إِنّا إِلى اللهِ مِن حاجات أنفُسِنا

إِنّا إِلى اللهِ مِن حاجات أنفُسِنا

وَمِن تَذَكُّرِنا مالا يُواتِينا

وَمِن تَذَكُّرِنا مالا يُواتِينا

To God we complain of the desires of our souls,

Our souls have needs that reach to God alone

And of our remembering what will not come our way:

And in remembering Him find no repose.

طِلابُنا وَحشَ أَرضٍ وَهىَ تُبعِدُنا

طِلابُنا وَحشَ أَرضٍ وَهىَ تُبعِدُنا

وَتَركُنَا وَحشَ أَرضٍ وَهىَ تُدنِينَا

وَتَركُنَا وَحشَ أَرضٍ وَهىَ تُدنِينَا

Our pursuit of a land’s wild game while it keeps us far away,

Our quest led us to distant, barren lands

And our forsaking a land’s wild game while it draws us near,

That but estranged us from our cherished goals-

وَتَركُنَا المَاء مَبذُولاً شَرَائِعُهُ

وَتَركُنَا المَاء مَبذُولاً شَرَائِعُهُ

وَوِدُنا حَوضَ حِسىِ مَن يُحلّينَا

وَوِدُنا حَوضَ حِسىِ مَن يُحلّينَا

And our forsaking water whose watering places are freely accessible,

Lands that run with the water we craved to drink,

And our longing for the seep-well basin of one who drives us away.

Yet keep us thirsty still for what consoles.