بِنَفسِيَ مَن أَمسَيتُ طَوعَ يَدَيهِ

بِنَفسِيَ مَن أَمسَيتُ طَوعَ يَدَيهِ

أَبَنتُ لَهُ وُدّي فَهُنتُ عَلَيهِ

أَبَنتُ لَهُ وُدّي فَهُنتُ عَلَيهِ

My life for him whose hands I have come to obey.

With my own self, I became obedient to his hands,

My soul is ransom for the one to whose command I bow,

I revealed my love to him, and so became of little worth to him.

I showed him my affection, so I became weak to him,

I bared my love to him, and so was humbled in his eyes.

إِذا جاءَ ذَنباً لَم يَرُم مِنهُ مَخلَصاً

إِذا جاءَ ذَنباً لَم يَرُم مِنهُ مَخلَصاً

وَإِن أَنا أَذنَبتُ اعتَذَرتُ إِلَيهِ

وَإِن أَنا أَذنَبتُ اعتَذَرتُ إِلَيهِ

When he commits a wrong, he seeks no escape from it;

If he comes with a sin, he doesn't seek to be saved from it,

When he commits a fault, he seeks no way to make amends,

but if I commit a wrong, I apologize to him.

And if I sin, I apologize to him,

But if I sin, I offer my apologies to him.

عُقوبَتُهُ عِندي هِيَ الصَفحُ كُلَّما

عُقوبَتُهُ عِندي هِيَ الصَفحُ كُلَّما

أَساءَ وَذَنبي لا يُقالُ لَدَيهِ

أَساءَ وَذَنبي لا يُقالُ لَدَيهِ

His punishment from me is pardon whenever

His punishment to me is forgiveness whenever

The punishment I give is my forgiveness every time

he does wrong, yet my fault is never pardoned by him.

He does wrong and my sin cannot be mentioned to him

He treats me ill, while my own sin is never waived by him.

وَإِنّي وَإِن عَرَّضتُ نَفسِيَ لِلهَوى

وَإِنّي وَإِن عَرَّضتُ نَفسِيَ لِلهَوى

كَمُبتَحِثٍ عَن حَتفِهِ بِيَدَيهِ

كَمُبتَحِثٍ عَن حَتفِهِ بِيَدَيهِ

And I, if I have exposed myself to passion,

And even if I exposed myself to passion

And I, by thus exposing my own soul to passion's sway,

am like one seeking his own death with his own hands.

Like one who searches for his ruin with his own hands

Am like one seeking out his own destruction with his hands.