أَأَحورُ عَن قَصدي وَقَد بَرَحَ الخَفا

أَأَحورُ عَن قَصدي وَقَد بَرَحَ الخَفا

وَوَقَفتُ مِن عُمري القَصيرِ عَلى شَفا

وَوَقَفتُ مِن عُمري القَصيرِ عَلى شَفا

Shall I turn from my purpose, now that concealment has lifted,

Shall I turn away from my purpose though youth has departed,

Shall I swerve from my path when the hidden is revealed, / And I stand, of my short life, upon the very brink?

and I stand on the brink of my brief life's end?

And I have stood on the verge of my short life?

I see the eyes' ducts withholding their water, / Though before, they mimicked the pouring clouds.

وَأَرى شُؤونَ العَينِ تُمسِكُ ماءَها

وَأَرى شُؤونَ العَينِ تُمسِكُ ماءَها

وَلَقَبلَ ما حَكَتِ السَحابَ الوُكَّفا

وَلَقَبلَ ما حَكَتِ السَحابَ الوُكَّفا

And I see the eye's tear ducts holding back its tears,

I see the tears of the eyes withholding their water,

I deem this comes from a callousness that appeared, / Born of a hardness in the heart akin to rock.

though once they resembled clouds pouring rain.

As if prior to this the clouds poured in torrents.

Prolonged weeping is but little for my lapses, / For perhaps weeping may intercede for him who strayed.

وَأَخالُ ذاكَ لِعِبرَةٍ عَرَضَت لَها

وَأَخالُ ذاكَ لِعِبرَةٍ عَرَضَت لَها

مِن قَسوَةٍ في القَلبِ أَشبَهتِ الصَفا

مِن قَسوَةٍ في القَلبِ أَشبَهتِ الصَفا

And I take that as a lesson that has come to the eye,

I think this is a lesson presented to it

Indeed, sins do not take up residence in a dwelling / Without turning it into a barren, empty waste.

from a hardness in the heart resembling smooth stone.

By hardness of heart resembling flintstone.

Had I but treated the peril of their disease / With the ointments of piety, I would have found the cure.

وَلَقَلَّ لي طولُ البُكاءِ لِهَفوَتي

وَلَقَلَّ لي طولُ البُكاءِ لِهَفوَتي

فَلَرُبَّما شَفَعَ البُكاءُ لِمَن هَفا

فَلَرُبَّما شَفَعَ البُكاءُ لِمَن هَفا

And long weeping for my lapse is little enough for me,

The long period of weeping has availed me little,

And I would have shunned their watering hole, mixed with murk, / And washed the heart's tarnish in the spring of purity.

for often weeping has interceded for one who stumbled.

Though weeping may benefit the grief-stricken one.

And defeated the army of their error with repentance, / And drawn against them the sharp sword of regret.

إِنَّ المَعاصِيَ لا تُقيمُ بِمَنزِلٍ

إِنَّ المَعاصِيَ لا تُقيمُ بِمَنزِلٍ

إِلّا لِتَجعَلَ مِنهُ قاعاً صَفصَفا

إِلّا لِتَجعَلَ مِنهُ قاعاً صَفصَفا

Sins never settle in a dwelling

Sins do not settle in an abode

And forsaken a world that ceases not to be treacherous / To those who hope in it, offering it pure loyalty.

without turning it into a bare and level plain.

Save to make it a barren desert.

It crushed them and their homes with the grinding of a millstone, / So upon them and their homes lies oblivion.

وَلَو أَنَّني داوَيتُ مَعطَبَ دائِها

وَلَو أَنَّني داوَيتُ مَعطَبَ دائِها

بِمَراهِمِ التَقوى لَوافَقتِ الشِفا

بِمَراهِمِ التَقوى لَوافَقتِ الشِفا

And had I treated the deadly harm of their disease

Had I doctored its chronic ill

And truly, it is feared for them from their Lord, / On the Day of Judgment, the Fire—unless He forgives.

with piety's salves, they would have brought healing;

With ointments of piety, it would have recovered.

For the noble steed, when it seeks a goal, / Reaches the limit and outstrips the slow-paced breed.

