مِثلِيَ هَذا النَجمُ في سُهدِهِ

مِثلِيَ هَذا النَجمُ في سُهدِهِ

وَمِثلُهُ المَحبوبُ في بُعدِهِ

وَمِثلُهُ المَحبوبُ في بُعدِهِ

This star is like me in its sleeplessness,

Like this star in its setting

This star is like me in its sleepless vigil,

and the beloved is like it in his remoteness.

And like the beloved in his absence

And the beloved is like it in his remoteness.

يَختالُ في عَرضِ السَما تائِهاً

يَختالُ في عَرضِ السَما تائِهاً

كَأَنَّما يَختالُ في بُردِهِ

كَأَنَّما يَختالُ في بُردِهِ

It struts proudly across the breadth of the sky,

Strutting across the expanse of the sky, wandering

It struts across the breadth of the sky, wandering,

as though strutting in its mantle.

As though he struts in his coldness

As though it were parading in its royal cloak.

إِن شِئتَ فَهوَ المَلِكُ في عَرشِهِ

إِن شِئتَ فَهوَ المَلِكُ في عَرشِهِ

أَو شِئتَ فَهوَ الطِفلُ في مَهدِهِ

أَو شِئتَ فَهوَ الطِفلُ في مَهدِهِ

If you wish, it is the king upon his throne,

If you wish, he is the king on his throne

If you wish, he is a king upon his throne,

or, if you wish, it is the child in its cradle.

Or if you wish, he is the babe in his cradle

Or if you wish, a child within his cradle.

يَرمَقُنو شَذَراً كَأَنّي بِهِ

يَرمَقُنو شَذَراً كَأَنّي بِهِ

يَحسَبُني أَطمَعُ في مَجدِهِ

يَحسَبُني أَطمَعُ في مَجدِهِ

It eyes me askance; I can almost see it

He glances at me as though I covet

He glances at me askance, as if—I feel—

thinking I covet its glory.

His glory, while he deems me greedy

He reckons that I covet his glory.

يَسعى وَلا يَسعى إِلى غايَةٍ

يَسعى وَلا يَسعى إِلى غايَةٍ

كَمَن يَرى الغايَةَ في جَدِّهِ

كَمَن يَرى الغايَةَ في جَدِّهِ

It strives, yet strives toward no goal,

He hustles but hustles not toward an end

He strives, yet strives toward no goal,

like one who sees the goal in his striving.

Like one who finds purpose in his seriousness

Like one who sees the end in the striving itself.

كَأَنَّما يَبحَثُ عَن ضائِعٍ

كَأَنَّما يَبحَثُ عَن ضائِعٍ

لا يَستَطيعُ الصَبرَ مِن بَعدِهِ

لا يَستَطيعُ الصَبرَ مِن بَعدِهِ

As though it searches for something lost,

It's as though he seeks something lost

As though he searches for something lost,

whose absence it cannot endure.

Unable to endure the separation

Unable to bear patience since its departure.

طالَ سُراه وَهوَ في حَيرَةٍ

طالَ سُراه وَهوَ في حَيرَةٍ

كَأَنَّهُ المَحزونُ في وَجدِهِ

كَأَنَّهُ المَحزونُ في وَجدِهِ

Its night journey has grown long, and it is bewildered,

Long has his vigil been, lost in confusion

His night journey is long, and he is bewildered,

as though it were a sorrowful soul in its longing.

Like the grieved one in his torment

As though he were the grieving lover in his passion.

في جُنحِ لَيلٍ حالِكٍ فاحِمٍ

في جُنحِ لَيلٍ حالِكٍ فاحِمٍ

كَأَنَّ حَظِيَ قُدَّ مِن جِلدِهِ

كَأَنَّ حَظِيَ قُدَّ مِن جِلدِهِ

In the gloom of a dark, coal-black night,

On the wings of a grim, blazing night

In the wing of a pitch-black, coal-dark night,

as though my fortune were cut from its skin.

As though my lot had fled its skin

As if my fortune were cut from its very hide.

