يا سَيِّدُ هَل لَكَ في ظَبيٍّ تُغازِلُهُ

يا سَيِّدُ هَل لَكَ في ظَبيٍّ تُغازِلُهُ

تُلقي نُيوبُكَ في تَأشيرِهِ قُبَلَك

تُلقي نُيوبُكَ في تَأشيرِهِ قُبَلَك

O wolf, would you woo a gazelle,

O master, do you have a desire for a wild animal to court?

Your fangs planting your kisses as they cut into it?

You throw your claws into its inscription facing you

هَذي جِبِلَّةُ سوءٍ غَيرُ صالِحَةٍ

هَذي جِبِلَّةُ سوءٍ غَيرُ صالِحَةٍ

فَهَل سَوى اللَهُ مِن أَجنادِهِ جَبَلَك

فَهَل سَوى اللَهُ مِن أَجنادِهِ جَبَلَك

This is an evil, unworthy nature;

This is an evil innate nature not proper

So did someone other than God, from among His hosts, fashion you?

Did anyone other than Allah from His troops create you?

وَكَم حَبَلتَ وُحوشُ الرَملِ راتِعَةً

وَكَم حَبَلتَ وُحوشُ الرَملِ راتِعَةً

وَمِن أَمامِكَ يَومٌ شَرُّه حَبلَك

وَمِن أَمامِكَ يَومٌ شَرُّه حَبلَك

And how many grazing beasts of the sands you have snared!

And how many desert beasts have conceived while lying down

And ahead of you lies a day whose evil will snare you.

And before you is a day, its evil has conceived you

تَرجو قُبولَ مَليكٍ لا نَظيرَ لَهُ

تَرجو قُبولَ مَليكٍ لا نَظيرَ لَهُ

وَقَد أَتَيتَ إِلى عَبدٍ فَما قَبِلَك

وَقَد أَتَيتَ إِلى عَبدٍ فَما قَبِلَك

You hope for acceptance from a Sovereign without equal,

You hope for the acceptance of a King who has no equal

Yet you approached a servant, and he did not accept you.

Yet you came to a servant, but he did not accept you

بَخِلتَ بِالهَيِّنِ المَنزورِ تَبذُلُهُ

بَخِلتَ بِالهَيِّنِ المَنزورِ تَبذُلُهُ

لِلَّهِ خَوفاً وَكَم حَقٍّ لَهُ قِبَلَك

لِلَّهِ خَوفاً وَكَم حَقٍّ لَهُ قِبَلَك

You begrudged the paltry, scant amount you give

You were stingy with the despised, worthless to spend

To God out of fear—and how many claims He has upon you!

Out of fear of Allah, yet how many rights does He have over you

خَمسونَ جَرَّت عَلَيها الذَيلَ ذاهِبَةً

خَمسونَ جَرَّت عَلَيها الذَيلَ ذاهِبَةً

تَبّاً لِعَقلِكَ إِن شَيءٌ مَضى تَبَلَك

تَبّاً لِعَقلِكَ إِن شَيءٌ مَضى تَبَلَك

Fifty years have gone, dragging their train over themselves;

Fifty passed by, dragging their tails, going away

Woe to your reason if something past has left you distraught!

Damn your mind if anything has made you senile

نَفَرَت مِن قَولِ واشٍ بِالكَلامِ رَمى

نَفَرَت مِن قَولِ واشٍ بِالكَلامِ رَمى

وَما غَدا بِكَ ما اِستَوجَبتَ لَو نَبَلَك

وَما غَدا بِكَ ما اِستَوجَبتَ لَو نَبَلَك

You recoiled from the words of a slanderer who shot with speech,

It recoiled from the words of a babbler who threw speech

Yet even had he shot you with arrows, you would not have suffered all you deserved.

And tomorrow did not bring you what you deserved if it had conceived you

أَسبِل عَلى السائِل المَعروفَ مُبتَدِراً

أَسبِل عَلى السائِل المَعروفَ مُبتَدِراً

تُحمَد وَأَسبِل عَلى باغي النَدى سَبَلَك

تُحمَد وَأَسبِل عَلى باغي النَدى سَبَلَك

Pour kindness upon the petitioner, hastening to give;

Release your rope on the known questioner speedily

You will be praised; shower your rain upon the seeker of bounty.

You will be praised, and release your rope on the rebel of generosity your ropes

وَلا تَكُن لِسَبيلِ الشَرِّ مُبتَكِراً

وَلا تَكُن لِسَبيلِ الشَرِّ مُبتَكِراً

وَاِصرِف إِلى الخَيرِ مِن نَهجِ الهُدى سُبُلَك

وَاِصرِف إِلى الخَيرِ مِن نَهجِ الهُدى سُبُلَك

Do not be an early traveler on the path of evil;

Do not be pioneering to the way of evil

And direct your paths toward good along the way of guidance.

And divert to good from the approach of guidance your ways