وما الارض والانسان يجثم فوقها

وما الارض والانسان يجثم فوقها

سوى قطرة في الكون والكون عيلم

سوى قطرة في الكون والكون عيلم

And the earth, with humankind crouching upon it,

The earth and man crouching upon it

is but a drop in the universe, and the universe is a vast sea.

Are but a drop in the universe, and the universe is immense

هناك نواميس بها انا عالم

هناك نواميس بها انا عالم

واخرى على جهدي بها لست اعلم

واخرى على جهدي بها لست اعلم

There are laws of which I am aware,

And others which try as I might, I do not know

and others that, despite my efforts, I do not know.

And in the universe there is a secret longing to be revealed

وفي الكون سر يبتغى ان يذيعه

وفي الكون سر يبتغى ان يذيعه

وليس لديه من فم يتكلم

وليس لديه من فم يتكلم

Within the universe lies a secret it seeks to reveal,

Yet it has no mouth with which to speak

yet it has no mouth with which to speak.

And I over the tiniest spot

واني منه فوق احقر بقعة

واني منه فوق احقر بقعة

فكيف ولم افهمه عنه اترجم

فكيف ولم افهمه عنه اترجم

And I am upon its most insignificant patch;

How could I understand it and interpret it?

so how, without understanding it, can I speak on its behalf?

And I am nothing like what you comprehend

وما انا شيء مثلما انت فاهمي

وما انا شيء مثلما انت فاهمي

ولا انت شيء مثلما انا افهم

ولا انت شيء مثلما انا افهم

And I am not what you take me to be,

Nor are you anything like what I understand

nor are you what I understand you to be.

Let us be content with the illusions of our souls

حسبنا من العرفان اوهام نفسنا

حسبنا من العرفان اوهام نفسنا

وليس عن العرفان يغني التوهم

وليس عن العرفان يغني التوهم

We have taken our soul's illusions for knowledge,

Imagination cannot suffice for true comprehension

yet supposition is no substitute for knowledge.

I saw a faint distant glimmer, hazy and dim

وابصر ومضا نائيا وهوغامض

وابصر ومضا نائيا وهوغامض

واسمع همسا دانيا وهو مبهم

واسمع همسا دانيا وهو مبهم

And I see a distant glimmer, yet it is obscure,

I heard a muted whisper, vague and muted

and I hear a nearby whisper, yet it is indistinct.

'Tis fate, or one who hides behind it

هو الدهر او من قد توارى وراءه

هو الدهر او من قد توارى وراءه

يحطم ما يأتي ويبنى ويهدم

يحطم ما يأتي ويبنى ويهدم

It is time, or whoever has hidden behind it,

Destroying what comes, building and demolishing

that shatters what comes, builds, and demolishes;

Decreeing in the dark before dawn

ويبرم قبل الصبح امرا برغبة

ويبرم قبل الصبح امرا برغبة

وينقض قبل الصبح ما هو مبرم

وينقض قبل الصبح ما هو مبرم

and before dawn settles a matter as it wishes,

Annulling before dawn what it decreed

and before dawn undoes what is firmly settled.

So it was called destiny and so it was called will

فقيل ضرورات وقيل مشيئة

فقيل ضرورات وقيل مشيئة

وكل الذي قد قيل ظن مرجم

وكل الذي قد قيل ظن مرجم

So some said, 'Necessities'; others said, 'Will';

And all that was said was conjecture, guesswork

and all that has been said is conjecture flung blindly.

And in my heart are things I do not utter

وفي القلب اشياء ولست اقولها

وفي القلب اشياء ولست اقولها

مخافة ان يطغى علي التهكم

مخافة ان يطغى علي التهكم

And there are things in my heart that I do not say,

Fearing ridicule would prevail upon me

for fear that ridicule will overwhelm me.

But when a wise man’s command exceeds bounds

الام اذا شط امرؤ ذو روية

الام اذا شط امرؤ ذو روية

كأني على اهل الروية قيم

كأني على اهل الروية قيم

I am blamed when a thoughtful man strays,

It is as if I were the guardian of the wise

as though I were a guardian over those who reflect.

And you see some fool in his deeds

وكائن ترى من طائش في فعاله

وكائن ترى من طائش في فعاله

وبعد قليل يعتريه التندم

وبعد قليل يعتريه التندم

And how many a man you see, reckless in his deeds,

And soon remorse grips him

only to be overtaken by remorse a little later.

As if he who regretted his deed

كأن الذي من فعله جاء نادما

كأن الذي من فعله جاء نادما

الى نفسه من نفسه يتظلم

الى نفسه من نفسه يتظلم

As though the one who comes regretting his deed

Appealed against himself to himself

were complaining to himself against himself.

