عجباً لي أَوَدُّ أنْ أَفهمَ الكَوْنَ

عجباً لي أَوَدُّ أنْ أَفهمَ الكَوْنَ

ونفسي لمْ تستطعْ فَهْمَ نفسِي

ونفسي لمْ تستطعْ فَهْمَ نفسِي

How strange of me! I wish to understand the universe,

How strange that I long to understand the universe

How strange that I yearn to comprehend the universe,

And my soul has been unable to understand itself.

Yet my soul cannot understand itself

When my own soul has failed to comprehend itself.

لم أُفِدْ من حَقائقِ الكونِ إلاَّ

لم أُفِدْ من حَقائقِ الكونِ إلاَّ

أَنَّني في الوُجُودِ مُرْتَادُ رَمْسِ

أَنَّني في الوُجُودِ مُرْتَادُ رَمْسِ

I have learned nothing from the truths of the universe except

Of the facts of the universe I have gained

I have gleaned nothing from the truths of the cosmos, save this:

That in existence I am a seeker of a grave.

Only that within existence I tread on sand

That I am, in this existence, but a pilgrim to the grave.

كُلُّ دَهْرٍ يَمُرُّ يفجعُ قلبي

كُلُّ دَهْرٍ يَمُرُّ يفجعُ قلبي

ليتَ شعري أَيْنَ الزَّمان المؤَسِّي

ليتَ شعري أَيْنَ الزَّمان المؤَسِّي

Every passing age brings anguish to my heart.

Every era that passes saddens my heart

Every passing epoch strikes my heart with grief;

If only I knew: where is the time that consoles?

I wish I knew where is the time that despairs

Oh, would that I knew where the healing season lies!

في ظلامِ الكُهوفِ أَشباحُ شؤمٍ

في ظلامِ الكُهوفِ أَشباحُ شؤمٍ

وبهذا الفَضَاءِ أَطيافُ نَحْسِ

وبهذا الفَضَاءِ أَطيافُ نَحْسِ

In the darkness of caves are specters of ill omen,

In the darkness of caves specters of ill omen

In the cavernous dark lurk the ghosts of doom,

And in this expanse, phantoms of misfortune.

And in this space ghosts of bad luck

And through the open void drift specters of ill fate.

وخِلالَ القُصور أَنَّاتُ حُزْنٍ

وخِلالَ القُصور أَنَّاتُ حُزْنٍ

وبتلكَ الأَكواخ أَنْضاءُ بؤْسِ

وبتلكَ الأَكواخ أَنْضاءُ بؤْسِ

And within palaces, moans of sorrow,

Within palaces screams of sorrow

Within the palaces rise the groans of mourning,

And in those huts, bodies wasted by misery.

And in those huts moans of misery

And in those hovels dwell the wasted sons of woe.

والقَضَاءُ الأَصَمُّ يَعْتَسِفُ النَّاسَ

والقَضَاءُ الأَصَمُّ يَعْتَسِفُ النَّاسَ

ويقضي مَا بَيْنَ سَيْفٍ وقَوْسِ

ويقضي مَا بَيْنَ سَيْفٍ وقَوْسِ

And deaf fate oppresses humankind,

Fate, deaf, mistreats people

Deaf Destiny assaults mankind with blind tyranny,

And passes judgment between sword and bow.

And rules between sword and bow

Passing judgment between the sword-edge and the bow.

هذه صورةُ الحَيَاةِ وهذا

هذه صورةُ الحَيَاةِ وهذا

لونُها في الوُجُودِ مِنْ أَمسِ أَمسِ

لونُها في الوُجُودِ مِنْ أَمسِ أَمسِ

This is the image of life, and this is

This is the image of life and this

Such is the visage of Life, and such indeed

Its hue in existence since yesterday's yesterday:

Is its color in existence from yesterday, yesterday

Has been its hue in existence since the deep past.

صورةٌ للشَّقاءِ دامِعَةُ الطَّرْفِ

صورةٌ للشَّقاءِ دامِعَةُ الطَّرْفِ

ولونٌ يَسُودُ في كلِّ طَرْسِ

ولونٌ يَسُودُ في كلِّ طَرْسِ

A tearful-eyed image of misery,

An image of misery with tearful eyes

A portrait of misery with weeping eyes,

And a hue that prevails on every page.

And a hue that darkens every cot

And a darkness that stains every written page.