لا يَحسُدُ الأَعمى بِهِ مُبصِراً

لا يَحسُدُ الأَعمى بِهِ مُبصِراً

كِلاهُما قَد ضَلَّ عَن قَصدِهِ

كِلاهُما قَد ضَلَّ عَن قَصدِهِ

In it, the blind man does not envy the sighted;

The blind envy him not, beholding

Where the blind man need not envy the sighted,

both have strayed from their course.

Both have strayed from the path

For both have gone astray from their intent.

ساوَرَني الهَم وَساوَرتُهُ

ساوَرَني الهَم وَساوَرتُهُ

ما أَعجَزَ الإِنسانَ عَن رَدِّهِ

ما أَعجَزَ الإِنسانَ عَن رَدِّهِ

Care assailed me, and I assailed it;

Worry beset me and I beset it

Anxiety assailed me, and I assailed it;

how helpless humankind is to repel it!

How feeble is man against diverting it

How helpless is man to repel it!

ما أَعجَبَ الدَهر وَأَطوارَهُ

ما أَعجَبَ الدَهر وَأَطوارَهُ

في عَينِ مَن يُمعِنُ في نَقدِهِ

في عَينِ مَن يُمعِنُ في نَقدِهِ

How strange are Time and its changing ways

How wondrous is fate and its cycles

How strange is Time and its shifting phases,

in the eyes of one who scrutinizes it.

In the eye of one who examines its critique

In the eye of one who examines it deeply.

جَرَّبتَهُ دَهراً فَما راقَني

جَرَّبتَهُ دَهراً فَما راقَني

مِن هَزلِهِ شَيء وَلا جَدِّهِ

مِن هَزلِهِ شَيء وَلا جَدِّهِ

You have tried it for ages, yet nothing pleased me

You tried it an age, and nothing pleased me

I tested it for an age, yet nothing pleased me

in its jesting or its seriousness.

Of its jest, nor its seriousness

Of its jesting, nor of its seriousness.

أَكبَرَ مِنهُ أَنَّني زاهِدٌ

أَكبَرَ مِنهُ أَنَّني زاهِدٌ

ما زَهِدَ الزاهِدُ في زُهدِهِ

ما زَهِدَ الزاهِدُ في زُهدِهِ

I esteem this in it: that I renounce

Greater than it, that I renounce

Greater than Time is the fact that I am an ascetic

what the ascetic renounces in his asceticism.

Never did the ascetic in his asceticism renounce

Who has renounced what no ascetic ever renounced.

أَكبَرَ مِنّي ذا وَأَكبَرتُ أَن

أَكبَرَ مِنّي ذا وَأَكبَرتُ أَن

يَطمَعَ أَن أَطمَعَ في رَفدِهِ

يَطمَعَ أَن أَطمَعَ في رَفدِهِ

It admired this in me, and I marveled that

Greater than me, this, and I am greater

Time found this haughty of me, while I deemed it too great

it should hope that I would covet its bounty.

That I aspire to aspire to its bestowal

That it should hope I would ever hope for its aid.

وَعَدَّني أُعجوبَةً في الوَرى

وَعَدَّني أُعجوبَةً في الوَرى

مُذ رُحتُ لا أَعجَبُ مِن حِقدِهِ

مُذ رُحتُ لا أَعجَبُ مِن حِقدِهِ

And it deemed me a marvel among humankind,

It promised me wonders in the world

It counted me a wonder among mankind,

since I stopped marveling at its spite.

Ever since I left, I marvel at its spite

Since I came to marvel no longer at its malice.

يا رُبَّ خَلِّ كانَ دوني نُهىً

يا رُبَّ خَلِّ كانَ دوني نُهىً

عَجِبتُ مِن نَهسي وَمِن سَعدِهِ

عَجِبتُ مِن نَهسي وَمِن سَعدِهِ

Ah, many a friend was less wise than I;

Oh Lord, make below me a deterrent

Oh, how many a friend, inferior to me in mind—

I marveled at my ill luck and his good fortune.

I marveled at my luck and its joy

I marveled at my ill luck and at his fortune!

