هِيَ الدُّنْيَا يَغُرُّ بِنَا سَنَاهَا

هِيَ الدُّنْيَا يَغُرُّ بِنَا سَنَاهَا

فَنَأْمَنُهَا فَيَفْجَأُنَا دُجَاهَا

فَنَأْمَنُهَا فَيَفْجَأُنَا دُجَاهَا

Such is the world: its radiance beguiles us.

The world allures us with its splendor

This is the world, its brilliance deceives us,

So we trust it, then its darkness takes us by surprise.

We feel safe, then darkness descends

So we trust it, only to be ambushed by its darkness.

تُعَلِّلُنَا بِإِدْرَاكِ الأَمَانِي

تُعَلِّلُنَا بِإِدْرَاكِ الأَمَانِي

وَلاَ يَنْفَكُّ يَرْشُقُنَا رَدَاهَا

وَلاَ يَنْفَكُّ يَرْشُقُنَا رَدَاهَا

It lulls us with hopes of attaining our wishes,

It promises fulfillment of desires

It beguiles us with the attainment of our desires,

yet its doom never ceases to shoot at us.

Yet ceaselessly it shoots its arrows

While its ruin never ceases to shoot at us.

فَلَوْ أَنَّا عَقَلْنَا مَا لَهَوْنَا

فَلَوْ أَنَّا عَقَلْنَا مَا لَهَوْنَا

بِمَا أَبْدَتْ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ حُلاَهَا

بِمَا أَبْدَتْ إِلَيْنَا مِنْ حُلاَهَا

Had we used our reason, we would not have dallied

Had we but wisdom, we’d not be fooled

If only we possessed reason, we would not have reveled

with the adornments it displayed to us.

By the charms it flaunts before our eyes

In the adornments it displayed before us.

وَلَكِنَّا أَضَرَّ بِنَا هَوَاهَا

وَلَكِنَّا أَضَرَّ بِنَا هَوَاهَا

وَأَرْدَانَا التَّنَافُسُ فِي خَلاَهَا

وَأَرْدَانَا التَّنَافُسُ فِي خَلاَهَا

But our love for it has harmed us,

But passion harms us, desire misleads

But our passion for it has brought us harm,

and rivalry over its pasture has brought us to ruin.

As we vie for the jewels it dangles

And our competition for its emptiness has ruined us.

أَنَلْهُو وَالرَّدَى فِينَا مُقِيمٌ

أَنَلْهُو وَالرَّدَى فِينَا مُقِيمٌ

أَعَدَّ لَنَا نِبَالاً قَدْ بَرَاهَا

أَعَدَّ لَنَا نِبَالاً قَدْ بَرَاهَا

Do we frolic while death dwells among us,

Distraction stays, evil remains

Do we play while doom dwells among us,

having readied for us arrows it has sharpened?

Aiming arrows it deftly prepared

Having readied arrows for us that it has sharpened?

وَنَرْجُو الْخُلْدَ فِيهَا وَالْمَنَايَا

وَنَرْجُو الْخُلْدَ فِيهَا وَالْمَنَايَا

تُدِيرُ عَلَى أَحِبَّتِنَا طِلاَهَا

تُدِيرُ عَلَى أَحِبَّتِنَا طِلاَهَا

And do we hope for eternity in it, while the fates of death

We hope for immortality here

And do we hope for immortality within it, while the fates

pass their wine around among our loved ones,

While death spins its wheel round our loved ones

Pass around their wine to our loved ones?

وَتَفْجَعُنَا بِرُزْءٍ إِثْرَ رُزْءٍ

وَتَفْجَعُنَا بِرُزْءٍ إِثْرَ رُزْءٍ

عَلَى أَنََّا سَتَطْحَنُنَا رَحَاهَا

عَلَى أَنََّا سَتَطْحَنُنَا رَحَاهَا

and bereave us with loss upon loss,

Blow after blow makes us weep

And it afflicts us with tragedy after tragedy,

though their millstone will grind us too?

For it will grind us in its mill

Even as its millstone is bound to grind us down.

