كَمُلَتْhave been completed ليَfor me الخمسونَfifty والخمسُand five
كَمُلَتْ ليَ الخمسونَ والخمسُ
ووقعْتُand I fell فيinto مرضٍan illness لهthat has نُكْسُa relapse
ووقعْتُ في مرضٍ له نُكْسُ
Fifty years have been completed for me—and five more;
My fifty years and five are now complete,
and I have fallen ill with a sickness that relapses.
And I have fallen ill with a sickness that relapses.
وَوُجِدْتُand I was found بالأضدادِwith opposites فيin جَسَديmy body
وَوُجِدْتُ بالأضدادِ في جَسَدي
غُصْنٌa bough يلينُgrows soft وقامةٌand a frame تَقْسُوgrows stiff
غُصْنٌ يلينُ وقامةٌ تَقْسُو
Within my body I have found opposites:
And I found myself with opposites within my body:
a branch grows supple while my frame grows stiff.
A bough grows soft, while my frame grows stiff.
وتَنافَرَتْand shied away عَنّيfrom me الحسانُbeautiful women كماjust as
وتَنافَرَتْ عَنّي الحسانُ كما
لحظَcaught sight of الهصورَthe fierce lion جآذرٌwild-ox calves خُنْسُsnub-nosed
لحظَ الهصورَ جآذرٌ خُنْسُ
The beautiful women shy away from me, as
And beautiful women shied away from me, as
young gazelles shrink from the fierce lion’s gaze.
Snub-nosed wild-ox calves do on seeing a fierce lion.
وابيضَّand turned white مِنfrom فَودَيَّmy two temples منof شَعَريmy hair
وابيضَّ مِن فَودَيَّ من شَعَري
وَحْفٌthick hair كأنّas though سوادَهُits blackness النِّقْسُink
وَحْفٌ كأنّ سوادَهُ النِّقْسُ
The hair at my temples has turned white
And some of the hair at both my temples turned white—
and thinned, as though its blackness were but a breath.
Thick locks whose blackness was like ink.
والعُمْرُand life يذبُلwithers فيin مَنابِتِهِits growing places
والعُمْرُ يذبُل في مَنابِتِهِ
غَرْسٌa planted tree ويلبسُand puts on نضرةًfreshness غَرسُa planted tree
غَرْسٌ ويلبسُ نضرةً غَرسُ
A lifetime withers where it grows—
And in life's seedbeds there withers
one planting—while another puts on fresh bloom.
One tree, while another clothes itself in freshness.
أَصغَيتُI listened attentively لِلأَيّامِto the days إذاwhen نَطَقَتْthey spoke
أَصغَيتُ لِلأَيّامِ إذا نَطَقَتْ
بالوعظwith admonition فهيَfor they are نَواطِقٌspeakers خُرسُmute
بالوعظ فهيَ نَواطِقٌ خُرسُ
I listened closely to the days when they spoke
I listened to the days when they spoke
their admonition: they are mute orators.
With admonition, for they are mute speakers.
وفهمتُand I understood بعدafter اللَّبسِconfusion ماwhat شَرَحَتْthey explained
وفهمتُ بعد اللَّبسِ ما شَرَحَتْ
والشرحُand explanation يَذْهَبُvanishes عندهin its presence اللَّبسُconfusion
والشرحُ يَذْهَبُ عنده اللَّبسُ
After confusion, I understood what they explained;
And after confusion, I understood what they explained;
but confusion, when present, makes explanation vanish.
And confusion vanishes with explanation.
أَضحىhas become بِوَحشَتيwith my loneliness المَشيبgray hair وليand I have
أَضحى بِوَحشَتي المَشيب ولي
بعدafter الشبابِyouth بِذِكْرِهِin remembering it أنسُcomfort
بعد الشبابِ بِذِكْرِهِ أنسُ
Gray age has become the cause of my loneliness, yet
Gray hair now brings me loneliness, yet I have
after youth, I find comfort in remembering it.
Comfort, after youth has passed, in remembering it.
ومُسايراًand keeping pace with زَمنَينِtwo periods فيin عُمريmy life
ومُسايراً زَمنَينِ في عُمري
مصباحُthe lamp ذاthis one قمرٌa moon وذاand that one شمْسُa sun
مصباحُ ذا قمرٌ وذا شمْسُ
Having kept company with two ages in my life,
And I keep pace with two periods of my life:
this one’s lamp was the moon, and that one’s the sun.
One's lamp is a moon, and the other's a sun.
دُنْياthe world الفَتىthe young man تَفْنىperishes لذاfor this خُلِقَتْit was created
دُنْيا الفَتى تَفْنى لذا خُلِقَتْ
وتموتُand die فيهاin it الجِنُّthe jinn والإنْسُand humankind
وتموتُ فيها الجِنُّ والإنْسُ
The young man’s world must perish—for that it was created—
A young man's world perishes; for this it was created,
and within it jinn and humankind must die.
And within it die the jinn and humankind.
إنّاindeed we لآدمَof Adam كلّناall of us ولدٌoffspring
إنّا لآدمَ كلّنا ولدٌ
وَحِمامُنَاand our death بحمامهlike his death جِنْسُof the same kind
وَحِمامُنَا بحمامه جِنْسُ
Indeed, we are all Adam’s offspring,
Indeed, we are all Adam's children,
and our death is of the same kind as his.
And our death is of the same kind as his.
وأَقَلُّand briefest ماthe time that يبقىremains الجدارُthe wall إذاwhen
وأَقَلُّ ما يبقى الجدارُ إذا
ما(emphatic particle) انهدّcollapses تحتَbeneath بنائهits structure الأسُّthe foundation
ما انهدّ تحتَ بنائه الأسُّ
How little of the wall remains when
And scarcely does a wall endure when
the foundation beneath its structure has collapsed.
The foundation collapses beneath its structure.
ياO ربّLord إنّindeed النارَthe Fire عاتِيةٌraging
يا ربّ إنّ النارَ عاتِيةٌ
وبكلّand in every سامعةٍlistening ear لهاbelonging to it حَسُّa sound
وبكلّ سامعةٍ لها حَسُّ
O Lord, surely the fire is fierce,
O Lord, surely the Fire is raging,
and every hearing ear has some sense of it.
And its sound reaches every listening ear.
لاdo not تَجعَلَنْever make جَسَديmy body لهاfor it حَطَباًfirewood
لا تَجعَلَنْ جَسَدي لها حَطَباً
فيهin it تُحَرَّقُis burned up منّيَof me النفسُthe soul
فيه تُحَرَّقُ منّيَ النفسُ
Do not make my body firewood for it,
Do not make my body firewood for it,
lest the soul within me be burned there.
In which my soul would be burned away.
وارْفُقْand be gentle بِعَبدٍwith a servant لَحظُهُhis gaze جَزِعٌfearful
وارْفُقْ بِعَبدٍ لَحظُهُ جَزِعٌ
يوْمَon the day of الحسابreckoning ونُطْقُهُand his speech هَمسُa whisper
يوْمَ الحساب ونُطْقُهُ هَمسُ
Be gentle with a servant whose gaze is terrified
And be gentle with a servant whose gaze is fearful
on the Day of Reckoning, and whose speech is a whisper.
On the Day of Reckoning, and whose speech is a whisper.
