يا حَصانَ النِساءِ كَم فارِساً وُل

يا حَصانَ النِساءِ كَم فارِساً وُل

دُكِ مَه إِنَّما وَلَدتِ قُبورا

دُكِ مَه إِنَّما وَلَدتِ قُبورا

O chaste one among women, how many horsemen are your offspring?

O steed of women, how many horsemen have fallen

Enough! You have borne only graves.

At your hooves, you have only given birth to graves

مَن أَرادَ البَقاءَ وَهوَ حَبيبٌ

مَن أَرادَ البَقاءَ وَهوَ حَبيبٌ

فَليُعِدَّن لِلحُزنِ قَلباً صَبورا

فَليُعِدَّن لِلحُزنِ قَلباً صَبورا

Whoever desires to live on—and life is dear—

Whoever desires survival while still a lover

let him surely prepare a patient heart for sorrow.

Must ready their heart to be patient

لَو دَرى بِالَّذي عَلِمتُ ثَبيرٌ

لَو دَرى بِالَّذي عَلِمتُ ثَبيرٌ

لَدَعا مِن أَذى الحَياةِ ثُبورا

لَدَعا مِن أَذى الحَياةِ ثُبورا

Had Thabīr known what I have learned,

If the wise Thabit had known what I knew

it would have cried for annihilation from life's torment.

He would have called the harm of life disgraceful ruin

ما تَرى في الزَمانِ إِلّا قَتيلاً

ما تَرى في الزَمانِ إِلّا قَتيلاً

أَو أَسيراً لِحَتفِهِ مَصبورا

أَو أَسيراً لِحَتفِهِ مَصبورا

You see in time only the slain,

You see nothing in time except a slain man

or a captive, held fast for his death.

Or a captive bound for his waiting tomb

عَبَرَ الناسُ فَوقَ جِسرٍ أَمامي

عَبَرَ الناسُ فَوقَ جِسرٍ أَمامي

وَتَخَلَّفتُ لا أُريدُ عُبورا

وَتَخَلَّفتُ لا أُريدُ عُبورا

The people crossed over a bridge before me,

People crossed over a bridge ahead of me

and I stayed behind, not wishing to cross.

And I remained, not wanting to pass over

أَشعَرَ اللَهُ خالِقُ الأُمَمِ الشِع

أَشعَرَ اللَهُ خالِقُ الأُمَمِ الشِع

رى الغُمَيصاءَ ذِلَّةً وَالعَبورا

رى الغُمَيصاءَ ذِلَّةً وَالعَبورا

God, creator of nations, made al-Shiʿrā

God, creator of nations, inspired the poets

al-Ghumayṣāʾ and al-ʿAbūr feel abasement.

Humiliation and crossing over with poetry

وَتُحِبُّ الأُمُّ الخَلوبَ وَداوو

وَتُحِبُّ الأُمُّ الخَلوبَ وَداوو

دُ يَحِبُّ الدُنيا وَيَتلو الزَبورُ

دُ يَحِبُّ الدُنيا وَيَتلو الزَبورُ

And the mother loves the beguiling one, and David

The pious mother loves David

loves the world and recites the Psalms.

And David loves the world, reciting psalms

كُلُّنا يَشهَدُ الإِلهُ كَسيرٌ

كُلُّنا يَشهَدُ الإِلهُ كَسيرٌ

يَتَرَجّى بِضُعفِ رَأيٍ جُبورا

يَتَرَجّى بِضُعفِ رَأيٍ جُبورا

All of us—God bears witness—are broken,

We all bear witness, God leads everyone

hoping, with feeble judgment, to be mended.

Hoping with weak opinion to pass over

قَد خَبَرنا فَكَيفَ يُغتَرُّ بِالشَيءِ

قَد خَبَرنا فَكَيفَ يُغتَرُّ بِالشَيءِ

الَّذي باتَ عِندَنا مَخبورا

الَّذي باتَ عِندَنا مَخبورا

We have already tested it; how, then, can one be deceived by a thing

We have experienced, so how can one be fooled

that has become known to us through experience?

By what we have already known well