يا جابرَ العثراتِ يكْفي لا تَزِدْ

يا جابرَ العثراتِ يكْفي لا تَزِدْ

فبناتُ صَدرِك في الحنايا تحتشِدْ

فبناتُ صَدرِك في الحنايا تحتشِدْ

O mender of stumbles, enough—do no more.

O He who mends stumbles, enough, do not increase

For the daughters of your breast throng within its folds.

For the daughters of your breast gather in the folds

كَثُرَ الشُّكَاةُ وأنتَ تُطْرِقُ سامعاً

كَثُرَ الشُّكَاةُ وأنتَ تُطْرِقُ سامعاً

تَطْوي شَكاتَكَ كَيْ تلاقي ما يَرِدْ

تَطْوي شَكاتَكَ كَيْ تلاقي ما يَرِدْ

Those who lament have grown many, and you listen with head bowed,

Complaints multiplied while you listen bowing

Folding away your own complaint to face whatever comes.

You fold your complaints to find what will come back

ما عُدْتَ تَقْوى أنْ تَظَلَّ مُواسِياً

ما عُدْتَ تَقْوى أنْ تَظَلَّ مُواسِياً

والرُّوحُ فيكَ مِنَ النّوائِبِ تَرْتَعِدْ

والرُّوحُ فيكَ مِنَ النّوائِبِ تَرْتَعِدْ

You no longer have the strength to keep offering comfort,

You can no longer endure remaining consoling

And the soul within you trembles at calamities.

And the soul in you shudders from tribulations

تَمْتَصُّ أوْجاعاً تفرعن رَوْعُها

تَمْتَصُّ أوْجاعاً تفرعن رَوْعُها

والحلمُ ممهورٌ بِنزفٍ مُسْتَبِدْ

والحلمُ ممهورٌ بِنزفٍ مُسْتَبِدْ

You absorb pains whose terror has grown tyrannical like Pharaoh,

You suck in pains, frightening is their horror

And the dream is sealed with tyrannical bleeding.

And dreams are flooded with insistent bleeding

إنّ الرّزايا قَدْ تَكاثَرَ نَسْلُها

إنّ الرّزايا قَدْ تَكاثَرَ نَسْلُها

وتَجَمَّرتْ في قَبْوِ روحِكَ تَتَّقِدْ

وتَجَمَّرتْ في قَبْوِ روحِكَ تَتَّقِدْ

Indeed, the offspring of calamities have multiplied,

Indeed troubles have multiplied their progeny

And they have turned to embers, blazing in your soul's cellar.

And they are burning as embers in your soul’s lap

وإذا طَوَتْكَ غَياهِبٌ في جُبِّها

وإذا طَوَتْكَ غَياهِبٌ في جُبِّها

لَمْ تُفْتَقَدْ قَدَرٌ قَضى أنْ تَفْتَقِدْ

لَمْ تُفْتَقَدْ قَدَرٌ قَضى أنْ تَفْتَقِدْ

And when deep darkness enfolds you in its well,

And if darkness enfolds you in its bosom

You will not be missed; fate has decreed that you must suffer loss.

No fate is missed that fate ordained you miss

كَمْ فَرَّ مِنْكَ السَّعْدُ مَذْعوراً كَما

كَمْ فَرَّ مِنْكَ السَّعْدُ مَذْعوراً كَما

ظَبْيٍ مِنَ الصيَّادِ ذُعْرًا يَبْتَعِدْ

ظَبْيٍ مِنَ الصيَّادِ ذُعْرًا يَبْتَعِدْ

How often good fortune has fled from you, terrified, like

How much did happiness flee frightened from you

A gazelle retreating from the hunter in fright.

Like a gazelle from the hunter fleeing far

مُذْ جَرَّعَتْكَ كُؤوسُ لَيْلِكَ عَلْقَماً

مُذْ جَرَّعَتْكَ كُؤوسُ لَيْلِكَ عَلْقَماً

وَسُيوفُ وَيْلاتِ النّوى لَمْ تَنْغَمِدْ

وَسُيوفُ وَيْلاتِ النّوى لَمْ تَنْغَمِدْ

Ever since the cups of your night made you swallow bitter colocynth,

Since the cups of your night made you swallow bitterness

And the swords of separation's woes have not been sheathed,

And the swords of dire fates did not sheathe

مَنْ يا تُرى يُصْغي لِدَمْعِكَ إنْ هَوى؟

مَنْ يا تُرى يُصْغي لِدَمْعِكَ إنْ هَوى؟

مَنْ ذا يُجيرُكَ مِنْ صَقيعٍ يَطَّرِدْ ؟

مَنْ ذا يُجيرُكَ مِنْ صَقيعٍ يَطَّرِدْ ؟

Who, I wonder, listens to your tears if they fall?

Who, I wonder, would listen if your teardrop fell?

Who is there to shelter you from frost that keeps spreading?

Who would give you refuge from a cold that expels?