أَجِدْ يا راهباً سعيا

أَجِدْ يا راهباً سعيا

ولا تك راهباً أعيا

ولا تك راهباً أعيا

Be earnest in your striving, O monk,

I find, O monk, your efforts vain,

And do not be a weary monk,

And yet you tire not, monk, of your travail,

يروغُ كأنه صلٌّ

يروغُ كأنه صلٌّ

يروم خسائس الأشيا

يروم خسائس الأشيا

Who slinks about as though he were an asp,

You pretend to be devout,

Seeking the basest things.

Yet you aspire to base things,

فمن خبثٍ إلى زورٍ

فمن خبثٍ إلى زورٍ

إلى كذبٍ بلا استِحيا

إلى كذبٍ بلا استِحيا

So from wickedness to falsehood,

From mischief to falsehood,

To lying without shame.

To lies without shame,

فطوراً يطلب الدنيا

فطوراً يطلب الدنيا

وأخرى يطلب العُليا

وأخرى يطلب العُليا

So at one time he seeks this world,

By day you seek the world,

And at another he seeks the realm above.

By night you seek the sublime,

فلا دنيا ولا أخرى

فلا دنيا ولا أخرى

فما أشقاه في الدنيا

فما أشقاه في الدنيا

Thus neither this world nor the next is his—

So neither this world nor the next,

How wretched he is in this world!

How woeful for you in this life!

مماتٌ كلُّه يُروَى

مماتٌ كلُّه يُروَى

حياةٌ كلها دنيا

حياةٌ كلها دنيا

A death recounted in its entirety,

All that dies is sated,

A life wholly worldly.

All life is but the present world,

فإن تجهل فلا تجهل

فإن تجهل فلا تجهل

رسوم الدار والأحيا

رسوم الدار والأحيا

So if you are ignorant, do not be ignorant of

If you are ignorant then be not ignorant

The traces of the abode and of the living.

Of the ways of the abode and lives,

فلن تخفى الحياةُ إذا

فلن تخفى الحياةُ إذا

أرتنا الغايةَ القُصيا

أرتنا الغايةَ القُصيا

For life will not be hidden when

For life cannot be hidden if

It shows us the furthest end.

It has shown us the farthest aim,

فسل عما أَجَنَّته

فسل عما أَجَنَّته

طويَّتُنا منَ الأشيا

طويَّتُنا منَ الأشيا

So ask about what has been concealed

So ask what our scrolls have gleaned

Of things, by our inward nature.

Of things from what has passed,

تجد وأبيك ما يأتي

تجد وأبيك ما يأتي

من الحالين ما الأحيى

من الحالين ما الأحيى

You will find, by your father, what follows:

You will find, I swear by your father, what comes

Of the two states, which is more alive?

Of both states, the living and dead,

أَخَيْراً يرتَضي خيراً

أَخَيْراً يرتَضي خيراً

وشرّاً يقتضي النَعيا

وشرّاً يقتضي النَعيا

Is it good that approves of good,

Good, desiring good,

And evil that calls for a death lament?

And evil, necessitating woe,

فلا تدري أَسَخْلاً كن

فلا تدري أَسَخْلاً كن

تَ في الحالين أم ظبيا

تَ في الحالين أم ظبيا

So you do not know whether you were a lamb

You know not if you were neglectful

In either state, or a gazelle.

In both states, or a gazelle,

فقل لي أي شيءٍ أن

فقل لي أي شيءٍ أن

تَ في الدنيا من الدنيا

تَ في الدنيا من الدنيا

So tell me what sort of thing you are

So tell me what thing you are

In this world, of this world:

In this world, of this world,

فلا ميْتٌ مع الموتى

فلا ميْتٌ مع الموتى

ولا حيٌّ مع الأحيا

ولا حيٌّ مع الأحيا

So neither dead among the dead,

Neither dead among the dead,

Nor alive among the living,

Nor living among the living,

ولا إنسٌ به أنسٌ

ولا إنسٌ به أنسٌ

ولا جنٌّ له الرُّقيا

ولا جنٌّ له الرُّقيا

Nor a human in whom there is companionship,

Neither human to have companionship

Nor a jinn for whom there is an incantation.

Nor jinn to have contact,

فهل تحيا وقد تنأى

فهل تحيا وقد تنأى

عَمَنْ قد مات كي يحيا

عَمَنْ قد مات كي يحيا

So can you live while you keep far away

Will you live though keeping apart

From one who has died in order to live?

From those who died that you may live?

فمن أحيا فقد أَهْلَكْْ

فمن أحيا فقد أَهْلَكْْ

ومن أهلكْ فقد أحيا

ومن أهلكْ فقد أحيا

For whoever gives life has brought destruction,

For he who gave life, destroyed,

And whoever destroys has given life.

And he who destroyed, gave life,

أتيتَ اللَه رهبنةً

أتيتَ اللَه رهبنةً

وأنت تَغيظه سعيا

وأنت تَغيظه سعيا

You came to God through monastic life,

You came to God in monkhood

Yet you anger Him in your striving,

Yet you anger Him in your efforts,

بظنك أريَهُ شَرْياً

بظنك أريَهُ شَرْياً

وتحسب شريه أريا

وتحسب شريه أريا

By taking His honey for colocynth,

Thinking to show Him evil

And deeming His colocynth honey.

And deeming His evil good,

فلم تسمع له أمراً

فلم تسمع له أمراً

ولم تسمع له نهيا

ولم تسمع له نهيا

So you have heeded no command of His,

So you heard not His command

Nor heeded any prohibition of His.

Nor heard His prohibition,

فلا حمداً ولا شكراً

فلا حمداً ولا شكراً

ولا سَقياً ولا رَعيا

ولا سَقياً ولا رَعيا

So neither praise nor thanks,

No praise, no gratitude,

Nor watering nor tending.

No watering, no pasturing,