سُكرُ الشَبابِ جُنونُ

سُكرُ الشَبابِ جُنونُ

وَالناسُ فَوقٌ وَدونُ

وَالناسُ فَوقٌ وَدونُ

The intoxication of youth is madness.

The intoxication of youth is madness

And people are high and low.

And people are above and below

وَلِلأُمورِ ظُهورٌ

وَلِلأُمورِ ظُهورٌ

تَبدو لَنا وَظُنونُ

تَبدو لَنا وَظُنونُ

And affairs have outward aspects

And things appear to us

That appear to us, and conjectures.

As guesses and assumptions

وَلِلزَمانِ تَثَنٍّ

وَلِلزَمانِ تَثَنٍّ

كَما تَثَنّى الغُصونُ

كَما تَثَنّى الغُصونُ

And time has its twists,

And time has its ups and downs

Just as branches bend.

As the branches bend down

مِنَ العُقولِ سُهولٌ

مِنَ العُقولِ سُهولٌ

مَعروفَةٌ وَحُزونُ

مَعروفَةٌ وَحُزونُ

Among minds are smooth plains,

Of minds there are plains

Well-known, and rugged ground.

Known and sad

فيهِنَّ رَطبٌ مُؤاتٍ

فيهِنَّ رَطبٌ مُؤاتٍ

مِنهُنَّ كَزٌّ حَرونُ

مِنهُنَّ كَزٌّ حَرونُ

Among them are supple, compliant ones;

In them is ripe and obedient fruit

Among them are rigid, obstinate ones.

And from them bitter dry dates

إِنّي وَإِن خانَني مَن

إِنّي وَإِن خانَني مَن

أَهوى فَلَستُ أَخونُ

أَهوى فَلَستُ أَخونُ

Indeed, even if betrayed by one

If those I love betray me

I love, I do not betray.

I am not treacherous

لاأُعمِلُ الظَنَّ إِلّا

لاأُعمِلُ الظَنَّ إِلّا

فيما تَسوغُ الظُنونَ

فيما تَسوغُ الظُنونَ

I use conjecture only

I do not suspect

Where conjectures are permissible.

Except when suspicion is justified

يا مَن تَمَجَّنَ مَهلاً

يا مَن تَمَجَّنَ مَهلاً

قَد طالَ مِنكَ المُجونُ

قَد طالَ مِنكَ المُجونُ

O you who have grown dissolute, slow down!

Oh you who lingered awhile

Your wantonness has lasted long.

Your lingering has been too long

هَوَّنتَ عَسفَ اللَيالي

هَوَّنتَ عَسفَ اللَيالي

هَوَّنتَ ما لا يَهونُ

هَوَّنتَ ما لا يَهونُ

You have made light of the nights’ cruelty;

You made light of the tyranny of nights

You have made light of what is no light matter.

You made light of what cannot be made light

يا لَيتَ شِعري إِذا ما

يا لَيتَ شِعري إِذا ما

دُفِنتَ كَيفَ تَكونُ

دُفِنتَ كَيفَ تَكونُ

Oh, if only I knew, when

Oh I wish I knew, when

You are buried, how you will fare!

You are buried, how you will be

لَو قَد تُرِكتَ صَريعاً

لَو قَد تُرِكتَ صَريعاً

وَقَد بَكَتكَ العُيونُ

وَقَد بَكَتكَ العُيونُ

If you were left lying lifeless,

If you were left slain

And eyes had wept for you,

And eyes had wept for you

لَقَلَّ عَنكَ غَناءً

لَقَلَّ عَنكَ غَناءً

دَمعٌ عَلَيكَ هَتونُ

دَمعٌ عَلَيكَ هَتونُ

Little benefit would you gain

Tears shedding for you would have stopped

From tears streaming down for you.

Songs about you, flowing

لا تَأمَنَنَّ اللَيالي

لا تَأمَنَنَّ اللَيالي

فَكُلُّهُنَّ خَأونُ

فَكُلُّهُنَّ خَأونُ

Never trust the nights,

Do not feel secure from nights

For every one of them is treacherous.

For all of them are betrayers

إِنَّ القُبورَ سُجونٌ

إِنَّ القُبورَ سُجونٌ

ما مِثلُهُنَّ سُجونُ

ما مِثلُهُنَّ سُجونُ

Indeed, graves are prisons;

Graves are prisons

No prisons are like them.

None like them are prisons

كَم في القُبورِ قُرونٌ

كَم في القُبورِ قُرونٌ

مِمَّن مَضى وَقُرونُ

مِمَّن مَضى وَقُرونُ

How many generations lie in graves,

So many centuries

Of those who passed away—and generations more!

Of those past and centuries

ما في المَقابِرِ وَجهٌ

ما في المَقابِرِ وَجهٌ

عَنِ التُرابِ مَصونُ

عَنِ التُرابِ مَصونُ

No face in the graveyards

In graves there is no face

Is protected from the dust.

Safe from dust

لَتُفنِيَنّا جَميعاً

لَتُفنِيَنّا جَميعاً

وَإِن كَرِهنا المَنونُ

وَإِن كَرِهنا المَنونُ

It will surely destroy us all,

We will all perish

Even though we loathe it—Death.

Though we dislike death

أَمّا النُفوسُ عَلَيها

أَمّا النُفوسُ عَلَيها

فَلِلمَنايا دُيونُ

فَلِلمَنايا دُيونُ

As for souls, they owe

As for souls, over them

Their debts to death.

Deaths have debts

لاتَدفَعُ المَوتَ عَمَّن

لاتَدفَعُ المَوتَ عَمَّن

حَلَّ الحُصونَ الحُصونُ

حَلَّ الحُصونَ الحُصونُ

Death is not kept from those

Death cannot be avoided by one

Who dwell in fortresses, by the fortresses themselves.

Fortresses have besieged fortresses

ما لِلمَنايا سُكونٌ

ما لِلمَنايا سُكونٌ

عَنّا وَنَحنُ سُكونُ

عَنّا وَنَحنُ سُكونُ

Death takes no rest

Death has no rest

From pursuing us, while we are at rest.

From us while we have rest