لأَمْرٍ مَا تَحَيَّرَتِ الْعُقُولُ

لأَمْرٍ مَا تَحَيَّرَتِ الْعُقُولُ

فَهَلْ تَدْرِي الْخَلائِقُ مَا تَقُولُ

فَهَلْ تَدْرِي الْخَلائِقُ مَا تَقُولُ

For some reason, minds have grown bewildered;

For something unknowable, minds are perplexed,

So do creatures know what they say?

Do creatures know what they say?

تَغِيبُ الشَّمْسُ ثُمَّ تَعُودُ فِينَا

تَغِيبُ الشَّمْسُ ثُمَّ تَعُودُ فِينَا

وَتَذْوَى ثُمَّ تَخْضَرُّ الْبُقُولُ

وَتَذْوَى ثُمَّ تَخْضَرُّ الْبُقُولُ

The sun sets, then returns among us,

The sun disappears, then returns to us,

And the herbs wither, then grow green.

And the plants wither, then turn green.

طَبَائِعُ لا تُغبُّ مُرَدّدَاتٍ

طَبَائِعُ لا تُغبُّ مُرَدّدَاتٍ

كَمَا تَعْرَى وَتَشْتَمِلُ الْحُقُولُ

كَمَا تَعْرَى وَتَشْتَمِلُ الْحُقُولُ

Nature's patterns recur without interruption,

It is the nature of things, ever-repeating,

As fields grow bare and clothe themselves.

As the fields are stripped bare, then clothed again.

فَسِيَّانِ الْجَهُولُ إِذَا تَنَاهَتْ

فَسِيَّانِ الْجَهُولُ إِذَا تَنَاهَتْ

بِهِ الأَيَّامُ وَالْفَطِنُ الْعَقُولُ

بِهِ الأَيَّامُ وَالْفَطِنُ الْعَقُولُ

So alike are the ignorant man, when brought to his end

Ignorant and wise are equal, when days flow by them,

By the passing days, and the keen-witted, discerning man.

And realities change, as do sayings.

يَزُولُ الْخَلْقُ طَوْرَاً بَعْدَ طَوْرٍ

يَزُولُ الْخَلْقُ طَوْرَاً بَعْدَ طَوْرٍ

وَتَخْتَلِفُ الْحَقَائِقُ وَالنُّقُولُ

وَتَخْتَلِفُ الْحَقَائِقُ وَالنُّقُولُ

Creation passes away, phase after phase;

Existence passes through phases, one after another,

And realities and transmitted accounts differ.

Truths differ, as do words.

فَمَا جَرَتِ الظُّنُونُ عَلَى يَقِينٍ

فَمَا جَرَتِ الظُّنُونُ عَلَى يَقِينٍ

تَفِيءُ بِهِ وَلا صَحَّ الْمَقُولُ

تَفِيءُ بِهِ وَلا صَحَّ الْمَقُولُ

So conjectures have never rested on a certainty

Conjectures are not based on certainty,

With which to return; nor has what is said proved true.

They cannot be relied upon, nor can sayings hold true.