وَلَعِفتُ مَورِدَها المَشوبَ بِرَنقِها

وَلَعِفتُ مَورِدَها المَشوبَ بِرَنقِها

وَغَسَلتُ رَينَ القَلبِ في عَينِ الصَفا

وَغَسَلتُ رَينَ القَلبِ في عَينِ الصَفا

and I would have shunned their watering place, tainted with their murk,

I would have purified its turbid spring with its mud,

Far apart are the one who strives for his Hereafter / Always, and another who ceases not to procrastinate.

and washed away the heart's rust in the spring of purity,

And washed the heart's filth in the fountain of purity.

I have called upon You persistently to grant me refuge / From what I fear, so do not turn away the persistent supplicant.

وَهَزَمتُ جَحفَلَ غَيِّها بِإِنابَةٍ

وَهَزَمتُ جَحفَلَ غَيِّها بِإِنابَةٍ

وَسَلَلتُ مِن نَدَمٍ عَلَيها مُرهَفا

وَسَلَلتُ مِن نَدَمٍ عَلَيها مُرهَفا

and routed the host of their waywardness through repentance,

I would have defeated its raging folly with repentance,

and drawn a keen-edged blade from remorse for them,

And quenched from remorse over it a flaming thirst.

وَهَجَرتُ دُنيا لَم تَزَل غَدّارَةً

وَهَجَرتُ دُنيا لَم تَزَل غَدّارَةً

بِمُؤَمِّليها المُمحِضينَ لَها الوَفا

بِمُؤَمِّليها المُمحِضينَ لَها الوَفا

and forsaken a world that has never ceased betraying

I would have abandoned a world that remains ever perfidious

those who place their hopes in it and offer it unalloyed loyalty.

To those hoping for fidelity from it.

سَحَقَتهُمُ وَدِيارَهُم سَحقَ الرَحا

سَحَقَتهُمُ وَدِيارَهُم سَحقَ الرَحا

فَعَلَيهُمُ وَعَلى دِيارِهُم العَفا

فَعَلَيهُمُ وَعَلى دِيارِهُم العَفا

It ground them and their homes as a millstone grinds;

Calamity has crushed them and their homes -

so dust lies upon them and upon their homes.

May God pardon them and their homes.

وَلَقَد يُخافُ عَلَيهِمُ مِن رَبِّهِم

وَلَقَد يُخافُ عَلَيهِمُ مِن رَبِّهِم

يَومَ الجَزاءِ النارَ إِلّا إِن عَفا

يَومَ الجَزاءِ النارَ إِلّا إِن عَفا

And indeed they have cause to fear, from their Lord,

And there is fear for them from their Lord

the Fire on the Day of Recompense—unless He pardons.

On the Day of Requital - unless He pardons.

إِنَّ الجَوادَ إِذا تَطَلَّبَ غايَةً

إِنَّ الجَوادَ إِذا تَطَلَّبَ غايَةً

بَلَغَ المَدى مِنها وَبَذَّ المُقرِفا

بَلَغَ المَدى مِنها وَبَذَّ المُقرِفا

Indeed, when a thoroughbred seeks a goal,

Truly when a noble one desires a goal,

it reaches its furthest bound and outstrips the half-bred horse.

He reaches his destination and casts off delinquency.

شَتّانَ بَينَ مُشَمِّرٍ لِمَعادِهِ

شَتّانَ بَينَ مُشَمِّرٍ لِمَعادِهِ

أَبَداً وَآخَرَ لا يَزالُ مُسَوِّفا

أَبَداً وَآخَرَ لا يَزالُ مُسَوِّفا

How far apart are one striving for his hereafter

Great is the difference between one preparing for his return

unceasingly, and another who forever procrastinates!

Forever, and one who continues to procrastinate.

إِنّي دَعَوتُكَ مُلحِفاً لِتُجيرَني

إِنّي دَعَوتُكَ مُلحِفاً لِتُجيرَني

مِمّا أَخافُ فَلا تَرُدَّ المُلحِفا

مِمّا أَخافُ فَلا تَرُدَّ المُلحِفا

I have called upon You insistently, that You may shelter me

I called You insistently to deliver me

from what I fear; so do not turn away the insistent suppliant.

From what I fear, so do not reject the insistent supplicant.