وَعائِشٍ يَخطُرُ فَوقَ الثَرى

وَعائِشٍ يَخطُرُ فَوقَ الثَرى

أَفضَلُ مِنهُ المَيتُ في لَحدِهِ

أَفضَلُ مِنهُ المَيتُ في لَحدِهِ

And many a living man struts upon the earth,

And one who struts atop the dust

And one living, who struts upon the soil,

though the dead man in his grave is better than he.

Better than him is the dead in his grave

Yet the dead in his grave is better than he.

أَصبَحَ يَجني الوَردَ مِن شَوكِهِ

أَصبَحَ يَجني الوَردَ مِن شَوكِهِ

وَبِتُّ أَجني الشَوكَ مِن وَردِهِ

وَبِتُّ أَجني الشَوكَ مِن وَردِهِ

He awoke to gather roses from its thorns,

He plucks roses from their thorns

He has come to gather roses from his thorns,

and I spent the night gathering thorns from its roses.

While I pluck thorns from their roses

While I spend the night gathering thorns from his roses.

أَكذِبُ إِن صَدَّقتُهُ بَعدَما

أَكذِبُ إِن صَدَّقتُهُ بَعدَما

عَرَفتُ مِنهُ الكَذِبَ في وَعدِهِ

عَرَفتُ مِنهُ الكَذِبَ في وَعدِهِ

I would be lying if I believed it, after

I lie if I believe him after

I lie if I believe Time, after

learning from it the falsehood in its promise.

Learning his lies in his vows

I have known the falsehood in its promises.

لا أَشتَكي الضَرَّ إِذا مَسَّني

لا أَشتَكي الضَرَّ إِذا مَسَّني

مِنه وَلا أَطرُبُ مِن رَغدِهِ

مِنه وَلا أَطرُبُ مِن رَغدِهِ

I do not complain of harm when it touches me

I complain not of harm when it comes

I do not complain of harm when it touches me,

from it, nor rejoice in its comfort.

From him, nor rejoice in his plenty

Nor do I rejoice in its prosperity.

أَعلَمُ أَنَّ البُؤسَ مُستَنفَذٌ

أَعلَمُ أَنَّ البُؤسَ مُستَنفَذٌ

وَالرَغدُ ما لا بُدَّ مِن فَقدِهِ

وَالرَغدُ ما لا بُدَّ مِن فَقدِهِ

I know that misery comes to an end,

I know misery is guaranteed

I know that misery is destined to pass,

and comfort is something that must be lost.

And plenty is sure to vanish

And prosperity is what must inevitably be lost.

إِذا اللَيالي قَرَّبَت نازِحاً

إِذا اللَيالي قَرَّبَت نازِحاً

وَكُنتَ مُشتاقاً إِلى شَهدِهِ

وَكُنتَ مُشتاقاً إِلى شَهدِهِ

If the nights bring someone distant near,

When nights draw near a departure

If the nights bring a distant loved one near,

and you are longing for his honey,

And you yearn for their sweetness

And you are yearning for his sweetness,

أُمَلِّكُ عَنهُ النَفسَ في قُربِهِ

أُمَلِّكُ عَنهُ النَفسَ في قُربِهِ

خَوفاً مِنَ الوَحشَةِ في صَدِّهِ

خَوفاً مِنَ الوَحشَةِ في صَدِّهِ

I hold my soul back from him while he is near,

I divert myself from it in its nearness

I restrain my soul from him in his nearness,

for fear of loneliness when he turns away.

Fearing the loneliness of its distance

Fearing the desolation of his rejection.

وَإِن أَرَ الحُزنَ عَلى فائِتٍ

وَإِن أَرَ الحُزنَ عَلى فائِتٍ

أَضَرَّ بِيَ الحُزن وَلَم يُجدِهِ

أَضَرَّ بِيَ الحُزن وَلَم يُجدِهِ

And if I feel sorrow over something lost,

And if I see sorrow for one gone

And if I see sorrow over what is lost,

sorrow harms me and does it no good.

Sorrow harmed me, not finding him

That sorrow harms me and brings no gain.