أَأَبقى عَلى نِضوِ الهُمومِ كَأَنَّما

أَأَبقى عَلى نِضوِ الهُمومِ كَأَنَّما

سَقَتني اللَيالي مِن عَقابيلِها سُمّا

سَقَتني اللَيالي مِن عَقابيلِها سُمّا

Shall I remain upon the worn-out mount of cares, as though

Shall I remain in the freshness of worries as if

the nights had made me drink poison from their lingering ills?

The nights had given me from their cups poison to drink?

وَأَكبَرُ آمالي مِنَ الدَهرِ أَنَّني

وَأَكبَرُ آمالي مِنَ الدَهرِ أَنَّني

أَكونُ خَلِيّاً لا سُروراً وَلا هَمّا

أَكونُ خَلِيّاً لا سُروراً وَلا هَمّا

And my greatest hope from time is that I

And my greatest hopes from fate are that

may be untroubled, with neither joy nor care.

I will be free, with neither joy nor care.

أَكُرُّ أَحاديثَ المَطامِعِ ضِلَّةً

أَكُرُّ أَحاديثَ المَطامِعِ ضِلَّةً

وَأُلقِحُ مِن هَذي المُنى أَبطُناً عُقما

وَأُلقِحُ مِن هَذي المُنى أَبطُناً عُقما

I repeat tales of ambition in my delusion,

I consider the talks of ambitions to be lost,

and with these wishes I fertilize barren wombs.

And I stop up from this purpose bellies barren.

فَلا جامِعاً مالاً وَلا مُدرِكاً عُلىً

فَلا جامِعاً مالاً وَلا مُدرِكاً عُلىً

وَلا مُحرِزاً أَجراً وَلا طالِباً عِلما

وَلا مُحرِزاً أَجراً وَلا طالِباً عِلما

So I neither amass wealth nor attain high rank,

So neither gathering wealth, nor attaining sublime rank,

nor secure a reward, nor seek knowledge,

Nor hoarding reward, nor seeking knowledge.

بِأُرجوحَةٍ بَينَ الخَصاصَةِ وَالغِنى

بِأُرجوحَةٍ بَينَ الخَصاصَةِ وَالغِنى

وَمَنزِلَةٍ بَينَ الشَقاوَةِ وَالنُعمى

وَمَنزِلَةٍ بَينَ الشَقاوَةِ وَالنُعمى

on a swing between poverty and wealth,

With a swing between destitution and riches,

and in a station between misery and bliss.

And a position between wretchedness and bliss.