قاسَيتُ مِن عِلَّتَيكَ ما قَد

قاسَيتُ مِن عِلَّتَيكَ ما قَد

رَقَّ لَهُ المَوتُ وَهوَ قاسِ

رَقَّ لَهُ المَوتُ وَهوَ قاسِ

I suffered from your two afflictions such anguish

From your two ailments I suffered such pain

I have suffered from your illness what

I endured such agony from your twin ailments,

that Death itself softened at it, though Death is hard.

That even death pitied it, though it is cruel.

Even death, when it comes, will pity

That Death itself softened, despite its cruelty.

سُقمٌ وَنَزفٌ أَبانَ عِندي

سُقمٌ وَنَزفٌ أَبانَ عِندي

في ذا وَذا عَجزُ كُلِّ آسِ

في ذا وَذا عَجزُ كُلِّ آسِ

Illness and hemorrhage made plain to me

Sickness and bleeding: it became plain to me

Sickness and bleeding apparent in me

Sickness and hemorrhage made plain to me,

in both, the helplessness of every healer.

That every healer was helpless against both.

In that and this, all doctors fall short

In both, the utter helplessness of every healer.

سعِدت فَأمن شَقاء نارٍ

سعِدت فَأمن شَقاء نارٍ

تملا مِن جِنَّةٍ وَناسِ

تملا مِن جِنَّةٍ وَناسِ

You attained bliss, and so are safe from the torment of a Fire

You have found bliss; be safe from the torment of a fire

I was fortunate, so I felt safe from the fire

You have found happiness, safe from the misery of a Fire,

filled with jinn and humankind.

Filled with jinn and humankind.

That fills hell and people

That is filled with Jinn and humankind.

سَل رَبَّكَ العَفوَ عَن ذُنوبي

سَل رَبَّكَ العَفوَ عَن ذُنوبي

وَاِذكُر وَإِن كُنتَ غَيرَ ناسِ

وَاِذكُر وَإِن كُنتَ غَيرَ ناسِ

Ask your Lord to pardon my sins,

Ask your Lord to pardon my sins,

Ask your Lord for forgiveness of my sins

Ask your Lord to grant forgiveness for my sins,

and remember me, if you are not one to forget.

And remember, even though you are not forgetful.

And remember me, even if I'm not people

And remember me, though you are not one to forget.

سَقاكَ ذو العَرشِ سَلسَبيلاً

سَقاكَ ذو العَرشِ سَلسَبيلاً

فَسَل سَبيلاً لِمَن تُواسي

فَسَل سَبيلاً لِمَن تُواسي

May the Lord of the Throne give you Salsabīl to drink;

May the Possessor of the Throne give you Salsabil to drink;

The Lord of the Throne has quenched you

May the Lord of the Throne quench you from Salsabil,

then ask a way to it for the one you console.

So ask for a path for the one you console.

So quench the thirst of those you console

So seek a way for the one you console.

سَوفَ تَرى من نَماكَ يَظما

سَوفَ تَرى من نَماكَ يَظما

فَطُف عَلَيهِ غَداً بِكاسِ

فَطُف عَلَيهِ غَداً بِكاسِ

You shall see the one who raised you thirsting;

You will see the one who begot you thirsting;

You will see who slept from your sleeplessness

You shall see him who begot you thirsting,

so come round to him tomorrow with a cup.

So go round to him tomorrow with a cup.

So visit him tomorrow with a cup

So tend to him tomorrow with a cup.

سنى أَبي وَاِسمُهُ شِفائي

سنى أَبي وَاِسمُهُ شِفائي

وَفيكَ كانا فَما اِنتِكاسي

وَفيكَ كانا فَما اِنتِكاسي

My father’s radiance—and his name, my healing—

My father's radiance and his name are my healing;

My father's example and his name my healing

My father's light and his name were my cure,

were both in you; why, then, this relapse of mine?

And both were in you—what a relapse is mine!

Through you both, so what is my relapse?

And in you both resided—so why this relapse of mine?

سَمِيّهُ كُنت لي رَجاءً

سَمِيّهُ كُنت لي رَجاءً

فَكَيفَ أَعقَبتني بِياسِ

فَكَيفَ أَعقَبتني بِياسِ

As his namesake, you were my hope;

You, his namesake, were a hope to me;

I hoped in you, calling you

O namesake of his, you were a hope to me,

how, then, did you leave me with despair?

How, then, did you leave me with despair?

So how did you follow me with despair?

How then have you followed it with despair?

سُدَّت سَبيلي إِلَيكَ إِن لَم

سُدَّت سَبيلي إِلَيكَ إِن لَم

تَكُن ثَوابي بِما أُقاسي

تَكُن ثَوابي بِما أُقاسي

My way to you is barred, if

My path to you is barred, unless

My path to you is blocked unless

My path to you is barred, unless,

you are not my recompense for all I suffer.

You are my reward for what I endure.

My reward for what I suffer is with you

You become my reward for the anguish I endure.

سُرَّت بِكَ النَفسُ ثُمَّ سيئَت

سُرَّت بِكَ النَفسُ ثُمَّ سيئَت

فَخانَني الدَهرُ في القِياسِ

فَخانَني الدَهرُ في القِياسِ

My soul rejoiced in you, and then was grieved;

My soul was gladdened by you, then saddened;

My soul was delighted then did evil

The soul rejoiced in you, then was struck with ill;

Time betrayed me in my reckoning.

So time betrayed me in my reckoning.

So time betrayed me in judgment

For Fate betrayed me in its reckoning.

سَجيّةُ الدَهرِ نَقضُ عَزمٍ

سَجيّةُ الدَهرِ نَقضُ عَزمٍ

وَهَدمُ مَبنىً عَلى أَساسِ

وَهَدمُ مَبنىً عَلى أَساسِ

Time’s nature is to undo resolve

Time's nature is to undo resolve,

Nature of time is breaking resolve

It is the nature of Time to undo resolve,

and demolish a building raised upon foundations.

And demolish a building on its foundation.

And demolishing a building on foundations

And to raze a building upon its very foundation.

سَئِمتُ فيهِ الخُطوب إِنّي

سَئِمتُ فيهِ الخُطوب إِنّي

مارَستُها أَيَّما مِراسِ

مارَستُها أَيَّما مِراسِ

I have wearied of its calamities; indeed,

I have grown weary of its calamities; indeed,

I'm tired in it of afflictions, indeed

I have grown weary of its calamities, for I,

I have grappled with them—what a grappling!

I have grappled with them to the utmost.

I have felt all kinds of tribulation

Have battled them with the utmost endurance.

سَوادَ قَلبي أَخَذنَ مِنّي

سَوادَ قَلبي أَخَذنَ مِنّي

فيكَ وَأعطينَ بيض راسي

فيكَ وَأعطينَ بيض راسي

In you, they took from me the blackness of my heart

They took from me the black core of my heart

The blackness of my heart took from me

They took the dark vigor of my heart on your account,

and gave me the white hairs of my head.

In you, and gave me the white hairs of my head.

In you, and gave the whiteness of my head

And gave me, in return, the whiteness of my head.

ساءَ بديلٌ حَملتُ مِنهُ

ساءَ بديلٌ حَملتُ مِنهُ

ما هَدَّ مِنّي أَشَمَّ راسِ

ما هَدَّ مِنّي أَشَمَّ راسِ

A wretched exchange! From it I have borne

A wretched replacement—from it I bore

An evil alternative I carried from it

A wretched exchange it was, burdening me with,

what bowed this proud head of mine.

What shattered my proudly raised head.

That which undermined from me the best head

That which has crushed my head, once held high.