تَعالى رازِقُ الأَحياءِ طُرّاً

تَعالى رازِقُ الأَحياءِ طُرّاً

لَقَد وَهَتِ المُروءةُ وَالحَياءُ

لَقَد وَهَتِ المُروءةُ وَالحَياءُ

Exalted is the Provider of all the living.

Come sustainer of the living, quickly,

Honor and modesty have indeed grown frail.

Modesty and shame have certainly perished.

وَإِنَّ المَوتَ راحَةُ هِبرِزِيٍّ

وَإِنَّ المَوتَ راحَةُ هِبرِزِيٍّ

أَضَرَّ بِلُبِّهِ داءٌ عَياءُ

أَضَرَّ بِلُبِّهِ داءٌ عَياءُ

And death is indeed relief for a keen-minded man

And death is the rest of Hibraizi,

Whose intellect an incurable illness has harmed.

A fatal disease has harmed his mind.

وَما لي لا أَكونُ وَصيَّ نَفسي

وَما لي لا أَكونُ وَصيَّ نَفسي

وَلا تَعصي أُمورِيَ الأَوصِياءُ

وَلا تَعصي أُمورِيَ الأَوصِياءُ

Why should I not be my own executor,

Why am I not the advisor of my own self,

And have no executors disobey my instructions?

And my affairs do not obey advisors?

وَقَد فَتَّشتُ عَن أَصحابِ دينٍ

وَقَد فَتَّشتُ عَن أَصحابِ دينٍ

لَهُم نُسكٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُم رِياءُ

لَهُم نُسكٌ وَلَيسَ لَهُم رِياءُ

And I have searched for people of faith

I have searched for people of faith,

Who have devotion, but no ostentation.

Who have devotion but no pretense.

فَأَلفَيتُ البَهائِمَ لاعُقولٌ

فَأَلفَيتُ البَهائِمَ لاعُقولٌ

تُقيمُ لَها الدَليلَ وَلا ضِياءُ

تُقيمُ لَها الدَليلَ وَلا ضِياءُ

So I found beasts, with no minds

I found beasts without intellects,

To establish proof for them, and no light;

No evidence can guide them nor light.

وَإِخوانَ الفَطانَةِ في اِختِيالٍ

وَإِخوانَ الفَطانَةِ في اِختِيالٍ

كَأَنَّهُمُ لَقَومٍ أَنبِياءُ

كَأَنَّهُمُ لَقَومٍ أَنبِياءُ

And the brethren of keen wit, full of conceit,

And brothers of wit in affectation,

As though they were prophets to a people.

As if they were prophets to a nation.

فَأَمّا هَؤُلاءِ فَأَهلُ مَكرٍ

فَأَمّا هَؤُلاءِ فَأَهلُ مَكرٍ

فَأَمّا الأَوَّلونَ فَأَغبِياءُ

فَأَمّا الأَوَّلونَ فَأَغبِياءُ

As for these, they are people of guile;

As for the latter they are scheming folk,

And as for the former, they are fools.

And as for the first they are fools.

فَإِن كانَ التُقى بَلَهاً وَعِيّاً

فَإِن كانَ التُقى بَلَهاً وَعِيّاً

فَأَعيارُ المَذَلَّةِ أَتقِياءُ

فَأَعيارُ المَذَلَّةِ أَتقِياءُ

So if piety is foolishness and inarticulacy,

If piety is confused and dimwitted,

Then the abject asses are pious.

Then the most pious are the lowliest.

وَأَرشَدُ مِنكَ أَجرَبُ تَحتَ عِبءٍ

وَأَرشَدُ مِنكَ أَجرَبُ تَحتَ عِبءٍ

تَهُبُّ عَلَيهِ ريحٌ جِربِياءُ

تَهُبُّ عَلَيهِ ريحٌ جِربِياءُ

And better guided than you is a mangy ass beneath a load,

And more rightly guided than you is a one-eyed camel

On which a northerly wind blows.

Bowed under a burden, blown by rough winds.

وَجَدتُ الناسُ كُلُّهُمُ فَقيرٌ

وَجَدتُ الناسُ كُلُّهُمُ فَقيرٌ

وَيُعدَمُ في الأَنامِ الأَغنِياءُ

وَيُعدَمُ في الأَنامِ الأَغنِياءُ

I found all people to be poor,

I have found all people to be poor,

And no wealthy people are found among humankind.

And the wealthy are absent among mankind.

نُحِبُّ العَيشَ بُغضاً لِلمَنايا

نُحِبُّ العَيشَ بُغضاً لِلمَنايا

وَنَحنُ بِما هَوينا الأَشقِياءُ

وَنَحنُ بِما هَوينا الأَشقِياءُ

We love life out of hatred for death,

We love life, hating death,

And we are wretched because of what we have loved.

Yet we are miserable by what we desire.

يَموتُ المَرءُ لَيسَ لَهُ صَفيٌّ

يَموتُ المَرءُ لَيسَ لَهُ صَفيٌّ

وَقَبلَ اليَومِ عَزَّ الأَصفِياءُ

وَقَبلَ اليَومِ عَزَّ الأَصفِياءُ

A man dies with no true friend,

A man dies having no loyal friend,

And true friends were scarce even before today.

Though yesterday the loyal were magnificent.

أَتَدري الشَمسُ أَنَّ لَها بَهاءً

أَتَدري الشَمسُ أَنَّ لَها بَهاءً

فَتَأسَفَ أَن يُفارِقَها الأَياءُ

فَتَأسَفَ أَن يُفارِقَها الأَياءُ

Does the sun know that she has splendor,

Do you know that the sun has splendor,

And so grieve that her radiance should leave her?

Then regrets that dusk takes it away?