أَلَم يَأنِ تَركي لا عَلَيَّ وَلا لِيا

أَلَم يَأنِ تَركي لا عَلَيَّ وَلا لِيا

وَعَزمي عَلى ما فيهِ إِصلاحُ حالِيا

وَعَزمي عَلى ما فيهِ إِصلاحُ حالِيا

Is it not time I gave up what neither harms nor helps me,

Has not the time come for me to cease imposing on others and impose on myself

and resolved on what would set my condition right?

The resolve to improve my state?

وَقَد نالَ مِنّي الشَيبُ وَاِبيَضَّ مَفرِقي

وَقَد نالَ مِنّي الشَيبُ وَاِبيَضَّ مَفرِقي

وَغالَت سَوادي شُهبَةٌ في قَذالِيا

وَغالَت سَوادي شُهبَةٌ في قَذالِيا

Gray hair has already taken its toll on me, and my hair-parting has turned white,

Grey hairs have come upon me and my temples whitened

and grayness at the back of my head has stolen my hair's blackness.

While my black hair became speckled with white.

وَحالَت بِيَ الحالاتُ عَمّا عَهِدتُها

وَحالَت بِيَ الحالاتُ عَمّا عَهِدتُها

بِكَرِّ اللَيالي وَاللَيالي كَما هِيا

بِكَرِّ اللَيالي وَاللَيالي كَما هِيا

And circumstances have changed for me from what I once knew,

Events have reversed on me from what I had grown accustomed to

with the nights' recurrence, though the nights remain as they are.

In the prime of youth when nights used to be as they were.

أُصَوِّتُ بِالدُنيا وَلَيسَت تُجيبُني

أُصَوِّتُ بِالدُنيا وَلَيسَت تُجيبُني

أُحاوِلُ أَن أَبقى وَكَيفَ بَقائِيا

أُحاوِلُ أَن أَبقى وَكَيفَ بَقائِيا

I call out to the world, but it does not answer me.

I complain to this world but it does not answer me;

I strive to live on—but how can I survive?

I attempt to remain but how can I remain?

وَما تَبرَحُ الأَيّامُ تَحذِفُ مُدَّتي

وَما تَبرَحُ الأَيّامُ تَحذِفُ مُدَّتي

بِعَدِّ حِسابٍ لا كَعَدِّ حِسابِيا

بِعَدِّ حِسابٍ لا كَعَدِّ حِسابِيا

And the days never cease cutting away my lifespan,

The days do not cease casting my days behind me

by a reckoning unlike my own reckoning,

Without counting, not according to my count.

لِتَمحُوَ آثاري وَتُخلِقَ جِدَّتي

لِتَمحُوَ آثاري وَتُخلِقَ جِدَّتي

وَتُخلِيَ مِن رَبعي بِكُرهٍ مَكانِيا

وَتُخلِيَ مِن رَبعي بِكُرهٍ مَكانِيا

to erase my traces and wear out my freshness,

To erase my traces and to renew what is new to me

and, against my will, leave my place at home vacant,

And to empty my quarters with aversion in its place

كَما فَعَلَت قَبلي بِطَسمٍ وَجُرهُمٍ

كَما فَعَلَت قَبلي بِطَسمٍ وَجُرهُمٍ

وَآلِ ثَمودٍ بَعدَ عادِ بنِ عادِيا

وَآلِ ثَمودٍ بَعدَ عادِ بنِ عادِيا

as they did before me to Tasm and Jurhum,

Just as it had done before to Thamud and Jurhum

and the people of Thamud, after Ad son of Adiya.

And 'Ad's descendants after 'Ad.

وَأَبقى صَريعاً بَينَ أَهلي جَنازَةً

وَأَبقى صَريعاً بَينَ أَهلي جَنازَةً

وَيَحوي ذَوو الميراثِ خالِصَ مالِيا

وَيَحوي ذَوو الميراثِ خالِصَ مالِيا

And I shall lie struck down among my family, a corpse,

And I will remain lying dead amongst my family as a corpse

while the heirs take possession of the whole of my wealth.

With my inheritance going to those who will inherit indeed.

أَقولُ لِنَفسي حينَ مالَت بِصَغوِها

أَقولُ لِنَفسي حينَ مالَت بِصَغوِها

إِلى خَطَراتٍ قَد نَتَجنَ أَمانِيا

إِلى خَطَراتٍ قَد نَتَجنَ أَمانِيا

I say to my soul when its inclination turns

I say to myself when it is inclined by its ears

toward passing thoughts that have begotten wishes:

To dangerous utterances, I had wished safety before.

هَبيني مِنَ الدُنيا ظَفِرتُ بِكُلِّ ما

هَبيني مِنَ الدُنيا ظَفِرتُ بِكُلِّ ما

تَمَنَّيتُ أَو أُعطيتُ فَوقَ أَمانِيا

تَمَنَّيتُ أَو أُعطيتُ فَوقَ أَمانِيا

Suppose I attained from the world all that

Deliver me from this world! I have attained everything

I desired, or was given more than my wishes—

I wished for or I was given beyond my wishes.

