أسأتُ إلى نفسِي أُريد لها نَفعَاً

أسأتُ إلى نفسِي أُريد لها نَفعَاً

وقارفتُ ذَئباً لا أطيقُ له دَفعا

وقارفتُ ذَئباً لا أطيقُ له دَفعا

I harmed myself while seeking my own good,

I wronged myself, though I wanted what would benefit me,

And became entangled with a wolf I cannot fend off.

And contended with a wolf, whose driving off I cannot bear.

رَمتني كَفّي أسهماً لم أجد لها

رَمتني كَفّي أسهماً لم أجد لها

إلى أن أصابَت أسهمي مَقتَلي وَقعا

إلى أن أصابَت أسهمي مَقتَلي وَقعا

My own hand shot arrows at me; I did not feel their

My hands cast me arrows that I could not find

Impact until my arrows struck my vital spot.

Until my own arrows struck me with a mortal blow.

وكم خطأ لو ساعدَ المرءَ جدُّه

وكم خطأ لو ساعدَ المرءَ جدُّه

لَعُدَّ صوباً واستزادَ به رَفعا

لَعُدَّ صوباً واستزادَ به رَفعا

And how many an error, had fortune favored the man,

How many an error, had one's zealotry assisted him,

Would have been deemed right and won him still greater standing.

Would have been set aright, and he would have gained more loftiness.

وذَنبي عظيمٌ غير أنِّي تائبٌ

وذَنبي عظيمٌ غير أنِّي تائبٌ

ومن تابَ إخلاصاً فقد بَذَلَ الوُسعا

ومن تابَ إخلاصاً فقد بَذَلَ الوُسعا

My sin is grave, yet I am repentant;

Great is my sin, but I am penitent;

And whoever repents sincerely has done all he can.

He who repents sincerely has exhausted his capacity.

ولو أَنَّ تأديبَ الأميرِ لعَبده

ولو أَنَّ تأديبَ الأميرِ لعَبده

بقاض على العاصين أَوسعَهم رَدعا

بقاض على العاصين أَوسعَهم رَدعا

And were the emir's chastisement of his servant

If the disciplining of the prince against his disobedient servant

A judge over the disobedient, it would restrain them amply;

Were entrusted to a judge, he would be most harsh in deterrence.

ولو خانَه فرعونُ آمناً طائعاً

ولو خانَه فرعونُ آمناً طائعاً

وإن لم يُعد موسى العصا حيَّةً تَسعىَ

وإن لم يُعد موسى العصا حيَّةً تَسعىَ

And even had Pharaoh betrayed him while safe and obedient,

Even if Pharaoh had betrayed, while secure and obedient,

Though Moses had not turned the staff into a moving serpent.

Moses would not have made the rod into a running serpent.

ولو كنت ذنباً كنتُ في جَنبِ حِلمِه

ولو كنت ذنباً كنتُ في جَنبِ حِلمِه

خبالَ هَباء ما يُجَابُ ولا يُدعى

خبالَ هَباء ما يُجَابُ ولا يُدعى

And were I sin itself, beside his forbearance I would be

If I were a sin, I would be in the fold of His forbearance,

A ruin of dust, neither answered nor summoned.

A fleeting mirage that is neither answered nor called.

وقد زاد في جُرمي تلاعُبُ مَعِشرٍ

وقد زاد في جُرمي تلاعُبُ مَعِشرٍ

بألسنة لم تلق من ورَع فسمَعا

بألسنة لم تلق من ورَع فسمَعا

And a group's mischief has added to my guilt,

And my crime was compounded by the mockery of a group

With tongues that have known no scruple—so listen:

Whose tongues never knew piety, so they never kept their tongues.

حكوا أنني استصغرت نعمته التي

حكوا أنني استصغرت نعمته التي

علوتُ بها الأفلاكَ والرُّتبَ السَّبعا

علوتُ بها الأفلاكَ والرُّتبَ السَّبعا

They claimed I belittled his favor, through which

They said that I belittled His blessing by which

I rose above the celestial spheres and the seven ranks.

I ascended above the celestial spheres and the seven steps.

نبذتُ إذاً ذمَّتي وفارقتُ مِلَّتي

نبذتُ إذاً ذمَّتي وفارقتُ مِلَّتي

وخالفتُ في توحيدي العقلَ والشَّرعا

وخالفتُ في توحيدي العقلَ والشَّرعا

Then I would have cast off my pledge and forsaken my faith,

So I forsook my conscience and abandoned my religion;

And, in my belief in God's oneness, defied reason and sacred law.

I contradicted reason and law in my belief in oneness.

وإن كان لفظَي أو لساني جرى به

وإن كان لفظَي أو لساني جرى به

فلا باتَ إلاَّ وهوَ مُستوجبٌ قَطعا

فلا باتَ إلاَّ وهوَ مُستوجبٌ قَطعا

And if my words or my tongue ever gave voice to it,

And if my words or my tongue let slip with it,

Then may it pass no night without deserving to be cut off.

It did not pass a night except as deserving of severing.

وهل أَجحدُ الشمسَ الُمنيرةَ ضوءهَا

وهل أَجحدُ الشمسَ الُمنيرةَ ضوءهَا

وأَزعُمُ أن الغَيثَ لا يَنبُتُ الزَّرعَا

وأَزعُمُ أن الغَيثَ لا يَنبُتُ الزَّرعَا

Would I deny the radiant sun its light,

Can I deny the shining sun its illumination,

And claim that rain does not make the crops grow?

And claim that the rain yields no crops?

فإن كان ما قالوه حقاً كَمَا حَكَوا

فإن كان ما قالوه حقاً كَمَا حَكَوا

فَلِم جئتُ من بعدُ إلى بَابِهِ أَسعَى

فَلِم جئتُ من بعدُ إلى بَابِهِ أَسعَى

If what they said was true, just as they reported,

If what they told were true, as they related,

Then why did I afterward come hastening to his door?

Why then did I come, later, to His door entreating?

فلا زال مَن وَلاَّه ينتظرُ الُمنى

فلا زال مَن وَلاَّه ينتظرُ الُمنى

ولا زالَ مَن عاداه يَرتقبُ الفُجعا

ولا زالَ مَن عاداه يَرتقبُ الفُجعا

So may whoever appointed him always look forward to his wishes coming true,

So he who takes Him as patron continues hoping for favor,

And may whoever opposes him always await calamities.

While he who makes Him his enemy keeps dreading calamity.

ولا زالت الأيامُ تُهدَي بشارةً

ولا زالت الأيامُ تُهدَي بشارةً

إليه تُرِي في قَلبِ حاسِده صَدعا

إليه تُرِي في قَلبِ حاسِده صَدعا

And may the days never cease bringing glad tidings

And the days continue to carry good tidings to him,

To him, revealing a rift in his envier's heart:

Which show in the heart of his envier a crack.

فتوحاً تَوَالي واحداً إثر واحدٍ

فتوحاً تَوَالي واحداً إثر واحدٍ

كما تتبع الألفاظ في سَجعها سَجعا

كما تتبع الألفاظ في سَجعها سَجعا

Victories following one upon another,

One clear victory followed another,

As words in rhymed prose follow rhyme upon rhyme.

As if words follow each other in accordance with rhetorical beauty.