أُفٍّ لها دُنْيا فلا تستِقرّْ

أُفٍّ لها دُنْيا فلا تستِقرّْ

وعيشُها بالطبعِ مُرٌّ كَدِرْ

وعيشُها بالطبعِ مُرٌّ كَدِرْ

Fie upon this world—it never stays at rest!

Fie upon this world, which never stays constant!

Life in it is bitter and turbid by nature.

And life in it is naturally bitter and troubled.

جميلةُ المنظرِ لكنّها

جميلةُ المنظرِ لكنّها

أقبحُ شيءٍ عند مَنْ يختبِر

أقبحُ شيءٍ عند مَنْ يختبِر

Beautiful in appearance to one who has never tried it,

Beautiful in appearance, yet it is

yet the ugliest thing to one who puts it to the test.

The ugliest thing to anyone who puts it to the test.

قد وَحِل العالم في سجنها

قد وَحِل العالم في سجنها

فكل جنسٍ تحت بؤس وضُرّ

فكل جنسٍ تحت بؤس وضُرّ

The whole world is mired within its prison,

All creation has become mired in its prison,

every kind beneath misery and harm.

So every kind of being is subject to misery and harm.

فقيرُها يطلب نيلَ الغِنى

فقيرُها يطلب نيلَ الغِنى

وذو الغِنى يجمعُ كيْ يَدَّخِر

وذو الغِنى يجمعُ كيْ يَدَّخِر

Its poor seek to attain wealth,

Its poor seek to attain wealth,

while its wealthy gather riches to hoard.

And the wealthy amass riches to hoard them.

فذاك للإملاقِ في حسرةٍ

فذاك للإملاقِ في حسرةٍ

وذاك خوفَ الفقرِ تحت الحَذر

وذاك خوفَ الفقرِ تحت الحَذر

The former grieves over destitution;

So the one is in anguish over destitution,

the latter, fearing poverty, remains on guard.

And the other stays on guard for fear of poverty.

والزاهد العابدُ في كُلْفةٍ

والزاهد العابدُ في كُلْفةٍ

من شَعَث الصومِ وطولِ السَّهَر

من شَعَث الصومِ وطولِ السَّهَر

The ascetic worshiper is in hardship,

And the ascetic worshipper endures hardship

through fasting’s dishevelment and long night vigils,

From the haggardness of fasting and long night vigils,

وخوفِ مايلقاهُ من ربِّه

وخوفِ مايلقاهُ من ربِّه

في آخر الأمرِ إذا ما حُشِر

في آخر الأمرِ إذا ما حُشِر

and through fear of what he will meet from his Lord

And fear of what awaits him from his Lord

at the final end, when he is gathered for judgment.

At the end of it all, when he is gathered for judgment.

وَهَمُّه في القوتِ من حِلِّه

وَهَمُّه في القوتِ من حِلِّه

صعبٌ شديدٌ مستحيلٌ عَسر

صعبٌ شديدٌ مستحيلٌ عَسر

His concern with obtaining sustenance lawfully

And his concern to obtain sustenance lawfully

is difficult, severe, impossible, and hard.

Is difficult, severe, impossible, arduous.

والفاسقُ المذنِبُ في وصمةٍ

والفاسقُ المذنِبُ في وصمةٍ

مُسفَّه الرأيِ قبيح الأَثَر

مُسفَّه الرأيِ قبيح الأَثَر

The wanton sinner bears a stigma,

And the transgressing sinner bears a stigma,

his judgment deemed foolish, his conduct shameful.

Deemed foolish in judgment, leaving an ugly trace.

ليس بمأمونٍ ولا آمنٍ

ليس بمأمونٍ ولا آمنٍ

مُذمَّم في قومه محتقَر

مُذمَّم في قومه محتقَر

Neither trusted nor secure,

He is neither trusted nor safe,

reviled among his people and held in contempt,

Condemned among his people, despised,

منخِفض الرتبِة بين الوَرَى

منخِفض الرتبِة بين الوَرَى

يفتخِر الناسُ ولا يفتخِر

يفتخِر الناسُ ولا يفتخِر

low in rank among humankind—

Low in rank among humankind;

others boast, but he cannot.

People boast, but he does not.

والحوتُ والطير ووَحْش الفَلا

والحوتُ والطير ووَحْش الفَلا

في كُلَفٍ من وِرْدها والصَّدَر

في كُلَفٍ من وِرْدها والصَّدَر

Fish, birds, and the beasts of the wild

And fish, birds, and beasts of the wilderness

suffer hardship in going to water and returning from it.

Face hardships in coming to water and leaving it.

فالوحشُ لا يأمَنُ من قانِصٍ

فالوحشُ لا يأمَنُ من قانِصٍ

أو حابِل أو أسدٍ محتِضر

أو حابِل أو أسدٍ محتِضر

The wild beast is never safe from a hunter,

For wild beasts are not safe from a hunter,

a snarer, or a lion lying in wait,

Or a snarer, or a lion nearby,

أو جارح يُدرِكها بَغْتةً

أو جارح يُدرِكها بَغْتةً

في الجو لا يضرِب إلا كَسَر

في الجو لا يضرِب إلا كَسَر

or a bird of prey that overtakes it suddenly,

Or a bird of prey that overtakes them suddenly

striking it in the air only to break it.

