قَصُرَ العَيشُ بِأَكنافِ الغَضا

قَصُرَ العَيشُ بِأَكنافِ الغَضا

وَكَذا العَيشُ إِذا طابَ قَصُر

وَكَذا العَيشُ إِذا طابَ قَصُر

Life was brief around the ghada trees,

Life is short beneath the mountains’ shade

and so is life: when sweet, it is brief.

And short when sweetly spent without heartache

في لَيالٍ كَأَباهيمِ القَطا

في لَيالٍ كَأَباهيمِ القَطا

لَستَ تَدري كَيفَ تَأتي وَتَمُر

لَستَ تَدري كَيفَ تَأتي وَتَمُر

In nights as short as the big toes of sandgrouse,

Through nights like feet of bay, unspurred, unreined

you cannot tell how they come and pass.

None knows what course the coming dawn will take