إِلى كَم إِذا ما غِبتُ تُرجى سَلامَتي

إِلى كَم إِذا ما غِبتُ تُرجى سَلامَتي

وَقَد قَعَدَت بي الحادِثاتُ وَقامَتِ

وَقَد قَعَدَت بي الحادِثاتُ وَقامَتِ

How long, whenever I am absent, will my safety be hoped for,

How long when I am absent is my safety hoped for,

Though calamities have tossed me down and up?

When misfortunes have beset me and arisen?

وَعُمِّمتُ مِن نَسجِ القَتيرِ عِمامَةً

وَعُمِّمتُ مِن نَسجِ القَتيرِ عِمامَةً

رُقومُ البِلى مَرقومَةٌ في عِمامَتي

رُقومُ البِلى مَرقومَةٌ في عِمامَتي

And I have been wrapped in a turban woven of gray hair;

And I have been generally given a turban to wear,

The markings of decay are embroidered in my turban.

Of coarse fabric - decrepitude is marked upon my turban.

وَكُنتُ أَرى لي في الشَبابِ عَلامَةً

وَكُنتُ أَرى لي في الشَبابِ عَلامَةً

فَصِرتُ وَإِنّي مُنكِرٌ لِعَلامَتي

فَصِرتُ وَإِنّي مُنكِرٌ لِعَلامَتي

And in youth I used to see a mark that was my own;

And I used to see for myself in youth a sign,

But now I no longer recognize my own mark.

So I have become, though I deny, my sign.

وَما هِيَ إِلّا أَوبَةٌ بَعدَ غَيبَةٍ

وَما هِيَ إِلّا أَوبَةٌ بَعدَ غَيبَةٍ

إِلى الغَيبَةِ القُصوى فَثَمَّ قِيامَتي

إِلى الغَيبَةِ القُصوى فَثَمَّ قِيامَتي

It is but a return after an absence,

It is only a returning after an absence

To the ultimate absence—and there is my resurrection.

To the uttermost absence, then the arising of my end.

كَأَنّي بِنَفسي حَسرَةً وَنَدامَةً

كَأَنّي بِنَفسي حَسرَةً وَنَدامَةً

تَقَطَّعُ إِذ لَم تُغنِ عَنّي نَدامَتي

تَقَطَّعُ إِذ لَم تُغنِ عَنّي نَدامَتي

I seem to see my soul, in anguish and remorse,

It is as if I see myself in regret and remorse

Torn apart when my remorse has availed me nothing.

Cut to pieces when my remorse does not avail me.

مُنى النَفسِ مِمّا يوطِئُ المَرءَ عَشوَةً

مُنى النَفسِ مِمّا يوطِئُ المَرءَ عَشوَةً

إِذا النَفسُ جالَت حَولَهُنَّ وَحامَتِ

إِذا النَفسُ جالَت حَولَهُنَّ وَحامَتِ

The soul's wishes are among the things that make a man tread blindly,

The soul's wish from what treads a man down in passion

When the soul roams around them and hovers.

When the soul circles about them and is inflamed.

وَمَن أَوطَأَتهُ نَفسُهُ حاجَةً فَقَد

وَمَن أَوطَأَتهُ نَفسُهُ حاجَةً فَقَد

أَساءَت إِلَيهِ نَفسُهُ وَأَلامَتِ

أَساءَت إِلَيهِ نَفسُهُ وَأَلامَتِ

And whoever is led by his soul into need—indeed,

And he whom his soul treads down in need has indeed

His soul has wronged him and earned blame.

His soul done evil to him and pained him.

أَما وَالَّذي نَفسي لَهُ لَو صَدَقتُها

أَما وَالَّذي نَفسي لَهُ لَو صَدَقتُها

لَرَدَّدتُ تَوبيخي لَها وَمَلامَتي

لَرَدَّدتُ تَوبيخي لَها وَمَلامَتي

Indeed, by Him to whom my soul belongs, if I were truthful with it,

But, by Him to whom my soul belongs, if I had obeyed it

I would repeat my rebuke and my reproach to it.

I would have turned back my rebuke to it and blamed it.

فَلِلَّهِ نَفسٌ أَوطَأَتني مِنَ العَشا

فَلِلَّهِ نَفسٌ أَوطَأَتني مِنَ العَشا

حُزوناً وَلَو قَوَّمتُها لَاستَقامَتِ

حُزوناً وَلَو قَوَّمتُها لَاستَقامَتِ

So, God! What a soul—it made me tread, through dim sight,

So God curse a soul that has trodden me down in passion

Rugged ground; had I set it straight, it would have been upright.

Grieving, and had I corrected it, it would have become upright.

وَلِلَّهِ يَومٌ أَيُّ يَومِ فَظاعَةٍ

وَلِلَّهِ يَومٌ أَيُّ يَومِ فَظاعَةٍ

وَأَفظَعُ مِنهُ بَعدُ يَومُ قِيامَتي

وَأَفظَعُ مِنهُ بَعدُ يَومُ قِيامَتي

And God! A day—what a day of horror!

And God curse a day, what day of exceeding vileness!

And more dreadful than it, afterward, is the day of my resurrection.

And more vile than it hereafter the day of my standing again.

وَلِلَّهِ أَهلي إِذ حَبَوني بِحُفرَةٍ

وَلِلَّهِ أَهلي إِذ حَبَوني بِحُفرَةٍ

وَهُم بِهَواني يَطلُبونَ كَرامَتي

وَهُم بِهَواني يَطلُبونَ كَرامَتي

And God! My family, when they gifted me a pit,

And God curse my people when they encompassed me with a pit

While through my abasement they seek my honor.

And they seek my glory through my abasement.

وَلِلَّهِ دُنيا لا تَزالُ تَرُدُّني

وَلِلَّهِ دُنيا لا تَزالُ تَرُدُّني

أَباطيلُها في الجَهلِ بَعدَ استِقامَتي

أَباطيلُها في الجَهلِ بَعدَ استِقامَتي

And God! This world—I am continually drawn back

And God curse a world that still turns me back

By its vanities into ignorance, after I had set myself straight.

From its vanities, in ignorance after my uprightness!

وَلِلَّهِ أَصحابُ المَلاعِبِ لَو صَفَت

وَلِلَّهِ أَصحابُ المَلاعِبِ لَو صَفَت

لَهُم لَذَّةُ الدُنيا بِهِنَّ وَدامَتِ

لَهُم لَذَّةُ الدُنيا بِهِنَّ وَدامَتِ

And God! Those who frequent places of play—if only it were unclouded

And God curse the comrades of frivolities! If they were characterized

And lasting, their worldly pleasure in those places!

By them, the pleasure of life would have lasted with them and continued.

وَلِلَّهِ عَينٌ أَيقَنَت أَنَّ جَنَّةً

وَلِلَّهِ عَينٌ أَيقَنَت أَنَّ جَنَّةً

وَناراً يَقينٌ صادِقٌ ثُمَّ نامَتِ

وَناراً يَقينٌ صادِقٌ ثُمَّ نامَتِ

And God! An eye that knew for certain that Paradise

And God curse an eye that was certain that gardens

And Hell are certain truth—and then fell asleep!

And fire - a true, veracious certainty - then slept!