أَفطِر وَصُم وَأَفطِر خائِفاً

أَفطِر وَصُم وَأَفطِر خائِفاً

صَومُ المَنِيَّةِ لَهُ إِفطارُ

صَومُ المَنِيَّةِ لَهُ إِفطارُ

Break your fast and fast, and break your fast in fear;

Fast and fast while in fear

death’s fast has its breaking.

The fast from death has a breakfast

وَأُراعُ مِن تِربي وَلا أَرتاعُ مِن

وَأُراعُ مِن تِربي وَلا أَرتاعُ مِن

تُربي وَفي قُربِ الأَنيسِ خِطارُ

تُربي وَفي قُربِ الأَنيسِ خِطارُ

And I am frightened by my peer, but am not afraid of

I'm wary of my soil yet not wary

my dust; and in a companion’s nearness lies peril.

Of my soil, though near a loved one there is danger

مَن كَالصَعيدِ الحُرِّ مِن أَبنائِهِ

مَن كَالصَعيدِ الحُرِّ مِن أَبنائِهِ

زَهرُ الرَبيعِ وَرَوضُهُ المِعطارُ

زَهرُ الرَبيعِ وَرَوضُهُ المِعطارُ

Who is like the pure earth, among whose children

One who is like free soil among its sons

are spring’s flowers and its fragrant meadow?

Is the flower of spring and its fragrant meadow

وَكَأَنَّ في كَفِّ الزَمانِ بِنَورِهِ

وَكَأَنَّ في كَفِّ الزَمانِ بِنَورِهِ

قُطُراً تُعَمُّ بِنَشرِهِ الأَقطارُ

قُطُراً تُعَمُّ بِنَشرِهِ الأَقطارُ

And it is as though, with its blossoms, time’s palm held

As if in the hand of time, with its light

aloeswood whose fragrance pervades the lands.

Were drops that spread with their scattering the horizons

مُتَمَطِّرينَ إِلى الخِيانَةِ وَالأَذى

مُتَمَطِّرينَ إِلى الخِيانَةِ وَالأَذى

وَهُمُ السَحائِبُ مالَها إِمطارُ

وَهُمُ السَحائِبُ مالَها إِمطارُ

They hasten toward treachery and harm,

Inclined toward treachery and harm

yet they are clouds that shed no rain.

While they are the clouds, not prone to rain

وَمِنَ الفَضيلَةِ لِلجَوامِدِ أَنَّها

وَمِنَ الفَضيلَةِ لِلجَوامِدِ أَنَّها

لا حِسَّ يَتبَعُها وَلا أَوطارُ

لا حِسَّ يَتبَعُها وَلا أَوطارُ

And one virtue of inanimate things is that

Of virtues for solids, that they

no sensation attends them, nor any desires.

Have no feelings to follow them or habits

تَخِذَ الغُرابُ عَلى المَفارِقِ مَوقِعاً

تَخِذَ الغُرابُ عَلى المَفارِقِ مَوقِعاً

وَلَقَد عَلِمتُ بِأَنَّهُ سَيُطارُ

وَلَقَد عَلِمتُ بِأَنَّهُ سَيُطارُ

The raven has taken a perch upon the hair-partings,

The crow takes as its place the separations

and I know full well that it will be made to fly away.

And I knew that it would soon fly away