خَمسينَ عاماً كنتُ أمَّلْتُها

خَمسينَ عاماً كنتُ أمَّلْتُها

كانت أمامي ثمَّ خلَّفتُها

كانت أمامي ثمَّ خلَّفتُها

Fifty years I had hoped for;

For fifty years I had wished for them,

they lay before me, then I left them behind.

They were before me, then I left them behind.

كنزُ حياةٍ لي أنفقْتُهُ

كنزُ حياةٍ لي أنفقْتُهُ

على تصاريفَ تصرَّفْتُها

على تصاريفَ تصرَّفْتُها

A treasure of life was mine; I spent it

A treasure of life that I spent,

on the vicissitudes I passed through.

On its different purposes that I managed.

لو كانَ عمري مائةً هدَّني

لو كانَ عمري مائةً هدَّني

تَذَكُّري أنِّي تَنَصَّفْتُها

تَذَكُّري أنِّي تَنَصَّفْتُها

If my life were a hundred years, I would be crushed

If my age was a hundred, it would have guided me,

by remembering that I had reached its midpoint.

To remember that I was fair to it.

ذو العَقلِ لا يسلَمُ مِن جاهِلٍ

ذو العَقلِ لا يسلَمُ مِن جاهِلٍ

يسومُه عَسْفاً وإعناتا

يسومُه عَسْفاً وإعناتا

A man of reason is not safe from an ignorant man

The wise person cannot be safe from an ignorant one,

who subjects him to oppression and harassment.

Who aggressively and stubbornly mistreats him.

فَلْيخْتَرِ العَدلَ إذا ما كنَى

فَلْيخْتَرِ العَدلَ إذا ما كنَى

ولْيَلزَمِ الإنصاتَ إنْ صاتا

ولْيَلزَمِ الإنصاتَ إنْ صاتا

So let him choose fairness whenever he speaks indirectly,

So let him choose justice when he is oppressed,

and let him listen silently if the other raises his voice.

And let him adhere to listening if he is talked about.