تَبَدَّلَ قَلبي مِن ضَلالَتِهِ رُشدا

تَبَدَّلَ قَلبي مِن ضَلالَتِهِ رُشدا

فَلا أَرِبٌ فيهِ لِهِند وَلا سَعدى

فَلا أَرِبٌ فيهِ لِهِند وَلا سَعدى

My heart has turned from its waywardness to right guidance;

My heart has turned from its misguidance to righteousness

My heart has exchanged its wandering for guidance,

so it has no desire for Hind or Sa'da.

So there is no doubt in it for India or Sa'adi

Holding no further desire for Hind, nor for Sa'da.

وَلَم تَخبُ نارُ الوَجدِ فيه وَلا اِنطَوَت

وَلَم تَخبُ نارُ الوَجدِ فيه وَلا اِنطَوَت

وَلَكِن هِيامي صارَ بِالأَنفَعِ الأَجدى

وَلَكِن هِيامي صارَ بِالأَنفَعِ الأَجدى

And the fire of passion within it has neither waned nor died away,

And the fire of passion has not hidden in it nor subsided

The fire of passion within has not dimmed nor died away,

but my ardor is now for what is more useful and fruitful.

But my love has become, with prosperity, the best purpose

But my adoration has shifted to what is more purposeful and worthy.

وَما الزُهدُ في شَيءٍ سِوى حُبِّ غَيرِهِ

وَما الزُهدُ في شَيءٍ سِوى حُبِّ غَيرِهِ

أَشَدُّ الوَرى نُسكاً أَشَدُّهُم وَجدا

أَشَدُّ الوَرى نُسكاً أَشَدُّهُم وَجدا

And renouncing one thing is nothing but loving another;

And asceticism is nothing but love of other than it

To renounce a thing is naught but to love its alternative;

the most devout of mortals are the most ardent in passion.

The most devout of people are the most passionate

The most ascetic among mankind are those most intense in passion.

أَحَبَّ سِوايَ العَيشَ لَهوا وَراحَةً

أَحَبَّ سِوايَ العَيشَ لَهوا وَراحَةً

وَأَنكَرتُهُ لَهواً فَأَحبَبتُهُ كَدّا

وَأَنكَرتُهُ لَهواً فَأَحبَبتُهُ كَدّا

Others loved life as amusement and ease;

I loved worldly life for vanity and comfort

Others have loved life as mere amusement and ease,

and I rejected it as amusement, so I loved it as toil.

And I denied it vanity so I loved it as toil

While I rejected it as play, and embraced it as toil.

وَما دامَ في الدُنيا سُمُو وَرِفعَةٌ

وَما دامَ في الدُنيا سُمُو وَرِفعَةٌ

فَما أَنا مَن يَرضى وَيَقنَعُ بِالأَردا

فَما أَنا مَن يَرضى وَيَقنَعُ بِالأَردا

And as long as the world holds loftiness and eminence,

And as long as elevation and nobility exist in the world

As long as there remains in this world transcendence and glory,

I am not one to accept and settle for what is inferior.

I am not one who accepts and is content with the lowly

I am not one to be content or satisfied with the lowly.

هُوَ المَوتُ أَن نَحيا شِياها وَديعَةً

هُوَ المَوتُ أَن نَحيا شِياها وَديعَةً

وَقَد صارَ كُلُّ الناسِ مِن حَولِنا أُسدا

وَقَد صارَ كُلُّ الناسِ مِن حَولِنا أُسدا

It is death for us to live as docile sheep,

It is death for us to live peacefully and submissively

It is sheer death that we live as meek sheep,

while all the people around us have become lions;

While all the people around us have become lions

While all the nations around us have turned into lions.

وَأَن نَكتَفي بِالأَرضِ نَسرَحُ فَوقَها

وَأَن نَكتَفي بِالأَرضِ نَسرَحُ فَوقَها

وَقَد مَلَكوا مِن فَوقِنا البَرق وَالرَعدا

وَقَد مَلَكوا مِن فَوقِنا البَرق وَالرَعدا

and to be content with the earth, roaming upon it,

And for us to be satisfied with the earth we roam upon

To be content with merely grazing upon the earth,

while they have mastered lightning and thunder above us;

When they have conquered the lightning and thunder above us

While above us, they have mastered the lightning and the thunder.

وَأَن يَنشُروا في كُلِّ أُفقٍ بُنودَهُم

وَأَن يَنشُروا في كُلِّ أُفقٍ بُنودَهُم

وَأَن لا نَرى فَوقَ السِماكِ لَنا بَندا

وَأَن لا نَرى فَوقَ السِماكِ لَنا بَندا

and for them to unfurl their banners on every horizon,

And they spread their flags in every horizon

That they unfurl their banners across every horizon,

and for us to see no banner of our own above al-Simak.

While we do not see above the sky for us any banner

While we see no flag of ours raised above the stars.

تَأَمَّلتُ ماضينا المَجيدَ الَّذي اِنقَضى

تَأَمَّلتُ ماضينا المَجيدَ الَّذي اِنقَضى

فَزَلزَلَ نَفسي أَنَّهُ اِنهار وَاِنهَدّا

فَزَلزَلَ نَفسي أَنَّهُ اِنهار وَاِنهَدّا

I contemplated our glorious past, now gone,

I contemplated our glorious past which has passed

I contemplated our glorious past that has elapsed,

so my soul was shaken by its collapse and ruin,

So it shook my soul that it collapsed and crumbled

And it shook my soul to its core that it has collapsed and fallen to ruin.

