سُنونٌ تُعادُ وَدَهرٌ يُعيد

سُنونٌ تُعادُ وَدَهرٌ يُعيد

لَعَمرُكَ ما في اللَيالي جَديد

لَعَمرُكَ ما في اللَيالي جَديد

Years are repeated, and time repeats them;

Years pass and time brings them back,

By your life, there is nothing new in the nights.

By your life, the nights have nothing new,

أَضاءَ لِآدَمَ هَذا الهِلالُ

أَضاءَ لِآدَمَ هَذا الهِلالُ

فَكَيفَ تَقولُ الهِلالُ الوَليد

فَكَيفَ تَقولُ الهِلالُ الوَليد

This crescent shone for Adam;

This crescent illuminated for Adam,

So how can you call the crescent newborn?

How can the new crescent say so?

نَعُدُّ عَلَيهِ الزَمانَ القَريبَ

نَعُدُّ عَلَيهِ الزَمانَ القَريبَ

وَيُحصي عَلَينا الزَمانَ البَعيد

وَيُحصي عَلَينا الزَمانَ البَعيد

We reckon recent time by it,

We count on it the near past,

And it reckons distant time against us.

And it counts on us the distant future,

عَلى صَفحَتَيهِ حَديثُ القُرى

عَلى صَفحَتَيهِ حَديثُ القُرى

وَأَيّامُ عادٍ وَدُنيا ثَمود

وَأَيّامُ عادٍ وَدُنيا ثَمود

On its two faces is the tale of the towns,

On its surface, the talk of villages,

And the days of Ad, and the world of Thamud;

And the days of ‘Aad and the life of Thamud,

وَطيبَةُ آهِلَةٌ بِالمُلوكِ

وَطيبَةُ آهِلَةٌ بِالمُلوكِ

وَطيبَةُ مُقفِرَةٌ بِالصَعيد

وَطيبَةُ مُقفِرَةٌ بِالصَعيد

And Thebes, peopled with kings,

And Taybah populated with kings,

And Thebes, desolate in Upper Egypt.

And Taybah deserted with ruins.

يَزولُ بِبَعضِ سَناهُ الصَفا

يَزولُ بِبَعضِ سَناهُ الصَفا

وَيَفنى بِبَعضِ سَناهُ الحَديد

وَيَفنى بِبَعضِ سَناهُ الحَديد

Some of its radiance makes hard rock vanish,

With some of its years, Mount Safa passes away

And some of its radiance makes iron perish.

And with some of its years, iron perishes.

وَمِن عَجَبٍ وَهوَ جَدُّ اللَيالي

وَمِن عَجَبٍ وَهوَ جَدُّ اللَيالي

يُبيدُ اللَيالِيَ فيما يُبيد

يُبيدُ اللَيالِيَ فيما يُبيد

And it is a wonder—though it is the nights' grandfather—

And of wonders, as it is the new of nights,

That it destroys nights among all it destroys.

It destroys nights in what it destroys.

يَقولونَ يا عامُ قَد عُدتَ لي

يَقولونَ يا عامُ قَد عُدتَ لي

فَيالَيتَ شِعري بِماذا تَعود

فَيالَيتَ شِعري بِماذا تَعود

They say: "O year, you have returned to me."

They say: O year, you have returned to me,

So, if only I knew what you return with!

So I wonder what you will bring back?

لَقَد كُنتَ لي أَمسِ ما لَم أُرِد

لَقَد كُنتَ لي أَمسِ ما لَم أُرِد

فَهَل أَنتَ لي اليَومَ ما لا أُريد

فَهَل أَنتَ لي اليَومَ ما لا أُريد

Indeed, yesterday you were to me what I did not want;

You were for me yesterday what I did not want,

Are you, then, for me today what I do not want?

Will you be for me today what I do not want?

وَمَن صابَرَ الدَهرَ صَبري لَهُ

وَمَن صابَرَ الدَهرَ صَبري لَهُ

شَكا في الثَلاثينَ شَكوى لَبيد

شَكا في الثَلاثينَ شَكوى لَبيد

And whoever endures time as I have endured it

Whoever endured time, my endurance suffices him,

Laments at thirty with Labid's lament.

Labeed complained in thirty, complaints,

ظَمِئتُ وَمِثلي بَرِيٍّ أَحَقُّ

ظَمِئتُ وَمِثلي بَرِيٍّ أَحَقُّ

كَأَنّي حُسَينٌ وَدَهري يَزيد

كَأَنّي حُسَينٌ وَدَهري يَزيد

I thirsted, though one like me was more deserving of a drink,

I got thirsty, and the like of me is more deserving,

As though I were Husayn and my time were Yazid.

As if I am Husain and my time is Yazid.

تَغابَيتُ حَتّى صَحِبتُ الجَهولَ

تَغابَيتُ حَتّى صَحِبتُ الجَهولَ

وَدارَيتُ حَتّى صَبِحتُ الحَسود

وَدارَيتُ حَتّى صَبِحتُ الحَسود

I feigned stupidity until I kept company with the ignorant;

I turned away until I accompanied the ignorant,

And I humored others until I called on the envious at dawn.

And associated with them until I became envied.