In the air—it never strikes without breaking its prey.

والطيرُ في الأقفاصِ سجنا لها

والطيرُ في الأقفاصِ سجنا لها

تَنوح فيه نَوْحَ صَبٍّ أُسِر

تَنوح فيه نَوْحَ صَبٍّ أُسِر

Birds have cages for their prison,

And birds are in cages—a prison for them;

where they lament like a passionate lover taken captive.

They wail there with the wail of a lovesick captive.

والملكُ الأعظم في خُطَّة

والملكُ الأعظم في خُطَّة

من شدةِ الأمرِ وطول السَّهَر

من شدةِ الأمرِ وطول السَّهَر

The mightiest king is caught in a plight

And the mightiest king is caught in a plight

by the gravity of affairs and long wakefulness,

From the strain of affairs and long night vigils,

وخوفِه من ملكٍ غادرٍ

وخوفِه من ملكٍ غادرٍ

إذا رأى الفرصةَ فيه غدر

إذا رأى الفرصةَ فيه غدر

and by fear of a treacherous king

And his fear of a treacherous king

who, seeing an opening against him, betrays him.

Who betrays him when he sees a chance against him,

إما بسُمٍّ أو سلاحٍ فلا

إما بسُمٍّ أو سلاحٍ فلا

يأمَنُ حاليْ سَفَرٍ أو حَضَر

يأمَنُ حاليْ سَفَرٍ أو حَضَر

By poison or by weapon—he is never

Either with poison or a weapon; so he is never

safe, whether traveling or at home.

Safe, whether traveling or staying at home.

يَستشعِر الخِيفةَ من مَلْبسٍ

يَستشعِر الخِيفةَ من مَلْبسٍ

أو مطعم أو مشرب أو خَضِر

أو مطعم أو مشرب أو خَضِر

He senses fear in his very garment,

He feels apprehension at a garment,

or in food or drink or fresh greens.

Or food, or drink, or greenery.

فالناسُ في أمن به وهْو في

فالناسُ في أمن به وهْو في

توهُّم الخوف فلا ينحصر

توهُّم الخوف فلا ينحصر

The people feel secure through him, while he

Thus people find safety through him, while he lives in

imagines boundless terrors without end.

Fearful imaginings that know no bounds.

والحوتُ في اللُّجِّ على بُعْدِه

والحوتُ في اللُّجِّ على بُعْدِه

من مَلْمسِ الكفِّ ولَمْحِ البصر

من مَلْمسِ الكفِّ ولَمْحِ البصر

The fish in the deep, though far removed

And as for the fish in the deep, though far removed

from the touch of a hand and the glimpse of an eye—

From the touch of a hand and the glance of an eye,

يُدْلِي له الصيادُ خِيطانَه

يُدْلِي له الصيادُ خِيطانَه

والطُّعْم فيها فوق عُقْفِ الإِبَر

والطُّعْم فيها فوق عُقْفِ الإِبَر

the fisherman lowers his lines for it,

The fisherman lowers his lines for it,

with bait set upon the curves of hooks,

And bait on them, over the needles' hooked bends.

حتى إذا أَوْقَعه جَرَّه

حتى إذا أَوْقَعه جَرَّه

جرَّ عنيف جار لما قَدَر

جرَّ عنيف جار لما قَدَر

until, once he has caught it, he drags it in

Until, once he has caught it, he drags it

with a violent, merciless pull, as was decreed.

With a brutal oppressor's pull, now that he has power.

والبعضُ منها آكِلٌ بعضَه

والبعضُ منها آكِلٌ بعضَه

فما جَفا يأكل ما قد صَغُر

فما جَفا يأكل ما قد صَغُر

Some of them devour others;

And some of them eat others,

the larger consumes whatever is small.

So whatever is large eats whatever is small.

مصائبٌ جَلَّتْ ولكنني

مصائبٌ جَلَّتْ ولكنني

أوردتُ منها نُبذةَ المختِصر

أوردتُ منها نُبذةَ المختِصر

The calamities are immense, yet I

These are vast calamities, yet I

have offered only a brief selection of them.

Have offered only a summarizer's brief account of them.

تقديرُ من لا حُكْمَ إلا له

تقديرُ من لا حُكْمَ إلا له

في كلِّ ما يأتِي وفيما يَذَر

في كلِّ ما يأتِي وفيما يَذَر

They are the decree of Him alone to whom judgment belongs,

The decree of Him to whom alone judgment belongs,

in everything He brings about and everything He leaves.

In all that He does and all that He leaves undone.

حَذَّرتُك الدنيا فلا تحتِقر

حَذَّرتُك الدنيا فلا تحتِقر

نصيحتي عندك نصفُ الخَبر

نصيحتي عندك نصفُ الخَبر

I have warned you of the world, so do not scorn

I have warned you against the world, so do not scorn

my counsel: what you now have is half the tale.

My counsel: you have half the story.