وَكَيفَ اِمَّحَت تِلكَ الحَضاراتِ كُلُّها

وَكَيفَ اِمَّحَت تِلكَ الحَضاراتِ كُلُّها

وَصارَت بِلادٌ أَنبَتَتها لَها لَحدا

وَصارَت بِلادٌ أَنبَتَتها لَها لَحدا

and by how all those civilizations had been effaced,

And how those civilizations have all vanished

How all those great civilizations were effaced,

and lands that had nurtured them had become their tomb.

And the countries that cultivated them became for them graves

And the very lands that nurtured them became their tomb.

وَصُرنا عَلى الدُنيا عِيالا وَطالَما

وَصُرنا عَلى الدُنيا عِيالا وَطالَما

تَعَلَّمَ مِنّا أَهلُها البَذل وَالرَفدا

تَعَلَّمَ مِنّا أَهلُها البَذل وَالرَفدا

And we became dependents on the world, though for so long

And we became dependents of the world, and for long

We have become dependents upon the world, though long it was,

its people had learned generosity and aid from us.

Its people learned from us generosity and aid

That its people learned from us the art of giving and aid.

وَنَحنُ الأُلى كانَ الحَريرُ بُرودَهُم

وَنَحنُ الأُلى كانَ الحَريرُ بُرودَهُم

عَلى حينِ كانَ الناسُ مَلبَسُهُم جِلدا

عَلى حينِ كانَ الناسُ مَلبَسُهُم جِلدا

And we are those whose cloaks were silk,

While we were the first silk was their attire

We are the ones whose mantles were woven of silk,

at a time when people's clothing was hide.

At a time when people's garb was leather

At a time when the rest of mankind was clad in skins.

إِذا الأَمسُ لَم يَرجِع فَإِنَّ لَنا غَداً

إِذا الأَمسُ لَم يَرجِع فَإِنَّ لَنا غَداً

نُضيءُ بِهِ الدُنيا وَنَملَءُها حَمدا

نُضيءُ بِهِ الدُنيا وَنَملَءُها حَمدا

If yesterday does not return, then we have a tomorrow

If yesterday does not return, then we have a tomorrow

If yesterday shall not return, then we surely possess a tomorrow,

with which we shall light the world and fill it with praise.

With which we will illuminate the world and fill it with praise

With which we shall illuminate the world and fill it with praise.

وَتُلبِسُنا في اللَيلِ آفاقُهُ سَناً

وَتُلبِسُنا في اللَيلِ آفاقُهُ سَناً

وَتَنشُرُنا في الفَجرِ أَنسامُهُ نَدّا

وَتَنشُرُنا في الفَجرِ أَنسامُهُ نَدّا

And its horizons will clothe us in radiance by night,

And its horizons clothe us at night with glory

Its horizons shall clothe us in radiance amidst the night,

and its breezes will waft us as incense at dawn.

And its breezes spread us at dawn with dew

And its breezes shall spread our essence at dawn like fragrant dew.

فَإِنَّ نُفوسَ العُربِ كَالشُهبِ تَنطَوي

فَإِنَّ نُفوسَ العُربِ كَالشُهبِ تَنطَوي

وَتَخفى وَلَكِن لَيسَ تَبلى وَلا تَصدا

وَتَخفى وَلَكِن لَيسَ تَبلى وَلا تَصدا

For the souls of the Arabs, like shooting stars, fold away

For the souls of the Arabs are like meteors

For the souls of the Arabs are like stars that may set,

and hide, but they neither wear out nor rust.

They hide and disappear but do not wear out or dissipate

And vanish from sight, yet they never decay nor rust.

وَمِثلُ اللَآلي لا يَخيسُ جَمالُها

وَمِثلُ اللَآلي لا يَخيسُ جَمالُها

وَإِن هِيَ لَم تُرصَف وَلَم تَنتَظِم عَقدا

وَإِن هِيَ لَم تُرصَف وَلَم تَنتَظِم عَقدا

And like pearls, their beauty never fades,

And the beauty of pearls does not diminish

They are like pearls whose beauty never corrupts,

even if they have not been set together or strung into a necklace.

Even if they are not threaded or strung into a necklace

Even if they are not set together nor strung into a necklace.

إِذا اِختَلَفَت رَأياً فَما اِختَلَفَت هَوىً

إِذا اِختَلَفَت رَأياً فَما اِختَلَفَت هَوىً

أَوِ اِقتَرَفَت سَعياً فَما اِفتَرَقَت قَصدا

أَوِ اِقتَرَفَت سَعياً فَما اِفتَرَقَت قَصدا

If they differ in opinion, they do not differ in love;

If they differ in opinion, they do not differ in passion

If they diverge in opinion, they do not diverge in affection,

or if they undertake an endeavor, they do not diverge in purpose.

Or if they undertake endeavor, they do not split in purpose

And if they differ in their pursuits, they never separate in purpose.