أَمّا الحَياةُ فَفَقرٌ لا غِنى مَعَهُ

أَمّا الحَياةُ فَفَقرٌ لا غِنى مَعَهُ

وَالمَوتُ يُغني فَسُبحانَ الَّذي قَدَرا

وَالمَوتُ يُغني فَسُبحانَ الَّذي قَدَرا

As for life, it is poverty with no wealth beside it;

Life is poverty, no wealth comes with it

And death enriches; glory be to Him who ordained it.

And death brings wealth, glory to He who ordained them

لَو أَنصَفَ العَيشُ لَم تُذمَم صَحابَتَهُ

لَو أَنصَفَ العَيشُ لَم تُذمَم صَحابَتَهُ

وَما غَدَرنا وَلَكِن عَيشُنا غَدَرا

وَما غَدَرنا وَلَكِن عَيشُنا غَدَرا

If life were fair, its companionship would not be condemned;

If life were fair, its company would not be blamed

And we were not treacherous, but our life was.

We were not betrayed, but life itself betrayed us

غُفرانَ رَبِّكَ هَل تَغدو مُؤَمِّلَةً

غُفرانَ رَبِّكَ هَل تَغدو مُؤَمِّلَةً

أَغفارُ شابَةَ أَن تُدعى بِها فُدُرا

أَغفارُ شابَةَ أَن تُدعى بِها فُدُرا

Your Lord's forgiveness! Do they go forth hoping—

Will your Lord's forgiveness continue to give hope?

Shabah's young ibexes—to be called old ibexes there?

Will Ghafir's forgiveness continue to be called Fudur?

أَم خُصَّ بِالأَمَلِ المَبسوطِ كُلُّ فَتىً

أَم خُصَّ بِالأَمَلِ المَبسوطِ كُلُّ فَتىً

مِن آلِ حَوّاءَ يُنسي وِردُه الصَدَرا

مِن آلِ حَوّاءَ يُنسي وِردُه الصَدَرا

Or is boundless hope reserved for every youth

Or is every young man of Eve's progeny

Among Eve's offspring, whose coming to water makes him forget departure?

Endowed with outstretched hope that makes him forget?

يا صاحِ ما خُدِرَت رِجلي فَأَشكُوَها

يا صاحِ ما خُدِرَت رِجلي فَأَشكُوَها

وَلَم أَزَل وَالبَرايا نَشتَكي الخَدَرا

وَلَم أَزَل وَالبَرايا نَشتَكي الخَدَرا

O friend, my leg has not gone numb that I should complain of it;

O companion, my legs have numbed, so I complain of them

Yet I and all creatures have always complained of darkness—

Yet I have not stopped, while in the wilderness, complaining of numbness

لَيلاً مِنَ الغَيِّ لا أَنوارَ يُطلِعُها

لَيلاً مِنَ الغَيِّ لا أَنوارَ يُطلِعُها

فَالرَكبُ يَخبِطُ في ظَلمائِهِ الغَدَرا

فَالرَكبُ يَخبِطُ في ظَلمائِهِ الغَدَرا

A night of error that brings forth no lights,

A night of misguidance, no lights to illuminate it

So the caravan stumbles over rough ground in its gloom.

So the caravan stumbles in its deceptive darkness

لا تَقرَبَن جَدَرِيّاً ما أَرَدتُ بِهِ

لا تَقرَبَن جَدَرِيّاً ما أَرَدتُ بِهِ

داءً يُرى بَل شَراباً مودَعاً جَدَرا

داءً يُرى بَل شَراباً مودَعاً جَدَرا

Do not approach 'smallpox'—by that I do not mean

Do not come near my wall that I wanted

A visible disease, but a drink stored in earthenware.

As an illness to be seen, but a drink stored in the wall

زُفَّت إِلى البَدرِ وَالدينارُ قيمَتُها

زُفَّت إِلى البَدرِ وَالدينارُ قيمَتُها

عِندَ السِباءِ وَكانَت تَسكُنُ المَدَرا

عِندَ السِباءِ وَكانَت تَسكُنُ المَدَرا

She was led as a bride to the full moon, a dinar her price

She was married off to a full moon, while her dowry

When purchased; she had once dwelt in clay.

Was but a dinar, as she used to live in a ruin

وَالخَيرُ يَندُرُ تاراتٍ فَنَعرِفُهُ

وَالخَيرُ يَندُرُ تاراتٍ فَنَعرِفُهُ

وَلا يُقاسُ عَلى حَرفٍ إِذا نَدَرا

وَلا يُقاسُ عَلى حَرفٍ إِذا نَدَرا

And goodness appears only now and then, so we recognize it;

Goodness is rare like shooting stars, so we recognize it

And no rule is based on a word when it is irregular.

And it is not measured by one instance if it is rare

وَكَم مَصائِبَ في الأَيّامِ فادِحَةٍ

وَكَم مَصائِبَ في الأَيّامِ فادِحَةٍ

لَولا الحِمامُ لَعُدَّت كُلُّها هَدَرا

لَولا الحِمامُ لَعُدَّت كُلُّها هَدَرا

And how many grievous calamities there are in the days—

How many grievous tribulations there are in days

Were it not for death, they would all be reckoned of no account.

Were it not for pigeons, they would all be devastated