إِذا وَفَت لِتِجارِ الهِندِ فائِدَةٌ

إِذا وَفَت لِتِجارِ الهِندِ فائِدَةٌ

فَاِجعَل مَعَ اللَهِ في دُنياكَ مُتَّجَرا

فَاِجعَل مَعَ اللَهِ في دُنياكَ مُتَّجَرا

If profit comes to the merchants of India,

If a profit accrues to the merchants of India,

then make your worldly life a commerce with God.

then undertake trade with God in this world of yours.

وَدينُ مَكَّةَ طاوَعنا أَإِمَّتَهُ

وَدينُ مَكَّةَ طاوَعنا أَإِمَّتَهُ

عَصراً فَما بالُ دينٍ جاءَ مِن هَجَرا

عَصراً فَما بالُ دينٍ جاءَ مِن هَجَرا

We obeyed the imams of Mecca’s faith

And Mecca's faith—we obeyed its imams

for ten years—so what of a faith that came from Hajar?

for an age; what, then, of a faith that came from Hajar?

وَالسَعدُ يُدرِكُ أَقواماً فَيَرفَعُهُم

وَالسَعدُ يُدرِكُ أَقواماً فَيَرفَعُهُم

وَقَد يَنالُ إِلى أَن يُعبَدَ الحَجَرا

وَقَد يَنالُ إِلى أَن يُعبَدَ الحَجَرا

Good fortune overtakes some peoples and raises them high,

And good fortune reaches some peoples and raises them up,

and it may happen even to a god that a stone is worshiped.

and may go so far that stone is worshipped.

وَشَرَّفَت ذاتَ أَنواطٍ قَبائِلُها

وَشَرَّفَت ذاتَ أَنواطٍ قَبائِلُها

وَلَم تُبايِن عَلى عِلّاتِها الشَجَرا

وَلَم تُبايِن عَلى عِلّاتِها الشَجَرا

Its tribes exalted Dhāt Anwāṭ,

And its tribes honored Dhat Anwat,

though, for all its faults, it differed in nothing from other trees.

and, despite its flaws, it was no different from trees.

فَاِترُك ثَعالِبَ إِنسٍ في مَنازِلِها

فَاِترُك ثَعالِبَ إِنسٍ في مَنازِلِها

وَدَع ثَعالِبَ وَحشٍ تَسكُنُ الوُجُرا

وَدَع ثَعالِبَ وَحشٍ تَسكُنُ الوُجُرا

So leave the human foxes in their dwellings,

So leave the foxes of humankind in their dwellings,

and let the wild foxes inhabit their dens.

and leave wild foxes to inhabit their dens.

وَما ثَعالِبُ في قَيسٍ وَلا يَمنٍ

وَما ثَعالِبُ في قَيسٍ وَلا يَمنٍ

إِلّا ثَعالِبُ دُجنٌ تَنفُضُ الوَبَرا

إِلّا ثَعالِبُ دُجنٌ تَنفُضُ الوَبَرا

The Thaʿālib clans in Qays and Yemen are nothing

And the foxes in Qays or Yemen are nothing

but tame foxes shaking off their fur.

but dusky foxes shaking their fur.

أَتَزجُرونَ أَميراً أَن يُكَلِّفَكُم

أَتَزجُرونَ أَميراً أَن يُكَلِّفَكُم

ضَيماً فَيُحمَدَ غِبَّ الشَأنِ مَن زَجَرا

ضَيماً فَيُحمَدَ غِبَّ الشَأنِ مَن زَجَرا

Do you restrain a prince from burdening you

Do you restrain a ruler from imposing

with oppression, so that afterward whoever restrained him is praised?

injustice on you, so that whoever restrained him is praised after the affair?

قَد كانَ يُحسِنُ في داجي شَبيبَتِهِ

قَد كانَ يُحسِنُ في داجي شَبيبَتِهِ

حَتّى إِذا لاحَ فَجراً شَيبُهُ فَجَرا

حَتّى إِذا لاحَ فَجراً شَيبُهُ فَجَرا

He once did good in the darkness of his youth,

He once did good in the darkness of his youth,

until, when his gray hair dawned like daybreak, he turned profligate.

until, when his gray hair shone like dawn, he turned wicked.

فَإِنَّ عِلباءً المَدعوَّ في أَسَدٍ

فَإِنَّ عِلباءً المَدعوَّ في أَسَدٍ

ساقَ الحِمامَ فَأَسقى ماءَهُ حُجُرا

ساقَ الحِمامَ فَأَسقى ماءَهُ حُجُرا

For indeed ʿIlbāʾ—the one so named among Asad—

For the man called Ilba among Asad

drove Death onward and made Hujr drink its water.

brought death and gave Hujr its water to drink.

كادَ العَذابُ مِنَ الخَضراءِ يُمطِرُنا

كادَ العَذابُ مِنَ الخَضراءِ يُمطِرُنا

وَكادَت الأَرضُ تَرغو تَحتَنا ضَجَرا

وَكادَت الأَرضُ تَرغو تَحتَنا ضَجَرا

Torment nearly rained upon us from the green vault,

Torment almost rained upon us from the green sky,

and the earth nearly bellowed beneath us in vexation.

and the earth almost bellowed beneath us in vexation.

إِن صَحَّ جِسمٌ فَإِنَّ الدينَ مُنتَكِسٌ

إِن صَحَّ جِسمٌ فَإِنَّ الدينَ مُنتَكِسٌ

تَظُنُّهُ كُلَّ حينٍ مُدنَفاً هَجَرا

تَظُنُّهُ كُلَّ حينٍ مُدنَفاً هَجَرا

Though a body be sound, the faith has relapsed;

If a body is sound, faith is in relapse;

you deem it at every moment gravely ill and delirious.

you deem it at every moment gravely ill and delirious.