وما تُعدمُ الدنيا الدنية أهلها

وما تُعدمُ الدنيا الدنية أهلها

شواظَ حريق أو دخانَ حريقِ

شواظَ حريق أو دخانَ حريقِ

And this base world never leaves its people without

And the lowly world never leaves its people without

a scorching flame or the smoke of a conflagration.

the flame of a blaze or the smoke of a blaze.

يجرَّع فيها مالك فقد هالك

يجرَّع فيها مالك فقد هالك

فيشجى فريق منهم بفريق

فيشجى فريق منهم بفريق

There, every possessor is made to swallow the loss of one who perishes;

In it, a possessor is made to swallow the loss of one who perishes,

thus one band among them is grief-stricken for another.

so one group among them grieves over another.

فلا تحسب الدنيا إذا ما سكنتها

فلا تحسب الدنيا إذا ما سكنتها

قراراً فما دنياك غير طريق

قراراً فما دنياك غير طريق

So do not suppose that this world, once you dwell in it,

So do not think the world, when you dwell in it,

is an abiding home: your world is only a road.

a permanent abode, for your world is nothing but a road.

متى غمرت دنيا أخاها بمائها

متى غمرت دنيا أخاها بمائها

فليس وإن أروته غير غريق

فليس وإن أروته غير غريق

Whenever the world engulfs one of her own in her waters,

Whenever the world engulfs its brother in its waters,

even if she slakes his thirst, he is nothing but drowned.

he is, even if it has quenched his thirst, nothing but a drowned man.

عليك بدار لا يزول ظلالها

عليك بدار لا يزول ظلالها

ولا يتأذى أهلها بمضيق

ولا يتأذى أهلها بمضيق

Set your heart upon an abode whose shades never pass away,

Hold fast to an abode whose shade never passes away,

and whose people suffer no distress or confinement.

and whose people are not troubled by narrow confines.

فما يبلغ الراضي رضاه ببلغة

فما يبلغ الراضي رضاه ببلغة

ولا ينقع الصادي صداه بريق

ولا ينقع الصادي صداه بريق

For the contented never reaches contentment on bare provision,

For the contented man cannot attain his satisfaction with bare sustenance,

nor can the thirsty quench his thirst with saliva.

nor can the thirsty man quench his thirst with saliva.