وَقَفنا لَهُم مِن وَراءِ الخُطو

وَقَفنا لَهُم مِن وَراءِ الخُطو

بِ نُطالِعُهُم مِن خَصاصاتِها

بِ نُطالِعُهُم مِن خَصاصاتِها

We stood in wait for them behind the calamities,

We stood behind the lines

peering at them through their gaps.

Gazing upon them through the loopholes

وَنَرقُبُ يَوماً كَأَيّامِها

وَنَرقُبُ يَوماً كَأَيّامِها

وَليلَةَ نَحسٍ كَلَيلاتِها

وَليلَةَ نَحسٍ كَلَيلاتِها

And we watch for a day like their days,

And awaited a day like those days

and a night of ill omen like their nights.

And a night of misfortune like those nights

فَإِنَّ عَصا الدَهرِ لَمّا تَدَع

فَإِنَّ عَصا الدَهرِ لَمّا تَدَع

سِياقَ الأُمورِ لِغاياتِها

سِياقَ الأُمورِ لِغاياتِها

For Time’s staff has not yet ceased

For the rod of fate, when it falls

driving affairs toward their ends.

Directs the course of events to their outcomes

وَإِنَّ الحَبائِلَ مَنصوبَةٌ

وَإِنَّ الحَبائِلَ مَنصوبَةٌ

فَلا تُستَغَرّوا بِإِفلاتِها

فَلا تُستَغَرّوا بِإِفلاتِها

And indeed the snares are set,

And the ropes are set up

so do not be deceived by escaping them.

So be not fooled by their slipperiness

تَسَنَّمتُموها طِوالَ الذُرى

تَسَنَّمتُموها طِوالَ الذُرى

فَصَبراً عَلى بُعدِ قَهواتِها

فَصَبراً عَلى بُعدِ قَهواتِها

You have scaled its towering summits;

You have climbed their heights throughout the ages

so bear patiently the depth of its abysses [conjectural reading].

So be patient with the distance of their summits

وَمَن أَمطَرَتهُ سَماءُ الغِنى

وَمَن أَمطَرَتهُ سَماءُ الغِنى

هَوى في سيولِ قَراراتِها

هَوى في سيولِ قَراراتِها

And whoever is showered upon by the sky of wealth

And he who was rained on by the sky of riches

falls into the torrents of its hollows.

Fell into the torrents of its settlements

فَيا لَكِ دُنيا تَريشُ الرِجا

فَيا لَكِ دُنيا تَريشُ الرِجا

لَ وَتَنحي عَليهِم بِمِبراتِها

لَ وَتَنحي عَليهِم بِمِبراتِها

Oh, what a world—giving men feathers

Oh how the world entices with hope

and bearing down on them with its paring blade!

Yet turns away from them with its kindnesses

وَإِنَّ مَنائِحَها لِلفَتى

وَإِنَّ مَنائِحَها لِلفَتى

لَرَهنٌ لَهُ بِنِكاياتِها

لَرَهنٌ لَهُ بِنِكاياتِها

And indeed its gifts to a man

And its gifts to the youth

are surely a pledge to him for its afflictions.

Are a guarantee to him of its malice

فَبَينا تَقولُ لَهُ هاكَها

فَبَينا تَقولُ لَهُ هاكَها

إِلى أَن تَقولَ لَهُ هاتِها

إِلى أَن تَقولَ لَهُ هاتِها

For no sooner does it tell him, “Take it,”

While it says to him, here they are

than it tells him, “Give it back.”

Until it says to him, hand them over

أَلَم تَعلَموا أَنَّ أَيّامَكُم

أَلَم تَعلَموا أَنَّ أَيّامَكُم

تُعَدُّ إِلى حينِ ميقاتِها

تُعَدُّ إِلى حينِ ميقاتِها

Did you not know that your days

Do you not know that your days

are counted down to their appointed hour?

Are counted until their appointed time?

فَكَيفَ وَثِقتُم بِأَعوامِها

فَكَيفَ وَثِقتُم بِأَعوامِها

وَنَحنُ نَضِنُّ بِساعاتِها

وَنَحنُ نَضِنُّ بِساعاتِها

How, then, did you trust in its years,

How then did you trust its years

while we jealously guard its hours?

When we are stingy with its hours?

فَلا تَطلُبَنَّ لَهُم عَثرَةً

فَلا تَطلُبَنَّ لَهُم عَثرَةً

سَتَأتيهِمُ هِيَ مِن ذاتِها

سَتَأتيهِمُ هِيَ مِن ذاتِها

So never seek a stumble for them;

Do not seek for them to stumble

it will come upon them of its own accord.

It will come to them of its own accord

تَمُرُّ اللَيالي عَلى نَهجِها

تَمُرُّ اللَيالي عَلى نَهجِها

وَتَجري الخُطوبُ لِعاداتِها

وَتَجري الخُطوبُ لِعاداتِها

The nights pass along their course,

The nights pass according to their course

and calamities follow their customary ways.

And misfortunes occur according to their habit