أَلَيسَ اللَيالي غاصِباتي بِمُهجَتي

أَلَيسَ اللَيالي غاصِباتي بِمُهجَتي

كَما غَصَبَت قَبلي القُرونَ الخَوالِيا

كَما غَصَبَت قَبلي القُرونَ الخَوالِيا

will the nights not rob me of my lifeblood,

Do not the nights snatch away my brain

as they robbed the bygone generations before me,

Just as they had snatched away the eras before me?

وَمُسكِنَتي لَحداً لَدى حُفرَةٍ بِها

وَمُسكِنَتي لَحداً لَدى حُفرَةٍ بِها

يَطولُ إِلى أُخرى اللَيالي ثَوائِيا

يَطولُ إِلى أُخرى اللَيالي ثَوائِيا

and lodge me in a burial niche, in a pit where

And make my dwelling place a grave next to a hole in which

my stay will last until the last of nights,

The long nights to another will be my intercessors.

كَما أَسكَنَت ساماً وَحاماً وَيافِثاً

كَما أَسكَنَت ساماً وَحاماً وَيافِثاً

وَنوحاً وَمَن أَضحى بِمَكَّةَ ثاوِيا

وَنوحاً وَمَن أَضحى بِمَكَّةَ ثاوِيا

as they lodged Shem and Ham and Japheth,

Just as it made the dwelling places of Sam, Ham and Japheth

and Noah, and whoever came to dwell in Mecca?

And Nuh, and the one who resided in Makkah now deserted.

فَقَد أَنِسَت بِالمَوتِ نَفسي لِأَنَّني

فَقَد أَنِسَت بِالمَوتِ نَفسي لِأَنَّني

رَأَيتُ المَنايا يَختَرِمنَ حَياتِيا

رَأَيتُ المَنايا يَختَرِمنَ حَياتِيا

So my soul has grown at ease with death, because I

Thus my soul has become familiar with death because I have seen

have seen deaths cutting short my life.

Destinies harvesting my life.

فَيا لَيتَني مِن بَعدِ مَوتي وَمَبعَثي

فَيا لَيتَني مِن بَعدِ مَوتي وَمَبعَثي

أَكونُ رُفاتاً لا عَلَيَّ وَلا لِيا

أَكونُ رُفاتاً لا عَلَيَّ وَلا لِيا

So, if only, after my death and resurrection,

If only after my death and resurrection,

I could be crumbled remains, with nothing against me or for me!

I will be mere dust without duty or obligation.

أَخافُ إِلَهي ثُمَّ أَرجو نَوالَهُ

أَخافُ إِلَهي ثُمَّ أَرجو نَوالَهُ

وَلَكِنَّ خَوفي قاهِرٌ لِرَجائِيا

وَلَكِنَّ خَوفي قاهِرٌ لِرَجائِيا

I fear my God, then hope for His bounty,

I fear my God then I hope for His gifts

and yet my fear overpowers my hope.

But my fear overcomes my hope.

وَلَولا رَجائي وَاِتِّكالي عَلى الَّذي

وَلَولا رَجائي وَاِتِّكالي عَلى الَّذي

تَوَحَّدَ لي بِالصُنعِ كَهلاً وَناشِيا

تَوَحَّدَ لي بِالصُنعِ كَهلاً وَناشِيا

And were it not for my hope and reliance on the One who

If it were not for my hope and my dependence on He

has alone shown me kindness in my maturity and youth,

Who alone cared for me in my old age and youth,

لَما ساغَ لي عَذبٌ مِنَ الماءِ بارِدٌ

لَما ساغَ لي عَذبٌ مِنَ الماءِ بارِدٌ

وَلا طابَ لي عَيشٌ وَلا زِلتُ باكِيا

وَلا طابَ لي عَيشٌ وَلا زِلتُ باكِيا

no sweet, cold water would be palatable to me,

No cool water would have been palatable to me

nor would life be pleasant; I would never cease weeping,

And I would not taste the sweetness of life or cease crying

عَلى إِثرِ ما قَد كانَ مِنّي صَبابَةً

عَلى إِثرِ ما قَد كانَ مِنّي صَبابَةً

لَيالِيَ فيها كُنتُ لِلَّهِ عاصِيا

لَيالِيَ فيها كُنتُ لِلَّهِ عاصِيا

in the wake of what I had done out of passion,

Over what had occurred from me in my youth

on nights when I was disobedient to God.

Nights in which I was disobedient to God.

فَإِنّي جَديرٌ أَن أَخافَ وَأَتَّقي

فَإِنّي جَديرٌ أَن أَخافَ وَأَتَّقي

وَإِن كُنتُ لَم أُشرِك بِذي العَرشِ ثانِيا

وَإِن كُنتُ لَم أُشرِك بِذي العَرشِ ثانِيا

For I ought to fear and be on my guard,

So it is befitting that I should fear and be conscious

though I have not associated a second with the Lord of the Throne,

And though I did not associate any partner with the Owner of the Throne.

وَأَدَّخِرَ التَقوى بِمَجهودِ طاقَتي

وَأَدَّخِرَ التَقوى بِمَجهودِ طاقَتي

وَأَركَبَ في رُشدي خِلافَ هَوائِيا

وَأَركَبَ في رُشدي خِلافَ هَوائِيا

and store up piety with all my strength,

And I should store consciousness with the effort of my ability

and, guided by sound judgment, take a course against my desires.

And mount righteousness contrary to my passions.