رَجَعتُ إِلى نَفسي بِفِكري لَعَلَّها

رَجَعتُ إِلى نَفسي بِفِكري لَعَلَّها

تُفارِقُ ما قَد غَرَّها وَأَذَلَّها

تُفارِقُ ما قَد غَرَّها وَأَذَلَّها

I turned back to my soul in thought, hoping it

I returned to myself with my thoughts, hoping

Might leave behind what had deceived and debased it.

It would leave what had deceived and humiliated it

فَقُلتُ لَها يا نَفسِ ما كُنتُ آخِذاً

فَقُلتُ لَها يا نَفسِ ما كُنتُ آخِذاً

مِنَ الأَرضِ لَو أَصبَحتُ أَملِكُ كُلَّها

مِنَ الأَرضِ لَو أَصبَحتُ أَملِكُ كُلَّها

So I said to it: O my soul, what would I take

So I said: Oh self, what would I have taken

From the earth, if I came to own it all?

From the earth if I owned all of it

فَهَل هِيَ إِلّا شَبعَةٌ بَعدَ جَوعَةٍ

فَهَل هِيَ إِلّا شَبعَةٌ بَعدَ جَوعَةٍ

وَإِلّا مُناً قَد حانَ لي أَن أَمَلَّها

وَإِلّا مُناً قَد حانَ لي أَن أَمَلَّها

Is it, then, anything but fullness after hunger,

Is it not just satiety after hunger

And wishes it is now time for me to tire of,

Or a gift that is my time to fulfill it

وَمُدَّةُ وَقتٍ لَم يَدَع مُرُّ ما مَضى

وَمُدَّةُ وَقتٍ لَم يَدَع مُرُّ ما مَضى

عَلِيَّ مِنَ الأَيّامِ إِلّا أَقَلَّها

عَلِيَّ مِنَ الأَيّامِ إِلّا أَقَلَّها

And a span of time—the bitterness of the past has left

And a period of time that does not let go the bitterness of what has passed

Me only the smallest portion of my days?

Upon me from the days except diminishing them

أَرى لَكَ نَفساً تَبتَغي أَن تُعِزَّها

أَرى لَكَ نَفساً تَبتَغي أَن تُعِزَّها

وَلَستَ تُعِزُّ النَفسَ حَتّى تُذِلَّها

وَلَستَ تُعِزُّ النَفسَ حَتّى تُذِلَّها

I see you have a soul you seek to exalt,

I see you have a self that seeks to dignify it

Yet you do not exalt the soul until you humble it.

And you do not dignify the self until you humiliate it