مَا كنتُ أَحْسَبُ بعدَ موتكَ يا أَبي

مَا كنتُ أَحْسَبُ بعدَ موتكَ يا أَبي

ومشاعري عمياءُ بالأَحزانِ

ومشاعري عمياءُ بالأَحزانِ

I had not thought, after your death, O my father,

After your death, my father, I did not expect

I never thought, after your death, O my father,

While my feelings were blinded by sorrows,

With grief-blinded emotions,

When my feelings were blinded by grief,

أَنِّي سأَظمأُ للحياةِ وأَحتسي

أَنِّي سأَظمأُ للحياةِ وأَحتسي

مِنْ نهْرِها المتوهِّجِ النَّشوانِ

مِنْ نهْرِها المتوهِّجِ النَّشوانِ

That I would thirst for life and sip

That I would thirst for life and drink

That I would thirst for life again, and sip

From its glowing, rapturous river,

From its fiery, exuberant river,

From its glowing, intoxicated stream,

وأَعودُ للدُّنيا بقلبٍ خافقٍ

وأَعودُ للدُّنيا بقلبٍ خافقٍ

للحبِّ والأَفراحِ والأَلحانِ

للحبِّ والأَفراحِ والأَلحانِ

And return to the world with a heart beating

And return to the world with a fluttering heart

And return to the world with a beating heart

For love, joys, and melodies,

For love, joy and music,

For love, for joy, and for melodies,

ولكلِّ مَا في الكونِ من صُوَرِ المنى

ولكلِّ مَا في الكونِ من صُوَرِ المنى

وغرائِبِ الأَهواءِ والأَشْجانِ

وغرائِبِ الأَهواءِ والأَشْجانِ

And for all the images of hope in the universe,

And everything in the universe of the images of bliss

And for all the cosmos holds of hoped-for visions,

And the wonders of passions and sorrows.

And wonders of passions and ecstasies,

And the strange wonders of passion and sorrow;

حتَّى تَحَرَّكَتِ السُّنونُ وأَقبلتْ

حتَّى تَحَرَّكَتِ السُّنونُ وأَقبلتْ

فِتَنُ الحَيَاةِ بسِحْرِها الفتَّانِ

فِتَنُ الحَيَاةِ بسِحْرِها الفتَّانِ

Until the years moved on, and there came

Until years passed and the charms of life came

Until the years marched on, and there approached

The allurements of life, with its beguiling magic.

With its enchanting, tempting magic,

Life’s allurements with their captivating spell,

فإذا أَنا مَا زلتُ طفلاً مُولَعاً

فإذا أَنا مَا زلتُ طفلاً مُولَعاً

بتعقُّبِ الأَضواءِ والأَلوانِ

بتعقُّبِ الأَضواءِ والأَلوانِ

Then behold, I am still a child, enthralled

And I still remain a child, fascinated

And lo, I found myself still a child, enamored

By pursuing lights and colors.

By pursuing lights and colors,

With chasing after the lights and the colors,

وإذا التَّشاؤُمُ بالحَيَاةِ ورفضُها

وإذا التَّشاؤُمُ بالحَيَاةِ ورفضُها

ضرْبٌ من البُهْتانِ والهَذَيانِ

ضرْبٌ من البُهْتانِ والهَذَيانِ

And behold, pessimism about life and rejecting it

While pessimism about life and rejecting it

And see: pessimism toward life and its denial

Are a kind of slander and delirium.

Is a kind of raving delirium.

Are but a form of falsehood and delirium;

إنَّ ابنَ آدمَ في قرارَةِ نفسِهِ

إنَّ ابنَ آدمَ في قرارَةِ نفسِهِ

عبدُ الحَيَاةِ الصَّادقُ الإِيمانِ

عبدُ الحَيَاةِ الصَّادقُ الإِيمانِ

Indeed, the son of Adam, in the depths of his soul,

Indeed, the son of Adam in his innermost being

For the son of Adam, in the depths of his being,

Is life's slave, sincere in his faith.

Is a true believer in life's servitude.

Is a true believer, a devotee of life.