تَعالى الَّذي صاغَ النُجومَ بِقُدرَةٍ

تَعالى الَّذي صاغَ النُجومَ بِقُدرَةٍ

عَنِ القَولِ أَضحى فاعِلُ السَوءِ مُجبِرا

عَنِ القَولِ أَضحى فاعِلُ السَوءِ مُجبِرا

Exalted is He who fashioned the stars with power,

Come, He who shaped the stars with might

Above the claim that the doer of evil is compelled.

Evil-doers are now compelled to right

أَرى عالَماً يَشكو إِلى اللَهِ جَهلَهُ

أَرى عالَماً يَشكو إِلى اللَهِ جَهلَهُ

وَكَم مِن بَرىً يَعلو فَيَخطُبُ مِنبَرا

وَكَم مِن بَرىً يَعلو فَيَخطُبُ مِنبَرا

I see a world complaining to God of its ignorance;

I see a world complaining to its Lord, its ignorance

And how many a clod of earth rises to preach from a pulpit!

And how many rise up to speak from the pulpit

هُمُ القَومُ سافوا عَنبَراً بِمَعاطِسٍ

هُمُ القَومُ سافوا عَنبَراً بِمَعاطِسٍ

فَخافوا وَسافوا بِالصَوارِمِ عَنبَرا

فَخافوا وَسافوا بِالصَوارِمِ عَنبَرا

They are the people who sniffed ambergris with their noses,

They pursued ambergris with ladles

Then took fright and struck ʿAnbar with keen swords.

Then feared, and pursued ambergris with scimitars

يَعيشُ الفَتى ما عاشَ كَالظَبي لَم يُفِد

يَعيشُ الفَتى ما عاشَ كَالظَبي لَم يُفِد

بِدُنياهُ إِلّا أَن يُعالَ وَيَكبُرا

بِدُنياهُ إِلّا أَن يُعالَ وَيَكبُرا

The young man lives, as long as he lives, like a gazelle, gaining nothing

The youth lives as long as he lives like a gazelle who benefits

From his worldly life but nourishment and growth.

His worldly life only by rising up and growing old

وَلَم يَدرِ لَمّا أَن أَتاها وَلا دَرى

وَلَم يَدرِ لَمّا أَن أَتاها وَلا دَرى

إِلى أَينَ يَمضي فَاِستَكانَ مُدَبَّرا

إِلى أَينَ يَمضي فَاِستَكانَ مُدَبَّرا

He knew nothing when he came into it, nor did he know

He did not know why he came to it, nor does he know

Where he would go; so he yielded, subject to governance.

Where he will go, so he resigned himself, retreating