مجالي الصبا لا طواك الزمن

مجالي الصبا لا طواك الزمن

ولا فترت عن هواك الشفا

ولا فترت عن هواك الشفا

O haunts of my youth, time has not effaced you,

O vistas of youth, may time never fold you away,

nor has pure devotion waned in its love for you.

Nor may lips grow weary of loving you.

ولا زلت رغم جراح المحن

ولا زلت رغم جراح المحن

ينابيع تروى جدوب الحياه

ينابيع تروى جدوب الحياه

And still, despite the wounds of ordeals,

And may you remain, despite the wounds of trials,

you are springs watering the barrenness of life.

Springs that water life's barren lands.

إلى فجرك الرطب حن النظر

إلى فجرك الرطب حن النظر

وفي حلمك العذب عاش الخيال

وفي حلمك العذب عاش الخيال

Toward your dew-fresh dawn the gaze has yearned,

The gaze yearned for your dewy dawn,

and in your sweet dream imagination lived.

And imagination lived in your sweet dream.

وها أنا بين فيافي القدر

وها أنا بين فيافي القدر

صادى غنوة ما وعتها الليال

صادى غنوة ما وعتها الليال

And here am I amid the wastes of fate,

And here I am, amid the deserts of fate,

the echo of a song the nights never understood.

Thirsting for a song the nights never remembered.

إذا سألتني أماني الشباب

إذا سألتني أماني الشباب

عن النور يعشى جفون الظلم

عن النور يعشى جفون الظلم

If the hopes of youth should ask me

If the hopes of youth ask me

about the light that dazzles the eyelids of darkness,

About the light that dazzles the eyelids of darkness,

أقول لها في صباي الجواب

أقول لها في صباي الجواب

وفيما طواه البلى من نغم

وفيما طواه البلى من نغم

I tell them: in my youth lies the answer,

I tell them: the answer lies in my youth,

and in the melodies decay has folded away.

And in the melodies decay has folded away.

أنا الشارد الخطو أحدو الأمل

أنا الشارد الخطو أحدو الأمل

وليس له في وجودي مكان

وليس له في وجودي مكان

I am the wandering-footed one, urging hope onward,

With wandering steps, I sing hope onward,

yet hope has no place within my being.

Yet it has no place in my existence.

أنا ذلك اللغز لما يحَلّ

أنا ذلك اللغز لما يحَلّ

ومظهره الفرد صوت الهوان

ومظهره الفرد صوت الهوان

I am that riddle, not yet solved,

I am that riddle, not yet solved,

whose sole manifestation is the voice of abasement.

And its sole expression is the voice of humiliation.

أنا من أنا حدثي يا نجوم

أنا من أنا حدثي يا نجوم

وإن لم تجيبي فلن تعتبي

وإن لم تجيبي فلن تعتبي

Who am I? Tell me, stars;

I—who am I? Tell me, O stars.

and if you do not answer, you will not be blamed.

And if you do not answer, you will not be blamed.

كلانا برته ليالي الهموم

كلانا برته ليالي الهموم

وضيع في زحمة الموكب

وضيع في زحمة الموكب

Both of us have been worn down by nights of sorrow,

Nights of sorrow have worn us both down,

lowly amid the procession’s crush.

And both were lost in the procession's crush.

ومن أنا أو أنت في العالم

ومن أنا أو أنت في العالم

وإن غبت أو غبت ماذا يكون

وإن غبت أو غبت ماذا يكون

What are you or I in this world?

And who am I—or you—in the world?

Whether I vanish or you vanish, what would happen?

And if I vanish, or you vanish, what will happen?

سيروى جوانح قبرى دمي

سيروى جوانح قبرى دمي

وتاكل من جانبيك السنون

وتاكل من جانبيك السنون

My blood will water the inner walls of my grave,

My blood will water the flanks of my grave,

and the years will gnaw at your two sides.

And the years will gnaw at both your sides.

بربك لا تسخري من بكاي

بربك لا تسخري من بكاي

فما أنت ممن يذيل الدموع

فما أنت ممن يذيل الدموع

By your Lord, do not mock my weeping,

By your Lord, do not mock my weeping,

for you are not one to trail tears behind you.