Beware, for fate lies in wait for you

حذار فان الدهر منك بمرصد

حذار فان الدهر منك بمرصد

اذا هو الفى غرة يتهجم

اذا هو الفى غرة يتهجم

Beware, for time lies in wait for you;

To attack suddenly in an unguarded moment

when it finds you unguarded, it attacks.

I saw the path of peace was not near

رأيت طريق السلم غير مقرب

رأيت طريق السلم غير مقرب

وعلى طريق الحرب ادنى واقوم

وعلى طريق الحرب ادنى واقوم

I found the path of peace brought one no nearer,

And the path of war was closer and firmer

and along the path of war, the way is nearer and straighter.

And a people will never gain independence

ولا يستقل الشعب يوما بنفسه

ولا يستقل الشعب يوما بنفسه

اذا لم يكن للشعب جيش عرمرم

اذا لم يكن للشعب جيش عرمرم

Nor can a people ever stand on its own,

If they do not have an army, armed and ready

if that people has no vast army.

And life is only sweet and bitter

وما العيش الا طيب ومنغص

وما العيش الا طيب ومنغص

وما الارض الا جنة وجهنم

وما الارض الا جنة وجهنم

And life is nothing but delight and vexation,

And the earth is only paradise and hell

and earth is nothing but paradise and hell:

Wealth and poverty, power and subjugation

ثراء واملاق وعز وذلة

ثراء واملاق وعز وذلة

وفوز وحرمان وعرس ومأتم

وفوز وحرمان وعرس ومأتم

wealth and poverty, glory and abasement,

Victory and deprivation, wedding and bereavement

and triumph and deprivation, a wedding and a funeral.

I see you haughty in your glory

اراك على مجد قضى متحدباً

اراك على مجد قضى متحدباً

كأم لطفل كان قد مات ترأم

كأم لطفل كان قد مات ترأم

I see you bending tenderly over a glory that has died,

Like a mother mourning her dead child

like a mother cherishing a child who had already died.

I implore you do not reopen my wounds with your hands

بربك لا تمسس بايديك قرحتي

بربك لا تمسس بايديك قرحتي

فانك ان ماسستها اتألم

فانك ان ماسستها اتألم

By your Lord, do not touch my wound with your hands,

For if you touch them, it will hurt

for if you touch it, I feel pain.

They ask me of my doctrine and my faith

يسائلني عن مذهبي وعقيدتي

يسائلني عن مذهبي وعقيدتي

فريق من الاشياخ ما انا منهم

فريق من الاشياخ ما انا منهم

They question me about my doctrine and my creed—

A group of sheikhs, to whom I do not belong

a group of elders, of whom I am not one.

So I said to them, as for the question, it is cold

فقلت لهم اما السؤال فبارد

فقلت لهم اما السؤال فبارد

واما جوابي فهو اني مسلم

واما جوابي فهو اني مسلم

So I told them: as for the question, it is dull;

And as for my answer, it is that I am Muslim

and as for my answer, it is that I am a Muslim.

But I was never an imitator

ولكنني ما كنت يوما مقلدا

ولكنني ما كنت يوما مقلدا

يرى ان حكم العقل في الدين مأتم

يرى ان حكم العقل في الدين مأتم

But I have never been a blind follower

Who sees reason's rule in religion as a disaster

who sees reason's judgment in religion as a funeral.

Neither is my heart inclined toward follies

فما القلب مني بالسخافات مولع

فما القلب مني بالسخافات مولع

ولا الرأس مني بالخرافات مفعم

ولا الرأس مني بالخرافات مفعم

For my heart is not infatuated with absurdities,

Nor my head filled with superstitions

nor is my head filled with superstitions.

Never was I confidently correct

ولم اك يوما بالإصابة واثقا

ولم اك يوما بالإصابة واثقا

فاني في داج من الليل ارجم

فاني في داج من الليل ارجم

Nor have I ever been confident of being right,

For I am in a dark night, guessing blindly

for I cast stones in a dark stretch of night.

I renewed, but they did not heed

جددت فما ارعاني القوم سمعهم

جددت فما ارعاني القوم سمعهم

وليس وراء الجد الا التهكم

وليس وراء الجد الا التهكم

I was earnest, but the people did not lend me their ear,

And there is nothing beyond innovation but ridicule

and beyond earnestness lies nothing but mockery.

They are people with blinded vision

اولئك ناس طرفهم ذو غشاوة

اولئك ناس طرفهم ذو غشاوة

عن الحق مهما حصحص الحق قد عموا

عن الحق مهما حصحص الحق قد عموا

Those are people whose sight is veiled;

However clearly the truth is articulated, they are blind

they have grown blind to truth, however plainly truth stands revealed.