أتيتني مستفتياً في أمر

أتيتني مستفتياً في أمر

يعلمه كل امرئ ذي حجر

يعلمه كل امرئ ذي حجر

You came to me seeking a ruling on a matter

You came to me seeking advice, on something

known to every person endowed with reason.

Known to every wise man, with intellect

الخير إن قابلته بالشرّ

الخير إن قابلته بالشرّ

في العمر كان قطرة من بحر

في العمر كان قطرة من بحر

If you compare good with evil,

Goodness, if you face it with evil

in a lifetime it would be a drop from a sea.

In life, it was a drop from the sea

ألا ترى الأجرب كيف تسري

ألا ترى الأجرب كيف تسري

عدواه في جميع أهل المصر

عدواه في جميع أهل المصر

Do you not see the man with scabies—how

Don't you see the leper, how his disease

his contagion spreads among all the city's people?

Spreads amongst all the people of Egypt

وليس من ذي صحة ويسر

وليس من ذي صحة ويسر

عدوى لمن داناه طوال العمر

عدوى لمن داناه طوال العمر

And from one with health and ease comes no

And no healthy and easy person

contagion to those who draw near him throughout life.

Gets infected by one accused all his life

والطفل إذ يثغركم من ضر

والطفل إذ يثغركم من ضر

يلقي ويلقىَ عنده في قبر

يلقي ويلقىَ عنده في قبر

And when the child teethes—how much pain

And the child, when he smiles at you

he suffers, and because of it is cast into a grave!

Throws himself into your lap and grave

وعند إشعار ونبت ظفر

وعند إشعار ونبت ظفر

ليس له من لذة وسر

ليس له من لذة وسر

And as hair grows and a nail sprouts,

Yet when teething and nails sprout

he has no pleasure or joy.

He finds no joy or secret

وكل عضو لقبول الكسر

وكل عضو لقبول الكسر

أقرب منه لقبول الجبر

أقرب منه لقبول الجبر

And every body part is more prone to breaking

And every organ prone to breaking

than it is to being mended.

Is closer to being fixed

وما فساده سريعاً يزري

وما فساده سريعاً يزري

كالعين لن تصلحه في دهر

كالعين لن تصلحه في دهر

And what is swiftly ruined by damage,

And its corruption does not spread rapidly

like the eye, you will never restore in a lifetime.

Like the eye, it cannot be cured forever

ونعي طفل لأبيه يفري

ونعي طفل لأبيه يفري

فؤاده وكل عظم يبري

فؤاده وكل عظم يبري

And news of a child's death rends his father's

And the death of a child makes his father

heart and wears away every bone.

Flee, and every bone shiver

وليس في مولده من بشر

وليس في مولده من بشر

ندّ لحزن موته الأضرّ

ندّ لحزن موته الأضرّ

And none of the joy at his birth

And there is no good news in his birth

equals the greater grief of his death.

To console the deep sadness of his death

وما تكون لذة عن فكر

وما تكون لذة عن فكر

إذا تحققت ولا عن ذكر

إذا تحققت ولا عن ذكر

And no pleasure comes from thought,

And there is no pleasure from thinking

if you examine closely, nor from remembrance.

When realized, nor from remembering

وإنما ذا هوس قد يجري

وإنما ذا هوس قد يجري

في خاطر المغفل المغتر

في خاطر المغفل المغتر

Rather, this is only a delusion that may pass

Rather this is delusion that flows

through the mind of the heedless, self-deceived fool.

In the mind of the ignorant fool

فهل تصور الشفاء يبري

فهل تصور الشفاء يبري

ذا مرض أمرض منذ شهر

ذا مرض أمرض منذ شهر

So can imagining recovery cure

Can you imagine medicine curing

a sick man who fell ill a month ago?

One sick for a month?

وهل لمن يبرد وقت القرَّ

وهل لمن يبرد وقت القرَّ

دفء بتذكار أوان الحرّ

دفء بتذكار أوان الحرّ

And can one chilled in the cold season

And can one feel warmth at the time of chill

find warmth by recalling the season of heat?

By remembering the time of heat?

فليس دنيانا لأهل الخبر

فليس دنيانا لأهل الخبر

سوى بلاء دائم وخسر

سوى بلاء دائم وخسر

So our world, to those with experience,

So for the people of knowledge, this world

is nothing but constant affliction and loss.

Is nothing but constant loss and shame

يولد فيها العبد غير حرٍ

يولد فيها العبد غير حرٍ

وهكذا يموت رغما فادر

وهكذا يموت رغما فادر

In it the slave is born, not free,

The servant is born in it unfree

and likewise he dies against his will—so know this.

And so dies, though against his will