حياة حلوها مر

حياة حلوها مر

وقلب خانه الصبر

وقلب خانه الصبر

A life whose sweetness is bitter,

A life whose sweetness is bitter,

and a heart betrayed by patience,

and a heart betrayed by patience,

ونفس في يد الأوجا

ونفس في يد الأوجا

ع لان لبؤسها الصخر

ع لان لبؤسها الصخر

and a soul in the grip of pain—

and a soul in the grip of agonies,

[isolated ʿayn] even stone would soften at its misery.

for whose misery even stone has softened.

حلبتُ الدهر أشطره

حلبتُ الدهر أشطره

وفيه الخير والشر

وفيه الخير والشر

I have milked Time from all its udders

I have milked Time from all its teats,

and found within it good and evil.

and in it are good and evil.

فلم أر في الورى خلصا

فلم أر في الورى خلصا

يشد بمثله الأزر

يشد بمثله الأزر

Yet among humankind I found no true friend

So I have seen no loyal friend among mankind

whose like could brace one’s strength.

by whose like one's back is strengthened.

وكيف يلذ لي عيش

وكيف يلذ لي عيش

ولي خصم هو الدهر

ولي خصم هو الدهر

How can life be sweet to me

And how can life be sweet to me

when I have an enemy—and he is Time?

when my adversary is Time?

يفل حديد بادرتي

يفل حديد بادرتي

وليس لفعله عذر

وليس لفعله عذر

He blunts the keen steel of my initiative,

It blunts the iron of my temper,

though there is no excuse for what he does.

and there is no excuse for its deed.

وهل تصفو مشارعه

وهل تصفو مشارعه

ويصحب غيبه اليسر

ويصحب غيبه اليسر

Can its watering places ever run clear,

And can its watering places run clear,

and ease attend its unseen future,

and ease attend its unseen future?

وتحت ردائه احتجبت

وتحت ردائه احتجبت

يد في كفها الغدر

يد في كفها الغدر

when beneath its cloak there lies concealed

And beneath its cloak lay hidden

a hand with treachery in its palm?

a hand with treachery in its palm.

فبين النفس من قدم

فبين النفس من قدم

وبين طلابه وتر

وبين طلابه وتر

For since ancient times, between the soul

For between the soul, since long ago,

and those who pursue it lies a blood-feud.

and Time's pursuit there lies a feud.

أرى الأيام مظلمةً

أرى الأيام مظلمةً

يتيه بليلها الحر

يتيه بليلها الحر

I see the days shrouded in darkness;

I see the days darkened;

in their night, the free man loses his way.

the free man wanders lost in their night.

فلا هم ولا عزم

فلا هم ولا عزم

ولا نهى ولا أمر

ولا نهى ولا أمر

Then there is no aspiration and no resolve,

So there is no aspiration, no resolve,

no prohibition and no command.

no prohibition, no command.

عواصف همة سكنت

عواصف همة سكنت

حواها البر والبحر

حواها البر والبحر

The tempests of a lofty spirit have fallen still—

Storms of ambition have fallen still;

tempests encompassed by land and sea.

land and sea had encompassed them.

أيأمل قلب مبتئس

أيأمل قلب مبتئس

وأيام الهوى غير

وأيام الهوى غير

Can a despairing heart still hope

Can a sorrow-stricken heart hope,

when the days of love are no longer what they were,

when love's days are reversals of fortune?

ويمشى في جوانحه

ويمشى في جوانحه

زفير رهوه جمر

زفير رهوه جمر

and through his inmost breast there moves

And through its ribs walks

a sigh whose gentlest current is embers?

a sigh whose stillness is embers.

يظل الليل مرتجفا

يظل الليل مرتجفا

وما في قلبه ذعر

وما في قلبه ذعر

He spends the night trembling,

It remains trembling all night,

though there is no terror in his heart—

though no dread is in its heart,

كمزؤود تروعه

كمزؤود تروعه

ليال ما لها فجر

ليال ما لها فجر

like one driven away, whom there terrify

like one panic-stricken, frightened by

nights that have no dawn.

nights that have no dawn.

وأيام مضت عنا

وأيام مضت عنا

وليس لطيها نشر

وليس لطيها نشر

And days that passed away from us,

And days have passed away from us,

whose folded pages can never open again:

and there is no unfolding what has been folded away.

مضت عنا برونقها

مضت عنا برونقها

وولى خلفها العمر

وولى خلفها العمر

they passed from us in all their splendor,

They left us, their splendor with them,

and life departed behind them.

and life departed in their wake.

وهيفاء اذا خطرت

وهيفاء اذا خطرت

مشى في إثرها الكبر

مشى في إثرها الكبر

And a slender beauty—whenever she glided past,

And a slender-waisted woman, whenever she walked gracefully,

majesty itself walked in her wake;

pride walked in her wake.

هضيم الكشح فاتنة

هضيم الكشح فاتنة

كأن حديثها سحر

كأن حديثها سحر

slim-waisted, an enchantress,

Slender of flank, enchanting,

as though her speech were magic.

as though her speech were magic.

وألمثها وتلثمني

وألمثها وتلثمني

وفوق رؤسنا الطهر

وفوق رؤسنا الطهر

I kiss her, and she kisses me,

And I kiss her, and she kisses me,

while purity hovers above our heads.

and purity is above our heads.

نأت عني فلا عجب

نأت عني فلا عجب

اذا ما هاجني الذكر

اذا ما هاجني الذكر

She has gone far from me; no wonder, then,

She has gone far from me, so no wonder

when remembrance stirs me,

if remembrance stirs me,

وعاج خيالها سحرا

وعاج خيالها سحرا

وآنس وحدتي الشعر

وآنس وحدتي الشعر

that her phantom returns before dawn

and her phantom stops by before dawn,

and poetry comforts my solitude.

and poetry keeps my solitude company.

رمت أيدي النوى ظلما

رمت أيدي النوى ظلما

فؤاداً غصنه تضر

فؤاداً غصنه تضر

The hands of separation unjustly struck

The hands of separation unjustly assailed

a heart whose branch does harm.

a heart whose bough they harm.

ألا في ذمة الرحم

ألا في ذمة الرحم

ن نفس حرة بكر

ن نفس حرة بكر

Lo, within the protection of kinship—

Ah, in the All-Merciful's keeping

[isolated nūn] a free, untouched soul.

is a free, virgin soul.