حاجي نَظيمُ جُمانٍ وَالحَياةُ مَعي

حاجي نَظيمُ جُمانٍ وَالحَياةُ مَعي

سِلكٌ قَصيرٌ فَيَأبى جَمعَها القِصَرُ

سِلكٌ قَصيرٌ فَيَأبى جَمعَها القِصَرُ

My needs are a string of pearls, and life, for me,

Haji Nazim of Juman Life accompanied me,

is a short thread; its shortness refuses to gather them.

A short path, so brevity refused to unite them,

أَمّا المُرادُ فَجَمٌّ لا يُحيطُ بِهِ

أَمّا المُرادُ فَجَمٌّ لا يُحيطُ بِهِ

شَرحٌ وَلَكِن عُمرَ المَرءِ مُختَصَرُ

شَرحٌ وَلَكِن عُمرَ المَرءِ مُختَصَرُ

As for what is desired, it is vast, beyond the reach

As for what is intended, it was a whole, not encompassed

of explanation; yet a person's life is brief.

By explanation, though a person's life is brief,

وَالدَهرُ يَخطُبُ أَهلَ اللُبِّ مُذ عَقَلوا

وَالدَهرُ يَخطُبُ أَهلَ اللُبِّ مُذ عَقَلوا

ما خافَ عِيّاً وَلا أَزرى بِهِ الحَصَرُ

ما خافَ عِيّاً وَلا أَزرى بِهِ الحَصَرُ

And Time has preached to the wise since they learned to reason;

And time solicited the intelligent since they had reason,

it never feared inarticulacy, nor did faltering speech disgrace it.

Neither fearing the weak, nor confined by shackles,

وَالغَيُّ في كُلِّ شَيءٍ لَيسَ يَعدَمُهُ

وَالغَيُّ في كُلِّ شَيءٍ لَيسَ يَعدَمُهُ

باغيهِ حَتّى مِنَ الأَعنابِ تُعتَصَرُ

باغيهِ حَتّى مِنَ الأَعنابِ تُعتَصَرُ

And error is in everything; it is never lacking

And transgression in everything, its transgressor does not lack it

for one who seeks it—even from grapes it is pressed.

Even from grapes they would be pressed,

وَالشَرُّ في عالَمٍ شاهَدتُهُ خُلُقٌ

وَالشَرُّ في عالَمٍ شاهَدتُهُ خُلُقٌ

ما صَدَّهُم عَن أَذاهُ الحُرُّ وَالخَصَرُ

ما صَدَّهُم عَن أَذاهُ الحُرُّ وَالخَصَرُ

And evil is second nature in a world I have witnessed;

And evil in a world I witnessed was a trait

neither heat nor cold deterred them from inflicting its harm.

Neither virtue nor chains deterred them from harm

فَالصُمُّ مِن عُنصُرِ الإِفسادِ حاسِدَةٌ

فَالصُمُّ مِن عُنصُرِ الإِفسادِ حاسِدَةٌ

لِصَحَّةِ السَمعِ خُلداً ما لَهُ بَصَرُ

لِصَحَّةِ السَمعِ خُلداً ما لَهُ بَصَرُ

So the deaf, made of corruption's substance, envy

So deafness from the element of corruption is an envious one

a mole for its sound hearing, though it has no sight.

Of the health of hearing, eternally sightless.