صَحِبَ الناسُ قَبلَنا ذا الزَمانا

صَحِبَ الناسُ قَبلَنا ذا الزَمانا

وَعَناهُم مِن شَأنِهِ ما عَنانا

وَعَناهُم مِن شَأنِهِ ما عَنانا

People before us kept company with this age,

Men companied with this Age before our days,

And its affairs troubled them as they have troubled us.

And suffered from its ways the pains we suffer.

وَتَوَلَّوا بِغُصَّةٍ كُلُّهُم مِنـ

وَتَوَلَّوا بِغُصَّةٍ كُلُّهُم مِنـ

ـهُ وَإِن سَرَّ بَعضُهُم أَحيانا

ـهُ وَإِن سَرَّ بَعضُهُم أَحيانا

And all of them departed with choking grief from

They turned away, all choking on their grief,

it, though it sometimes delighted some of them.

Though for a time it might have pleased a few.

رُبَّما تُحسِنُ الصَنيعَ لَياليـ

رُبَّما تُحسِنُ الصَنيعَ لَياليـ

ـهِ وَلَكِن تُكَدِّرُ الإِحسانا

ـهِ وَلَكِن تُكَدِّرُ الإِحسانا

Sometimes good deeds are done by the nights

Perchance the nights may offer kindly deeds,

of this age, yet they mar the kindness.

Yet soon enough they muddy every grace.

وَكَأَنّا لَم يَرضَ فينا بِرَيبِ الـ

وَكَأَنّا لَم يَرضَ فينا بِرَيبِ الـ

ـدَهرِ حَتّى أَعانَهُ مَن أَعانا

ـدَهرِ حَتّى أَعانَهُ مَن أَعانا

And as though it were not content to afflict us with the misfortunes of

As though the trials of Time were not enough,

time, until those who aided us aided it.

Till men stepped in to aid the hand of Fate.

كُلَّما أَنبَتَ الزَمانُ قَناةً

كُلَّما أَنبَتَ الزَمانُ قَناةً

رَكَّبَ المَرءُ في القَناةِ سِنانا

رَكَّبَ المَرءُ في القَناةِ سِنانا

Whenever time brought forth a reed,

Whenever Time puts forth a wooden shaft,

a man fitted a spearhead to the reed.

Man mounts upon the wood a deadly spear.

وَمُرادُ النُفوسِ أَصغَرُ مِن أَن

وَمُرادُ النُفوسِ أَصغَرُ مِن أَن

نَتَعادى فيهِ وَأَن نَتَفانى

نَتَعادى فيهِ وَأَن نَتَفانى

And what souls desire is too trifling for us

The goals of souls are smaller than they seem,

to become enemies over it and destroy one another.

To warrant such destruction and such feud.

غَيرَ أَنَّ الفَتى يُلاقي المَنايا

غَيرَ أَنَّ الفَتى يُلاقي المَنايا

كالِحاتٍ وَلا يُلاقي الهَوانا

كالِحاتٍ وَلا يُلاقي الهَوانا

Yet a young man will face the fates of death,

Yet noble youth would rather meet with death,

with their scowling faces, but will not face humiliation.

Though grim of face, than meet with base disgrace.

وَلَوَ أَنَّ الحَياةَ تَبقى لِحَيٍّ

وَلَوَ أَنَّ الحَياةَ تَبقى لِحَيٍّ

لَعَدَدنا أَضَلَّنا الشُجعانا

لَعَدَدنا أَضَلَّنا الشُجعانا

And if life endured for any living being,

And were this life to last for living men,

we would deem the brave the most misguided among us.

We’d count the brave the most misled of all.

وَإِذا لَم يَكُن مِنَ المَوتِ بُدٌّ

وَإِذا لَم يَكُن مِنَ المَوتِ بُدٌّ

فَمِنَ العَجزِ أَن تَكونَ جَبانا

فَمِنَ العَجزِ أَن تَكونَ جَبانا

And when there is no escape from death,

But since from death there is no fleeing away,

then it is weakness to be a coward.

’Tis weakness to be found a coward then.

كُلُّ ما لَم يَكُن مِنَ الصَعبِ في الأَن

كُلُّ ما لَم يَكُن مِنَ الصَعبِ في الأَن

فُسِ سَهلٌ فيها إِذا هُوَ كانا

فُسِ سَهلٌ فيها إِذا هُوَ كانا

Every hardship not yet encountered by the

All things that seemed too hard for souls to bear,

souls becomes easy for them once it comes to pass.

Grow easy in the soul when they arrive.