سَقَى الرَّحْمَانُ قَبْراً ضَمَّ شَخْصاً

سَقَى الرَّحْمَانُ قَبْراً ضَمَّ شَخْصاً

تَسَرْبَلَ بِالْمَكَارِمِ وَارْتَدَاهَا

تَسَرْبَلَ بِالْمَكَارِمِ وَارْتَدَاهَا

May the Most Merciful water a grave that held one

The Merciful has watered a grave holding one

May the Merciful send rain upon a grave that encloses a soul

who robed herself in noble virtues and wore them.

Who wore the raiment of nobility

Who was cloaked in noble deeds and wore them as garments,

وَنَضَّرَ مَضْجِعاً لِفَتَاةِ صِدْقٍ

وَنَضَّرَ مَضْجِعاً لِفَتَاةِ صِدْقٍ

حَوَى غُرَرَ الْفَضَائِلِ إِذْ حَوَاهَا

حَوَى غُرَرَ الْفَضَائِلِ إِذْ حَوَاهَا

And may He brighten the resting place of a true-hearted woman,

And refreshed the bed of a maid of truth

And may He brighten the resting place of a righteous young woman,

which held the choicest virtues when it held her.

Who harbored virtues when she embraced them

Which contained the finest virtues when it contained her.

لَقَدْ كَانَتْ تَحُضُّ عَلَى الْمَعَالِي

لَقَدْ كَانَتْ تَحُضُّ عَلَى الْمَعَالِي

وَتَنْدُبُ لِلْمَكَارِمِ مَنْ أَبَاهَا

وَتَنْدُبُ لِلْمَكَارِمِ مَنْ أَبَاهَا

Indeed, she urged others toward noble heights,

She urged others towards high ideals

She used to urge others toward lofty heights,

and summoned to noble deeds whoever shunned them.

And mourned for those who shunned them

And summon to noble deeds those who refused them.

وَقَدْ كَانَتْ بِأُفْقِ الْفَضْلِ شَمْساً

وَقَدْ كَانَتْ بِأُفْقِ الْفَضْلِ شَمْساً

فَحَطَّتْهَا الْمَنِيَّةُ عَنْ ذُرَاهَا

فَحَطَّتْهَا الْمَنِيَّةُ عَنْ ذُرَاهَا

And she was a sun on virtue's horizon,

She was a sun in the sky of merit

She was indeed a sun upon the horizon of virtue,

but death brought her down from her heights.

Brought down by death from its lofty orbit

Yet fate brought her down from her peaks,

وَأَلْبَسَهَا الْمَنُونُ مُلَى كُسُوفٍ

وَأَلْبَسَهَا الْمَنُونُ مُلَى كُسُوفٍ

فَهَلاَّ فَضْلُهَا الْوَافِي حَمَاهَا

فَهَلاَّ فَضْلُهَا الْوَافِي حَمَاهَا

And death clothed her in the robes of eclipse—

The owl of death clothed her in the garb of eclipse

And death dressed her in the robes of an eclipse.

so why did her abundant virtue not shield her?

Did not her overflowing virtue protect her?

So why did her abundant virtue not protect her?

فَكَمْ أَحْيَتْ مَوَاهِبُهَا كَئِيباً

فَكَمْ أَحْيَتْ مَوَاهِبُهَا كَئِيباً

أَحَلَّتْهُ النَّوَائِبُ فِي حِمَاهَا

أَحَلَّتْهُ النَّوَائِبُ فِي حِمَاهَا

For her gifts revived many a sorrowful soul

How often her gifts revived the despondent

For how many a sorrowful soul did her gifts revive,

whom misfortunes had brought into her sanctuary.

Whom misfortunes had consigned to her care

Whom calamities had driven into her sanctuary?

وَكَمْ رَبَّتْ بِأَنْعُمِهَا يَتِيماً

وَكَمْ رَبَّتْ بِأَنْعُمِهَا يَتِيماً

قَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ حَتَّى سَلاَهَا

قَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ حَتَّى سَلاَهَا

And she reared many an orphan with her bounty,

How often she nurtured with her bounty an orphan

And how many an orphan did she raise with her blessings,

whose mother had spurned him, until he forgot her.

Whose mother perished before weaning him

Whose mother had forsaken him, until he forgot her?

