دنيا ختامُ نعميها بحمامها

دنيا ختامُ نعميها بحمامها

ما تستحقّ الحرص دون مرامها

ما تستحقّ الحرص دون مرامها

A world whose blessings end in its death.

The world's blessings end in ruin

It does not merit eager striving short of its goal.

They're not worth striving for, or being consumed

تبني وتهدم ما بنته وتنثني

تبني وتهدم ما بنته وتنثني

تعطي وتأخذ من يدي مستامها

تعطي وتأخذ من يدي مستامها

It builds, destroys what it has built, then turns back,

It builds and destroys what it erected

giving and taking from the hands of one who bids for it.

Giving and taking back from my hands what it loaned

وحرامها متعلّق بحلالها

وحرامها متعلّق بحلالها

وحلالها متعلّق بحطامها

وحلالها متعلّق بحطامها

And its forbidden things are bound to its lawful things,

Its unlawful tied to its lawful

and its lawful things are bound to its crumbling wealth.

Its lawful tied to its rubble

وعلى النفوس ضراوة من عادة

وعلى النفوس ضراوة من عادة

بالطبع جاري على أيّامها

بالطبع جاري على أيّامها

And souls bear a craving born of habit,

Souls are by nature cruel

running by nature throughout its days.

Flowing habitually through its days

أغربت كل شهيّة محظورة

أغربت كل شهيّة محظورة

خوف الدخيل عليّ من أيّامها

خوف الدخيل عليّ من أيّامها

I banished every forbidden desire,

I shunned all forbidden desires

fearing the intruder its days might bring upon me.

Fearing harm in its days

وصرفت عن وجه الحلال إرادتي

وصرفت عن وجه الحلال إرادتي

إذ كان حتفي في قليل حرامها

إذ كان حتفي في قليل حرامها

And I turned my will away from the face of the lawful,

And turned my will from the lawful's face

since my doom lay in a little of its forbidden things.

When my doom was little of its unlawful

تجري عليّ عوائد من تركها

تجري عليّ عوائد من تركها

عادت لحتم حلالها بدوامها

عادت لحتم حلالها بدوامها

Habits born of forsaking it come upon me,

Habits I'd abandoned return

returning, through their persistence, to cut off its lawful things.

To bind its lawful by constancy

ولقل ما يجد امرؤ من نفسه

ولقل ما يجد امرؤ من نفسه

طوع الرويّة في قصور ذمامها

طوع الرويّة في قصور ذمامها

And little indeed is what a man finds within himself:

Rarely does man find in himself

obedience to deliberation amid the failure of its safeguards,

Obedience to bridle its recklessness

إلا أو ما تضف

إلا أو ما تضف

بصلاحها وزكاتها لقوامها

بصلاحها وزكاتها لقوامها

except—or what you add

Unless what traits his soul refined

through its righteousness and purification, to sustain it.

With righteousness and faith sustained it

أأروم أنّني الذي أعطيتُها

أأروم أنّني الذي أعطيتُها

كبر يغرّ النفس عن إلمامها

كبر يغرّ النفس عن إلمامها

Do I seek to be the one who bestowed this upon it?

Did I think myself the one who granted it

Pride beguiles the soul, turning it from its awareness.

Pride that makes the soul ignore its reigns?

فتهذّبت نفسي وكانت بالصبا

فتهذّبت نفسي وكانت بالصبا

عكريّة شوهاء حين حمامها

عكريّة شوهاء حين حمامها

So my soul became refined, and in youth it had been

I refined my soul, though in youth

murky and misshapen at the time of its death.

Turbid and blemished at its rounding

وعناية الله التي ألوت بها

وعناية الله التي ألوت بها

عن كل فاحشة إلى إسلامها

عن كل فاحشة إلى إسلامها

And God's care was what turned it

And God's grace which imbued it

away from every indecency toward its submission to Him.

From all wickedness to its Islam