تقلَّبَ الدهرُ من حالٍ إِلى حالِ

تقلَّبَ الدهرُ من حالٍ إِلى حالِ

فأُلبسَ النّسكَ فيه كُلُّ مُحْتَالِ

فأُلبسَ النّسكَ فيه كُلُّ مُحْتَالِ

Time has shifted from one condition to another,

Fate keeps changing from one state to the next

So every schemer of the age was clothed in piety.

So everyone dons the garb of piety as a ruse

أَما نظرتَ إِلى النَّوروزِ كيف أَتَى

أَما نظرتَ إِلى النَّوروزِ كيف أَتَى

شَهْرَ الصِّيام وجَلَّى شَهْرَ شّوَّالِ

شَهْرَ الصِّيام وجَلَّى شَهْرَ شّوَّالِ

Have you not seen how Nowruz came

Have you not seen how Nowruz came

In the fasting month and outshone the month of Shawwal?

And the fasting month cleared away the revelries of Shawwal?

وعُطِّلَتْ من عقودِ اللَّهْوِ لَبَّتُهُ

وعُطِّلَتْ من عقودِ اللَّهْوِ لَبَّتُهُ

فَازْدَادَ حَلْياً وكم من عاطِلٍ حالِ

فَازْدَادَ حَلْياً وكم من عاطِلٍ حالِ

And its breast was stripped of revelry's necklaces,

The knots of frivolity were undone

Yet it gained adornment—many an unadorned one is adorned!

So it became more beautiful, though many lament their state

رآكَ ملءَ ثيابِ الدّينِ واسعةً

رآكَ ملءَ ثيابِ الدّينِ واسعةً

فجاءَ منها لترعاهُ بِتِمْثَالِ

فجاءَ منها لترعاهُ بِتِمْثَالِ

It saw you filling the ample robes of faith,

It saw you wearing the ample clothes of religion

So it came with a likeness of them, for you to care for it.

So it came to you to shepherd it with statues

أَتاكَ يُظْهِرُ منه تَوْبةً حَسُنَتْ

أَتاكَ يُظْهِرُ منه تَوْبةً حَسُنَتْ

يمحو بها ما لَهُ من قُبْحِ أَعمالِ

يمحو بها ما لَهُ من قُبْحِ أَعمالِ

It came to you displaying a fair repentance of its own,

It came to you feigning repentance

With which it wipes away the ugliness of its deeds.

To erase the ugliness of its deeds

ففاز منك بأَفعالٍ تُزَيِّنُهُ

ففاز منك بأَفعالٍ تُزَيِّنُهُ

كما يُزَيِّنُ عِقْدٌ جِيدَ مِعْطَالِ

كما يُزَيِّنُ عِقْدٌ جِيدَ مِعْطَالِ

Thus it won from you deeds that adorn it,

And so gained from you deeds that adorn it

As a necklace adorns an unadorned woman's neck.

As a fine necklace adorns a bare neck

لمّا رَأَيْتَ أَكُفَّ القومِ باخِلَةً

لمّا رَأَيْتَ أَكُفَّ القومِ باخِلَةً

بِصَيِّبِ الماءِ فيها جُدْتَ بالمالِ

بِصَيِّبِ الماءِ فيها جُدْتَ بالمالِ

When you saw the people's palms stingy

When you saw people’s palms were miserly

With the showers of water in them, you gave freely of wealth.

You brought out money to irrigate them

وما أَتَيْتَ بِبِدْعٍ يُسْتَرابُ به

وما أَتَيْتَ بِبِدْعٍ يُسْتَرابُ به

هي المكارِمُ عَنْ عمٍّ وعن خال

هي المكارِمُ عَنْ عمٍّ وعن خال

Nor did you do anything unprecedented to arouse suspicion;

You introduced no innovation that was suspect

These are noble virtues inherited from paternal and maternal uncles.

These are the noble deeds of a kinsman and uncle

وللأَعاجِمِ فيه مّذْهَبٌ كَثُرَتْ

وللأَعاجِمِ فيه مّذْهَبٌ كَثُرَتْ

أَعلامُهُ فهو إِلاَّ ذِكْرَهُ بالِ

أَعلامُهُ فهو إِلاَّ ذِكْرَهُ بالِ

And the non-Arabs have a custom for it; many were

The foreigners have in this a doctrine which

Its signs, but it is faded, save for its memory.

Grew rife so it is naught but empty mention

فإِنْ جَرَيْتَ على آثارِ مذهبِهِمْ

فإِنْ جَرَيْتَ على آثارِ مذهبِهِمْ

فاقْبَلْ هديَّةَ عبدٍ ضَيِّقِ الحالِ

فاقْبَلْ هديَّةَ عبدٍ ضَيِّقِ الحالِ

If, then, you follow in the footsteps of their custom,

If you follow in the footsteps of their doctrine

Accept the gift of a servant in straitened circumstances:

Then accept the gift of a poor man

بكْرٌ أَبوها جَنَانٌ طابَ عنصرُهُ

بكْرٌ أَبوها جَنَانٌ طابَ عنصرُهُ

وربُّها منكَ مَوْلًى طَيِّبُ الآلِ

وربُّها منكَ مَوْلًى طَيِّبُ الآلِ

A maiden whose father is a heart of noble stock,

Bakr, whose father is Janan, of pure stock

And whose owner is a client of yours, of noble family.

And whose lord is, through you, of pure family

ولي نبابِكَ آمالٌ وقد عَلِمَتْ

ولي نبابِكَ آمالٌ وقد عَلِمَتْ

نفسِي بأَنَّكَ تقضِي كُلَّ آمالي

نفسِي بأَنَّكَ تقضِي كُلَّ آمالي

And at your gate I have hopes, and full well knows

You are the hope of my aspirations, and my soul knows

My soul that you fulfill all my hopes.

That you fulfill all my hopes

فجُدْ عَليَّ بساجٍ قد فُتِنْتُ بِهِ

فجُدْ عَليَّ بساجٍ قد فُتِنْتُ بِهِ

وما فُتِنْتُ بساجِي الطَّرْفِ قَتَّالِ

وما فُتِنْتُ بساجِي الطَّرْفِ قَتَّالِ

So give me a cloak; I have been captivated by it,

Bestow on me a horse I'm smitten with

And I have not been captivated by a languid-eyed slayer.

For I'm not smitten by a deadly-glancing horse

يا حافظَ الدِّينِ دُمْ في ظِلِّ نِعْمَتِه

يا حافظَ الدِّينِ دُمْ في ظِلِّ نِعْمَتِه

مُرَفّعَ القَدْرِ فيه ناعِمَ البالِ

مُرَفّعَ القَدْرِ فيه ناعِمَ البالِ

O Hafiz al-Din, abide in the shade of faith's blessing,

O guardian of the faith, live in the shade of its blessing

Exalted in rank therein, at peace of mind.

Exalted in station, serene of mind

لا أَسأَلُ اللَّه إِلاَّ أَنْ تدومَ لنا

لا أَسأَلُ اللَّه إِلاَّ أَنْ تدومَ لنا

وقد أجابَ الدعاءَ الواحِدُ العالي

وقد أجابَ الدعاءَ الواحِدُ العالي

I ask God only that you may endure for us,

I ask of God only that you remain for us

And the One, the Most High, has already answered the prayer.

And the Lofty One has answered the prayer