For you are not one to debase tears.

وما أنت إلا كباقي مناي

وما أنت إلا كباقي مناي

تموت وتولد بين الضلوع

تموت وتولد بين الضلوع

You are only like the rest of my wishes,

And you are only like the rest of my wishes,

dying and being born between my ribs.

Dying and being born between the ribs.

أراك سئمت نداء الحزنين

أراك سئمت نداء الحزنين

وما هو إلا شهاب خبا

وما هو إلا شهاب خبا

I see you have tired of the sorrowful one’s call,

I see you have tired of the call of the two sorrowful ones,

though it is only a meteor that has gone dark.

And it is only a meteor that has gone out.

فلا تسلكي في عداد السنين

فلا تسلكي في عداد السنين

لياليه بعد فوات الصبا

لياليه بعد فوات الصبا

Then do not count among the years

So do not include among the tally of years

its nights after youth has passed.

Its nights, after youth has passed.

أنا من أنا حدثي يا نجوم

أنا من أنا حدثي يا نجوم

وإن لم تجيبي فلا تطلعي

وإن لم تجيبي فلا تطلعي

Who am I? Tell me, stars;

I—who am I? Tell me, O stars.

and if you do not answer, then do not rise.

And if you do not answer, do not rise.

وحسبي من العيش هذي الغيوم

وحسبي من العيش هذي الغيوم

تغشى سمائي وتبكي معى

تغشى سمائي وتبكي معى

Enough of life for me are these clouds,

And all I need from life are these clouds,

covering my sky and weeping with me.

Veiling my sky and weeping with me.

ويا أيها الفرد في قدرته

ويا أيها الفرد في قدرته

يدبّر أمري كما يشتهي

يدبّر أمري كما يشتهي

O One who stands alone in power,

And O You, peerless in Your power,

ordering my affairs as You will,

Who orders my affairs as You desire,

أرح طائر السجن من شقوته

أرح طائر السجن من شقوته

فلن تنتهي قبل أن تنتهي

فلن تنتهي قبل أن تنتهي

release the prison-bird from its misery,

Give the prison's bird respite from its misery,

for its misery will not end before its life does.

For it will not end before the end.

أرى العمر يوغل في خطوه

أرى العمر يوغل في خطوه

ولو شاء مطلق قيّده

ولو شاء مطلق قيّده

I see life pressing onward in its stride,

I see life pressing ever farther in its stride,

though the Releaser of its fetter need only will it.

And if the One who sets it free willed, He would bind it,

لعل الذي فات من صفوه

لعل الذي فات من صفوه

يرد إليه الذي أفقده

يرد إليه الذي أفقده

Perhaps what has passed from its serenity

Perhaps its vanished serenity

may restore to it what it had made it lose.

Will be restored to it by the One who deprived it.

ويا ليت روحي على جدبها

ويا ليت روحي على جدبها

تراح من السافيات الشداد

تراح من السافيات الشداد

Would that my spirit, despite its barrenness,

And would that my spirit, despite its barrenness,

might be relieved of the fierce dust-scattering winds;

Were given rest from the fierce, dust-blowing winds.

ويا ليت نفسي على ركبها

ويا ليت نفسي على ركبها

تلقن غير معاني الحداد

تلقن غير معاني الحداد

and would that my soul, there upon its knees,

And would that my soul, upon its knees,

might be taught meanings other than mourning.

Were taught meanings other than those of mourning.

هو الكون ينل كالكائن

هو الكون ينل كالكائن

صلالاً من الشر ما إن تريم

صلالاً من الشر ما إن تريم

The universe, like a living being, receives

It is the universe, [unclear verb], like a living being,

vipers of evil that never depart.

Vipers of evil that never depart.

ولو شاء ربي لما راعنى

ولو شاء ربي لما راعنى

بها كل حين كأني رجيم

بها كل حين كأني رجيم

Had my Lord willed, He would not have frightened me

And had my Lord willed, He would not have frightened me

with them at every moment, as though I were accursed.

With them at every moment, as though I were accursed.