لقد برك السهاد على عيوني

لقد برك السهاد على عيوني

ففرق بين مجتمع الجفون

ففرق بين مجتمع الجفون

Sleeplessness has settled heavily upon my eyes,

Indeed, sleeplessness has settled upon my eyes,

and parted my once-joined eyelids.

and parted the eyelids that had met.

وهذا حال من صحب الليالي

وهذا حال من صحب الليالي

وكابد عمره نكد السنون

وكابد عمره نكد السنون

Such is the state of one who keeps the nights company

And this is the lot of one who has kept company with the nights

and spends his life enduring the hardship of the years.

and endured, all his life, the misery of the years.

إذا بلغ الفتى ستين عاماً

إذا بلغ الفتى ستين عاماً

قصاراه مرادفة الأنين

قصاراه مرادفة الأنين

When a man reaches sixty years of age,

When a man reaches sixty years,

his utmost lot is groan following groan.

all he can manage is groan after groan.

ألست قرين أقوام تردت

ألست قرين أقوام تردت

وراحت للقبور وخلفوني

وراحت للقبور وخلفوني

Was I not the companion of men who perished

Am I not the companion of people who have fallen

and went away to the graves, leaving me behind?

and gone to their graves, leaving me behind?

ومن يك عاش من قرن لقرن

ومن يك عاش من قرن لقرن

يعش في القرن منقطع القرين

يعش في القرن منقطع القرين

Whoever lives on from one generation to another

And whoever has lived from one generation to the next

will live in the latter age bereft of companions.

lives in that generation, bereft of a companion.

ولدت بدار حي بني خروص

ولدت بدار حي بني خروص

وقطعت التمائم عند سوني

وقطعت التمائم عند سوني

I was born in the homeland of the clan of Banu Kharus,

I was born in the settlement of the Banī Kharūṣ clan,

and at Suni my infant amulets were cut away.

and the amulets were cut off at Sūnī.

وقضيت الشبيبة في عمان

وقضيت الشبيبة في عمان

مصاحب كل ذي علمٍ ودين

مصاحب كل ذي علمٍ ودين

I spent my youth in Oman,

And I spent my youth in Oman,

keeping company with everyone possessed of learning and faith.

keeping company with every person of learning and faith.

ركبت البحر من شرق لغرب

ركبت البحر من شرق لغرب

بظهر الموج في بطن السفين

بظهر الموج في بطن السفين

I sailed the sea from east to west,

I rode the sea from east to west,

upon the waves’ backs, within the ship’s belly.

on the back of the waves, in the belly of ships.

وجبت الأرض مقفرة الزنازي

وجبت الأرض مقفرة الزنازي

عفت من كل مغزلة وعين

عفت من كل مغزلة وعين

I traversed the earth, its dwelling places desolate,

And I traversed the earth, its [hillocks?] desolate,

effaced of every spindle and spring.

emptied of every mother gazelle and wide-eyed wild cow.

وكم أجنبت من فرس عتيق

وكم أجنبت من فرس عتيق

بجنب عرندس هوجاً أمون

بجنب عرندس هوجاً أمون

How many a noble horse I led as a remount

And how many a noble-bred horse I led as a spare mount,

beside a mighty, headlong, tireless she-camel.

beside a mighty camel, swift-striding and sure-footed!

وكم خلع لبست إذاً حسان

وكم خلع لبست إذاً حسان

وكم تاج على رأسي حسين

وكم تاج على رأسي حسين

How many lovely robes of honor I wore,

And how many beautiful robes of honor I wore then,

and how many a fair crown rested upon my head.

and how many a lovely crown was upon my head!

وكم من نعمةٍ أنعمت منها

وكم من نعمةٍ أنعمت منها

وكم غيد شزرت كحور عين

وكم غيد شزرت كحور عين

How many blessings I enjoyed,

And how many blessings I delighted in,

and how many graceful, wide-eyed maidens I regarded askance.

and how many graceful women, like wide-eyed houris, I eyed sidelong!

فما أبقت لي الأيام منها

فما أبقت لي الأيام منها

سوى التأسيف والدمع الهتون

سوى التأسيف والدمع الهتون

Of them the days have left me nothing

So the days left me nothing of them

but regret and streaming tears.

but regret and streaming tears.

مضت فكأنها أضغاث حلم

مضت فكأنها أضغاث حلم

أو الآل المرقرق بالوجين

أو الآل المرقرق بالوجين

They passed as though they were jumbled dreams,

They passed, as though they were tangled fragments of a dream,

or a mirage shimmering upon the hard plain.

or a mirage shimmering over rough, rising ground.

لييلات الشباب سلبن مني

لييلات الشباب سلبن مني

وعوضني البقا شيب القرون

وعوضني البقا شيب القرون

Youth’s few nights were stolen away from me,

The brief nights of youth were stolen from me,

and long survival repaid me with graying temples.

and living on gave me graying locks in exchange.

وما أذخرت من ماضي شبابي

وما أذخرت من ماضي شبابي

ذخيرة محرص منه مكين

ذخيرة محرص منه مكين

From the vanished days of my youth I stored away

Nor did I store up from my bygone youth

no treasured reserve, carefully guarded and secure.

a [careful saver's?] hoard, securely kept from it.

