لو أن تجربةَ الحياةِ وحَّظها

لو أن تجربةَ الحياةِ وحَّظها

أني أَنالُ نَداكَ ثم أموتُ

أني أَنالُ نَداكَ ثم أموتُ

If life's experience and its lot

If the experience of life and its fortune

Were that I gain your bounty, then die,

Were that I attain your presence then die

لكفت لتفسير الحياة وخيرها

لكفت لتفسير الحياة وخيرها

إنَّ الحنانض لمثل روحي قوت

إنَّ الحنانض لمثل روحي قوت

That would suffice to explain life and its goodness.

That would suffice to explain life and its good

For tenderness is sustenance for a soul like mine.

For affection is food for my soul

أيهاً ليونُ جمعتَ ذخرَ فضائل

أيهاً ليونُ جمعتَ ذخرَ فضائل

وحجىً أقُّل جمالهِ ملكوتُ

وحجىً أقُّل جمالهِ ملكوتُ

O Leon, you have gathered a treasure of virtues,

O Leon, you gathered virtues’ treasure

And wisdom whose least beauty is a heavenly realm,

And wisdom whose beauty is divine

وحمىً أردِّدُ في عُلاهُ عواطفي

وحمىً أردِّدُ في عُلاهُ عواطفي

ويطيرُ فيه شعورىَ المكبوتُ

ويطيرُ فيه شعورىَ المكبوتُ

And a sanctuary in whose heights I echo my feelings,

And zeal in whose height I repeat my feelings

And within it my pent-up feeling takes flight.

And my suppressed consciousness flies in it

أنت المسيح وقد تقمصُ حبُّهُ

أنت المسيح وقد تقمصُ حبُّهُ

دُنيا الجمالِ وخافَه الطاغوتُ

دُنيا الجمالِ وخافَه الطاغوتُ

You are Christ, and his love has clothed itself in

You are the Christ who assumed His love

The world of beauty, and tyranny has feared him.

The world of beauty and the cursed devil fled from Him

ما كنت إلاّ للحقيقة وحدَها

ما كنت إلاّ للحقيقة وحدَها

والحُّق أكثرُ حظهِ موقوتُ

والحُّق أكثرُ حظهِ موقوتُ

You were devoted to truth alone,

I was not but for the truth alone

And truth's lot is, for the most part, time-bound.

And the truth, most of its fortune is predestined

فلئن سَكت فما سَكت مُخيَّراً

فلئن سَكت فما سَكت مُخيَّراً

ولرُبَّ سخطٍ للحكيم سكوت

ولرُبَّ سخطٍ للحكيم سكوت

So if you fell silent, you did not do so by choice;

So if I were silent, I was not silent willingly

And often a sage's indignation is silence,

And many wise men's silence is out of discontent

في عالمٍ قد باتَ يُغبطُ من به

في عالمٍ قد باتَ يُغبطُ من به

عُّى وضَيَّعَ سَّرهُ الكهنوت

عُّى وضَيَّعَ سَّرهُ الكهنوت

In a world where one is now envied for being

In a world that has become praising whom in it

Inarticulate, and the priesthood has squandered its secret;

Is blind and lost its secret priesthood

وتشردت فيه المحبةُ مثلما

وتشردت فيه المحبةُ مثلما

قد ضاع أوزيريسُ والتابوتُ

قد ضاع أوزيريسُ والتابوتُ

And love has wandered homeless within it, just as

And in it love wandered just as

Osiris and the coffin were lost.

Osiris and the ark were lost

فمتى يَعُودُ وإن رأيتكَ رمزهُ

فمتى يَعُودُ وإن رأيتكَ رمزهُ

ومتى يسُودُ وَخصمهُ ممقوتُ

ومتى يسُودُ وَخصمهُ ممقوتُ

So when will he return, though I have seen you as his symbol?

So when will its symbol return and I see you

And when will he prevail, while his foe is loathed?

And when will its enemy be hated and inferior