تَرجو السَّعادَةَ يا قلبي ولو وُجِدَتْ

تَرجو السَّعادَةَ يا قلبي ولو وُجِدَتْ

في الكونِ لم يشتعلْ حُزْنٌ ولا أَلَمُ

في الكونِ لم يشتعلْ حُزْنٌ ولا أَلَمُ

You hope for happiness, my heart; yet if it existed

My heart desires happiness, even if

You seek for happiness, O my heart, yet if it were to exist,

In the universe, neither sorrow nor pain would flare,

It were found in the universe, no sorrow would blaze, nor pain

No grief nor pain would ever kindle in the universe,

ولا استحالتْ حياةُ النَّاسِ أجمعُها

ولا استحالتْ حياةُ النَّاسِ أجمعُها

وزُلزلتْ هاتِهِ الأَكوانُ والنُّظمُ

وزُلزلتْ هاتِهِ الأَكوانُ والنُّظمُ

Nor would the whole of human life be transformed,

Nor would the lives of all people be transformed

Nor would the lives of all mankind have turned to misery,

Nor would these worlds and systems be shaken.

And these cosmic systems and organizations shaken

And these cosmos and their systems would be shaken to the core.

فما السَّعادة في الدُّنيا سِوَى حُلُمٍ

فما السَّعادة في الدُّنيا سِوَى حُلُمٍ

ناءٍ تُضَحِّي له أَيَّامَها الأُمَمُ

ناءٍ تُضَحِّي له أَيَّامَها الأُمَمُ

For happiness in this world is nothing but a dream,

For happiness in this world is naught but a dream

For happiness in this world is nothing but a dream,

Far off, for which nations sacrifice their days.

That nations sacrifice their days for

A distant phantom for which nations sacrifice their days,

ناجتْ به النَّاسَ أَوهامٌ مُعَرْبِدةً

ناجتْ به النَّاسَ أَوهامٌ مُعَرْبِدةً

لمَّا تَغَشَّتْهُمُ الأَحلامُ والظُّلَمُ

لمَّا تَغَشَّتْهُمُ الأَحلامُ والظُّلَمُ

Drunken fancies whispered of it to the people,

Deceiving people are wild delusions

Whispered to mankind by rowdy, drunken delusions,

When dreams and darkness shrouded them.

When dreams and darkness befell them

When shadows and deep darkness overwhelmed their sight.

فَهَبَّ كلٌّ يُناديهِ ويَنْشُدُهُ

فَهَبَّ كلٌّ يُناديهِ ويَنْشُدُهُ

كأَنَّما النَّاسُ مَا ناموا ولا حلمُوا

كأَنَّما النَّاسُ مَا ناموا ولا حلمُوا

Then everyone sprang up, calling to it and seeking it,

So everyone calls out to it and chants it

So everyone rose up to call its name and seek it out,

As though people had neither slept nor dreamed.

As if people had not slept nor dreamed

As if the people had neither slept nor ever dreamt.

خُذِ الحَيَاةَ كما جاءتْكَ مبتسماً

خُذِ الحَيَاةَ كما جاءتْكَ مبتسماً

في كفِّها الغارُ أَو في كفِّها العَدَمُ

في كفِّها الغارُ أَو في كفِّها العَدَمُ

Take life with a smile, just as it comes to you,

Take life as it comes to you, smiling,

Take life exactly as it comes to you, with a smile,

Whether its palm holds laurel or its palm holds nothingness.

In its palm a pearl or in its palm nonexistence

Whether its palm holds out the laurel wreath or nothingness.

وارقصْ على الوردِ والأَشواكِ متَّئِداً

وارقصْ على الوردِ والأَشواكِ متَّئِداً

غنَّتْ لكَ الطَّيرُ أَو غنَّتْ لكَ الرُّجُمُ

غنَّتْ لكَ الطَّيرُ أَو غنَّتْ لكَ الرُّجُمُ

And dance on roses and thorns with measured steps,

And dance on roses and thorns relaxed

And dance upon the roses and the thorns with steady grace,

Whether birds sing for you or stones sing for you.