ظننت الشرخ كالأيام يبقى

ظننت الشرخ كالأيام يبقى

أماني والأماني كالظنون

أماني والأماني كالظنون

I thought the prime of youth, like the days, would last—

I thought youth's prime would endure like the days:

mere wishes; and wishes are like conjectures.

wishes—and wishes are like conjectures.

بكيت على الشباب وصاحبيه

بكيت على الشباب وصاحبيه

بكاء الهدهد الباكي الحزين

بكاء الهدهد الباكي الحزين

I wept for youth and its two companions

I wept for youth and its two companions,

with the weeping of the sorrowful, grieving hoopoe.

with the weeping of the sorrowful, weeping hoopoe.

ويا أهلاً بضيف الشيب أهلاً

ويا أهلاً بضيف الشيب أهلاً

وسهلاً بالأخ البر الأمين

وسهلاً بالأخ البر الأمين

Welcome, welcome, gray hair, my guest!

And welcome to the guest, gray hair—welcome!

And welcome, righteous, faithful brother.

And welcome to the kind, trustworthy brother.

فيا نعم القرين لو أن عمري

فيا نعم القرين لو أن عمري

به يبقى وقد أمسى قريني

به يبقى وقد أمسى قريني

What an excellent companion—if only my life

So, what a fine companion—if only my life

would endure with it, now that it has become my mate.

would last with him, now that he has become my companion!

وحسبي أنه وافى نذيراً

وحسبي أنه وافى نذيراً

بشيراً بالمنون المنجنون

بشيراً بالمنون المنجنون

It is enough for me that it came as a warning,

And it is enough for me that he has come as a warner,

heralding death and the turning wheel of fate.

bearing glad tidings of death, that turning waterwheel.

ومني الجسم أمسى حيزبوناً

ومني الجسم أمسى حيزبوناً

وما حال المسن الحيزبون

وما حال المسن الحيزبون

And this body of mine has become a decrepit crone;

And my body has become an aged crone;

what else is the state of the decrepit aged?

and what is the lot of an aged crone?

دعوني كيف مهما شئت أبكي

دعوني كيف مهما شئت أبكي

عرى عمري وأترابي دعوني

عرى عمري وأترابي دعوني

Leave me to weep however I please;

Let me weep in whatever way I wish,

the bonds of my life and my peers—leave me.

for my life's bonds and my peers—let me be.

إذا ما مات بعضي كيف بعضي

إذا ما مات بعضي كيف بعضي

يعيش وهل حراك من سكون

يعيش وهل حراك من سكون

When part of me has died, how can the rest

If part of me has died, how can another part

live? Can movement arise from stillness?

live—and can movement come from stillness?

ولو أنا ذو اتعاظٍ أو عظتني الن

ولو أنا ذو اتعاظٍ أو عظتني الن

وازل بالشقاشق والسكون

وازل بالشقاشق والسكون

Had I been one to heed—or had calamities admonished me,

And if only I took heed, or were admonished by the calam-

through their clamor and their stillness.

ities, with vehement outbursts and silence.

وحكم اللَه ي مضى وراض

وحكم اللَه ي مضى وراض

بحكم اللَه في الدنيا ودين

بحكم اللَه في الدنيا ودين

God’s decree goes on, and I am content

And God's decree has taken effect [in me], and I am content

with God’s decree in worldly life and in faith.

with God's decree in this world and in faith.

فإن أك كنت مسعوداً فإني

فإن أك كنت مسعوداً فإني

بغير قضاه غير المستعين

بغير قضاه غير المستعين

If I should be fortunate, then indeed I

So if I have been fortunate, then I

seek no aid beyond His decree.

seek help from nothing but His decree.

وإن كنت الشقي فسوء جدي

وإن كنت الشقي فسوء جدي

وما لي من يدين ولا معين

وما لي من يدين ولا معين

But if I am the wretched one, evil is my fortune;

And if I have been wretched, it is my ill fortune,

I have neither power nor helper.

and I have neither hands to act with nor a helper.

أيا رباه لي عمل قبيح

أيا رباه لي عمل قبيح

وفيك عقيدة الأمل المتين

وفيك عقيدة الأمل المتين

O my Lord, my deeds are vile,

O my Lord, my conduct is vile,

yet in You I hold the creed of steadfast hope.

yet in You I hold a conviction of steadfast hope.

عساك الظن تجعله يقينا

عساك الظن تجعله يقينا

فتحشرني على حسن اليقين

فتحشرني على حسن اليقين

May You make forgiveness a certainty for me,

May You turn my expectation into certainty,

and raise me in sound certainty of faith.

and gather me with sound conviction;

فتنزلني بلطفك يا إلهي

فتنزلني بلطفك يا إلهي

وعفوك في منازل عليين

وعفوك في منازل عليين

Then lodge me, through Your grace, O my God,

then lodge me, through Your kindness, O my God,

and through Your pardon, in the abodes of Illiyyin.

and Your pardon, in the dwellings of ʿIlliyyīn.

صلاتك والسلام على شفيع ال

صلاتك والسلام على شفيع ال

برية إبن آمنة الأمين

برية إبن آمنة الأمين

Your blessings and peace upon the intercessor of

May Your blessings and peace be upon the intercessor for the

creation—Amina’s son, the Trustworthy.

creation, Āmina's son, the trustworthy one.