أَلهيتَ نفسَك لكنْ

أَلهيتَ نفسَك لكنْ

لَهيتَ بالأوطارْ

لَهيتَ بالأوطارْ

You distracted yourself, but

You indulged yourself, but

became absorbed in desires.

You indulged in vain things

طلبتَ شهوتَها إذْ

طلبتَ شهوتَها إذْ

أَلهَبْتَ فيها النارْ

أَلهَبْتَ فيها النارْ

You sought its desire when

You sought its lust when

you kindled the fire within it.

You kindled the fire in it

قدَّمت ذنبَكَ لمّا

قدَّمت ذنبَكَ لمّا

قدَّمتَ بالأَعذار

قدَّمتَ بالأَعذار

You brought your sin forward when

You presented your sin when

you offered excuses.

You presented with excuses

لَعَدَمْتَ عمرَكَ حتّى

لَعَدَمْتَ عمرَكَ حتّى

عَمَرْتَ هذي الدارْ

عَمَرْتَ هذي الدارْ

You surely squandered your lifetime until

You wasted your life until

you built up this abode.

You inhabited this house

العمرُ يقصُرُ والدَّهْ

العمرُ يقصُرُ والدَّهْ

رُ بالفتى غدّارْ

رُ بالفتى غدّارْ

Life grows shorter, and time—

Life is short and fate

—is treacherous toward the young man.

With the young man is treacherous

كلاهُما مسعارٌ

كلاهُما مسعارٌ

جَناهما مُشْتارْ

جَناهما مُشْتارْ

Both are firebrands;

Both are ignited

their fruit is gathered.

Their wings are folded

وِدادُهما قَلَّ دنيا

وِدادُهما قَلَّ دنيا

إيرادُها إصدارْ

إيرادُها إصدارْ

Their affection has waned—a world

Their love for the world is little

whose arrivals are departures.

Its income is expenditure

سباعُها ضارياتٌ

سباعُها ضارياتٌ

طباعُها أضرارْ

طباعُها أضرارْ

Its beasts of prey are ravenous;

Its predators are ferocious

its traits are harmful.

Its nature is harm

جاراتُها جائرات

جاراتُها جائرات

عرفاتُها إنكسار

عرفاتُها إنكسار

Its neighbors are unjust;

Its neighbors are unjust

its heights are downfall.

Its character is frustration

خُسرانُها الرِّبحُ عندي

خُسرانُها الرِّبحُ عندي

نقصانُها إبدارْ

نقصانُها إبدارْ

Its loss is gain to me;

Its loss to me is profit

its waning is a moon grown full.

Its decrease is productivity

كثيرُها مُستَقل

كثيرُها مُستَقل

غزيرُها غرَّارْ

غزيرُها غرَّارْ

Its abundance is reckoned little;

Much of it is independent

its profusion is deceptive.

A lot of it is fleeting

أَدوارُها دائرات

أَدوارُها دائرات

أَوطارُها أَطوارْ

أَوطارُها أَطوارْ

Its cycles revolve;

Its cycles are circuits

its desires are shifting phases.

Its phases are phases

لباسُها البأسُ فاعلَمْ

لباسُها البأسُ فاعلَمْ

فناسُها أَغمارْ

فناسُها أَغمارْ

Its garb is hardship, so know this:

Its clothing is affliction, so know

so its people are naive,

Its essence is delusion

غُفْلُ البصائرِ ذُهْلُ ال

غُفْلُ البصائرِ ذُهْلُ ال

قلوبِ والأبصارْ

قلوبِ والأبصارْ

unmindful in insight, heedless in

The neglect of insight is the blindness of

hearts and eyes.

Hearts and sights

توالتِ السّفْرُ منها

توالتِ السّفْرُ منها

وطالتِ الأَسفارْ

وطالتِ الأَسفارْ

Travelers have left it in succession,

Travel has continued from it

and the journeys have grown long.

And journeys have been long

بَدارِ فالأَمرُ صعب

بَدارِ فالأَمرُ صعب

حذارِ للانذارْ

حذارِ للانذارْ

Make haste, for the matter is difficult;

In the abode, so the matter is difficult

beware, in light of the warning.

Beware of warnings

اقْنِ الثناءَ وأَقنِ الثَّ

اقْنِ الثناءَ وأَقنِ الثَّ

راءَ وانفِ العارْ

راءَ وانفِ العارْ

Acquire praise, and bestow

Be content with praise and be content with

wealth, and banish disgrace.

Wealth and avoid shame

فَرِّق لُهاكَ وأحسنْ

فَرِّق لُهاكَ وأحسنْ

وأَنفق الدينارْ

وأَنفق الدينارْ

Distribute your gifts, and do good,

Separate yourself for destruction and do good

and spend the dinar.

And spend the dinar

مالي أُكثرُ مالي

مالي أُكثرُ مالي

ومالي الأنصارْ

ومالي الأنصارْ

Why do I multiply my wealth,

My money, increase my money

while I have no helpers?

And my money, my supporters

الذِّكرُ عندي خير

الذِّكرُ عندي خير

والشُّكرُ لي مختارْ

والشُّكرُ لي مختارْ

Good repute is better in my eyes,

Remembrance to me is best

and gratitude is my choice.

And gratitude to me is preferable

يُفرِّجُ الهمَّ عندي

يُفرِّجُ الهمَّ عندي

ما تُنتجُ الأَقدارْ

ما تُنتجُ الأَقدارْ

For me, sorrow is dispelled

It relieves anxiety for me

by what the fates bring forth.

What the decrees produce