْبِ العميقِ الطَّامي

وخِضمِّها الرَّحْبِ العميقِ الطَّامي

The world hurled me into its terrors

The world unleashed its horrors on me

The world assailed me with all its terrors,

and its vast, deep, surging ocean,

In its deep, boundless tumult

And its vast, deep, overflowing ocean,

من غيرِ إنذارٍ فأَحْمِلَ عُدَّتي

من غيرِ إنذارٍ فأَحْمِلَ عُدَّتي

وأَخوضَهُ كالسَّابحِ العَوَّامِ

وأَخوضَهُ كالسَّابحِ العَوَّامِ

without a warning that would let me take up my gear

Without warning, so I grasped my weapons

Without a warning that would let me arm myself,

and plunge into it like a skilled swimmer.

And plunged in like a daring swimmer

To wade through it like a master swimmer.

فتحطَّمتْ نفسي على شُطْآنِهِ

فتحطَّمتْ نفسي على شُطْآنِهِ

وتأَجَّجتْ في جَوِّهِ آلامي

وتأَجَّجتْ في جَوِّهِ آلامي

So my soul shattered upon its shores,

My soul shattered on its reefs

So my soul was shattered upon its shores,

and my pains flared in its air.

And my pain raged within me

And my pains blazed fiercely in its air.

الويلُ في الدُّنيا التي في شَرْعِها

الويلُ في الدُّنيا التي في شَرْعِها

فأْسُ الطَّعامِ كريشَةِ الرّسَّامِ

فأْسُ الطَّعامِ كريشَةِ الرّسَّامِ

Woe in the world in whose law

Woe to this world whose ways

Woe to a world where, within its laws,

the axe of sustenance is like the painter's brush.

Make the quill like a feather duster

The axe of sustenance equals the painter's brush.