عمرٌ ينقضي برشد وغىَّ

عمرٌ ينقضي برشد وغىَّ

وحياةٌ تشربت كلَّ حيّ

وحياةٌ تشربت كلَّ حيّ

A lifetime passes in wisdom and error,

A life passes by with wisdom and madness

and a life has absorbed every living being.

And an existence imbibed with vitality

يا أخي أنت بعضُ نفسي فرفقا

يا أخي أنت بعضُ نفسي فرفقا

لا نحاول إرهاق قلبي الأبى

لا نحاول إرهاق قلبي الأبى

My brother, you are part of my soul; be gentle.

Oh my brother, you are a part of myself, so be gentle

Let us not try to overburden my unbowed heart,

Let's not overburden my steadfast heart

أو تلمني على وفائي للحق

أو تلمني على وفائي للحق

وذوِدي عن الغبين الشقي

وذوِدي عن الغبين الشقي

or reproach me for my loyalty to truth

Or blame me for my loyalty to the truth

and my defense of the wronged, wretched one.

And my protection of the foolish wretched one

ذا كياني وذا شعوري فما لي

ذا كياني وذا شعوري فما لي

حيلة في شعور قلبي الوفى

حيلة في شعور قلبي الوفى

This is my being, this my feeling; I have no

This is my being and my feeling, so what can I do?

power over the feelings of my faithful heart.

I have no choice in the loyalty of my heart

لم أكن من يغادر النيل لولا

لم أكن من يغادر النيل لولا

ه طريداً وان اكن كالنبي

ه طريداً وان اكن كالنبي

I would not have left the Nile, but for

I would not have abandoned the Nile unless

him—an outcast, even if I am like the Prophet—

I was hounded, even if I were a prophet

باكيا عزة الكنانة هانت

باكيا عزة الكنانة هانت

وتوارت كفنها العبقري

وتوارت كفنها العبقري

weeping for al-Kinana's glory, brought low

Crying over the lost dignity of majesty

and vanished, like its inspired art.

And its genius shrouded in a burial shroud

آسياً عانياً وقد حرّم الخل

آسياً عانياً وقد حرّم الخل

ق عليه السلام في كل شئ

ق عليه السلام في كل شئ

Sorrowful and suffering, while humankind has denied

Grieving and suffering when the Caliph

him peace in everything.

Denied him everything in all matters

ألجموه وقيدوه وراحوا

ألجموه وقيدوه وراحوا

يعلنون الفكاك أفظع غَىِّ

يعلنون الفكاك أفظع غَىِّ

They bridled him, bound him, and went on

They silenced him, bound him, and went about

proclaiming release—the most terrible error.

Announcing the worst madness as "freedom"

ربما كان لائمي من أفدي

ربما كان لائمي من أفدي

ه بروحي كما أفدى بَنييّ

ه بروحي كما أفدى بَنييّ

Perhaps my reproacher is the one I would ransom

Perhaps my critic is one I ransomed

with my soul, as I would ransom my sons,

With my soul as I ransomed my children

من تغربتُ كي أدوى بما ير

من تغربتُ كي أدوى بما ير

جو وقاسيت في كفاحي العتىّ

جو وقاسيت في كفاحي العتىّ

for whom I went abroad to voice what he

From exile, so I could heal with what suits

hopes for, and suffered in my fierce struggle,

And suffered through my painful struggle

ترجمانا له وحيناً دليلاً

ترجمانا له وحيناً دليلاً

وحميما في بؤسه الأزلى

وحميما في بؤسه الأزلى

as his interpreter, and at times his guide,

As his interpreter, guide, and intimate friend

and a close friend in his age-old misery.

In his eternal misery

أقبل الرجمَ راضياً وهو يشكو

أقبل الرجمَ راضياً وهو يشكو

ني كأني غريم شعب غبيّ

ني كأني غريم شعب غبيّ

I accept the stoning willingly, while he complains of

I accept being stoned willingly as he complains about me

me, as though I were a foolish people's adversary.

As if I were a villain of an ignorant people

فاته لاهياً جهودى وآلامي

فاته لاهياً جهودى وآلامي

دفاعاً عن حقه المنسى

دفاعاً عن حقه المنسى

He heedlessly overlooked my efforts and my pains

Distracted, he forgot my efforts and pains

in defense of his forgotten right,

Defending his forgotten right

وغدا سانداص نكاية حُسادى

وغدا سانداص نكاية حُسادى

وباغٍ بدا بثوب الولىّ

وباغٍ بدا بثوب الولىّ

and came to support my enviers' spite

And in the morning he allied with my envious enemies

and a wrongdoer who appeared in a protector's garb.

Appearing in the guise of a guardian

أنَّ طعنَ الحميمِ أقصى وأنكى

أنَّ طعنَ الحميمِ أقصى وأنكى

من شمات المضلل الجاهلي

من شمات المضلل الجاهلي

A dear friend's stab reaches farther and hurts more

That the stab of an intimate is the most painful

than the gloating of the benighted misleader,

And devastating of the ignorant opportunist

وجحود الذي تخص به الحبَّ

وجحود الذي تخص به الحبَّ

لأمضى من كل داء عيى

لأمضى من كل داء عيى

and the ingratitude of one for whom you reserve your love

And the ingratitude that love is prone to

is indeed sharper than any intractable disease.

Is more corrosive than any malady

سنوات خمس تكاد بها تم

سنوات خمس تكاد بها تم

ضى أماني المعذَّب المنفىّ

ضى أماني المعذَّب المنفىّ

Five years, in which almost fade

Five years in which the desires

the hopes of the tormented exile.

Of the tortured exile are fulfilled

إن أكن قد ظفرت ف يجوى الطل

إن أكن قد ظفرت ف يجوى الطل

قِ بعمرٍ مجَّددِ ألمعىّ

قِ بعمرٍ مجَّددِ ألمعىّ

Though I have indeed gained, in my free air,

If I have succeeded in winning freedom

a renewed and radiant life,

With a renewed, brilliant life

ففؤادىِ مازال يبكى على قو

ففؤادىِ مازال يبكى على قو

مي كحال اليهو والمبكىّ

مي كحال اليهو والمبكىّ

yet my heart still weeps for my

My heart still cries over my people

people, as in the Jews' plight; and what saddens

Like the wailing woman in mourning

لينا مثلهم وقد أصبحوا السا

لينا مثلهم وقد أصبحوا السا

دةَ في الدار والغنى السرمدىّ

دةَ في الدار والغنى السرمدىّ

us is their example: they have become

If only we were like them, having now become

masters in their homeland and in everlasting wealth,

The masters in the house and eternal wealth

حينما نحن يرشق الحرّمنا

حينما نحن يرشق الحرّمنا

يده عابثا بكل فرىّ

يده عابثا بكل فرىّ

while, among us, the free man pelts

While we are struck by deprivation,

his own hand, heedlessly, with every slander.

Abusing every opportunity

إن هَدمَ الأهرامِ أهونُ عُقبى

إن هَدمَ الأهرامِ أهونُ عُقبى

من زوال التضامن الوطني

من زوال التضامن الوطني

Indeed, the Pyramids' destruction is less dire in consequence

Surely the demolition of the pyramids

than the loss of national solidarity.

Is less consequential than the loss of national solidarity