هَيهاتَ يِعصِمُ مَن أَرَدتَ حِذارُ

هَيهاتَ يِعصِمُ مَن أَرَدتَ حِذارُ

أَنّى وَمن أَوهاقِكَ الأقدارُ

أَنّى وَمن أَوهاقِكَ الأقدارُ

Never can caution shield the one you have marked.

Alas! Who can protect whom you decide to take

How could it, when the fates are among your snares?

Where are they from your irresistible decrees?

طَلَعَت عَلَيكَ بِجُوسِلين ذَريعَةٌ

طَلَعَت عَلَيكَ بِجُوسِلين ذَريعَةٌ

لا سَحلَ أَنشاها وَلا إِمرارُ

لا سَحلَ أَنشاها وَلا إِمرارُ

An opportunity arose before you bearing Joscelin,

You set upon him the excuse of Giselin

fashioned by neither single nor double twisting.

Neither drawn out nor passed through

وَسَعادةً ما زِلتَ تُمْرَى خَلفَها

وَسَعادةً ما زِلتَ تُمْرَى خَلفَها

فَيَشِفُ وهوَ النّاتِقُ المِدْرارُ

فَيَشِفُ وهوَ النّاتِقُ المِدْرارُ

And good fortune whose teat you have never ceased to milk,

And happiness you kept denying him

so it dwindles, prolific and freely flowing though it is.

So it healed, and it was the constant wound gushing

فَأَرَتْكَ ما يَجني الوفيَّ وفاؤُه

فَأَرَتْكَ ما يَجني الوفيَّ وفاؤُه

وَأَرته كَيفَ يُحيَّن الغدّارُ

وَأَرته كَيفَ يُحيَّن الغدّارُ

It showed you what loyalty brings the faithful man,

She showed you what loyalty brings in return

and showed him how the betrayer is brought to his doom.

And showed him how the traitor prospers

عُودٌ أَمَرّ على أَبارك طَلْعُهُ

عُودٌ أَمَرّ على أَبارك طَلْعُهُ

فَأُحيلَ ذاكَ البرّ وهوَ بَوارُ

فَأُحيلَ ذاكَ البرّ وهوَ بَوارُ

A tree whose first fruit turned bitter for princes;

A bitter tree on fertile ground growing

thus that kindness was transformed, becoming ruin.

Thus the righteousness in it was nullified

ما زِلتَ تَنعَمُ وَهوَ يكفُر عاتِياً

ما زِلتَ تَنعَمُ وَهوَ يكفُر عاتِياً

وَاللَّه يَهدِمُ ما بنى الكفَّارُ

وَاللَّه يَهدِمُ ما بنى الكفَّارُ

You kept granting favors while he defiantly denied them,

While you enjoyed, he persisted in his rebellion

and God demolishes what the unbelievers have built,

And Allah destroys what the unbelievers build

حَتّى أَتاحَ لِقَومِهِ ما جَرّهُ

حَتّى أَتاحَ لِقَومِهِ ما جَرّهُ

لِثَمُود مِن عقرِ الفَصيل قدارُ

لِثَمُود مِن عقرِ الفَصيل قدارُ

until he brought upon his people what was brought

Until He allowed for his people what he brought upon

upon Thamud by Qudar through hamstringing the camel's calf.

Thamud from the hamstringing of the she-camel

أَسرى فَأَصبَحَ في بَراثِنِ آسِرٍ

أَسرى فَأَصبَحَ في بَراثِنِ آسِرٍ

ما زالَ يُدْمي ظُفْرهُ الأَظفارُ

ما زالَ يُدْمي ظُفْرهُ الأَظفارُ

He traveled by night and awoke in the claws of a captor

Taken captive, he became in the grip of captors

whose claw has ever bloodied other claws.

Whose claws continually tear his flesh

سامٍ كَقَرنِ الشمسِ يَقبِسُ نورُهُ

سامٍ كَقَرنِ الشمسِ يَقبِسُ نورُهُ

وتُغضّ دونَ مَحلِّه الأَبصارُ

وتُغضّ دونَ مَحلِّه الأَبصارُ

Lofty as the sun's rising rim, his radiance lends its fire,

Sublime like the sun's horn, his light kindling

and eyes are lowered before his station.

While sights lower before his abode

يَهَبُ التِلادَ مِنَ البِلادِ وَما حَوَت

يَهَبُ التِلادَ مِنَ البِلادِ وَما حَوَت

إِنَّ السّماحَة لِلبِحارِ بِحارُ

إِنَّ السّماحَة لِلبِحارِ بِحارُ

He bestows inherited wealth—lands and all they hold;

Bestowing generosity from countries and what they contain

indeed, generosity is an ocean even to oceans.

For the ocean contains oceans within

يَقظانُ يَخشى اللَّه في خَلَواتِهِ

يَقظانُ يَخشى اللَّه في خَلَواتِهِ

لا مُترفٌ لاهٍ ولا جبّارُ

لا مُترفٌ لاهٍ ولا جبّارُ

Wakeful, he fears God in his private moments,

Wakeful, fearing Allah in his solitude

neither a heedless man of luxury nor a tyrant.