لَئِنْ مَاتَتْ فَمَا مَاتَتْ حُلاَهَا

لَئِنْ مَاتَتْ فَمَا مَاتَتْ حُلاَهَا

وَإِنْ أَوْدَتْ فَمَا أَوْدَى عُلاَهَا

وَإِنْ أَوْدَتْ فَمَا أَوْدَى عُلاَهَا

Though she has died, her graces have not died;

If she died, her charm died not

Though she has died, her noble traits have not died,

and though she has perished, her glory has not perished.

If she went, she took her loftiness with her

And though she perished, her eminence has not perished.

فَقَدْ أَبْقَتْ مَآثِرَ مُشْرِقَات

فَقَدْ أَبْقَتْ مَآثِرَ مُشْرِقَات

تُخَبِّرُ عَنْ عُلاَهَا فِي نَوَاهَا

تُخَبِّرُ عَنْ عُلاَهَا فِي نَوَاهَا

For she has left behind radiant deeds of honor

For she left shining achievements

For she has left behind radiant legacies,

that tell of her glory in her absence.

That speak of her loftiness in her stead

That speak of her eminence in her absence.

وَمَنْ يُنْجِبْ بِمِثْلِكَ يَا ابْنَ عَمِّي

وَمَنْ يُنْجِبْ بِمِثْلِكَ يَا ابْنَ عَمِّي

فَقَدْ ذَخَرَ الْمَحَامِدَ وَاقْتَنَاهَا

فَقَدْ ذَخَرَ الْمَحَامِدَ وَاقْتَنَاهَا

And whoever bears one like you, my cousin,

He who sires one such as you, cousin

And whoever begets someone like you, O cousin of mine,

has stored up honors and made them their own.

Has stored up praise and acquired it in full

Has surely amassed praiseworthy traits and acquired them.

تَجَلَّدْ وَاحْتَسِبْ وَاصْبِرْ لِتُعْطَى

تَجَلَّدْ وَاحْتَسِبْ وَاصْبِرْ لِتُعْطَى

أُجُوراً لاَ يُحَاطُ بِمُنْتَهَاهَا

أُجُوراً لاَ يُحَاطُ بِمُنْتَهَاهَا

Be steadfast, seek God's reward, and be patient, that you may receive

Bear it with patience and fortitude

Be steadfast, seek your reward from God, and be patient, that you may be granted

rewards whose full extent cannot be fathomed.

To be rewarded beyond measure

Rewards whose boundaries cannot be encompassed.

وَلاَ تَحْزَنْ فَإِنَّا عَنْ قَرِيبٍ

وَلاَ تَحْزَنْ فَإِنَّا عَنْ قَرِيبٍ

سَيَسْقِينَا الرَّدَى مِمَّا سَقَاهَا

سَيَسْقِينَا الرَّدَى مِمَّا سَقَاهَا

And do not grieve, for before long

Grieve not, for soon we shall drink

And do not grieve, for we, very soon,

death will give us to drink of what it gave her.

The poison it made her drink

Will be made by death to drink from what it gave her.

جَزَاهَا اللهُ خَيْراً مِنْ حَصَانٍ

جَزَاهَا اللهُ خَيْراً مِنْ حَصَانٍ

وَقَدَّسَ رُوحَهَا وَسَقَى ثَرَاهَا

وَقَدَّسَ رُوحَهَا وَسَقَى ثَرَاهَا

May God reward her well, chaste woman that she was,

May God grant her the best of steeds

May God reward her abundantly as a chaste woman,

and sanctify her spirit and water her grave's earth.

And sanctify her soul and water her tomb

And sanctify her soul, and water her earth.

وَلاَ زَالَتْ جِنَانُ الْخُلْدِ تُهْدِي

وَلاَ زَالَتْ جِنَانُ الْخُلْدِ تُهْدِي

إِلَيْهَا مَا تَأَرَّجَ مِنْ شَذَاهَا

إِلَيْهَا مَا تَأَرَّجَ مِنْ شَذَاهَا

And may the gardens of eternity never cease to send

The gardens of eternity continue to send her

And may the gardens of eternity forever present

to her whatever wafts of their sweet fragrance.

The sweetest scents that they exhale

To her the most fragrant of their perfumes.