إِذا ما خَلَوتَ الدَهرَ يَوماً فَلا تَقُل

إِذا ما خَلَوتَ الدَهرَ يَوماً فَلا تَقُل

خَلَوتُ وَلَكِن قُل عَلَيَّ رَقيبُ

خَلَوتُ وَلَكِن قُل عَلَيَّ رَقيبُ

If ever one day in life you are alone, do not say:

If you find yourself alone one day, do not say

'I am alone,' but say, 'A watcher is over me.'

I am alone, but say, God is with me, observing me.

وَلا تَحسَبَنَّ اللَهَ يُغفِلُ ما مَضى

وَلا تَحسَبَنَّ اللَهَ يُغفِلُ ما مَضى

وَلا أَنَّ ما يَخفى عَلَيهِ يَغيبُ

وَلا أَنَّ ما يَخفى عَلَيهِ يَغيبُ

And never suppose that God overlooks what has passed,

Do not think that God forgets the deeds of the past,

Nor that anything hidden escapes Him.

Or that the hidden is concealed from Him.

لَهَونا لَعَمرُ اللَهِ حَتّى تَتابَعَت

لَهَونا لَعَمرُ اللَهِ حَتّى تَتابَعَت

ذُنوبٌ عَلى آثارِهِنَّ ذُنوبُ

ذُنوبٌ عَلى آثارِهِنَّ ذُنوبُ

We dallied, by God's life, until there followed in succession

Our frivolity, by God's life, continues,

Sins, with sins following in their tracks.

Until sins upon sins accumulate.

فَيا لَيتَ أَنَّ اللَهَ يَغفِرُ ما مَضى

فَيا لَيتَ أَنَّ اللَهَ يَغفِرُ ما مَضى

وَيَأذَنُ في تَوباتِنا فَنَتوبُ

وَيَأذَنُ في تَوباتِنا فَنَتوبُ

Oh, if only God would forgive what has passed,

I wish that God would forgive what is past

And grant us leave to repent, so that we may repent.

And permit our repentance, so we can repent.

إِذا ما مَضى القَرنُ الَّذي كُنتَ فيهِم

إِذا ما مَضى القَرنُ الَّذي كُنتَ فيهِم

وَخُلِّفتَ في قَرنٍ فَأَنتَ غَريبُ

وَخُلِّفتَ في قَرنٍ فَأَنتَ غَريبُ

When the generation among whom you lived has passed away,

When the era in which you were has passed,

And you are left among another generation, you are a stranger.

And you are left in a new era, you feel a stranger.

وَإِنَّ امرَأً قَد سارَ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

وَإِنَّ امرَأً قَد سارَ خَمسينَ حِجَّةً

إِلى مَنهَلٍ مِن وِردِهِ لَقَريبُ

إِلى مَنهَلٍ مِن وِردِهِ لَقَريبُ

And indeed, a man who has journeyed fifty years

A man journeys fifty pilgrimages

Toward a watering place is surely close to reaching it.

To a spring from which his drink is near.

نَسيبُكَ مَن ناجاكَ بِالوِدِّ قَلبُهُ

نَسيبُكَ مَن ناجاكَ بِالوِدِّ قَلبُهُ

وَلَيسَ لِمَن تَحتَ التُرابِ نَسيبُ

وَلَيسَ لِمَن تَحتَ التُرابِ نَسيبُ

Your kinsman is he whose heart communes with you in love,

Your family are those whose hearts embraced you with affection

And he who lies beneath the dust has no kinsman.

Not those under the soil, who are no kin.

فَأَحسِن جَزاءً ما اجتَهَدتَ فَإِنَّما

فَأَحسِن جَزاءً ما اجتَهَدتَ فَإِنَّما

بِقَرضِكَ تُجزى وَالقُروضُ ضُروبُ

بِقَرضِكَ تُجزى وَالقُروضُ ضُروبُ

So give good recompense as best you can, for only

So reward well those who strove,

According to what you lend are you repaid; and loans are of many kinds.

For only by your aid you will be rewarded, and rewards have categories.