Neither extravagant nor arrogant nor overbearing

نَصَبَ المُراقِب لِلعَواقِبِ ناظراً

نَصَبَ المُراقِب لِلعَواقِبِ ناظراً

فيها كَذلِك تُربَأ الأَبرارُ

فيها كَذلِك تُربَأ الأَبرارُ

He set up watchposts, looking ahead to consequences;

He set up the watcher for consequences, observing

therein, the righteous are thus watched over.

Through it the innocent are cleared

لا كَالّذينَ تَعَجَّلوا حَسواتُها

لا كَالّذينَ تَعَجَّلوا حَسواتُها

وَتَفلسوها بَعدُ وَهيَ خَسارُ

وَتَفلسوها بَعدُ وَهيَ خَسارُ

Not like those who hastily swallowed its draughts,

Not like those who rushed their pleasures

and afterward went bankrupt over it, for it is loss.

Then were bankrupted, and it was a loss

دَرَجوا وَأدرجَ في مَلفِّ رُفاتِهِم

دَرَجوا وَأدرجَ في مَلفِّ رُفاتِهِم

سَوأَى تُساءُ لِذِكرِها الآثارُ

سَوأَى تُساءُ لِذِكرِها الآثارُ

They passed away, and folded into the wrapping of their remains

They were diminished, and the scrolls of their sins swelled

was an infamy whose mention disgraces their legacies.

With the worst that memories mention

وَالمَرءُ مَن يُطْوَى فيَنشرُ طَيّهُ

وَالمَرءُ مَن يُطْوَى فيَنشرُ طَيّهُ

ما أَودَعَتهُ صُدورها الأَخيارُ

ما أَودَعَتهُ صُدورها الأَخيارُ

And a man is one who is folded away, yet whose folding unfolds

While the person is wrapped up, spreading his fold

what the good have stored within their breasts.

Of what the virtuous conscience unfolds

قُل لِلأُلَى ناموا على نَأماتِهِ

قُل لِلأُلَى ناموا على نَأماتِهِ

ما كُلُّ هبّةِ بارحٍ إِعصارُ

ما كُلُّ هبّةِ بارحٍ إِعصارُ

Tell those who slept through his low growls:

Say to the indolent sleeping in their comfort

Not every gust of a hot wind is a whirlwind.

Not every gift of the past is a storm

لا تَأمَنوا في اللَّه بَطشَةَ ثائِرٍ

لا تَأمَنوا في اللَّه بَطشَةَ ثائِرٍ

للَّهِ مِلء سَريرِهِ أَسرارُ

للَّهِ مِلء سَريرِهِ أَسرارُ

Do not feel safe from the onslaught of an avenger for God;

Do not feel secure from Allah's grasp, for He who rages

God's mysteries fill his throne.

To Allah belong the secrets of His throne

صافٍ إِذا كَدَرَ المَعادنُ عادِلٌ

صافٍ إِذا كَدَرَ المَعادنُ عادِلٌ

إِنْ حافَ حُكّامُ المُلوكِ وَجاروا

إِنْ حافَ حُكّامُ المُلوكِ وَجاروا

Pure when metals grow tainted, just

Pure, though the minerals are made turbid

if the judges of kings are partial and unjust.

Equitable, though the kings' judges are unjust

أَعْلَى أَبوهُ لَهُ النِّجاد وَشيدَ في

أَعْلَى أَبوهُ لَهُ النِّجاد وَشيدَ في

صَهَواتِها مِمّا اِبتَناهُ مَنارُ

صَهَواتِها مِمّا اِبتَناهُ مَنارُ

His father raised the heights for him, and on

Exalted is his father to him, and built in its plains

their summits a beacon was built from what he had founded.

From what he constructed, minarets

مَحمودٌ المَحمودُ آثاراً إِذا

مَحمودٌ المَحمودُ آثاراً إِذا

نَظمَت على جيدِ الدُّجَى الأَسمارُ

نَظمَت على جيدِ الدُّجَى الأَسمارُ

Mahmud, praised for his deeds whenever

Praiseworthy is the praiseworthy in deeds when

nightly tales are strung upon the neck of darkness.

Strung on the neck of night as pearls

دانَت لَهُ الأيّامُ صاغِرَةً كَما

دانَت لَهُ الأيّامُ صاغِرَةً كَما

دانَت لَهُ في ظِلّهِ الأَمصارُ

دانَت لَهُ في ظِلّهِ الأَمصارُ

The days have bowed humbly to him, just as

To him days bowed down small

the cities have bowed to him beneath his shade.

As the cities bowed to him in his shade

هِمَمٌ تُحِلَّكَ كلَّ يومٍ رتبةً

هِمَمٌ تُحِلَّكَ كلَّ يومٍ رتبةً

تَسري فَيُصبح دونَما الأَقمارُ

تَسري فَيُصبح دونَما الأَقمارُ

Aspirations that set you each day in a higher rank,

Aspirations that ennoble you every day a rank

journeying by night till, by morning, the moons lie below.

Going beyond what is beneath the moon

وَمَطامِح في العِزِّ إِذ هِيَ صوّبت

وَمَطامِح في العِزِّ إِذ هِيَ صوّبت

فَلَهُنَّ في الفَلَك الأثيرِ قرارُ

فَلَهُنَّ في الفَلَك الأثيرِ قرارُ

And ambitions for glory: even when they are lowered,

And ambitions for glory when they took aim

they still have their resting place in the ethereal sphere.

For them in the eternal dome is rest