أَيُّهاO النَّفسُsoul أَقِلّيease up
أَيُّها النَّفسُ أَقِلّي
فَلَقَدfor indeed أَكثَرتِyou have increased ثِقليmy burden
فَلَقَد أَكثَرتِ ثِقلي
O soul, ease up;
O soul, lighten your burden
for you have greatly increased my burden.
For you have made my burden heavy
إِنَّماonly أصلِحُI set right مِنof أَمaffair (start)
إِنَّما أصلِحُ مِن أَم
رِكَyour affair (completion) ماwhat يُفسِدُcorrupts عَقليmy reason
رِكَ ما يُفسِدُ عَقلي
I only set right in your
I only improve what spoils my mind
affairs what corrupts my reason.
From your affairs
لَستُI am not أَرضىcontent لَكَfor you بِالعِزwith honor (start)
لَستُ أَرضى لَكَ بِالعِز
زِhonor (completion) الَّذيthat يوجِبُentails ذُلّيmy humiliation
زِ الَّذي يوجِبُ ذُلّي
I will not accept for you an honor
I am not pleased with the glory for you
that brings me humiliation,
That would cause my humiliation
وَهَوىand craving for الأَكثَرmore وَالعَيand livelihood (start)
وَهَوى الأَكثَر وَالعَي
شlivelihood (completion) يُرَجّىis hoped for بِالأَقَلِّwith less
ش يُرَجّى بِالأَقَلِّ
nor a craving for more, when a living
And the passion of most and living
can be had with less.
Is hoped for with less
قَدindeed تَعَلَّقتُI have clung مِنَof الدُّنthe world (start)
قَد تَعَلَّقتُ مِنَ الدُّن
ياworld (completion) بِأَمرٍto something مُضمَحِلِّfading away
يا بِأَمرٍ مُضمَحِلِّ
I have clung, in this
I have held on to something vanishing
world, to something fading away,
From the life
وَتَمَسَّكتُand I have held fast مِنَamong النّاthe people (start)
وَتَمَسَّكتُ مِنَ النّا
سِpeople (completion) بِعَقدٍto a bond مِثلِlike حَلِّan untying
سِ بِعَقدٍ مِثلِ حَلِّ
and held fast among
And clung to a necklace like unraveling
people to a bond as good as undone.
So if you try to achieve
فَإِذاso when حاوَلتَyou try تَحقيcertainty (start)
فَإِذا حاوَلتَ تَحقي
قاًcertainty (completion) فَجَهلاًthen ignorance فَوقَupon جَهلِignorance
قاً فَجَهلاً فَوقَ جَهلِ
So when you seek
Ignorance upon ignorance
certainty, you find ignorance upon ignorance.
O dust-born mortals, how perishable you are
ياO حَلالَdwellers التُّربِthe dust ماnot أَبwore away (start)
يا حَلالَ التُّربِ ما أَب
لاكُمُwore you away (completion) إِلّاexcept وَيَبليand keeps wearing away
لاكُمُ إِلّا وَيَبلي
O dwellers in the dust, what wore
We bid you farewell while none remains
you away still wears others away.
Except like one who prays
نَحنُwe نَتلوكُمfollow you وَماand not السّاthe front-runner (start)
نَحنُ نَتلوكُم وَما السّا
بِقُfront-runner (completion) إِلّاexcept كَالمُصَلّيlike the second-place horse
بِقُ إِلّا كَالمُصَلّي
We follow you; the front-runner
We have shed for you from our tears
is no different from the runner-up.
The efforts of one who sheds few
قَدindeed بَذَلناwe have offered لَكُمُto you مِنof
قَد بَذَلنا لَكُمُ مِن
دَمعِناour tears جُهدَthe utmost effort المُقِلِّone with scant means
دَمعِنا جُهدَ المُقِلِّ
We have offered you, from
And we have followed you from wandering
our tears, all our scant means allow.
With a burning torch
وَلَحِقناكُمand we have caught up with you مِنَfrom الدَّهtime (start)
وَلَحِقناكُم مِنَ الدَّه
رِtime (completion) بِجادٍwith one pressing on مُشمَعِلِّswift-moving
رِ بِجادٍ مُشمَعِلِّ
And we have caught up with you through
How lengthy is my talk in a night
time's relentless, headlong rush.
Of thoughts leading astray
كَمhow long أطيلُI prolong الخَوضَwading فيin لَيnight (start)
كَم أطيلُ الخَوضَ في لَي
لٍnight (completion) مِنَof الفِكرِthought مُضِلِّleading astray
لٍ مِنَ الفِكرِ مُضِلِّ
How long I keep wading through a night
Who will spend the dark night with me
of thought that leads astray!
And who will be with me in the dawn
مَنwho لِساريfor the night-traveler اللَّيلَةِthe night اللَّيpitch-black (start)
مَن لِساري اللَّيلَةِ اللَّي
لاءِpitch-black (completion) فيin الصُّبحِthe dawn وَمَنand who ليfor me
لاءِ في الصُّبحِ وَمَن لي
Who is there for the traveler through the pitch-black night
at dawn—and who is there for me?
Partial English translation: 24 of 26 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1