Whether the birds sang for you or the stones were cast at you

Whether the birds sing out to you, or the falling stones.

واعملْ كما تأمُرُ الدُّنيا بلا مَضَضٍ

واعملْ كما تأمُرُ الدُّنيا بلا مَضَضٍ

والجمْ شُعوركَ فيها إنَّها صَنَمُ

والجمْ شُعوركَ فيها إنَّها صَنَمُ

And act as the world commands, without bitterness,

And work as life commands without bitterness

And do as the world commands without a hint of grief,

And bridle your feelings within it: it is an idol.

And restrain your feelings in it, for it is an idol

And bridle your emotions there, for it is but an idol.

فمنْ تأَلَّمَ لمْ تُرْحَمْ مَضَاضَتَهُ

فمنْ تأَلَّمَ لمْ تُرْحَمْ مَضَاضَتَهُ

ومنْ تجلَّدَ لم تهزأ بهِ القِمَمُ

ومنْ تجلَّدَ لم تهزأ بهِ القِمَمُ

For whoever suffers finds no mercy for his anguish,

For whoever suffered, his agony was not pitied

For he who cries in pain finds no mercy for his anguish,

And whoever stands firm is not mocked by the peaks.

And whoever persevered, the summits did not mock him

While he who bears it stoically is not mocked by the peaks.

هذي سعادَةُ دُنيانا فكنْ رجلاً

هذي سعادَةُ دُنيانا فكنْ رجلاً

إنْ شئْتَها أَبَدَ الآباد يَبْتَسِمُ

إنْ شئْتَها أَبَدَ الآباد يَبْتَسِمُ

Such is our world's happiness; so be a man

This is the happiness of our worldly life so be a man

This is the happiness of our world, so be a man,

Who, if you desire it, smiles forever and ever.

If you want it for all eternity, smiling

If you desire it, remain smiling through the endless age.

وإنْ أَردتَ قضاءَ العيشِ في دَعَةٍ

وإنْ أَردتَ قضاءَ العيشِ في دَعَةٍ

شعريَّةٍ لا يُغَشِّي صَفْوَها نَدَمُ

شعريَّةٍ لا يُغَشِّي صَفْوَها نَدَمُ

And if you wish to spend your life in ease,

And if you want to spend your life at ease

But if you wish to pass your life in tranquility,

A poetic ease whose serenity no regret clouds,

And poetic, not clouded by regret

A poetic peace whose purity is never clouded by regret,

فاتركْ إلى النَّاسِ دُنياهُمْ وضَجَّتَهُمْ

فاتركْ إلى النَّاسِ دُنياهُمْ وضَجَّتَهُمْ

وما بنوا لنِظامِ العيشِ أَو رَسَموا

وما بنوا لنِظامِ العيشِ أَو رَسَموا

Then leave to people their world and their clamor,

Then leave people their world and their clamor

Then leave to the crowds their world and all their clamor,

And all they have built or planned to order life.

And what they built for the system of living or devised

And all the social orders they have built or devised.

واجعلْ حياتَكَ دوحاً مُزْهراً نَضِراً

واجعلْ حياتَكَ دوحاً مُزْهراً نَضِراً

في عُزْلَةِ الغابِ ينمو ثمَّ ينعدمُ

في عُزْلَةِ الغابِ ينمو ثمَّ ينعدمُ

And make your life a flowering, verdant grove,

And make your life an flowering, verdant oasis

And make your life a blooming and verdant grove,

Growing in the forest's solitude, then ceasing to be.

In the isolation of the forest, to grow and then vanish

That grows within the forest's solitude, then fades to naught.

واجعلْ لياليكَ أَحلاماً مُغَرِّدَةً

واجعلْ لياليكَ أَحلاماً مُغَرِّدَةً

إنَّ الحَيَاةَ وما تدوي به حُلُمُ

إنَّ الحَيَاةَ وما تدوي به حُلُمُ

And make your nights into singing dreams;

And make your nights dreams warbling

And make your nights a realm of singing dreams,

For life and all it resounds with are a dream.

For life and what it implies is a dream

For life, and all the noise it holds, is but a dream.